04/02/2014 BBC Wales Today

into Friday morning and enhance the risk of flooding. That is all from

Welcome to Wales Today. Our top story.

A coachload of fifty teenagers on a school trip crashes on the M4. 13

are injured. The motorway was shut for much of the day. The injuries

are typical trauma such as neck injuries and leg and arm fractures.

Although 13 patients were taken to hospital, it could have been a lot

worse. The crash caused hours of chaos for

travellers with traffic backed up as far as the Severn Bridge.

Our other headlines tonight. They're learning Spanish but

elsewhere, we're bottom of the class when it comes to learning foreign

languages. Now a cut in funding for the organisation which promotes

them. When we're old or when we're ill.

But proposals to shake up social services are criticised for lacking

detail. Sam Warburton will captain Wales

against Ireland in Dublin. By airmail. We're in the helicopter

delivering supplies to rebuild Offa's Dyke.

Good evening. In the past 90 minutes, the M4 has reopened having

been closed for most of the day following a serious accident

involving a coach carrying more than 50 foreign students. The bus driver

and a passenger were airlifted to hospital and 11 others taken by

ambulance. The crash happened between junctions 25a and 25

eastbound on the M4, a notorious accident blackspot. Our reporter

Nick Palit is there tonight. I know was on and things are back to

normal now. Traffic flowing freely in both directions. It is one of the

busiest spots on the motorway in Wales. It was a different picture

this morning when a devastating crash broke this part of the road to

a standstill. Mangled steel and glass. The front of the coach was

gone. Following its in red with a lorry, a car and the reservation.

The driver -- a driver was caught up in the immediate aftermath. I found

the emergency services and they asked me to assess the situation.

The best driver was hurt and he needed assistance. I tried to report

back as much as I could so that they could get the right people to be

seen as possible. The accident happened after 930 a.m.. There were

57 passengers on board the coach. The driver has been airlifted to

hospital in Swansea. 12 other people had received hospital treatment. Two

adults were taken to the University Hospital in Cardiff with their

injuries and not life threatening the top ten others were treated in

Newport. Eight of them were students. They are foreign students.

We are informing next of kin to make sure they are aware of the

situation. Medical staff attended the injured on a nearby motorway

bridge. They were speaking Spanish. They were lined up across the side

and they were distraught and distressed. And lenses were treating

people at the scene. They were walking wounded. The Newport Centre

was set up as an emergency centre. The walking wounded were treated

there. Others waited for news from their friends from hospital.

Paramedics say it was lucky not many more were hurt. It could have been a

lot worse. With lots of people on board, the seat belts save a lot of

stress and injuries for people. The road was closed in both directions

for a number of hours causing massive tailbacks. The delays have a

serious economic impact. The ten minute journey from this man's

Cardiff home to Newport took him three hours today. He could not open

up Andy had to miss the lunchtime trade. That is always some kind of

issue. The tailbacks caused, the inconvenience to other commuters, it

is a nightmare. As the remains of the vehicles are removed from the

carriageway, the painstaking police investigation into what caused the

crash continues. Nick, as we heard in your report, it

could have been far worse but the closure of the M4 has caused

significant disruption to commuters and businesses. That is right.

Accidents on this stretch of the motorway are commonplace. Delays

caused serious economic impact. The Federation of small businesses

released a statement saying problems caused by this crash underline the

need for urgent improvements for the Job network around here. There are

proposals for a relief road. The FSB says they need to find a solution

quickly otherwise this will happen again and again.

At the other end of the country, there were major delays on the A55

near the Britannia Bridge on Anglesey after a lorry overturned.

The incident happened before the morning rush hour and led to the

closure of part of the westbound section of the road for several

hours. A crane has now removed the lorry.

An organisation which encourages children to learn foreign languages

is having its funding slashed by two thirds. The Conservatives have

attacked the Welsh Government's decision to cut the money it gives

Silt Cymru, the National Centre for Languages. But Ministers say, in a

time of austerity, they have to prioritise. Daniel Davies reports.

This effectively makes electromagnets. It exports go to

Denmark, Bulgaria, Germany and all other children.

