07/10/2013 Inside Out London

Hello — I'm Matthew Wright, and you're watching Inside Out London.

The invasion of Japanese knotweed that's sending property values

plummeting. The house cost in excess We ask — is it time to clamp down on

high stakes betting machines? It is the crack cocaine of the gambling

industry. But my worst I lost one monthpos—mac salary in a couple

industry. But my worst I lost one The gambling machines taking over

And — how neglected corners of the capital are being given a new lease

of life. This pool will be 80 metres long. It will have five lanes and a

It may look like a harmless enough garden plant, but Japanese knotweed

is striking fear into the capital's homeowners. With roots capable of

property values in half and sending getting rid of this alien invader

can be a costly struggle too, as We were told we'd have to have our

house torn down. You don't expect that when you just bought a brand

A destructive force deep below your I was in floods of tears. That's our

Be very afraid if Japanese Knotweed is growing in your garden. It can

push into foundations. It can push through tarmac and concrete. It

push into foundations. It can push go three metres deep. It can be

growing in the house. That was go three metres deep. It can be

growing in the house. That was Forcing its way up through the

floor. But their home survey hadn't even spotted it outside and insurers

Without treatment it was now worth £150—160,000. The first contractor

said we had to knock the house down and rebuild. It was cheaper to do

knotweed from what they were saying. So how has Japanese knotweed made

such an audacious attack across The story begins over 150 years

such an audacious attack across when Victorian plant collectors

gathered just one sample of a tough but seemingly beautiful plant on a

volcanic range in Nagasaki, Japan. It is inundated with hideous gases

Around 1850 just one plant was shipped to Kew Gardens. Cuttings

were sold on. The RHS stores the innocent ad The invasion had begun!

It soon escaped the garden through natural means — by bits of rhizome

spreading. It doesn't spread by Britain is one big female clone

spreading. It doesn't spread by one plant that has been called the

largest female on earth! So when you dig, chop, dump — it could be as

the size of a pea will still grow. small as this? Yes. Much smaller

the size of a pea will still grow. Roads, rivers, railways, fly—tippers

There is no instant fix. Anyone plant's brood. I'm on patrol with

There is no instant fix. Anyone guaranteed eradication plans. Plants

are regularly injected with poison. You ignore at your peril. Certainly

it will flag up if you try and sell it. Certainly if it grows from yours

to adjacent property, remember it grows 7m a season, you could be

to adjacent property, remember it for damages under private nuisance.

We have a lot of cowboy contractors coming into the industry. Somebody

spent £15,000 on a contract and coming into the industry. Somebody

the situation worse. We went in coming into the industry. Somebody

situation. We have had cases where people have killed and destroyed

entire gardens and it wasn't even The plant is also taking its toll on

We're living out of boxes now as a A cautious first time buyer, Natalie

paid for a full survey on her new dream home but it failed to spot the

knotweed. She discovered it herself. exchange that the bank was made

aware and they decided the mortgage With all the furniture for the new

home arriving they found a second The knotweed was at the end of the

garden — about 90 feet from the house but in a few weeks it had

advanced 60 feet — only 30 feet house but in a few weeks it had

That was now too close for the second lender. They too withdrew.

I wouldn't try to buy a property Is it a bit of a mess at the moment?

I don't think it's a mess, I think it's an evolving situation. Knotweed

£5,000. It's a meticulous process. has gained so much awareness it

£5,000. It's a meticulous process. If we leave that one tiny piece

£5,000. It's a meticulous process. site, the size of my fingernail

£5,000. It's a meticulous process. And that's just one garden. The

Canal and River Trust has had to spend half a million pounds keeping

Just there is a pathway and housing development and in order to protect

penetrate tarmac and concrete we They have to continually poison

penetrate tarmac and concrete we two metre front line. There's no

impenetrable woodland of knotweed. I can't get in. At this location we

really can't win the war but we can't get in. At this location we

On this bank knotweed has been poisoned, cut, cleared and burnt,

Homes wrecked, neighbour turned poisoned, cut, cleared and burnt,

neighbour, banks running scared poisoned, cut, cleared and burnt,

fortunes spent on an alien predator that has no enemies. You know what

happens in the movies. They call the There's 186 insects feeding on it in

Japan. Our job was to try and find the things that only attack knotweed

and don't pose a threat to the rest of the environment. We ended up

and don't pose a threat to the rest a thing called Psyllid. It sucks the

The bioscientists at Cabi had found a bug that only eats knotweed.

So these are the critters in action. This is healthy knotweed. This is

suffering. Yes these won't grow This is healthy knotweed. This is

How long will it be before knotweed is falling like this? We normally

Suzie and Matt fired the cowboys say 5—10 years before you know.

Suzie and Matt fired the cowboys that wanted to bulldoze their home.

So still battling on — but winning Four years and £30,000 worse off

So still battling on — but winning So now you know what knotweed looks

winter, but they will be back. Mark Jordan there. Now then — still

The best architects are gathered here. One idea is to turn telephone

boxes into bicycle repair kiosks. Nowadays if you visit one of your

local betting shops, chances are you'll find as many people playing

on high—stakes gaming machines as you'll see betting over the counter.

