22/05/2014 BBC London News

start to the weekend, some sunshine filtering through. By Monday feeling

warm for all. That's all from the BBC News at Six

so it's goodbye from me. On BBC One we now join the BBC's news teams

where you are. Tonight on BBC London:

Criticism of a housing association which massively increased the price

of its properties just weeks before the buyers were due to move in.

I was hoping to moving at the end of the month, or in a few weeks, and

this to happen, we definitely can't afford it and we've been priced of

anything. `` priced out. The housing association defends its decision.

Also tonight: Tributes to Lee Rigby on the first

anniversary of his murder. I am live in Woolwich, whether calls

for something more permanent in tribute to the soldier.

Probably the most famous drop`kick in English rugby. We're at Johnny

Wilkinson's school as he prepares to retire.

Good evening and welcome to the programme.

First`time buyers about to get a foot on the property ladder claim

they've effectively been gazumped by a housing association which put up

the price of its homes by as much as ?150,000 without warning. BBC London

has discovered that around 30 people were due to move in to the shared

ownership flats in Streatham at the end of the month, but received a

letter informing them of price hikes of up to 56% just this week. Some

people say they could be left homeless. The housing association

Wandle tonight issued an apology, blaming unforeseen circumstances.

Warren Nettleford reports. Richard and Marina are both

self`employed. They decided to buy a two`bedroomed flat here with the

Wandle Housing Association, using the shared ownership scheme. It has

been a struggle, we didn't think we were going to get anywhere but when

we found this property, and more importantly could afford it, we were

so delighted. Last December, they agreed to buy a 25% share of the

flat. They paid a ?500 deposit and, after building delays, expected to

move in at the end of this month. But on Monday morning, they'd

received a letter from Wandle Housing which completely changed

their plans. So you thought you were going to pay

how much? 267,000. And how much now? 417,000. So in six months, there has

been a huge increase? A 56% increase. And we are not the only

ones. Around 30 people were due to move in this summer after agreeing

prices last winter. Some of them have now contacted BBC London.

This is my first home, I was so excited. And I was hoping to move in

at the end of the month, or in a few weeks anyway, and for this to

happen, where we definitely can't afford it, we have been priced out

of anything as well. But despite paying a ?500 holding

deposit, Wandle Housing are within their legal rights to increase the

price of these properties before contracts have been exchanged.

Housing associations are not`for`profit organisations and the

buyers who contacted us feel as if Wandle are exploiting London's

booming housing market. OK, under conveyancing law in England, you can

do whatever you like, but it doesn't mean you should do anything you

like, you know? There is a right way to behave and a wrong way to behave.

On their website, Wandle say their mission is to have customers who

understand what they do and are happy with their service. That seems

a long way from reality for these would`be homeowners. Well, we

repeatedly asked the Housing Association Wandle for an

interview. They declined, but in a statement they said:

I'm joined now by Ed Mead, who's an estate agent and property blogger.

`` Sunday Times property expert. There has been a house price boom,

in London, but do the maths add up? They are talking about these deals

being agreed in late 2013, so 56% increase between December 2013 and

now is a little bit heavy. Five or 10%, maybe, but 56%? No. Have they

handled this fairly? Legally, they have done nothing wrong but morally,

one would feel you would not expect a Housing Association to treat their

buyers this way. Having said that, we don't know if there was some

financial imperative or problem they had, maybe they were undervalued in

2013. Certainly the figure being paid now is more in line with what

the market implies and it is no wonder the first time buyers are

heartbroken. It is a reminder that until you have the key, even with a

deposit, even with shared ownership, the property isn't yours.

I'm afraid people need to understand that when you buy a property, a lot

of people think that when you make the offer and it is accepted, the

property is sold. It is not, you are completely at risk until you

exchange contracts. Wandle have apologised for not exchanging

contracts more quickly. For most people, they need to understand that

until the grid they exchange contracts, the prop Bracken of the

`` the property is not theirs. Is it time that England caught up with

being more protective of buyers? Speak ill at yes, I think the sooner

it can be done is better. `` yes, I think the sooner it can be done is

better. Thank you. We want to hear from you on this.

Are the housing association right to put up the prices of the properties?

Or should they have honoured the original offer?

Lots more to come including: After Leyton Orient's success last

week, we meet two unlikely pitch invaders and talk to them about the

League One play`off finals at Wembley.

Tributes have been paid to Fusilier Lee Rigby on the first anniversary

of the soldier's brutal murder. Thousands of bikers were among those

who came to Woolwich barracks to pay their respects to the 25`year`old.

They were joined by the woman who confronted one of the two killers.

