04/02/2013 Inside Out London

Hello. I am Matthew Wright, you're watching Inside Out London. Here is

what is coming up... Marks & Spencer in the firing line, a �1

million fine for asbestos breaches. We revealed that the country --

company was warned about problems eight years earlier. Spend, spend,

spend - how Chinese tourists could help revive our economic fortunes.

We want others to know that we are rich, so we buy designer things to

show that. And 80 years after it first appeared, we celebrate the

creator of London's iconic Underground map. This was the

original sketch from 1931. You can see that there is a very clear idea

here, and that is eventually what Here in Chinatown, preparations are

under way for the start of the Chinese as new year, on Sunday.

Chinese tourists spend more per head in London than any other group

of foreign visitors. -- Chinese new year. They are seen as an important

part of our economic recovery, so much so that there is growing

pressure to simplify the visa system to make it easier for them

to get here. And so, as the Year of the Snake approaches, we went to

ask some wealthy Chinese visitors what it was they loved and hated

most about destination London. In the past, the Year of the Snake

brought turmoil - Pearl Harbour, the fall of the Berlin Wall, 9/11.

That Chinese dragon goes from store to store to bring good fortune for

the year ahead, but way beyond Chinatown, stores across London are

looking for a slice of that Chinese fortune. It is the new Chinese

takeaway - the biggest spenders of last month's West End sales were

Chinese tourists. So, why is this market so important? It is because

the Chinese tourist spends three times the average overseas visitor.

Over at Harrods, they now spend five times more than Americans.

England people are humble, they want to hide their wealth. But in

China, we like to show, we like to expose the wealth to other people

to show that we are rich! Violent and Chenhao have agreed to take me

into the secret world of the rich Chinese tourist in our quaint,

rickety old capital. It is like, oh, my God, this was painted years ago.

In China, I would have to go to a museum to see something like this.

But the living museum we call home is also a low tax bargain basement

place for low-tax brands. The his suits cost �700 here, but in my

country, it would be double. they limber up to spend on board a

London-bound flight. The tourism industry once more, but Heathrow is

full. Germany now offers three times more flights, and France has

four times the number of Chinese visitors. They are not illegal

immigrants, coming in containers. They are flying in club class! The

rest of the EU offers a more simple visa to countries, but Britain

demands a separate one. It sound as like a nightmare. First of all,

most of it has to be filled in in English. I find it extraordinary

that anybody actually manages to get to this country. The Government

says it is spending millions trying to get the Chinese to come here,

with our very own fake lookalikes. They say 97% of visas are issued

within two weeks. From next April, they will allow visa applications

in Chinese. So, for the 150,000 or so that make it, what are we doing

right? Yes, everything that you have seen in a James Bond film, but

what else could I give you? Probably only the kitchen sink.

Andrew Cussens film has fairy-tale English weddings for wealthy

Chinese people. We often find ourselves gasping at what our

clients would spend on their wedding. Most of our clients are

spending upwards of �100,000. I like my films to look like

something out of Downton Abbey. In one wedding, the client hired no

less than 10 Rolls-Royce phantoms. The lucky have come a long way from

Mao and the revolution. Hot from Bond Street, still claiming to be

Communists, our young revolutionaries are making a

curious pilgrimage to a graveyard in north London. A coachload will

pull up and we will get 50 Chinese coming very excitedly to see the

grave of Karl Marx. Marx might turn in his Highgate grave at communism

in China today, but he is still taught in his schools. He is

definitely one of the greatest revolutionaries. Definitely, he

also inspired Mao. Why happens now, go shopping in Prada? That's a good

idea. Mao demanded for arrogance -- prudence and frugality. He would

not have liked where we went next. Shanghai, Macau to WC2. Here, they

have 24-hour gambling, staff speak Chinese, and they have even got

somebody in to check out the Feng Shui. We spend a lot of time

researching the Chinese culture. had a Feng Shui consultant in from

the first day. In the toilets, they like earthy colours. A Chinese

person does not feel comfortable in a polished loo with lots of

metallic surfaces. We do not have fours in the building, because that

is an unlucky number for the Chinese. The staff are trained in

things like, you do not touch a Chinese person on the back when

they are gambling, because that is supposed to take away their luck.

Charlie Chaplin and Houdini once played here. Whatever would they

have made of this? The London tourist industry is having to learn

fast, too. Top hotels miss out because Chinese sleep cheap and

shop expensive. Most will never try European food, and many find

British History Guides boring. Xiang the Chinese want to see the

Tower of London and the Beefeaters and all of these things? No, they

would probably take a couple of pictures, and that is it. No, we do

not want to hear that story. That is the proper attitude for the

Chinese tourist. They do not know what to do with their money, apart

from buying luxury. So, it is back to shopping. Stores like Selfridges

now employ dozens of Mandarin speaking staff. Chinese customers

do not like sales people being too pushy. It is very important to

handle everything with both of your hands, it is more respectful in

Chinese culture. If Selfridges sell 30% cheaper than Shanghai, why do

thousands of Chinese come to Hackney E9? They come here, they

buy the stuff, jump back on the coach, and then off they go again.

