5 Live Investigates: Recent Episodes
BBC Radio 5 live
Adrian Goldberg presents cutting edge investigative journalism, as well as taking on listeners' campaigns and consumer issues
Fire safety experts have told 5 Live Investigates that many of the 1,700 buildings in England are 'likely to fail' a new round of tests into cladding and building materials. Hospitals, schools, nursing homes and tower blocks are among buildings which could be "at risk", BBC 5 Live Investigates has learned. The government said it will monitor the test results this summer to decide if any immediate action needs to be taken. Two years after the Grenfell Tower fire, 5 Live Investigates has also learned that some people living in flats which were declared safe in the aftermath of the tragedy, have now discovered the buildings they live in DO pose a fire risk. The fire at Grenfell spread over the building in a matter of minutes; largely because of the combustible cladding the tower block was covered with. This type of cladding has now been banned. Government fire safety tests on other types of cladding have just started.
Photo credit; Press Association
Four years after the introduction of new laws to target revenge porn offenders, 5 Live Investigates can reveal how cases are on the rise but the number of prosecutions is falling. The revelations come as a charity set up to help victims called the Revenge Porn Helpline reports a 150 per cent increase in the number of calls to its service Photo credit: Antonio Guillem\Getty
The Democratic Football Lads Alliance describes itself as an anti-extremist group of football supporters with a commitment to raising funds for the homeless and social justice campaigns. But critics say it’s a far right organisation which has an anti-Islamist agenda. Its marches and demonstrations have attracted rival groups of anti-fascists and have resulted in skirmishes. The Premier League says it has raised its concerns with the UK Football Policing Unit and the Home Office. There are also worries that closed DFLA Facebook groups are being used as a platform to promote anti-Muslim hatred and anti-migrant rhetoric and violence.
Photo credit: Ollie Millington\Getty
Calls for a cross party inquiry into claims that a growing number of families are being accused of inventing or causing their children’s illness. It’s called Fabricated or Induced Illness (FII) and used to be known as Munchausen’s Syndrome By Proxy. It’s a rare form of abuse where parents exaggerate their child’s medical condition – or even cause it. Campaigners and charities say many families have been wrongly accused and want the inquiry to look at what they describe as a “wave of false allegations” and the current guidelines around FII. 5 Live Investigates first looked at this in March when we spoke to mums and dads threatened with having their children taken off them after being accused of FII. Following the programme, we have been contacted by other families who say this has happened to them. We’ve also been told about many other cases. One involves a mother accused of poisoning her two year old daughter and ordered to live apart from her for almost a year until the case was dismissed.
Photo credit; Getty/Katarzyna Bialasiewicz
Abbie Bull is 22 and has had serious acne for three years. It got so bad she felt unable to leave the house for fear of being stared at. She developed depression and anxiety but when she went to her doctor for help, she didn’t get it. 5 Live Investigates has learned that thousands who suffer from serious skin conditions like acne, eczema and psoriasis, can’t access the psychological support they need because it either doesn’t exist where they live or they have to join long waiting lists. The programme surveyed 180 members of the British Association of Dermatologists dermatologists and asked them whether they had access to a dedicated psychodermatology service within the region they work. Three quarters of them said they didn't. NHS England say health authorities need to take into account the psychological needs of all patients. The Welsh Government say they expect health boards to put in place services tailored to the individual needs of patients and the Health and Social Care Board for Northern Ireland says it has just commissioned a psychodermatology service which will be available to all trusts in the country.
5 Live Investigates has seen figures which show a big rise in the number of rapes, sexual assaults and stalking cases involving victims who were targeted on online dating platforms and mobile apps. The programme has received figures from more than half of the police forces in England and Wales which show the number of crimes has more than doubled between 2015 and 2018.
The programme hears from the mother of a woman who was murdered after meeting a man on a website called Plenty of Fish and a man who had his drinks spiked by a convicted sex offender he met on an app called Grindr. Forensic psychologist Dr Ruth Tully works with offenders who have targeted people via dating apps. She tells 5 Live Investigates the platforms provide ‘opportunity’ and if they didn’t exist, the crimes would never have happened.
The Online Dating Association which represents some online dating sites and mobile apps says its members do all they can to protect people from harm.
Picture credit: Leon Neal\Getty
5 Live Investigates has seen new evidence that hundreds of vulnerable children with Special Educational Needs are being injured whilst being restrained by teachers and classroom assistants. Physical and mechanical restraint techniques can be used against children as young as four without schools having to report it to anyone - even parents. But after 5 Live Investigates reported on this in 2017, the Government promised to introduce strict new guidelines detailing how restraint techniques should be used safely. Two years on and nothing has happened. Today the Children's Commissioners of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have asked the United Nations to investigate the use of restraint.
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‘I try not to call him. I’ll wait for him to call because he tends not to call me when he’s drunk. He drinks most of the time - a bottle of vodka a day.’ Maria is 25, the daughter of an alcoholic and one of a growing number of young adults who has a parent who’s a problem drinker. The National Association for the Children of Alcoholics has told 5 Live Investigates that the number of grown-up children contacting them for help about a parent’s excessive drinking now makes up 80 per cent of their work - compared to half that five years ago. The charity says more and more parents are becoming problem drinkers in later life. But Liam Byrne MP, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Children of Alcoholics, tells the programme that alcohol and drug treatment services have been cut all over the country.
The organ transplant service is at ‘breaking point’ according to one of the UK’s top consultant transplant surgeons. Professor Nizam Mamode who is president of the Chapter of Surgeons at the British Transplantation Society, has told 5 Live Investigates that overworked staff, a shortage of operating theatres and difficulties in recruiting are problems that need to be urgently addressed. His warning follows the announcement earlier this month that opt-out organ donation will become law from 2020. ‘Max and Keira’s Law’ – named after the donated heart of Keira Bell, nine, saved the life of Max Johnson, 10, in 2017 – will mean all adults’ organs can be taken after they die unless they specifically tell the NHS otherwise. The government says it could save as many as 700 lives a year
The victims of the most serious crimes who are having to wait longer than ever for the police to turn up. Figures obtained by 5 Live Investigates reveal some of the biggest police forces in the UK are taking almost twice as long to respond to so called ‘grade one’ emergencies as they were five years ago. The programme hears from the parents of a schizophrenic who made an emergency call to the police saying they feared for his girlfriend’s safety because he was attacking her. When police arrived three hours later Suzanne Brown was found dead from multiple stab wounds. 5 Live’s findings follow a spate of fatal knife attacks this year which have prompted Britain’s most senior police officer Cressida Dick to warn cuts in police numbers are contributing to a rise in violent crime. The Home Office says it ensures police have the resources they need to carry out their vital work.
The mums and dads threatened with having their disabled sons and daughters taken into care – accused of inventing or exaggerating their child’s illness. These are parents of children with conditions which are sometimes difficult to diagnose - such as autism spectrum disorder or rare inherited conditions. Some parents claim their council has used child protection concerns to delay paying for expensive care. They’ve been accused of a rare form of child abuse known as Fabricating or Induced Illness (FII) also known as Munchausen’s Syndrome by proxy where a parent or carer exaggerates or deliberately causes symptoms of illness in the child.
Photo credit: Deborah Faulkner
Teenager Thomas Jones went missing on a night out with friends during his first week at university in Worcester. His body was recovered from the River Severn more than a week later. 5 Live Investigates has been told that Thomas's death and dozens more like it could have been prevented - if only certain safety measures were put in place. 150 young men have died after going missing on a night out over the last nine years. 5 Live Investigates has seen new research which reveals between 10 and 20 men die every year after going missing in towns and cities across the UK – the majority of them under the age of 35. Practical safety measures like late night transport to get people home, improved lighting and barriers between footpaths and waterways could all help prevent similar tragedies in the future, according to campaigners and charities.
5 Live Investigates has discovered three of the UK’s leading supermarkets are misleading customers by selling food which is high in salt or fat in the healthier choices sections of their stores. The British Dietetic Association says the supermarkets are being ‘unhelpful’ and the practise is ‘confusing’ for customers.
Researchers visited the top five supermarkets in the UK and found Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Tesco were all selling products high in salt and saturated fat in areas marked as containing healthy or healthier choices food. The Royal Society for Public Health says the findings raise the possibility of the introduction of a supermarket regulator.
Tesco has told 5 Live it’s sorry some of its products were mistakenly included under a ‘Healthy and Diet Meals’ sign. Morrisons says their 'Healthier Choices' section gives customers the option to buy an item that is healthier than a product that meets a similar need – even though it might still carry a red traffic light label. And Sainsbury’s say it’s going to update its signage to reflect that vegetarian and plant based meals are now stocked alongside their range of healthier meals.
Photo credit: Helen Clifton
Around 60,000 babies are born prematurely in the UK every year. Many can spend weeks or even months in hospital fighting for their lives. But limited maternity and paternity rights mean many parents are having to return to work much sooner than they would like. The charity Bliss which supports families of premature and sick infants has surveyed more than 700 parents and shared its data with 5 Live Investigates. It reveals two thirds of fathers had to return to work whilst their baby was on a neonatal unit and more than a quarter of them had to choose between taking time off when their baby was is in neonatal or when their child went home. The programme hears from parents like Gemma and Andy Reid who were forced to make some tough decisions when their baby Gabriel was born a year ago.
There are now more than half a million vegans in Britain – with more than a quarter of a million people trying out a vegan diet last month – double the number of people who signed up for ‘veganuary’ in 2018. There’s no doubt that veganism is a more humane and potentially more sustainable alternative to a traditional diet containing meat, fish, eggs and dairy products. But could going vegan actually be bad for your health? 5 Live Investigates hears concerns that for some, it could have serious health consequences. Rebecca Hills, 20, tells the programme she used a vegan diet to conceal her eating disorder. But for Rebecca Hills, 20, going vegan wasn’t about 'ethics' and 'healthy eating', like she told people. It was to cover up her eating disorder. “In the back of my mind I was thinking that veganism would be a really good way to lose weight,” she said. The charity Beat Eating Disorders believes Rebecca may not be alone: “Some people may use veganism or vegetarianism to conceal their eating disorder, as it becomes socially acceptable to follow a restrictive diet.”
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Thousands of police officers and civilian staff haven't been vetted since the introduction of strict guidelines in 2006. 36 of the 43 police forces in England and Wales responded to a Freedom of Information request from 5 Live Investigates. But 16 of the forces that provided information said they hadn't performed retrospective background checks on a total of 5,966 police officers and staff since the policy was introduced. The programme has also discovered that the number of police officers investigated for abusing their 'power for sexual gains' has more than doubled over a 4 year period - from 84 in 2014/15 to 170 in 2017/18. The revelations follow the conviction in December 2018 of Cheshire PC Ian Naude who was sentenced to 25 years for raping a 13-year-old girl who he groomed after attending an incident at her home. PC Naude passed Cheshire Police's vetting process despite allegations of sex offences being investigated by two neighbouring forces prior to joining the force.
(Photo credit:: Press Association.)
Alice Franklin is one of 300,000 people in the UK with Tourette’s Syndrome. For 25-year-old Alice, the condition manifests itself in uncontrollable body movements or ‘tics’ – jerking, twitching, punching walls and windows and involuntarily collapsing to the floor. The physical side of the condition is the hardest to deal with and exhausting she says. But she also swears and hurls impromptu insults at individuals she’s just met – including her new boss and customers in a bar where she worked. It’s a life-changing condition Alice has lived with for more than three years – but for her and thousands like her, therapy isn’t readily available. In fact, a survey shared exclusively with 5 Live Investigates by the charity Tourette’s Action shows even when a diagnosis has eventually been made, most aren’t given medication or directed to any form of behavioural therapy. And even when they are, it can take years to access. There are no NICE guidelines relating to the condition and Tourette’s Action says the condition is widely misunderstood by the medical profession. More than 460 people responded to the charity's survey and 79 per cent of respondents said their mental health had been affected by the condition. More than a third said they’d considered suicide of engaged in self-harming behaviour.
An investigation by BBC Radio 5 Live Investigates reveals problem gamblers are able to continue betting online even when they sign up to a national self-exclusion scheme. More than 50,000 people have signed up to the GamStop scheme which allows addicts to ban themselves from online betting platforms. But 5 Live Investigates recruits the son of a problem gambler to sign up to the scheme to test if it works. After banning himself, Adam Bradford, whose dad David lost more than £100,00 by gambling online, is able to sign up to a new gambling website by changing just a few small personal details. GamStop say they're 'deeply concerned' by the findings. The programme also returns to Grimsby where a year ago a producer self-excluded from all the high street bookies in the town. But he was able to place bets on high stakes fixed odds betting terminals (FOBT's) in all but two of the betting shops he was banned from. A year on, the programme returns to Grimsby to find out if anything has changed.
There has been a big increase in the number of vulnerable children being housed alone without live in support. In some cases youngsters have been placed in bed and breakfast accommodation, bedsits and even caravans by the local authorities that are meant to be looking after them. Figures obtained by 5 Live Investigates show the number of young people aged 16 and 17 and placed in what’s called ‘independent living accommodation’ has gone up by 28 per cent in England since 2010. Young care leavers tell the programme they’ve been placed in dwellings over-run by drug users, alcoholics and abusers. The Children’s Commissioner says she is now launching an investigation into the crisis. The Government says the law is clear and that local authorities must provide accommodation that meets children’s needs and that includes appropriate supervision whilst in that accommodation.
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MP’s have told 5 live Investigates they want the roll-out of ‘all-lane running’ smart motorways to be suspended amid concerns over the safety of stranded motorists and the recovery workers who go to rescue them. All-lane running – or ALR – motorways are stretches of carriageway where the hard shoulder has been removed and converted into a running lane. That lane is only closed to traffic in the event of an incident. Highways England says ALR motorways are as safe as traditional motorways and they improve traffic flow. But there are many people who disagree. Ellie Montgomery and her family became stranded on a traditional motorway which didn’t have a hard shoulder because of road works. Their vehicle was hit by an HGV on the M6 in Cheshire and the family narrowly escaped serious injury. She sets out her concerns about taking away hard shoulders.
Photo credit: Press Association.
Anna Boniface was selected to run for England after she became the first non-elite woman to finish the London Marathon in 2017. But over-training and under-eating meant her dreams were short-lived because she failed to finish the event after suffering a stress fracture to her ankle. She was later diagnosed with a condition known as Energy Deficiency in Sport - brought on by pushing her body to the limit and failing to refuel properly. The condition affects hundreds of young athletes and can lead to serious eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia. It can also weaken bones, stop women athletes from having periods and dramatically reduce testosterone levels in men. As the TrainBrave campaign is launched to raise awareness of the condition, 5 Live Investigates hears from those suffering the consequences. They include a young cyclist left with the bones of an 80-year old, and an Olympic hopeful forced to give up athletics in her mid-20’s after four spinal fractures brought on by her diet.
photo credit: kbschlee photography
The LGBT people trapped in abusive relationships because they say the police don’t take them seriously and they can’t access support services. 5 live Investigates has discovered the number of gay, bisexual and trans men and women involved in recorded domestic abuse crimes is going up. But experts say the figures represent only a fraction of the abuse in the LGBT community. One LGBT domestic abuse charity has told the programme it’s seeing more than double the number of victims it was seeing five years ago. But thousands don’t bother reporting because they think they’ll get a negative response from the police.
Nine out of 10 people who buy a new home report so-called 'snagging' issues according to a new survey seen by 5 live Investigates. The New Homes Review 2018 is an independent survey of 687 people who've bought new homes within the last year. Craig Wakeman and his partner Tracy Bickford bought their £325,000 three-bedroom dream home from developers Bovis in November 2016. The couple and their two daughters were eventually forced out of the property after 354 faults were discovered in a series of surveys. Two years since buying the house near Worcester, the family still aren't able to move back in. Mr Wakeman tells 5 live Investigates: "We're in a position where we own a house that we can't live in, that we can't sell, that's got that many faults in it you're always going to question whether of not the house is going to be right. We've asked Bovis homes to take the keys back and take the home off us but they've refused to do that." Bovis has apologised to the family and says the company is 'completely focussed on putting right what has gone wrong.'
Thousands of children with special educational needs are disappearing from education with ‘concerning’ consequences, Ofsted has told 5Live Investigates. Inspectors have admitted that when pupils are ‘off rolled’, they vanish from official records. ‘Off rolling’ is when schools put pressure on pupils to leave without permanently excluding them, in order to reach tough academic targets or save money. 5 Live investigates hears from the parents of children with conditions like autism who say their children are being forced out of schools and are having to be home schooled or taught in inadequate ‘alternative provision’ settings.