There are calls for a permanent memorial to the soldier, but not

everyone is in agreement. Marc Ashdown is in Woolwich for us with

more. Yes, Chris, it's been a sombre day

today. Of course, a year ago, London watched in horror as these events

unfolded. It was a brutal murder and the aftermath threatens to undo

decades of hard work to bring these multicultural communities living

here together. A year on, things are calm, unified. The question now is

should these floral tributes be complemented with something more

permanent? They came from far and wide.

Thousands of bikers from across the country. The very special ride past

at Woolwich Barracks. Amongst it all, a single wreath of poppies in

tribute to a fallen soldier. Letters commemorate and commend to the

loving mercy of our heavenly Father... Lee Rigby's father could

lead family may not have been here but their thoughts were. This poem

written by his mother. We know we will issue, but that is for us to

bear, for we know you are saved and you don't have to care. Good night,

our son,, uncle, father and soul mate. Good night, my fellow soldier

friend. Good night, our peaceful Warrior. In the aftermath of the

killing, tensions ran high with fears of retribution and further

attacks. The whole area simmered. One year on, and out of this local

mosque, there is a sense that far from being ripped apart, the area

has been brought closer together. Doctor Terry is the director here

and it is the first time anyone in the mosque has given a broadcast

interview. He said the murder was an act of savagery which appalled

everyone who worships ear and is thankful that so far, the extremists

have failed to divide the community. I think the people of

Woolwich are intelligent people. They will not be easily persuaded to

just go along if somebody says the Muslims have committed this crime,

let's just go after them. They chose not to do so, because they knew the

crime wasn't committed by the entire Muslim community, it was committed

by two individuals. Now we have to move on, but we have to move on in

the right way and that is getting a memorial. So what effect would a

permanent memorial have? Lorna Taylor's son served alongside Lee

Rigby. She has been fighting for one, even if some worry it could

attract vandals or extremists. It is like Lee has been forgotten or

brushed under the carpet. Why? I don't understand it. Come on, get

some backbone, give him what he deserves. They are gathering names

here for a petition which I understand has the backing of the

family, but a local MP and the council are far from convinced and

there are lots of debates and arguments, even, which appears to be

dividing opinion. Boris Johnson, however, backs the idea. So as

Woolwich pays its respects one year on, a campaign for a more permanent

memorial gathers pace. Out of the people I spoke to today,

more seems to be in favour of this memorial than against it. One person

stopped me at the scene where Lee Rigby actually died, just around the

corner from the main gates and showed me a design, as stone plinth

with a message from Lee's mother and another message from a soldier that

knew him, erected opposite the spot where he died. His widow did come

and lay flowers privately later on today and one message was from his

toddler son and it read "deep in my heart, you always stay, loved and

missed every day." Back to you. Mark, thank you.

Two men have been arrested in connection with the murder of a man

whose body was discovered after a fire in New Barnet. It's thought

Antonio Tommaso had been dead for up to three days before he was found

last Thursday. A postmortem examination revealed he died of

multiple stab wounds. A community of nearly 60 houseboat

owners in east London, who say they are being forced out of their

floating homes by a landowner, has been given more time to fight on. A

fence was erected around the mooring on eviction day and security guards

with dogs appeared when the barge owners refused to budge. But a judge

has ordered the restriction be lifted. The battle is all about how

much money should be paid for access to the houseboats, as Gareth Furby

reports. For about ten years, it's been a

peaceful place to live, up a creek in Barking. But now, for some

residents, it has become a battle zone. This is my ramp and two

massive security guards standing here like that. The fences were

along here, so we couldn't get off the boats get onto the cars or get

out of the estate. One resident filmed what they thought was their

eviction date. Penny was due to give birth and had to leave quickly. We

had to quickly make the decision to find a place to live or be stuck on

the boat with the possibility of not having access or being able to go

out and get provisions or anything like that. So it was very stressful.

Rachel, who was at work, thought her pet birds would go hungry. I was

worried I wouldn't get home to feed the animals, I was expecting to get

in and feed them. And Johnny says his blind dog ended up running into

the new fences. When the fences went up, it was difficult for her,

because she has a mental image of where she is. Last week, a court

injunction was granted and the residents celebrated, because it

means they can still get to and from their boats. But the battle, all

about how much money should be paid to the landowner for this access,

continues. The residents has offered the same as what commercial tenants

play, which as a group would represent a ?22,000 for the

landowner would cost them ?135,000 a year. Freshwater estate say boat

owners who wish to cross their land and uses wharf to secure their boats

have do pay a licence fee and says it has offered them a discount to

compensate for the Port of London authority charge. Freshwater says

the fee also pays for services and when the site is developed, it will

be difficult to find access because the walkway will change. But this

battle may yet be settled in the courts and some residents say they

would rather use boats to reach their homes then pay a fee they

believe is unfair. We're choosing to stay in the UK for

our holidays and more of us heading to London's attractions. Estimates

suggest that in the next few years, the capital will be busier than ever

` not with foreign, but domestic visitors. Emma North reports.