The trouble is, schools do not produce enough people with language

skills. We have had problems recruiting people with the right

language skills that we are looking for. We find it difficult to find

someone who has come through the education system in the UK will have

the right skills. We are an export -based company. It is important that

people who work here have language skills. Companies like this say they

are crying out for people with language skills. Getting the funding

for a programme that is meant to turn that around is a big worry.

This body is having its funding cut in the financial year that starts in

April. It promotes foreign-language as in schools. They are is why that

is so important. In 2005, more than 12,000 pupils did foreign-language

GCSEs. By last year, it had felt by more than a third. A huge number of

children are walking away from foreign languages. They are not

studying these things because they find it boring, they are disengaged,

they are not confident. They have not had the correct exposure. The

Welsh Government says it has prioritised funding for literacy,

numeracy and the least well-off pupils. It says it is looking at

other ways to encourage pupils to take a foreign language. That

satisfied the demand from businesses?

Stinging criticism from Westminster of the Welsh Government's record on

modern foreign languages tonight? This is about the Welsh

baccalaureate and a proposal to take out the Welsh -- the language

element. I have seen a letter which says these changes are a display, a

retrograde step. She notes that participation is lower in Wales than

in other parts of the UK. The letter is very critical of the Welsh

Government. A number of staff on the body have handed in redundancy

notices. A woman from Cardiff has been

convicted of killing her husband in the Dominican Republic. Nicole

Reyes, who is 37 and originally from the Rumney area, has been sentenced

to 12 years in jail for manslaughter by a court in Santiago. The mother

of two claimed she accidentally ran over her husband when he rode his

motorbike next to the car. Her mother says they will appeal.

An investigation has found that a fire at Llandow industrial estate in

the Vale of Glamorgan, where recycled material burnt for more

than two weeks last November, was an accident. South Wales Fire and

Rescue Service say no criminal charges have been brought and the

investigation is now closed. A businessman from Cheshire who owns

the title of Lord of the Manor of Treffos on Anglesey has said he's

giving up his controversial attempt to register manorial rights on the

island. Last night more than 800 people attended a public meeting to

discuss his claim. Stephen Hayes says he was wrongly advised and has

now discovered the rights to the land are worthless. He now hopes to

sell his title. Vomiting and diarrhoea has closed

three wards to visitors at hospitals in Bridgend and Swansea. Anyone with

recent sickness and flu symptoms has been asked to stay away from the

Princess of Wales and Morriston. Plans to overhaul social services

and make access to care equal no matter where you live have been the

subject of hours of debate at the National Assembly today. The Welsh

Government says the Social Services Bill is the most significant reform

in the last 60 years but it's been criticised by opposition parties for

a lack of detail. Our political reporter James Williams is here.

This is the biggest and most complex piece of legislation to be

considered by the Assembly, but it also stresses that this proposed law

is just one part of a much wider strategy to overhaul social

services. 150,000 people receive care every year at a cost of around

?1.4 billion, a cost which is likely to increase as more and more of us

live to an old age. So, what's this Bill about? Well, it proposes the

creation of a National Adoption Service. It will introduce

Wales-wide rules on who should receive care and will also give

carers the same rights as those they care for. The change that will

benefit people like Marie James from Cross Hands near Llanelli, who

provides round-the-clock care for her disabled son Trystan. The

current climate does not bode well for carers and daily living is quite

a struggle for many because of the cuts in care services and also the

cuts in benefits. It has had quite an impact in the community. There's

also a proposal on the table that could ban the smacking of children.

However, since it is opposed by Government Ministers, it is unlikely

to be passed. But there are hundreds of changes to the Bill. So many in

fact that the debate is expected to continue next week. This is clear

evidence of poor drafting say the opposition parties who also say the

Bill lacks detail. Until we know who will be entitled to the service, it

is practically nigh on impossible for the government to work out the

financial applications of the bill. They claim the legislation is cost

neutral. But is no way they can make that claim. That is no evidence to

support it. So, as big and complex as this proposed new law is, there's

still plenty of key details for the Welsh Government to work out.

Much more to come before seven o'clock.

