0:00:02 > 0:00:05Oxford Street is the most famous shopping street in the world
0:00:05 > 0:00:07in the heart of Britain's capital city.
0:00:07 > 0:00:12A mile and a half long with 30 million visitors each year.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14With some of the world's most famous shops,
0:00:14 > 0:00:17- biggest stars...- Kate Moss!
0:00:17 > 0:00:21- ..and busiest stations. - Sorry, guys, stand back for me.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24What does it take to keep it running 24 hours a day...
0:00:24 > 0:00:27It's the busiest street in the world so it needs constant attention.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30- ..seven days a week?- Oi, clear off!
0:00:30 > 0:00:33Welcome to Oxford Street. Welcome to the pickpocket team.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35Are you ready, London?
0:00:35 > 0:00:38A street that never sleeps.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40This sort of thing wouldn't happen anywhere else.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49- Today on Oxford Street... - Yeah, go ahead.
0:00:49 > 0:00:50..there's an injured passenger...
0:00:50 > 0:00:53He's fallen down the escalator. He's in considerable pain right now.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57..and two disgruntled tourists for the police to deal with.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00Why the hell were they being charged £240?
0:01:00 > 0:01:01Hello, how are you?
0:01:01 > 0:01:06- The clean team get to grips with Friday night.- Are we on TV?
0:01:06 > 0:01:08And can these miners stop a £1 billion project
0:01:08 > 0:01:10hitting the buffers?
0:01:10 > 0:01:13You can hear the trains coming and going every couple of minutes.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15It can be a bit frightening sometimes.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23It's early evening and Police Constable Adam Mee
0:01:23 > 0:01:30and Trainee Police Community Support Officer Lauren Grey are beginning their patrol on Oxford Street.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34They are two of the nearly 3,000 officers of the British Transport Police,
0:01:34 > 0:01:39the national police force tasked with keeping the UK's rail network safe.
0:01:40 > 0:01:45Oxford Street, with its four Tube stations and 30 million annual visitors,
0:01:45 > 0:01:49is one of the busiest and most important areas they police.
0:01:49 > 0:01:55As you can see now, it's the afternoon rush hour on Oxford Street, it's very, very busy.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57Lots and lots of people around.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00Oxford Circus is the biggest station in the UK,
0:02:00 > 0:02:04with 130 million passenger movements a year.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08For the officers that police it, rush hour can be crunch time
0:02:08 > 0:02:10and as they enter the station tonight,
0:02:10 > 0:02:13they're greeted by a sight no-one in the Underground ever wants to see.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19A closed escalator means more chance of passenger congestion
0:02:19 > 0:02:22and in this case, there's someone at the bottom.
0:02:25 > 0:02:30PCSO Lauren gets a call which sends her to the supervisor's office.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34She is not stopping to explain to Adam what the issue is.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36I have no idea what she's doing in there.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39I look like a confused idiot right now, cos she hasn't told me,
0:02:39 > 0:02:42but I'm sure we'll find out soon and all will be revealed.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47Lauren's call was about Hussein Ali.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50He was coming down the escalator on crutches
0:02:50 > 0:02:53due to an injured knee he damaged playing football,
0:02:53 > 0:02:56but he slipped and fell a long way.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00He needs medical attention and Lauren is doing her best to help.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03Can I get any painkillers of some sort?
0:03:03 > 0:03:05Will they have ibuprofen upstairs to give to him?
0:03:05 > 0:03:08I don't want to give him anything until the paramedics have seen him.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12- Do you want to explain to him?- We're not...- It's only because he's asking.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15On you go.
0:03:15 > 0:03:16With Adam answering the radio,
0:03:16 > 0:03:19Lauren will have to break the bad news.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23We can't get you any painkillers at the moment, only because we are not medically qualified,
0:03:23 > 0:03:25even if you're asking for them.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28That's why we've called the paramedic, then they can come down.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30Not the news he wanted to hear.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34Yeah, can I please request LAS to Oxford Circus Underground Station?
