:00:00. > :00:00.A reminder of our main story: New from me, and on
:00:00. > :00:18.coast. Large parts of the country are warned to expect disruption.
:00:19. > :00:23.Tonight in Aberystwyth, students are being evacuated. The cost of
:00:24. > :00:40.repairing our coast after recent storms reaches ?8 million.
:00:41. > :00:45.The unlawful payments to council chief executives so they'd avoid
:00:46. > :00:50.paying tax. Now, calls for them to resign.
:00:51. > :00:54.Major building projects on the way here but do we have enough skilled
:00:55. > :01:02.workers to deliver them? In tonight's sport: The simple
:01:03. > :01:06.training techniques that makes Wales one of the fittest sides in world
:01:07. > :01:09.rugby. We go behind the scenes to watch them being put through their
:01:10. > :01:13.paces. And she had to stop singing because
:01:14. > :01:21.of a brain tumour. The artist swapping the pop career for the
:01:22. > :01:25.paintbrush. There are warnings tonight to stay
:01:26. > :01:28.away from the coast as thousands of people brace themselves for more bad
:01:29. > :01:31.weather. It comes weeks after parts of the country were damaged by
:01:32. > :01:38.storms. Gale force winds, heavy downpours and high tides are
:01:39. > :01:41.expected tomorrow. In Aberystwyth, 450 students are being evacuated
:01:42. > :01:48.from the seafront and all lectures have been cancelled until Tuesday.
:01:49. > :01:51.People in Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire are being warned to
:01:52. > :01:55.expect severe disruption and fire crews are on stand-by. The latest
:01:56. > :01:58.weather warnings come as local authorities estimate they'll have to
:01:59. > :02:01.spend almost ?8 million to clear up and repair the damage from earlier
:02:02. > :02:04.this month. Our environment correspondent, Iolo ap Dafydd, is in
:02:05. > :02:08.Aberystwyth for us this evening. It has been the wettest January 40
:02:09. > :02:12.years. We had storms in December and then the big storm three weeks ago.
:02:13. > :02:19.The cost of cleaning up as reached ?8 million already but there was
:02:20. > :02:23.some good news today. On top of 2 million pledged last week, further
:02:24. > :02:26.1.6 mil in pounds was pledged by Edwina Hart and Jane Hutt who came
:02:27. > :02:33.here today. That money will be spent on speeding up the repair work,
:02:34. > :02:41.especially in tourist areas. So some good news but there is some bad
:02:42. > :02:45.weather on the way. Three weeks ago Aberystwyth the
:02:46. > :02:48.headlines as the sea Three weeks ago Aberystwyth the
:02:49. > :02:52.promenade. High tides and winds created the strongest surge
:02:53. > :03:00.the decades. The repair work is still going on. Extra stone now
:03:01. > :03:04.fills still going on. Extra stone now
:03:05. > :03:12.The rush is on to fix as much as possible before this weekend's high
:03:13. > :03:16.tides. Sea defences will be needed eventually and design could be
:03:17. > :03:21.completed by the end of the year. There is the option of a reef off
:03:22. > :03:26.the shore. Increasing the height of the promenade and putting a wall in
:03:27. > :03:33.front of the promenade. That a number of different options. --
:03:34. > :03:39.there are a number. Workmen laying new pavement in readiness for the
:03:40. > :03:48.Easter tourists. Local business owners wish owning -- were showing
:03:49. > :03:52.how a quarter of ?1 million has been spent on repairing this area. A
:03:53. > :03:58.further ?1.6 million was pledged today. Anything we can do to get
:03:59. > :04:06.them back in business is important. If you had a bad experience
:04:07. > :04:12.somewhere, you go back and say, it was awful in Wales. The worst
:04:13. > :04:18.affected local authorities have told BBC Wales how much the repairs will
:04:19. > :04:22.cost. Conwy council estimates spending ?5 million. Ceredigion at
:04:23. > :04:26.least 1,000,000 and a half. Gwynedd's estimate is now ?800,000
:04:27. > :04:33.and temperature Council reckon they will need to spend half ?1 million
