07/12/2015 BBC Wales Today

Welsh sport and one lacuna will pick up this trophy and be named BBC

Wales sports personality of the year.

Major operations are being postponed on a weekly basis because

of a severe shortage of intensive care beds.

That's according to the Royal College of Surgeons.

Speaking exclusively to BBC Wales, the college says procedures

including cancer and vascular surgery are being

called off, and too many patients here are waiting too long.

The latest figures show 442,000 people are waiting for treatment.

In September almost 72,000 had been waiting more than 26 weeks.

That's more than three times the Welsh Government's own target.

Our Health Correspondent, Owain Clarke, reports.

Big operations cause enough worry without the extra distress

This is a major cancer operation but according to the surgeon

on the left, each week operations like this end

up being cancelled because there are no intensive care beds available.

Certainly there are plenty of instances where we put together a

team to do a large cancer operation and we arrive on the day to actually

find the critical care capacity is full and the patient needs to be

cancelled at the last minute, which is devastating for all involved.

One of the main problems according to the Royal College of Surgeons is

that Wales has the lowest proportion of critical care beds in Europe,

with 3.2 beds per 100,000 population compared to four in England

It is a historical shortfall that has never really been addressed.

And the more you postpone operations the longer patients have to wait.

The college claims that the total number of patients waiting more than

26 weeks for planned surgery has increased by over 70% in just under

four years and there has been a dramatic tenfold rise in the number

of children waiting, from 33 to nearly 350,

caused in part I understand by a shortage of paediatric staff.

But it's not entirely doom and gloom.

The Royal College of Surgeons also says there is much

to celebrate about what's happening in Wales, including where surgery in

Wales is breaking new ground and one example of that is happening right

After an investment of ?750,000 from the Welsh Government,

this is the only place in the UK regularly offering on the NHS

so-called supermicro surgery for lymphoedema patients.

This painful condition where the lymph nodes swell

after surgery affects around 8,000 people in Wales.

Why this is ground-breaking is it treats the underlying problem with

lymphoedema which is the blocked lymphatic vessels.

The problem with those is the vessels are tiny.

They are in the region of 0.3 of a millimetre and actually imaging

them beforehand, seeing them on a scan has proved very difficult.

But the new scanning equipment we now have which allows us to first

inject dye into the patient's limb and then scan them allows us

There are thousands upon thousands of people who are desperate to have

this surgery just to try and alleviate some of the symptoms and I

think the more I looked into it when I first heard about this and I

researched it online, it just makes you feel how lucky you

are to be living in Wales and to have the opportunity to be

There's also praise for the quality of surgical training in Wales

and that waiting times for heart surgery have gone down recently.

But that was in part a response to a crisis

a couple of years back and some patients had to be sent to England.

According to one of Wales' leading heart surgeons, that simply cannot

We need an adequate number of ward beds

and critical care beds and above all we need staff to be recruited

The Welsh Government says the NHS is its top priority

and that waiting times have improved dramatically in 16 years.

But the Royal College of Surgeons argue some specialist services

like emergency surgery are still spread too thinly

Politicians from any party they argue can no longer afford not

And you can get much more on our top story on our website

A father and son who died on a road in Rhondda Cynon Taff

at the weekend have been named as Stuart and Fraser Bates.

Mr Bates and his young son Fraser were walking back from a charity

People living in Talbot Green say the stretch

of road is extremely dangerous for pedestrians and have described it

Floral tributes mark the spot on this busy road linking the M4

with Talbot Green where a father and son died just after midnight in

43-year-old Stuart Bates and his seven-year-old son Fraser

were hit by a car as they tried to cross the road near the Arthur

In a statement his wife said "Stuart was my Mr wonderful and

I know they will both be singing and playing football in heaven".

Local people who live near the scene of the accident say

although there are foot paths on the busy carriageway it is treacherous

and this tragedy highlights the need for a pedestrian crossing.

At the end of the day, it is a dual carriageway splitting the village.

I have been at the local councillors about putting in lights here.

It is not the first fatality they have had here.

It has been waiting to happen and now it has happened

so maybe now they will be doing something about it.

But in the park near their Cardiff home where Stuart and Fraser used to

play football, more tributes to the father and son.

Stuart Bates had been a keen cyclist and was planning to

do a sponsored ride for the Wish Upon A Star Charity.

More than ?4,000 has been pledged since his death

The investigation into exactly what happened here is still ongoing.