0:03:34 > 0:03:38We've got a gentleman that's fallen down the escalator about halfway,
0:03:38 > 0:03:40he's in quite considerable pain right now.
0:03:42 > 0:03:47The officers won't reopen the escalators until Hussein has been moved,
0:03:47 > 0:03:50so rush-hour passengers are squeezed into one lane.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55Well, basically what happened was I was trying to come down the escalator
0:03:55 > 0:04:00and I just fell down.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03I didn't have no balance and I was saved by a guy
0:04:03 > 0:04:10and I think I'd have broken my knee even further, I think, if it wasn't for the person.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12Thank God he saved me.
0:04:12 > 0:04:17After 20 minutes, Adam decides to go up top and look for the ambulance.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21But on the surface, he's attracted the attention
0:04:21 > 0:04:26of two flustered foreign tourists in need of help from the law.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29So, what were you meant to be paying for?
0:04:29 > 0:04:31- What were you buying?- A gift.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33- A gift. What shop?- Not far away.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36The two lads think a souvenir shop on the street
0:04:36 > 0:04:39has massively overcharged them for something they've bought.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42- And they told him just- £8. £8?
0:04:42 > 0:04:44They're having a laugh, aren't they?
0:04:44 > 0:04:47- Right, we'll go have a chat with them, shall we?- OK.
0:04:48 > 0:04:53- So what were you buying?- All they've bought is three e-cigarettes.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56The lads up here have come to me with these receipts here.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58Apparently they were charged £8 for an item,
0:04:58 > 0:05:03but on these receipts, they're saying they've been charged £240 and £180,
0:05:03 > 0:05:05so we're going to see if we can figure out what happened
0:05:05 > 0:05:08and hopefully clear this matter up.
0:05:08 > 0:05:14Later in the programme, we'll see if these are the three most expensive e-cigarettes ever made
0:05:14 > 0:05:17and whether Hussein gets home.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30If Oxford Street is to continue competing internationally for shoppers
0:05:30 > 0:05:33with New York's Fifth Avenue and Paris's Boulevard Haussmann,
0:05:33 > 0:05:38it's got to make sure it is kept as attractive a place to shop as possible.
0:05:39 > 0:05:45A large part of that job falls to Samuel Oyema and his Westminster Council cleaning team.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47Making sure all aspects of the pavements
0:05:47 > 0:05:51and streets come up to scratch falls on their shoulders.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53If you can pick up any litter bin lorry there...
0:05:53 > 0:05:58Environmental manager Samuel and his team have got a busy shift ahead of them.
0:05:58 > 0:06:03Samuel oversees the night cleaning of the street and, as it's a Friday,
0:06:03 > 0:06:05there's going to be plenty to clean.
0:06:05 > 0:06:10Everyone all over the world knows Oxford Street is one of the busiest streets in the whole world
0:06:10 > 0:06:15and that is why that street must always be kept clean.
0:06:16 > 0:06:22Oxford Street generates between 50,000-100,000 kilos of waste every single day
0:06:22 > 0:06:26and it's Samuel and his team's job to get rid of it.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32The team have some of the most sophisticated cleaning equipment going
0:06:32 > 0:06:34to help them in their mammoth task.
0:06:34 > 0:06:39For fellow clean team member John, it is his night to work the automated sweeper.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45It can be very messy.
0:06:47 > 0:06:48A lot of people, a lot of mess.
0:06:51 > 0:06:56It's not a bad bit of kit. 26mph, excellent turning circle.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59It beats pushing a broom.
0:07:02 > 0:07:07The average time to fill up the bins is five to ten minutes.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11Within ten minutes, we will go and come back in ten minutes
0:07:11 > 0:07:12and see the bins will be overflowing.
0:07:12 > 0:07:19A key problem for the team is the waste generated by customers from fast food restaurants.
0:07:19 > 0:07:24Anywhere you see the fast food, you will always see litter around.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28By the time they've finished eating, they leave everything and move away.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33Other waste left over is even less attractive.
0:07:33 > 0:07:40If you look on the floor here, that is a urination on top of the bag.