Across from a Fried Chicken shop, Burberry, Pringle and Aquascutum

have opened discount outlets. With plans for more outlets under these

railway arches, the Hackney Chinese -- the Hackney Chinese Community

School sees an opportunity. A lot of places such as Burberry outlets,

they are looking for people not just with good English language

skills, but Chinese language skills. Chinese will help me. It is the

language of business. I'm a much Chinese person, and I had to learn

my own language. It will certainly help me get a job. What a journey.

Families who once fled China now look to this superpower for

prosperity. Those living in Chinatown are left to smile at the

mistakes they once made. Big Ben in Chinese means "big stupid clock".

Yes, of course, Big Ben is the bell, not the clock. But our Chinese

friends, remember, missed the tour - they were shopping. Now, still to

come tonight - Harry Beck's design has been copied by transportation

systems all round the world. Delhi, Shanghai, and it is even being used

by the Paris Metro, and in Tokyo. Managers turned a blind eye to

complaints about asbestos, and the public were right to feel anxious

about whether or not they have been hailed a potentially lethal

substance. That was the view of the judge, as he imposed a fine of �1

million on Marks & Spencer's, following health and safety

breaches at a store in Reading. But our investigation is asking whether

these problems are confined to a single store. This lady worked at

Marks & Spencer in Folkestone in Kent from 1971-1986. During that

time, there was renovation work involving asbestos next to the

canteen and stop rooms. Our only route to get to the canteen or the

toilet was via where the work was being carried out on the floor

above. In 2007, Freida developed mesothelioma year, the cancer

caused by asbestos. She found out it may have been at Marks &

Spencer's. It was only because she met the local chemist and

hairdresser, who had been reading the local newspaper, saying that

this store had asbestos in it. had not been exposed to asbestos

anywhere else. M&S paid her a substantial amount of compensation.

She died from the disease in 2011. If you look back into the 1960s,

1970s and 1980s, it is possible that people were exposed to it in

our stores. Society did not understand the risks then. It is

tragic that our staff were affected in this way. Any illness relating

to asbestos is terrible, and we did pay compensation, which is

absolutely right. As society has learned, we have learned, and we

have become industry-leading. reader is one of a number of people

who it is claimed developed asbestos-related disease from

working at Marks & Spencer's. Peter from Milton Keynes was a warehouse

manager at marks and Spencer's from the 1960s to the 1990s. My dad was

totally dedicated to me and my sister and my mother. His working

life was M&S. Peter suffered from rheumatoid arthritis. In 2010 he

was diagnosed with asbestos related diffuse pleural thickening. He

believed he may have been exposed He described people smashing down

ceilings, columns, taking cladding off walls, and all this was made of

asbestos. Peter died from a heart attack in May of last year before

he could pursue his claim for compensation. Marks & Spencer say

it was not responsible in any way for his asbestos exposure. Most of

our major retailers have stores that contain asbestos. Some have

even been fined for breaching regulations. They include House of

Fraser, the Co-op, Top Shop and John Willis. Evidence we have of

how Marks and Spencers and its contractors have handle asbestos in

some of the stores is worrying. It suggests that the risks to

customers, staff and contractors may not have been fully

acknowledged. One case in particular is concerning. In 1998,

Marks & Spencer refurbishes its flagship store at Marble Arch in

London. William Wallace, a health and safety officer, is horrified by

what he sees. There were mind feels, for want of a better word --

minefield. You could not guarantee the safety of anyone. He flagged up

the safety problems with little effect, so he began copying pages

from reports left by the day and night shifts for the construction

manager. This report from April 1998 says the day shift has done it

again, cladding has been stripped with a sledgehammer. Asbestos is

everywhere. It is the third occasion in a week. They have had

to clear up after a dangerous occurrence. Somebody has to control

the day shift if they do not want the store closed. Her renders,

shocking, scandalous. I recommended that it be handed over to a licence

asbestos removal firm. A William Wallace writes to the Marks &

Spencer chairman and beats senior managers. The company says an

electorate takes the manager of -- issue seriously and is taking

appropriate action. So what action did it take? It does sound worrying,

but our team at the time, 15 years ago, thoroughly investigated it on

those days and investigated three months afterwards, and I have

spoken to those individuals and a kind of -- can find no case to say

that any member of staff or member of the public was put at risk.

