:00:05. > :00:13.Hello — I'm Matthew Wright, and you're watching Inside Out London.
:00:13. > :00:23.The invasion of Japanese knotweed that's sending property values
:00:23. > :00:36.plummeting. The house cost in excess We ask — is it time to clamp down on
:00:36. > :00:44.high stakes betting machines? It is the crack cocaine of the gambling
:00:44. > :00:50.industry. But my worst I lost one monthpos—mac salary in a couple
:00:50. > :00:53.industry. But my worst I lost one The gambling machines taking over
:00:53. > :01:01.And — how neglected corners of the capital are being given a new lease
:01:01. > :01:03.of life. This pool will be 80 metres long. It will have five lanes and a
:01:03. > :01:22.It may look like a harmless enough garden plant, but Japanese knotweed
:01:22. > :01:30.is striking fear into the capital's homeowners. With roots capable of
:01:30. > :01:38.property values in half and sending getting rid of this alien invader
:01:38. > :01:53.can be a costly struggle too, as We were told we'd have to have our
:01:53. > :01:57.house torn down. You don't expect that when you just bought a brand
:01:57. > :02:05.A destructive force deep below your I was in floods of tears. That's our
:02:05. > :02:18.Be very afraid if Japanese Knotweed is growing in your garden. It can
:02:18. > :02:26.push into foundations. It can push through tarmac and concrete. It
:02:26. > :02:26.push into foundations. It can push go three metres deep. It can be
:02:26. > :02:57.growing in the house. That was go three metres deep. It can be
:02:57. > :03:01.growing in the house. That was Forcing its way up through the
:03:01. > :03:10.floor. But their home survey hadn't even spotted it outside and insurers
:03:10. > :03:15.Without treatment it was now worth £150—160,000. The first contractor
:03:15. > :03:26.said we had to knock the house down and rebuild. It was cheaper to do
:03:26. > :03:29.knotweed from what they were saying. So how has Japanese knotweed made
:03:29. > :03:35.such an audacious attack across The story begins over 150 years
:03:35. > :03:37.such an audacious attack across when Victorian plant collectors
:03:37. > :03:53.gathered just one sample of a tough but seemingly beautiful plant on a
:03:53. > :04:06.volcanic range in Nagasaki, Japan. It is inundated with hideous gases
:04:06. > :04:14.Around 1850 just one plant was shipped to Kew Gardens. Cuttings
:04:14. > :04:25.were sold on. The RHS stores the innocent ad The invasion had begun!
:04:25. > :04:29.It soon escaped the garden through natural means — by bits of rhizome
:04:29. > :04:33.spreading. It doesn't spread by Britain is one big female clone
:04:33. > :04:38.spreading. It doesn't spread by one plant that has been called the
:04:38. > :04:40.largest female on earth! So when you dig, chop, dump — it could be as
:04:40. > :04:46.the size of a pea will still grow. small as this? Yes. Much smaller
:04:46. > :04:48.the size of a pea will still grow. Roads, rivers, railways, fly—tippers
:04:48. > :05:20.There is no instant fix. Anyone plant's brood. I'm on patrol with
:05:20. > :05:23.There is no instant fix. Anyone guaranteed eradication plans. Plants
:05:23. > :05:33.are regularly injected with poison. You ignore at your peril. Certainly
:05:33. > :05:37.it will flag up if you try and sell it. Certainly if it grows from yours
:05:37. > :05:41.to adjacent property, remember it grows 7m a season, you could be
:05:41. > :05:48.to adjacent property, remember it for damages under private nuisance.
:05:48. > :05:51.We have a lot of cowboy contractors coming into the industry. Somebody
:05:51. > :05:57.spent £15,000 on a contract and coming into the industry. Somebody
:05:57. > :06:04.the situation worse. We went in coming into the industry. Somebody
:06:04. > :06:07.situation. We have had cases where people have killed and destroyed
:06:07. > :06:22.entire gardens and it wasn't even The plant is also taking its toll on
:06:22. > :06:27.We're living out of boxes now as a A cautious first time buyer, Natalie
:06:27. > :06:32.paid for a full survey on her new dream home but it failed to spot the
:06:32. > :06:37.knotweed. She discovered it herself. exchange that the bank was made
:06:38. > :06:46.aware and they decided the mortgage With all the furniture for the new
:06:46. > :06:50.home arriving they found a second The knotweed was at the end of the
:06:50. > :06:52.garden — about 90 feet from the house but in a few weeks it had
:06:52. > :06:58.advanced 60 feet — only 30 feet house but in a few weeks it had
:06:58. > :07:03.That was now too close for the second lender. They too withdrew.