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The businesses that go bust – only to re-emerge under a different name with no debts. There are now calls for tighter regulations around so-called ‘phoenixing’ where companies rise from the ashes of collapsed businesses leaving employees and creditors with huge debts of their own. The practise also costs local authorities and HMRC billions. 5 Live Investigates hears the stories of those who’ve been left out of pocket and from those who want unscrupulous directors outlawed for good. Also, tool thefts from vans and the tradesmen who say their livelihoods are threatened but they can't get the police to take them seriously.
Photo Credit = Paul Ellis\Getty
The men who sexually harass women by watching pornography on public transport and other public places. It's been described as a new form of sexual harassment and there have been calls this week for it to be made a criminal offence. 5 live Investigates hears from the women who've been subjected to this behaviour and asks why bus and train companies aren't doing more to block pornography being downloaded via their WiFi networks. The programme also reports on a big rise in the number of hit and runs on Britain’s roads. 5 live Investigates has obtained figures via Freedom of Information requests which show a three-fold increase in just five years. But whilst the number of drivers leaving the scene has shot up – the number facing the courts has fallen dramatically. The programme hears calls for tougher sentencing from those whose lives have been left devastated
Photo Credit; Getty Images\LeoPatrizi
Holly Smallman has a series of complex life-limiting conditions. Yet the 16-year-old is among thousands of babies, children and young people who are likely to die young but can't access the care and support they need, according to a report by the All-Parliamentary Group for Children Who Need Palliative Care. They say the Government is failing in its end of life care choice commitment to provide adequate support which represents ‘a wholly unjustified health inequality. Holly's mum Hayley tells 5 Live Investigates: “I’m beyond exhausted. We have to do critical care for Holly out-of-hours ourselves or take her to hospital. After 5pm and at the weekends it’s very frightening”
The online fundraising platforms designed to raise money for good causes – but targeted by fraudsters. Online giving has transformed the way we help the charities we care about - more than £2 billion is raised every year on websites and social media. But 5 live Investigates hears from some of the people who’ve fallen victim to scams including the family of a six year old girl who died from leukaemia. Fraudsters set up a fake fundraising page after her death. There are also calls for a cap on the commission charged by some fundraising platforms amid claims they are taking too much.
E-cigarettes and vaping liquids are being sold to children online and on the high street, 5 live Investigates has discovered. Trading Standards is investigating after researchers on the programme bought prohibited products online. A 16 year old girl was also able to buy vaping products from one in three shops in Camden, London. The Tobacco and Related Products Regulations of 2016 forbid the sale of e-cigarette nicotine products to under-18's. Studies have suggested that young people who vape are more likely to start smoking tobacco products.
Photo by Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images.
Fraudsters scammed nearly 49000 older people in the UK last year - equivalent to six victims every hour of the day across the UK, 5 Live Investigates has discovered. The figure has almost doubled in three years, but one expert says the true number of victims was likely to be in the millions. 5 live Investigates asked Action Fraud, the UK police's cyber crime reporting centre, for a breakdown of the five most common types of frauds affecting older people. During 2017/18, advanced fee frauds, which include victims being told they have won the lottery but must pay a fee to receive it, were the most common scams with almost 20,000 cases - including 370 victims aged over 90. Computer software service fraud, in which victims are told their computer has been compromised by a virus, was the second most common crime. In one year alone, victims lost more than £135m in these type of scams.
Staff shortages in pathology labs mean patients are facing worrying delays in diagnosis and treatment, according to the Royal College of Pathologists (RCP). 5 live Investigates has been told just three per cent of histopathology departments across the UK have enough staff to meet clinical demand. The programme hears from patients who have faced an agonising wait for test results. The RCP says staff shortages are costing the NHS £27m every year.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the Gambling Commission are investigating after 5 live Investigates revealed professional football clubs have included links to gambling websites on junior web pages. Programme researchers discovered 15 clubs in the Premier League, the Championship, League One and the Scottish Professional Football League were in breach of ASA guidelines. Some of the clubs involved have since removed the links. Children's Commissioner Anne Longfield described the findings as 'hugely surprising.' She has also called for education around gambling to made part of the national curriculum in schools. And the parents of Jack Ritchie, who started gambling as a schoolboy, reveal how their son killed himself after becoming addicted to online betting websites.
Whether you're buying a house or a hairdryer, the chances are you'll have looked at an online review site to work out what you're likely to get for your money. The government's Competition and Markets Authority estimates that every year £23 billion of UK consumer spending is influenced by online reviews. But can they all be trusted? 5 live Investigates reveals how easy it is to buy fake five star reviews on one of the world's biggest online platforms and how people are still being paid to leave fake reviews for products sold on Amazon - despite a crackdown by the company more than a year ago.
5Live Investigates examines the routine care people with dementia receive when in an acute hospital. Previously unseen research which was commissioned by the NHS's National Institute for Health Research paints a desperate picture of life on our hospital wards, including a "culture of restraint and containment" in response to resisting care, as well as staff burnout and dehumanisation of patients. The Department of Health says it aims to make England the best place in the world to live with dementia.
Senior fire officers are warning of potential safety risks as more and more people let out their houses to tourists through Airbnb and other short term letting websites. The National Fire Chiefs Council says fire and rescue services are not aware of how many short term rental properties are operating in their areas, making it hard for them to assess possible risks. It says some of these properties are being used in effect as small hotels, but if fire officers don't know where places are they can't inspect or give owners advice to ensure buildings are safe. MPs have called for all properties operating in this way to be registered. The Short Term Accommodation Association, the professional body for the short let sector, says it has adopted the safety standards of the residential long let industry. It says in instances where those standards are not being met it addresses them with urgency.
Thousands of victims of economic and physical abuse are unable to get emergency court orders preventing their abuser from causing them harm because they don't qualify for free legal aid. 5 live Investigates has been given figures by the National Centre for Domestic Violence which reveal that more than 6,000 victims referred to them by the police were unable to access free legal representation. Applicants are means tested and in many cases told they have to make a financial contribution to the legal bill. The NCDV says too many women are turned away because they appear to own assets or savings which are actually under their abuser's control.
The human cost of Britain's crumbling roads. 5 live Investigates hears from the victims and families of those who've been killed in accidents involving potholes. The programme has learned local authorities have had to pay-out £38 million pounds in compensation over the last five years - but that's significantly less than the £9 billion pounds some say it will cost to bring our roads up to scratch. Most of the compensation goes to motorists who've suffered damage to their vehicles. But the biggest pay-outs are reserved for cyclists - the most vulnerable road users of them all. Nearly £7m paid-out to them and their families in the last 5 years.
Charities could have lost hundreds of thousands of pounds in donations after 750 clothing banks were removed from car parks. Recycling companies and charities which operates the banks says up to 20 a week have gone missing in the last 12 months. The Textile Recycling Association says some of the banks have been resprayed and branded with a different charity logo and placed at sites without permission. The Charity Commission has launched an investigation into one charity. There are around 15 thousand textile banks throughout the UK often placed at supermarket carparks and recycling sites. More than 300,000 tonnes of clothing and textiles are collected each year. Some of the banks are run by charities themselves such as The Salvation Army, Oxfam and the British Heart Foundation, but others are operated by private recycling companies who give a donation to their chosen charities - on average £250 for every tonne of clothes collected. Around £75m was given to charities and local authorities last year. The Textile Recycling Association (TRA) - which represents the sector - says clothing banks have been taken from across England - including the North West, the Midlands and Eastern England. It says charities receive on average £70 a week from each bank and because it can take between six to eight weeks to replace a bank, it is feared charities could have lost more than a third of a million pounds in donations. In some cases, the recycling companies aren't replacing the banks so the charities will lose out permanently.
It's estimated that 1.8 million disabled people are struggling to find accessible housing in the UK. 5 live Investigates has seen research which reveals the average wait in England could be more than 12 years -and that's if nobody else joins the waiting list. The programme hears from Paul Perry - a 26-year-old man who's been trapped in hospital for 18 months. And a man in his 50's with spinal injuries who says he's a prisoner in his own bedroom in an old people's home which isn't equipped to deal with his needs.
Scores of charity shop workers have been investigated for sexually inappropriate behaviour in the workplace in the last 12 months, according to figures obtained by 5 live Investigates. The programme has also learned that convicted paedophiles have been allowed to work in shops because DBS checks haven't been done. The CEO of the organisation Whistleblowers UK says the charity industry is a magnet for people who are predatory. 'The charities sector...is seen as a nice place to be -lots of people who work there are volunteers doing good work. It's almost as if regulation for them is deemed unnecessary because of course everybody who works there would be nice. And yet those are the areas that attract people who are predatory. All of the evidence supports this. We've heard about inappropriate relationships between members of staff, between staff and volunteers and also volunteers raising concerns about the way staff have interacted with vulnerable children and teenagers.'.
5 live Investigates is in the London borough of Newham - dubbed the acid attack capital of Britain. Shopkeepers there have signed up to a voluntary code of practise banning the sale of corrosive substances to under 21's - but are they as good as their word? The programme follows a 14-year-old as she attempts to buy corrosive liquids from stores in the area. Newham mayor Sir Robin Wales and local Labour MP Stephen Timms have called on the government to crackdown on sales. The programme also has new FOI figures which reveal a three-fold rise in attacks across England and Wales between 2013 and the end of 2017. Acid attack survivors Adele Bellis and Jabed Hussain also reveal the long term physical and emotional effects.
The shortfall of new affordable homes in England will soon be equivalent to a city the size of Leeds according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. They tell 5 live Investigates that supply has fallen short of demand by 30,000 every year since 2011 and the cumulative shortfall could reach 335,000 by the end of this parliament. The government says it's investing £9bn in the sector. Married parents of three Dawn and Adrian, from Milton Keynes, tell 5 live Investigates their family's health has suffered since being forced into temporary accommodation while they wait for suitable social housing to become available. "Both of us have had issues with mental health and ability to cope," said Dawn, who asked that their surnames not be published. "It's all come to a head, the culmination of that means Adrian's pretty much had a breakdown for the last couple of months and been signed off work," she said. Adrian, who like Dawn works full-time, said not being able to afford a home meant that "being a proud man, at the end of the day, I took a lot of stick to myself. I beat myself up inside. "Because when you've got a wife and three children, I felt a failure," he said.
Skin creams containing paraffin could be responsible for 'hundreds' of fire deaths across the UK according to fire chiefs. 5 live Investigates revealed last year that 37 deaths had been linked to the creams since 2010. But the programme has learned there have been a further eight deaths - and leading firefighters warn that figure could be much higher because fire and rescue services don't always record the fact that skin creams were involved. Following 5 live's investigation, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency urged all manufactures to place warnings on their products, advising consumers to wash clothes and bedding properly to reduce the build-up of paraffin. But of the 38 products containing paraffin and licensed for sale in the UK, just seven of them carry warnings. Brian Bicat, 82, died six months after the MHRA issued its guidance after accidentally setting himself on fire. His family say they weren't aware of the dangers of using skin creams and consumers need to be given advice to prevent more deaths in the future.
An investigation into online-only estate agents and whether their cut price, up-front fees really do offer value for money. The online-only property business has gone from strength to strength since it emerged just a few years ago and it's now threatening the very survival of traditional agents on the high street. But are sales exaggerated and is advertising misleading? 5 Live Investigates hears from the companies and their customers about how this expanding sector of the market is performing. Before these companies arrived on the scene, estate agents typically charged a commission of 1-2% on a house price once the sale goes through. Online-only agents have changed all that. They list your house on property portals like Rightmove or Zoopla and charge you a fixed fee which customers usually pay upfront. For most properties that fee is a lot lower than what you would pay a traditional agent - but the big difference is with the online-only agents you pay whether you sell or not, so it's a gamble. The programme examines new research from investment bank Jefferies which suggests that statistically around half of customers who use the online-only agents could be wasting their money. And it hears from the leading online-only estate agency Purplebricks which disputes the research saying that 78% of customers successfully sell their home with the company.
Maria Miller MP says we should consider using hate crime laws to tackle sexual harassment. She has launched an inquiry into 'routine' sexual harassment of women on buses, trains, in the street and in bars and clubs. Victims of sexual harassment share their experiences with 5 live Investigates. The programme also hears from the Equalities and Human Rights Commission whose survey into sexual harassment reveals only half of sexual harassment victims actually report it to their employers. Even when they do - in the vast majority of cases - nothing happens. Unite the Union is in the middle of its own survey which reveals 97 per cent of those who have responded experienced sexual harassment first hand. 83 per cent have received unwelcome and inappropriate touching, hugging or kissing and 47 per cent have received requests for sexual favours.
A million rented properties in England have hazards that put tenants' health and safety at risk. The government says it's backing a change in the law - giving greater powers to take bad landlords to court. 5 live Investigates has been told one in ten people who rent their homes have reported health and safety concerns in the last 12 months. According to a survey by YouGov for the housing charity Shelter, one in ten have also suffered health problems as a direct result of the environment they live in.
Stalking is a devastating crime suffered by more than a million people a year. New figures obtained by 5Live Investigates reveal that men are the hidden victims. Are the police letting them down? The latest figures estimate that nearly half a million men have been stalked but only a tiny fraction of those incidents were recorded by the police. A Freedom of Information request by 5Live Investigates reveals that just 1800 crimes of stalking in which the victims were men were recorded over the last four years, since the obligation came in for police to log it as a crime. The Suzy Lamplugh Trust has described the figure as likely to be "a drip in the ocean". Very often victims don't report the offence when it happens to them. But even when they do, men who spoke to the programme said the authorities don't take them seriously. Their concerns are echoed by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary which said in a report last year that victims were left at risk by poorly run investigations and that stalking often went unrecorded. The Home Office said those suffering stalking should be supported regardless of gender and that the new civil stalking protection orders due to be introduced would protect them at an early stage.
If you are affected by these issues you can find details of organisations providing help and support here: bbc.co.uk/actionline.
The betting industry watchdog the Gambling Commission has launched an inquiry into a self-exclusion scheme designed to help problem gamblers. It follows an undercover investigation by 5 live Investigates. The programme's reporter signed up to the Multi-Operator Self-Exclusion Scheme (MOSES) and got himself barred from 21 betting shops in Grimsby, Lincolnshire. He submitted his details and a photograph of himself to the scheme which were then distributed to the 21 shops he asked to be excluded from. Ten days later, he then visited them all and attempted to play on fixed odds betting terminals which he did without being challenged in 19 of them. In two of the shops he was recognised and asked to leave. The Association of Bookmakers said: "We accept that the current self-exclusion scheme is not without flaws. However we are continually developing improved systems." The Senet Group, which runs the MOSES scheme on behalf of the gambling industry, said the programme's findings were 'a wake-up call.'.
Adrian Goldberg hears calls from teachers to ban high-caffeine energy drinks from schools - with one teaching union describing them as 'readily available legal highs'. Despite the cans carrying warnings that they are not suitable for children, figures suggest more than two thirds of 10 to 18-year-olds are drinking them once a week or more, at levels considered unsafe by the government. We speak to researchers who say under-16s are being influenced by the huge marketing budgets behind the major brands and talk to school children about why they drink them.
Are front line police officers paying the price of job cuts through rising stress and mental illness? Long term sick leave for mental health issues has shot up by 72% since 2010, at the same time as officer numbers have fallen by 16%, according to Freedom of Information figures obtained by 5Live Investigates.
Officers tell the programme pressures are rising because there aren't enough officers now to share the strain. And when they become unwell it can be hard to seek help because of the stigma behind talking about mental health issues. Some say there isn't enough in-house support when things get tough, but that forces are struggling too because the money isn't there to do more.
Across England and Wales police officer numbers are lower than they have been for 20 years according to Home Office data.
One sergeant tells the programme 'Officers are having to go to a lot more incidents, a hell of a lot more in such a short space of time without being able to step away and process it in their mind before they go on to something else. It has had an impact and it will continue to have an impact until officer numbers are increased'.
The government says it recognises the job can place stressful demands on people and has announced a £7,500,000 pilot service to better support forces.
Adrian Goldberg hears from patients struggling to see an NHS neurology specialist as separate reports warn of issues across the UK. We reveal figures showing the number of consultant neurologists able to deal with conditions ranging from migraine to Parkinson's lags far behind the rest of the EU and hear from an MP who says services are not fit for purpose and getting worse.