0:07:42 > 0:07:43Further down the street
0:07:43 > 0:07:47and Samuel is witness to just the sort of careless behaviour
0:07:47 > 0:07:50that creates unnecessary work for his team.
0:07:51 > 0:07:57Did you see? Watch, watch. Watch him throwing it on the floor.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03We just have to clean it and make sure it keeps to the standard.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06Later in the programme, as the evening wears on,
0:08:06 > 0:08:10the clean team come face-to-face with the general public.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12I'm Chris Cusworth, get to know.
0:08:19 > 0:08:25British Transport Police officer Adam Mee is on his way to an Oxford Street souvenir shop.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28Two foreign tourists believe they've been charged well over the odds
0:08:28 > 0:08:31for three e-cigarettes they've bought from the store.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35Adam is shocked and has agreed to get to the bottom of things.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38Who do we need to talk to then? Who sold him the stuff?
0:08:40 > 0:08:42You're all looking very blank here. Who sold him the stuff?
0:08:42 > 0:08:46- Finally, someone steps up. - He's the manager.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50Right, these lads here, they've apparently bought these three items here,
0:08:50 > 0:08:53they've come up to me with these receipts here for £240 and £180
0:08:53 > 0:08:56and they're only meant to cost about £8, so I'm a bit confused
0:08:56 > 0:08:59as to why they've been charged this amount of money.
0:08:59 > 0:09:05- Really?- Yeah.- I was not even here, so let me find out who did that.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07These are £8. Are they meant to be £8?
0:09:07 > 0:09:09- How much are they all meant to come to?- £10.
0:09:09 > 0:09:14- £10? So why the hell were they charged £240?- I don't know, I was not even here.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17- Oh, that one was declined, sir. - Yeah, so here we go. This one here.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20Wait, wait, wait, one second. This is your mistake, officer.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24- Can you read this?- What about this one here?- Can you hold on, please?
0:09:24 > 0:09:27- What is this?- 240, yeah. - Declined.- OK.- What's this?
0:09:27 > 0:09:30- Yeah, yeah, declined.- Declined. What's this?- OK, we see that, but...
0:09:30 > 0:09:35- So this is nothing, they are just rubbish.- But Adam's not letting go.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39- OK, so what's this for then? - This one, why have they charged them £140?
0:09:39 > 0:09:42- Because that is... Did you buy something else as well?- Just read.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46Yeah, they charged him only £120. That's the price for it.
0:09:46 > 0:09:53- They told me it was- £8. Who said £8? - Orange shirt.- So why have they charged you £120? They are stupid.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55The manager has an answer for everything,
0:09:55 > 0:09:58but Adam thinks a mistake has definitely been made.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01- You said they were £10 a minute ago. - Who said that?
0:10:01 > 0:10:05- I said how much do they cost, you said £10.- Come here, I'll show you.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08Some of them, officer, they cost £20,
0:10:08 > 0:10:10some of them cost £80, £90, £100.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14They cost different prices. They're not the same prices.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18Orange shirt, a man with orange shirt, told him £8.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21- Don't worry, I'll help them out, officer.- You sort the money out, OK?
0:10:21 > 0:10:24The boys have clearly been overcharged,
0:10:24 > 0:10:28- but staff are now promising to sort them out.- We spoke to the manager.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31He seems as confused as to why they have been charged that much.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33Most of the receipts had "declined" written on them,
0:10:33 > 0:10:35but there was one in there that was still 120 quid
0:10:35 > 0:10:37so hopefully the manager will sort it out.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40We'll then go back and see if this ambulance has turned up.
0:10:40 > 0:10:45And thankfully, it looks like Adam's intervention has resolved the problem above ground.
0:10:45 > 0:10:51The tourists have their money back, to no doubt spend elsewhere on Oxford Street.
0:10:51 > 0:10:52They give £100.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55- So are you happy with that, yes? - Yeah, OK.- Excellent!
0:10:55 > 0:10:57Take care, enjoy the rest of your time, yeah?
