20/01/2017 London News

Tonight on BBC London News: Thames Water admits being too slow

to react to floods caused by burst pipes.

Those affected say the company isn't doing enough to help them.

Its the third time. For me it's just empty words, empty promises for the

third time. We'll ask Thames Water how it plans

to better respond to floods. Also on the programme: Let down

by serious failings in the mental How neglect contributed

to the death of this Essex man. Tunnelling to extend the Northern

Line will begin in March - we check out the machines digging

deep to construct the new tube. I always said to myself, if I should

have a daughter, I would want her to have a doll that looks like her,

especially for her own self-esteem. The mother who's created the world's

first Jamaican patois-speaking doll after struggling to find a toy that

represented Caribbean culture. Making America great again from the

time it was great again, we are going to be great again.

Impressionist John Culshaw gives his take of Donald Trump's

Good evening and welcome to the programme.

Whilst the US nine there president, protests have been taking part in

London. While the United States swear

in their 45th President, parties and protests

are being held across London. Anti-Trump banners have been

unveiled along bridges on the Thames, whilst American

expats are celebrating Our political correspondent,

Karl Mercer, has been looking at the reaction

here to the new appointment They were drumming above the Thames.

They were drumming in Washington. Building Bridges, not walls. Singing

in London. And singing in the States. But to

very different tunes. January 20, 2017, will be remembered as the day

the people became the rulers of this nation again. There's a lot of

people that are going to be much worse off than they are already. We

want to stand in solidarity with them. A protest group called Bridge

is not walls took to London this morning to mark the inauguration.

Does a few people on a bridge in London make a difference? It does.

You have to try somewhere. There's a feeling right now that with the

current political climate, maybe you don't have power, you don't have

agency. There is and a togetherness. I think yes, coming together, waving

flags, putting up a banner, it sends a positive message. As the ceremony

to mark Donald Trump's presidency got underway, American students in

the capital gathered in a suitably decorated bar. I think Donald Trump

is outside of the mainstream and for that reason it makes me

uncomfortable. A little bit apprehensive. I'm interested to see

what everybody has to say, but all in all, it's not really a great day

for me personally. This moment is your moment, it belongs to you.

There's never been anyone who's never been involved in government

that's been elected president. I feel like we should be celebrating

it because it's such a different thing. Indeed it is very different.

Something both sides can agree on. Marc Ashdown is at the London

Republican Party in Mayfair. Marc, what is the reaction there

to Donald Trump's inauguration? Things starting to thin out a little

bit here, the balloons are deflating. But people are staying,

they have just seen Donald Trump Cynon Valley dotted line and he's

now the 45th president of the United States. Some are happier than

others. Two people better place to talk about this or here. You've

organised this event. You have different views. You weren't always

a big fan of Trump. I tend to be a moderate Republican so I didn't

support him initially. Alex is very much a trump supporter. I worked in

the George W Bush administration. I tend to be more open-minded in terms

of our relationship with the world. Are you more optimistic now? I am.

He's an agent of change. What I try to tell other Republicans and

Democrats is we are all Trump supporters now. You were a steadfast

supporter from the start. Is it going to be good for England and

London? Can we have a good relationship with them? It it will

be excellent in the UK. His mother is from Scotland and he's always

been a supporter of the UK, particularly post-Brexit. What's

captured my analogy nation is the populist view. A world that's very

good for the London elite is not so good for the rank and file in the

USA. Lots of people in America and further afield are worried, they

think he's dangerous. You know something he -- we don't. That

character is -- characterisation of him is dangerous is the elite

feeling threatened. He's a pacifist. Hillary Clinton would have driven us

toward in Syria. Trump is trying to focus on economic issues. Lots of

here tonight. Yes. Republican overseas UK, I'm the chairman. This

is the only event in London supporting Trump. Is everybody

behind him or is it split? Everyone here is behind him. It's great to

see. Thanks very much. The party will go on. It is the start of

Donald Trump's presidency. He talks about uniting the United States and

it stretches as far as here in London. Thanks.

A jury has found that neglect contributed

Dean Saunders, who had mental health problems,

committed suicide by electrocution while in prison.