On a May afternoon, if you can catch the sunshine, there is arguably go

find a place to be than in London and more and more Brits agree. You

have got so much history in what is geographically a very small place

and it is also a city that is so multicultural. London has got better

in my view. The exhibitions are much better than they were when I was

young. This is no post`Olympic bounce. The improvements we have

seen in 2012 has made everybody up their game and crucially made the K

to for all budgets. By 2017, it predicted the amount spent by

British tourists in Britain will be ?108 billion, and 16.2% will be in

London. 12.9% will be in the south`east. Compare this with the

likes of the north`east, which will make up just 3%. But although Brits

are visiting, they are not staying for long. Howard Goldman sees both

sides. Today, he's a tourist but back at home in Manchester, he is a

travel agent. People will still want come to London as a break but won't

make it part of their main holiday, because of the British weather,

especially in the north where I am from, it is very unreliable. The

British Museum is no stranger to large numbers of visitors. 16

million people went through the doors last year, an increase of 22%

on 2012. So with all of these new people coming to London, what does

the capital need to do to cope? There has to be much more

cooperation between the private sector and the Government. The whole

support system around driving tourist growth is going to be there

in the longer term as well. There has to be a dedicated task force,

perhaps. 60,000 new tourism jobs were created in the run`up to the

Olympics and more jobs means more spare cash. All, it is hoped, to go

back into London's economy. Everyone still to come tonight: It is over,

he has done it. Jonny Wilkinson is England's hero yet again!

Hoping to follow in their heroes footsteps. We return to Jonny

Wilkinson's former school as the rugby player prepares to retire.

And coming back to the capital. Hollywood actress Kathleen Turner on

her return to the West End stage. When you've just seen your football

team reach Wembley for the first time in 15 years, there's plenty to

celebrate. Fans of Leyton Orient are preparing for one of the biggest

games in the club's history this Sunday and, as Chris Slegg reports,

supporters of all ages have been caught up in the excitement. Leyton

Orient beating Peterborough last week to set up a trip to Wembley.

There are few more joyous sights in football than those that accompany

success in the play`off semi`finals. Those which happen here, last

Tuesday, will add an even greater level of remans, by the incursion on

to the turf here of two of the unlikeliest pitch invaders. Among

the photos posted to Twitter that night, this one. Two, as then yet

unknown Leyton Orient fans. Tweeted hundreds of time, it clearly struck

a chord. Now we are able to put faces to the picture that has come

to symbolise what football can mean to all generations. Meet Bill and

Maureen. Who is the ring leader? Bill! He

suggested we go on the pitch. I thought, why not? I have never been

to a live pitch invasion before. We were so excited. And just so proud

of our club, what they do. We had a kiss and a cuddle, which

was not photographed, unfortunately, we stayed on the pitch and cheered

the team. It was amazing. It seems that the Leyton Orient team

have been inspired by the new lucky mascots. The picture of them leaving

hand in hand is ledge endear. It is a modern`day pitch invasion,

fantastic. A gentle stroll on the pitch. Holding hands, it was

perfect. Really nice to see. Of course, the BBC in no way

condones Bill and Maureen's antics, should Leyton Orient win the

championship, it is hoped that they will show greater restraint at

Wembley! English rugby star Jonny Wilkinson will play his last game in

the UK this weekend, after announcing his retirement. His

French club Toulon take on Saracens in the Heineken Cup Final. Ahead of

the match, our Sports Reporter Sara Orchard has been back to Wilkinson's

old school near Frimley where his rugby prowess was discovered. ?

COMMENTATOR: He drops for World Cup glory! It's over, he's done it!

Jonny Wilkinson is England's hero yet again! Before he became that

hero, Jonny Wilkinson was brought up in Frimley in Surrey an went to

school a few miles down the road. I'm Jonny Wilkinson! I'm Jonny

Wilkinson! The current crop of pupils were little were Jonny

Wilkinson was winning the World Cup but he still made a huge impact.

It is quite cool, the fact he has been to this school. We are sort of

following in his foot steps. If he did it, he started off in Junior

House, we could follow in his foot steps.

