20/07/2017 London News

recorded crime in England and Wales has risen by 10%.

That's all from the BBC News at Six so it's goodbye from me,

On the programme tonight: The number of reported sexual assaults

One victim urges others to speak out.

It's something that I regret not doing at the time,

and it is a thing where the more reports are put forward,

the quicker these situations can be put to a stop.

Sniffing out the illegal trade in tobacco.

A crackdown on the criminal gangs making more than ?100 million

Plus, she was the first person in the UK to donate

A decade on, she wants to inspire others.

I'm delighted that it's been successful for ten years.

And the cost of keeping the kids entertained this summer.

We'll have tips on how to do it on the cheap or even free.

Welcome to BBC London News with me, Riz Lateef.

Figures obtained by the BBC have revealed that the number of reported

sexual assaults on the underground have more than trebled

in the last five years, with more than 700 cases

British Transport Police say the increase, in part,

is due to victims coming forward to report assaults and,

as Tolu Adeoye has been finding out, the impact on those targeted

I was stood behind loads of people and this guy was behind me

and he sort of started rubbing himself up against me,

and I thought, maybe I've got the wrong impression here,

but then I realised, as it became more pronounced

that he was actually, you know, feeling me up, groping me.

Imogen Groome was assaulted while travelling on the Central line

She says the experience has changed the way she now

I will usually try and plan around and take the bus where I can,

just because there's more space and you're not going

It shouldn't happen, that's the bottom line.

People shouldn't just take advantage because they can.

The number of reported incidents is rising.

Statistics show, in the year to March this year, there were more

than 700 reported offences on the Tube.

That's gone up threefold from 225 five years ago.

You know, he shouldn't get away with it.

Police say campaigns like this one mean more victims have

But certainly it will help us build that picture and we can establish

when people come on the system, when people come off the system,

That can open up lines of enquiry to help catch these people.

Research on the London Underground shows that most offences

are reported during rush-hour, dispelling the myth

that this has anything to do with late-night drinking culture.

It's often sober men travelling to and from work

And campaigners say everyone using public transport has

to take responsibility for keeping women safe.

There's lots of bystanders lots of the time just turn the other

eye because they don't want to intervene, but I think it's

really important that we all say, this is not on, it's not

what we want for ourselves, it's not what we want for our children.

We want to create a society where women are free to walk

around and be in public safe without fear of attack.

Imogen didn't report the assault, something she now regrets.

In hindsight, I wish that I had reported it

because it is every little detail that makes the difference.

If I'd just said the time and that this guy was tall and had

a rucksack, which was all I knew of him, that could have

helped to paint a picture of who had done it.

She's urging other women to speak up.

Coming up later in the programme: Going digital.

East London introduces its own currency to help local businesses.

The Metropolitan Police say experts who examined the remains

of the World Trade Centre after the 9/11 attacks

are being brought in to help their search of Grenfell Tower.

Our political correspondent, Karl Mercer, joins me now.

We are hearing more details about the investigation. There are 250

detectives working on this inquiry. It is one of the biggest that

Scotland Yard has mounted and the Deputy Commissioner was in front of

the London assembly, talking about the slow and methodical pace of the

investigation and trying to explain why it will take so long, possibly

up until December to get through Grenfell Tower. He said every

officer wants to find answers for the families involved but it is

really difficult because of the intensity of the fire, 1000 degrees

at some stages, and for many hours. They have had to reach out across

the world to find experts to help. This is one of the most complex

recovery operations are certainly many of us in the UK have seen,

and the people we are taking advice from, which gives you an idea

of the scale and complexity of it, are some of the people who worked

on 9/11 and the fall of the towers in 9/11,

because it is an extraordinary site of a crime scene

is an extraordinarily complex. That was about the investigation.

Last night, we saw a heated council meeting in Kensington. Victims of

the fire were there. The first full council meeting since the fire. The

new leader was formally adopted her as she was adopted, there were boos

and very strong testimonies from a lot of the victims of the fire

clearly still very annoyed at the way they have been treated. Today

the new Deputy Leader, who has been put in charge of the Grenfell

response for the Council, admitted councillors does not have confidence

that say they will do their utmost, particularly when it comes to

rehousing people and that was picked up in the Commons today. The

Communities Secretary gave an update on where we are and said 35 families

have accepted accommodation offers, ten families had been moved into new

homes but still some way to go and some families who had previously

accepted accommodation have now turned them down.

