02/08/2017 London News

A haul of lethal weapons, as volunteers team up with police

There was probably about 15 or 20 inches. In terms of the dimensions.

It was a fairly large knife. Arm's-length at least.

The Met Commissioner says she wants the scheme to be rolled

The mobile phone footage from inside the Hertfordshire prison

showing riot trained officers going in to restore order.

Plus, Legoland - the row over the tourist attraction's plans

And inside the secret of tropical notary at Kew Gardens, and how you

can get a rare glimpse inside. A very warm welcome to

the programme, with me, Riz Lateef. First tonight: A clamp-down on knife

crime has seen members of the public team up with police to search

for weapons hidden by gang Their haul includes two-foot long,

serrated 'zombie knives' and a machete, found just

yards from a busy high The scheme is said to be a UK first,

and tonight the Met commissioner has told BBC London that she wants

to see it rolled out They may not looked half but this is

the latest front end London's ongoing fight against knife crime.

These volunteers are helping police searched their local area for

knives, bats, machetes and other weaponry stashed here for easy

access by gangs who don't want to get caught carrying them. The

searchers are yielding extraordinary if terrifying results. If you are in

a group and you're having a gang fight, you are wielding something

like this, if you're welding this, there is danger to it. You could

easily cause injury to someone stepping into the path of this being

swung around. It is everyone's problem. We work together the

results will be better. The searches will be more thorough locally.

Piling gangs in Tower Hamlets and noticed some of their weapons in

green spaces around the borough. This 15 inch machete was found by a

member of the public who has been enlisted by the police to help them

cover these huge areas that takes some of these weapons off the

streets. The very first Bush be tackled we came across the main

foundation wall, lifted the blue shark, and there it was. Just lying

at the edge of the wall. To my surprise it was actually a knife.

This pilot scheme has been organised in Tower Hamlets by local police and

faith groups. It is quite well known that there is a problem with knives

and other implements. Other ways of hurting and damaging people and

threatening people, frightening people, which is just as bad,

really. The. The last year CNET knife crime in the capital surged by

a quarter. Injuries are buying better, with more than 2000 young

people wounded, 27 of them fatally. Tonight a sign from the Met

commissioner that we could see this scheme expand. This is people who

are saying, we know that some people are starting nice and we be they may

be near to my home. My community. I don't want them to be able to go and

pick one up and attack somebody I love. I am going to go out there in

a coordinated way and find them. Normally police asked us for our

eyes and ears in the fight against crime, now they are asking for that

little bit more. We saw the commissioner welcoming

what has been happening, she also had more to zap up my crime. Our

political editor Tim Donovan is here. You were listening to our

words. She was talking about knife crime but the wider challenges and

police environment, a very difficult time. She spoke about the continuing

confidence, she said the police were engendering an people in London. She

said there is a confidence gap with some sections of society,

particularly young people about black people, not a huge gap she

said, but bigger than she wants. Clearly that is one of her budget

priorities. Not least because in just over a month we have had the

deaths of two young black men who have had contact with police, both

of those deaths now subject to independent enquiries. She wanted to

in her interview, she wanted to make a link between the sense of

perceptions are black people being disproportionally responsible, or

having contact with police, to a disproportionate degree, they are

also disproportionally the victims of crime, and police at every level

were concerned about that. We have a problem with the Bali climate knife

crime. That's usually disproportionally affects people

from minority ethnic communities. It usually affects young black men,

they are utterly disproportionally the victims. That makes me angry. It

means my office is angry. They want to stop knife crime. Every week I

hear a story of one of my office is saving the life of a young black

man. After some of the tenses in east London following those two

deaths, she was asked about Notting Hill Carnival, did you have concerns

was back no, it was always a great considerable challenge. It will

continue to be. Extra resources needed this weekend and next week

for the world athletics Championships. One at issue,

inevitably having to address that, not something she was prepared to

protest down Whitehall, but said very clearly educate cutting the

budget you have a smaller Met which will make our job more difficult.