:04:34. > :04:39.to repair damage. -- Pembrokeshire Council. It is not just the local
:04:40. > :04:46.authorities that have been hit. Network Rail spent -- spends ?1
:04:47. > :04:51.million to maintain the track along the Welsh coast and now they have
:04:52. > :04:59.extensive repair costs. Since we saw the tidal surge in December, we are
:05:00. > :05:06.looking at a bill of around ?15 million. That is on top of the usual
:05:07. > :05:11.?1 million year we invest in the maintenance work. All along the
:05:12. > :05:19.coast there will be nervous checks on the expected high tides. In
:05:20. > :05:26.Aberystwyth, 450 students living near the promenade are being
:05:27. > :05:29.evacuated for safety reasons. Let's get some thoughts now on what
:05:30. > :05:39.could work as a sea defence year. I am joined now by somebody who speaks
:05:40. > :05:44.for the civil engineers. What could work in Aberystwyth? The final
:05:45. > :05:51.answer will be a combination of solutions. The problem starts out
:05:52. > :05:54.there in deep water. That is where the wave is at its strongest. The
:05:55. > :06:02.first step is to kill as much of the wave is at its strongest. The
:06:03. > :06:09.energy out there as we can. Then one can work on the foreshore, shallow
:06:10. > :06:13.water will allow the wave to break earlier. When the waves come ashore,
:06:14. > :06:17.structures are available which can coast -- cope with that in a better
:06:18. > :06:28.way than this wall did a few weeks ago. That sounds like an extensive
:06:29. > :06:35.tech logical answer. But probably a very expensive one. You show me the
:06:36. > :06:47.piece of string and I will measure it. You are talking about millions.
:06:48. > :06:54.Some defences have cost ?30 million and we could be talking ?20 million
:06:55. > :06:58.year? I don't wish to speculate other than to say it will be
:06:59. > :07:03.millions. That cost will pay dividends if such an event happens
:07:04. > :07:07.again. Thank you for joining us in Aberystwyth. I am told the planning
:07:08. > :07:10.has already started in terms of a new coastal defence and they are
:07:11. > :07:15.hoping to have a design potentially by the end of the year.
:07:16. > :07:18.There are calls for senior officers at two Welsh councils to step down
:07:19. > :07:20.after auditors said pension payments they received were unlawful.
:07:21. > :07:22.Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire councils have allowed staff,
:07:23. > :07:25.including their chief executives, to opt-out of the Local Government
:07:26. > :07:38.Pension Scheme to avoid paying tax. Cemlyn Davies reports.
:07:39. > :07:44.Mark James and Bryn Parry Jones are the two Council Chief Executive 's
:07:45. > :07:47.who have received cash instead of pension contributions in order to
:07:48. > :07:52.avoid paying tax. But according to reports by the Wales Audit Office
:07:53. > :07:56.the payments were unlawful because the council has acted beyond its
:07:57. > :08:01.authority. I would like the councils to recognise they have made mistakes
:08:02. > :08:07.and they have to assert -- they have twisted extent. If they want to take
:08:08. > :08:12.lawful decisions in future they should follow the proper process.
:08:13. > :08:20.Since 2012 Carmarthenshire council has paid Mr James more than ?27,000
:08:21. > :08:24.instead of contributing towards his local government pension. The
:08:25. > :08:29.council has now put an end to that but a separate port finds the local
:08:30. > :08:35.authorities decision to cover his legal costs in this case against a
:08:36. > :08:39.local blogger was also unlawful. Carmarthenshire county council has
:08:40. > :08:42.spent more than ?26,000 helping the Chief Executive to pursue a libel
:08:43. > :08:50.counterclaim against Jackie Chief Executive to pursue a libel
:08:51. > :08:55.The audit office has asked the authority to withdraw its support.
:08:56. > :08:57.The council says there authority to withdraw its support.
:08:58. > :09:02.full debate on the reports and authority to withdraw its support.