Where residents have turned down an offer,

we are finding suitable alternatives for them.

Where residents are not yet ready to engage in the process,

they don't want to make a decision right now or they would rather wait

for a permanent home to be offered, we will of course respect that.

The government clearly capturing the mood and saying, we will go at the

pace of the victims. They have been let down by the local authority, we

will work at that pace and give it to them when they are ready to

accept them. The victims themselves, as well as wanting houses, will be

looking for answers, not just that police investigation also

independent public inquiry. I know that you have been and will continue

to follow developments. Thank you. 500 people have been evacuated

from flats and shops in north London due to fears of a possible explosion

at a fire on an industrial estate. Eight fire engines

are tackling the blaze Gas cylinders are believed to be

on the site and a hazardous Burnt Oak underground station

has also been closed. Proposals to close congenital heart

disease services at a leading London hospital have been described

as madness by a leading Former Commons Speaker Baroness

Boothroyd urged ministers to end the current crisis that threatens

the future of the Royal She said the proposals has sparked

dismay and alarm among patients. Criminal networks are making tens

of millions of pounds a year from it in London alone,

and it's a growing problem - Today, Trading Standards showed us

how they're cracking down on the illicit trade using specially

trained sniffer dogs to target businesses suspecting of selling it,

as Thomas Magill reports. Unregulated, I'm taxed and under the

counter, illegal tobacco in London is big business. It is an increasing

problem in London. That issue is that the cost of cigarettes have

become much higher and counterfeits are cheaper, so people tend to go

for counterfeit cigarettes. This is one tool on the front line, working

with trading standards officers to identify what is fake and what is

not and her handler says she is an important part of the team. She has

been doing this for five years. The last five years, she has found over

?7 million worth of illegal tobacco products. But officials estimate

this is just the tip of the iceberg. Criminals are making ?100 million a

year from sales and, in a survey, a third of London smokers admitted

they had been offered illegal tobacco in the past. Campaigners say

bargain basement tobacco is finding its way onto the playground and are

tempting teenagers to take up the habit. Brian bought his first

illegal packet from a friend. I thought it was a bargain. You do not

get tobacco for ?3 50. When I was in high school, it was me and five

other people smoking in my school, in my year, but altogether in the

school, there were so many people smoking. And there is another

problem campaigners are concerned about. Illicit tobacco is linked to

gangs and criminality and we also know that there are extra substances

added to cigarettes, for example asbestos, mould and human excrement.

So what should you look out for? London trading standards say foreign

language on packets, unusual brands and knock-down prices are all

tell-tale signs that what you are buying is probably illegal. There is

no doubt that trading standards is having an impact and they say that,

even with the help of VB, more needs to be done to stamp out this growing

illegal market. Every year, around 250

people die whilst waiting A decade ago, a woman

from Hertfordshire became the first person in the UK to donate a kidney

to a stranger. Ten years on, she's been

speaking to BBC London, hoping that her experience

will inspire others to make the altruistic sacrifice

to save someone's life. This 73-year-old grandmother has

helped save 600 lives. She battled with the NHS for years to try to

change the law to allow helping people to donate kidneys to

strangers. They could not understand one's motivation to do something for

somebody who they did not know in the Brecon doctors would not want to

operate on a healthy person. For no benefit to them. I realised what a

privileged life I had lead, I had not had any serious illness and I

had four healthy children and even a grandchild, and I felt that I could.

In 2007, what Kay describes the stubbornness paid off, the law was

finally changed. Kay and others hope the tenth anniversary of her

donation will inspire more people to do the same. There are currently

5000 patients in the UK waiting for a kidney donation. Incidence of

kidney disease is rising and, every year, 250 people died whilst waiting

for a suitable donor. It is a big step of your kidney to somebody you

do not know. The NHS are very thorough in making sure that every

potential donor is aware of the risks. John says having a kidney

transplant has transformed his life. I am at the gym three times a week,

I can run, cycle, tennis, football, play with my family, which they all

notice, which could not do before. You have helped save the lives of

600 people. As satisfying as that? That is a very flattering way to

protect, but it is good. I do not think about every day but, when I

do, I feel very good about it. Forget a head for heights -

have you go the stomach for it? We test London's latest sky-high

attraction. We've heard how some

areas in the capital have introduced their own currency,

like the Brixton pound, for example, Well, east London has taken it

a step further by going digital. It's now got its own

currency all via an app. So, a gimmick or a savvy way

of helping the local economy? It's a Hackney cafe where using

money is sometimes discouraged. This customer has paid

for her superfood smoothie with a mobile phone,

topped up with east London pounds. If you're using the app

and the local currency and you're using local

businesses and whatnot, and it's staying within

the community and recirculating. How much money do you upload? I had

been using a couple of times a week, whenever I can.