A two-week inquest heard he'd been let down by serious failings in the

care and prison system. Dean Saunders family leaving court

at the end of this harrowing hearing. His partner, the mother of

his son, said Dean should have been in hospital not caged in a Victorian

prison. I know what it feels like. I don't want another Dean or another

family to go through this again. Do you fear they will if nothing is

changed? Yes, it will happen again. There were aghast as of relief from

the family when the foreman of the jury ruled that his death was

contributed to by neglect. There were multiple failings at Chelmsford

prison, said the jury, including complacency about Dean's state of

mind and circumstances. Dean Saunders and his family, said the

jury, were let down by serious failings in both mental health care

and the prison system. I'm just so grateful that someone has finally

listen to us. Much too late in the day, but they finally listened.

Words can't describe how much we miss him, how much of a hole there

is. We've got a little bit of him in his son. He will grow up knowing

that his dad was a proud dad. In turn, he will know the injustice

against him. The family is now urging the coroner to prepare a

report highlighting the failings to try to prevent another needless

death. Lots more to come, including:

Tottenham unveil a flash new stadium design with glitzy restaurant,

wine bar and glass-fronted view to react to flooding and say

they have no clear idea which of their pipes

are at risk of bursting. It comes after a number

of major floods around Hundreds of people had to be

evacuated from their homes and businesses because of

burst water mains. We'll be hearing from the company

in a moment, but first Chris Rogers went to speak to some of the people

who say they're Yet another burst water main in

Brixton. Many residents were unable to shower this morning. They got off

relatively lightly, compared to other areas hit over the last two

months. During that time, we have filmed the lives and businesses

devastated by London's 150-year-old water pipes. In December Jackie

tells us she is waiting for repairs to her flooded home in Islington.

She still is. In Streatham, 92-year-old Sydney. Today he remains

upstairs escaping the damp rooms below. In Blackheath, Islington and

angel, we filmed the businesses forced to close. Water flowed like a

river into John's hairdressers. Almost a month later, many

businesses remain closed here in Islington. Condensation in this

property. They are struggling to get back on their feet because they are

still waiting for their help promised by Thames Water and their

injuries companies. Questions are being raised about a company that

has made huge profits over the last couple of years and why they are not

investing some of that money in kit that could pre-empt what is

happening beneath our feet. Last year Thames water made three

quarters of ?1 billion profit. I think it's not beyond the wit of man

or woman to spend some of that money on getting kicked into the pipes so

we can detect the leaks as early as possible. 2010, the owner of the

Japanese gallery in Camden passage films the damage from a burst pipe.

It happens again in March 2016 and for a third time the gallery is hit

by a different type in December. Ancient art and hundreds of

thousands of pounds of income has been lost. The reaction hasn't been

sufficient. The community, collectively, we are appalled by the

lack of response. That needs to step up. If there can be a pre-emptive

measure, definitely. That would have saved you. Absolutely. We are

financially, psychologically... I've got a smile on my face, but

crippled. It's exhausting. Thames Water have promised further

investment and a review on how best to respond to flood hit properties.

Too late for the many people still waiting to get their homes and

businesses back. I'm joined now by the director

of Thames Water, Richard Aylard. Thanks for coming in. A pretty bleak

picture, I think you'll agree. We were told by people in Islington and

Blackheath that they had reported the leaks before they burst in a

major way and nothing was done. We get a lot of leaks reported, a lot

of them are on very small pipes and they need fixing. The leaks on the

big pipes happen very rarely, but when they do they can be

devastating. In each of those cases of course we wish we'd reacted more

quickly. Before we close a road, we need to plan the repair

work carefully and we have to find out which type is causing the

league. That takes time. We can't go in and dig up the street unless

we're sure there's a problem. Are you saying people were investigating

the reports and the leak happened sooner than you would have wanted?

They were investigating to see whether it was a small leak from a

small pipe or a small leak from a big pipe was about to book come

catastrophic. It caught you unawares and you have admitted that this can

happen again because you don't know where the next major league will be.