:09:03. > :09:08.forward to demonstrate demonstrating its actions were
:09:09. > :09:11.honourable and lawful. In the meantime Mr James is facing calls to
:09:12. > :09:17.step down and this morning the issue was raised in the Commons. Can we
:09:18. > :09:19.have a statement about guidance to public bodies about the moral
:09:20. > :09:25.obligations of senior public officials to pay their due tax and
:09:26. > :09:32.penalties for noncompliance? I have seen what the Welsh audit office has
:09:33. > :09:37.had to say about the lawfulness of those particular payments and in
:09:38. > :09:40.that sense I hope they will be exceptional rather than typical. In
:09:41. > :09:46.temperatures case it is expected that by the end of March a total of
:09:47. > :09:49.more than ?51,000 will be paid to Bryn Parry Jones and another senior
:09:50. > :09:55.officer instead of pension contributions. The authority says it
:09:56. > :09:59.will consider the auditor's report and opposition councillors want
:10:00. > :10:03.action to be taken. We as an opposition and Labour group will be
:10:04. > :10:15.retailing our request from November which calls for the Chief Executive
:10:16. > :10:21.to be suspended. The audit office has called on Pemba ship Council to
:10:22. > :10:28.stop making direct payments to senior staff -- Pembrokeshire
:10:29. > :10:32.Council. Dyfed-Powys Police says the force is in discussions with the
:10:33. > :10:35.auditor. The Pembrokeshire coroner is asking
:10:36. > :10:37.the UK Government to review mental health procedures for soldiers.
:10:38. > :10:41.24-year-old Lee Bonsall was found hanging at his home in Tenby in
:10:42. > :10:44.2012. He was discharged from the army in 2007, but an inquest today
:10:45. > :10:47.revealed there were delays in psychiatric assessments and GPs
:10:48. > :11:00.treating him for depression did not know about his military background.
:11:01. > :11:05.When he got discharged, he was asked whether he wanted his medical
:11:06. > :11:09.records referred to as GPs -- GP and he declined that. I think it needs
:11:10. > :11:14.to be something that happens automatically because that is no
:11:15. > :11:18.doubt whether they've had military experience then.
:11:19. > :11:22.A driver has appeared in court accused of knocking down a lollipop
:11:23. > :11:24.lady who used her body as a human shield to protect a group of
:11:25. > :11:27.schoolchildren. 62-year-old Robert Bell from Rhoose in the Vale of
:11:28. > :11:30.Glamorgan is charged with driving without due care and attention.
:11:31. > :11:34.50-year-old Karin Williams suffered multiple injuries in the crash last
:11:35. > :11:39.June. Four girls and a boy under ten were also injured. A trial is
:11:40. > :11:40.expected to be held later this year. A father and son have both denied
:11:41. > :11:44.expected to be held later this year. charges of forced labour involving a
:11:45. > :11:47.man working on their small-holding near Newport. Daniel Doran and his
:11:48. > :11:52.son, David Doran, were arrested following a raid at Cariad Farm in
:11:53. > :11:55.Marshfield. They pleaded not guilty to the charges at Cardiff Crown
:11:56. > :11:59.Court. They'll both stand trial later this year.
:12:00. > :12:05.A High Court Judge has decided later this year.