The 22-year-old driver of an Alfa Romeo involved in the crash

He has now been questioned and bailed by police.

Investigators are keen to speak to anyone who may have witnessed

And an 18-year-old from Wrexham who died after being hit by a car

on the A5 in Denbighshire has also been named by police.

Katie Griffith from Ruabon died on Friday night following the crash

involving a black Seat Leon on the outskirts of Llangollen.

A worldwide investigation has been launched following the conviction

of a man who posed online as a 13-year-old girl to blackmail

paedophiles out of thousands of pounds.

Lee Philip Rees was jailed for nine years for the offences back

in June, but details of the case have only been revealed today.

Our reporter Jennifer Jones is in the newsroom.

Lee Philipp Reis is a 48-year-old convicted paedophile from the Roath

area of Cardiff and as you mentioned he was jailed in June the nine years

after pleading guilty to charges of computer misuse, hacking, blackmail

and distributing indecent images of children. The judge rejected claims

that he was on some kind of moral crusade against paedophiles when he

posed as a vulnerable 13-year-old girl on online chat rooms. He

targeted men who made sexual advances or who asked for images to

be sent to them and he hacked into those men's computers to find photos

and personal details he could use to blackmail them. Over a period of two

and a half years he demanded a total of around ?40,000 from hundreds of

men. As a result of the huge amount of information that was found on his

computer, South Wales Police and the regional cyber crime unit have

launched an unprecedented investigation to try and track down

those paedophiles. Intelligence has been sent to almost every police

force in the UK and to 118 other countries. It involves organisations

like Interpol, Euro poll and the Child Exploitation and Online

Protection Centre and we are told this investigation has already led

to several arrests. South Wales Police say they welcome the

nine-year sentence and stressed they Hobbit sends a clear message that

blackmail and hacking offences are taking -- taken very seriously.

28 towns and villages across Wales have lost their last bank within

That's according to new research by BBC Wales.

Charities and businesses are warning losing branches has

a serious impact on business, as well as vulnerable people.

This is what banking in Wales used to look like.

Last month NatWest's mobile banking service started visiting

the village of St Clears in Carmarthenshire to replace

It's not a substitute for a bank in the village really.

If there wasn't a mobile bank in St Clears, where would I go to?

I suppose it's better than nothing but it's not very pleasant.

There is a building down there that used to be a bank.

Three years ago HSBC closed its branch on the high street.

Then last month Barclays left, citing a fall in regular customers

at its branch, which happened three days before the last branch in town,

Those customers that I enjoyed that might have visited the high street

banks and then would have come to my business, my fear now is they would

consider having to go to another town to bank and then of course they

will do their shopping there instead.

about the impact it could have on elderly or vulnerable people.

We know that around one in five older people regularly gives their

bank card and pin details to someone they know, a family member or

sometimes a domiciliary care worker, to get money for them and whilst

most people will be very trustworthy in that situation it clearly opens

Like the other banks, NatWest says the rapid decline in the number

of people visiting branches has made closing unavoidable.

They say they always try to minimise the impact of any closures,

in particular through the use of mobile banking vans.

On any given day it will get to two or three communities and that is

what we're finding, by speaking to the local authorities, it enables us

to get into communities where branches have closed previously or

The British Bankers Association says the decision to close banks is never

taken lightly and it does its best to reduce the impact

But for the older people who have lost

a vital service and the businesses which depend on the branches,

Parents who've been fined for taking children on holiday during term-time

may have been treated "unfairly" and "unlawfully".

That's one of the concerns raised in a letter to the

Education Minister written by the Chair of an Assembly committee.

It comes as a BBC Wales investigation reveals the number

of fines varies dramatically from one council to another.

The Walters family from Mountain Ash often have a break in June because

it's cheaper than the school holidays. But this year they were

fined ?60 when they took 14-year-old Martin out of school to go to Turkey

the ten days. The fine increased to ?120 when they refuse to pay in

protest. A letter came through saying they were taking us to court

and I panicked and I thought we better pay so we paid and they

accepted it and discharged the court action. The Welsh Government have

given her teachers a discretion to decide whether to find parents for

taking up to ten days holiday a year in term time. A BBC Wales Freedom of

information request shows that finds vary vastly according to weigh in

Wales you live. The Walters family live in the Rhondda Cynon Taff

council area were over ?14,000 of fines were collected in the first

five months of this year. But that is dwarfed by Cardiff Council who

issued over ?22,000 of fines in the same period. Meanwhile, eight local

authorities did not find a single parent. Local authorities should not

interfere with head teachers powers in this matter. The decision lies

with head teachers. But yet still we have local authorities telling their

schools not to authorise absence and we are strongly advising them

against it. There are also calls for the whole system to be scrapped.

