Bank investigates after cashpoint fails to pay out

A BANK has agreed to investigate after a Llangollen man received no money when he used a cashpoint in the town.

Well-known town crier Austin “Chem” Cheminais had something to shout about when tried to withdraw £200 from the ATM outside the Co-op supermarket in Regent Street on Saturday April 9 for a weekend trip away nd the machine failed dispense any money.

His bank, HSBC, has since reimbursed him with the full amount but says it is now investigating with the cashpoint’s operating company why he had a problem.    

Mr Cheminais (pictured) said: “After the machine returned my card but failed to let me have my cash I immediately phoned the help number displayed on the cash machine and after a wait spoke to a someone who then put me on hold before passing me on to some else. 

“They checked and confirmed that there had been a problem and agreed that the machine hadn't given me any cash.

“They then told me that my account had been debited but there was nothing that they could do and that I would have to go through my own bank to dispute the transaction. 

“Two people came to use the machine whilst I was still there and when I told them what had happened they said, `It is always doing it! It's been doing it for weeks’.

“Frustratingly, when I contacted my bank they suggested that it would have been better and a lot easier had I used a HSBC cash point. 

“I pointed out that they had closed all of their local branches and that using their cashpoint would require a 23-mile round-trip.

“I worry that it could happen to someone in different circumstances who needed the money to feed their children or at an urgent bill.” 

HSBC has no credited Mr Cheminais’s account with the £200.

And a bank spokesperson said: “We are now investigating why there were issues with the ATM with its operator.”

A spokesperson for Cashzone, which operates the cashpoint, said: “We are very sorry for the inconvenience experienced by Mr Cheminais.

“Whenever we receive reports of service issues we send out our expert team of engineers as quickly as possible because we know how important it is for the community to have reliable access to cash.

“People who experience issues when withdrawing money should check their bank accounts and get in touch with their bank who will be able to assist them.”

Skates warns over tax returns scam

People in the Dee Valley are being warned about a tax returns scam.

Clwyd South Assembly candidate Ken Skates is urging people not to fall foul of the email con trick, purporting to be from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

The Welsh Labour politician said: “I have been made aware of this scam, which on the face of it looks like an official email from the Crown.

"The message says that the recipient is entitled to a significant amount, often hundreds of pounds, in tax returns, but it’s merely a ruse designed to con you into giving personal details.

“Any legitimate tax return due to you will be in the form of a letter and enclosed cheque, and you should never give card or bank information online in this way. It all looks above-board, but I cannot stress enough how important it is not to be hoodwinked.”

The email invites the recipient to follow a link and input personal details onto a form which uses HMRC logos and, on first inspection, looks official.

“If you are ever in any doubt about the authenticity of emails like this, especially when large sums of money are promised, you should check with HMRC or seek advice from Trading Standards before proceeding,” said Mr Skates.

Mr Skates can be emailed at ken4clwydsouth@gmail.com, or contacted through Facebook at www.facebook.com/kenskates4am

Mike dashes to triathlon triumph

* Mike, right, with his daughter Claire and son Christian after finishing the triathlon.

AN INTREPID Llangollen man has raised over £300 for the Wales Air Ambulance by taking part in yesterday’s Chirk Triathlon.

Mike Edwards finished the event in a respectable time of 1:44.09 and was second in his age group category.

The gruelling challenge was a family affair for him as his son 43-year-old son Christian and eldest daughter Claire, 30, also took part.

Christian finished in 1:22:39 and Claire in 1:34:00.

Wales Air Ambulance is a cause close to Mike’s heart.

Following a heart attack five years ago he regained his fitness and took up the triathlon event. 

“I am a keen supporter of  the air ambulance, being well aware of the value of a speedy response in my sport,” he said.

Mike is also a long-term cyclist, regularly hitting the mountain bike trails at Coed Llandegla  and pounding the roads in the Wrexham and Llangollen areas.