Marks & Spencer also says William Wallace was mistaken about which

materials may have contained asbestos. We understand and the

investigations believed there was not asbestos everywhere. We invited

Mr Wallace in, in a third party location, and his claims were

discussed, and he went away, we think, happily, and that the same

time he was invited to take those to the Health and Safety Executive

and he did not do that. So we believe there is no case to ask if

-- answer. In 2006, William Wallace starts working as a safety manager

for a contractor refurbishing of a Marks & Spencer shop in Reading. He

is horrified by what he sees. is very little control on the

various contractors who have been work to work on the ceiling. I did

find other reports of incidents that were scary reading. Follow ing

a tip-off, the Health and Safety Executive swoops on the store.

Marks and Spencers and two of the contract has are prosecuted.

Amongst other witnesses in 2011, this building worker. He fears

being blacklisted by the industry, so we disguise his identity. He

described to the court a girl stacking sandwiches. You could see

the dust falling down on to this goal. We approached the young girl

and asked her to move somewhere else. The Night Manager responsible

for the refilling of the shells came and went absolutely ballistic

at us. He said we should not tell her staff were to go. There are

gaps in the ceiling are sealed with hardboard. We saw it narrowly

missing a child in a buggy, and you would have to say that that child

will have had asbestos fibres and dust, as would the mother, and

everyone else in the area. In court, Marks & Spencer tried to blame the

contract has all the problems. are clear that the implementation

of policy at Reading was incorrect. We will make sure that never

happens again. We checked thoroughly that the policy has been

implemented, and we are clear that the policy today is leading

standard in the industry in this country and maybe the world. Fans

were switched off in a roof void where asbestos could have been

taken into the store, though. is regrettable. The implementation

of policy was not good at Reading. We are sorry about that and we have

taken steps to make sure he never happens again. My oxen Spencer was

found guilty of asbestos bridges at Reading -- Marks and Spencers. It

was ordered to pay �600,000 in costs. His Honour, the judge, said

there had been a systemic failure by Marks & Spencer management.

Their response to asbestos safety complaints had been to turn a blind

eye to what was happening. Because the asbestos work was already

costing the company too much. To keep profits as high as reasonably

possible, insufficient time and space were allocated to asbestos

removal. Marks & Spencer has never put profit before safety. There was

not a blind eye. Investigations were full and thorough. We had a

very good policy which the judge described a sensible and practical.

The implementation of the policy was not good at Reading, and we are

regretful of that. We are disappointed by those comments.

judge says contracting staff and shoppers have a right to be anxious

about whether they have breathed in asbestos fibre. And also what

effect that might have on their well-being and future. But Marks &

Spencer disagrees. I think, in experts estimate at Reading, they

said there was no risk to customers or staff. -- expert testimony. The

company was found not guilty of breaches of asbestos regulation in

stores at Plymouth and Bournemouth. Every year more than 4,000 people

died of asbestos related lung cancer. It can take decades to

develop. The pace of the disease means many people never know when

or where they were exposed to asbestos. For Marks & Spencer, and

the whole of the retail industry, what happened 10, 20 or 30 years

ago may still have an impact today. Any suggestion that contractors,

shopworkers or customers were put Of all the images associated with

our capital, one of the best known is the London Underground map,

which was recently ranked alongside the Spitfire and Concorde as one of

the most iconic British designs of the last century. Well, this year

marks the 80th year since its original publication, so we sent

Iain Lee to find out more about the man who designed it, and the

reasons that it's stood the test of You can find it reproduced almost

everywhere on almost everything. Even pants. It must be one of the

most immediately recognisable piece of graphic design ever created. For

newcomers to the capital it is an indispensable aid to getting from A

to B. And even veteran tube users like me would struggle without it.