They supplied Y2K news and queens for more than three centuries. We

take a look inside Britain's build this wine merchants. -- oldest wine

merchants. Some residents in Essex have told

the BBC they're concerned about their safety,

after a decision not to remove cladding found to be flammable

from their tower blocks. The two buildings, which contain

around 200 flats, failed The Housing Association which owns

them say it's waiting for Government On Friday afternoon,

the news broke on BBC Essex. Cladding on two blocks

of flats has failed the The company which

manages these courts says the cladding

will not be taken down. The testing revealed that it

consists of an aluminium Aluminium panels were also

on the side of the Grenfell Tower. As you can see, the cladding does

not cover the entire building. They are several stories

high and relatively new, But residents living

here are still concerned. He received a letter

from Genesis Housing last week, explaining that despite failing

safety checks, the cladding will The fact that I could be in the same

position as those people that lived Obviously this is a new building,

but that does not really affect you at all,

doesn't make you feel Following the Grenfell Tower

tragedy, across the country local authorities and housing associations

have been removing similar panels But the spokesman from

Genesis Housing said their We have looked at what the cladding

does and the advice we have been given from the Fire Service is to

keep those in place until such time as we have further information

and further advice from the local government and from

the Fire Service themselves. Genesis say 24 hour fire monitors

will be patrolling the site The cladding on Cleves Court runs

down either side of Scott's flat. He says if it is not removed,

there is a possibility he will find A minute's silence will be held

at this year's Notting Hill Carniva, to remember the victims

of the Grenfell fire. The route passes close to the site

of the tragedy which has Organisers say they'll stop

the music at three o'clock on Bank Holiday Monday,

to show respect for grieving Mobile phone footage taken

from inside The Mount prison in Hertfordshire shows riot officers

marching into a wing before Police were called to jail yesterday

for the second day running running. Whilst order has been restored -

today there's been criticism of how the Government is managing

the prison service. Inside this prison in Hertfordshire

this week, prison officers are drafted in to restore order

as prisoners take control. Flash bang grenades

are used, fortunately no one is injured, and in Wandsworth,

drones have been used to supply According to the leader

of the organisation which represents prison governors, a crisis is now

building in prisons, caused by a toxic mix

of population pressures and Until we get sufficient

staff in our prisons, the situation we are facing

will continue, so we will continue to try and control

the situation, but we will not be delivering a significant number of,

prisons and good-quality We will literally be

holding and controlling the people in our care,

and this is unacceptable. In an open letter that

sharply is critical of the Government's handling of prisons,

Andrea Albutt says her officers had seen nothing tangible from ministers

to ease the burden on staff. She said a Government decision

to separate the running of prisons from policy-making was perverse

and not cost-effective. She claims there was a gaping

hole in the operational knowledge in the

Ministry of Justice. Some question why prison governors

are only speaking out now. We would like to think

they are our allies, but where have they been

for the past five years? It is not their members

getting used as punchbag. The Ministry of Justice says

it is aware of these ongoing problems in prisons,

that is why it is taking immediate action to increase prison officer

numbers as well as creating the prison and

probation service, which will ensure that both policy and operational

work closely together to deliver And following a report

earlier this year that found Pentonville prison

was overcrowded and violent, it is clear these reforms

are needed, and needed quickly. A woman from East London,

whose family was fundraising to pay her medical bills

after she suffered a suspected heart attack while on holiday

in Turkey, has died. 62-year-old Heather Pyke,

had been on life support. Her family began a crowdfunding

campaign to fly her home - because of confusion

over her travel insurance. The stepfather of Baby P,

who was jailed over the boy's death in 2007,

has been refused parole. Peter Connelly was just 17 months

old when he died in Haringey in north London, following a

campaign of abuse by Steven Barker, the child's mother Tracey Connelly,

and their lodger. Barker was given a life sentence

for raping a two-year-old girl, alongside a 12-year term

for his role in Peter's death. One of the most popular tourist

attractions in the country But local residents aren't happy

about Legoland's expansion plans, not least because it means building

on the green belt. One business group argues it'll

boost the local economy. Charlotte Franks

reports from Windsor. It is the adventure theme park where

Lego is brought to life. Since it was built in 1996, the Legoland

aside in Windsor has been steadily growing. But now there are plans for

its biggest ever expansion. Legoland want to come and expand right the

way over here. Philip and his family had been living on the road near

Legoland for 22 years. He has a number of concerns. Then noise, we

can hear Legoland, and I frequently have two phone the Legoland noise

line to tell them to be quiet. We get the traffic and I won't be able

to go and walk in the countryside any longer from my house. So it is

pretty bad. He has been trying to fight to the development along with

other local residents because the application would involve building

on green belt land. We have green fields out there and public

footpath, which we can walk through. Legoland intend to concrete over

approximately 100 acres of farmland. It is here on this green belt land

to the west of the park when Legoland plan to expand. They want

to build 450 residential chalets as well as new car parks. But despite

many locals campaigning against it, some nearby businesses are welcoming

the possible expansion. Could be positive. A lot of people on the way

out of Legoland will actually stop at the restaurant. We have a good

name for trip advisor. We get a lot of people stopping before they go

home. Is a sentiment echoed by the trade body pop Edinburgh is in

Windsor who believe it will bring more business to the area. In a

statement, Legoland said... But there are still has

reservations. He is worried that if this it expansion gets the go-ahead,

it will pave the way for more development in the future.

