25/10/2012 BBC Wales Today

Welcome to Wales Today. Tonight: A special report on the starving

horses roaming parts of south Wales. We uncover evidence of neglected

animals being left to die. In an exclusive interview with one of the

main breeders in Wales, he denies Also on the programme:

The changing face of Cardiff. Plans for the largest expansion of the

city in 60 years. Messages for April Jones. Not

forgotten among classmates. The five year old has been missing for

24 days. It is getting harder as the weeks are getting on. The

children know Christmas is coming and things like that. The questions

are getting harder. We may be out of recession, but

what hope of a job for these apprentices?

And celebrating Africa's links with Wales. The rapturous welcome for

Archbishop Desmond Tutu. It was so rousing. Be touched my heart very

Good evening. The Welsh government has told Wales Today it's

considering new laws to deal with the problem of stray horses. It

follows widespread reports of unscrupulous owners breeding huge

numbers of animals they simply can't afford to keep or feed. It

leads to a problem known as fly- grazing. There are claims one

breeder of gypsy cobs is allegedly using threats and intimidation to

take over family farms so his horses have somewhere to graze.

Nick Palit has been investigating this story over the last few months.

You may find pictures in his report distressing.

Fields of the forgotten of foals far away from prying eyes. Here,

only the strongest survive. Those who are weak or go hungry for and

die. This is the annual welfare cost of horse-breeding that has

been allowed to continue and regulated. I first reported on this

earlier this year. That is when horses are left to graze on other

people's land or common land, often breaking out on to the public

highway in search of food. Those trying to help the animals say they

daren't speak on camera for fear of reprisals from owners. They took me

on a tour of fields around Bridgend where I was met by horrific scenes.

Here, the skill of an adult course that literally starved to death. It

is one of four when this very field alone. And three dead phones. A

graphic illustration of the problems that chocolate -- fly-

grazing is causing. The RSPCA say calls about forces is their biggest

issue in parts of South Wales. The charity released this picture of

four dead phones dumped with rubbish. We have blurred the image

as it was so distressing. It is not clear how they died. For the police,

straight courses with the biggest problem until now. But as the

number of horses continues to rise, unscrupulous owners has debt to a

gear in their search for a free grazing land. Fly-grazing seems to

have become a business model employed by some gypsy breeders to

take over control of land on family farms from their rightful owners.

This is often done through threats and intimidation. Now one man has

had the courage to speak out. have had to pay rent on the ground

on the will not take his horses away. He is a second generation,

who has worked this land for more than half a century. He is

embroiled in a dispute with a credo of Welsh gypsy horses. He was

driving. He had his son here. He was in my face, shouting at me, we

are putting our horses here. It is our farm, we can do what we like.

His family had some business dealings with gypsy traders in the

past, so when he first allowed the man to run gun for his forces, he

believed all would be well. But the numbers grow to 160 are many asked

for them to be removed, the man refused. He alleges that threats

then followed. I have had no money off him. I don't know which way to

turn. By have been very down. You feel like sometimes you just want

to end it. It has been hard on my family, as well. By have got two in

daughters and my wife. She can see the difference in me. It has

virtually ruined by business. farm houses now a virtual fortress.

The police have installed alarms on doors and windows. If I press the

button, it will go straight to the police station. That is for my

mother. Plus they put fire alarms and smoke detectors in here. Tammy

what it has been like living like this. -- tell me what it has been

like. Murder. It is worrying to think we have got to live like this.

We are blamed for everything and it is not true. We wanted to talk to

him about the allegations, but initially, he refused to comment.

Finally, after months of pursuing him, he decided to tell his side of

the story. He said he had a gentleman's agreement and has paid

rent for the land until next September. I have been paying him

�10,800 for those fears for I don't know how long exactly, but at least

12 years. It has been OK until he has been offered more money. Isn't

that business? Yes, but you don't spit on the people who have been

good to you. He said the horses are there now because of threats and

intimidation by you. Why doesn't go to the police? He said he has and

he has had to put in security measures. That is a lot of rubbish.

