Episode 1 Oxford Street Revealed

It's the most famous shopping street in the world

in the heart of Britain's capital city.

A mile and a half long, with 30-million visitors each year,

with some of the world's most famous shops,

biggest stars and busiest stations.

Sorry, guys, stand back for me!

What does it take to keep it running 24 hours a day...

It's the busiest street in the world. It needs constant attention.

-..seven days a week?

-Oi! Clear off!

Welcome to Oxford Street.

Welcome to the pick-pocketing.

Are you ready, London?!

A street that never sleeps.

This sort of thing wouldn't happen anywhere else.

Oxford Street.

-Today on Oxford Street...

-Oi! Clear off!

..rogue rickshaw drivers. The police crack down.

You're not getting any more money out of them, my friend.

Not at that price, you're not. Keep going.

There's a grand opening

for the latest shopping brand trying to make its mark.

CHEERING

It's the ultimate step onto Oxford Street.

Police paramedics take drastic action

to help a badly-injured shopper.

Stop! Stop!

And keeping Oxford Street's sewers flowing.

-Right, are you ready?

-Yeah.

Yeah, that's it.

London is the most visited city in the world,

with nearly 20 million people taking in its sights and sounds every year.

And the vast majority of them

take the time to visit the city's premier shopping destination.

But this burgeoning scene has created

an opening for opportunists,

and the police's latest concern is rogue rickshaw drivers.

Keep your music down.

The big stores complain that some of these unlicensed vehicles

block off the street and play music at antisocial levels.

Tonight the police are taking action.

Oxford Street police officer Andy Pescott

is out with Westminster Council noise officers

looking for any rickshaws breaking the rules.

And Andy's found a case straightaway.

Pull over.

Pull over, my friend.

OK. Just step off and speak to the council here.

The man will be issued with a court summons

under the noise abatement powers.

Being Oxford Street, this type of behaviour is not to be tolerated.

In other areas, it wouldn't be dealt with so robustly

but, obviously, Oxford Street is a prime tourist location for shopping.

So we've got to deal with it robustly.

Many of the area's most famous stores have complained

that riders block lanes outside their premises.

And, just off Oxford Street, Andy's got two offenders.

They're actually parked up in the bus lane, double yellow lines.

The buses are having to come round them

and then come in sharp to the bus stop beyond.

Andy thinks he's seen these two rickshaws parked up in a bus lane

before approaching potential customers on the side of the road.

It's a strict no-no.

Buddy? Over here.

Here. Identification?

But I use this stop with my customers.

I watched you, OK?

The driver is arguing that he wasn't parked up,

but was hailed by the people on the side of the road.

But Andy saw him parked up and is having none of his tall tales.

You!

And a few yards away, another rider has done exactly the same thing.

Buddy?

Park it up here, behind this one.

Off the rickshaw, join me.

With his rickshaw parked, this chap, too, has a tale to tell.

I am on a booking.

They are my customers and I was waiting just for them.

-You were on a booking?

-Yeah.

-What do you mean, you were on a booking?

-Sorry?

The rickshaw driver's claiming that a Spanish family saw him

earlier and booked him to come

and pick them up here at an appointed time.

Do any of them speak English?

But Andy thinks he's making excuses to cover up for the fact

he was parked where he's not allowed to be.

Can you tell me if you booked these rickshaws earlier.

What, now? Be quiet.

Just now? You walk over to him now and say, "Rickshaw?" Yes?

Yes.

Not over there, not over there, but here, yes?

Like, two minutes ago.

It's proving tricky for Andy,

but he has an ace up his sleeve in the shape of a Spanish-speaking PC.

HE SPEAKS SPANISH

-No.

-Right, you're lying. Over here.

-Sorry?

-Gracias.

It's as Andy thought - the men were parked up,

despite all the yellow lines and bus lanes.

I will send the paperwork off.

They'll be taken to court and may receive fines.

But these rogues are just the tip of the iceberg.

Later, could this be the most expensive taxi ride ever?

£5.00 per minute, per person?

