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X-Ray goes undercover to expose the shops risking their customers' health by selling cosmetic contact lenses. Rachel Treadaway-Williams discovers the harm which can be done when people wear contact lenses which aren't suitable.

The General Optical Council says the lenses should only be sold under the supervision of an optometrist, dispensing optician or medical doctor.

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We went undercover at shops across south-east Wales to show how easy it was to buy the lenses. Manufacturers of the products deny they are contact lenses and so do not come under the relevant law.

The lenses are popular music fans and film buffs inspired by stars like Lady Gaga and Marilyn Manson, and films like the Twilight Saga, to change the appearance of their eyes.

The law surrounding contact lens sales, The Opticians Act, was tightened in 2005 to control the sale of contact lenses which do not improve a wearer's vision. This was after concerns were raised that people were buying them without suitable supervision, which can lead to serious eye conditions.

Anyone selling them without appropriate supervision risks a £5,000 fine and a criminal record. Our secret footage of the cosmetic contact lens sales was shown to Dr Christine Purslow, senior lecturer at Cardiff University School of Optometry.

She said: "We thought that the legislation had dealt with this issue and closed a loophole that all eye care professionals recognised was there. "I really didn't think this was happening."

Dr Purslow said she was concerned the unsupervised sales could lead to problems like infections for wearers, who may not have appropriate advice from sales assistants about how to wear and care for the lenses.

She said: "They are like the stilettos of the contact lens world - nice for parties, they are nice for going out. There are very few of my colleagues that would advocate them to be worn as routinely as they are suggesting there, every day for a year."

The manufacturers of the products which X-Ray bought all deny that they are contact lenses and they say they do not come under the law which regulates contact lens sales. They claim their products are polymer blanks or eye fashion accessories. Dr Purslow disagrees. "Given that it's a lens and it's going to go on the eye, this is a contact lens," she said. "And I think that nobody is going to say differently in my profession."

The manufacturers insist that they meet or exceed the requirements concerning the safe and legal supply of these products. Some say they have taken expert advice regarding their products and provide forms to ensure customers are properly assessed by retailers before buying the lenses.

The General Optical Council has confirmed it considers the items being sold in these shops to be contact lenses. The council said it has a duty to take action where there is evidence that contact lenses are being sold illegally, and that it might take action - including prosecution - where it felt it necessary.

X-Ray contacted the shops they bought lenses from. Aberdare Party Supplies Limited and Allsorts Fancy Dress Shop in Caerphilly said they had been advised by their suppliers that the products were legal to sell. But the shops have since removed all lenses from sale, and said they will not be selling them in the future. Dunbar Costumes in Caerphilly and Cosmetics4U in Merthyr Tydfil referred X-Ray to their suppliers.

Back in November 2009 Caroline Hill from Llantwit Major took her beloved Morris Minor to a local restoration garage, Celtic Soul VW, for a bit of a facelift. She wanted the rust removed, new brakes and an upgraded suspension, amongst some other improvements.

Caroline was told the work should take around four to six weeks to complete. "Christmas came and went and I still hadn't heard anything", she told X-Ray.

"It came to January, and he said it would be about a week. There must've been about six to nine times he was going to finish the car within a week and deliver it to us."

Rachel Treadaway-Williams driving a Morris Minor

In total, Caroline paid the garage more than £4,500. But a year after first taking it to Celtic Soul there was still no sign of her Morris Minor.

When it was finally returned to her in December 2010, Caroline says there were still problems with her car. "I thought gosh these lights are really dull," she said.

"The brakes weren't brilliant, the handbrake wasn't very good and there was just things wrong with it. We took it to a friend in a garage who's an MOT tester, he had a look at it for us and he said it's not roadworthy. I was angry and upset."

Even though Caroline researched the garage she chose and asked the advice from friends and family, she'd still been without her car for over a year. So, are hold-ups like this common when it comes to fixing classics?

Peter Nedin from Port Talbot runs classic car ralleys all over the world and has been an enthusiast for over 15 years.

He explained, "When you've got a car like this and you start to do work on it you can find things that you didn't realise were there. You would expect any good restorer to explain the situation, contact the owner and say look we've found a problem, sorry but it's going to take two months or three months.

"But there's a whole host of organisations that you can go to that will help you source parts, original parts. My advice to anybody who has a classic car is to join the owners club or join a specialist club and they'll give advice on where to go."

We contacted Celtic Soul VW and they told us that they don't discuss business with third parties. They did say however that the brakes were roadworthy and thoroughly tested before the vehicle was originally given back.

They query the feedback Caroline was given about the state of the car. After correcting her concerns they've now returned the car to Caroline with a full MOT. They also say that on top of the money she's paid, they'd spent an additional £812 on parts and labour which they're not charging her for. No mention though about why it took them so long to do it in the first place.

Over 14 months after first taking her Morris Minor to the garage, Caroline finally has it back. But she's far from happy. "The condition of it is not brilliant now. The doors don't fit, there's still rust on it, there's rust in the engine and just lots of little things that he hasn't done that he should've done. And it's ruined my car."

If you've ever lived in or visited Penrhiwceiber, it's time to start hunting through those old photographs and mementos!

We're looking for your old pictures, film footage or even old souvenirs linked to Penrhiwceiber Institute and Community Hall. Maybe you've got an old ticket stub from a time you visited the cinema? Did you keep hold of a ticket for a concert you attended there or your membership card? Perhaps you've still got an old film poster or kept a snooker cue used years ago. Maybe you were ahead of the times and filmed a special event there.

Penrhiwceiber Institute, 1912.

Were you one of the women who packed parcels at the hall during the 1984 Miners’ Strike and have photographs from the time? Or perhaps you worked at the colliery and have photos from your time there. It doesn’t matter what time period they are from, whether it’s the 1920s or the 1980s.

Whatever you have, we’d love to hear about it so we can pass on your memories to the institute. It could also be that your memories may appear on the X-Ray programme as we follow the progress of plans to host the film festival (which begins on February 25) and revive the cinema.

The team at the Institute are keen to find any artefacts linked to the Institute for a very special reason. Throughout the Ceiber Film Festival, which begins on February 25, they will be running an exhibition downstairs at the Institute. ‘This is Ceiber’ will tell the story of the history of Penrhiwceiber Institute, the colliery and the village itself. Following the renovation of the hall in the early 1990s, a lot of the old photographs and documents were lost, so the team at the hall would love to hear about anything linked to the history of the hall that still exists.

If you think you can help in any way, please contact the X-Ray team on 03703 334334. Alternatively, write to us or post your memories to X-Ray, Room 4020, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Broadcasting House, Llandaff, Cardiff, CF5 2YQ or e-mail any photographs to x-ray@bbc.co.uk.