We have had to go to the police because he is letting our horses

out on the road. The police have had to put in panic alarms by

actions by yourself and your family. It is not by me and my family. We

have not been there for 12 months. For you to remove your horses from

his land, what would he have to do? I am not moving them until the

first of 20th September 13. When that comes up, I will go. Could he

pay you back to get him of their sooner? The I don't want the money,

I want the ground. There are people all over the Vale and Bridgend who

have dealings with horses and fly- grazing. I cannot help but if

somebody has not got any gets. I'm not afraid of anybody, but I don't

want any trouble. All I want to do is be left to get on with what I

want to do. The Conservative leader in the Assembly is a farmer and

says annual welfare and intimidation are not the only

issues and has urged police to investigate in -- investigate

claims that some horse-trading is linked to a criminality and tax

evasion. Instead of hard cash trading hands, a certain number of

horses would change hands. That concerns me. That is out of the

barometer of law and I would hope that the authorities would look

into the issue. It is clear that comprises not responsible for all

the gypsy horses that have the welfare issues, but with estimates

of up to 100 -- 1000 horses under his stewardship, it is hard for him

to take track of all of them. How seriously do you take annual

welfare? I would feed the horses before I feed myself. Legislation

it be put in place to address the issue because the current

legislation is bound to be wanting. Mr Davies hopes to raise the issue

in the Assembly and has drafted a proposed and not offer before

consideration. South Wales Police so they continue to work with our

partners to tackle this ongoing problem but in the meantime, some

unscrupulous horse traders fear that the law, invade the taxman and

have scant regard for Animal Welfare.

I'm joined now from Monmouthshire by Jenny MacGregor, who's chair of

the Society for the Welfare of Horses and Ponies, looking after

rescued animals. As the law stands, all horses are supposed to be

micro-chipped. That came in three years ago, but that clearly isn't

happening. Sadly not. Because the law is there,

but it is just not being enforced. What has gone wrong? I think you

probably have to ask the various bodies that are responsible for

making a law work. By gather that it is mainly the trading standards.

So probably, you had best ask them that question. But problems have

you seen on the ground? Our problem is that when we come across an

annual that is in the dummy on the really taking the sick and injured

and malnourished, is we never cannot find an owner. And so, if

they were microchip, and registered with a central database because

sadly, the ruck some microchips that are being bought and put in

that aren't registered anywhere except the owner knows that there

are his. So that has to be tightened up on the law has to be

enforced. Some horses will no change hands for as little as �5.

We can see that force behind do you behaving himself. Tell us his story.

We were asked by the local county council to take him in. He was only

five months old and was in a field with a lot of others. He had not

got a mother and he was being bullied. He could never get to the

fruiter that was probably inadequate anyway, but he was

looking very sorry for himself. And so we said we were taking in and

after five months, when he was five months, he has grown to what he is

now, which is a lovely little chap. Some are not as lucky. Boyd -- why

are so many people breeding horses? I suspect it is Grade, mainly.

Because for whatever reason, they managed to sell some of them for

large sums of money. I think it is irresponsible. As I have always

said to anybody that breeds a lot, you have got to have a plan. When

you break them, you have got to know what the future is. Thank you

very much. More on that Welsh government

response tonight. The Deputy Minister responsible for

agriculture says he wants to meet the police and local councils to

discuss the problem. On tomorrow night's programme, in the second of

Nick Palit's special reports, he'll be looking at the ongoing welfare

issues. He found a horse being kept in the backyard of a small terraced

house. On a brighter note, we'll hear from those involved in a

fostering scheme helping nurse neglected animals back to health.

Councillors in Cardiff are voting tonight on plans for the biggest

expansion of the city since the 1950s. If they're approved, the

number of new homes in the city could rise by a quarter over the

next 14 years. But there are big concerns, as our business

correspondent Nick Servini reports. Cardiff has seen plenty of boom

times in the past. These images from the 1960s show how the capital

had grown after the war. Now, the council says it plans a rate of

growth not seen in decades. Under these projections, 38,000 new homes

could be built between now and 2026. On the population will increase by

58,000. That is about the size of the population of the County

Borough of Merthyr. Big changes are ahead. But do people want them?

roads are not as good as they used to be. There are so many cards on

the -- cars on the road. They have got to have more housing, but I do

not agree with the fact that they are taking over the green. There is

plenty of inner-city housing where they can build. There is a shortage

of houses in Cardiff. And I think they should carry on with it.

proposals include two large developments on green field sites.

8,000 homes in the north-east of the city, seven and half 1000 in

the West and more homes again on the western edge. If a city is

going to become what we want to be, which is a city of global renown, a

European capital city, then it has to grow. Cities that do not grow

died. Expansion in Cardiff is proportionately bigger than many of

its neighbouring authorities. So, is the capital taking on too much?

Politically, it is impossible for Cardiff to accommodate all of the

future growth in homes. Politically impossible. Because it would

involve building on green space. And local people will resent that

and they will protest. And therefore, I think we should make a

virtue of necessity and split the growth between the City and at the

neighbouring at authorities in the region. The rush hour this morning.