Adrian Goldberg reveals a new report which describes the commissioning of palliative care for children with life-shortening conditions as 'patchy and inconsistent'. The report highlights the lack of specialist services at weekends and overnight when many parents need it most. We hear the moving stories of parents struggling to get the right support for the weeks, months or in many cases years that they are caring for their children - and the desperate financial situation they can be thrown into when their child dies.
Adrian Goldberg meets the child footballers trapped by eye watering transfer deadlocks and whose careers are held to ransom by some of the game's biggest clubs.
Download the podcast: bbc.co.uk/podcasts/5live.
Experts have told 5 live Investigates that tens of thousands of drivers are breaking the law by driving diesel cars without crucial particulate filters. They're known as DPFs - or diesel particulate filters - and they stop harmful particles of soot from entering the atmosphere. But they get clogged up and can affect car performance. What's more, they can cost thousands of pounds to replace - so drivers have them removed. The programme also reveals how the MOT test which is designed to detect the removal of DPFs isn't fit for purpose.
UK taxpayers are funding billions of pounds worth of research into life-changing drugs - only to be told they can't have them when they need them. 5 live Investigates has seen new research which shows that the NHS spent more than a billion pounds last year alone on medicines which were developed using our money - and those were just the drugs that were deemed affordable. Many more which have been researched and developed with taxpayer's cash aren't made available to patients because they're regarded as too expensive. The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry says drug companies invest billions in the research and development of medicines over long periods.
Download the podcast: bbc.co.uk/podcasts/5live.
Figures obtained by 5 live Investigates show reported hate crimes against disabled children are rising. Police forces across the UK recorded 450 incidents reported last year, up from 181 in 2014-15, 5 live Investigates found. The Home Office says the rise was due to better reporting and more victims willing to come forward. Bethan Germon's 23-month-old daughter Lydia has hydrocephalus, or water on the brain, which causes her head to swell. It means at one point Lydia's head was double its natural size. She also has cerebral palsy and is fed through a tube. "You see a really ugly side of people online to the point where they say they wish she was dead or why don't we kill her," Bethan said. "The online commenting has easily been the worst and my husband has actually made sure that I come offline for a couple of days when things have been said.
Adrian Goldberg uncovers a rise in the number of patient attacks on mental health workers over the last five years. Figures obtained by 5 live Investigates show a 25% rise in assaults on staff.
Incidents over that time include a healthcare assistant who was stabbed to death; a member of staff whose finger was bitten off and a nurse who had boiling water thrown in their face.
Last year there were over 40,000 cases, and the number in England alone has increased by more than a third. Adrian speaks to those at centre of the story and finds out what is being done to reduce the numbers.
Download the podcast: bbc.co.uk/podcasts/5live.
The Victims' Commissioner Baroness Newlove has told 5 live Investigates she is launching an investigation into the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority over concerns it is failing the most vulnerable victims in society. Two of the UK's biggest charities tell the programme that hundreds of victims of child sexual abuse could suffer further psychological damage because of delays in reviewing compensation claims. Ten weeks ago the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) promised an 'urgent' review of cases in which payments were refused because victims were deemed to have consented to their abuse. Barnardo's and Victim Support have accused CICA of 'victim blaming' and say delays in reviewing the cases could cause further distress. The programme hears from those who've been affected and those who are trying to changes the way CICA works. The Ministry of Justice says victims who have been groomed should never be treated as if they consented and it's is vital that victims get access to the compensation they deserve.
More and more lorry drivers are manipulating the on board computers which measure their driving time - putting their lives and the lives of other road users at risk. The DVSA has told 5 live Investigates there has been a 21 per cent increase in the number of drivers caught using cheat devices. But the so-called 'interrupters' don't just allow drivers to drive tired - they stop speedometers and anti-lock braking systems from working which could have catastrophic consequences on the roads.
The number of UK fire and rescue staff taking long-term sick leave due to mental illness has risen by nearly a third over the last six years a according to figures obtained by 5 live Invesigates. In London, fire staff taking leave for conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder has doubled since 2011-12. 103 London fire staff have taken mental health leave this year, some after working at the Grenfell Tower tragedy. London Fire Brigade Borough Commander Richard Welch talks about how firefighters coped when confronted with the horrific scenes inside. And former firefighter Andy Graham tells the programme how his life has been haunted by some of the incidents he's attended during a 30 year career.
Education Secretary Justine Greening orders a review of council policies around school transport provision for disabled children after 5 live Investigates presents the Department for Education with evidence of widespread cuts. A survey of 2,500 parents by the charity Contact reveals that nearly half of them have had to give up work completely or cut down their hours - just so they can get their kids to school. The Local Government Authority says councils are being forced to make hard choices in the face of 'sustained financial challenges.'.
A Green heating system is forcing some residents into fuel poverty according to campaigners. District heating provides heating and hot water to more than 200,000 households in England and Wales. The system works by way of a central boiler which provides energy to properties. Government wants 8 million homes to adopt the system by 2050. It's supposed to be cheaper and environmentally friendly. But 5 live Investigates has learned that some residents are paying more than they would with a conventional boiler and some systems are unreliable.
Controlling or coercive behaviour was made illegal at the end of 2015. More than a year after it was introduced, 5 live Investigates has new data which reveals how often the new law is being implemented. The programme contacted all 43 police forces in England and Wales to find out how many suspects had been charged with the new offence. 25 of them provided figures - revealing they had charged 202 people. Two police forces say they haven't charged anyone. Critics say not all police officers are have been trained well enough to spot the signs of coercive or controlling behaviour and gather evidence to bring a prosecution. Louisa Rolfe who is deputy chief constable at West Midlands Police and the national police lead on domestic abuse says police forces have been slow to implement the new law but all forces have now had training and she expects to see the legislation used more often.
Hundreds of children have been injured whilst being physically restrained in special schools, according to figures obtained by 5 live Investigates. The programme has found cases where youngsters were pinned face-down on the floor, sustained broken bones, were strapped into chairs and in one case had their head covered with a 'spit hood'. A Freedom of Information request to the 207 local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales revealed 13,000 physical restraints in the last three years, resulting in 731 injuries. But only 37 local authorities - less than a fifth - were able to provide data, suggesting the numbers could be much higher.
The Department of Education told the BBC: 'The protection of children is of the utmost importance and any instances of restraint being used inappropriately must be reported.' They say they plan to consult professionals, parents and carers on new draft guidance on reducing the need for restraint for children and young people with learning disabilities, autistic spectrum disorders and mental health difficulties shortly.
Prosecution and conviction rates for drivers who cause fatal road crashes have fallen sharply - at the same time as police forces in England and Wales have lost thousands of traffic officers. Figures shared exclusively with 5 live Investigates by the charity RoadPeace reveal a 23 per cent drop in prosecutions in England and Wales in the 5 years to 2015. In the same period the number of convictions has fallen by nearly 30 per cent. The charity blames cuts to the police service with the number of specialist road officers slashed by nearly 40 per cent from 7,100 in 2005 to just 4,350 in 2014.
The response by emergency services to Wednesday's terror attack in Westminster was widely hailed a success. But how would a town or city outside of the capital cope with a similar attack? Just five months ago Lord Toby Harris published a wide ranging review on London's ability to deal with an attack just like the one that unfolded this week. He talks to 5 live Investigates about how the rest of the country might cope. Also Telegraph political editor Christopher Hope, Labour MP Ruth Smeeth and children's author Steve Voake tell how they found themselves at the heart of Wednesday's atrocities.
Adrian Goldberg presents cutting edge investigative journalism. This week, we look at the dozens of cases of skin cream users who have died since 2010 by accidentally setting themselves on fire.
The creams contain paraffin and are used to treat conditions like eczema and psoriasis. But unless clothing and bedding are washed regularly, residue from the creams can build up, making fabrics highly flammable.
Hear from one woman whose husband died after setting himself on fire in hospital when he went for a cigarette. The medicines regulator the MHRA has asked manufacturers to include warnings on packaging.
Download the podcast at http://www.bbc.co.uk/5live.
There are calls for a national database of taxi drivers after 5 live Investigates discover some drivers are still operating - despite having their licences refused or revoked. Local authorities who are responsible for issuing licences currently don't share information. This means that if a council has refused or revoked a driver's licence, it won't necssarily be picked up by another local authority when that driver applies there. This means that predatory and sometimes dangerous drivers are still able to carry passengers. The Local Government Association and Dame Vera Baird - chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners - are now calling for a national database which they say would protect passengers.
Cases of babies born infected with a bacteria which can kill or leave them with life changing conditions are on the increase - even though they are preventable. In the UK two babies die every month and dozens more are left mentally and physically disabled by Group B Streptococcus - sometimes known as GBS or 'Strep B' - a bacteria which affect something like 500 newborns every year. 5 live Investigates has learned that the number of babies born with the infection increased by 12 per cent between 2011 and 2015. Campaigners who delivered a petition with a quarter of a million signatures earlier this year to the Department of Health, say that a simple test to detect GBS would cost the Health Service just £11 for every pregnant mum. The UK National Screening Committee which advises ministers and the NHS say the current test for 'Strep B' can't tell between between women whose babies will be affected and those who won't. They say that as a result, thousands of women would receive antibiotics during labour with unknown consequences.
Transgender children say they're being denied treatment by the NHS because they've sought help from private doctors. Many have resorted to seeking help outside of the health service because they say waiting lists are too long and there are delays in treatment because of lengthy assessments. The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust - which runs the gender identity service for under 18's - says the wellbeing of young people is their prime concern - but they're not able to provide ongoing clinical supervision for the management of hormone treatments prescribed or accessed outside the service. Referrals to the Tavistock have reached a record high - more than 1,500 in this financial year already. There are currently 1,200 families on the waiting list and it's taking them between six and seven months to get a first appointment. NHS England says funding has been increased to meet demand. They say they continue to work with clinicians at the Tavistock and Portman to increase capacity and reduce waiting times 'as a matter of urgency.'.
Firefighters are being delayed in getting to emergencies because of a computerised dispatching system which regularly crashes and often fails to send the closest fire engine. The system, which is called VISION DS and supplied by the technology company Capita, is used by the UK's busiest fire brigade - London Fire Service, as well as brigades in the South West - Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue, Devon and Somerset and Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service. Responding to a Freedom of Information request, London Fire Service has told 5 live Investigates that the system crashed 7 times in 2016 and they logged 195 separate problems. In the South West the system crashed 10 times in 2016 and - in some cases - it was down for several hours. One control room operator has told the programme that when the system has gone down, staff have resorted to using AtoZ maps to identify the nearest fire station to an incident.The system failures are putting lives at risk according to the Fire Brigades Union. No deaths are known to be attributable to the system. Capita says there have been 'very occasional problems.' London Fire Brigade says all the issues raised are being dealt with by the Brigade and Capita.
Prescriptions for antidepressants in England have gone up 7 per cent in the year to September 2016 according to figures seen by 5 live Investigates. 63 and a half million prescriptions were issued for the drugs - up four million on the year before and double the number a decade ago. The evidence shows that users are taking them for longer too. One in four people is now using them for 15 months. 20 years ago that was just eight months. There are also concerns that people are having to wait longer to access 'talking therapies' which can be used as well as or instead of antidepressants. The Department of Health says there's no evidence to suggest the rise in use of antidepressant medicines is linked to waiting times in talking therapies.They say they're exceeding the waiting times standard for this kind of treatment with almost 90% of people seen within 6 weeks.
The NSPCC is calling for an investigation into doorstep charity bag collections after evidence emerged that rogue operators are routinely flouting the law. Millions of pounds are raised each year for charity by private companies who post plastic bags through householders' doors and take away donated items. But 5 Live Investigates has discovered that some firms are illegally collecting without a licence. Others hand over only a fraction of the money they generate - sometimes less than 10 per cent. The Fundraising Regulator says it is looking at tightening up regulations in the sector.
Delays in social care assessments are contributing to a bed blocking crisis in our hospitals. The delays are also contributing to a crisis in the community where people with urgent social care needs aren't being seen according to the watchdog Healthwatch.
Referrals to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) from the sport and recreation sector have increased nearly four-fold in the last four years. In 2012-2013, the number of referrals was 88. In 2015-2016, they had risen to 339 - up 285 per cent. The DBS was unable to say how many of the referrals led to people working in sport and recreation being barred from working with children. A spokesman for the DBS said the protection of children and vulnerable groups was of paramount importance. The figures were released following a BBC Radio 5 live Investigates Freedom of Information request to the DBS after hundreds of victims came forward last year to allege historical abuse in football.
Figures obtained by 5 live Investigates show that the number of ambulance call-outs to prisons in England has increased by nearly 40 per cent in the last three years - with an ambulance being called on average every 45 minutes. 2016 saw the worst disorder in British prisons for two decades. Critics blame overcrowding and staff cuts for an increase in violence between inmates, drug overdoses and suicide attempts. That's leading to more 999 calls - and increased demand for ambulances to ferry sick and injured offenders - and prison officers - to hospital. Justice Secretary Liz Truss has promised to spend £1.4 billion on new prisons and says she'll provide an extra 2,000 prison officers.
Hundreds of NHS patients and staff have been referred to the government's controversial counter-terrorism scheme Prevent.
Since July last year public sector employees like social workers, teachers and NHS staff - have been required to identify those individuals deemed at risk of being drawn into terrorism. 5 live Investigates can reveal for the first time that 420 NHS staff and patients have been referred to Prevent since the new rules came in. That's up from just 64 referrals the year before. Critics say the Prevent strategy has made public sector workers over-zealous and innocent people are being caught up in a climate of suspicion. Not only that, but there may be people with genuine mental health problems who are being deterred from seeking help because they're worried they'll be reported.
Simon Rickards says he will die if he doesn't get treatment for anorexia. He's been on an urgent referral list for an in-patient bed for nearly ten weeks. He says specialist hospital care could save his life. He contacted 5 live Investigates when the programme told the story of 19-year-old Fiona Hollings who is having to be treated for an eating disorder in Glasgow - 400 miles from her family home. She's one of many who've been left isolated from friends and family because of an acute shortage of beds. Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder - and after exposing the huge problems women face getting the help they need to combat eating disorders, the programme reveals that men have an even tougher battle.
Fire brigade response times in many parts of England and Wales are getting slower according to data obtained by 5 live Investigates through a Freedom of Information request. Critics say that a reduction in the number of firefighters, appliances and fire stations are now putting lives at risk. Deborah Gibbons says her father Bernard Lewis, 82, may have still been alive a second appliance had reached their burning cottage on the the Wirral on Merseyside sooner.
A dangerous paedophile was allowed to re-offend because of a backlog in police investigating digital evidence. 38-year old Andrew Williams, a research assistant at Sheffield University, targeted a 13 year old girl and groomed her online. He never met her - but the girl's mother reported her fears to Greater Manchester Police. But it took them 10 months to investigate the teenager's laptop and mobile phone - and when they finally did, they said they couldn't get the phone to work and dropped the case for lack of evidence. It was only when 5 live Investigates got involved that the investigation was re-opened. However, the delays meant he was free to befriend another under-age girl on the internet who he went on to groom and abuse.
Fiona Hollings is 19 years old. She suffers from anorexia and needs treatment in a specialist unit. But because no beds were available near her home in Buckinghamshire, her family have to travel to Glasgow to see her in a private clinic. In the last four months parents Stephen and Julia Hollings have travelled more than 8,000 miles and spent more than £3,000 on hire cars, air fares and accommodation.
Doctors have told 5 live Investigates that the need for places to treat illnesses like anorexia and bulimia is massively outstripping supply. And the programme has also discovered that the number of deaths from eating disorders in England and Wales has risen by 65 per cent since 2014.
Families tell 5 live Investigates about the daily difficulties they face living in homes which aren't suitable for their needs. More than 300,000 people with disabilities aren't able to live their lives to full, hampered by stairways, inaccessible bathrooms, and in one case the simple lack of a ramp which means one elderly woman hasn't been able to leave her house for two years.
And why has almost £60 million been paid out in compensation by UK police forces in the last two years?
Umpires in amateur cricket are giving up the game because of an increase in verbal and physical abuse from players and outbreaks of violence on the pitch. 5 live Investigates reveals that half of all umpires who took part in a survey say they have been verbally abused and 40 per cent are thinking of giving up the game altogether. One umpire says he's been spat at and is verbally abused in every game. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Marleybone Cricket Club (MCC) - the guardians of the sport - say this kind of behaviour threatens the very future of the game.