0:10:57 > 0:10:59- Thank you very much.- OK.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03That's two happy customers for Adam on the street, but down below,
0:11:03 > 0:11:07Hussein and his injured leg are still waiting at the escalator.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11Later in the programme, can Adam and Lauren help him get home?
0:11:20 > 0:11:25The central part of Oxford Street is synonymous with upmarket sophistication.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31In contrast to the somewhat down-at-heel eastern end.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37Most dilapidated of all is its Tube station, Tottenham Court Road.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43Every day, it's used by tens of thousands of passengers
0:11:43 > 0:11:47who have to contend with a cramped ticket hall and crumbling infrastructure.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49Something is broken down up there.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53The ticket machines are all busted.
0:11:54 > 0:11:59The machines are breaking down cos they're refurbished rather than new.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05This is a bunker, very old, and there is no fresh air.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13At over 100 years old, it's showing its age.
0:12:13 > 0:12:19But all that's about to change with Tottenham Court Road undergoing a £1 billion redevelopment,
0:12:19 > 0:12:27including a new station, brand-new railway line called Crossrail, road system, pedestrian zone and shops.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32In the meantime, most passengers would never guess that hidden behind the tunnel walls
0:12:32 > 0:12:35is part of the biggest construction project in Europe.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Making his way through the crowds is Alan White,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45the station upgrade tunnelling supervisor.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49It's his job to look after the excavation side of the project.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51RUMBLING
0:12:51 > 0:12:55Yes, you can hear them there. Can you hear? You can hear them working.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59Just an ordinary door separates the public from the new station.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03Once it's finished, it will have eight new escalators,
0:13:03 > 0:13:06a ticket hall six times the size of the existing one
0:13:06 > 0:13:09and a two-storey basement.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13But at the moment, it still looks like a building site.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16The whole development is due to be finished by 2018
0:13:16 > 0:13:20and the section that Alan is working on has hit a crucial phase.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24They can't move forwards until a new lift shaft for the Central Line,
0:13:24 > 0:13:27providing step-free access, has been dug.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30This is a drawing of the lift shaft.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33We've got to dig in between the two running tunnels
0:13:33 > 0:13:35and prop it as we go down.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37It might sound straightforward,
0:13:37 > 0:13:42but it's actually one of the most fiendishly difficult tasks in the entire project.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46The constrictions on space caused by the layout of the existing tunnels
0:13:46 > 0:13:49mean there is no way of digging with modern heavy plant machinery.
0:13:49 > 0:13:54To do the job, they've had to bring in a specialist team, not of builders,
0:13:54 > 0:13:59but miners, and the success of a £1 billion project now comes down
0:13:59 > 0:14:02to two men and two spades.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05We use clay spades for digging, so it is all traditional methods
0:14:05 > 0:14:07we're using here.
0:14:09 > 0:14:15Working just inches away from the existing train line on either side of them makes this job unique.
0:14:15 > 0:14:20Patrick heads up the specialist mining team brought over from Donegal in Ireland.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24Well, we can hear the trains coming and going every couple of minutes
0:14:24 > 0:14:28and if you're not used to it, it can be a bit frightening sometimes.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32The ground shakes a bit.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36It's a specialised job and most of the miners are from mining families
0:14:36 > 0:14:40where the expertise has been passed down from father to son.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43It's hard work, I've been at it since I was 18 years of age
0:14:43 > 0:14:47and I'm used to it, it's all I know, so I've made a good living from it.
0:14:47 > 0:14:53Every day, we've got to excavate about a metre and a half of muck.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57We use this, it's called an FL22. It's quite noisy, as you can hear.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01This is basically what we do for ten hours a day.
0:15:02 > 0:15:07It's their hard graft that means the project is able to stay on schedule.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12Every day, about six cubic metres of clay is dug.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14It's then winched up in a bucket...
0:15:16 > 0:15:18..poured onto a conveyor belt...
0:15:20 > 0:15:22..removed in a tipper truck...
0:15:22 > 0:15:24transferred into a skip...