-Yeah.

-Wow.

As well as being a must-visit location for foreign visitors,

Oxford Street is a major destination

for foreign brands hoping to break into the lucrative UK market.

And today is no exception.

Behind these hoardings, builders are hard at work putting

the finishing touches to the street's newest edition.

In a week's time, Danish knick-knack chain Tiger

will be opening its flagship UK store here.

Many new stores open on the street but, with rents at a premium at such

a key location, if they don't make a big return they won't last long.

Making a profit is everything.

Tasked with getting the shop ready for that challenge

is opening manager Ian Longmore.

Every store has been a step towards this.

Last year, we opened one at Tottenham Court Road,

which was a big step for us,

and now it's the ultimate step onto Oxford Street, so we've arrived.

OK, guys, you ready?

Over the last month, he's been making sure both the shop

and staff are ready for the big day.

All the pallets you see here, we've got 15 pallets,

it must be finished by two o'clock.

Many of the newly-recruited staff

are members of the long-term unemployed

who Tiger has especially recruited

from local Jobcentres via a training programme.

Leandro Dantas is typical.

Before Tiger, he'd been out of work for some time.

For the past year I've been unemployed and, um...

it has kind of knocked my self-esteem.

You know, I don't want to be in the Jobcentre no more.

Nikki has had other reasons for being out of the job market.

I used to be a singer. I was on Elton John's record label for a while.

And then I became a mum and I've been sort of behind the kitchen sink

for the last few years, and that's not me at all.

For Leandro, Nikki and the others,

Friday's unveiling represents more than just a shop opening.

It's a whole new start for them.

We've got camping and then travel, but it's what links them more.

For Tiger itself, it's a multimillion-pound investment

which has to pay off.

The opening day is crucial to get them off to the right start.

It's the big day and final preparations are under way

before the doors open to the public at 11.

Everything's looking beautiful.

All the staff are here and happy.

In a week's time or two weeks' time, they'll be flying around

putting it all out. They won't need us any more.

If I'd been allowed a glass of wine

I probably would've had one to settle the nerves

but, no, I'll be fine.

To open, the store, senior company executives,

including Tiger founder Lennart Lajboschitz,

have travelled over from Denmark.

Opening a store on Oxford Street is a milestone for us

because it is the most important street in Europe.

I think there are so many people coming to London,

for them to see our store is so important.

It makes a brand come true.

And, at 11 on the dot, it's the moment they've all been waiting for.

-Right, ready?

-Ten, nine,

eight, seven, six, five,

four, three,

two, one, open!

CHEERING

For Ian, it's the culmination of months of hard work.

This is where we hand over to Bilel now, the store director.

-He's running it from now on.

-Oh, it's too heavy(!)

Within moments of opening

the store's filling up with eager shoppers.

The store's full of knick-knacks and stuff you don't really need,

but they're so bright and eye-catching,

you have to buy them cos they're cheap.

You come in, you're not expecting anything

and then all of a sudden you're getting everything.

For Nikki and Leandro, there's no time to acclimatise.

They're both straight into action.

Perfect! £12, please, darling.

-Brilliant.

-Thank you. Thanks.

It's a solid start for the store,

but if they're to hit their targets they'll need to keep the sales up.

Later, we'll see Tiger pull out all the stops

to try to get the customers in.

Guys, the bus is going!

To keep London working

the capital's Underground network is vital.

1.3 billion journeys are made on it every year

and over four million every day.

Anything which causes a disruption to it

can have a massive knock-on effect far beyond its tunnels and trains.

Which is why British Transport Police

and London Underground have set up the Network Incident Response team.

Their job is to deal with any incident in Central London

which might disrupt the network.

And they've just taken a call about an accident involving

an Oxford Street shopper which threatens to do exactly that.

For the benefit of the medics, what's her current condition?

Right, OK.

Bye.

A lady that fell on the escalator, she's had an operation on her back,

a previous operation, and is still stuck on the escalator.

SIRENS WAIL

Although an ambulance was called,

none has yet been able to make it to the scene

and the escalator is still out of action,

causing disruption to passengers.