Jonny Wilkinson's former school tutor, David Ibbetson has recently

left but he said of Jonny Wilkinson: He would often be in school on

Sundays, practising kicking for hours, until he was satisfied he had

fine`tuned the technique, only to return the following weekend to do

it all again. He was a thoroughly nice young man.

He was a sportsman. He is a sportsman. No query about that

whatsoever. Nothing has changed, as far as we were concerned. He was

like that in college and very much like that when you see him or meet

him today. Jonny Wilkinson studied A levels,

biology, chemistry and French. He has remained in contact with the

school. He is loyal to Frimley and to the

club here. I know it would be lovely to see more of him.

His focus will be with Toulon on Saturday but you can still feel the

pride felt for the then Frimley teenager in Sutton House.

Jonny Wilkinson, he's done it. Jonny Wilkinson is England's hero yet

again! What a legacy. The Hollywood actress Kathleen

Turner has spoken of joy at being back in London and says this city

fuelled her passion for theatre as a teenager. After a seven`year absence

from the capital she's appearing in the West End production of

Bakersfield Mist. Our Entertaiment Correspondent, Brenda Emmanus

reports. She may have made her name in film but increasingly, Catherine

Mayer is enjoying the adventure of treading the boards. Following a

seven`year hiatus, she is back in the West End alongside Ian

McDiarmid. She plays Maude, a bartender who has bought a painting

that could turn out to be an original Jackson pollock, worth

millions. Catherine Mayer was in the West End

in 2004, followed by Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf six years later.

Would you say that your better parts are on the stage? Stage is a greater

risk and more demanding. When I look at you lately, I just

want to smash your face in! Smash my face... What I find exciting, you

spent your teenage years here, is that correct? Yes.

What impact did that have on you? This is where I got the bug. Growing

up in London in my teenage years is where I experienced this amazing

theatre and I knew that is what I wanted to do with my life,

absolutely! I blame it all on London! Clearly loving the whole

theatre experience, it would take something special to seduce her back

on to the silver screen. I find film`making boring now. A lot

of it is not live. A lot of it is CGI.

Bakersfield Mist is at the Duchess Theatre until the 30th of August.

Now we have had lots of dry and sunny weather in the capital but a

very different story today. Look at this: The moment that a bolt of

lightening hit the Shard. The storm that came with the lightening also

caused travel disruption in the capital as well.

Now lets check on the Weather with Susan Powell. Any more of that to

come? There may be a little more before the bank holiday weekend but

this evening it is looking quieter. The heavier showers are to the north

now. There is sunshine for the next couple of hours. There will be

showers arriving again overnight but tomorrow, in contrast to today, it

is looking drier and showers should be isolated. But they are there on

the radar picture, sweeping to the north with heavy rain for the next

few hours for Yorkshire and parts of Lincolnshire. But to the south`east,

we can see that the skies are clearer. There are showers to the

south and we are amenting that they will run to the north in the small

hours of Friday. Most of them are clearing to the north and west by

the end of the night. The temperatures about 10 to 12 Celsius.

Friday, some cloud around but the day on the whole should continue to

improve as the hours go by. Then more in the way of sunshine for the

afternoon, more so than today but with a chance of one or two showers.

Warm too at 19 and 20 Celsius. Keep your eye out, if you are heading

away for the bank holiday weekend, there will be showers Friday

evening. And of course the bank holiday

weekend, does not have the most promising of the starts for the

south`east. Hefty showers around. But then the picture should improve.

For Sunday a drier and brighter day. For Monday, the best of the tree.

With the dry `` for Monday, the best of the three. So here is Saturday,

showery, then by the afternoon things calming down. But on

Saturday, a bit like today, some showers could come with a punch with

hail and rumbles of thunder and lightening. Looking better towards

the end of the day. For the weekend: An improving picture.

We are going to return to the top story and the Housing Association

that increased prices by as much as ?150,000 before the buyers were due

to pick up the keys. You have been getting in touch.

Thank you for all of your views. Now the main news headlines: Moscow

branded as outrageous and unacceptable comments made by Prince

Charles. Thousands have turned out to pay

tributes to Fusilier Lee Rigby on the first anniversary of his murder.

And in the last few minutes, plans for a strike by power workers on the

tube this bank holiday weekend have been called off after three days of

talks between London Underground and the unions Unite and the TSA were

unsuccessful. More on that later in the evening. That is it for now. I

am back later at the 10.00pm news. For now from everyone on the team,

goodbye. When the first travellers crossed

America, they were faced with this - from snow-capped mountains

to arid plains and thick forests. The very nature of the American

personality was defined. Ray Mears explores

the land behind the Hollywood legend and discovers the wild that

made the west.