23/12/2013 BBC London News


23/12/2013

Similar Content

Browse content similar to 23/12/2013. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!

Transcript


LineFromTo

Tonight on BBC London News. Closures, cancellations and delays.

:00:00.:00:08.

We've the latest on the great Christmas getaway as a weather

:00:09.:00:11.

warning for heavy rain and strong winds brings travel misery for many.

:00:12.:00:21.

IMac Euston Station, where passengers are doing their best to

:00:22.:00:24.

get home this Christmas. We'll have a full weather forecast. Also in the

:00:25.:00:27.

programme... Three people are killed in a crash as a car collides with a

:00:28.:00:37.

lorry on the North Circular. It is something that stays in your mind.

:00:38.:00:44.

My son couldn't sleep last night. It was quite a shock.

:00:45.:00:46.

Plus, Crisis at Christmas, as the charity opens its doors with a

:00:47.:00:51.

warning that the number of young homeless is on the increase.

:00:52.:01:03.

# Tell me on a Sunday please... And back for the first time in a

:01:04.:01:07.

decade, Marti Webb returns with the West End hit which made her name.

:01:08.:01:14.

Good evening and welcome to the programme. We start with more on the

:01:15.:01:21.

storm which is tonight bringing disruption to thousands of

:01:22.:01:23.

travellers attempting to leave London for Christmas. The Met Office

:01:24.:01:26.

has amber warnings in place, forecasting torrential rain and

:01:27.:01:31.

winds hitting speeds of 70mph. Many train services out of the capital

:01:32.:01:34.

have been disrupted with some operators running a reduced service.

:01:35.:01:39.

And on the roads, the QE2 Bridge at Dartford has been closed until

:01:40.:01:43.

tomorrow morning. The latest on all the travel coming up, but first

:01:44.:01:46.

Gareth Furby reports on a day of disruption.

:01:47.:01:57.

Any child will tell you there's a certain well`known individual who

:01:58.:02:00.

can always rely on his slave to get him where he wants to go at this

:02:01.:02:05.

time of year, no matter what the weather. But as mere mortals, we

:02:06.:02:10.

have to cope with what we are given. Tonight there is growing and

:02:11.:02:13.

significant disruption, and you could tell something big was coming

:02:14.:02:16.

as the wind picked up during the day. Gale force winds in central

:02:17.:02:24.

London. And a wash`out at the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, closed as a

:02:25.:02:29.

precaution because high winds and some of the highest rides don't mix

:02:30.:02:36.

well. A disappointing day for the McQuade family, from Middlesbrough,

:02:37.:02:41.

who'd hoped to enjoy this Christmas attraction. We saw it when we walked

:02:42.:02:48.

in and thought, oh, no! It was closed due to the weather. We can't

:02:49.:02:54.

do anything about the weather. We are a bit disappointed. What are you

:02:55.:03:01.

going to do now? Go shopping! But even the Christmas shopping was for

:03:02.:03:06.

some, a bit of an ordeal. What is it like shopping in these conditions?

:03:07.:03:13.

Very cold. I'm from Holland. Is this colder than Holland? Yes.

:03:14.:03:20.

Challenging, to say the least. Where do you come from? Australia. Here,

:03:21.:03:26.

and other seasonal London attraction called the snow globe, in Picadilly

:03:27.:03:30.

Circus, which covers the statute you Ross, it is filmed apparently

:03:31.:03:35.

bursting open in the wind. And beyond London, the QE2 bridge at the

:03:36.:03:40.

Dartford Crossing has been closed until the winds ease. During the

:03:41.:03:45.

day, 9000 homes in Berkshire lost power. And all the rail companies

:03:46.:03:50.

serving London have introduced speed restrictions. On southeastern

:03:51.:03:55.

trains, a landslide is causing disruption. First Capital Connect is

:03:56.:04:01.

having to cope with a fallen tree. Passenger safety is our priority. We

:04:02.:04:04.

want to make sure that the service we run is the best possible we could

:04:05.:04:08.

do to get people home for Christmas, but also make sure we carry them

:04:09.:04:14.

safely. The alternative, the roads, may also prove tricky. Depending on

:04:15.:04:21.

how much wind there is, it is worth planning ahead. This evening, many

:04:22.:04:26.

of the Royal Parks were closing early Bostock and they may also be

:04:27.:04:29.

closed tomorrow morning, as any assessed. Tonight, the mood here at

:04:30.:04:38.