Buckled and bent, the railway line to nowhere. The Cambrian coast route

won't be back in operation until May.

We are somewhere beneath all of this. A warning of more coastal

flooding and falling trees coming our way.

A ban on selling electronic cigarettes to children and young

people under 18 will be extended to Wales after Assembly Members

approved the proposal. E-cigarettes are promoted by many as a tool for

helping smokers to quit. But others argue they're making smoking normal

and glamorous again. Cemlyn Davies reports from Swansea. Just like

traditional cigarettes, the electronic alternative divides

opinion. These cigarettes allow smokers to inhale nicotine.

Supporters say they are just as effective as nicotine patches. I was

a heavy smoker. I kept getting a bad chest and we went onto these

electronic cigarettes and I have been much better. I have been

smoking for a long time and effort to give some. This is helping a lot.

But there are concerns about the way the impact these cigarettes may all

dreaded be having. I am worried that the movement is glamorising smoking.

It contains nicotine and it is addictive. Today, the assembly

approved a motion to piggy bank legislation going through an

England. The band will extend to Wales as well. They are toxic and we

do not know the effect on human beings. It seems sensible to me that

if adults wish to poison themselves, that is fit because they know the

risks. But children should be protected. In this converted barn,

they make the liquid that goes into these cigarettes. The company

already has a policy of not selling to children. But that is a concern

here about the impact further regulations could have the business

and the 55 people it employs across Wales. We provide a lot of good jobs

in Wales and in some of the restrictions the Welsh Government

and the European Union are talking about go ahead, it could wipe out

the industry. The only people who will benefit at the Tobacco, the

large pharmaceutical companies who are producing nicotine sensation

aids. The focus may now switch to calls for a ban on electronic

cigarettes in public places. They have minister has said that the

proposals would published in the next few weeks.

Part of the Cambrian Coast railway line, closed after being damaged by

storms a month ago, has been hit again by last week's strong winds

and high tides. Repairs are underway but Network Rail says it'll be May

before the line is re-opened. Matthew Richards reports.

Twisted track and gaping holes in the ballast. These scars left over

from the storms of the past few weeks will take many months to fix.

Every further storm puts more pressure on Network Rail to meet

their May deadline. All along this line, platform after platform stand

empty. By that work will enable services to start again in the

short, some asking whether it will be worth it in the long run. When

the stranded carriages had to be carried out of Barmouth on the backs

of lorries, one man thought it signalled the death knell for the

whole service. Bill Pritchard from Barmouth uses the Cambrian Coast

line regularly. But he says the cost of fixing the many problems isn't

justified by the small number of passengers who use it outside of the

tourist season. What is the point? They will keep preparing the line.

The tide is now at its highest ever. It is global warming. We have to

face this reality. But there are others who depend on the line during

the summer months to bring in visitors. For them, the quicker the

job can be done, the better. Guests use the line a lot when they go off

for the day. The schoolchildren use the line to get to school. It will

affect them as well. Buses are currently helping people get around

from the stations between Barmouth and Pwllheli. Network Rail has

apologised for the inconvenience and acknowledges the social and economic

importance of the line in connecting villages, towns and schools. Further

north at Penrhyndeudraeth a major investment in a road bridge next to

the track is being seen as a sign that the line's future is secure. It

is very inconvenient to people to have to go around. We tried to avoid

that as much as possible. I think the investment will make it much

better in future for everybody. The line should be re-opened in time for

the peak tourist season, whatever it's long term future, there will be

many travellers keen to get back on board.

Rugby and Sam Warburton will lead Wales out as they take on Ireland in

Dublin on Saturday. Warren Gatland has only made three changes to the

team that beat Italy and, despite joining up with the squad, there's

no place for Jonathan Davies after two months out. Kate Morgan reports.

With Wales emerging relatively unscathed after Italy, Warren

Gatland side to face Ireland is not packed with surprises. But with the

return of Sam Warburton, he is adding physicality which could be

the difference in Dublin. Both sides have made no secret that

this is going to be a tough game. Perhaps their toughest. It is no

wonder that Warren Gatland has made changes to the pack as he expects a

physical encounter. They also expect improvements at the breakdown where

Sam Warburton happens to be at his best. One of his attributes is

effective turnovers and penalties. He is as good as anyone in the world

at doing that. We expect him to get on the ball on Saturday and

hopefully he can create a few turnovers for us.