:12:06. > :12:09.it used a foreign TV channel to show Premier League football matches. The
:12:10. > :12:14.owners of the Rhyddings Hotel in Brynmill now face a legal bill that
:12:15. > :12:17.could be higher than ?125,000. BBC Wales understands the Premier League
:12:18. > :12:26.is now likely to bring civil cases against other pubs across Wales and
:12:27. > :12:29.England. Businesses say that a skilled
:12:30. > :12:33.workforce is one of the top issues they face in trying to grow and
:12:34. > :12:36.boost the economy. The Welsh Government's launched a ten year
:12:37. > :12:39.strategy and it says it will work with employers and provide
:12:40. > :12:41.investment. But it also argues that firms and workers have a
:12:42. > :12:50.responsibility too. Here's our business correspondent, Brian
:12:51. > :12:55.Meechan. A new power plant on Anglesey,
:12:56. > :13:01.possibly -- a possible M4 relief road and a prison in Wrexham. Just
:13:02. > :13:13.three projects could see the skill levels of the Welsh workforce put to
:13:14. > :13:21.the test. I enjoyed. I like doing the welding and I'm going to go on
:13:22. > :13:26.to level three Fai can. -- if I can. The deputy skills Minister launched
:13:27. > :13:31.the new strategy which he says will focus on making sure businesses get
:13:32. > :13:36.what they need. We know in terms of low skilled jobs they are shifting
:13:37. > :13:41.away from the Western world. We need to capitalise on the growing demand
:13:42. > :13:48.for the higher skilled jobs so the strategy we have launched today will
:13:49. > :13:52.do just that. New report shows as many as 40% of employers taking on
:13:53. > :14:04.school leavers at 16 describe the recruits as poorly for work. Brings
:14:05. > :14:10.employs over 2000 people and that requires a workforce with a very
:14:11. > :14:13.diverse range of skills. The Chief Executive is also the skills
:14:14. > :14:18.Commissioner for Wales. I think you'll see the business working more
:14:19. > :14:22.closely with education in terms of trying to develop those skills,
:14:23. > :14:31.particularly communication skills, earlier on. Not all employers are
:14:32. > :14:37.convinced it is the responsibility of companies. I agree the private
:14:38. > :14:39.sector should be involved but I think it is the responsibility
:14:40. > :14:43.sector should be involved but I the education sector to provide a
:14:44. > :14:47.sector should be involved but I workforce that is numerate and
:14:48. > :14:49.literate and has the basic skills. Ministers
:14:50. > :14:50.literate and has the basic skills. employers with investment and argue
:14:51. > :14:54.literate and has the basic skills. it's a two governments, businesses
:14:55. > :14:55.and young people like these to work together to ensure Welsh prosperity
:14:56. > :15:00.for the future. together to ensure Welsh prosperity
:15:01. > :15:04.You're watching Wales Today. Still to come: The pop star forced to stop
:15:05. > :15:05.singing and now developing a new talent for art, born from a
:15:06. > :15:15.life-changing event. Tonight's sports news now. Here's
:15:16. > :15:20.Claire. In less than 48 hours, the eyes of
:15:21. > :15:23.the rugby world will be on Wales as the Six Nations kicks off, but
:15:24. > :15:27.tonight the plot thickens in the regional rugby dispute. The regions
:15:28. > :15:33.claim they haven't been paid by the Heineken Cup organisers and are
:15:34. > :15:36.almost ?1 million out of pocket. Our sports news correspondent, Gareth
:15:37. > :15:46.Lewis, has just come off the phone. Gareth, what exactly are the regions
:15:47. > :15:51.saying? The regions are angry and say they were expecting ?800,000
:15:52. > :16:04.today from the company which runs the European cup. The region 's
:16:05. > :16:10.version of events is disputed the decision was made last set tender
:16:11. > :16:15.which said all payments needed ratification. ERC say the regions
:16:16. > :16:22.had representations in the shape of Stuart Gallacher at that meeting.
:16:23. > :16:29.The WRU supports the ERC version of 's. The money goes through the WRU
:16:30. > :16:38.cough is. It is deadline day tomorrow. Otherwise they may join
:16:39. > :16:45.the English premiership. This row over money means there is lots of
:16:46. > :16:52.anger over this money and possible confusion over dates.
:16:53. > :16:56.Away from the politics, on Saturday, Wales begin their quest to win three
:16:57. > :17:00.Six Nations titles in a row. Behind me is the squad of 2014. Their
:17:01. > :17:03.recent success has been built on the players' high levels of fitness. Our
:17:04. > :17:06.reporter, Ashleigh Crowter, has been given access to Wales' training
:17:07. > :17:09.base, where he discovered what the players have to put themselves
:17:10. > :17:18.through to pull on that famous red shirt.
:17:19. > :17:26.It is a place where the players are usually made to suffer but not
:17:27. > :17:34.today. It is nice to watch other people do it. A group of fitness
:17:35. > :17:37.journalists are getting a taste of what the squad is put through in the
:17:38. > :17:41.run up to the six Nations. The players are there to show them the
:17:42. > :17:44.run up to the six Nations. The ropes. We do this at the start of
:17:45. > :17:52.the session so we can train and fatigue. A match is like that. The
:17:53. > :17:54.the session so we can train and things that happen in games.