Euston Station, just one of the stations affected, is one of

:04:39.:04:42.

frustration. But there's also a sense of stoicism, the notion that

:04:43.:04:46.

when people finally get where they are going, despite all that

:04:47.:04:51.

disruption, they will, of course, have been worth it. How very

:04:52.:04:55.

British! As Gareth mentioned there's widespread disruption tonight. Greg

:04:56.:04:56.

McKenzie is here with the latest. There are problems across the entire

:04:57.:05:08.

railway network this evening. The advice for passengers is simply

:05:09.:05:12.

leave enough time to make your journey. So there are delays and

:05:13.:05:17.

some cancellations on Virgin Trains services and Midlands Mainline out

:05:18.:05:18.

of Euston tonight. First Capital Connect are also

:05:19.:05:25.

experiencing problems for its services out of Kings Cross St

:05:26.:05:28.

Pancras, trains running at reduced speeds. And Southern Train services

:05:29.:05:31.

from Victoria are also running at reduced speeds, some trains being

:05:32.:05:34.

cancelled due to fallen trees and branches on the tracks.

:05:35.:05:47.

And airports, some delays for inbound and outbound flights due to

:05:48.:05:52.

high winds at Gatwick, Heathrow and London City Airport. Passengers are

:05:53.:05:55.

advised to check with their airline before heading to the airport. And

:05:56.:05:59.

for the latest travel advice, log on to the BBC London Website or tune in

:06:00.:06:02.

to our radio stations BBC London 94.9.

:06:03.:06:21.

And explosively deepening area of low pressure. It's turning into the

:06:22.:06:25.

fright before Christmas. I will have the details later. Also ahead..

:06:26.:06:34.

Packing the pews. Why churches across the capital are bucking a

:06:35.:06:35.

downward trend. An investigation's under way after

:06:36.:06:47.

three people died when their car collided with a lorry and burst into

:06:48.:06:50.

flames. It's believed the car crossed the carriageway on the North

:06:51.:06:53.

Circular, hitting the lorry which was travelling in the opposite

:06:54.:07:02.

direction. The driver and the occupants of another car involved

:07:03.:07:04.

escaped with minor injuries. Warren Nettleford is at the scene in north

:07:05.:07:08.

London for us now. What more can you tell us?

:07:09.:07:14.

This is one of the busy road in North London. It was closed for

:07:15.:07:18.

several hours this morning, as the police tried to work out what

:07:19.:07:21.

happened here last night. There were two cars travelling westbound, the

:07:22.:07:29.

Subaru crossed the central reservation before colliding with a

:07:30.:07:32.

bread delivery lorry. That lorry then hit that bus stop. There was a

:07:33.:07:40.

lot of damage caused. The Subaru was badly damaged, it set fire as a

:07:41.:07:46.

result of the impact. Three people who were inside died as a result of

:07:47.:07:50.

that collision. As well as that the Vauxhall Astra, the two people

:07:51.:07:54.

travelling inside that car were taken to hospital with minor

:07:55.:07:57.

injuries. I was speaking to neighbours who were here last night.

:07:58.:08:01.

They were saying what it was like when the accident happened. The

:08:02.:08:10.

impact was so hard because... It caused a lot of damage. People tried

:08:11.:08:14.

to help but you couldn't do anything about it. It is something that stays

:08:15.:08:19.

in your mind. My son couldn't sleep last night. It was quite a shock. I

:08:20.:08:28.

understand the police have already made some arrests.

:08:29.:08:34.

Yes, two people have been arrested, it's believed they were the two

:08:35.:08:38.

people travelling inside the forks all Astra. They've been arrested on

:08:39.:08:42.

suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. We will be

:08:43.:08:44.

watching the story to see what happens.

:08:45.:08:48.

A double decker bus has crashed into a railway bridge in south west

:08:49.:08:51.

