YESTERDAYS 1976
MR TONY Thomas hobbled on to the roof of a derelict house in Merthyr Tydfil to begin a lonely protest against the dangerous state of property that adjoins his own home.
The 33-year-old clerical officer plans to stay on the roof until the council agrees to move in and demolish the property.
He is sitting on a wooden cradle which is attached to a coping stone of the house in Thomas Jones Square, Troedyrhiw.
Mr Thomas has a blanket to keep him warm and food is hauled up to him by rope while he later hopes to have a heater and portable television set on the roof.
Married with a two-year-old daughter, Mr Thomas said he would stay on the roof until exposure forced him down or the council agreed the property is in danger and pulls it down.
Mr Thomas, below, said: “The council’s chief technical officer came here and indicated there was no danger. But last night another main lintel fell away and a wall the council had started putting up collapsed in the night.” MORE than a 1,000 abandoned vehicles – described as “potential bombs” – have been removed from the road and hillsides of Rhondda in the past three years.
This is the result of a drive by Rhondda council health officials to clear the valley of dumped cars which may be a great danger to children.
But trouble and money could have been saved if the owners of the unwanted vehicles had simply just asked the council to get rid of them, the environment committee was told.
The council operates a free pick-up and disposal service. All owners have to do is tell the health department where the vehicle is and sign a form. THREE special patrol groups of police with tracker dogs were combing undergrowth near Ewenny for clues following the discovery of a skeleton of a man at the weekend.
Detectives, led by Chief Superintendent Viv Brook, head of South Wales CID, are almost certain they know the identity of the man, but a post-mortem examination on the remains has given no clues as to the cause of death.
The skeleton was found in chesthigh grass and weeds about 20 yards from the Bridgend to Barry railway line.
Police think they are the remains of a man seen leaving the reception centre at Stormy Down on July 30. COMEDIAN Stan Stennett told a jury at Cardiff Crown Court that the person arrested at Ninian Park in May was not the one who threw a corner flag at a policeman.
Mr Stennett, a director of Cardiff City AFC, gave evidence in the retrial of Kevin Simon Frieze, of Kimberley Road, Cardiff. Mr Frieze denied wounding a police officer at the end of the Wales-Yugoslavia football match.
Mr Stennett said there was a lot of commotion with people running on the ground.
“I observed someone running. He had something in his hand which turned out to be a corner flag and noticed him throw it in a javelin-type manner.”
Mr Stennett then saw police officers go into the crowd and come out with someone they took to the players’ tunnel.
“This was not the person who had thrown the post,” he said.
A jury took just 18 minutes to find Mr Frieze not guilty. LANCE-BOMBARDIER HarrySecombe (Ret), returned to active duty this week to meet a new generation of Welsh Gunners, the 500 men of the 22nd Light Defence Regiment of the Royal Artillery.
For five hours he clowned his way around their base, a former RAF aerodrome near Scunthorpe.
By the end of his tour the regiment was convinced that, should they ever need his help they could rely on him to make the enemy die laughing.
Secombe is an honorary gunner.