:00:00. > :00:12.That's all from us. But
:00:13. > :00:18.Good evening, this is BBC London News, with me Asad Ahmad.
:00:19. > :00:21.A manhole cover exploding in Piccadilly last night, sdtting
:00:22. > :00:24.a lorry alight, has led to safety fears about the growing number
:00:25. > :00:31.We've seen figures which show a sharp rise in the number of
:00:32. > :00:34.explosions over the past fotr years, averaging around two every week.
:00:35. > :00:42.Late`night central London and flames are leaping from the pavement.
:00:43. > :00:46.A crowd has gathered on Piccadilly, there's been an explosion
:00:47. > :00:50.underground and firefighters are desperately trying to move a lorry
:00:51. > :00:57.But there are more blasts beneath the surface.
:00:58. > :01:00.This video, obtained by the BBC shows what they were up against.
:01:01. > :01:02.Eventually firefighters movd away, although in a bizarre moment a man
:01:03. > :01:11.runs towards the blazing vehicle and is pulled back by a police officer.
:01:12. > :01:15.Restaurant manager Georgina saw the fire last night.
:01:16. > :01:18.It was very scary because we could hear the explosion down there.
:01:19. > :01:28.We were afraid at any moment there could be a huge explosion
:01:29. > :01:31.The drama played out on the steps of the home of British film
:01:32. > :01:34.and television, where today workmen were repairing the damage.
:01:35. > :01:37.They've been working through the day to fix this particular
:01:38. > :01:39.problem, but the Health and Safety Executive has told us that
:01:40. > :01:45.there are two or three of these problems in London every week.
:01:46. > :01:49.Few of them are as dramatic as last night's blast.
:01:50. > :01:57.But it was revealed last sulmer how there had been a worrying
:01:58. > :02:03.Now, latest figures we've sden show an even sharper rise.
:02:04. > :02:06.In 2011, there were just nine incidents.
:02:07. > :02:15.And so far in 2014, only halfway through the year,
:02:16. > :02:21.The Health and Safety Executive says it has
:02:22. > :02:24.told the company which delivers electricity through the caphtal to
:02:25. > :02:29.We've called UK Power Networks directors in
:02:30. > :02:34.We made it very clear to thdm that we were looking to them to manage it
:02:35. > :02:37.a lot better, to carry out more inspections.
:02:38. > :02:41.As a result of that, they've actually got a couple
:02:42. > :02:45.of dedicated teams working in London, just looking
:02:46. > :02:53.But checking all 100,000 eldctrical link boxes under the capital's
:02:54. > :03:00.UK Power Networks says it is investing ?10 million a year
:03:01. > :03:02.for the next eight years, and that the safety
:03:03. > :03:10.No one was injured last night, but Colin Wingate spent three months
:03:11. > :03:15.in a wheelchair after a pavdment exploded in Harrow three years ago.
:03:16. > :03:20.They are not doing enough to ensure that these accidents, incidents,
:03:21. > :03:24.call them what you like, don't happen anymore.
:03:25. > :03:30.Because sooner or later, at the rate these explosions are
:03:31. > :03:33.continuing, sooner or later someone is going to lose their life.
:03:34. > :03:37.It may be hard to imagine on a sunny day, but the wet weather ovdr
:03:38. > :03:40.the past few years is thought to be behind the rise in explosions.
:03:41. > :03:44.The prospect of water mixing with electricity in the heart of the
:03:45. > :03:54.The Education Secretary, Michael Gove, has been crithcised
:03:55. > :03:56.over his flagship policy on free schools, after his department
:03:57. > :04:00.stepped in and blocked a frde school from opening in Hammersmith.
:04:01. > :04:05.Around 100 pupils were expecting to attend Fulham Boys this September,
:04:06. > :04:07.but uncertainty over the school's location appears to
:04:08. > :04:22.The boys have their uniform but suddenly no school.
:04:23. > :04:27.The Government has withdrawn funding for the boys school,
:04:28. > :04:30.a few weeks before this new free school is due to open.
:04:31. > :04:33.Other schools that we had as other choices are completely full now
:04:34. > :04:35.We have no choices, there is no democracy
:04:36. > :04:37.in being able to choose the future of your child's education.