5 live Investigates reveals startling new figures on the number of strip searches carried out by police. The Metropolitan Police alone carried out more than 76 thousand strip searches in the last three years - that's one every 20 minutes. Among them were 4,000 children.The programme has uncovered cases across England and Wales where searches appear unjustified, rules for children haven't been followed and even apparently racially motivated searches. The Home Office is now looking at whether extra safeguards are needed because it says many police forces don't have sufficient records to show if they're being carried out fairly or adequately supervised. Yvette Cooper MP, chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, says the figures are worrying and police need to demonstrate whether so many searches are justified. Only 13 of the 45 forces in the UK we contacted could tell us how many strip searches they'd carried out.
The British Medical Association has told 5 live Investigates it wants urgent action to tackle prescription drug addiction. It's calling for a 24 hour helpline, specialist treatment services across the UK and more information for doctors about withdrawal. The drugs include Benzodiazepines which are generally prescribed for severe anxiety and insomnia. 10 million prescriptions for them were issued in England alone last year and there are estimates that more than a quarter of million people are using the drugs long term - even though in most cases they should only be prescribed for up to four weeks. 5 live Investigates has spoken to people who have been using the drugs for decades.
5 live Investigates reveals an unlicensed and unproven medicine is being illegally sold as a possible cure for cancer. A year-long investigation finds that desperate patients - some of them terminally ill - are being offered a blood product called GcMAF costing hundreds of pounds. It's being sold on the high street in Bournemouth. However, Professor Peter Johnson of Cancer Research UK said: "I have great concerns about people offering completely unproven treatments in return for money. It seems to me to be a very dubious practice.' The MHRA, the government's medicines regulator, says it is now investigating.
Debts run up by 113 academy trusts in England amount to almost £25m according to figures obtained by 5 live Investigates. Labour MP Meg Hillier, chair of the Commons Public Accounts Committee says the numbers raise "serious concerns about the accountability" of the system. More than half of England's secondary schools are run by self-governing academy trusts. The government says financial oversight of academies is "more robust than in council-run schools".
5 live Investigates reveals that some online pharmacies are selling antibiotics against guidelines laid down by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. It comes at a time when doctors are being encouraged to cut the number of antibiotics they prescribe because of real concerns we're breeding antibiotic resistance. The GMC has launched an investigation based on the programme's findings and Lord Jim O'Neill who carried out an investigation into Antimicrobrial Resistance, has described the revelations as 'disturbing.'.
5 live Investigates reports on claims that thousands of women and girls with mental health problems are being routinely failed by the NHS - sometimes with tragic consequences. Marjorie Wallace - chief executive of the mental health charity Sane - has called the situation 'the UK's hidden national emergency.' The charity Agenda - an alliance of more than 60 organisations representing women and girls at risk - submitted a Freedom of Information request to 57 NHS mental health trusts in England. But of the 35 trusts which responded, only one had a specific women's mental health strategy. Not only that, but more than half had no policy of routinely asking patients if they'd been abused - and that goes against best practice guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. The Department of Health said: "It is vital that all mental health care, particularly when abuse is involved, takes account of gender. Clinical guidelines are clear on this and the NHS has recently published its strategy for mental health - equality is central to this and we expect this to lead to rapid improvement across all care.".
The plane passengers putting lives in danger and costing airlines hundreds of thousands of pounds with their unruly behaviour. 5 live Investigates has been given exclusive figures which show more than a four-fold increase in the number of incidents being reported to the UK authorities over the last three years with drink and drug-fuelled disorder now being reported on a daily basis. In 2013 the Civil Aviation Authority received just 85 reports of passengers behaving badly - last year there were 386 incidents.
Critics have attacked the Government's hate crime action plan following Brexit. Former Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer says it isn't fit for purpose. Meanhwhile 5 live Investigates reveals the wave of racially and religiously motivated attacks have returned to more 'predictable' levels for the first time since the Brexit vote. True Vision, the joint police and Home Office hate-crime reporting portal, recorded levels of hate crime over the past three weeks similar to the figures seen at the end of last summer. However, concerns still remain that prosecutions of hate crime are failing to keep pace with steep rises in reports of hate crime over the past two years. And three Asian women from three cities in England and Wales reveal what it's like to live in post Brexit Britain.
The cage fighters jeopardising their health by rapidly losing weight in the run up to a fight. They risk kidney damage - and an increased chance of brain injury. Also - the military families paying more for living in married quarters at a time when repairs and maintenance are not being carried out properly.
Food hygiene inspections in the UK have fallen by 15% since 2003, research shows - with experts warning of risks to public health. Freedom of information requests to the Food Standards Agency, show almost 47,000 fewer inspections were carried out in 2014 than in 2003. Some premises went ten years without a visit.
An investigation by BBC 5 Live has revealed that 239 unaccompanied, asylum-seeking children went missing from care in England and Wales in 2015, leading to speculation that some were under the control of organised trafficking gangs. Many of the kids disappeared after being smuggled into the UK. Experts say the trafficking gangs have a detailed knowledge of how the care system works and they instruct their victims what to do if they are discovered and placed with foster parents or in a reception centre. It is believed that some of the young people will end up being trafficked to cannabis farms, the sex industry or sweatshops.
With demand for emergency care on the rise, can the ambulance service cope? A rise in serious untoward incidents, some of which affect patient safety suggests the service is under strain. And new figures show the proportion of ambulance staff taking stress leave continues to rise. How are ambulance trusts responding to the growing pressure? And, some home owners who bought council flats under the right to buy scheme say they are facing unexpected maintenance bills running into thousands of pounds.
Councils have spent nearly £1/4 billion over the past 5 years on settlement agreements with staff leaving their jobs. Many of the legally-binding agreements contain gagging clauses, preventing former employees from speaking out about poor performance or bad management. Also - the allegations that women at an anti-fracking protest were grabbed and groped inappropriately by police - a claim denied by the force concerned. But the demonstrators say it was technique that was designed to intimidate them.
Two teachers a day are calling a government hotline about fears that children might be turning to extremism - but what happens when those concerns aren't justified? New laws introduced last summer placed a duty on teachers to take safeguarding action if they believe a pupil is in danger of becoming radicalised. But are some over-reacting and putting community relations at risk?
As care home owners are squeezed by falling fees, rising wages and tougher regulations some are deciding to call it a day. What will that mean for families seeking to find a place for their elderly relative.
And - we examine the increase in the number of fraudulent companies cold-calling timeshare owners. Are people who are keen to find a way out of their long-term timeshare agreements becoming more vulnerable to scammers?
New figures relating to 'abuse of powers for sexual gain', suggest some police officers target vulnerable victims of crime in order to sexually exploit them.
In some cases the victims were women who had turned to the police for help with domestic abuse, or even rape. Are police forces doing enough to spot and stop repeated sexual misconduct by rogue officers?
And - the driving instructors offering lessons without being properly authorised. One customer paid out hundreds of pounds to an unqualified instructor. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency reveal new figures about the extent of the problem.
New figures reveal levels of disorder in Young Offenders Institutions. The programme hears from the brother of a young offender about conditions inside and also from the Prison Officers Association which is concerned about growing levels of violence.
And the UK internet traders who claim that they are being put out of business by foreign rivals who can evade paying VAT. Is the taxman doing enough?
Some ticket resale companies allow customers to get tickets they wouldn't have otherwise been able to obtain, at a fair price. But others charge inflated prices for poor seats, and in some cases tickets fail to arrive on time - or at all.
So how is the ticket resale market policed? Critics say new legislation brought in last year isn't working and is openly flouted by some companies. The programme reveals a loophole meaning some foreign firms are illegally selling football season tickets. With fans booking travel, hotels and family celebrations around these events, what's the redress when things go wrong? Fans ask for answers, and ticket resellers and those who police the sector respond.
Chancellor George Osborne promised £150million for a scheme across the Northern Powerhouse cities but progress has been slow and commuters are still waiting for a joined up system
The programme also reveals a previously unknown legacy of World War II. In order to prevent enemy invasion Churchill decided to lay hundreds of pipe mines at 33 airfields within 15 miles of the East coast in case of mass landings by the Luftwaffe. They were never properly cleared and most of the former airfields were subsequently sold off and built on. Bomb disposal experts involved in this 1980s operation are concerned about the risks posed by the un-cleared mines.
5 live Investigates takes a look behind bars via a series of leaked prison incident reports from a five day period in January this year. With over a hundred incidents, prison officers and staff question whether safety can be assured. And the number of central call outs to control instability; so called 'Gold Command Incidents' have also been steadily rising over the last 3 years. Ex prisoners and their families say levels of violence are unprecedented.
The programme also reveals, for the first time, the full extent of long waits in accident and emergency departments in England. New figures obtained from the Health and Social Care Information Centre, reveal how many patients spent more than 12 hours in casualty in the last three years. The devolved nations of the UK already regularly publish this information, but the NHS in England does not. What do the figures show about the state of our emergency departments?
Delayed transfers of care from hospital wards means beds aren't available for patients waiting in accident and emergency. The programme hears from an NHS trust in England about the extent of the problem. The proportion of patients spending more than 12 hours in A&E is also on the rise in Wales, the programme hears about the problems there.
And delays in criminal record checks mean some workers are left unable to work pending their application being processed. Some employers say its also affecting business.
The number of patients facing delays of more than 12 hours in A&E is on the rise. The current NHS target is for 95% of patients to be discharged, transferred or admitted into hospital for treatment within 4 hours. But new figures, obtained under Freedom of Information powers, reveal that many patients in England are waiting for longer, in some cases, more than 12 hours. The programme hears how for some patients, the delay can be disastrous.
And, new research shows the extent to which women and girls in England face violence and abuse. Many of these women have a mental disorder, but are unable to obtain support or counselling. As society comes to terms with the aftermath of notorious abuse scandals, is there enough help for the victims who need it? And what happens to those who don't get it?
1000 baby deaths a year could be avoided if UK maternity care matched the best in Europe. Statistics for 2013 show that 5,700 babies died either before, during or shortly after birth. The UK has a mortality rate for babies that lags behind that achieved in Sweden and Norway. 5Live Investigates asks - why is the UK doing so badly in comparison? The programme finds some babies have died because of a failure to adequately monitor mum and baby during the final stages of pregnancy and during labour. Figures from the hospital regulator, the CQC, reveal that of the 95 maternity units they inspected in England last year - 38 were below the required standard.
The programme investigates deaths linked to benzodiazepines, addictive drugs used to treat stress and anxiety. While they are available via prescription, they should only be given for short periods of time, but patients who have been on them for years claim its difficult to get off them and there's little NHS support.
There is growing concern about their availability online, one family tells how their son tragically died after ordering pills on the internet.
And, the professional fundraisers who claim to be raising money for charity but keep the majority of the proceeds themselves. How can you tell where your money is really going?
Hauliers complain of rising violence in Calais as desperate migrants try and stowaway on lorries heading for the UK. We've been to the French port to see problems on the ground. Also - the trade in counterfeit goods in the run up to Christmas. But what are the risks to the public - we test one device which exploded in the laboratory.
Football referees blow the whistle on the levels of abuse they face on the pitch. A new survey reveals widespread verbal aggression and the levels of physical assault against referees. Is the FA's Respect Campaign doing enough to tackle unacceptable behaviour? As the roll call of commercial companies affected by computer hacking grows, the programme investigates the industry which is prepared to hack companies on your behalf, or even train you how to do it yourself- for a fee. Why are they able to openly offer their services? Is enough being done to stop this growing threat to businesses and consumers alike?
New figures reveal the scale of problems with the quality of care at A&E departments. 5 live Investigates reveals that there were over a quarter of a million patient safety incidents in A&E and other casualty departments over the last three financial years. The majority of these incidents did not involve harm to patients but over the last three years, there have been thousands of patient safety incidents linked to patient deaths or serious harm. 5 live Investigates has also discovered that more than half the A&E departments in England and Wales have been rated as either "inadequate" or "requires improvement" by the health watchdog, the Care Quality Commission.
Indeterminate sentences were abolished three years ago but thousands of prisoners remain locked up, unsure when - or if - they will ever be released. Although designed to protect the public from serious violent or sexual offenders, 5 Live Investigates finds they were also applied to some much lower risk prisoners, who have served up to five times their original tariff. Some wonder whether they will ever be released.
And the geographical gaps which mean some new mothers with psychiatric problems are having to travel hundreds of miles to access the specialist healthcare they need. The Government has promised a cash injection of £15 million a year over the next five years - but is it enough?
The programme hears concerns from residents on different housing estates where the developer has not finished the work on local facilities they were meant to. How much help can they expect from the local authority? And following the abuse scandal in Rotherham a former residential care worker tells the programme that there are continuing failures at senior management level to deal with sexual exploitation for children in care.
5 Live Investigates reveals the growing crisis in police high tech crime units responsible for the forensic analysis of mobile phones and computers in cases of child sexual abuse.
Some forces are failing to even allocate new cases for more than six months, others have delays of more than a year. Concerns are growing that children continue to be abused during the delay.
And, chaos in the business rates system has allowed unscrupulous agents to charge companies for bogus advice about how to reduce their bills - at an estimated cost of hundreds of millions of pounds.
Every year hundreds of thousands of NHS patients take up the option of having their treatment carried out at a private hospital. This may seem to be the best of both worlds, but what happens if things go wrong?
Some private providers don't have the same emergency back-up that is available at NHS hospitals. When complications arise following an operation without the necessary expertise and facilities to deal with them, the consequences can be tragic.
And when patients want to know the track record of a private hospital, is the information available to help them make an informed choice?
And, 5 Live Investigates hears about the risks of handing over the management of your financial affairs to a member of your family. As applications for powers of attorney shoot up there is growing concern they can be used to steal from vulnerable relatives.
Is the system put in place to manage dangerous offenders when they're released from prison keeping people safe? 5 live Investigates asks why more murderers and rapists are committing further offences when freed from jail.
Also, the homeowners living without streetlights and proper pavements because their housebuilder has left the work unfinished. Could more be done to protect them when developments go wrong?
With some families fighting for access to their children unable to get legal aid, or afford a lawyer, an increasing number have to represent themselves in court. They reveal what its like to navigate the court system without assistance.
Despite the cuts, legal aid remains in place for victims of domestic abuse, so why are one in four applications for funding in these cases being turned down?
And legal advisers known as 'McKenzie Friends' are increasingly appearing in family court cases. Unlike solicitors they aren't regulated, meaning clients have no redress when things go wrong.
And, 5 Live Investigates hears about bookies turning down bets from a certain type of punter - the one who looks like they might win. Are they playing fair?
In London, the Metropolitan Police's dedicated faith based abuse team, Project Violent has seen a significant increase in reports of crimes related to abuse. But other areas don't have such specialist expertise and half of police forces are failing to record cases.
Campaigners say children remain at risk in the absence of a coordinated national response to the problem.
Also is there crisis in NHS transgender services? Some patients are waiting months, sometimes years for an appointment to access these specialist services.
Three quarters of clinics are breaching the referral to treatment time of 18 weeks. Some patients will have to wait over three years to be seen.
More than half of the athletes currently banned by anti-doping authorities in the UK are rugby players. There are 15 from rugby union and 13 from rugby league - the majority from the lower leagues of the game's two codes. 5Live investigates how serious doping is in the sport and speaks exclusively to one player currently serving a four year ban for taking steroids. He says the problem is widespread, but claims it is often more about body image than improving performance. We look at the sport's drug testing regime and ask whether it is comprehensive enough to catch the cheats.
The programme has also been given access to a new report which reveals the rising cost of funerals and how some people are suffering real hardship as a result. The average funeral now costs £3,700 - a rise of nearly four per cent on the previous year. While overall funeral debt has gone down, the report reveals one in ten people struggle to pay and owe on average more than £1,300. 5Live also looks at some of the hidden costs, and why if you want to be buried outside your local authority area it could cost you a small fortune.
A medicine made from human blood, which claims to treat cancer and autism, is still being sold despite warnings from the health regulator.
The product GcMAF manufactured by Guernsey based Immuno Biotech Ltd, could pose “a significant risk” to health, The Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) says.
However, 5 live investigates found that Immuno Biotech Ltd, trading as First Immune, was willing to sell GcMAF to an undercover reporter posing as a parent of a child with autism.
The company says their product is safe.
But why is it still on sale?
