04/07/2014 BBC Wales Today

Two men involved in a business ripping off vulnerable

pensioners for driveway repairs, have been jailed for a total

Bellway Paving, just one of the names they operated under, was

first featured on BBC Wales' X-Ray programme nearly two years ago.

Rachel Treadaway Williams was in court.

This is Tom Connors, the man in charge of Bellway Paving.

He arrived at court giving a thumbs up but knowing that he faced jail.

The judge at Newport Crown Court heard how

his businesses, operating under a variety of names, had scammed 14

In total they lost around ?67,000 for grossly overpriced, substandard

and often completely unnecessary home and driveway repairs.

This victim has asked us to protect his identity.

Bellway Paving conned him out of ?12,000 for a shoddy drive

Then they tried to rip him off again using a different name

and offering to put right the job they had done the first time.

People like that are the lowest of the low as far as I am concerned.

Last May, Operation Cosgrove, a joint operation between police

and scam busters began raiding addresses around Cardiff.

It was the biggest operation of its kind in Wales.

Top of the list of people they wanted to speak to was Tom Connors.

Connors along with Richard McCarthy, Ben Jones and Keith Palmer all

Connors was jailed for 38 months. McCarthy got 25 months.

Jones and Palmer received suspended jail sentences

They physically pushed people around.

Their mere presence brought an air of intimidation to those

householders and they felt they had no choice but to pay.

Judge Tom Crowther QC said these men had shown an utter lack of humanity

and seen their victims for how much they could take from them.

In one case they had been pitiless to the point of vicious and simply

Wales' largest health board still has more work to do

until it's fully fit for purpose, according to a report out today.

The study of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board was carried

out by Healthcare Inspectorate Wales and the Wales Audit Office.

It follows a highly critical report last year,

which led to the former chairman and vice chair stepping down.

The health board says it recognises there's more to do.

North Wales Police officers will travel to Crete to join the search

for Arthur Jones, who's been missing on the island for two weeks.

They'll be joined by a member of the North Wales Mountain Rescue team.

The 73-year-old is said to be a keen walker and hasn't been seen since

A Pembrokeshire MP has accused health bosses in West Wales

of relying on charities because there aren't enough GPs.

Simon Hart was sent a letter from Hywel Dda Health Board saying

the British Red Cross and the RNLI was helping to provide cover over

They say this is part of an additional service.

8.30am and there's a queue to see the doctor in Tenby.

The queues in the morning are quite long - up

I?ve just been standing outside here since 7.30am and I got in through

the door two minutes ago and I've been told I can't see the doctor

till 10.30am. Sent away for a cup of tea, basically.

Patients across Wales are complaining about the difficulty

GPs across the whole of Wales are experiencing considerable pressure

their appointments systems, with the increasing complexity

of the care that we provide, the demand for appointments,

we deal with over 19 million consultation every year at least.

And also the fact that we have a problem with recruitment and

retention of GPs means that there are less GPs to see patients and the

ones that are there are struggling to cope with the demand, and

certainly I think the situation is only going to get worse.

Hywel Dda Health Board says the situation here

in Tenby has been caused by the resignation of four GPs which

But it's been their response to questions about how they're going

to handle the busy tourist season that has angered the local MP.

The health board say they've commissioned additional services

from the charitable sector, including the British Red Cross

and the RNLI, to support Tenby over the summer months.

Lifeguards team up with the Ambulance Service to deal with

999 calls and can even administer some drugs.

The lifeguards are here seven days a week, ten until six.

They've got all the kit, they're trained, they're more than

happy to come and help with anything, so it's just a great

Partnership working is not new, but there are fears it could be used

The RNLI have got a busy summer ahead of them.

They've got lots of things that they've got to do.

They're a charity and people pay their taxes to get a good

Campaigners argue that uncertainty over the future of

Withybush Hospital is undermining attempts to recruit medical staff

Hywel Dda say they are working with Tenby surgery to resolve

It's been revealed that a man from Cardiff, who called himself the

father of terrorism, tried to travel abroad to join extremists groups.

21-year-old Khuram Iqbal has admitted posting links

He's due to be sentenced in the next few weeks.

The assets of two men from Cardiff who appear to have joined

a jihadist group in Syria have been frozen by the UK government.

The Treasury restricted the finances of Reyaad Khan and Nasser Muthana

The men, who met at school, appeared in an online video last month urging

Muslims to fight with the militant group Isis in Syria and Iraq.

A coroner who investigated the death of a man in custody after he was

ejected from a nightclub in Bangor has warned that others could die

At an inquest last month a jury concluded the actions

of two officers contributed to the death of Hywel Hughes.

Knowing the police service in North Wales as I do, if there is reliable

evidence that there is a fault and that leads to a real risk of injury

or death, of course, they will address it.

Labour Party members in the Cynon Valley have gone on strike in

Labour has insisted its candidate for the seat at the

But local party members want to choose from a list of male

Sport now, and Wales captain Ashley Williams will still be

at Swansea City next season after signing a contract extension.

There had been speculation the central defender was a target

But he's added another three years to his current deal, which

Cricket, and Glamorgan and Somerset take a point each away from the

T20 Blast fixture - the match was cancelled due to wet weather.

So are we in for more wet weather this weekend?

It is going to improve. We do have some rain in the forecast tonight

but today was the hottest day of the year so far across the UK. A top

temperature of 29 Celsius in Norfolk. In Wales, 21 Celsius. Along

coastal areas, it was much cooler than that. Tomorrow we can look

forward to some sunshine and there will be a scattering of showers as

well. Tonight that rain will continue its journey eastwards. It

will become drier by Dawn and it is a very mild night. Gradually, that

weather front will clear parts of south-east England through tomorrow

and we will get a brief break from the wet weather. First thing

tomorrow morning in Wales, a cloudy start but it will brighten up. A few

showers dotted around. But the weather will include -- improve as

we go into the afternoon. The showers could be heavy but it will

be humid. A top temperature of 23 Celsius in London. In Wales,

tomorrow afternoon, we can look forward to fewer showers and more in

the way of sunshine. Probably the best day of the weekend so if you

have got any outdoor activities, Saturday is the day. But it will

feel fresher. Tomorrow night, variable amounts of cloud. A few

showers in the south and temperatures getting into single

figures. On Sunday, heavy, thundery showers in the forecast. Some

sunshine in between. Also unsettled for the start of next week but

hopefully by the middle of next week we can look forward to fine and dry

conditions. From all of us, enjoy the weekend.

Good night.