:04:38. > :04:46.The council blame the Government, the Government blame the Department
:04:47. > :04:50.They need to work together and think about what
:04:51. > :04:57.The special`needs school is moving out and Fulham Boys School has
:04:58. > :05:00.a guaranteed two years here, if not more, before the devdloper
:05:01. > :05:09.Sullivan School was earmarked as the eventual permanent site, but when
:05:10. > :05:12.Labour won the local election they reversed council plans to close it.
:05:13. > :05:15.The Fulham head insists that shouldn't matter.
:05:16. > :05:18.They have, he says, a business plan hailed by mhnisters
:05:19. > :05:21.Whatever side of the political fence you come
:05:22. > :05:25.down on, you obviously want to have the best schools in your borough.
:05:26. > :05:30.I'm going on record on the BBC to say that if this is not outstanding
:05:31. > :05:36.That's how passionately I fdel about the fact that this is
:05:37. > :05:42.You'll be using something shmilar to this sort of technology.
:05:43. > :05:45.All this does appear to expose a fundamental flaw in the Education
:05:46. > :05:52.If the local authority can derail a school at the last minute,
:05:53. > :05:54.that doesn't say much for the free school policy.
:05:55. > :05:57.One of the things about the free school policx is it
:05:58. > :05:59.there to supplement and augment what local authorities do.
:06:00. > :06:02.But, in a way, if you've got a Labour local authority
:06:03. > :06:05.and they want to pursue a p`rticular agenda, I've got to respect
:06:06. > :06:08.the verdict of the ballot box, and we've got to do everything we can.
:06:09. > :06:10.Luckily, we have in the Mayor of London
:06:11. > :06:13.a Conservative mayor who has backed free schools who, where other local
:06:14. > :06:16.authorities have been difficult in the past, has liberated sites.
:06:17. > :06:20.I'm determined to find a site for this marvellous group of people.
:06:21. > :06:23.They're meeting tonight, if there is 100% support from the parents, they
:06:24. > :06:27.are happy to open in ten weeks' time, will you listen to thdm again?
:06:28. > :06:32.Hammersmith and Fulham Council maintains this is the Government's
:06:33. > :06:51.Our warmest day of the year so far, 28 degrees today in Essex. It
:06:52. > :06:53.Our warmest day of the year so far, 28 degrees today in Essex. Ht could
:06:54. > :06:59.be even warmer tomorrow. Lots more sunshine to come for the end of the
:07:00. > :07:03.week. Temperatures are tapering off slowly outside now under cldar
:07:04. > :07:05.skies, but no surprises, it will be a pretty warm night. Eventu`lly
:07:06. > :07:05.skies, but no surprises, it will be a pretty warm night. Eventually, as
:07:06. > :07:10.a pretty warm night. Eventu`lly as we head into this more hours, low is
:07:11. > :07:15.down to 15 degrees. Patchy, high cloud around first thing on Friday
:07:16. > :07:17.but the sun will make short work of that through the early hours. A fine
:07:18. > :07:21.day to come with more hot sunshine. day to come with more hot stnshine.
:07:22. > :07:26.The slim chance of a shower down towards the coast of Sussex later in
:07:27. > :07:29.the day. We could see temperatures up to 29 degrees to the east of the
:07:30. > :07:30.region through Friday afternoon. The outlook for the weekend is puite
:07:31. > :07:38.outlook for the weekend is quite different.
:07:39. > :07:44.For those of you who haven't already heard, we've recorded our highest
:07:45. > :07:50.temperature so far this year, and that was in Writtle in Essex. It
:07:51. > :07:54.looks highly likely as well that we could see temperatures of a similar
:07:55. > :07:59.value for tomorrow. Anywhere through central London to the east could see
:08:00. > :08:03.highs of 27 to 29 degrees. But that is only one part of the story. The
:08:04. > :08:06.second part of the story is rain moving in as we speak across the far
:08:07. > :08:11.north and west. Some of that rain will turn heavy through the night
:08:12. > :08:15.across Northern Ireland and into western Scotland. I had a bit, cloud
:08:16. > :08:17.with pieces of rain but it will be a pretty mild night to