:17:55. > :18:00.Different players excel in different tests one thing is always the same,
:18:01. > :18:09.a fierce rivalry within the team. They make sure they know which
:18:10. > :18:19.player wins each one. It is very competitive. You feel sick and it's
:18:20. > :18:26.not a pleasant feeling. The man who plans it all is an Australian whose
:18:27. > :18:30.job title is head of physical performance. It was his idea to use
:18:31. > :18:39.cryotherapy chambers to help players recovery -- recover. Everything is
:18:40. > :18:42.measured. The distance they run, they weight and body composition and
:18:43. > :18:51.there are times in training. No stone is left unturned in pursuit of
:18:52. > :18:56.excellence. You got the doctor with the sleeping tablets and we try and
:18:57. > :19:01.provide sleep hygiene and different nutrition strategies. The medics are
:19:02. > :19:07.there, the soft tissue therapists. Lots of different people to make the
:19:08. > :19:11.wheel turn. The aim of all the effort is this. Last year 's
:19:12. > :19:16.championship winning try scorer believes he could not have done it
:19:17. > :19:20.without perfect preparation. You know you output that working off the
:19:21. > :19:26.field and you've got more chance of doing it on the field. It gives you
:19:27. > :19:30.that edge. With the six Nations often decided by small margins this
:19:31. > :19:32.is where it could all be won and lost.
:19:33. > :19:36.On that evidence, Wales are more than ready to defend their title and
:19:37. > :19:38.tomorrow night we'll be live at the Millennium Stadium with all the
:19:39. > :19:41.build up. In football, with the clock ticking
:19:42. > :19:44.on the January transfer window, Swansea City have withdrawn from the
:19:45. > :19:47.chase for England Under-21 international Tom Ince. But the
:19:48. > :19:49.Swans have added to their under 21 resources by recruiting England
:19:50. > :19:54.Under-19 international Raheem Hanley from Blackburn. Cardiff are still
:19:55. > :19:57.battling through red tape before confirming the permanent deal for
:19:58. > :20:03.Brazilian international Fabio and a loan move for Wilfried Zaha, both
:20:04. > :20:06.from Manchester United. That's tonight's sport. Tomos, back
:20:07. > :20:10.to you. She was a successful Welsh pop star
:20:11. > :20:14.who toured the world, but a brain tumour at the age of 26 left Mared
:20:15. > :20:19.Lenny unable to sing and fighting for her life. Four years on, her
:20:20. > :20:21.condition is improving. But while she's had to abandon her music
:20:22. > :20:24.career, she's developed an extraordinary talent for painting,
:20:25. > :20:32.as our Arts Correspondent, Huw Thomas, has been finding out.
:20:33. > :20:39.Colourful, symmetrical and very bright. Mared Lenny's patients --
:20:40. > :20:42.paintings are dazzling. The painting only began after she collapsed
:20:43. > :20:45.paintings are dazzling. The painting a brain tumour four years ago. It's
:20:46. > :20:47.changed her life and while it triggered a new talent it robs her
:20:48. > :20:57.or another. successful music career but her
:20:58. > :21:03.condition meant the singing had to stop. I was so lost without the
:21:04. > :21:13.music, so lost trying to work out where I slotted into life. It was
:21:14. > :21:16.hard to deal with. Painting has helped her recovery and the first
:21:17. > :21:21.exhibition has been poplar. I see patterns and colours differently
:21:22. > :21:27.after my operation. Everything jumps out at me a bit more. I want to get
:21:28. > :21:34.things down on canvas. Most of the time it is freestyle. These big
:21:35. > :21:39.patterns emerge. She's had no formal training and had never painted
:21:40. > :21:45.before becoming ill but it's played a big part in her recovery. It saved
:21:46. > :21:49.my sanity. I have accepted I would be a musician like I used to be. It
:21:50. > :21:55.is nice to have something positive to come out of something so awful.