This woman took a petition of 18,000 signatures to the National Assembly.

The prices more than double in July and August so people can't afford

the more can't get time off due to various circumstances. The man

considering her petition has been looking at all the issues. The

relationship between parents and schools is absolutely crucial and I

think it is potentially very damaging to have this aggressive

approach being brought in. We need to have an agreement and

common-sense. This letter has been leaked to BBC Wales. It is from

William Powell AM to the education Minister Andy says the petitions

committee is concerned that that is a great deal of confusion within

local authorities about term time holidays and he talks of widespread

misunderstanding with many incorrectly advising schools only to

authorised term time holidays in exceptional circumstances and Sam

asking headteachers not to authorised term time holiday at all.

He also says they have real concerns that some parents who been fined may

have been dealt with and fairly and unlawfully. The education minister

declined an interview about these particular allegations but

previously told us he stands by his policy as a way of improving school

attendance. He is now under pressure to investigate the way it is being

implemented. Much more to come before 7pm. We have always known

that some of the stones and Stonehenge come from the Priscilla

Mountain is that new research has pointed this place as one of the

exact spots. Could this have been a Neolithic quarry? And on flood

warning still in force but further rain tonight. A full forecast in a

few minutes. Many of

our top sports stars are gathering It's a chance to celebrate

the achievements of our elite athletes and those who

volunteer at grassroots level. Tomos Dafydd is mingling with

the guests. It's a night to reflect on another

eventful year in Welsh sport. Later on, the BBC Cymru Wales

Sports Personality of the Year will be revealed and the winner

will be picking-up that trophy. But before then

the third round draw of the FA Cup Swansea City are in the hat,

but will Garry Monk be manager Another defeat at the weekend means

his side has won only once in 11 league games and tonight one

bookmaker has suspended betting on Monk becoming the next Premier

League manager to be sacked. A 3-0 defeat at home to Leicester

was another blow. The pressure intensifying and Garry Monk's

position as manager is again in doubt. The results have not been

good enough during this period and I feel sorry for the fans. We're not

playing the way I know this can play and the way those players can play.

You feel you are getting somewhere and then you get a setback in its

very first trading. The latest result has left Swansea City just

one point above the relegation zone. This morning rumours were

circulating that the manager was gone. This caused some bookmakers to

suspend betting on Garry Monk's sacking. But earlier tonight I had a

brief conversation with the Swansea chairman who said he did meet with a

manager this morning for what was described as their usual chat and we

should not expect any more regarding Garry Monk's future today. The

successor has been discussed. Former Manchester United manager David

Moyes is amongst the favourites but BBC Wales understands he is not

interested in the job. Former Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers and

Rangers boss Mark Warburton at two other names discussed by fans.

Whoever is in charge and it may well be Garry Monk, there is a daunting

away fixture against Manchester City ahead this weekend. You have to be

realistic and if Gary cannot turn this around sooner rather than later

something will have to happen. They have got Manchester City away on

Saturday which will be tough and when Swansea sacked Baikal Laudrup

he was on a run of one win in ten games and we all hope Gary can turn

it around but it's going to be difficult. He has been admired and

respected by the Swansea City fans thanks to over a decade of service

as player, captain as manager. He remains in his job this evening but

for how long remains unclear. The FA Cup third round draw

is starting It's when semi-professional,

non-league clubs have a chance of being drawn against the

billionaires of the Premier League. Doing the draw will be

the former Wales striker John Hartson and Mark Sampson, the coach

of the England women's team, who's There will be three Welsh teams in

the draw - Swansea City and Cardiff City, and for the first time in 30

years, Newport County have reached this stage of the cup competition

after their 1-0 win at Barnet. Newport fans, the draw number

to look out for is 46. Later tonight,

all eyes will be on this coveted trophy for the BBC Cymru Wales

Sports Personality of the Year. There have been some big names

who've picked-up the trophy Including Leigh Halfpenny and

Geraint Thomas and Jade Jones. The voting

for the award has now closed. Let's take a look

at the eight nominees. His goals helped take Wales to Euro

2016, it is Real Madrid footballer Gareth Bale. The Ospreys and Wales

international Dan Biggar had a stand-up Rugby World Cup and six

Nations. What about double world champion and world record holder

Paralympic and Aled Sean Davis? European games gold medallist and

Grand Prix winner, Jade Jones. The new IBF featherweight champion who

also defended his title this year, boxer Lee Selby is also on the list.