But there are growing concerns about players to bet large amounts in

But there are growing concerns about short spaces of time — and one man

has now launched a national campaign to get them scrapped even though

he's made millions from gambling himself! Marie Ashby went to find

It's a world of high rollers and have to dress up like James Bond to

gamble casino style. Just head down I've just been playing roulette

gamble casino style. Just head down betting terminal. There are four of

them in there and in there and down These machines now bring at least as

much money as traditional over the counter betting and there are an

estimated 1,400 of them in the East Midlands. Yet we weren't allowed to

film me playing on a so called That may be because they've become

very controversial and that's partly down to one man's campaign. Derek

of pounds in a casino by inventing a casino. She —— he has made millions

of pounds in a casino by inventing a game called three—card poker. It is

proprietary game that was introduced game called three—card poker. It is

proprietary game that was introduced into British casinos, and it has

earned Derek tens of millions. He into British casinos, and it has

earned Derek tens of millions. He splits his time between his house in

this poacher has turned gamekeeper. Derek is funding a campaign against

fast play high—stakes roulette machines on the high street. It

fast play high—stakes roulette called the campaign for fairer

gambling. Sarah because, according to Derek, there is a big difference

machine and sitting at a table. Here, everybody would have their own

stack of chips and beat placing their own bed. There would be a

little bit of social interaction between the players. The dealer

would spin the wheels, probably between the players. The dealer

resolution of the hand. That is between the players. The dealer

difference compared to a machine similar to this one. FOBTs are

different to this. The player on the FOBT machine can bet up to £100

every 20 seconds, so it is a totally £100 every 20 seconds cost Roger

business development manager, but that was before he got hooked on

roulette. Sometimes I would come in on a daily basis. In 100 yards there

is four of these bookmakers, and I used to go from one to another.

is four of these bookmakers, and I haven't been here for a while, but I

recognise myself when I was doing it. Look at the opening hours —

recognise myself when I was doing until 9:30pm. Some days, I would go

to all four, from morning till night. Now he is in therapy and

happened to him. It is the crack trying to help other addicts, with a

happened to him. It is the crack cocaine of the gambling industry.

seconds, and you are losing huge cocaine of the gambling industry.

seconds, and you are losing huge sums of money. At my worst, I lost a

month salary in a couple of hours. Alford is a gambling expert from

Gambling Watch UK. He says high stakes fixed winnings from FOBTs

should never have been allowed on the high street. They are like

addiction machines. They encourage you to keep on playing. Many people

in the gambling industry, if you talk to them off the record, will

admit that they want to get people in front of the machines and keep

them there as long as possible. Games machines have been here for

ten years, and in ten years, no evidence has been found to show

ten years, and in ten years, no gambling. Today, Derek Webb is

Magistrates' Court. We are going to Thames Magistrates' Court. It is

between Newham Council and paddock —— and Paddy Power. New has refused

a licence to Paddy Power. It says it has too many betting shops. Betting

office should be there to place bets. If you want to place a bet on

OK, but if most of your income comes from other means, which it does

OK, but if most of your income comes offices in this borough, then it

shouldn't be allowed. It is seen as a test case, and puts the campaign

in the media spotlight. The campaign is continuing. We need to stop the

most addictive form of gambling is continuing. We need to stop the

Britain from growing in the high streets. Councils worry the machines

are responsible for an increase streets. Councils worry the machines

anti—social behaviour. When panorama investigated last year, they filmed

violent. Staff felt threatened. People just go berserk, kicking

violent. Staff felt threatened. screens, smashing it, trying to

violent. Staff felt threatened. it over. They are picking up chairs

they said we robbed his money. It is it over. They are picking up chairs

they said we robbed his money. It is frightening. The most disgusting

thing is when people spit on the machines. Some of these people are

almost frothing at the mouth. Adrian Parkinson used to work for the Tote

is a regional manager, and remembers the machines being introduced. He

When I was at the Tote, I used to get calls day in, day out about

When I was at the Tote, I used to realises that it has an impact.

When I was at the Tote, I used to isn't just what is in his back

pocket, it is all his issues — his wife, his kids... The Department for

Culture, Media and Sport have asked the responsible gambling trust for

more research into whether the machines are addictive. That is

more research into whether the next year. The betting industry

more research into whether the they are already reacting to reports

of gamblers —— of people using the machines for too long and gambling

too much. There will be a code for responsible gambling which will

too much. There will be a code for out a wide range of measures that

introduce to minimise harm. It is creating jobs on a high street at a

time when big retailers go, and creating jobs on a high street at a

people are losing real jobs. Derek says until stakes are reduced and

play slowed down, the campaign will continue. I am not anti gambling,

but this is clear. The evidence continue. I am not anti gambling,

in — this is the most addictive continue. I am not anti gambling,

Until recently, this area around King's Cross station was a pretty

you can see, it has been transformed into this impressive new space that

only opened to the public last month. London is full of derelict

life breathed into them. That is buildings and run down pieces of

life breathed into them. That is do, going head—to—head in a pristine

new competition, the winners of do, going head—to—head in a pristine

new competition, the winners of which were only announced last week.