Most police pursuits end safely with the suspect arrested. But sometimes they end tragically, leaving people dead or seriously injured. The victim isn't always the driver or a passenger in the car being chased. In 2014-15, the Independent Police Complaints Commission say there were 55 pursuit related incidents where people were seriously injured. A third of those involved innocent bystanders. Presenter Adrian Goldberg speaks to one man seriously injured by a fleeing motorist. The programme also looks at concerns about inconsistent pursuit policies between different forces and examines why some forces appear reluctant to pursue criminals on motorbikes.
The programme also looks at the beauty therapists flouting the law by providing illegal teeth whitening. Under the Dentists Act, only registered dentists and dental professionals such as hygienists can provide the service. But 5 Live Investigates has discovered dozens of beauty salons illegally offering the treatment. Presenter Adrian Goldberg goes undercover to expose one beautician who has been offering teeth whitening despite being prosecuted and fined.
Five Live Investigates reveals the thousands of sexual crimes occurring in schools in the UK. Many are carried out by fellow pupils in so called 'peer on peer abuse' incidents. But are schools dealing with the issue as well as parents would wish? Concerns over criminalising young people mean some schools are reluctant to take action. How are schools, local authorities and young people themselves dealing with the problem?
Cosmetic therapist Marie McGinty claims to be a registered nurse with additional training to prescribe drugs. But there's no record of her on the nurses' register. One of her clients says she suffered unsightly blemishes after she had dermal filler injected into her face. Also, are the insurance industry and DVLA doing enough to prevent cars that have been written off after a crash being returned to the road? These include cars that have experienced severe damage.
Leaseholders 'overcharged' by as much as £1 billion a year by landlords and property agents, says an industry whistleblower. They are charged for day-to-day maintenance to communal areas of blocks of flats - and for the cost of major repairs. Also, the high street pharmacists making errors that puts patient safety at risk. It's estimated that a quarter of a million dispensing mistakes are made each year.
Adrian Goldberg presents cutting edge investigative journalism, as well as taking on listeners' campaigns and consumer issues.
Tough encryption software used on mobile phones and in apps is creating no-go areas for the police and intelligence agencies trying to monitor terrorist traffic on the web. Europe's top cop says it is one of the biggest challenges facing law enforcement bodies investigating terror plots. He says the drive by the tech companies to use stronger encryption has accelerated since IT contractor Edward Snowden revealed that the intelligence agencies in the US and UK were 'bulk monitoring' the emails of innocent people. Also, is enough being done to help elite athletes make the transition from the international spotlight to ordinary life when their careers end?
Adrian Goldberg presents cutting edge investigative journalism, as well as taking on listeners' campaigns and consumer issues.
Adrian Goldberg presents cutting edge investigative journalism, as well as taking on listeners' campaigns and consumer issues.
An injured soldier awarded the George Medal for gallantry says the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme failed to recognise the severity of his disability. His case raises has fresh concerns over the scheme which has paid out £473 million over the last 10 years. Also - according to OFSTED, one in 2 sponsored academy schools is not providing a good education. But academies were meant to lever up standards - so why are they taking so long to turnaround some failing schools? We look at the effectiveness of some of the organisations running academy schools.
Websites offering online treatment STDs patients at risk. 5LI found a number of UK websites offering oral antibiotics & people with learning disabilities who are forced to marry.
There were nearly 15,000 safeguarding alerts in England last year over alleged abuse in elderly care homes. Families say the system to protect vulnerable adults sometimes doesn't work. Also, one in 3 HGVs stopped in roadside safety checks has mechanical defects so serious the vehicle is taken off the road. A number of trucks are also found to be overweight.
Thousands of homeowners 'mis-sold' cavity wall insulation, say campaigners. The insulation was fitted as part of a drive to boost energy efficiency in Britain's homes. Also - the poor safety record in some waste and recycling plants. One worker describes how his arm was severed after he became caught in a machine where the protective guard had been removed.
The elderly care homes failing to meet national standards. One in five care homes for older people in England fails to meet CQC tests.
Parents owed child maintenance payments via the CSA are owed almost £4 billion, but questions are being asked about how much of it will ever be paid.
And, concern over the websites that encourage suicide. Is there a link between the internet and self-harm?
Patients group Healthwatch estimates 1 in 8 mental health patients in England are sent home from hospital too soon or without adequate support. Also - have some of the telecoms companies been hacked? We investigate after customers of O2 received phishing emails asking for their bank details. And the latest in our investigation into the latest fad to hit the beauty and wellness industry - the vitamin intravenous drip!
8 out of 10 ambulance trusts in England are failing to hit performance targets for responding to the most serious medical emergencies. With NHS emergency services in crisis, the programme goes inside one ambulance trust as they cope with a sharp rise in calls. The programme sees how they manage life and death decisions and the impacts of queues outside A+E units which can take an emergency vehicle off the road for hours.
Latest figures show passenger complaints about rail travel are on the rise. Maintenance of tracks and key infrastructure is behind schedule leading to delays and cancellations. The programme assesses performance of the network and speaks to people affected when it goes wrong.
Also, an investigation into clinics offering vitamin infusions. Can a shot of vitamins really boost your immune system and improve your health? Many in the medical profession are critical of this latest fad. An undercover investigation reveals health claims being made against guidelines from regulators.
With 31 pubs closing each week, how successful is the government scheme designed to protect them from developers? For the past two years, campaigners have been able to designate a pub as an Asset of Community Value, requiring owners to consider offers from local residents if they put the business up for sale.
Also, the delay in banning lethal 'legal highs'. David Cameron said almost a year ago that the Home Office had powers to ban deadly drugs in days. But one substance - AMT - can still be bought legally.
5 live investigates reveals one in seven people arrested in England and Wales last year came from overseas and many police forces often fail to carry out basic background check to see if they have committed offences abroad. And are women being given enough advice about the dangers of drinking while pregnant? We hear from one mother who drank heavily and gave birth to a child with learning and developmental problems
Royal Mail says its traditional job of delivering letters and parcels six days a week to every address in the UK for the same price is under threat. We hear from frontline postmen who fear for their jobs and claim rival postal businesses have an unfair advantage. But business analysts say the Royal Mail needs to be more efficient. And why are cancer patients being denied a radiotherapy treatment which leading doctors say is cheaper and more effective?
A patient describes how he got cancer from a kidney donated from a woman with lymphoma. 1 in 4 transplant organs now comes from a "higher risk" donor - people who were over 70, had a tumour or a history of drug abuse. One doctor says transplant units feel under pressure to use organs that are less than ideal. Also, is enough being done to lever up GCSE standards in poor-performing independent Muslim schools?
More than half of all domestic abuse cases investigated by the police result in no action being taken against the offender according to figures obtained by 5 live Investigates. Thirty-three of the forty-three police forces in England and Wales responded to a Freedom of Information request which reveal that 118,000 of the 223,000 domestic abuse cases investigated by those forces went 'undetected.' The programme also has an exclusive report from a pilot scheme in Hampshire where abusers undergo rehabilitation.
As a charity warns children in Britain are facing a silent epidemic of hunger, we reveal youngsters have been treated hundreds of times for malnutrition in hospital. Also, forty years on, solicitors acting for relatives of victims of the Birmingham pub bombings seek an inquest into their deaths in the hope of finding new leads to catch the killers.
The large supermarkets are accused of blighting some town centres by failing to deliver on plans to build new retail facilities. Also, the military fund raisers who're keeping the lion's share of the money they raise. And the probation officers using lie detectors to keep the public safe from sex offenders - but can the technology be trusted?
The government wants to put more offenders on probation. But front-line staff say the re-organisation is causing chaos putting staff and the public at risk.
GPs are being 'prevented' from sending patients directly for early diagnostic tests that would show brain cancer. Some of the CCGs - clinical commissioning groups - in England say only consultants can refer someone for a scan but that can mean a 3 month delay in reaching a diagnosis. The decision to restrict the role of GPs in sending patients for an early brain scan runs counter to a Department of Health push to improve cancer care. The DoH says GPs should be able to send patients directly for a brain scan.
A confidential liquidator's report accuses Scottish Power of reneging on a promise to pay cashback to 600,000 customers who had bought extended warranties. Under the warranty, they could get their money back if they did not make a claim over a five year period. But the companies running the warranty scheme went bust, accusing Scottish Power of failing to honour an undertaking to indemnify cashback pay-outs. Scottish Power denies any improper improper conduct.
Also, the rules that are meant to stop dodgy directors taking over football clubs - are they effective?
Sexting is on the increase among teenagers - and is spreading to primary schools. But are teachers alerting pupils to the dangers of sending intimate selfies to classmates? Also - the woman awarded more than half a million pounds after she was not told of the risks of laser eye surgery to improve her sight. And the call for rail companies to give cash refunds to delayed passengers - not travel vouchers.
The former Director of Public Prosecutions Lord Ken Macdonald says we're still failing victims of disability hate crime - 18 months after a damning review of the criminal justice system recommended an overhaul of how we handle cases. He says that our approach to crimes against the disabled in 2014 is in the same place that race hate crime was before the murder of Stephen Lawrence 21 years ago. He adds the Crown Prosecution Service is still failing to keep accurate records of the crimes and prosecutors aren't pushing hard enough for sentence 'uplifts' in cases where disability is a motivating factor. The CPS says it is about to address the recommendations in the Joint Criminal Justice Review which was published in March 2013.
5live Investigates has exclusive figures which reveal nine out of ten councils no longer provide social care to people whose needs are assessed as 'low' or 'moderate.' This affects people who struggle to wash themselves, dress themselves or perfom basic domestic duties. 500,000 people who would have qualified for social care five years ago can no longer access help from their local authority. The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services which has collated the figures, says the current social care system is 'unsustainable.' The Government says it is investing £3.8 billion pounds in the Better Care Fund which will help more people.
A former soldier wins Legal Aid in his fight to identify what caused his Gulf War illness. He's hoping to go to court to force the Ministry of Defence to reveal what it knew of the risks the vaccines given to soldiers being deployed to the first Gulf War might have posed. And Government figures reveal a sharp rise in the number of prison staff assaulted over the past year. What's causing the increase in attacks?
British laws need to be strengthened to prevent parental child abductions, say campaigners. A loophole means an estranged partner can take a child permanently overseas without getting the permission of the other parent. And... the small businesses identifying poor internet connections as a barrier to growth.
One in five disabled passengers don't get the help they need to get off trains according to a survey by the transport watchdog Passenger Focus. 5live Investigates hears stories from rail customers abandoned on empty trains and whisked away to places they don't want to go to when the Passenger Assist scheme fails. The Association of Train Operating Companies which oversees the scheme says the vast majority of bookings are met but there is room for improvement. The programme also hears concerns that targets to equip all passengers trains with facilities for the disabled by 2020 might not be met. Transport Minister Baroness Susan Kramer says the government is dealing with the fact that 'for decades the needs of people with disabilities simply wasn't recognised.'.
5live Investigates joins the fraud squad in one of their biggest crackdowns on car insurance fraud - a crime which drives up all our motor premiums. Plus the son of a man killed in the Clutha Vaults helicopter disaster in Glasgow tells the programme he wants black box flight recorders fitted in all emergency helicopters.
Some charities could face sanctions if they use 'aggressive' telephone fundraising techniques says life peer Lord Hodgson. It follows a report suggesting more people feel harassed on the telephone and on the doorstep. MP Charlie Elphicke says some charities risk alienating their supporters and a former call centre worker reveals he quit his job when his conscience got the better of him.
And 5live Investigates reveals how some local authorities are removing their clients from care homes because of neglect but are then failing to pass on this vital information to other residents.
An MP calls for tougher regulations around laser and lens replacement eye surgery and patients tell 5live Investigates about their experiences at the hands of high street providers. Steve Schallhorn, the global medical director for the market leaders Optical Express, tells the programme the company has millions of happy customers.
Adrian Goldberg also asks whether local councils and the government should be doing more to protect tenants from rogue landlords and tours a house investigated by the homeless and housing charity Shelter in Wolverhampton.
It's thought as many as three quarters of a million children witness domestic violence in the UK each year. New research reveals the devastating impact it can have on their physical and mental well being. More than half suffer physical abuse, emotional abuse or neglect. A quarter of the kids who see abuse show abusive behaviour themselves towards others - as if copying the behaviour they've grown up with.
But Five Live Investigates reveals specialist services in England which provide support and practical advice are being lost because of funding cuts. More than 30 have closed in the last three years
Plus, the programme hears how a change in the law means thousands of homeowners can no longer afford to take action against companies they say are blighting their lives through unwanted noise and odours.
Mental health services need to get the same investment, planning and attention that is given to physical health says NHS England. The admission comes after a 5live investigation reveals thousands of mental health beds have been lost and psychiatrists have not been paid for carrying out assessments.
Young men are increasingly using dangerous steroids to help them get the 'ripped' look. A 5live investigation reveals thousands are injecting steroids - and putting their health at risk. Some are as young as 15. Steroids can affect the heart, liver, kidneys, and lead to prostate cancer.
A quarter of a million cars written off each year return to the roads. There are no checks on the quality of the repairs and one Police and Crime Commissioner says they pose a risk to road users. 5 Live Investigates has identified a number of fatal accidents involving vehicles that had been previously written off but had been repaired and returned to the road. Also - is the solicitors' regulator doing enough to weed out bogus law firms?
Fans need a greater voice in football club boardrooms. MPs are calling for a change in the law to make it easier for supporters to buy a stake in their club. Also, the police in Greater Manchester are investigating concerns that young girls are being groomed for sexual exploitation in private clubs and shisha bars.
Sex offenders leaving prison without getting treatment, increasing the risks they will go on and re-offend. Also, one in three workers who win damages at an employment tribunal never receive a penny. Lawyers say it's undermining the tribunal system.
Councils accused of continuing to fine motorists even when independent adjudicators say the warning signs are confusing. Also, the breast cancer scandal in the West Midlands. Lawyers raise questions about whether everyone who was treated by surgeon Ian Paterson has been called in to have their case reviewed. Mr Paterson was carrying out an unauthorised procedure that increased the risk that the cancer would recur.
Adrian Goldberg speaks to the families of vulnerable older people persuaded to invest tens of thousands of pounds in diamonds they never get to see and which can be marked up by up to seventeen times what they're actually worth. A former diamond 'broker' tells the programme about the tricks and high pressure tactics his company would use to get the people they cold-called to part with their cash.
Plus, the adoptive parents who claim local authorities kept them in the dark about key information they needed to know about the children being placed with them.
Gene therapy is a pioneering branch of medicine that aims to treat disease using genes. But the treatment also has the potential to be exploited by athletes and their coaches seeking an unfair advantage. Adrian Goldberg hears from the medical experts bugged by requests to share their secrets with professional sportsmen and women and asks if the authorities know enough to spot abuse. Plus, the leaseholders facing huge bills for repairs from their local authority landlords.
Adrian Goldberg speaks to a young male prostitute working in London's Soho and hears from his family about their views on the trade. The internet has modernised the old 'rent boy' scene where young men would solicit on the streets but escorts still face risks such as sexually transmitted diseases and violent clients. Plus, the websites claiming to sell World Cup tickets before they've even been printed. We'll ask if FIFA is doing enough to clamp down on abuses.
Councils in England accused of sitting on grants that could be used to ease the plight of families in dire financial need. Also - the rise in dog thefts. MPs say more needs to be done to tackle the problem. And vishing fraud - should banks be clamping down on so-called 'mule accounts' used by criminals to launder the proceeds of fraud?
One taxi driver every two weeks is killed or seriously injured in an attack while at work. Figures released to 5 Live Investigates show that 161 cabbies were the victims of wounding with intent, attempted murder and murder over the last five years. One MP says it's time for CCTV to be installed in all cabs to protect drivers and staff.
Also, the steep rise in fraudsters conning people out of their bank security details in a scam known as vishing. One woman describes how she was defrauded of her life savings.
Adrian Goldberg discovers people who suffer from dementia are still being prescribed anti-depressants - despite warnings they can do more harm than good. One doctor claims the drugs can lead to falls. Also, concerns that the Crown Prosecution Service is undercharging cases to save money after being hit with 27 per cent budget cuts.
The FA is taking action to improve the behaviour of a minority of parents and club officials who're aggressive and abusive at youth football matches. Some young refs are being intimidated and bullied. One match official says he was assaulted at an under-11s game over the weekend. The FA has recorded more than 3,500 incidents of misconduct involving adults at youth matches over the last 15 months.