It is a reminder that more people will put pressure on a transport

infrastructure that is already stretched by more than 70,000

people who commute into the city every day. There are some serious

warnings in the is plans about increases in future traffic

congestion. Average the journey times by car could increase by as

much as 40%. So the main focus for investment by the council is going

to be a into bus lanes. But of course, the flipside to that is

that there is less capacity on the roads for cars. Tonight's vote is

not the end of the matter. There will now be a public consultation

and more detailed work before the first brick is laid.

Police have made a renewed appeal for information following a fire in

Prestatyn which killed four members of the same family. Detectives want

to hear from people nearby, especially those who may have

filmed the fire on a mobile phone. 20-year-old Lee-Anna Shiers, her

15-month-old son Charlie, four- year-old nephew Bailey Allen and

two-year-old niece Skye died after the blaze on Friday.

Dyfed-Powys Police are appealing for information after a 19-year-old

woman was sexually assaulted within the grounds of Lampeter University.

It happened in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Police are looking

for a man described as 5ft 6 with short brown hair and aged between

17 and 25 years old. 24 days since April Jones went

missing and police say the intensity of their search for the

five year old continues. 17 teams are scouring more than 300

locations around Machynlleth, a town still coming to terms with her

disappearance. Hywel Griffith reports.

At first light, they start again. After more than 44,000 hours of

searching, there is still no end to the biggest police operation in a

quarter of a century. What is remarkable is the officers from all

over the country who have come here should -- here a desire to find

April Jones. We here the same common goal. And you know her

family are watching and waiting. Absolutely. April Jones went

missing on October 1st. She had been playing with friends outside

her home. A man has been charged with her abduction and murder.

Sharratt April Jones's school, they have been trying to find ways to

help the children express the emotions they have been feeling

over the last rain half weeks. This area has been set aside for them to

come and sit quietly and reflect. Some children are three and a half.

They are not even writing. Every pupil has made a message. The head

teacher has been trying to slowly bring back some kind of normality

to school life. Outside in the town, it is not normal. It is getting

harder as the weeks are going on and the children are asking about,

they know Christmas is coming and the questions are getting harder.

Throughout the time -- town, pink ribbon still decorate every corner,

showing the have many cling to. the stick, our thoughts are still

with the family. We still have hope that she is out there and will be

brought home to us. Nobody knows how and when it is it will end, but

24 days in, no one is prepared to give up yet.

Celebrating Africa's links with Wales. A special performance to

welcome Archbishop Desmond Tutu. is amazing that a small part of

that the world such as Wales should have the this Wales for Africa

So the UK has officially climbed out of recession, now businesses in

Wales are assessing what that means for them. Four out of 10 working

men here are employed in one of the strongest growing sectors,

manufacturing. But Wales also suffers from high levels of youth

unemployment and there aren't enough jobs for our young people to

go into. Our Economic Correspondent Sarah Dickins looks at the

situation on the ground. In the heart of Pill, Newport

docklands, this small company has been supplying local builders for

more than 80 years. In the 90s' boom, they expanded to Blackwood

and Ebbw Vale. But then the financial crisis hit and families

put off their building plans. and has 1009 were difficult times,

but in 2010 and 2011, we felt that we had come through the bows of it

and have slowly started to reinvest. It is often said builders are a

great barometer of what is really going on and the economy. This

company is particularly that. It tips cent of their customers are

small local builders and they know when people stop and start spending

money. This company in the summer took the brave step of opening a

new depot in Cardiff. It's cost the company �750,000.

Some cash of their own and a loan from the bank, a brave decision in

the middle of a double-dip recession. We did worry, but we

kept believing that we could succeed here. We are confident that

we will do that. One of areas of the strongest

growth is production and in particular, manufacturing. Both

very important to the Welsh economy. Ironically, today's output figures

show construction as a whole across the UK has shrunk by another 2.5%

in the three months to the end of September. In Bridgend, these

apprentices to the building trade are not upbeat about their chances

in the economy. I am nervous. Because the economy is going down,

we are not getting the work. The money is not coming through. It is

getting less and less opportunities for anyone. Modern apprenticeships

are the best way to get people into work. The Welsh Government clearly

agrees. Some argue the process also needs to be simpler. The Welsh

Government needs to change the Psyche and pay-offs -- of Sony to

give greater support for small businesses will want to take

apprenticeships on so they do not feel they are faced with a mountain

of form-filling and baroque receipt. The Welsh economy is significantly

weaker than the UK as a whole. bureaucracy. The fact that we are

now officially out of recession may well built a little confidence and

A fund set up to support the children of 31-year-old Karina

Menzies who died during a series of hit-and-run incidents in Cardiff

last Friday has seen a boost from stars of screen and stage. Actors

Hugh Grant, Sir Ian McKellen and Frances Barber have helped raise

�5,000 for the fund. Grant joined another bidder to buy a lunch with

Sir Ian and Barber at a Labour Party fundraising dinner last night.