Customers upload money using an app on their mobile phone,

and they are given small financial incentive for spending

It's a start-up company that began in Israel and is now being used

in Liverpool and 70 businesses in Hackney and Shoreditch.

We're really educating customers to shop locally,

live locally and support independent businesses, rather than going

They might take their money somewhere else

The support independent businesses with tools that can help them grow

and increase their customers in turnover.

Do you think maybe it's just a gimmick?

I wouldn't think it's a gimmick because I can see how customers

It makes my job so much easier as a business owner. Does it make your

life easier? It is not only their customers pay through the app, we

pay our supplies through the app as well.

It's not the first time we've seen local currencies.

Back in 2009, the Brixton pound was launched and, more recently,

there have been similar schemes in Bristol and Lewes in East Sussex.

But, elsewhere in Hackney, not everyone was so positive.

I know what I'm spending, rather than using an app,

so I don't think I'd be using something like that.

What about the poor people that can't do things like that?

Everything's gone all digital and then there's poor people that

I'm not really on my phone, to be honest.

And all that technology, I don't really understand.

Digital currencies might not be everybody's cup of tea,

but tech-savvy east Londoners can now boost the local

So news today that the amount parents pay for holiday childcare

has reached its highest level ever with parents in some parts

Nationwide, childcare will set you back on average

?125 a week this summer, but parents in outer London can

However, interestingly, in inner London, the average is ?112 a week -

the cheapest anywhere in the country.

Let's talk to Clare Harding from the Family and Childcare Trust.

I give surprised by these figures, especially the disparity between

inner and outer London? Childcare prices are volatile and varied

between areas. Childcare providers face pressures are the businesses

face. It is not a huge surprise. How much does it vary depending on

children's ages or the need of a child? Quite a lot of variation,

particularly in terms of child available. A quarter of local

authorities in London have another child care available for working

parents and that drops down even lower if children are disabled or

for older children. We know that it is difficult for parents at the best

of times, let alone holidays, this is just one more thing squeezing

their income. What is your suggestion? The government have

already made investment in early years childcare and that would be

very welcome to hard-pressed parents in London. We are calling on them to

give serious attention to give childcare for school-age children.

The problem is more acute in the summer holidays, kid camps, holiday

clubs, they are expensive. Is it because they are privately run or

because people are taking advantage of that fact and parents will be

desperate? We do not think anyone what's cut-price childcare. People

who work in child could do a difficult job. That as white is

important that the government supports parents to make sure they

are able to pay for childcare and are better off and work. Thank you

for shedding a bit more light on those figures.

Well, that was the cost of childcare, but what about the cost

the kids entertained over the holidays?