Our pipes are buried deep underground. We know something about

the condition of them. We try to work out whether that would cause

the most damage. Would it flood our High Street or a hospital, or a

football pitch or a part? We prioritise investments on monitoring

those pipes and getting equipment to see what condition they are in. When

there's a burst, you can find there's hundreds of hundreds of

metres of pipe in great condition, but one small floor and suddenly

there's a catastrophic problem. We are getting more money spent on

monitoring the pipes. But you did make a profit of between 200 and

?300 million last year. You have the monopoly in this area. You are the

only water company we have. It's your job to make sure it goes right.

It is our job. 80% of that profit has been reinvested and we've been

spending ?20 million, over and above what it costs to run the company,

over the last 11 years improving our services and that will go on. We try

very hard to stop these things happening. When they do happen we

tried to get them fixed as soon as possible and we are very sorry for

the people. What do you have to say to the people featured in our report

this evening and people still stranded? We have a 90-year-old

viewer, who is disabled, stuck in his room and he can't leave his

bedroom because his flat is unusable. My house was flooded in

2007 and I know how devastating it is. We are working with those people

to get their lives back to normal as soon as we can. Thank you for

joining us. It's the first major tube line

extension since the 1990s. London Underground has

revealed the start of works By September 2020, the line

will run from Kennington Today, the large machines used

to dig the tunnels were unveiled and were given names -

as is the tradition. It's one of the most important

building sites in the capital. Creating the first major addition to

the tube map since the late-night. In just a few years' time, where I'm

standing now will be a brand-new London Underground station and it

will form part of the Northern line. The aim is to create two new tube

stations, Battersea and nine elms, and they will be linked to

Kennington. The construction has already started but the major

tunnelling begins in March. Meet Amy and Helen. From March this year

these two boring machines will begin tunnelling up to 30 metres a day.

Over the next six months they'll excavate more than 300,000 tonnes of

earth at a depth of up to 26 metres. This is a fantastic project for

London. It's opening up and regenerating this whole area. It

will be a beautiful, state-of-the-art tube extension with

platform doors and all the best facilities. We desperately need

people to use public transport in London. We are so short of road

space. Here we are being able to extend public transport. It's

accessible for more of the community. When it's finished at the

end of 2020, the extension will bring the area to within 15 minutes

of the west end. It will also reduce pressure on nearby stations like

Vauxhall. It is the beginning of the transformation of this area. That is

what is unlocking 20,000 homes and will provide 5000 jobs in an area

that's otherwise been derelict for years. It will cost ?1.2 billion and

most of it has been funded through the private sector. While there is

still three years until it's done, there's already talk of another

underground at ground, this time an extension of the Bakerloo line.