London, resulting in the roof almost being sliced off. The accident

:08:52.:08:55.

happened after the driver took a wrong turn in Norbiton earlier this

:08:56.:08:58.

afternoon. No passengers were on board at the time. TFL said the

:08:59.:09:01.

driver was not injured and the accident was a result of human

:09:02.:09:03.

error. Many rail commuters in the Home

:09:04.:09:15.

Counties will face above`inflation increases on their annual season

:09:16.:09:18.

tickets from next week, after new fares for 2014 were announced today.

:09:19.:09:21.

Those affected include commuters from Reading to London who will pay

:09:22.:09:25.

?4,000 for a season ticket. Bus and tube passengers, however, will see

:09:26.:09:28.

average fares go up by less than inflation. Cancellations into King's

:09:29.:09:36.

Cross this morning, and for rail commuters it is more bad news. Peak

:09:37.:09:40.

fares are going up by an average 3.1% in the New Year. Some by more

:09:41.:09:46.

than that. It is quite ridiculous, considering at the moment the

:09:47.:09:50.

economic climate is really bad. More expenses for people, people can t

:09:51.:09:54.

afford it and the services are not improving. I'd rather not have the

:09:55.:10:00.

3.1, but that's not life. Life is that things get more expensive. A

:10:01.:10:13.

season ticket from Reading to London goes up by 3.23% to just over ? 000.

:10:14.:10:15.

Woking to London goes up 2.9%, to nearly ?3000. And a season ticket

:10:16.:10:20.

from Aylesbury to London will now cost ?3732. The reason this

:10:21.:10:26.

announcement is so late is because the Chancellor only decided to cut

:10:27.:10:32.

fares at an increase of 3.1% on average on December the 5th. That

:10:33.:10:37.

caught the industry and City Hall unawares. In fact, TfL fares in

:10:38.:10:43.

London won't now go up until the 19th of January. Critics say this

:10:44.:10:47.

shows a breakdown in communication between the chancellor, George

:10:48.:10:50.

Osborne, and the mayor, Boris Johnson. Today, TfL said bus, tube

:10:51.:10:55.

and DLR fares would rise below inflation, at an average of 2.7 .

:10:56.:11:00.

Travelcards will go up with inflation at 3.1%. Rail, campaigners

:11:01.:11:06.

say the government should be doing more. Fares are still going up by at

:11:07.:11:11.

least three times the rate of average rate increases. That will

:11:12.:11:15.

hit commuters hard when they come to renew their fares on the 2nd of

:11:16.:11:19.

January. There's not much festive cheer in this announcement today.

:11:20.:11:25.

The rail industry says it has been investing in projects like King s

:11:26.:11:28.

Cross. And ?24 billion will be invested in improving the network

:11:29.:11:33.

over the next five years. No one likes paying more, particularly at

:11:34.:11:42.

the moment, when the economy is under pressure. But what it is being

:11:43.:11:45.

able to do is help us to invest more in the network, and that ultimately

:11:46.:11:48.

lead two to more satisfaction in passengers. An end in sight to the

:11:49.:11:53.

fare rises, do you think? That's one for Government. At the moment there

:11:54.:11:57.

is no end in sight to the fare rises. The number of young people

:11:58.:12:08.

sleeping on the streets in London has doubled in the past three years,

:12:09.:12:12.

according to the charity Crisis It says high rents and welfare reforms

:12:13.:12:15.

are to blame. Katharine Carpenter has been to a shelter in Camden to

:12:16.:12:20.

find out more. Preparing lunch for 250 people. Fortunately the home

:12:21.:12:24.

economics room at this north London secondary is up to the job, as the

:12:25.:12:28.

hundreds of volunteers. It is the first time Crisis has used a school

:12:29.:12:32.

for one of its Christmas centres. But with an increasing number of

:12:33.:12:35.

homeless people in the capital, even the gym will be put to good use The

:12:36.:12:39.

scale of the Centre is impressive, it feels like a small village. There

:12:40.:12:44.

is a sewing room, where people can get their clothes mended this is a

:12:45.:12:59.

locker room, where things can be left for the whole of the festive

:13:00.:13:02.

period. There's also a beauty salon here. You can see people getting

:13:03.:13:04.

their hair cut, then they'll stun and there's even going to be a

:13:05.:13:07.

dentist offering treatment. Getting a haircut is an amazing

:13:08.:13:09.

transformation for me. It's built up my self`confidence. Able to access

:13:10.:13:11.

all the facilities, as in job advice, housing advice, benefit

:13:12.:13:15.

advice. John still has those challenges to face. A former

:13:16.:13:18.