0:15:26 > 0:15:28..and then craned up to the surface.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33Because it's such a big project,
0:15:33 > 0:15:37new parts of the station are opening at different times.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39There's another year to go here on the Central Line.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42But elsewhere, things are more advanced.
0:15:43 > 0:15:48This is going to be the new station concourse. Welcome to my office!
0:15:49 > 0:15:51Mick Gould is a construction manager
0:15:51 > 0:15:55working on the section of the station that's only months away from being ready.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58These are our new ticket machines that are being installed.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01They'll be linked up to the new gateline that we've got here.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06Watch the old hole in the floor there.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09As you can see, the boys are working on the escalators there.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13That's the main escalators down to the Northern Line lower concourse.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16It's looking like a building site at the moment,
0:16:16 > 0:16:19but I guarantee you in January 2015,
0:16:19 > 0:16:21you'll see a big, massive transformation.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27Back below ground at the lift shaft tunnel,
0:16:27 > 0:16:29it's time for the weary miners to head off.
0:16:29 > 0:16:34The lads have finished for the day now, they've done a good ten hours.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37They're the type of men who just love digging every day.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40They'll probably go to the pub and have a few pints now.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45Their hard work means that soon, the east end of Oxford Street
0:16:45 > 0:16:48will have a state-of-the-art underground station
0:16:48 > 0:16:51fit to last for another 100 years.
0:16:58 > 0:17:05British Transport Police Officer Adam Mee is trying to help an injured passenger.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08Hussein Ali has taken a tumble down an escalator
0:17:08 > 0:17:10in an Oxford Street Tube station.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14The London Ambulance Service is taking a large number of calls at the moment
0:17:14 > 0:17:16and with his injuries not urgent,
0:17:16 > 0:17:19Hussein's not the highest priority call for them.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22With one Oxford Circus escalator still closed,
0:17:22 > 0:17:24Adam and Lauren decide on a change of plan.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28We might get staff to assist the gentleman onto the train
0:17:28 > 0:17:31and then get someone to meet him at the other end.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34I'll talk to the staff now, see if we can sort out some sort of service for this gentleman,
0:17:34 > 0:17:38we can get him on the train and get him to his next location.
0:17:38 > 0:17:39I'm going to have to take a risk
0:17:39 > 0:17:44because honestly, I've waited for over an hour now.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50I'm getting really frustrated and I'm going to try to...
0:17:58 > 0:18:00No, no, no, no, no.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03I think I might have damaged it further now.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06And that's a bad start, but as there is definitely no ambulance,
0:18:06 > 0:18:09he's going to have to pluck up his courage and go for it,
0:18:09 > 0:18:13- and with Adam to help, he's back on his feet.- What are we thinking?
0:18:13 > 0:18:17- I just need to get to my destination as well.- You want to try?- Yeah.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19OK, matey.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23You've got to go for it here, matey.
0:18:23 > 0:18:28And on this down escalator, he's getting a hand from Adam and Lauren.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32- If I get closer, do you mind holding my crutches, please?- Yeah.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38Just do a big hop and I'll support you.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46It's going to be a long trip to Walthamstow,
0:18:46 > 0:18:50where Hussein needs to get to, the last stop on the line.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52We've got a gentleman coming in on crutches.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55Do you mind moving up one seat for us, please? Thank you.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59Don't rush it, you're all right.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04You all right? OK, matey, good luck. Let them know where you're getting off at.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09He's away and it looks like he made the right call.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13We've had an update from our control room that the ambulance still hasn't been assigned to the call
0:19:13 > 0:19:16and he was adamant that he wanted to get home.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18The staff are going to help him off the train,
0:19:18 > 0:19:21he'll hopefully get home or if he needs to go to the hospital,
0:19:21 > 0:19:23he can get himself down there in a cab.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27With Hussein safely on his way, Adam and Lauren call it a day.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31They've helped one injured man and two flustered tourists,
0:19:31 > 0:19:32but most importantly,
0:19:32 > 0:19:39they've done their bit to keep the country's busiest station and most visited shopping street moving.