Still to come. It's a very good question, I might answer it later on

BBC One. You'll have to see. Tottenham Football Club have

released the latest images Spurs remain on course to move

into their home in 2018, after they've spent a season

playing at Wembley. Our sports reporter, Chris Slegg,

was among those given a virtual The recent progress on Tottenham's

new stadium has been as rapid If the actual reality

of being second in the table isn't impressive enough,

then how about this? A virtual reality tour

of the new ground. It will host the largest single-tier

stand in the UK, with 17,000 seats. There will be an in-house bakery,

and microbrewery capable And these are among the best

pre-match seats in the house. If it's the first time

you've worn a VR headset, as it is for me, it's a little bit

disorientating at first. But I've found my way

to the Tunnel Club. In the Tunnel Club, you can watch

the players getting ready But you'll need a Premier League

salary to sit there. There's a ?30,000 membership fee

and a ?9,500 season ticket. With such an emphasis on corporate

hospitality, will the fans It's a modern world and they've got

to deal with the corporate As a business, they're looking

forward and also trying to look It's a good thing that they're doing

here in Tottenham now. But I'm not so happy

about the unaffordable housing. Apart from that,

the area needs a push. That is quite a way

to experience the new stadium. With 61,000 seats, Tottenham

are delivering the biggest club stadium in London and they're

confident they now have a manager to Mauricio Pochettino is the man

who has led the Spurs revolution. Before his team move

in to their new home in 2018, they're set to spend next

season at Wembley. That didn't work well

when they played European Given what happened

in the Champions League, do you have any concerns

about spending a whole It's true that it's completely

different to White Hart Lane, but we need to make

Wembley our home. Then when we move to here again,

it will be a similar Right now, it looks

like a club with a proud past A mother from south-east London says

she couldn't find anything that reflected her Jamaican heritage that

looked - or sounded - So she's created her own doll

and thinks she's spotted a gap in the market,

as Ayshea Buksh explains. She's a doll created

in London who speaks She was created by an English

teacher from Greenwich I was thinking to myself,

if I should have a daughter, I want her to have a doll that looks

like her, especially When the BBC children's series

Rastamouse was first aired, it sparked debate over its use

of Jamaican Creole. Does Saffron fear her doll

might also be criticised? I know for a fact that there

are some parents who are against it because they think that Jamaican

patois is actually broken English. So they fear that their

children's English will be But the reality is it is a language

in its own right and knowing another language definitely does not

interfere with your We love jerk chicken

and rice and peas. But most of all, we love to talk

and have a good time. Her dream was funded by her family,

but she struggled to find a doll Some of the manufacturers

are saying it is too expensive to produce black dolls

because they are not in demand. So white dolls are

in demand worldwide. And I put that issue to the head

of the association which represents Many large manufacturers are very

much aware so you will find dolls and toys of all types which appeal,

or try to reflect society. Maybe not as well as they might have

done or they could have done, And to feed that trend,

Saffron has created a wider range of Jamaican inspired dolls,

but so far it's Toya Now back to the event of the day -

the inauguration of the 45th President of the United States,

Donald Trump. Well, simultaneously here in London,

Mr Trump also made an appearance His waxwork was unveiled

for the first time, and Wendy Hurrell joined one

of our best-loved impressionists, Jon Culshaw, for a little

light-hearted lampooning. So, President Trump

is in the Oval Office - our London version on the Marylebone

Road. AS TRUMP: I think this

is disgusting, OK. This is disrespectful, this is very

sad, this is nothing like me. They've made me into a giant

terracotta novelty candle. Wendy Hurrell, no more questions

from your organisation, The jokes you get with Donald,

the tone of humour is quite evocative in some ways of the days

of George W Bush. AS BUSH: Well, all I've got to say,

how do you like me now? AS OBAMA: Mr Obama was in touch

and he said that there was a certain way that you were able to tap

into the grievances And for the sake of America

and for the world, I hope that you'll succeed

in your administration. AS TRUMP: Thank you so much,

that's so beautiful. By the way, your wife's

a seven, mine's a ten. I'd quite like to

have been president. Not sure I wanted to do

the bit in the middle, but it's going to happen,

so let's just run with it So it's good night from me and it's

good night from him. That was my favourite bit of the

programme! Thank you. What a cold and frosty

start to the day across the region. A really sharp frost, but we've had

some glorious sunshine, virtually unbroken, across the region

throughout the morning and into the afternoon. It made up for those very

low temperatures to start off with. The temperatures will drop

overnight. Widespread blue across our patch. Light winds, clear skies,

perfect recipe for a very cold night. Temperatures in the centre of

London down to minus one. Minus 7.2 Celsius to the south of London last

night. It could get down to -5 or minus six. The reason is high

pressure. Cold and dry air from the near continent. High pressure

dominates this weekend and we'll enjoy more fine and dry weather.

Some good spells of sunshine, especially on Saturday, and it will

remain cold with morning frosts. Saturday starting very cold and

frosty. It gradually fades away with plenty of sunshine. Slowly lifting

is a temperatures. Maybe some cloud moving into the north of the region,

and potentially of the South, with large parts of London remaining

Sunday. A cold start on Sunday but I think we're looking at more patchy

cloud. Sunny spells, some cloud, and temperatures up a notch. Five or six

Celsius in the capital and the wind will remain white. If we look into

next week, it looks like high-pressure dominates. It remains

cold with variable amounts of cloud and some sunshine. The theme as we

head into Tuesday is for high pressure to continue to dominate.

Dense fog could become a problem on Tuesday morning. Wednesday onwards,

things turn more unsettled. Now the main headlines: Donald Trump

has been sworn in as the 45th Large crowds gathered in Washington

to watch the ceremony, but there have been some protests

and in parts of the city shop Thames Water have admitted

they are too slow to react to flooding and say they have no

clear idea which of their pipes It comes after a number

of major floods around That's it ? we ll be back later

during the Ten O'Clock News, but for now, from everyone

on the team, have a lovely evening.