:07:03. > :07:15.I wouldn't try to buy a property Is it a bit of a mess at the moment?
:07:15. > :07:16.I don't think it's a mess, I think it's an evolving situation. Knotweed
:07:16. > :07:43.£5,000. It's a meticulous process. has gained so much awareness it
:07:43. > :07:45.£5,000. It's a meticulous process. If we leave that one tiny piece
:07:45. > :07:49.£5,000. It's a meticulous process. site, the size of my fingernail
:07:49. > :07:51.£5,000. It's a meticulous process. And that's just one garden. The
:07:51. > :08:00.Canal and River Trust has had to spend half a million pounds keeping
:08:00. > :08:04.Just there is a pathway and housing development and in order to protect
:08:04. > :08:14.penetrate tarmac and concrete we They have to continually poison
:08:15. > :08:23.penetrate tarmac and concrete we two metre front line. There's no
:08:23. > :08:25.impenetrable woodland of knotweed. I can't get in. At this location we
:08:25. > :08:32.really can't win the war but we can't get in. At this location we
:08:32. > :08:34.On this bank knotweed has been poisoned, cut, cleared and burnt,
:08:34. > :08:40.Homes wrecked, neighbour turned poisoned, cut, cleared and burnt,
:08:40. > :08:42.neighbour, banks running scared poisoned, cut, cleared and burnt,
:08:42. > :08:48.fortunes spent on an alien predator that has no enemies. You know what
:08:48. > :08:57.happens in the movies. They call the There's 186 insects feeding on it in
:08:57. > :09:00.Japan. Our job was to try and find the things that only attack knotweed
:09:01. > :09:04.and don't pose a threat to the rest of the environment. We ended up
:09:04. > :09:08.and don't pose a threat to the rest a thing called Psyllid. It sucks the
:09:08. > :09:16.The bioscientists at Cabi had found a bug that only eats knotweed.
:09:16. > :09:19.So these are the critters in action. This is healthy knotweed. This is
:09:19. > :09:35.suffering. Yes these won't grow This is healthy knotweed. This is
:09:35. > :09:38.How long will it be before knotweed is falling like this? We normally
:09:38. > :09:50.Suzie and Matt fired the cowboys say 5—10 years before you know.
:09:50. > :09:57.Suzie and Matt fired the cowboys that wanted to bulldoze their home.
:09:57. > :10:09.So still battling on — but winning Four years and £30,000 worse off
:10:09. > :10:18.So still battling on — but winning So now you know what knotweed looks
:10:18. > :10:34.winter, but they will be back. Mark Jordan there. Now then — still
:10:34. > :10:40.The best architects are gathered here. One idea is to turn telephone
:10:40. > :10:43.boxes into bicycle repair kiosks. Nowadays if you visit one of your
:10:43. > :10:46.local betting shops, chances are you'll find as many people playing
:10:46. > :10:51.on high—stakes gaming machines as you'll see betting over the counter.
:10:51. > :10:56.But there are growing concerns about players to bet large amounts in
:10:56. > :10:58.But there are growing concerns about short spaces of time — and one man
:10:58. > :11:01.has now launched a national campaign to get them scrapped even though
:11:01. > :11:20.he's made millions from gambling himself! Marie Ashby went to find
:11:20. > :11:25.It's a world of high rollers and have to dress up like James Bond to
:11:25. > :11:30.gamble casino style. Just head down I've just been playing roulette
:11:30. > :11:33.gamble casino style. Just head down betting terminal. There are four of
:11:33. > :11:38.them in there and in there and down These machines now bring at least as
:11:38. > :11:41.much money as traditional over the counter betting and there are an
:11:41. > :11:47.estimated 1,400 of them in the East Midlands. Yet we weren't allowed to
:11:47. > :11:50.film me playing on a so called That may be because they've become
:11:50. > :12:07.very controversial and that's partly down to one man's campaign. Derek
:12:07. > :12:12.of pounds in a casino by inventing a casino. She —— he has made millions
:12:12. > :12:13.of pounds in a casino by inventing a game called three—card poker. It is
:12:13. > :12:20.proprietary game that was introduced game called three—card poker. It is
:12:20. > :12:21.proprietary game that was introduced into British casinos, and it has
:12:21. > :12:32.earned Derek tens of millions. He into British casinos, and it has
:12:32. > :12:43.earned Derek tens of millions. He splits his time between his house in
:12:43. > :12:48.this poacher has turned gamekeeper. Derek is funding a campaign against
:12:48. > :12:53.fast play high—stakes roulette machines on the high street. It
:12:53. > :12:55.fast play high—stakes roulette called the campaign for fairer
:12:55. > :13:01.gambling. Sarah because, according to Derek, there is a big difference
:13:01. > :13:09.machine and sitting at a table. Here, everybody would have their own
:13:09. > :13:11.stack of chips and beat placing their own bed. There would be a
:13:11. > :13:12.little bit of social interaction between the players. The dealer
:13:12. > :13:17.would spin the wheels, probably between the players. The dealer
:13:17. > :13:20.resolution of the hand. That is between the players. The dealer
:13:21. > :13:29.difference compared to a machine similar to this one. FOBTs are
:13:29. > :13:34.different to this. The player on the FOBT machine can bet up to £100
:13:35. > :13:50.every 20 seconds, so it is a totally £100 every 20 seconds cost Roger
:13:50. > :13:56.business development manager, but that was before he got hooked on
:13:56. > :14:01.roulette. Sometimes I would come in on a daily basis. In 100 yards there
:14:01. > :14:06.is four of these bookmakers, and I used to go from one to another.