0:19:47 > 0:19:52Samuel Oyema and his Westminster Council clean team are doing their best
0:19:52 > 0:19:54to keep Oxford Street clean on a busy Friday night.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58Samuel's aim is for the street to be clean and safe enough
0:19:58 > 0:20:00that people could walk down it in bare feet,
0:20:00 > 0:20:04and tonight, some people are putting this to the test.
0:20:04 > 0:20:05Hello, how are you?
0:20:06 > 0:20:10You're walking barefoot with confidence on the street.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13Yeah, this street is clean.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16For John in the automated sweeper,
0:20:16 > 0:20:20some of his biggest obstacles are members of the public.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25They'll just jump out in front of you and stuff like that.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27Some of them even try and flag you down,
0:20:27 > 0:20:29thinking that you're a cab, you know.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31You've got to be very aware.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37- Are we on TV?- Sorry, lads. Mind yourselves.- What are you saying?
0:20:37 > 0:20:41I'm Chris Cusworth, get to know. I'm from Essex, yeah?
0:20:41 > 0:20:44You're from Essex as well, yeah?
0:20:46 > 0:20:49As you can see, you do get some characters.
0:20:51 > 0:20:52HE LAUGHS
0:20:54 > 0:20:55Further down the street,
0:20:55 > 0:20:59Samuel is putting the finishing touches to his tour of duty.
0:20:59 > 0:21:04I'm checking around the area and I am happy. The sweeper has done his best.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07He's got everywhere cleaned up.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11So we'll come down here now and get all these bags off the street.
0:21:11 > 0:21:12When we've done that,
0:21:12 > 0:21:18you will see Oxford Street is as new as it is supposed to be.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21We've left it in a grade-A standard.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27- Get those bags there.- While Samuel sweeps up the final bags,
0:21:27 > 0:21:30John runs into an old friend.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33It's you again, it's Joey Essex, look.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36You all right?
0:21:42 > 0:21:43About six o'clock in the morning.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52I made a friend - Joey Essex.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59Round on the other side. Get the red bags there.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03The red rubbish bags are the waste from Oxford Street businesses
0:22:03 > 0:22:05and all of these must be removed.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08Dawn is beginning to break.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12The team have worked all night and the sweepers have done their jobs.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15Team leader Samuel can sleep safe in the knowledge
0:22:15 > 0:22:19that the street is clean enough for people to walk on it, shoes or no shoes.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22It's a wonderful night, I'm happy
0:22:22 > 0:22:27so I'll give kudos to myself and the team for a job well done.
0:22:27 > 0:22:28Thank you.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37Being based in the West End of London,
0:22:37 > 0:22:44it's not unusual for Oxford Street to be a place for young couples to meet, greet and celebrate.
0:22:44 > 0:22:49And that's exactly the case tonight for one couple who got together a year ago today
0:22:49 > 0:22:52and who have come to the street to celebrate in style.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55Except theirs is a date with a difference.
0:22:55 > 0:23:01For their anniversary, they've convinced Thames Water to take them down a sewer.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Meet Dan MacIntyre and Dunya Kalantery.
0:23:04 > 0:23:11We hooked up around the time of the news of the fatberg,
0:23:11 > 0:23:15that was found under Kingston upon Thames, first hitting the Metro
0:23:15 > 0:23:18and we both became a little bit obsessed.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24Fatbergs are massive build-ups of congealed fat
0:23:24 > 0:23:28and other deposits so big they can block an entire sewer.
0:23:28 > 0:23:35The one removed in Kingston the day Dan and Dunya met covered a vast area and weighed 15 tonnes.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37The couple are hoping to see a fatberg,
0:23:37 > 0:23:39but are worried about the smell.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42They've been very reassuring, have Thames Water.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46They might have been feeding us lies, but they've said that the smell isn't that overpowering and...
0:23:46 > 0:23:48And it's been mixed with a lot of rain water
0:23:48 > 0:23:53so it means that the rain is sitting on top of the normal sewage.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55So they tell us.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58It's going to be Gary and Dan's job from Thames Water
0:23:58 > 0:24:00to take the couple down and show them the ropes.