Far right extremists are using the internet to target Muslims with hate-filled messages. Campaigners claim the police aren't doing enough to curb it - and that violent language on the web is spilling over into violence on the streets. Supt. Paul Giannasi from the Association of Chief Police Officers says the police take the matter seriously and are doing what they can.
Thousands of care workers are still being paid less than the minimum wage - despite Government promises to outlaw companies who break the law. Care Minister Norman Lamb tells Adrian Goldberg that he's well aware there is a problem across the industry and it isn't fair. He says companies that pay their staff less than the minimum wage will be named and shamed.
Concerns over the safety of home circumcision. With the NHS saying it will only fund the procedure if it is needed for medical reasons, families wanting their baby boys circumcised are turning to private practitioners. But concerns are being raised about the quality of care being offered by some practitioners. We expose a doctor who was prepared to breach a GMC ban on him from carrying out home circumcisions. Also - the theft of arts and antiques in the UK. The scale of the criminal enterprise now outstrips the theft of cars. The police are setting up a new intelligence network to crack down on the international trade in stolen treasures.
Government fitness to work tests are failing to take account of the medical history of people suffering mental health problems, say campaigners. The result is that people are losing benefits. One father says his son killed himself after being told that he no longer qualified for employment and support allowance, which replaced incapacity benefit.
Also, acid attacks - the new weapon being used by gangs. Contrary to popular belief - it's men who are the victims of most acid attacks in the UK.
Police say they're dealing with an increasing number of people suffering from dementia. Families say the police are often called because the support services that are in place to care for people have broken down. Also, are the checks at Britain's ferry ports tough enough to stop rabies entering the country.
Has the UK dropped its guard when it comes to rabies? Since last year, dogs arriving from other parts of the EU are only required to have a single rabies jab - but for some animals that's not enough to protect them from the disease. The problem is also heightened by the arrival of smuggled dogs - many originating from Eastern Europe where rabies is endemic. Also, the Government pledge to take on the big firms delaying payment to their small contractors.
5 Live Investigates has found that the Prompt Payment Code, a scheme to ensure small companies get paid on time isn't working. With £30 billion owed to small suppliers, former trade minister Lord Digby Jones is among those who thinks the code a failure.
And the programme obtains shocking figures which reveal the stress front line ambulance crews are under.
Adrian Goldberg presents cutting edge investigative journalism, as well as taking on listeners' campaigns and consumer issues.
Is the Environment Agency tough enough when it comes to regulating waste re-cycling sites? Firefighters say they see repeat problems at some waste plants. Also, we investigate the personal loans broker accused of levying charges customers say they didn't agree to and didn't understand. And for almost a year, police issued speeding tickets when the Crown Prosecution Service was being told the system they were using was possibly unlawful.
One in ten firefighters failing recommended fitness tests, according to figures released by UK fire brigades. Also: the clampdown on rogue driving instructors passing themselves off as bona-fida professionals. Police and Driving Standards Agency investigators say illegal instructors undermine road safety.
The schizophrenia drug linked to six fatal adverse reactions a week. It changes lives but serious side effects can prove fatal if the patient is not properly monitored. Also, the business rates avoidance scheme costing town halls in England and Wales millions of pounds a year. Is the government doing enough to plug the loophole?
One in 10 A+E posts is vacant - does an over reliance on agency staff risk patient safety? The pressure group Patients First says it does. Also, staffing shortages are having an impact on other high-pressured medical environments - maternity and neo-natal units. The Royal College of Midwives says there is a shortage of 5,000 midwives. Also, baby care units struggle to maintain recommended minimum levels of staffing.
From September, 16 and 17 year olds will be required to be in some form of education or training, and this will be extended to 18 come 2015. Are there adequate preparations in place or will young people be warehoused in schools and colleges? We hear from a concerned MP, experts from the world of education and those who have to work on the front lines of the new policy.
Thousands of hours of emergency ambulance time each week is lost because crews have to queue to offload patients at A+E. It means they can't respond to new 999 calls. Also, the companies that have had their corporate identity stolen by fraudsters. And... the cancer patients being forced to pay for part of their treatment.
Delays in ambulance response times in the East of England are putting lives at risk, says a whistle blower paramedic. He's been despatched in a car in response to some 999 calls - but when he's called for back-up, it's taken a long time for a fully-crewed ambulance to arrive. He's attended two patients that have died and he suspects the delays were partly to blame.
5 Live Investigates finds out what clubs in Leagues one and two really think of reforms to the football academy system. As two clubs close their academies, could the new system be hurting lower teams at the expense of growing Premiership talent?
Plus as fraud costs the UK economy an estimated £73 billion a year, small businesses complain that police are failing to investigate the crime.
Why are hospital trusts failing to share information about doctors' poor performance with the General Medical Council and other NHS trusts, allowing some doctors to travel throughout the system without check?
Plus how a lack of regulation in the lettings market means some landlords and tenants are falling victim to unscrupulous agents.
Care and health workers are failing to follow proper procedure before curtailing the freedoms of patients suffering from brain injuries or dementia. Also - the training company accused of cashing in on the rush to update IT skills.
It's been described as the new metal theft... the thieves stealing used cooking oil to make bootleg bio-fuel. Up to one fifth of all used cooking oil is ending up with criminals. Plus - police estimate that almost half of the UK traffic on the dark web is generated by paedophiles communicating and posting child abuse images.
The anti-racist campaign group Kick It Out rejects criticism from football fans that it's been ineffective in tackling racism in the game. A survey of 2,500 fans by researchers at Loughborough University has found that four out of five of the fans believed the group had failed to eradicate racism from the game. But Lord Herman Ouseley says it is unfair to lay the blame with a small group comprised mainly of volunteers.
A lawyer says motorists caught breaking variable speed limits on some stretches of motorway may be able to get their conviction overturned. Prosecutors believed the signs did not comply with traffic regulations - and had the status of advisory rather than mandatory signs. Motoring solicitor Marcus Johnstone said drivers stood a 'favourable' chance of getting their cases reviewed in the Magistrates Court. The variable speed signs were introduced since 2006 - and have resulted in thousands of convictions.
The 101 year old marathon runner Fauja Singh is a hero in his native India and his adopted home of Britain. Nobody older has finished the race - yet Mr Singh is not in the Guinness Book of Records. 5 live Investigates finds out why some experts refuse to accept his claim to be the world's oldest marathon runner. Plus Adrian Goldberg hears about the woman whose attempts to claim "prizes" has cost her £500,000. And the team investigates the latest money making scheme of a "property guru" who went bust.
Customers of online dating sites owned by Cupid plc voice their suspicions about the flirty daters who mysteriously disappeared once they paid their subscriptions.
Presenter Adrian Goldberg talks to men who received flirty messages from attractive daters claiming to live near them after signing up for free membership of online dating sites owned by Cupid plc. But when the men took out subscriptions in order to reply to the messages, the women, who once appeared so keen to meet, mysteriously lost interest. Some customers suspect that the website itself was behind the messages. Cupid plc owns over 30 different dating websites including cupid.com, benaughty.com, flirt.com, cheekylovers.com and maturedatinguk. It recently bought Uniform Dating and the right to operate Friends Reunited Dating.
Plus, dog meat in Spanish dog food: the latest discovery in the contaminated meat story.
Foreign nationals are making a full-time living by illegitimately selling same-day visa appointments because of long-standing problems with the UK Border Agency's online booking system. People wanting to take advantage of the premium same-day service to extend or renew their existing visas are resorting to buying appointments from unofficial agents operating from abroad. The costs can escalate to four times the price of an original appointment when individuals book through a Uk-based immigration specialist.
Victims of metal investment schemes which promise the earth but cost a fortune. Plus GP surgeries which charge patients a premium rate to call them.
Why would welfare to work advisers tell the long-term unemployed to become self-employed? Adrian Goldberg hears from a range of jobless people who've been told to turn their hobbies into businesses and top-up their incomes with Working Tax Credit - even when they'll not earn a living. But, while Work Programme providers hit their targets, and the unemployment figures fall, is the taxpayer simply being ripped off?
Why would anyone make a false accusation of sexual abuse? We hear from someone who did just that and from another man who's life was ruined when he was wrongfully accused. In the wake of the Jimmy Savile allegations, police and politicians are now seeking to redress the balance back in favour of the victim. But Five Live Investigates asks whether there is any danger in assuming the accuser is always telling the truth?
Adrian Goldberg presents cutting edge investigative journalism, as well as taking on listeners' campaigns and consumer issues.
Legitimate traders say HMRC needs to do more to tackle organised alcohol fraud. One in 5 bottle and cans of beer sold in Britain has evaded excise duty. Also - the charities accused of failing to be up front with details of their virtual Christmas gifts. Do you know what your gift is really buying?
Are the policing using flimsy evidence to impose football banning orders? Also - the hospitals that may be in breach of the law by trying to introduce 'fair' parking charges for disabled motorists.
Fans say Premiership clubs that sign up to ticket resale sites are condoning 'legalised touting.' Viagogo has reached ticket resale agreements with more than half the Premiership clubs. Also - calls for tougher action to stop the trade in trafficked dogs into the UK. It's estimated 1,000 puppies are smuggled into the country each week from unlicensed puppy farms in Ireland - many are suffering from poor health.
Social Media being used by some teachers to form improper relationships with pupils. Also, the call for tougher regulation of body building supplements. Some supplements have been linked to health scares. There is not requirement for them to vetted by the authorities unless the manufacturer declares that they contain medicinal compounds or novel foodstuffs.
Adrian Goldberg presents cutting-edge investigative journalism, as well as taking on listeners' campaigns and consumer issues.
Fire and Rescue services in the UK are called out to assist severely obese people more than ten times a week. Each incident can cost up to several thousand pounds. Adrian Goldberg hears the stories behind the rescues and the calls by fire officers for special training and equipment to deal with the problem.
Thousands of public sector workers have unwittingly been part of a massive tax avoidance scheme to save their employer millions of pounds - but which has left the taxpayer out of pocket. Adrian Goldberg investigates the company behind the scheme and reveals that the government has ignored warnings about this hidden scandal.
Can you trust the claims of a care home? We hear about the care homes awarded a five star rating, but which are failing to meet even the minimum standards of the national regulator. Adrian Goldberg investigates the private companies behind the star ratings and asks why some local authorities are paying premiums to care home owners whose ratings don't match up with reality.
Take a look at your pay slip. If you work for a temp agency, beware of the tax deal hitting low-paid workers and the taxman. Recruitment agencies employing minimum wage workers are paying large sums of their wages in tax-free expenses and pocketing the lion's share of the savings. But experts tell Adrian Goldberg it's the workers who could risk being chased by the HMRC for unpaid tax.
Imagine if you had a job where you could earn nineteen thousand pounds in four minutes? A job where you could live a luxury life-style of fast cars, paradise beaches and private jets. In 5 Live Investigates this week Adrian Goldberg looks at a company which dangles this possibility. Sign up for a free seminar to learn the tricks of trading in the currency markets and you too could change your life. The programme talks people who've signed up for this and found themselves paying out thousands of pounds for further courses. One man spent over twenty two thousand pounds in pursuit of this dream. He says the company has not provided him with the skills needed to trade successfully. And we hear from insiders about the hard sell to enrol people on these courses.
5 Live Investigates the mystery bills which some drivers are getting through the post after an incident on the motorway. Take the case of Sheila. She was driving up the M1 when she skidded on an unexpected patch of water. Her car spun out of control and she ended up facing the wrong way on the hard shoulder of the motorway. She dialled 999 and within minutes a police patrol officer arrived and got her and her car off the motorway. The officer said how lucky she was that there was no damage other than a minor scratch on the bumper of her car and there had been no other vehicle involved. Yet a few weeks later she received a bill for almost £3,000 pounds from a company that clears up motorway accidents and incidents on behalf of the Highways Agency. Sheila has no idea why she had been charged this amount including £266.62 for a 7.5 tonne tipper hire and driver and £1830.91 for the closure of the hard shoulder. 5 Live Investigates has learnt of other cases where drivers have been billed for significant amounts completely out of the blue with no knowledge of the work carried out. Adrian Goldberg and the team get to the bottom of these motorway charges and talks to insurance and transport industry experts who are worried about the lack of transparency in the charges to motorists.
Adrian Goldberg presents cutting-edge investigative journalism, as well as taking on listeners' campaigns and consumer issues.
Miscarriages of justice are happening in the Magistrates Court system because of a drive to reduce delays, say defence lawyers. They say some cases are being dismissed because prosecutors and the police haven't been able to file the necessary papers in time - in other cases, defendants are coming under undue pressure to plead guilty.
Also - the fight to control the trade in smuggled cigarettes and tobacco.
And... the £2.5 million being spent to boost the number of immigration officers on duty during the London Olympics. Some of the money will be used to re-hire staffs who've taken early retirement or voluntary severance.
Football fans say the police are heavy-handed in the way they impose some travel restrictions on travelling supporters. They say the actions of the police are disproportionate, and ignore their civil rights. The fans are critical of "bubbling" in which they are told to assemble at a location some distance away from the fixture and then are escorted to the ground by the police. The tactic is being used despite a sharp reduction in the number of arrests at football matches.
Also, the truckers getting behind the wheel of their vehicle high on drugs. It's a minority of drivers, some of whom are evading the restrictions on working hours and need the drugs to stay awake. The senior Traffic Commissioner says she is going to meet with leaders of the transport industry to discuss the problem.
And the school computer leasing scam that may run into hundreds of millions of pounds.
Organisers of the London 2012 are being accused of heavy handed tactics in the way they're protecting the Olympic brand. Architects who've been involved in designing some of the facilities are being prevented from staging an exhibition of their work - and a woman arranging a festival of British life found herself locked in discussion with 7 different lawyers to win the right to use '2012' in its title. Also, the heart patients dying needlessly because of poor quality care. And the bailiffs accused of levying unjustified charges on people struggling with debt.
Criminals are exploiting weaknesses in the enforcement of speeding penalty points to help motorists evade disqualification. They set up a series of bogus identites which they use to take the points and the police admit it's hit and miss whether the deception is ever discovered.
Also... the head teachers being suspended after being caught up in a computer equipment leasing scam that could cost schools hundreds of thousands of pounds. And the water companies that have failed to hit their leakage targets now struggling to supply Britain's drought-affected areas.
The ailing care home residents who struggle to get a GP to visit - instead medication is prescribed over the phone. In some cases, care homes even pay GPs to provide what's decsribed as 'enhanced' services such as routine check-ups to people with complex medical problems. One nurse manager tells 5 Live Investigates that GPs who charge should be ashamed of themselves - challenging them to ring in and explain why they do it.
We talk to the man who blew the whistle on the fraud at Autofocus - the self-style 'expert witnesses' who fabricated evidence when the insurance industry challenged the high costs of car hire. It led to the loss of 300 job in Steve Evans' company Accident Exchange, and could be as much as 200 million pounds losses in the credit hire industry.
And the teething problems around the clampdown on disabled parking bad fraud.
As the motor insurance industry roots out bogus whiplash claims, fraudsters have moved in on credit hire - the system that allows motorists involved in a road smash to get a replacement hire car. The criminals submit claims for vehicles that have never been provided or invoice for top of the range vehicles when the model supplied is more basic. The scam is costing the industry £60 million a year.
Plus, a Muslim extremist linked to banned groups in the UK is using his base in London to export extremist preachings to India, and immigration officers who have taken redundancy or early retirement are being brought back to help tackle the growing queues at London's Heathrow Airport.
Adrian Goldberg asks whether it's easier to avoid paying care home fees and get the state to pay in some areas than others. Elderly people in need of residential care receive no financial help from the local authority if their assets, including their homes, are worth more than £23,250. It's led to some estate planners advising families how to hide their assets and get the state to fund care instead. But these families risk legal action from councils if they can prove individuals have deliberately deprived themselves of assets to avoid the cost of care. Adrian Goldberg reveals which local authorities are clamping down on the practice and those which aren't. Plus, the payday loan company that threatened customers it might contact their employer if they didn't settle their debts.
In his first broadcast interview, a former senior investigator with the privacy watchdog, the Information Commissioner's Office speaks to Adrian Goldberg and criticises his former employers for not doing more to stamp out malpractice by the media years before the hacking scandal broke. Since last November the Leveson Inquiry has been hearing evidence about media ethics in the wake of the hacking scandal. Much of the media's focus has been on high profile celebrity witnesses and their accounts of their treatment at the hands of the press. But the role of the Information Commissioner's Office that's emerged through evidence to the Inquiry has been largely overlooked. Adrian Goldberg asks why more action wasn't taken when the ICO was investigating links dating back to 2002 between journalists and the private detectives who provided them with illegally obtained private details about celebrities, politicians and ordinary members of the public.