Along with Non Stanford, back from injury to qualify for the Rio 2016

Olympics. Classic winner and career-best Tour de France

finisher, cyclist Geraint Thomas. And Wilson Swansea City Captain

Ashley Williams led his country to next years European finals.

Tonight's ceremony is also about recognising the efforts that goes in

at grassroots level and just a few days ago I surprised this year's

winner of the BBC and sang hero award. We went to Llanrwst to

surprise to ladies who've been working tirelessly to teach children

how to swim for many years. Let's remind us of that moment when I went

to surprise them. Congratulations! I am delighted to say that they are

with me now. Good evening. What has been the reaction to winning this

award? Amazing. I've had a number of cards and a lot of people I know

have been saying it is about time you were rewarded with something

because of all the years you've done. We never imagined we would win

let alone have all these cards and congratulations and phone calls. And

what are you looking forward to in particular tonight? I know you are a

big fan of Dan Biggar, one of the big nominees tonight. It would be

nice to meet him in person and my grandchildren would like me to meet

with him but being here tonight is amazing. At home everybody has been

so kind and sending us cards and people say, we never realised that

you did such a thing, being farmers wives. Thank you for your time.

Enjoy tonight. A lot of people in Llanrwst will be watching online

tonight. You'll be able to see who wins

on the BBC Sport website Coverage too on BBC Radio Wales

and Radio Cymru and we'll have all the big winners

on Wales Today at 10:25pm. The ceremony will also be made

available So, news of the awards winners

and the FA Cup draw New research into Pembrokeshire's

connection to Stonehenge has reignited a long-running dispute

between scientists. A team of researchers has published

new findings pinpointing two quarries as the exact source

of the Preseli bluestones. Archaeologists say these stones were

quarried and then transported almost 200 miles to Stonehenge to form

an inner ring. But others believe

the rocks were carried to A near that -- Neolithic puzzle with

two competing theories. No one doubts that Welsh stones form part

of this ancient monument but how they got there, that is less

straightforward. This mountain in the Purcell is has long been other

as the source for the bluestones but new research has pinpointed that

exact origin more accurately to two outcrops, one of them here.

Scientists think they were mined here. What we do have is cut

features against the rock face which look like they are places where

stones were prised out of and we have the features with stone set in

them which we think we're used to stabilise the rocks as they were

lowered onto sledges. Excavations at this site allowed radiocarbon dating

of burnt hazelnuts and charcoal, evidence of a Neolithic activity.

But it is significantly earlier than previous radiocarbon dating of

Stonehenge as suggested. There is about 500 years difference between

when researchers believe the stones were mined here and when they

arrived in Wiltshire. That could be a problem for this theory so would

lead the team to support the idea that the stones were used as some

kind of local monument first before being dismantled and carried away.

But a competing theory can explain this time delay with another

explanation. That the stones were not transported by mannitol but by a

glazier. Some experts who study landforms do not believe these

outcrops were quarries. But instead ancient Neolithic campsites for

hunting. Old quarrying -- no quarrying tools have been found, the

only mention has been of wages apparently but no wedges have been

found. We think the evidence points to natural processes. What could

settle this once and for all is proof of that early local

Stonehenge. If it was found this Neolithic country could be solved

once and for all. The weather's been making all

the headlines. A very wet and windy week over North

Wales but gale force winds and guests of 83 mph with 172

millimetres of rain falling in Kapil Curig. One flood warning in place

tonight. This was the River Clwyd near Saint Asaph in Denver show this

morning. Today has been a respite, often sunny and mild with

temperatures reaching 17 Celsius in Aberystwyth. Further rain arrives

tonight. A band of rain moving eastwards and heavy downpours. It

will become drier in the West later. Staying mild with overnight

temperatures between eight and nine Celsius. Tomorrow will be blustery

with a few showers. Sunny spells in between the showers and a bit

brighter but remaining windy. Top temperatures of nine Celsius in

Anglesey and 12 in Cardiff. They try and two tomorrow as a ridge of high

pressure builds from the south-west to bring more settled conditions

later and overnight into Wednesday. Quite clear night the of us and just

a few isolated showers. Feeling colder than recent nights into

Wednesday. From all of us on the programme,

good evening.