Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Public Health and Protection team has been working hard for three years to deal with the unacceptable condition of a property at 54 Oxford Street in Mountain Ash, in a bid to allay the concerns of residents and traders.

A successful court hearing in 2007 saw owner David Williams convicted for failing to take heed of a legal notice served on him by officers the year before.

The order demanded he take the action needed to either bring the eyesore building up to standard or demolish it. Due to the inaction on his part, he was subjected to a daily fine of £2, to be paid for every day he failed to take the necessary action.

Despite the legal order, court hearing and daily fine, no action has been taken so the council has once again taken Williams, of Navigation Street, Mountain Ash, to court.

The latest case was heard at Aberdare Magistrates’ Court on August 10, during which Williams admitted non-compliance with the legal order made in 2006.

Sentencing was adjourned for three months to allow Williams to undertake any work that may be used as a mitigating factor when he is sentenced.

Melanie Elizabeth Carroll, aged 42 of Bryn Rhos, Penywaun, pleaded guilty to 10 charges under the Trade Marks Act 1994 at Aberdare Magistrates’ Court.

The charges were brought against Carroll following an investigation by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Trading Standards team.

Rachel Smith, prosecuting on behalf of the Council, told the court that a police search warrant was executed at Carroll’s home on September 24th 2008.

A total of 33 items of designer branded clothing were seized from Carroll, namely Stone Island jackets and cardigans, Lacoste polo shirts and Lyle & Scott sweaters, jackets and polo shirts. These were subsequently handed over to the Council’s Trading Standards team for investigation as to whether they were genuine or counterfeit.

Specimen examples of the clothing were formally examined and confirmed as being counterfeit.

At interview, Carroll stated that she had purchased the items from an unidentified man who was selling them from the back of a van at Rheola market on 13th September. She claimed to have bought them as Christmas presents for her sons, daughters and husband, even though she had multiple items in identical colours and sizes and denied she was intending to sell them.

The Magistrates told Carroll that they considered this to be quite a serious offence. They imposed a fine of £500 for the first charge, with no separate penalty on the other nine charges. They also ordered Carroll to pay £433.48 costs and a victim surcharge of £15, bringing a total of £948.48, as well as forfeiture and destruction of all 33 items.

Staff from the authority have taken part in a national initiative in order to assess the salt, fat and calorie contents of the popular fast food and also quality assure the produce being sold to the public.

The findings once again highlight how important it is for the industry to work with Trading Standards Officers to ensure they are meeting legal requirements when it comes to food labelling, especially in the current financial climate where alternative, cheaper meat is being offered to vendors.

And the public are once again being urged to consider the health implications of the food they consume and to be aware of all options when it comes to healthy living.

Rhondda Cynon Taf was one of a number of authorities to show their support for the national campaign by LACORS (Local Authority Coordinators of Regulatory Services).

Five kebab shops across the county were randomly selected and samples were taken from each, which were sent to the public analyst so their salt, fat and calorie content could be assessed and also the species of meat contained within them could be determined.

Visits were made to premises in Aberdare, Llanharan, Ton Pentre, Pontypridd and Porth.

Four of the five samples taken were found to be unsatisfactory, in that they contained meat that was not advertised on the menu – ie the menu advertised a “mixed” lamb and beef kebab but the sample only contained beef.

One of the samples contained 104 per cent of a person’s GDA (Guideline Daily Allowance) of salt while another contained 100 per cent of the GDA and the rest contained 75 per cent.

All of the samples contained at least 80 per cent of a person’s GDA for fat and contained higher levels of saturated fat than is recommended. All five contained at least a third of a man’s daily calorie content (2500 calories).

As a result of the work in RCT, further investigations continue into the labelling of kebab meat and raising awareness amongst vendors about the legal requirements for food labelling and ensuring customers are clear on what they are buying.

The authority also hopes the findings will once again raise the healthy eating and living agenda, giving residents the chance to make their own choices on their diet but having the information to hand on the contents of the food.

The pupil won first prize in a ‘Design a Sign’ competition as part of the Darran Las Safe Routes to School – 20mph ‘Gateway’ signing.

Children were given the task of designing a sign that would convey to drivers that they would be entering a 20mph zone and they would need to slow down. The signs had to be innovative, colourful and to big, bold letters.

The winner was Teale Garland who received a £15 gift token and a framed copy of her own award-winning sign that will be placed on each sign on Llanwonno Road. A copy was also presented to the school for display.

Second prize of £10 token was presented to Kathryn Hall and the third prize of £5 to Katie Manning.

The Safe Routes to School design consists of road humps, 20mph ‘Gateway’ signing, one way system, parking restrictions at junctions and school keep clear markings, tactile paving crossing points and additional parking bays.

Traffic calming measures were introduced to improve safety for children at Darran Las School following extensive community consultation, following three minor accidents in recent years in the Darran Las area and there was overwhelming public support for the scheme.

Partners have hit the streets to carry out environmental improvements to repair damage. increase safety, reassure residents and assess the installation of crime reduction measures such as CCTV.

Officers worked to remove graffiti and chewing gum, check street lights and cut back trees and shrubbery that residents say exacerbate their feelings of intimidation, as they can be used as hiding and gathering places.

Work has also begun to prepare the area for additional CCTV cameras.

Environmental improvements such as those carried out were among a range of interventions identified by the partner agencies that have joined forces to respond to residents.

And it has been promised that the work this week is just one element of the all-encompassing plan of action that has been put in place.

Residents called for action via PACT and their local councillors after enduring ongoing incidents of alcohol-related crime and disorder, youth annoyance, intimidation, violence and underage drinking.

While no different from the issues faced by communities across the county, the situation in Aberaman is made worse by the fact incidents occur in a small geographical area and at set times of the weekend, meaning the impact they have on residents is disproportionate.

Recognising the range of interventions needed, the situation was escalated to the Rhondda Cynon Taf Community Safety Partnership, which harnesses the efforts of the agencies that have a legal duty to work together to reduce crime and disorder. These include the police, council, fire service, youth offending service, voluntary agencies and more.

Following a successful enforcement exercise in the Cynon Valley the previous week, officers from Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and South Wales Police joined forces again on April 10.

Covering the Cwmbach, Aberaman, Abercwmboi and Cwmaman areas, the officers patrolled throughout the evening in response to calls from residents to deal with illegal and anti-social off-road bikers.