0:24:00 > 0:24:06But they're not just there as tour guides. They've also got work to do.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10The Victorian sewer under Oxford Street that they're about to visit
0:24:10 > 0:24:12had a mini-fatberg removed recently.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16Today, they're checking if Fatty has returned.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22I feel a little bit like I'm going to go and combat SARS.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26Dan and Dunya are beginning to feel the love.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30It's so romantic because it's realising this weird thing that you are into,
0:24:30 > 0:24:32someone else is also really into it.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35It's an amazing thing to do for an anniversary.
0:24:37 > 0:24:42- Time to buckle up and head down. - Just sort of edge down slowly.
0:24:42 > 0:24:47Take it easy, yeah? Put your light on too. You're on now, yeah.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54Kev! We're going to go down, yeah?
0:25:00 > 0:25:07In the 1850s, over 400,000 tonnes of sewage were flushed into the River Thames each day.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10The river was declared biologically dead
0:25:10 > 0:25:12and the stench became overpowering.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17In the summer of 1858, Parliament had to be suspended
0:25:17 > 0:25:20because of the vile smell known as the Great Stink.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24As a result, Parliament passed an enabling act
0:25:24 > 0:25:28to raise £3 million to build a network of giant intersecting sewers,
0:25:28 > 0:25:33pumping stations and treatment works designed by the engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38This network still forms the backbone of London's sewerage system
0:25:38 > 0:25:42and the King's Scholar Pond Sewer they're visiting today is a key part of it.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55When Bazalgette's network was built,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58the capital's population was around 2.5 million.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02He planned for population growth of up to 4 million,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05not the 8 million plus that the system now serves.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09It means maintenance visits like this are more crucial than ever
0:26:09 > 0:26:11to make sure the system is still working.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13This is a little bit of fat here.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15Just a little bit, it's only congealed.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20- Would you like to touch it? - I'd love to touch it, yeah.
0:26:25 > 0:26:31I mean, it smells sewagey, but it's not like a pure poop smell.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34It smells really bad, really bad.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40As they continue down the sewer,
0:26:40 > 0:26:42things are looking good for Dan and Gary.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46The previous clearance of the mini-fatberg seems to have worked
0:26:46 > 0:26:49and for the moment, the sewer is flowing fine.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51Sorry about the fat though.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53I know you got a little bit of it,
0:26:53 > 0:26:55but as you can see, at least we're doing our job.
0:26:55 > 0:27:00- We do maintain it a lot.- Yeah, yeah, exactly, no fatberg.- Nah.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06Time to head back to ground level.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10The lack of a fatberg's a clear success for the Thames Water team,
0:27:10 > 0:27:13even if it's a disappointment for the happy couple.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16- But there's plenty more for them to celebrate.- Yeah, that's great.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19I tell you what, it's really nice to be in fresh air again.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23- After being down there, yeah. - Yeah, it's beautiful down there.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26- It's like...- The brickwork's lovely. - Yeah, the brickwork's lovely.
0:27:26 > 0:27:32Also the way it's lit, like, with everyone's torches, is really nice.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36- It was incredibly romantic. - Aw, that's amazing!
0:27:36 > 0:27:38I thought the romance was up here with the shops,
0:27:38 > 0:27:41where you take your girlfriend or your lovely one to spend a bit of money on them,
0:27:41 > 0:27:43not to take her on an anniversary down a sewer,
0:27:43 > 0:27:47but everyone is different, they enjoyed it, I'm happy they enjoyed it.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51At least they know that what I do is doing a good cause to London.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54It's keeping London flowing, no blockages.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57You never think of Oxford Street
0:27:57 > 0:28:01as being a place where you get good fresh air.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03It feels mighty fresh after that.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09- See you later. You enjoy that, yeah? - Yeah, so much. It was great.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12- Thank you.- Good. See you later!
0:28:14 > 0:28:18The only question now is what Dan and Dunya will do for their second anniversary.