:21:56. > :22:03.She plans to take the paintings on tour.
:22:04. > :22:08.More bad weather's expected. Derek has the details for us.
:22:09. > :22:16.It's been the wettest January for 40 years. Nearly 250mm or ten inches of
:22:17. > :22:24.rain. This figure is the average for the whole of Wales. Some places have
:22:25. > :22:27.had a lot more rain. It's also the fourth wettest January since records
:22:28. > :22:30.began in 1910. Unfortunately, there's more wet and windy weather
:22:31. > :22:38.to come tomorrow and on Saturday with a risk of more flooding.
:22:39. > :22:42.Tonight will be dry for most of us. And where the cloud breaks a frost
:22:43. > :22:45.is likely. A few mist and fog patches as well. Temperatures inland
:22:46. > :22:48.falling below freezing. As low as -2C in Mid Wales with icy patches
:22:49. > :22:51.possible. The wind picking-up in the West. Tomorrow's chart shows a deep
:22:52. > :22:55.low over the Atlantic pushing fronts towards us. Now, at 8:00am in the
:22:56. > :22:59.morning, much of the country will be dry, cold and cloudy. A few mist and
:23:00. > :23:02.fog patches. Windier in the West with rain in West Pembrokeshire.
:23:03. > :23:06.During the day, the rain will spread across the whole country. So turning
:23:07. > :23:09.wet and windy. Some heavy rain. Typically 10mm to 20mm with a risk
:23:10. > :23:15.of localised flooding. Snow on the mountains and poor travelling
:23:16. > :23:19.conditions. Today was the coldest day of the winter so far. Tomorrow,
:23:20. > :23:22.temperatures will rise higher but feeling chilly in the wind and rain.
:23:23. > :23:26.In Pembrokeshire tomorrow, turning wet and windy. Gales on the coast
:23:27. > :23:29.with a high of 10C in St Davids. In Newport, the rain will arrive before
:23:30. > :23:33.midday. The wind increasing with a high of 8C in Goldcliff. Tomorrow
:23:34. > :23:35.evening the heavy rain will clear but showers will follow.
:23:36. > :23:37.evening the heavy rain will clear and wintry with
:23:38. > :23:38.evening the heavy rain will clear snow. The wind easing for
:23:39. > :23:43.evening the heavy rain will clear But on Saturday the wind
:23:44. > :23:47.evening the heavy rain will clear severe gales on exposed coasts and
:23:48. > :23:48.evening the heavy rain will clear as well. Hail and thunder in places.
:23:49. > :23:53.Sleet and snow too. Snow mainly as well. Hail and thunder in places.
:23:54. > :23:57.levels as heavier showers. Also, a risk of flooding on parts of the
:23:58. > :24:00.South and West coast due to the combination of gale force onshore
:24:01. > :24:03.winds, a storm surge and high spring tides. The biggest swell on the
:24:04. > :24:08.Bristol Channel coast Saturday evening. Sunday, a better day. Less
:24:09. > :24:12.windy and drier. A little sunshine with a few showers in the South and
:24:13. > :24:16.West. So after the wettest January in Wales for 40 years, there is more
:24:17. > :24:19.heavy rain and showers on the way into February. No sign yet of
:24:20. > :24:23.several days of dry weather, which we desperately need.
:24:24. > :24:28.Tonight's main headlines: There are warnings tonight to stay away from
:24:29. > :24:31.the coast as thousands of people brace themselves for more bad
:24:32. > :24:34.weather. It comes weeks after parts of the country were damaged by
:24:35. > :24:37.storms. Gale force winds, heavy downpours and high tides are
:24:38. > :24:39.expected across the country from tomorrow morning.
:24:40. > :24:42.For the very latest information on the weather, you can tune into BBC
:24:43. > :24:45.Radio Wales and Radio Cymru. There will also be updates on the BBC
:24:46. > :24:49.Wales news website. We'll have the latest for you at
:24:50. > :24:51.8:00pm and again at 10:25pm. That's Wales Today. From all of us here,
:24:52. > :24:58.have a good evening.