RADIO: "She may possibly have a broken collarbone.

"She's in extreme pain and she'll deteriorate

"if we don't move her fairly sharpish."

With the lady shopper having existing medical conditions,

the team are immediately concerned.

Yes, please.

The team are set up to deal with medical emergencies...

Move to the side, move to the side, move to the side!

..and both police officers, Sharon Turner and Andy Baker,

are trained medics.

They head down to the escalator where the woman fell.

Hiya.

-Broken collarbone.

-She's been like this for an hour?

-Yeah.

She needs a body board to come off here.

Yeah, she needs a spinal board. Fracture of the collarbone.

-Are we worried about the spine?

-Yeah.

Andy, just to let you know I'm currently on scene now.

Medics are just having a little review of what the situation is.

I'll update you in a minute.

Hello, my love. I'm a police medic.

We're going to get you some help as quickly as possible, OK?

The woman, Carmen Dolan, is being attended by staff.

But it's clear she's in a huge amount of pain.

The situation is worsened by the fact she's lying at 45 degrees

on an uncomfortable escalator and she's gradually slipping down it.

No, you're not going to fall down.

Sharon would like to move her but, with the injuries

she has sustained, it's not going to be easy.

What's the pain, out of ten? Ten being the worst.

-Nine.

-It's a nine. OK.

Carmen, do you take any medication for anything?

What do you take medication for, my love?

OK, you suffer from back pain?

Sharon puts a neck brace on Carmen.

-I'm just going to...

-Argh!

I'm just going to try and... Try and relax, my love, OK?

INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER

OK, good. All right. OK, my love.

They've got a collar on the lady in question.

They're not comfortable about moving her with the equipment we've got.

They're going to need one of those stiff body boards.

Do you remember falling?

I did. I felt dizzy and...

-You felt dizzy and then fell?

-Yeah.

My friend said it's about 12 steps.

-OK, you fell down 12 steps.

-Yeah.

Can you remember all of it? Did you trip?

-I couldn't remember anything...

-You can't remember anything?

-I just fell down.

-OK.

-And I was down.

Other than the pain in your neck and your shoulder,

have you got any pain anywhere else?

Higher up in my spine.

-High up in your spine.

-Yeah.

-OK.

Try not to move, my love, OK?

The pain in the spine is a big worry for the team,

as is the woman's age.

-How old are you, my love?

-73.

73? Well, you look good on 73.

-Thank you very much.

-You look lovely.

We're going to get you sorted out, out of here as quickly as possible.

Carmen's son arrives, but there's still no sign of the ambulance,

so Richie calls the ambulance service

and upgrades the priority level.

So hopefully they'll be here a bit sharper

because we also need some kind of pain relief, as well.

I think what we're going to do when the ambulance get here,

they'll probably put a drip in your hand

so we can get you some morphine painkiller

so that when we move you it's going to be easier, all right?

Good God!

Um...she's right on the edge.

Carmen is slipping further down the escalator.

What are you thinking?

The team is desperate to move her so they can get her horizontal,

but it becomes clear getting her onto the stretcher

is going to be near-impossible in the position she's in

without putting her at risk of further injury.

Stay. No, no, no, no. You're not going to fall.

Then Sharon has an idea.

Moving the escalator up until we've got a flat bit?

-Could you do that?

-We could move the escalator to the top.

-I don't...

-We can get it until it's flat.

-Yeah?

-I mean, you'd have to hold on to her...

-Yeah.

-Do you want us to do that?

-We could do that.

It's going to start with a slight jerk, as well.

At least she'll be flatter. She's not going to slip.

I think we need to. I think she's going to slip.

You'll have to stop it, as well. All right?

Sharon, Andy and Richie, along with the station's staff,

get ready to move the escalator.

They've never used one to move an injured person before.

It's a big moment.

With Carmen's injuries, getting it right will be absolutely essential.

Later, the team turn the escalator back on.

Are you ready? Hold on tight because it will jolt.