Under the last government, £2.2 billion was spent regenerating areas in the north of England and the Midlands to make them more attractive to new homeowners in what were known as Pathfinder schemes. Eight years into the initiative, the Coalition Government scrapped it because, it was argued, instead of rejuvenating local communities, there had been an obsession with demolition. Adrian Goldberg investigates what's happened to the families stuck between the policies of two governments and left marooned in desolate streets. And he asks why, despite promises against further demolition, yet more taxpayers' money is being spent knocking down homes.
Adrian Goldberg investigates the dark web, a hidden part of the internet where paedophiles, drug dealers and gun smugglers can ply their trade without fear of being identified. Supporters of it say it's played a key role in facilitating free speech for people living under oppressive regimes but critics fear it's being exploited by sophisticated criminal gangs operating under the radar of the authorities.
Adrian Goldberg investigates the millions of pounds local authorities spend every year sending children to and from school in taxis. Rural areas spend disproportionately more on cabs for pupils because of the lack of public transport but should the taxpayer be subsidising the lifestyle choice of some young families? And should councils be paying for taxis for pupils just because they've been excluded from their local schools? Plus: why thousands of patients dispensed counterfeit drugs on the NHS in the largest ever case of its kind have yet to identified or informed.
As Wikipedia takes down its English language website in protest against proposed anti-piracy laws in the US, Adrian Goldberg looks at the implications of the Stop Online Piracy Act for internet users in the UK. Internet giants like Ebay and Google have come out against the proposals arguing that it would stifle freedom of speech but others argue these companies are profiting from the illegal acts of those using their services and should be doing more to monitor their activity. Plus: the shops being occupied by charities so that landlords can avoid paying empty property rates.
How wisely is taxpayers' money being spent on government-backed apprenticeships? This week the programme investigates one scheme set up by ex-Welsh football international Mark Aizlewood which was meant to train teenagers to become sports coaches. The company - Luis Michael Training - was awarded around £6 million by eight further education colleges to deliver the scheme at football clubs up and down the country. Two thousand young people signed up - but no-one got their qualification. Hundreds of trainees have been left out of pocket and the company is now in liquidation. Was the scheme properly scrutinised by the colleges and the government's Skills Funding Agency? We ask who's to blame for the failure and what happened to all the money.
Plus: the dozens of post offices and newsagents which have fallen victim to yet another leasing scam.
Adrian Goldberg investigates the schools over-paying by as much as ten times for equipment like photocopiers and laptops after being mis-sold leases. Following our investigation into problems with leasing agreements last year, we hear from one school facing bills for hundreds of thousands of pounds for equipment they were told they were getting for free. Plus we ask why Google continued to feature a sponsored ad for a website illegally offering Olympics tickets even after being warned by the police that it was a scam.
Manchester and Salford form the national warehousing and distribution centre for the UK counterfeit racket, according to trade standards officers. The industry says the enforcement agencies are struggling against the sophistication of some of the criminal gangs now involved in the fakes industry, and the Government says counterfeiting costs the UK economy £1.3 billion. Plus, we hear from motorists who've been landed with hefty bills after reporting they'd spilt oil on the road. One recieved an invoice for £1,000 which included a charge of more than £100 for a bag of sand!
Over the past five years, port inspectors had identified 85 safety concerns with the cargo ship that sank off the Welsh coast with the loss of six crew. The programme also reveals the concerns raised by a former captain about the way that the Swanland was loaded. He feared it was putting undue strain on the hull. The ship sank in minutes after breaking apart in half in rough seas.
The number of British Pakistanis kidnapped while visiting relatives in Pakistani has nearly trebled over the last four years. The official figures are small - going from 8 to 22 cases - but the police believe they represent only a partial picture. In many cases, families pay ransom demands to get loved ones released. One MEP says criminals are abducting people in the knowledge they are unlikely to be brought to justice.
Also - drugged up drivers. We ask why has the Home Office failed to hit its own deadline for introducing drug testing machines in police stations. With officials dragging their feet, camapigners say more people are likely to die at the hands of drivers who've got behind the wheel of a vehicle high on drugs.
The latest fraud to hit the insurance industry - the ghost brokers who've sold bogus cover to 20,000 motorists. It's costing the industry hundreds of millions of pounds - and is set to grow. We investigate the latest criminal assault on the insurance sector.
Also, we reveal the rule preventing the Independent Police Complaints Commission from interviewing officers under investigation. And concerns that ship owners are cutting corners as the maritime industry struggles in the grip of the economic downturn.
More needs to be done to crackdown on illegal scrapyards, say industry leaders. They estimate up to 900 sites are operating unlawfully and some are used by criminals to launder metals stolen from the rail and electricity networks. Also, the developers holding a gun to the heads of local residents. And the parking campaigner who says the enforcement cameras in Westminster are unlawful - and has found support among the independent parking adjudicators.
Adrian Goldberg presents cutting edge investigative journalism, as well as taking on listeners' campaigns and consumer issues.
Adrian Goldberg investigates the leasing scams costing small businesses thousands of pounds.
And he asks why big banks are pursuing GPs and small traders even when the rogue companies which drew up their leasing deals have gone under, with their salesmen jailed for fraud.
If you have a story for the 5 live Investigates team, email goldberg@bbc.co.uk.
As the Office of Fair Trading takes steps to close down a loan broker - seven years after the BBC started getting complaints about the company - Adrian Goldberg asks whether the watchdogs are doing enough to protect consumers. The BBC has received more than 1,000 complaints about Yes Loans Ltd of Cwmbran, south Wales, since 2004. The OFT will not say why it is now "minded to revoke" its licence. An independent OFT adjudicator will make the final decision, which is subject to appeal. The company says it is committed to responding to the OFT's concerns and that the vast majority of its customers are happy with its service. Plus, a new report says football clubs could be open to fraud and mis-management; Adrian hears more debate on public and private cord blood banks; and why a second-class stamp could sometimes be your first-class option. If you have a story you would like the 5 live Investigates to look at, or if you would like to comment on your experience with loan companies, email goldberg@bbc.co.uk
Adrian Goldberg investigates the world of political lobbying.
Following the revelations about former Defence Secretary Liam Fox and his friend Adam Werritty, Adrian talks to insiders about how private companies strive to get influence in Westminster.
If you have a story you would like the team to investigate, email goldberg@bbc.co.uk.
Adrian Goldberg investigates a new type of property deal that experts warn is highly risky.
People struggling to sell their home are being approached by investors who want to take a 'lease option' on their property - the would-be sellers agree a price that the investor can buy the house at, at a future date, and the investor agrees to cover the mortgage payments in the meantime, so the owners can move out and move on.
It could be a win-win situation, but experts warn that this is an unregulated area and sellers could end up losing out - and even losing their home.
Adrian Goldberg and the team investigate the companies offering to store blood from your baby's umbilical cord, which they say could one day save their life.
Parents are told it's a "once in a lifetime opportunity" to save and store valuable stem cells that have the potential to fight a range of diseases.
But some medical experts say it's a waste of money.
5 live Investigates assesses the claims made by private cord blood banks and investigates the NHS hospitals signing agreements with companies to allow the practice on their premises, despite the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists saying there's not enough evidence to justify the practice.
Got a story? Contact the 5 live Investigates team by emailing goldberg@bbc.co.uk.
Adrian Goldberg asks why Trading Standards is receiving money from a loans company whose customers complain that they have had payments taken from their bank accounts without permission.
5 live Investigates has heard from consumers who say they have had their accounts debited by loans broker SGE Loans, even after refusing a loan deal, and who have since spent months demanding a refund.
This programme has also discovered that West Yorkshire Trading Standards, under whose authority the Leeds-based company comes, receives money from SGE Loans in exchange for providing advice to the business.
It also admits it has investigated a number of similar complaints about the company and that some consumers believe they have been misled.
But West Yorkshire Trading Standards says that taking payment for services from a company does not affect its ability to deal with complaints impartially.
The loans broker denies that it has debited money from customer accounts without authorisation and insists that all complaints are resolved within 28 days.
Plus, the landlady of a Portsmouth pub, Karen Murphy, speaks exclusively to 5 live Investigates ahead of Tuesday's ruling by the European Court of Justice on whether the EU single market means she should be able to use any European satellite service to screen Premier League football. Sky and ESPN have the broadcast rights to Premier League football in the UK. And we hear from the chief executive of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Jez Moxey, who complains that the screening of 3pm matches by local pubs is hitting Wolves' match ticket sales.
If you have a story for the 5 live Investigates team, email goldberg@bbc.co.uk.
Adrian Goldberg finds that cannabis farming is increasingly a suburban phenomenon.
He interviews a professional woman from a leafy village in the North West of England who is growing cannabis in her spare room, and a drug dealer from the West Midlands who has a number of middle-class professionals letting their spare room to him for a share of his cannabis-farming profits.
They tell him that cannabis growers now prefer to rent rooms from willing landlords - rather than take over whole houses - because it is easier to avoid police detection.
Adrian also speaks to DCI Martin Hurcomb from West Midlands Police about the changing nature of cannabis farming and what the authorities are doing about it.
Plus, we reveal the high-street shop that's been selling customers a camcorder they didn't want. It says the camera was a better model than the one advertised, but was it really?
And we hear the inside story of BBC Newsnight's investigation into international boxing.
If you have a story for the 5 live Investigates team, email goldberg@bbc.co.uk.
In the news this week: the doctors and nurses who can't speak English. But 5 live Investigates can reveal the problem is even bigger than that.
We hear that the poor English of some overseas professionals is causing confusion, mistakes and bad treatment across the whole of the healthcare system in the UK.
We talk to patients and health insiders who say that some care workers, dentists and pharmacists - as well as doctors and nurses - cannot properly understand their patients.
People arriving from the European Union do not have to pass English language tests to register to work. The General Medical Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council and other healthcare bodies, say this needs to change.
It's up to employers to assess an individual's fluency before they are given an actual job, but not all of them do this.
And, 5 live Investigates finds, even some overseas NHS staff from outside Europe, who have passed language tests, struggle to communicate clearly.
Who's watching you online? Cyber stalkers are using increasingly sophisticated means to target their victims. In some cases, they are deploying spyware to get remote access to their quarry's computer - to access files and personal information. They might even be able to turn on the webcam to secretly film their victim.
5 live Investigates talks to senior police officers who say they need tougher powers to be able to investigate cyber stalking more effectively.
The programme hears from the victims of online stalking who've endured years of harassment and hate.
To contact the programme, tweet @5LInvestigates.
Adrian Goldberg presents cutting edge investigative journalism, as well as taking on listeners' campaigns and consumer issues.
Some nurses are defying their own professional standards when it comes to administering Botox. Botox is a prescription-only drug and has to be prescribed by a specialist nurse or a doctor in a face-to-face consultation. But some nurses are defying their own professional regulator by using what's called a remote prescribing service. A remote prescriber is a doctor who is contacted on the phone and issues a prescription after talking to the patient - sometimes for just three or four minutes. But new instructions from the nursing regulator, the UK Nursing and Midwifery Council, say remote prescribing should not be used for Botox. The regulations have been tightened to improve patient safety. But some nurses seem intent on defying them. 5 Live Investigates asks why - and examines the role of a Harley Street practice that still offers remote prescribing.
Also, the number of people dying or made ill through carbon monoxide poisoning is being grossly under-estimated by the authorities. A charity that promotes the safety of heating systems says in cases of unexplained deaths, scientists are failing to test for signs of carbon monoxide. 5 Live Investigates looks into one case where a man died as a result of carbon monoxide and no one realised, leaving other tenants exposed to the poisonous gas for a further week which left them ill. The Health and Safety Executive has also been accused of not doing enough to investigate possible carbon monoxide cases.
Some businesses are facing massive bills because their energy companies failed to read the meter properly. One company says it is facing closure because it says it can't afford the demand that's dropped through the letterbox. 5 Live Investigates finds that some of the problems have come about because meter readers didn't jot down all the figures.
And the wrong sort of passengers forecasts: as the row over the new high speed rail route between London and the north of England intensifies, 5 Live Investigates asks why the rail industry doesn't seem to be able to correctly predict passenger figures.
To contact the programme, email goldberg@bbc.co.uk - or send comments via Twitter to @5LInvestigates.
Gap year safety. A coroner has called on the Government to review the safety procedures of companies offering gap year adventure trips. It follows the death of a student on a conservation holiday in Fiji. We investigate how well the companies are implementing safety procedures.
Many police forces are still failing when it comes to investigating reports of disability hate crime, according to a number of leading charities. They say officers have not heeded the lessons of the tragic case of Fiona Pilkington who set fire to herself and her disabled daughter more than 3 years ago. The mother had been driven to despair by years of abuse targeted at the family.
5 Live Investigates talk to a woman with learning disabilities who's endured 20 years of abuse. She's been spat at, had chewing gum put in her hair, had kids get into her home and has been physically assaulted. The last time her mother reported it to the police she was told by an officer that it was naïve to think that her daughter would not be subjected to taunts.
And tackling uninsured drivers... Following last week's debate about new plans to tackle uninsured drivers, and concerns that new penalties wont be tough enough, the Roads Minister Mike Penning comes onto the show to defend the scheme.
Russia has pledged to tackle racism in football ahead of the 2018 World Cup. We investigate the depth of prejudice at one of Russia's most successful clubs. Zenit St Petersburg competes regularly at the top level of European football but has never signed a black player. The club has a following of dedicated fans called the Ultras - and they say they're proud that the club has never had a player of African heritage. The club says it trying to tackle racism. The Russian football authorities say they have launched a campaign to eradicate intolerance across football more generally. We ask if the approach is working.
Also, we examine the epidemic of liver disease brought on by the way we lead our lives - and the impact it is having on an already-stretched NHS.
And it's been a long time coming... the crackdown that's designed to get uninsured drivers off the roads.
Adrian Goldberg investigates the rise in fuel crime as the price of petrol and diesel reaches a high at the pump.
Nearly two-thirds of hauliers say they've had fuel stolen from their lorries or from tanks in their storage yards in the past year, according to an industry questionnaire. Fewer than half of the affected trucking firms reported the thefts to the police - some feeling fuel crime gets a low priority. Garage owners are reporting an increase in the number of motorists who fill up and drive off without paying. And organised crime is involved in fuel racketeering - investigators from customs and revenue are busting more diesel laundering plants, where the dye put in duty-exempt agricultural diesel is washed out - so it can be passed off as diesel for general use. The loss in duty is believed to cost the public purse about £800 million a year.
Also, just how safe is the UK nuclear industry? And we examine the work of the analysts using satellite images to track the unfolding crisis in Libya.
Adrian Goldberg with cutting edge investigations.
Sports scholarships - With universities set to increase tuition fees, an increasing numbers of British students are now trying to win sports scholarships in the USA. But are they getting value for money? A number of agents are demanding upfront fees to arrange scholarships - but a number of parents say they are being made promises that don't materialise and are being forced to pay out thousands of pounds.
We talk to the imam under sentence of death because he wanted to debate religion and evolution. The programme investigates the way the extremists are using the concept of Takfir - to denounce someone as a non-believer - as a way to intimidate communities and promote intolerance.
And the bumpy journey ahead. Britain's pot holed roads are costing motorists millions of pounds in damage to cars. We reveal that our roads crisis has been aggravated by road engineers who've been using the wrong type of asphalt surfacing on the majority of our roads.
To contact the programme, email goldberg@bbc.co.uk, or tweet @5LInvestigates.
Adrian Goldberg presents cutting edge investigative journalism.
5 Live Investigates uncovers disturbing evidence of Polish workers victimised by an elaborate credit, loans and benefits scam.
Polish criminal gangs are luring impoverished young workers to Britain with the promise of work, and use a range of pressure tactics and lies to steal their identity. After encouraging their victims to open bank accounts and sign on for benefits, they then ditch them and send them home. They then use their identities to claim thousands of pounds in loans, hire purchase agreements, benefits and tax credits.
5 live Investigates speaks to victims and reveals a tale of cross-border fraud and trafficking which is exploiting some of Europe's poorest people in order to defraud the British banking system and the UK taxpayer.
Also: last year 5 live Investigates reported on the trail of debt left in the UK by Indian businessman, Ahsan Ali Syed, who at the time was bidding to buy Blackburn Rovers FC. Having failed in his bid to buy Rovers, Mr Ali is now looking to invest in football clubs in Spain and New Zealand, but reports this week in the Australian press claim he is behind a multi-million dollar loan fraud. 5 live Investigates speaks to the reporters behind this latest scoop.