Mike’s Virgin Money Just Giving page at: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=MichaelEdwards262

Pengwern Wild Spaces Project event

Pengwern Wild Spaces Project has asked us to display these posters about a forthcoming event:

History group's talk on fascinating subject

Llangollen Museum is hosting a talk by Ruth Tams on the history of toilets, entitled Flushed with Pride, on Wednesday April 27, starting at 7.30pm.

Entry fee is £3 which includes tea or coffee.

Police investigate damage to former GPs' surgery

Police officers were this afternoon (Saturday) investigating the breaking of glass in the front door of the former GPs' surgery in Regent Street, Llangollen.

The building has been empty since the practice moved to the town's new £5 million health centre in Mill Street last summer.

A number of residents have expressed concerns about its future use.

Llan voters put Labour leader on the spot

llanblogger joins Pavilion audience for live

TV Q&A session with Carwyn Jones 

* Carwyn Jones chats to audience members after the programme.

Labour’s leader in Wales faced a barrage of questions from a lively Llangollen audience at the Pavilion last night (Friday).

Carwyn Jones, the country’s First Minister until the May 5 Assembly Election began, was the latest party boss put on the spot by voters as part of BBC Wales’s Ask the Leader series.

First pre-arranged question of the live half-hour programme came from Laura Davies who asked why Labour had “screwed up” the NHS in Wales.

Mr Jones replied that despite the budget of the devolved Welsh service being cut by 10% by the Westminster Conservative government, Wales was spending “more than ever before” on its NHS.

He added: “Most people get a good service for most of the time. But when we see there's a problem we take action."

Mr Jones cited the case of the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, covering North Wales, which had been placed in special measures by the Welsh Government because people had lost confidence in it.

But he said: “We are making sure that it regains the confidence of the people of North Wales and it is beginning to regain that confidence.”

He also claimed that Wales was spending more on the NHS than England.

Asked by Dr Rhys Davies about the GP recruitment crisis currently affecting the health service, Mr Jones said that to take the pressure of family doctors it was essential that patients didn’t “default” to visiting their GP before trying other avenues for health advice, such as pharmacists and GP nurses.

Llangollen county councillor Stuart Davies claimed that the local health situation had not been helped by the closure of the town’s cottage hospital.  

Second question came from Mike Evans who referred to the “disconnect” between the Welsh Government and voters in the north of Wales, and challenged Mr Jones to explain why Cardiff felt “more remote” to people in this region than Westminster.

The Labour chief replied that there were more Assembly Members representing North Wales than there were MP’s for the region.

He went on to detail some of the money recently spent in the north, such as on new schools and hospitals and the face-lifting of the A55 trunk route.

Mr Jones was asked by an audience member what benefits the Northern Powerhouse, being promoted for the north of England by Chancellor George Osborn, would bring to North Wales.

“I don’t see it as competition,” he answered.  

Explaining that the suggested powerhouse would mean better transport links within its area, Mr Jones said that Welsh Labour had just announced plans for a North Wales metro link, adding there would be a metro summit called by Labour within 100 days if the party won the assembly election.

He also told the audience that Labour had already improved the country’s road and rail links, including the rail line from Holyhead to Cardiff, and was now improving broadband links in North Wales.

Third questioner Michael Stokes asked Mr Jones if he planned to work closer with UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn if his party won the election.

Mr Jones replied: “I welcome support from all colleagues elsewhere in the UK.”

There was no answer from him when asked by programme presenter Bethan Rhys Roberts if he thought that Mr Corby didn’t look like a Prime Minister.

Final question came from James Wallace who asked the leader whether he apologised for “taking his eye off the ball” when it came to education in Wales.

“I don’t think we have,” responded Mr Jones.

He said that schools were being built or rebuilt right across Wales while “nothing like that” was happening in England.

“We now have more young people sitting in facilities that are appropriate for the 21^st century,” he pointed out, adding that Wales now had better GCSE results than ever before and A Level results that were also improving.

Asked by an audience member about what cash support Labour was planning to provide for university students in Wales, Mr Jones answered: “We will maintain our support for students at a higher level than in England.”