Grenadier Guards, he lost his marriage, job and home. I'm hoping

:13:19.:13:23.

to get somewhere to live. Try and get a job and start working again.

:13:24.:13:28.

That is all I've ever done. I started working when I was 15. This

:13:29.:13:33.

year, Crisis is particularly worried about the plight of young people. It

:13:34.:13:37.

says the number sleeping rough in London has more than doubled in

:13:38.:14:28.

three years, with 8% of 16 to 24`year`olds reporting being

:14:29.:14:30.

homeless recently. Short`term, we need to look at how housing benefit

:14:31.:14:32.

is affecting the kind of housing that is available for under 35s not

:14:33.:14:34.

just under 25s. Still to come: both sides of London are connected

:14:35.:15:36.

by the church. Three years ago, just 20 people had

:15:37.:15:42.

come here in Bethnal Green. It is a little different now. The

:15:43.:15:48.

congregation has grown sixfold. It is in the middle of a bunch of

:15:49.:15:53.

estates and the church is directly serving local people. The first time

:15:54.:15:58.

I came, this time last year, they were shovelling snow out of the

:15:59.:16:03.

doorways. High church mixes with the modern in

:16:04.:16:04.

the same service. We have been involved in all sorts

:16:05.:16:19.

of things locally that mean we are on the side of people. City safe

:16:20.:16:25.

havens on the Hackney Road. Connected with schools. Doing things

:16:26.:16:31.

with young and old people. The churches have seen 10% fewer

:16:32.:16:35.

people coming through their doors in the last decade. Compare that with

:16:36.:16:40.

London, churches across all denominations have seen a 16% growth

:16:41.:16:46.

in attendance, the majority among black and immigrant communities Now

:16:47.:16:51.

9% of Londoners go to church once a week. At Saint Pauls Cathedral, the

:16:52.:16:56.

numbers are rising as well. Slightly easier for the London

:16:57.:16:59.

churches to get their message to the local community.

:17:00.:17:06.

This is a time of year when churches are at their most beautiful and at

:17:07.:17:10.

their fullest. 20,000 people will have gone to a service at Saint

:17:11.:17:14.

Pauls by the end of the Christmas period. Come January, all of that

:17:15.:17:16.

starts again. There are some brave football fans

:17:17.:17:26.

out in the elements tonight. Here to tell us more is our sports reporter

:17:27.:17:29.

Sara Orchard. And, pardon the pun, but it's a bit of a Christmas

:17:30.:17:31.

cracker. Let 's hope it really is. We have to

:17:32.:17:37.

mention the weather before we talk about the Arsenal`Chelsea match We

:17:38.:17:43.

have been told to check travel arrangements before and after the

:17:44.:17:49.

match. Kick off is at 8pm. Arsenal could go top of the table at

:17:50.:17:54.

Christmas if they can beat Chelsea at the Emirates. Arsene Wenger's

:17:55.:17:59.

record against Jose Mourinho isn't necessarily the best. Four draws and

:18:00.:18:05.

five defeats but Arsene Wenger says this shouldn't impact on the game.

:18:06.:18:10.

It is not a personal battle, honestly, we had some big games in

:18:11.:18:19.

the past, but what is important to me is I am completely focused on

:18:20.:18:24.

Arsenal football weekly `` Arsenal football club as my team doing

:18:25.:18:26.

well. Chelsea should be confident because

:18:27.:18:30.

of that record and Arsenal are without Jack Wilshere who is

:18:31.:18:37.

starting his two game suspension. Looking ahead to Boxing Day, news

:18:38.:18:43.

for horse racing fans. The big race on the 26th is the King

:18:44.:18:50.

George VI at Kempton Park. The bad news is last year 's runner`up,

:18:51.:18:55.

Captain Chris, has suffered a minor leg injury and will not be racing.

:18:56.:19:00.

Nine horses have been named on the card.

:19:01.:19:05.