:14:06. > :14:13.is four of these bookmakers, and I haven't been here for a while, but I
:14:13. > :14:22.recognise myself when I was doing it. Look at the opening hours —
:14:22. > :14:25.recognise myself when I was doing until 9:30pm. Some days, I would go
:14:25. > :14:29.to all four, from morning till night. Now he is in therapy and
:14:29. > :14:38.happened to him. It is the crack trying to help other addicts, with a
:14:39. > :14:39.happened to him. It is the crack cocaine of the gambling industry.
:14:39. > :14:45.seconds, and you are losing huge cocaine of the gambling industry.
:14:45. > :14:45.seconds, and you are losing huge sums of money. At my worst, I lost a
:14:45. > :14:57.month salary in a couple of hours. Alford is a gambling expert from
:14:57. > :15:04.Gambling Watch UK. He says high stakes fixed winnings from FOBTs
:15:04. > :15:09.should never have been allowed on the high street. They are like
:15:09. > :15:16.addiction machines. They encourage you to keep on playing. Many people
:15:16. > :15:21.in the gambling industry, if you talk to them off the record, will
:15:21. > :15:26.admit that they want to get people in front of the machines and keep
:15:26. > :15:31.them there as long as possible. Games machines have been here for
:15:31. > :15:39.ten years, and in ten years, no evidence has been found to show
:15:39. > :15:44.ten years, and in ten years, no gambling. Today, Derek Webb is
:15:44. > :15:52.Magistrates' Court. We are going to Thames Magistrates' Court. It is
:15:52. > :16:00.between Newham Council and paddock —— and Paddy Power. New has refused
:16:00. > :16:06.a licence to Paddy Power. It says it has too many betting shops. Betting
:16:06. > :16:13.office should be there to place bets. If you want to place a bet on
:16:13. > :16:22.OK, but if most of your income comes from other means, which it does
:16:22. > :16:27.OK, but if most of your income comes offices in this borough, then it
:16:27. > :16:31.shouldn't be allowed. It is seen as a test case, and puts the campaign
:16:31. > :16:35.in the media spotlight. The campaign is continuing. We need to stop the
:16:35. > :16:38.most addictive form of gambling is continuing. We need to stop the
:16:38. > :16:42.Britain from growing in the high streets. Councils worry the machines
:16:42. > :16:47.are responsible for an increase streets. Councils worry the machines
:16:47. > :16:56.anti—social behaviour. When panorama investigated last year, they filmed
:16:56. > :17:00.violent. Staff felt threatened. People just go berserk, kicking
:17:00. > :17:03.violent. Staff felt threatened. screens, smashing it, trying to
:17:03. > :17:03.violent. Staff felt threatened. it over. They are picking up chairs
:17:03. > :17:18.they said we robbed his money. It is it over. They are picking up chairs
:17:18. > :17:20.they said we robbed his money. It is frightening. The most disgusting
:17:20. > :17:25.thing is when people spit on the machines. Some of these people are
:17:25. > :17:30.almost frothing at the mouth. Adrian Parkinson used to work for the Tote
:17:30. > :17:38.is a regional manager, and remembers the machines being introduced. He
:17:38. > :17:46.When I was at the Tote, I used to get calls day in, day out about
:17:46. > :17:48.When I was at the Tote, I used to realises that it has an impact.