Some of the capital's attractions unveiled their big

As far as having things to do, London's children have it pretty

lucky over the summer. Even so, for some parents it is not even feel

easy. I spend a lot of time researching where we can go for

free. There are places out there but you need to find them. Come the

holidays there is no shortage of attractions competing for your time

in cash, and it gets more ambitious each year. London zoo for example, a

place famous for its live animals has opted for robotic dinosaurs,

complete with sound. Dinosaurs make a really good ambassador about the

extinction crisis we are facing now so there is a link there between

historic extinction events and current ones. A big day out in

London does not come cheap, it costs more than ?20 for a child and nearly

?30 for an adult to get into London zoo so, if you are on a budget and

the weather is behaving itself, a day out in a London park is a good

option and, if you are really lucky, you might get a surprise for

absolutely nothing. London zoo says it entrance fee goes towards

conservation projects around the world, but is not the only

attraction. Booked online, a ticket for the Cutty Sark for two adults

and two children is ?35. A similar ticket for the London I would set

you back ?94 and the same number of people could go to Kew Gardens for

?33. How do you fill your days without emptying your wallet? Dam at

the Maritime Museum in Greenwich, we asked the editor of the parenting

website and app for the advice. Coffee shops and cafes and

restaurants are expensive. Don't forget what is going on on your

doorstep, look at the family programmes at local community

centres, leisure centres have stacks of great stuff and libraries as

well. Set up the WhatsApp group. Even if it is something as watching

a film together, if they are doing it with their friends, they have a

whole lot better time. So with a bit of clever planning and not trying to

do too much in one go, the next couple of months should fly by. Who

knows, in September, we will all be wishing we could turn back the

clock. If you want to spend your summer holiday in a tree house, you

will not find a better one than this one in Kew Gardens, it is one of

many attractions opening up in time for the summer holidays, but it is

not free to come here. It cost just over ?30 for the family of four.

This is a charity. Or the admissions money goes to fund conservation and

science work to Kew Gardens does in the UK and all over the world. A

tree house opening up in time for the summer holidays but lots of

other things as well. You can go on insect safaris, insect adventure

camp, insect adventures, you can go through a virtually reality thing

and visit a hike, a lot of things. What is a lot of think you would

recommend to do? I recommend you come and make one of these, this is

a home for a mason bee. If you make one of these, you can hang it on a

south facing wall, Abbey will come along and lay eggs in it. Next

spring you may have more bees. Kew Gardens opens from 10am, but London

is one of the best cities in the world to take your family out for

the day. Lots to do which is free or what you could pay for, but one of

the best cities in the world to be. Well, you'll have to

have a stomach for heights too. That's because a new pop-up

restaurant has opened It's part of an event called

London In The Sky and our reporter, Nicola Ford, has been at the chef's

table to sample food When it gets windy, you get a bit

nervous. I feel shaky. But then you enjoy it. The latest London

restaurant to get off the ground, quite literally. The table suspended

from a crane, chefs and guests are strapped in. I would not want to be

on a date doing this. You need to brave the elements. The movement,

the wind, you need to be fast to deliver to keep warm as much as you

can. But after a while, it seems entirely normal. Almost. Two courses

in an appeal is normal, it really feels like this is what you do. In

fact, breakfast tomorrow... It was quite hard to eat and be 100 foot in

the air at the same time but, after a while, it was OK. It was a great

experience I will never forget. It is a big challenge. I did it from

scratch. It was a premiere. We have all the equipment. You see all these

things, all over? But we delivered for courses in one hour. Everybody

enjoyed it very much. So if you have a head for heights as well as a

stomach, London in the sky runs until the end of July.

It did look breezy and blustery out there. It did a bit. That is the way

it looks for the next few days. Things are turning more and settled.

Some sunshine to be enjoyed over the next few days. Back to what has

happened today, here is seen coming in from one of our Weather Watchers.

There has been patchy cloud around but also sunny spells as we head

through the evening. That breeze picks up and, as we had to the day

tomorrow, are largely dry picture. Some sunshine but you will notice

that breeze picking up. It feel fairly fresh. Back to this evening,

most of us dry, overnight, largely clear skies but a bit more cloud

starting to creep in from the West through the early hours of Friday.

Bringing just the odd spot of light rain but most of us staying dry and

temperatures overnight dropping to 13-15d. Milder but not as muddy as

recent nights. Tomorrow, you can see the sunshine the start of the

morning, mostly dry. More chance of catching one or two showers. Mainly

out towards the west of London. Most of us avoiding the showers and

temperatures up to 23 degrees. It will feel fairly fresh where you are

exposed to that breeze. You have got bit more chance of catching some of

the showers in Friday evening. The head through. That is where we see

the cloud increasing and we could see those outbreaks of rain. At

least we get a break from watering the garden is. That rain is down to

this area of low pressure. That looks like it clears off towards the

east fairly quickly on Saturday. A bit of uncertainty in terms of the

showers but we are fairly optimistic that much of Saturday should stay

relatively dry with spells of sunshine. That chance of a few

showers creeping in from the West during the course of Saturday

afternoon. Temperature is 20 degrees, and not as breezy as on

Friday. During Sunday, more of the chance of catching a few showers,

but not a wash-out. Sunshine in between and this temperature is 21

or 22 degrees. A mixed bag. It is like the weather knows.

More on the day's stories on our website.

Asad will be back from his treehouse adventure

From all of us here, do have a lovely evening.