Plus journalist Hugh Miles on his investigation for Radio 4 into the Libyan money trail. And 'log book loans' - following last week's investigations, listeners explain why it's so difficult to check whether there's an outstanding loan on a car.
Adrian Goldberg presents cutting edge investigative journalism, as well as taking on listeners' campaigns and consumer issues.
Unwitting second-hand car buyers are being chased for hundreds of pounds in debts on loans taken out by previous owners of their car. Drivers raising finance with so-called 'logbook loans' secured on their vehicles are selling on their cars before settling their accounts.
Because logbook loans are secured using a Victorian law called the Bill of Sales Act, they offer much less protection to consumers than other forms of credit. Under the Act, a borrower taking out a logbook loan actually hands ownership of the vehicle over to the lender. Not only does that mean that the borrower has no legal right to sell on the vehicle but any innocent third party buying it also has no rights of ownership.
5 live Investigates speaks to one victim who paid £1,100 for a second-hand car. A year after buying the car, the owner received a letter from a loan company to say she wasn't the legal owner of the vehicle and was told would have to pay £600 to keep it - because the previous owner of the car had taken out a loan secured on the vehicle but had sold it on before settling all of his debts.
It's estimated that around 40,000 bills of sale were registered in 2008-09 in England and Wales and experts warn these loans could become more popular as credit remains squeezed by mainstream lenders. The Trading Standards Institute says loans secured on bills of sale should be outlawed. The previous Labour government consulted on whether to ban the practice but the coalition government has decided not to legislate.
Also on the programme, why are so many non-league clubs going to the wall? Is it that small businessmen have over-ambitious ideas, destroying the clubs they buy and letting down local creditors?
John Beech of Coventry University has completed an extensive survey of non-league finances - he's discovered that there have been even more bankruptcies in non-league than league clubs.
5 live Investigates also speaks to Guy Cooper of Halesowen Town's supporters club, who tells how the club went broke, David Newton, the FA's head of integrity, and Kevin Rye of Supporters Direct.
To contact the programme, email goldberg@bbc.co.uk - or send comments via Twitter to @5LInvestigates.
Adrian Goldberg presents cutting edge investigative journalism.
British gay Muslims are joining the global fight for equality and seeking gay marriage. 5 live Investigates speaks to pioneering gay couples about their 'nikah' - a Muslim matrimonial contract - and asks how they balance their sexuality with the Islamic faith, which vehemently rejects homosexuality.
Many gay couples who marry in this way say they have actively rejected secular civil partnerships, as they say it is vital to have their union recognised by Allah, and not just by the state. The ceremonies are based on heterosexual Muslim marriage ceremonies, and are often conducted in private, without the knowledge of the couple's family, for fear of damaging so-called 'honour'.
However, there is also a view that the British Muslim community may not be as conservative as it appears - it is claimed a 'liberal closet' exists whereby some families are becoming more accepting of their gay children, albeit behind closed doors. Adrian speaks to one American imam, who has conducted a number of gay marriages in Britain - some of which have been grand events.
Also on the programme, analysis of the uprising in Libya with Huda Abuzaid, whose father was assassinated in his butcher's shop in London by Gadaffi's henchmen in 1995. The high maintenance charges for people living in supposedly 'affordable housing'. And claims that the student visa system is being used to bring over qualified people for training, who are sent straight out on 'work placements', doing a job at less than the minimum wage.
To contact the programme, email goldberg@bbc.co.uk - or send comments via Twitter to @5LInvestigates.
5 live Investigates exposes the law firms making a mint by accusing innocent people of illegal downloading.
As the entertainment industry cracked down on illegal file-sharing, an opportunity was spotted by law firms who sent tens of thousands of speculative letters to people claiming they had illegally downloaded music and pornographic films. The fear of having to fight such an embarrassing claim led many individuals to pay a fine, to make the problem go away.
A recent court case has revealed one company has made up to £1 million from the scam, and as their operation is closed down, others are gearing up to step into their wake. 5 live Investigates speaks to former employees about the way these law firms operate - as well as those people wrongly accused of file-sharing - and tells the story of how an international community of hackers helped bring down the biggest player in this market.
However, rather than clamp down on this problem, critics say the government's new Digital Economy Act - hastily passed during the previous Labour government's 'wash-up' period - could actually make these legal tactics even easier.
Also on the programme, reaction to news that the Egyptian military is expected to ban from Monday union meetings and meetings of professional syndicates. Does it look as if the hopes of the protestors will be dashed? We speak to Professor Robert Springborg, an expert on the Egyptian military, who thinks the signs are ominous.
FIFA has launched an investigation into match fixing, following an international friendly tournament in Turkey. Mihkel Uiboleht from the Estonian FA explains the situation.
And the latest Direct Debit scam - fraudsters are using cashback websites to set up bogus direct debits for accounts they don't control and then pocketing cashback rewards. All they need are the bank account details. Charities, which publish their account details for potential donations, have been particularly badly hit.
To contact the programme, email goldberg@bbc.co.uk - or send comments via Twitter to @5LInvestigates.
5 live Investigates speaks exclusively to head teachers who claim stimulants are being over-prescribed to young children. They are raising the alarm on what they say is "over-prescription" of powerful medication to children from dysfunctional families, who have behavioural problems which make them "extremely naughty" - but who they suspect are not actually sufferers of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
The number of prescriptions written for young people suffering from ADHD is skyrocketing, with around 420,000 issued for 16-17 year olds alone in 2007. ADHD is a serious psychiatric condition and amphetamine drugs are proven to help, but are children who don't need medication also ending up on powerful drugs that have major side effects?
Teachers and psychologists tell the programme how some parents, struggling with difficult children and motivated by the benefits they could receive on Disability Living Allowance, seem to be pushing for a diagnosis of ADHD. They paint a picture in which schools are not always consulted by doctors - despite the fact that clinical best-practice is to ask schools first.
In the week where the government is promising more money for 'talking therapies' for children, 5 live Investigates explores the real stories of children who have been prescribed powerful ADHD drugs which their teachers fear are inappropriate and are used to "just keep them quiet" rather than offer any real help.
Also on the programme, meet Stephanie Spacey, who caught the wrong train from Coventry to London, and is now being taken to court by Virgin Trains in a case that could cost her almost £6,000.
And the publishers selling books which consist entirely of articles copied from Wikipedia.
Presented by Adrian Goldberg. To contact the programme, email goldberg@bbc.co.uk - or send comments via Twitter to @5LInvestigates.
Adrian Goldberg presents cutting edge investigative journalism.
2011 has got off to a rocky start for HM Prison Service, as inmates at Ford open prison in West Sussex rioted on New Year's Day. 5 live Investigates speaks exclusively to inmates currently serving in open prisons, including Ford. They reveal the issues they think lie behind a recent spate of disturbances. 5 live Investigates has heard from both prisoners and prison officers claiming that 'risk assessments' of inmates are not thorough enough and troublesome prisoners are being transferred to open prisons too soon.
Also: Last year, 5 live Investigates spoke to Karen Murphy, the Portsmouth landlady taking on the Premier League and Sky Sports at the European Court of Justice. Ms Murphy is seeking to end Sky's monopoly over selling subscriptions to watch English Premier League football on TV in the UK, and says she should be able to subscribe to cheaper, foreign satellite companies under European law. We catch up with Karen as she waits for the ECJ to give its opinion next week in preparation of the final judgment. We also speak to industry insiders about the mood in Brussels, and ask which side is rumoured to have the upper hand.
To contact the programme, email goldberg@bbc.co.uk - or send comments via Twitter to @5LInvestigates.
Who is really behind the current NHS reforms and just how radical will they be?
Health Minister Andrew Lansley is the face of the proposed reforms but Adrian Goldberg reveals how their design was very much a cross-party effort, with Labour special advisors central in their development.
Speaking to some of the key insiders, he reveals how the extent of the proposed plans are much more radical than the coalition government is currently letting on - but who is running the show? As Andrew Lansley evangelises the benefits of these changes, is Prime Minister David Cameron really behind him?
Adrian Goldberg investigates allegations of harassment and bullying against some of the estimated 220,000 Britons who now live permanently in "park homes" - high end mobile homes, which are cheaper than bricks and mortar.
Across the UK, many retirees are spending their life savings on homes, which are often located on sites close to popular coastal resorts. These homes can change hands for hundreds of thousands of pounds, but many park home owners are finding the current law governing mobile homes gives the owners of park home sites a large amount of power over their lives. 5 live Investigates reveals the harrowing allegations of unscrupulous site owners, who are accused of using the law to harass and intimidate park home owners and ultimately take over ownership of their homes.
Also: Following last week's report on civil recovery - the means by which retailers can pursue damages from alleged shoplifters outside the court system - Adrian hears from more listeners who say they have been unfairly targeted by shops.
And the programme explores the rising trend of people being targeted by insurance fraudsters, who are making false claims against innocent drivers alleging they were involved in a crash.
If you have a story for the 5 live Investigates team, email goldberg@bbc.co.uk.
Adrian Goldberg presents cutting edge investigative journalism, as well as taking on listeners' campaigns and consumer issues
High street shops are using 'civil recovery' procedures to seek compensation from suspected shoplifters - a vital process as some claim the courts are not interested in petty theft, which costs businesses millions of pounds a year. But should 'justice' be pursued by private companies? And should people be compelled to pay financial compensation without any official legal due process? Adrian Goldberg speaks to in-store security teams and civil recovery firms about the need to employ this increasingly common practice, and also hears from members of the public who are being pursued for compensation, when they - and the police - say they did nothing wrong.
Also, as three Pakistan cricketers face an International Cricket Council tribunal in Qatar over allegations of match fixing, 5 live Investigates hears how the Professional Cricket Association is keeping tabs on players as it tries to spot those most vulnerable to the match-fixers - and in some instances paying off players debts to prevent them from falling prey to betting gangs.
And are you paying too much council tax? 5 live Investigates reveals how you can check what your neighbours are paying and how you can appeal to pay a lower rate.
If you have a story you want the team to investigate email goldberg@bbc.co.uk.
Adrian Goldberg presents cutting edge investigative journalism, as well as taking on listeners' campaigns and consumer issues.
Drug drivers know that the chances that they'll be brought to book are low, say MPs.
Why - after 10 years - has the Home Office still failed to introduce a roadside drugs test to tackle what's recognised as a lethal problem?
In many other European countries, the police have small hand held screening kits. In Germany last year, they led to 34,500 drivers losing their licence.
Figures for the UK - and for the previous year - reveal that only 168 drug driving guilty verdicts were recorded by the courts.
Without a hand held test, UK police have to look for the tell-tale signs in the driver's general demeanour.
In a damning assessment of the situation, MPs on the Transport Select Committee say: "At the moment, people assume - quite correctly - that they can take drugs and drive a vehicle with little chance of being caught."
Also on the programme - Adrian asks why the UK food industry is doing so badly in controlling a bug that contaminates the outside of chickens and causes potentially-fatal food poisoning.
More than 8 in 10 chickens are infected with campylobacter, which lives on the outside of the bird, and get on your hands or the work surface.
The Food standards Agency is now putting pressure on supermarkets to improve conditions in the supply chain - they have been given 12 months.
Adrian asks the British Retail Consortium why we have worse record than Romania.
How safe are you and your computer after you've signed up to 'Operation Pay Back', the campaign to exact revenge on companies who've abandoned WikiLeaks?
It's illegal, but will there be prosecutions? Your computer will have to be dis-infected otherwise it could be used for other campaigns you might not support.
And Christmas crackers - why has the Government ruled that children under 16 can't buy a box of crackers to go with the turkey dinner?
To contact the programme, email goldberg@bbc.co.uk - or send comments via Twitter to @5LInvestigates.
Adrian Goldberg presents cutting edge investigative journalism, as well as taking on listeners' campaigns and consumer issues.
New figures reveal that 1 in 39 vehicles have mileage lower than at their last MOT: that's 670,000 cars. It's led to calls for a tightening of the rules surrounding individuals and garages that offer 'mileage correction services.'
Motorists are able to get their clocks turned back but if they sell their car, they must inform the new owner - otherwise it's fraud. 5 live Investigates found that six out of ten mileage correction services it contacted were willing to change the mileage reading knowing it was possibly to deceive a new owner. Listen to our secret recordings.
Also, denied justice. The modern day slaves working for the rich and powerful in the UK. Despite being awarded damages for the abuse and exploitation they've suffered, many have yet to see a penny. They are domestic workers brought into the country by overseas diplomats and business people. They've been paid below the minimum wage and in some cases have suffered sexual harassment. They've taken their bosses to employment tribunals and won - but 5 live Investigates has found those tribunal rulings are being ignored with impunity.
And Russian Spies: Just what are they after? We ask former MP Dr Kim Howells.
To contact the programme, email goldberg@bbc.co.uk - or send comments via Twitter to @5LInvestigates.
Investigative journalism with Adrian Goldberg.
At least 600 criminals have changed their identity to avoid the sex offenders register. In one case, it allowed a paedophile to travel to Bangkok - a known destination for sex pests. In another case, a child sex offender befriended a woman and her children after changing his name.
The identity dodge also hampers the effectiveness of Sarah's Law, a system allows parents and others to check on individuals with access to children.
It is relatively easy to change you name: it can cost as little as £13 and takes just a few days. But 5 live Investigates has found that there is no system for checking whether the people who are changing their identity are on the sex offenders register. Once they have changed their name - their new identity fails to show up past criminal convictions. To show how easy it is to change your name, Adrian changes his to James Brokenshire, the home office minister - but he declines to be interviewed.
In the second half of the programe, we investigate the teaching of emotional intelligence in schools. An idea from a US bestseller, it was introduced in many classrooms five years ago and has cost around £40 million. The belief was that it would improve behaviour and raise attainment. But Government-sponsored research shows it's been ineffective, and some critics claim it's been damaging for kids. They say it amounts to therapy by the backdoor. The proponents and the critics go head to head.
Plus, why councils are calling for tighter regulations to clamp down on rogue taxi drivers. A leaked report says that 93% of taxi drivers have invalid insurance, and that some are involved in crash for cash scams.
The BBC's Inside Out West Midlands suggests that passengers and other motorists are being put at risk. So why can't local authorities ensure that those with a licence are properly covered? We hear from a victim of 'crash for cash'. A taxi driver hit her at very low speed, and then claimed for serious injuries. She then saw him involved in another similar crash. The Insurance Fraud Bureau is investigating the increase in claims.
To contact the programme, email goldberg@bbc.co.uk - or send comments via Twitter to @5LInvestigates.
Adrian Goldberg presents cutting edge investigative journalism.
An open letter to the Prime Minister in the British Medical Journal accuses drug companies of charging too much for medicines used in the treatment of rare diseases. But that's just one way in which the pharmaceutical industry protects its bottom line - and puts additional financial burden on the NHS.
5 live Investigates looks at the tactics used by the industry to keep prices high. They try to keep blockbuster drugs under licence - to prevent the manufacture of cheaper alternatives. Once a drug comes off licence, its price can drop by eighty percent. One delaying technique is to slightly alter a drug just as its licence comes to an end - and put the revised formulation under a new licence. Such techniques - some industry insiders say - is costing the NHS hundreds of millions of pounds a year.
We speak to Warwick Smith from the British Generic Manufacturers Association; Alan Maynard, Professor of Health Policy at the University of York; and Richard Barker, Director General of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry.
Also on the programme, the shocking allegation that 300 football games a season in top European leagues are being deliberately thrown. We spend time with Sportradar, the experts monitoring betting patterns across Europe, looking for signs of match fixing in the top flight football leagues. They believe they are seeing evidence of matches being deliberately thrown - and they're tracking the dodgy players and managers responsible. Our guests are Declan Hill, who has written book on match fixing, and Rob Faulkner, spokesman for UEFA.
And taking on the fraudsters: Birmingham City Council believes lie detectors can help in the fight against the fraud. Not so - say the Government, which believes they're not accurate enough. The insurance industry is now looking at alternatives to lie detectors. They've commissioned Dr Sharon Leal, forensic psychologist at the University of Portsmouth, to devise an interview techniques that would help unmask those involved in deception. What's the best way to spot a deception?
To contact the programme, email goldberg@bbc.co.uk - or send comments via Twitter to @5LInvestigates.