Stay with us because still to come before 7pm:

Join me here in the tropical nurseries at Kew Gardens, which are

usually close to the public but are open for special tours this weekend.

And if you had picked a day for outdoor plans, you may well have

been disappointed. There is something drier and brighter on the

way. Still a future hours, more details coming up. -- a view

showers. Next: Is it better to be

a millennial or a baby boomer New research suggests that

if you were born after 1980 you'll face much bigger financial

challenges than those born Caroline Davies has been looking

into whether one generation has had The fashions have changed, but what

else is different on being a young He is a bar manager

in east London and has I do try and save when I can,

but it just tends to disappear. A lot of my money seems

to go on going out. It is sort of out of reach,

I think, for young people now, to get on the property market

and get that first step, so they Now in his early 60s,

it was very different I was never highly paid,

but we were able to buy a house. Do you think that your

generation had it easy? You would always find that people,

baby boomers, would say that we had New research says that

over half of late millennials, that is people

aged between 25 and 34, do not think they can make it

for more than three But is it really the case that

millennials are not saving because they are spending their money on

going out and having nice coffees? Well, not according to the research

that we have seen today. The main reason that

people cannot save is a 40% of people who do not

save anything save the 32% say credit card

bills are the problem. We don't think they are

being irresponsible, and official data shows that the big

spending on going out and foreign holidays and so on is amongst

the boomers, they have the money to spend, you only have to look

at any newspaper to see If young people are going out

and enjoying themselves, it is probably because they realised

that the house or any of those things are beyond their reach,

so they might as well drown Of course, millennials are not

the only ones who could be affected by changes to the economy,

but the fear from this research is that if things do go

wrong, they will find it Britain's oldest wine

merchant opened its doors But when you've been the supplier

of wine to the monarch since the reign of King

GeorgeIII, how do you adapt Sarah Harris has been to St James's

in London to find out. For hundreds of years, this was the

place in London to come to buy your favourite tipple. Berry Brothers and

rot is the oldest wine merchants in the country. Kings, admirals and

archers have passed through its timber doors in St James 's.

Centuries ago some believed it to be the place to come to get in shape.

One of the quirks of coming to buy your wine from your London merchant

back in a 19th century was that customers would weigh themselves at

the same time. One of the famous clients was Lord Byron, the poet,

and he was concerned about his weight. He went on that not so

famous diet of white wine and dry biscuits, but you would be surprised

learn a bit actually work. He started out at 13 stone, almost 14.

Five years later he is just over nine stone. Good wine in moderation

is still known for its health benefits, even if weight loss is not

one of them. I was lucky to be born into a family with a legacy of wine.

George 's family have kept the best vintages for generations, he says

most customers now are looking to know where their wine comes from and

would rather have quality not quantity. When people come in, if

they are buying a bottle, invariably they are buying better. Possibly

less by better. That wine is something that is important to them

and want to be involved in the story. Online sales put many

retailers out of business. But a new shop here is making tasting and

buying wine is a leisure activity. They don't just come for buying a

bottle of wine. They are looking for an experienced. To explore regions,

new wines, tasting wines... For many Londoners it seems that coming to

sample your own wine in person is not so much of a chore but a retail

experience. If you are expected to lose weight like Lord Byron, you

might be disappointed. Now, it houses some of the rarest

and strangest plants in the world, from the smallest water lilly

to the smelliest flower. The secretive Tropical Nursery

at Kew Gardens is normally But not this weekend,

when visitors can get the chance to see some of the 10,000

species grown there. We can join Alice Bhandhukravi

there, who's casting her eye This is not what it seems. It looks

like a tree but it is a leave of the... A tree from Indonesia, any

tropical nursery at Kew Gardens. It is not actual gardens as we know it,

these are the nurseries, the places where the plants are nurtured and

grown. And a small part of south-west London, there is a

tropical paradise. It is home to some of the world's smallest, rarest

and most endangered plants. Plants which might save your life and

plants which might take it. If you are an insect. This is... This is

the Madagascan periwinkle. I get asked a lot, what is the point of

conservation? Why should we save plants? This is a great example.