Did you have a work Christmas party this year? You might have gone for a

:19:06.:19:11.

few drinks at the pub, or had a more extravagant knees`up. But, for a

:19:12.:19:14.

growing number of companies, volunteering has become the antidote

:19:15.:19:17.

to corporate excess, with schemes being organised by London`based

:19:18.:19:19.

charity TimeBank. Helen Drew went to one firm's alternative party.

:19:20.:19:30.

Gardening is exactly your typical office Christmas party, but all 25

:19:31.:19:35.

staff in this company have opted out of mulled wine and mistletoe in

:19:36.:19:39.

favour of volunteering in Bethnal Green. They are helping to tidy up

:19:40.:19:44.

the gardens of elderly residents. It is a lot different to last year I

:19:45.:19:48.

have never done anything like this before. The first time I've gardened

:19:49.:19:54.

in my life. It's very easy to forget about what other people's lives

:19:55.:19:59.

like. You can be insular in an office. It has been great. It is

:20:00.:20:05.

really rewarding, doing those gardens. The people came out and

:20:06.:20:11.

said thank you so much. It was the boss The Resistable Rise of Arturo

:20:12.:20:16.

Ui idea. It's the stories you hear, the special moments, that you

:20:17.:20:21.

volunteer for. Money can't buy that experience. After the Gardening

:20:22.:20:25.

time to help with someone else's Christmas party.

:20:26.:20:30.

Tower Hamlets homes has put this event on for their older residents

:20:31.:20:35.

in the area. They try to tackle isolation and. Volunteers are key to

:20:36.:20:41.

achieving that. We provide housing services, but we need help.

:20:42.:20:48.

Volunteers often provide that help. Today's volunteering is a world away

:20:49.:20:55.

from the previous session excesses. Many of which stopped after 200 .

:20:56.:21:01.

TimeBank came up with the Christmas volunteering scheme, and says it has

:21:02.:21:05.

had 50 requests so far. This year, budgets are cut niftily and people

:21:06.:21:11.

realised the value of volunteering. It's not just about who you are

:21:12.:21:16.

helping, but it can inspire your staff. The charity is hoping

:21:17.:21:20.

Christmas volunteering will lead to a year`round interest in helping

:21:21.:21:24.

others. Her West End career spans more than

:21:25.:21:27.

30 years, but it's the musical Tell Me On A Sunday for which Marti Webb

:21:28.:21:31.

is perhaps best known. The show was written specially for her by Sir

:21:32.:21:35.

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black. And, next year, she will be

:21:36.:21:38.

performing it again, including the hit title song, and Take That Look

:21:39.:21:41.

Off Your Face. Our entertainment correspondent, Brenda Emmanus,

:21:42.:21:49.

reports. Tell me on a Sunday, please.

:21:50.:21:56.

Marti Webb sings the title song from the musical that led to her big

:21:57.:22:01.

break over 30 years ago. It charts the experiences of a young London

:22:02.:22:06.

girl who journeys to New York in search of love, and was written

:22:07.:22:09.

specifically for her by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Don

:22:10.:22:14.

Black. The only time in my life I have ever been involved with

:22:15.:22:17.

something from the very beginning, when someone sat at the piano and

:22:18.:22:22.

composed, that was Andrew Lloyd Webber, was amazing.

:22:23.:22:27.

All these different songs. Take that look off your face.

:22:28.:22:34.

I can see through your smile. The original show was a huge success

:22:35.:22:38.

with a number one album and a hit single. She is now set to reprise

:22:39.:22:45.

her role in the production with the original version at the St James

:22:46.:22:48.

Theatre. Is it nice going back to the

:22:49.:22:53.

original? It is nice, this is where it started. This is the root of it.

:22:54.:22:58.

That is exciting, especially for me, there's lots of memories.

:22:59.:23:06.

Don't leave in silence with no word at all.

:23:07.:23:10.

What is your view on the reality shows and the ladder to fame?

:23:11.:23:16.

People ask me that question, it is really funny. Good luck to anybody

:23:17.:23:22.

in this business who can get on It is being seen, being in the right

:23:23.:23:26.

place at the right time. The hardest thing is staying the course. Is

:23:27.:23:31.

there any greater challenge than a one`woman show in the west end?

:23:32.:23:36.