Earlier, we saw PC Andy Pescott

taking on the rogue rickshaw drivers of Oxford Street.

They're an unlicensed trade

and many are breaking noise and highway rules.

Buddy? Park it up here.

But Andy's night of action is about to take an unexpected turn.

Andy has stopped a rickshaw with four customers on board

and the driver is just explaining to his unsuspecting passengers

how much their 20-minute ride has cost them.

No, no, no, no, no. £100 each?

-No.

-Five pounds a minute.

£5.00 per minute, per person?

-Yeah.

-You have four people in here.

How long does it take you to go the distance of Oxford Street?

Wow!

£5.00 per minute, per person.

You won't get much change for shopping on Oxford Street

if you pay for a trip on this rickshaw.

Give him the £20, go on your way.

Right, I'm telling you, my friend,

the price you are setting is disgusting.

Make do with what you've got.

Make do with what you've got and get on your way.

You're not getting any more money out of them, my friend.

Not at that price, you're not. Keep going!

No, I'm not happy.

£5.00 per minute, per person? It's extortion!

And the driver's not finished.

He's trying to catch up with the ladies now

to extract more money out of them.

Oi! Clear off!

He's gone...for now.

But a short time later, Andy finds the same driver

illegally parked at one of Oxford Street's landmark stores.

Step off onto the footpath, please. Step off onto the footpath.

Yet again, you have parked outside Selfridges

and you both know that you cannot park outside Selfridges.

You do not have to say anything,

but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned

something you later rely on in court.

Anything you do say may be given in evidence.

Do you understand the caution?

As they've both been warned before,

they are now summonsed to court for causing the obstruction.

Abuses by the rickshaws on Oxford Street have kept Andy busy tonight,

but he's keen to stay one step ahead.

Of course it's a game.

We'll summons them to court, they'll get a small fine,

but they make more in 20 minutes than the fine itself.

But if we don't enforce it, what's the point of us being here?

Whether they consider it to be a game or not, it's my job.

We've got businesses who don't want it, so we've got to act positively.

Why are you playing that music so loud?

It's not even like you've got customers.

By the end of the operation,

-Andy and the team have issued ten summonses for noise...

-Turn it down!

..and six for obstructing the highway.

Andy knows the rogue rickshaw drivers will be back

but, for tonight at least,

he's made sure they know who's in charge on Oxford Street.

Mate! Move on!

Danish knick-knack store Tiger

has opened its flagship Oxford Street shop this morning.

We're open, it's Oxford Street!

Loads of people queuing to get in.

So far, things have gone well.

If I was going to open a store, this is exactly how I would've done it.

Everyone's happy and everyone is allowed to dance around the store.

But if they're going to reach their targets

they'll need a steady stream of customers.

And outside the search is on.

There's our bus!

The company has hired its own London bus

to drive custom towards the new store.

Hiya, come to Tiger. It's just down there on your right.

Matthew Elwood is street side,

trying to get as many potential customers as possible on board.

Come to Tiger, just on your right, just down there.

He's set himself a target of 100.

My first line might have to be, "I've got a free bus."

Now, people may be inclined to take a free bus.

We have a free bus. There's our bus stop down there.

I'll give you one of these to take.

But after an hour of leafleting,

Matthew's struggling to get any customers on board.

Guys, the bus is going. The bus has gone.

OK, we missed the bus.

100 target I think is a little bit way off at the moment.

Back at the store, it might not have been open long,

but Ian's desperate to get a look at the takings.

The store's tills compare the amount of money taken

against the number of transactions made.

So we've been open for roughly three hours, so it's time to go and check

the figures and see where we're up to, especially the average spend.

I'm hoping it's above £7.00.

If it's anything over that, we're really, really doing well.

OK, so we've got £2,528,

which is, um...it's well on the way there.

And then the average spend, which I'm really interested in, £8.14.

Great. That's amazing.

If we carry on like that, we'll do exactly what we need to do today.

So happy days.

Those on early shifts are heading home.

Nikki's family have come to congratulate her on her first day.