The chairman of the Forestry Commission has criticised the new

body that will replace the Environment Agency Wales, the

Countryside Council for Wales and Forestry Commission. John Owen

Jones says it will lack the commercial expertise which existed

previously. It has now been formally named Natural Resources

Wales and the government says it will provide better outcomes for

the people of Wales. 450,000 people listen to BBC Radio

Wales every week, according to the quarterly RAJAR survey of listening

habits. That's 29,000 down on this time last year. There's been an

increase in Radio Cymru's listenership. The station's share

went up by 11,000 since the last quarter.

He's a veteran of countless campaigns and one of the most

outspoken critics of the apartheid regime. Desmond Tutu has been in

Wales to celebrate our links with Africa. The Archbishop visited a

school, hospital and charity projects. Our reporter Rhodri Lewis

A rapturous reception greeted Archbishop Desmond Tutu as he

arrived for the first stop of the day at Ysgol Plasmawr in Cardiff

He was here to learn more about Plasmawr's close links with a

school in Lesuthu, all part of the Wales for Africa movement which

It is amazing that a small part of the world such as Lesuthu should

have this Wales for Africa project where they are doing outstanding

work in Uganda, they have got it working in Lesuthu. And we have

just seen some of the word that they are doing near Cape Town.

veteran of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, he's

still active in numerous campaigns, ranging from HIV/AIDS to human

rights. It inspired me a lot to be a better person. But he was really

inspiring. I think that his visit will make our bond with Lesuthu a

lot stronger. He came into the hall and said the most inspiring speech,

telling us we have the ability as young people to inspire within the

next century. This afternoon, the Archbishop visited the Valleys Kids

charity in Penygraig in the Rhondda. They performed a drama for him,

which they're taking on tour to South Africa next week. He is so

small, but such a huge person. And to have him here has been a dream

of a lifetime. It has been wonderful. Amazing. Many of the

young people performing today were born since the end of apartheid. In

the light of recent violence back home, Desmond Tutu said though some

things there could be better, they things there could be better, they

could also be a great deal worse. A taste of winter's on the way.

Derek, how cold is it going to get? There is an Arctic plunge on the

way. Temperatures are going to drop in the next 24 hours. The good news

is we can all look forward to some sunshine for a change. It's already

turning colder in Scotland and that cold air is going to flow south

across the whole of Britain and Ireland by the end of Friday. So a

big change on the way. For tonight, plenty of cloud. A few spots of

light rain and drizzle. Becoming dry and clearer in the north and

turning colder. Temperatures in Ewloe dropping to four Celsius.

Tomorrow's chart shows high pressure south of Iceland with a

blast of cold north-easterly winds for Britain. So tomorrow morning,

you will notice the drop in temperature when you step outside.

The good news is it will be dry. And the low cloud, mist and gloom

will have gone. Much clearer compared to recently with improved

visibility. So cold, but more cheerful tomorrow. We'll all see

some sunshine for a change and dry. Mind you, it will feel noticeably

colder. Temperatures much lower than recently and feeling colder in

the wind. In Blaenau Gwent tomorrow, very cold and breezy. Sunshine in

Brynmawr. Temperatures struggling. Only five Celsius in Tredegar.

Similar story down the road in Merthyr Tydfil. Cold, but bright

and breezy. Temperatures in Quakers Yard a chilly seven Celsius.

Tomorrow night, dry, clear and cold. The coldest night of the autumn so

far. Temperatures dipping close to freezing or below with a widespread

frost. So a cold start on Saturday, but a beautiful day. Bright and

crisp with plenty of sunshine. Lighter winds and crystal clear, so

you'll see for miles. Saturday night and Sunday, it's all change.

Turning cloudy and damp. The wind picking up and less cold with

temperatures a bit higher. So Saturday the best day of the

weekend. Not so nice on Sunday. Our picture tonight is from Mark

Roberts. Autumn leaves in Chirk. Thanks, Mark. Enjoy the sunshine

tomorrow, but watch out for the A reminder of our top story:

The Welsh government has told Wales Today it's considering new laws to

deal with the problem of stray horses. It follows widespread

reports of unscrupulous owners breeding huge numbers of animals

they simply can't afford to keep or feed, which leads to a problem

known as fly-grazing. And we'll have the second of our special

reports looking at this tomorrow night.

The UK is out of recession. The latest official figures show that

the economy grew by 1% between July and September. The period included