This plant treats childhood leukaemia. They have taken compounds

are planned and used it within the treatment. This is a really exciting

plaid and is what Kew Gardens is all about. This was thought to be

extinct in the wild 40 years ago, and amazingly someone filed a bit of

it and that was sent here and we were able to grow that planned on.

How long did it take to get from the sample to actually being able to get

the Cedar Grove? 30-40 years. That is an amazing success story. We are

still discovering new species on the time. If you don't discover them and

name them, we could just lose those. We could lose those plants. They

have to be named to be saved. Then we can serve them and they can

potentially bank them into the millennium seed bank so they are

banked for life. There are more than 70 plans here that are extinct in

the wild. Horticultural risk a great pains to preserve them and give them

optimal conditions. The Public gardens at Kew Gardens show you the

finished product. It is behind the scenes when a pioneering work takes

place. The size best this weekend will open the doors to small groups,

so you can share in the discovery, too.

Here to tell us more about the size Festival is Doctor Tim Partridge,

head of identification at Kew Gardens. Great job title. In my

department, we get all the new plants from around the world. We

give them names way there are new and unknown to science. Here any

carnivorous room, with these lethal looking plants. These are members of

the genus McKenzies, and a picture plans, insect eaters, so flies get

attracted Angolan side. This is a new species that we only described

last year from... A hell new species? Yes, it has been growing in

Indonesia for many years. We thought it was one of these big ones, but

when we got it, we drew it up in our amazing nursery and it only stayed

small. It is not the same. These are some of the things that people can

discover this weekend. What else can they do? Tours in a nursery, see

behind the scenes, 7 million specimens, cyclist coming out of the

lab, pressing PNA and cloning cauliflowers, and have a whole range

of things for kids and adults. Goodes page of talking to us. Not

very much time, three days to get all that in. It opens on Friday

until Sunday. A botanical treasure trove.

There will be some showers and sunshine, I suppose the plans will

get a watering today. But those ones are inside. And try to put some

positive spin on this, does I think in many ways it is the sort of day

when we want to forget. Particularly if you are on holiday at the moment.

This is the theme in some people's Gardens. A better big can stay

indoors. Here was how it looked in central London. Grey and miserable

for sure. The radar picture just confirms that. This big lump of rain

pushing its way from the south, really quite heavy burst my heaviest

rain was found to the south of London. As they go through this

evening and at night, there is some more wet weather on the way. Spots

to the south and east of London, part of Surrey and Kent and Essex

will probably see the brunt of the heavy rain. Even here, by tomorrow,

most of that will ease away. It will be a blustery night in parameters

around 14 all 15 Celsius. Tomorrow, dryer, not completely dry, could be

some showers but with the south-westerly winds, the showers

should blow through fairly quickly and you should return to sunny

spells. Not a bad looking day, but when we compare it to today. Tebbit

is around 21-22dC. It will feel relatively warm. If you are about

tomorrow evening, not too bad, showers should fade and we will see

some sunshine to enter the day. Low-pressure has been responsible

for this unsettled weather. The locomotive doctor the north-east and

B star to look up to the Atlantic and this bulge of high-pressure

which is going to start have more of an impact on our weather. Friday,

more in a way of dry weather, fewer showers and more sunshine, the wind

will be lighter as well. Not a bad day. Maximum temperatures up to 22

Celsius. The all-important weekend, sunny spells is the main headline. A

view showers, might be worth taking a brolly. Saturday is largely dry

the spells of sunshine, the odd shower, lighter winds and

temperatures around 21-22dC. Sunday, most of us should be dry. A view

spells of sunshine with light when feeling very pleasant. No heat wave

but Tebbit is up into the low 20s. To summarise, some showers over the

next few days, but generally it will be dryer, certainly dryer than it

was today. I appreciate your optimism, Ben.

Thank you. Scientists have, for the first time,

successfully repaired faulty They used a process known as gene

editing to correct a gene that Four members of a terrorist cell

from the West Midlands have been convicted of plotting an attack

similar to the one carried out Three of the men had previous

convictions for terrorism offences. New research suggests that more

than 1 million women in their early 60s are worse off financially,

as a result of the increase It's been suggested that those

affected were losing more That's it for now,

thanks for joining us. Feel free to join the conversation

on Facebook, and Asad will be back From me and the team,

have a lovely evening. Experience the power

of the BBC Proms. # Oh, lullaby of Birdland,

that's what I... # to jazz legends Ella Fitzgerald

and Dizzy Gillespie, in the centenary year

of their births.