First day's all over. All went brilliantly, so a glass of wine now.

Store director Bilel is pleased with how the day has gone so far,

with no major hitches and sales targets having been met.

Half an hour left, we're about to close and it's unbelievable.

It's still busy.

Downstairs in the stockroom, Leandro's still hard at it.

For him, it's clear it's been more than just a day at work.

It's a change from the usual, innit?

It's a change from just being at home and relaxing.

Living off Mum and Dad.

I just wanted some money, some extra money to blow.

So I thought, you know what? Go for it.

And then it actually turned out to be more than I expected.

It came out to be a job prospect at the end.

I don't know, I'm not looking back.

I'm just giving it 100%.

The doors are about to shut and customers are being turned away.

Sorry, we're closed. We're open tomorrow. Nine o'clock.

Thank you.

A visibly-emotional Bilel locks up,

delighted with the day

and that the all-important sales targets have been met.

A good day. An excellent day.

Never forget. I will never forget.

Neither will the staff as they finally head for home.

Tiger, Tiger!

Oxford Street shopper Carmen Dolan

has fallen down a Tube escalator on her way home.

She's got a suspected fractured pelvis and is in great pain.

She's also slipping down the escalator.

I promise you, we're not going to let you fall down the stairs.

All right? We'll not let go.

A busy ambulance service is on its way,

but until they get there, Sharon, Andy and Richie

from the Network Incident Response team

need to get Carmen horizontal, and fast.

The best way to do this is by moving her on the escalator.

But it's not something they've ever done before

and it could be a bumpy ride.

-Are we all right with this?

-Yeah, I think so.

-OK.

On your say-so, I will up and on your say-so, I will stop.

-OK.

-All right?

-Yeah.

-OK?

-Yeah.

-You ready?

Hold on tight because it will jolt.

-All right. On three, one, two, three.

-Up, now!

OK. You're doing really well.

Give me this finger, this finger.

-When you say.

-OK. All right.

-When you say.

-All right.

-When you say.

-Stop!

-Stop!

-Stop!

-Excellent! Perfect!

-Thank you!

I'm going to take control of the head.

-Sharon's going to take the shoulders.

-OK.

Carmen may now be flat, but it's not the end of the job

for Sharon and Andy.

It's going to hurt, OK? It's going to hurt, OK?

Say something rude in a different language. Go on.

You can, you can do it. I don't mind. Go on, go on.

It's all right, it's all right. OK. Good girl! It's OK. Good girl.

Move your leg, move your leg.

That's it. That's it.

OK, Carmen, what we're going to do now

is we're going to do what's called a logroll.

-OK?

-John, do you want to come and help us?

What we're going to do...is we're going to roll her over

on my count and then we're going to...

Towards...? Right, OK.

-Ready? Roll.

-Slide it under.

-Far as you can.

-That's it.

-And back again.

-Good.

-Lovely.

-That's it. Good girl!

-Well done!

-Well done.

-You have done so well.

-Try not to move.

You've done so well, Carmen.

Now on the stretcher, they move her away from the escalator.

-Your call.

-Right, ready? Raise, lift. Nice and slow, nice and slow.

-Lift. That's it. Lift, that's it.

-That's it.

-Nice and slow, nice and easy.

-Don't trip, Andy.

Step. You've got the MIVS behind you, dude. Well done, Carmen.

-Bend your legs.

-That's it.

-Stay there, that's fine.

-Are you sure?

-Yeah.

At least now she's in a stiff board, her back is straight

and her head is in a better position.

-Do it crossways, Rich.

-Like that?

-Yeah.

Carmen's still in pain, so Sharon keeps her talking.

We were shopping in Oxford Street and we were just on our way home...

-You were shopping in Oxford Street?

-Yeah.

-Carmen, have you got any medical conditions?

-Oh, yes.

And then, finally, the London Ambulance Service arrives

and with them the pain relief Carmen so badly needed.

This is good news, we've got a means of transportation.

The LAS has turned up and it looks like they've got some pain relief.