which links Canning Town with the This is the Silvertown Way flyover,

rather uninspiring piece of tarmac Royal Docks. But it's not this

rather uninspiring piece of tarmac that has got architects creative

This rubble—strewn wasteland with certainly has the look and feel

This rubble—strewn wasteland with somewhere that has never been much

appreciated. Which is why it has been selected by the Royal Institute

The Silvertown Way flyover is just one of dozens of forgotten spaces in

London that have been imaginatively transformed. The best ideas from

architects across the land are exhibition in the bowls of Somerset

House — something of a forgotten space itself. A forgotten space

is the kind of thing where you are walking on your way to work, that

space that you go past all the time something with to make it better. We

asked architects, designers and members of the public to locate

forgotten spaces near them, and members of the public to locate

to come up with a proposal of how that space could be reused and

regenerated. The schemes range from the quirky to the outlandish, with

between. What I did was to turn London's red telephone boxes into

how about urban flair is based on Victorian technology, that are

powered using gas from the sewers? Here is one for the child in all of

us. Climbing up a ladder to sit tonight. One of the hot favourites,

chair perched in a tree, enjoying tonight. One of the hot favourites,

ambitious. Public baths! Why didn't space under the Silvertown Way

ambitious. Public baths! Why didn't I think of that? Tell me what it is

finished. We are standing in the middle of the pool. This pool will

be 80 metres long from that end middle of the pool. This pool will

hear, and it will have five lanes, and a restaurant at the tip of that

end. On the other side of that reception tunnel is a public bar. It

will be private, filled with hot water, mist, sound and whites, and

you can enjoy a relaxing weekend there. They drew inspiration from

the magnificent Basilica Cistern in Istanbul. Is this seriously going to

happen? We honestly believe there will be enough public support to

creatives, we have said, here is our crazy idea. People have been blown

away with what you can do with the forgotten spaces here. I think you

are both absolutely crazy! We will take that as a compliment. Another

hot favourite to win the award tonight is a plan to dig up Pancras

Road near King's Cross and revealed the River Fleet. Is this part of the

church? This was the burial ground for old St Pancras Church. It is the

brainchild of architect Richard Gooden. We have developed the idea

of turning the road, which is below us, into a river. You are going

of turning the road, which is below Below the road flows the Fleet

River, in a brick how that that Below the road flows the Fleet

sewage system for London. Why are we constructed as part of the Victorian

sewage system for London. Why are we significant? It is the old river

bottom rather than a road. It is imagine a river running at the

smoother. Is there any chance of inspired by an idea that has come to

smoother. Is there any chance of this actually happening? We have a

it is possible. Our beings fantasy? Are they going to get made? It is

possible that they are going to Are they going to get made? It is

realised, which is why we are doing these exhibitions, so that people

can see these ideas and take them forward. A previous winner of a

competition like this has seen their idea become something of a reality.

We are in St Mary Woolnoth's church spire. This place lay empty for

several years, it was just the occasional bell—ringer coming up

here. Alex Scott—Whitby won the competition two years ago. His idea

was to turn empty church bell towers in the City into low—cost work space

for business start—ups. Instead in the City into low—cost work space

being spaces that were calling for the faithful to come to services,

crumbling, and they are causing the faithful to come to services,

church concern about the amount the faithful to come to services,

money it costs to repair them. As architects, we wanted to address

this. To prove it could work, he based his first practice in the

this. To prove it could work, he tower of St Mary Woolnoth. We had

this idea that we could do it in the City of London, a congested and

high—value space. If you can do City of London, a congested and

here, you can do it anywhere. That has been a great benefit to the

competition. Lots of people say has been a great benefit to the

is just ideas on paper, but we are in the space here, showing that

ideas become a reality. Back at Somerset house, it is the moment of

truth. Welcome. The RIBA judges Somerset house, it is the moment of

poised to deliver their verdict before an anxious audience. Studio

Silvertown Way flyover. But it is Pink bank to second place for their

Silvertown Way flyover. But it is Christmas 2017! It is clear a lot of

these ideas are at the extreme end of realistic, but who knows? May be

that forgotten piece of land round the corner from your house could be

in line for a surprise make over. That's a mean Paul looked absolutely

fantastic, and I really hope I get to splash around in it one day.

fantastic, and I really hope I get that swimming pool. Let's have a

look at what is coming up next week. London's housing market. I thought

why should he discriminate against me because of the colour of my skin?

I left their angry. And in a food special, we ask how confident we can

be about the food we eat. Could there be another horse meat scandal?

Who is looking after our food and can we be certain our food does

Who is looking after our food and And just how effective is the ban on

battery farmed eggs? We are not products coming into the European

Union from countries which still use system. That's all from this week's

inside out London. You can catch up anything on this week's show. Thanks