The extraordinary thing about the London Underground tube map is that

it looks as though it could have been designed yesterday. If you

look closely in the bottom corner of the tube map you can see the

name of the man we have to thank for its design. Harry Beck wasn't a

graphic designer. He was an engineering draftsman, born in

Finchley, who drew up the diagram in his spare time while working at

the London Underground Signals Office. Anna Renton is a curator at

the London Transport Museum. He was made redundant because of the Great

Depression, kind of 1930/1931 and then he came back to work for

London Transport in 1932. So it was actually during this period of

redundancy that he started experimenting with trying to come

up with the new design for the tube map. Early maps not only showed the

tube route but also the streets, parks and local landmarks. These

were removed from later editions but the lines continued to

faithfully follow their actual path on the ground. Up to it was he who

asked if the map was geographically necessary. It was about which

trains to get on, way you need to change on which they she is coming

next, and that is more important than the geography. This is pretty

much the finished article. that's right. This is the first

poster version. This is what would have been a hung on stations in

Here at the V & A Museum there is a small piece of paper that, I am

told, provides a fascinating clue into Beck's early thinking. What

we've got here is the original underground map which is all sort

of confusing and swirly and is a bit of a nightmare to read. We have

Beck's improvement, the original, but you have got something that

pre-dates even this, haven't you? This is Harry Beck's original

sketch from 1931 that he made up to represent his new scheme for the

underground system, and it is a very basic sketch, it is ripped out

of a note pad, you can see little holes all along here where you can

see it has been physically pulled or ripped from the note pad and he

has just drawn in very rough pencil lines round the edges, you can see

the line of the Thames here. What is interesting is that even at this

early stage, the Central Line is the same with the drop, the

Northern Line coming down here, so even though this is early he has

got the vision in his what it is going to be. Absolutely, and you

can see that even though the design is very radical, he wanted it to

look recognizable to people, there was no point is completely

overhauling things unnecessarily, so he kept the Cental Line as it

became orange, although that was later changed to red because it was

deemed easier to read, but everything else is essentially

familiar to us, and the District Line is still green and the

Northern Line is still in black. The Bakerloo Line was never in

correction fluid, they changed that. They changed that absolutely.

call. But Beck's radical map wasn't adopted without some serious umming

and aahing first. When he first presented it in 1931 the

underground bosses said no, because they felt that it was too radical,

too different, people wouldn't like it. Then actually by 1932, towards

the end of that they decided they would give it a go and in 1933 they

printed it as an experiment and they never looked back after that.

So what puts the underground map on a par with Concord and the Spitfire

as a design classic? I've come to the Design Museum to find out.

think if you compare the Underground map with the red

telephone box, which people greatly love, the telephone box is

disappearing because it doesn't function very well in the modern

world. But the underground map adapts beautifully and you can add

information to it. Most importantly it uses good design to communicate

important information really well Harry Beck's design was so

successful that it's been copied and used by transportation systems

all around the world. Delhi, Shanghai and it is even being used

by the Paris Metro and in Tokyo. But although others may have

borrowed Beck's ideas, they've not always translated them as

successfully. Dr Max Roberts is a university psychologist and self-

confessed map nut. What is this? This is just awful. This is the

official Paris Metro map and it doesn't simplify reality at all,

instead of simplicity, you get a pile of zig zags. I have travelled

on the Paris Metro and it can be a nightmare to get around. So if you

look at line four, which goes from top to bottom, there are 17 corners

from end to end, that is more than any underground line. So what is

this map here? OK, this is very controversial. This is the Madrid

Metro map. It is making my eyes hurt, I can't make head nor tail of

it. There is a good reason for that; the map isn't actually

showing you where the centre of Madrid is. This nice thing about

the Underground map is that you can see, that is the important part of

London, and wherever you are on the whole that is where you want to go.

You might think that coming up with a design icon which has been copied

around the world would have made Harry Beck his fortune. You would

be wrong. He got paid five guineas at the time for his design, and

then he actually maintained his relationship with the map for a

really long time. He kept on redesigning it and making all the

changes and alternations to it until 1959, and so it was more of a

labour of love for Beck than a money making escapade. But while

everyone recognizes the brilliance of Harry Beck's original design

some feel the modern version has lost its way. The map today is

designed to fit on exactly the same sized pierce of paper as Henry

Beck's map of 1933. But that is with 100 extra stations on the map.

The whole thing is crushed into place. And you think you have come

up with a better design than this? Yes, the simplest thing you can do

is just make to map bigger, and by doing that you can smooth out the

complex trajectories of then lines. I am assuming you have sent this to

Transport for London and they have pounced on it and this is going to

be the new map. Er, no! When they took the river off the map a few

years ago there was a public outcry and the press got involved and they

didn't come across in a very good light, and ever since then they are

very cautious about making major changes to the map. Is it true you

have designed a curvy London Underground Map? Yes, here is Curvy

Map! How easy is this one to read? This is just as easy to read as the

current official map. Half the people who see this map say it is

the most beautiful thing they have ever seen, and the other half say

it is a complete travesty and they completely hate it. London

Underground has confirmed there are no immediate plans to make any

dramatic changes to Harry Beck's original design. So, happy

anniversary, Tube map. 80 years old Iain Lee there. And I'm sure Mr

Beck's marvellous map will still be helping us navigate the capital's

complexities in another 80 years' time. That's nearly all for this

week's Inside Out. Before we go though, let's have a quick look at

what's coming up on next week's Inside Out. We reveal how millions

of pounds of parking tickets handed out in the capital could have been

issued illegally. And the local authorities know exactly what they

are doing, and it is called cheating. We go behind the scenes

of the controversial scheme that befriends paedophiles to stop them

reoffending. And this man was completely unable to come out of

his shell, he was so, remorseful for what he had done. And, we meet

London's unsung heroes who helped end apartheid in South Africa.

is a sense of doing something really important, that was with us

And that's it from this week's Inside Out London. If you missed