Episode 2

Image for Episode 2Not currently available on BBC iPlayer

Duration: 30 minutes

X-Ray is in Llandudno for a programme which investigates a faulty building job at a church, and finds there can be a downside to free solar panels and weddings in the Caribbean. Rachel Treadaway-Williams uncovers the witchy secrets of a builder who fixed up a church in the Swansea valley. The stonework is now crumbling. And Lucy meets a bride who is still struggling to prove she's married 18 months after her dream £20,000 wedding in the Dominican Republic. Lucy also gets on the case of a woman left without a proper landline phone for nearly a year after a tornado hit her house near Newport. We also investigate free solar panels. They might be a fantastic way to cut your electricity bill - but they're not always so popular when you come to sell your house. Rachel meets a woman who lost thousands after renting her roof to a solar company. In Llandudno the team also get involved in the local debate over cycling on the prom. Cyclists are now allowed to mix with pedestrians for the first time since the 1870s. Lucy and Rhodri discover that not everyone is happy.

  • Witch's church repairs fail

    Witch's church repairs fail

    A small Welsh congregation in South Wales raised tens of thousands of pounds to improve their church only to see repairs fall down.

    And X-Ray has discovered that the builder the church employed is also a controversial occultist who’s claimed to be the “king of all witches”.

    St David’s in Abercrave near Neath paid over £35,000 to London based church restoration specialist Daniel Hussey in the Summer of 2010.

    It was part of a bigger scheme to build a new community centre for the village but the following winter the work on the church had started to crumble.

    The vicar, Alun Brookfield, contacted Daniel Hussey but he failed to fix the job and the community centre project has been put on hold.

    Building surveyor Kevin Thomas BSc MRICS of Hart Thomas Surveyors said his method was wrong and he also applied it incorrectly. But he said the method should never have been approved and the work should not have been signed off.

    Our research has also discovered that alongside his building work Daniel Hussey has had another job - Paranormal occult investigator – under the name, Magus Lynius Shadee.

    Local press reports from around Britain show he has a long history of announcing he’s about to open an occult shop only to slip away leaving behind angry locals.

    Mr Hussey has refused to respond to X-Ray’s inquiries.

  • Wedding in paradise

    Wedding in paradise

    When Tina and Adrian from Cardiff got married in the Dominican Republic in October 2010, it was a dream come true.

    “We’ve been together for 10 years so we’ve been planning our wedding for a while....It was everything we could have dreamt of and more”, Tina told X-Ray.

    The wedding party spent around £20,00, booking with Thomson.

    But 20 months after the wedding the couple are still waiting for their marriage certificate - causing Tina problems with changing her name on bank accounts, her driving license and passport.

    The original certificate was drawn up in the Dominican Republic but had to be returned because Tina’s maiden name was spelt incorrectly.

    In March of this year, X-Ray got involved and the couple were told that the certificate would be with them by the end of the month.

    Thomson said they were, ‘…thrilled that we have managed to help Mr and Mrs Ford speed up the process of receiving their wedding certificates…’

    Unfortunately, the certificate still didn’t turn up.

    After making the journey from the Dominican Republic to Thomson HQ, it was posted to the couple with the wrong address on it. Now nobody knows where the certificate is.

    Thomson have apologised to the couple and say they are doing all they can to get another marriage certificate – but still have no idea how long it will take.

  • Free solar panels cost thousands

    Free solar panels cost thousands

    Homeowners looking to save money by signing up to a free solar panel scheme are being warned to do their homework before signing on the dotted line.

    Free solar are a cheap alternative to paying out for expensive solar panels.

    Customers rent their roofs out to a company who’ll install the panels for free. You’ll get free electricity during the daytime and they’ll get paid for the excess energy you generate.

    But they can cause problems when you sell your house.

    Last year Colette Chilcott from Bridgend signed a lease with Homesun Limited and sixteen solar panels were installed on her roof. She was happy with the deal.

    But her house was on the market and any buyers would have to take on the lease - which lasted for 25 years and had dozens of clauses.

    In December 2011 one buyer pulled out following a delay in sorting out the building regulations for the solar panels.

    When she found another buyer in January she hit more problems with the panels.

    Their lenders weren’t happy with the lease so to sell they had to come up with a compromise.

    Colette agreed to pay half the £20,000 cost of buying the solar panels outright, and to reduce the price of her house by £10,000.

    Chartered Surveyor Tony Filice says it’s always best to play it safe before signing up to these types of solar schemes.

    “Obtain three estimates for the cost of the installation with copies of the lease terms. Once you have that information contact your solicitor to go through the lease terms to see if there are any points of issue or concern,” he said.

    HomeSun say the buy-out clause in their lease is designed to stop any problems during a house sale and that 90% of mortgage lenders do accept their lease.

Credits

Series Producer
Nick Skinner
Presenter
Lucy Owen
Presenter
Rhodri Owen
Reporter
Rachel Treadaway-Williams

Broadcasts

BBC © 2013 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.