You only have you and the audience. It's not like anything else I have

:23:37.:23:40.

ever done. I feel safe in a cast with other people. I like that

:23:41.:23:43.

better. Marti Webb is going solo from the

:23:44.:23:53.

seven until the 12th of January `` seventh. Back

:23:54.:23:55.

and the QE2 Bridge in Dartford remains closed tonight because of

:23:56.:23:59.

the adverse weather. Peter Whittlesea is there for us now. How

:24:00.:24:04.

much disruption is this going to cause as the Christmas getaway

:24:05.:24:08.

begins? This is what it has been like for

:24:09.:24:13.

the last six hours, bumper to bumper. The tailbacks on this side

:24:14.:24:16.

of the tailbacks on this side undercutting stretching as far

:24:17.:24:22.

back, where the M 20 metres the M25. There is no sign of it changing The

:24:23.:24:29.

QE2 bridge was closed at 1:30pm and all southbound traffic has to come

:24:30.:24:33.

through the eastern tunnel. The highways agency is saying the bridge

:24:34.:24:38.

will not open until wind speeds die down. I have recorded speeds of up

:24:39.:24:43.

to 55 miles an hour. They say the wind will not die down until four

:24:44.:24:49.

tomorrow morning, so the delays are expected to continue for some time.

:24:50.:24:53.

Let's take a look at the all important weather, with Peter.

:24:54.:25:02.

It's not particularly Christmas spirited, the weather. The good news

:25:03.:25:08.

is things will be a good deal karma for Christmas Day and Boxing Day. At

:25:09.:25:13.

the moment, we have the beginnings of the storm. It has not peaked yet.

:25:14.:25:20.

As I just said, a somewhat quieter colder day on Christmas and Boxing

:25:21.:25:25.

Day, but another big, Atlantic storm, looks set for the end of the

:25:26.:25:30.

week. A subtle difference in the colours, and amber warning to be

:25:31.:25:35.

prepared. A yellow triangle for the end of the week, be aware warning.

:25:36.:25:41.

What have we got to be prepared for? At the moment, the winds are

:25:42.:25:49.

touching 70 miles an hour. There are outbreaks of moderate rain mixed in

:25:50.:25:53.

with all of that blue. Once we get through midnight, that is when the

:25:54.:26:00.

gusts are likely to peak at something like 80 miles an hour We

:26:01.:26:05.

could well get if you rumbles of thunder and flashes of lightning, as

:26:06.:26:10.

the heaviest rain moves through and add to any flooding problems. That

:26:11.:26:14.

wet weather starting to move away at dawn. Not a particular cold night,

:26:15.:26:21.

down to five Celsius. So, relatively speaking, I think Christmas Eve is

:26:22.:26:25.

going to be a better day. It is still going to be breezy, some sharp

:26:26.:26:31.

showers out there. We are likely to see top amateurs getting up to 0

:26:32.:26:36.

Celsius. On to Christmas Day, things really do start to calm down. Still

:26:37.:26:41.

the chance of getting caught in a sharp shower if you are out trying

:26:42.:26:49.

to work `` walk the turkey off. Then, early warnings of yet more

:26:50.:26:54.

heavy rain and strong winds for the end of the week. Just be really

:26:55.:26:59.

cautious out there, this evening, and if you are moving around in the

:27:00.:27:01.

early hours. A look at the main headlines now:

:27:02.:27:08.

Much of the UK has been hit by a fierce storm, with heavy rain and

:27:09.:27:11.

winds threatening chaos for millions of people preparing for Christmas

:27:12.:27:13.

travel. Thousands of homes are without power

:27:14.:27:16.

in Berkshire and the West Country. Many train services out of the

:27:17.:27:19.

capital have been disrupted, with some operators running a reduced

:27:20.:27:21.

service. And the QE2 Bridge at Dartford has

:27:22.:27:31.

been closed until tomorrow morning. We'll have the latest on the weather

:27:32.:27:34.

and the travel disruption during the ten o'clock news here on BBC One.

:27:35.:27:38.

And you can keep up`to`date throughout the night on our radio

:27:39.:27:41.

station BBC London 94.9. But, for now, from us all on the team,

:27:42.:27:43.

goodnight.

:27:44.:27:45.

Download Subtitles

SRT

ASS