That is plenty of experience on the bench as well.

Ireland are an all too familiar foe especially after Warren Gatland

dropped Brian O'Driscoll for the final British and Irish and test. --

British and Irish Lions test. I do not have any ill will towards Warren

Gatland. Emotions are running high at the table top time heals. I do

not have any animosity towards him. Whales are confident they can

continue their impressive away from the sub -- form.

Football and changes are expected to be made to Swansea City's backroom

staff. They include a move for former captain Garry Monk who is

believed to be taking up a coaching role. The changes are likely to

increase speculation about the position of manager Michael Laudrup

and his current coaches. The Swans have just one win in ten Premier

League matches and are just two points above the relegation zone.

Hundreds of tonnes of crushed stone is being whisked through the sky

over the Brecon Beacons National Park over the next few days. It's

part of work being undertaken by the Authority to restore an eroded

footpath on Offa's Dyke near Hay Bluff. Charlotte Dubenskij has been

watching as the first flights got underway. It is one of the most

public trails in the world. Offa's Dyke has stood between Wales and

England for centuries. It is now showing its age. A delicate

operation is underway to restore the eroded path. The section can only be

reached by helicopter. They demote trail is more than 2000 feet above

sea level and two miles from the nearest road. We are taking 400

tonnes of stone on to the wall. To take it by tractor or another

vehicle would damage the area. It is a site of special scientific

interest. Workers and volunteers will battle freezing conditions and

changeable weather. The work is undertaken in a challenging

environment. Without the volunteers, we would not get through the volume

of work. Improvements will be made to more than 3000 metres of the

track. Each bag weighs a tonne and over the next few days, this

helicopter will make more than 400 journeys to drop the load. The

aggregate has been specially selected for its durability. The

park authority says will click this is important so people can continue

to enjoy walking along the path and taking the spectacular views without

damaging the surrounding areas. We're going to have to build more

Offa's Dykes if this weather gets any worse. I'm afraid Behnaz doesn't

have any good news. This day started off perfectly with

some sunshine. That is a yellow warning for the wind tonight. That

is tension for further disruption. We have guests of up to sentiments

and I were -- 70 mph. We could see some trees falling tonight and into

tomorrow morning. If that was not enough, we also have the rain band

making its way in from the south-west. Also, coastal flooding

as well. That rain band will clear through and then behind it is a case

of showers. It is all the associated with this deep area of low pressure.

We will have another similar area coming in for the end of the week.

We are not done with the weather just yet. This is the picture

tomorrow morning. Strong winds continuing along coastal areas.

Anywhere south of Aberystwyth. The temperatures are on the mild side

for this time of year. It will remain lustily as we go into

tomorrow night. Those showers will continue. The impact of the bad

weather, large waves and fallen trees and further risk of flooding.

You need to be careful. Tomorrow night, the showers will continue,

heavy at times. Overnight, we will start to see a brief break.

Hopefully, the showers will become fewer and further dream. -- between.

It pleased break to come on Thursday morning. Some bright this. They were

showers and lighter winds. Before you know it, the next rain band will

come in from the south as we go into Thursday night. That sets the scene

for Friday which is wet and windy. That is further warnings for better

weather on Saturday as well. -- for wetter weather on Saturday as well.

It's coming up to seven o'clock. The main news again from the BBC. Prince

Charles has been to flood-hit areas of Somerset and told residents it

was a "tragedy" nothing had been done for so long. Some villages have

now been cut off for more than a month. One of the Prince's charities

is donating ?50,000 to help victims. The M4 has fully reopened this

evening after a crash between a lorry, car and coach. The coach

driver and a passenger were airlifted to hospital and eleven

others taken by ambulance. There have been long tailbacks and delays

for much of the day. I'll have an update for you here at

eight o'clock and again after the BBC News at ten. That's Wales Today.

Thank you for watching. From all of us on the programme, good evening.