:17:48. > :17:51.When I was at the Tote, I used to isn't just what is in his back
:17:51. > :17:58.pocket, it is all his issues — his wife, his kids... The Department for
:17:58. > :18:00.Culture, Media and Sport have asked the responsible gambling trust for
:18:00. > :18:06.more research into whether the machines are addictive. That is
:18:06. > :18:08.more research into whether the next year. The betting industry
:18:08. > :18:13.more research into whether the they are already reacting to reports
:18:13. > :18:18.of gamblers —— of people using the machines for too long and gambling
:18:18. > :18:22.too much. There will be a code for responsible gambling which will
:18:22. > :18:27.too much. There will be a code for out a wide range of measures that
:18:27. > :18:29.introduce to minimise harm. It is creating jobs on a high street at a
:18:29. > :18:35.time when big retailers go, and creating jobs on a high street at a
:18:35. > :18:38.people are losing real jobs. Derek says until stakes are reduced and
:18:38. > :18:45.play slowed down, the campaign will continue. I am not anti gambling,
:18:45. > :18:49.but this is clear. The evidence continue. I am not anti gambling,
:18:49. > :18:52.in — this is the most addictive continue. I am not anti gambling,
:18:52. > :19:12.Until recently, this area around King's Cross station was a pretty
:19:12. > :19:16.you can see, it has been transformed into this impressive new space that
:19:16. > :19:20.only opened to the public last month. London is full of derelict
:19:20. > :19:30.life breathed into them. That is buildings and run down pieces of
:19:30. > :19:31.life breathed into them. That is do, going head—to—head in a pristine
:19:31. > :19:35.new competition, the winners of do, going head—to—head in a pristine
:19:35. > :19:40.new competition, the winners of which were only announced last week.
:19:40. > :19:46.which links Canning Town with the This is the Silvertown Way flyover,
:19:46. > :19:49.rather uninspiring piece of tarmac Royal Docks. But it's not this
:19:49. > :19:53.rather uninspiring piece of tarmac that has got architects creative
:19:53. > :20:07.This rubble—strewn wasteland with certainly has the look and feel
:20:07. > :20:11.This rubble—strewn wasteland with somewhere that has never been much
:20:11. > :20:14.appreciated. Which is why it has been selected by the Royal Institute
:20:14. > :20:30.The Silvertown Way flyover is just one of dozens of forgotten spaces in
:20:30. > :20:36.London that have been imaginatively transformed. The best ideas from
:20:36. > :20:41.architects across the land are exhibition in the bowls of Somerset
:20:41. > :20:57.House — something of a forgotten space itself. A forgotten space
:20:57. > :21:00.is the kind of thing where you are walking on your way to work, that
:21:00. > :21:07.space that you go past all the time something with to make it better. We
:21:07. > :21:09.asked architects, designers and members of the public to locate
:21:09. > :21:13.forgotten spaces near them, and members of the public to locate
:21:13. > :21:18.to come up with a proposal of how that space could be reused and
:21:18. > :21:28.regenerated. The schemes range from the quirky to the outlandish, with
:21:28. > :21:38.between. What I did was to turn London's red telephone boxes into
:21:38. > :21:40.how about urban flair is based on Victorian technology, that are
:21:40. > :21:42.powered using gas from the sewers? Here is one for the child in all of
:21:42. > :21:48.us. Climbing up a ladder to sit tonight. One of the hot favourites,
:21:48. > :22:04.chair perched in a tree, enjoying tonight. One of the hot favourites,
:22:04. > :22:16.ambitious. Public baths! Why didn't space under the Silvertown Way
:22:16. > :22:22.ambitious. Public baths! Why didn't I think of that? Tell me what it is
:22:22. > :22:24.finished. We are standing in the middle of the pool. This pool will
:22:24. > :22:29.be 80 metres long from that end middle of the pool. This pool will
:22:29. > :22:34.hear, and it will have five lanes, and a restaurant at the tip of that
:22:35. > :22:40.end. On the other side of that reception tunnel is a public bar. It
:22:40. > :22:44.will be private, filled with hot water, mist, sound and whites, and
:22:44. > :22:51.you can enjoy a relaxing weekend there. They drew inspiration from
:22:51. > :23:06.the magnificent Basilica Cistern in Istanbul. Is this seriously going to
:23:07. > :23:10.happen? We honestly believe there will be enough public support to
:23:10. > :23:13.creatives, we have said, here is our crazy idea. People have been blown