So, that's good news.

That's a bit of action to recover this person

to hospital, where they need to be.

And, with that, Carmen is stretchered out of the station

to hospital for specialist treatment.

For the Network Incident Response team it's a picture perfect example

of what they were set up to do.

It could have gone better,

just for the response from the London Ambulance.

Hence why Andy and I made the decision to move the lady.

It was a difficult decision to make,

because we didn't want to make the injury any worse.

However, she was sliding on the escalator

and could have damaged her spine and her neck even more.

-So, it was...

-Camden Town, platform one.

Sorry to interrupt. Got a person collapsed on a train.

The Network Incident Response team's day is far from over.

And since we filmed,

Carmen was treated at the Royal London Hospital.

Thankfully, it turned out her collarbone wasn't broken

and neither was her pelvis.

However, her pelvis had been severely bruised.

She is now recovering well and is managing to get around

with the help of a walking frame.

With its grand buildings and world-famous stores,

Oxford Street is a must-visit destination for shoppers

both nationally and internationally.

And to stay at the top of the retail tree, it's paramount the street

is as attractive a place to shop as possible.

It's so important, in fact, that the street's Retail Association,

the New West End Company, has invested in its own cleaning team.

It's the job of this team to make sure all aspects of the pavements

and street furniture look spick and span each day, every day.

This morning, Andre is up bright and early

to give the street a once-over.

It's never boring, it's not that kind of work.

You leave the street looking nice,

very fresh - if a street can look fresh.

Andre's a trained flusher,

allowed to use a high-pressure water jet to clean the streets.

It helps in his ongoing battle with spilt drinks.

What we usually do is, where the bins are,

because that's where people drop most of the milkshake.

They drop here.

It's like people have been having a milkshake fight or something.

It's all over the place, you know.

I blame milkshake, but it's not milkshake's fault.

It's coffee, it's milkshake, it's a lot of drinks.

Now, this one is kind of fresh.

I think somebody dropped that maybe about half an hour ago.

Well, this one looks like it needs a bit of degreaser

because it's not coming up,

but degreaser will change its mind.

Just put down a splash of degreaser.

It's definitely a lemonade-based drink,

or perhaps maybe tea or something.

No, not tea.

And the gun on its own wouldn't have got rid of that.

Another thing you can do with this

is you can flush cigarettes out of the cracks in the pavement.

That's secret, though. But, yeah.

Yeah, this is not too bad now.

Probably going to come back later after all this filming

and just do the whole lot.

Just do a real big job, you know, very aggressively.

You won't see that, you don't want to see that on camera.

But, yeah, this bit here. Yeah, it's very nice now

and then I'll put down some more degreaser

and it'll look pretty good, you know.

Not many jobs you can see a result. The result is right there.

Clean.

Andre's just one of the eight strong clean team dedicated

to keeping Oxford Street shipshape and Bristol fashion.

For team boss Simon it's about making sure the street

is fit to host the millions of foreign visitors

that flock there every year.

It's very important. These people have come from all over the world

to visit places like Oxford Street.

The least we can do is create a great impression for these people.

At the other end of the street fellow clean team member Viktor

is getting ready for his shift.

Originally from Russia,

Viktor's been part of the clean team for ten years.

Everyday I'm busy. It's a very different job, every day.

Viktor's heading up Oxford Street to begin work

but, as he reaches the halfway point at Oxford Circus,

he's stopped in his tracks.

In Viktor's way is a public sector march,

which sees tens of thousands of people

heading to Trafalgar Square to protest against Government policy.

WHISTLE BLOWING

-What do we want?

-Gove out!

-When do we want it?

-Now.

-What we want?

-Gove out!

-When do we want it?

-Now.

It's the clean team's worst nightmare -

thousands of people generating tonnes of rubbish.

And political protests like this bring with them a serious headache.

Stickers.

For example, these stickers on this map.

I use a scraper for removing these stickers.

Stickers are a potent weapon in the protester's armoury.

Unfortunately for Viktor, it means he's got his work cut out.

There's a lot of rubbish,

a lot of stickers, on the lampposts, everywhere.

So it's big job.

PROTESTERS WHISTLE AND CHANT

Thumbs down. It's thumbs down, it's funny.

At last, victory is in sight.

I remove now all stickers on Oxford Circus.

Now finished. They go to Trafalgar Square direction.

And, with that, Viktor, Simon and Andre's jobs are over.

For all of them, keeping such an important street clean

is a matter of pride.

It's got the highest footfall, as they call it,

in the world, almost. You know?

I mean, yes, it's the busiest street in the world,

so it needs constant attention to keep it looking in tip-top shape.

It doesn't stop. It doesn't stop, no, no, no. Almost 24/7, almost.

Except that it isn't 24/7, it's more nine hours a day, yeah.

It's 11pm and, while Oxford Street is full of drinkers and partygoers,

for Gary Patterson and Dan Emery of Thames Water

their working day is just beginning.

We're in Oxford Circus.

As you can see, there's buses, traffic,

a lot of people walking through.

It's one of the busiest parts of London.

They're trunk sewer technicians, better known as flushers.

It's their job as part of Thames Water's maintenance team

to make sure the capital's vast sewer system

is kept in good working order,

free of fat, rats and other unpleasant deposits.

You do maintenance checks,

just in case there is stuff that needs to be done.

If there is emergency works

then we're making sure everything is still operational.

Increased building development, the paving over of green spaces

and intense storms mean there's been an increase

in the amount of surface water entering the sewer network.

It means the upkeep of the sewers is more important than ever

to prevent them flooding.

Today, Gary and Dan have been tasked with testing out

a key piece of Victorian sewer equipment

in one of the vast historic brick sewers

that runs underneath the world's most famous shopping street.

For flushers Gary and Dan, working the sewers is a labour of love.

It's not an everyday type job,

but being stuck behind a desk for seven years,

and I wanted to get my hands dirty,

I think this is the most interesting job I've ever had in my lifetime.

I don't see it as a job, it's more of an adventure, you know.

It's very different.

The presence of Thames Water sewer flushers is a stark contrast

to the heart of London's glittering West End around them.

It's no wonder they can cause quite a stir.

Everyone does look at you thinking what you wear?

-GARY LAUGHS

-Ghostbusters, pest controllers,

forensics, everything.

# Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!

# DO-DO DO-DO I ain't afraid of no slime. #

With waste from over 200 shops and 30 million visitors

each year flowing into the sewer,

fat and other deposits can easily build up and cause blockages.

When it comes to what they'll find down under,

Gary and Dan have learned to expect the unexpected.

Always exciting when you're going down

cos you never know what you're going to see.

It's a different world under there compared to what it is up here.

No-one sees it, we're actually the lucky ones

that go down and actually see the underground of London.

BEEPING

It's soon time for Gary and Dan to get to work.

Today, they've got two tasks. The first one is to lace and bait

for the ever-growing population of sewer rats.

The second and main job

is to inspect the Victorian sewer equipment.

It's imperative it's in good working order.

All clear.

The first part of the sewer has modern concrete walling,

but the equipment they're here to visit is down another ladder

to another level altogether, and a sewer well over 100 years old.

As you go down further,

you will see the old Victorian brick, which will be your next level.

-OK.

-Right, you're on your safety rope, yeah?

-BEEPING

-There's quite a bit of water.

I'm just going to go and have a look

to make sure we can actually get in there.

Er...about just up to my ankle.

It's not that deep at all.

-Top?

-Yes?

Right, it's full of silt, we're going to have to go along again.

There's a couple of dead rats here, so just watch your step.

All right, dude.

The mention of rats sees Gary called to the surface for some backup.

-Can you send the equipment down?

-Yeah, we'll send it down.

This is basically to beat the rats out of the way

cos Gary's quite scared of rats.

So, this is how far he can get to them.

He can't get any closer, apparently.

Coming down!

The rats around here are a big problem.

They breed so quickly. I mean, they've never seen the surface,

they just live and die down here.