:23:13. > :23:19.away with what you can do with the forgotten spaces here. I think you
:23:19. > :23:26.are both absolutely crazy! We will take that as a compliment. Another
:23:26. > :23:30.hot favourite to win the award tonight is a plan to dig up Pancras
:23:30. > :23:37.Road near King's Cross and revealed the River Fleet. Is this part of the
:23:37. > :23:42.church? This was the burial ground for old St Pancras Church. It is the
:23:42. > :23:49.brainchild of architect Richard Gooden. We have developed the idea
:23:49. > :23:58.of turning the road, which is below us, into a river. You are going
:23:58. > :23:58.of turning the road, which is below Below the road flows the Fleet
:23:58. > :24:03.River, in a brick how that that Below the road flows the Fleet
:24:03. > :24:12.sewage system for London. Why are we constructed as part of the Victorian
:24:12. > :24:16.sewage system for London. Why are we significant? It is the old river
:24:16. > :24:24.bottom rather than a road. It is imagine a river running at the
:24:24. > :24:47.smoother. Is there any chance of inspired by an idea that has come to
:24:47. > :24:57.smoother. Is there any chance of this actually happening? We have a
:24:57. > :25:01.it is possible. Our beings fantasy? Are they going to get made? It is
:25:01. > :25:10.possible that they are going to Are they going to get made? It is
:25:10. > :25:13.realised, which is why we are doing these exhibitions, so that people
:25:13. > :25:19.can see these ideas and take them forward. A previous winner of a
:25:19. > :25:24.competition like this has seen their idea become something of a reality.
:25:24. > :25:31.We are in St Mary Woolnoth's church spire. This place lay empty for
:25:31. > :25:36.several years, it was just the occasional bell—ringer coming up
:25:36. > :25:41.here. Alex Scott—Whitby won the competition two years ago. His idea
:25:41. > :25:45.was to turn empty church bell towers in the City into low—cost work space
:25:45. > :25:48.for business start—ups. Instead in the City into low—cost work space
:25:48. > :25:49.being spaces that were calling for the faithful to come to services,
:25:50. > :25:56.crumbling, and they are causing the faithful to come to services,
:25:56. > :26:00.church concern about the amount the faithful to come to services,
:26:00. > :26:05.money it costs to repair them. As architects, we wanted to address
:26:05. > :26:12.this. To prove it could work, he based his first practice in the
:26:12. > :26:14.this. To prove it could work, he tower of St Mary Woolnoth. We had
:26:14. > :26:18.this idea that we could do it in the City of London, a congested and
:26:18. > :26:23.high—value space. If you can do City of London, a congested and
:26:23. > :26:25.here, you can do it anywhere. That has been a great benefit to the
:26:25. > :26:30.competition. Lots of people say has been a great benefit to the
:26:30. > :26:36.is just ideas on paper, but we are in the space here, showing that
:26:36. > :26:37.ideas become a reality. Back at Somerset house, it is the moment of
:26:37. > :26:48.truth. Welcome. The RIBA judges Somerset house, it is the moment of
:26:48. > :26:52.poised to deliver their verdict before an anxious audience. Studio
:26:52. > :27:21.Silvertown Way flyover. But it is Pink bank to second place for their
:27:21. > :27:23.Silvertown Way flyover. But it is Christmas 2017! It is clear a lot of
:27:23. > :27:27.these ideas are at the extreme end of realistic, but who knows? May be
:27:27. > :27:35.that forgotten piece of land round the corner from your house could be
:27:35. > :27:39.in line for a surprise make over. That's a mean Paul looked absolutely
:27:39. > :27:45.fantastic, and I really hope I get to splash around in it one day.
:27:45. > :27:49.fantastic, and I really hope I get that swimming pool. Let's have a
:27:49. > :27:56.look at what is coming up next week. London's housing market. I thought
:27:56. > :28:03.why should he discriminate against me because of the colour of my skin?
:28:03. > :28:08.I left their angry. And in a food special, we ask how confident we can
:28:08. > :28:13.be about the food we eat. Could there be another horse meat scandal?
:28:13. > :28:21.Who is looking after our food and can we be certain our food does
:28:21. > :28:25.Who is looking after our food and And just how effective is the ban on
:28:25. > :28:30.battery farmed eggs? We are not products coming into the European
:28:30. > :28:42.Union from countries which still use system. That's all from this week's
:28:42. > :28:49.inside out London. You can catch up anything on this week's show. Thanks