But they just multiply, it's just out of control.

-But at least the poison's working.

-Yeah.

Time for task one - taking on the rats.

That's a bit of poison for a rat.

Rats teeth constantly grow and they need something to gnaw,

but they eat the brickwork, you've got wood down here,

they can go through cables. It depends what's in the sewer, as well.

So, it's not like us humans.

Rats, they're like mating with, I dunno,

brothers, sisters, everything. ain't they?

Mad. They'll get immune to this bait, anyway.

-All right?

-Right, that's the last bit, yeah?

Gary and Dan are part of a team of 39 Thames Water flushers that patrol

London's largest trunk sewers to ensure things keep flowing.

In total, they clear around 80,000 blockages a year.

The majority of these are caused by cooking fats and oils,

which congeal in the sewers

forming a thick layer around the walls and pipes.

That is a lump of fat.

That's what you get from restaurants.

It builds up on the sides.

Just break it, it's just fat.

It can go from one side 100%

and you've still got the flow underneath it

and you've got to sit there with a shovel and just

channel through it until it's all off.

The fat out of the way, they head on to their destination,

and the rats aren't far behind.

-And around your feet.

-Up there, look.

-There you go.

-Just down the back, there.

-There he goes.

-There he goes.

-He's gone behind.

No, it's not there now.

Time to turn to the task in hand.

This is a penstock, a cast-iron Victorian valve

used to divert the neighbouring sewer

for maintenance and emergencies.

It's as essential today as the day it was fitted.

What it does,

we open this penstock and it transfers the flow

from the mid level, down the Regent sewer,

all the way up to Piccadilly.

If we don't maintain these on a regular basis they will seize up.

Cos these are old. These are original penstocks that were put in.

But, yeah, we have to take it fully up, let it flow through a bit,

and then let it close back down.

Behind this wall here is where the mid level one sewer is.

So, when we lift this it's going to rush through here.

-Right, are you ready?

-Yeah.

They set about opening the penstock.

With 100-year-old cast iron technology, it's not easy to shift.

That's tight, innit?

-OK, it's toward you, innit?

-I don't know.

Yeah, that's it.

-OK?

-Yeah.

That's the only trouble,

when you start working in environments like this...

you start to build up a sweat.

And, despite not having seen the light of day for over a century,

the penstock is soon shown to be in working order.

I'm just going to move some stones,

so that it drops the level quite better.

It's flowing better now.

This is where you get silt and stones

that sits in it, and it builds up and it builds up.

So the water's stuck behind the stones,

so I just made a pathway to get the flow.

-That's lovely now.

-Nice and smooth.

-Yeah.

# You spin me right round, Baby, right round

# Like a record baby. #

I've earned myself another shower.

With the penstock greased and working,

Gary takes the chance to search for some more treasures from the past.

HE WHISTLES

Let's see what we've got there.

A bit of DIY.

Here we go, look. This is what I was looking for.

As you can see, it's an old coin. It's proper rusted up.

But you get all the coins. Farthings...

..old spoons, knives and forks. If you've got time on your hands

you can just have a look around, see what you've got.

People outside work,

they ask what job you do and the first thing they do,

"Eurgh! Do you get covered in poo?"

No. You don't get covered in poo.

It's a job that you can sit back and you can be proud of.

Cos you're maintaining the sewers of what the Victorians built.

Some of it is amazing.

You'll never get a brickie who can cut....

something like this.

I'd put it down as one of the wonders of the world.

This is my office. Innit, Dan?

-Yeah.

-It's our office.

The only downfall is, you don't get tea or coffee.

HE LAUGHS

Going up.

And, with that, it's job done for Gary and Dan.

Time to head for the surface and some of the unexpected inhabitants

that lurk above ground in the small hours on Oxford Street.

-What's that smelly

-BLEEP

-down there?

What's happening? What's down there?

Give me a sword, I'll go down there and kill them all.

-What you think's down there?

-I've got a ticket.

-That goes underground.

-THEY ALL LAUGH.