09/11/2017 London News

degrees at best. So something called

on the way. Thanks very

On BBC London...

We're in Croydon on the first

anniversary of the tram crash -

as a special service is held

to remember the victims.

Everyone was working so hard

together, to do the best that we

could for the people on the tram.

We hear from those who were first

on the scene and hear from those

who lives have been changed forever.

I still suffer from a bit of

depression. Memory loss. Mood swings

than that. My wife has said that

I've changed a lot.

Also on the programme tonight...

Following the Grenfell fire... Calls

from labour for the government to

fund the retro-fitting of sprinklers

in all high rise social housing.

And...

The karate club facing financial

ruin following the collapse

of Monarch, now celebrating

after a billionaire

came to their rescue.

Good evening.

Welcome to the programme from a busy

Croydon fill Earth commuters, buses

and trams. One year ago it was a

different picture to today, this was

a community in shock after a tram

derailed not far from here, killing

seven people and injuring 51 others.

Lives cut short by what should have

been an ordinary morning commute

which changed into anything but.

Today they were remembered as their

families stood along survivors and

emergency workers who were first on

the scene for a special service

close to the site of the crash.

We have two reports tonight -

the first from Marc Ashdown

on a day to reflect.

One by one they laid flowers.

To pay tribute.

To reflect.

To support each other.

And to remember their loved ones.

Seven Londoners who exactly one year

ago boarded a tram and lost

their lives.

There has not been a minute

of any hour of any day in

this last year he has not

been in our thoughts.

One family's suffering shared

by an entire community, every

face here has a story.

Bereaved families,

survivors and those who

simply live in this quiet corner

of London devastated by tragedy.

A year may have passed

but emotions are still raw.

Sometimes I cry and nobody

knows how to feel.

2 or 3 days before today I have

had a of flashbacks.

2 or 3 days before today I have had

a lot of flashbacks.

I had one this morning

like I was on the tram again.

Since that day I have

not been on a tram.

On a cold and drizzly morning I saw

some amazing people do some truly

courageous things.

A difficult day for

the emergency services who one

year ago battled in horrendous

conditions trying to save lives.

Everyone was working

so hard together.

To do the best that we could

for the people on the tram.

And number of our staff are members

of this community, they have worked

for the Ambulance Service for

a number of years and I think they

have felt the impact of that as much

as the people directly involved.

The plinth here and another to be

installed near the crash site is to

be a permanent memorial inscribed

with the names of those who perished

so they can be forever remembered.

Sergeant Chris Morbey from the

British Transport Police who we saw

in Mark's report has kindly joined

us. Thank you for being here. 12

months have passed but you were

clearly overcome with emotion at the

service?

Yes, it's amazing how these

emotions run deep. You try and put

on the best face you can. But

obviously, it affects you much more

than I thought it had.

None of us

underestimate the incredible work of

the emergency services. But you were

on the scene within minutes of the

crash. Personally, how do you cope

with what you saw that day?

It's

really hard, you try and distract

yourself from thinking about it too

much. You've got to deal with the

crime scene that is there but there

is the desire to help as much as you

can. You've got your own area of

work. You cannot get in the way of

the ambulance that are there, the

fire brigade in charge of safety.

You want to get in and helped the

best you can buy really you've got

to prioritise your job -- but really

you've got to prioritise your job.

It is humbling when you say that you

are not heroes, you were just doing

your job?

It is correct, I said at

the Memorial, the heroes are the

families who have got to carry on

but also the people of Croydon who

came to help us. The nursery around

the corner of giving us tea and

coffee. It doesn't sound a lot, but

a cup of tea and a hug is fantastic.

It really helps at a time like that.

This has changed families and lives

forever. At the Memorial, did you

get the sense that people were

taking comfort from people coming

together?

I hope that they did. For

myself, looking out among all of the

victims and their families, some of

them I had not seen since last year.

I think that's why I got so

emotional, seeing their faces but

also that they are alive and well,

and continuing with their lives.

They are my heroes. They are so

brave, to be able to spend their

time and come and join others to

support.

Chris Morbey, thank you so

much for everything that you and

your colleagues did and thank you

for joining us this evening. We

really appreciate it. Thank you. As

you can imagine, many people clearly

affected by what happened and for

some, the tragedy has left them with

life changing injuries. Our

transport correspondent Tom Edwards

has heard from one survivor about

the lasting impact of the crash and

what is now being done to make tram

travel safer...

I remember thinking

to myself, he's going...

He's going a bit quick,

that sort of thing?

I thought nothing more

of it and carried on

reading my magazine.

The next thing I know

I was waking up in the

hospital.

That's it.

I was knocked unconscious.

You still can't remember that now?

No, I don't remember

the actual incident.

Matthew still doesn't

remember what happened

in the tram crash one year ago.

He suffered a severe head injury

and it's been a tough 12

months.

What is done is done.

There's no point

being bitter about it.

What about your health,

how is your health one year on?

You suffered a really

bad head injury.

How are you now?

I still suffer from

a bit of depression.

Memory loss, I have trouble

remembering things.

And mood swings than that.

He's not worked as an

HGV driver since, he

has received interim compensation

payments but it has turned his life

upside down.

Your life is just completely,

completely different

now?

It is, yeah, but I'm working

on trying and getting my life back.

Are you still positive?

Yeah, yeah, I'm going

to try and stay positive.

Matthew was on board this

tram when it overturned.

A preliminary report found

that it was travelling at 46

mph on the corner where

the speed limit is 13 mph.

Unusually, investigators

have already made

recommendations.

The report into this incident

is nearing completion,

as yet we still don't know why

the driver was speeding on this very

tight corner here at Sandilands.

The early indications

from the investigators though

are that they will recommend some

kind of

automatic mechanism

to prevent speeding.

And also a system that will detect

whether the driver isn't

paying attention.

Since the crash, it has

emerged a number of drivers

had fallen asleep at the controls.

TfL has now installed this equipment

on all of their trams, and it

uses infrared to detect

if the driver is falling asleep.

Warning signs and further

speed restrictions

are now in place on tight corners.

Solicitors say they want any more

recommendations to be incremented

quickly.

I think the detail will be important

for them to understand

exactly what happened

and how it happened.

The next step is to ensure this

never happens again.

The legacy from this

has to be that this

doesn't happen again.

I've always said that it is

important that trams

are treated more like

trains than buses.

It's a key feature.

I hope the lessons

have now been learned.

While changes are now

being made on London's trams,

for Matthew and many others it

will take much longer to

get his life back.

Tom Edwards, BBC London news.

Someone else trying to get his life

back is Martin Bamford, he was also

injured in the crash. With him is

solicitor Helen Clifford, you

represent several other survivors.

Martin, if I could ask, you were in

the front carriage and you say that

yes, you've had physical injuries

but it is actually the psychological

effects which continue, tell us what

you mean?

I have nightmares most

nights. I have good days and I have

bad days, sometimes I have really

bad days. The help at the moment is

limited, really. And getting support

and that, it is hard, you know? The

effect it has had on me and my

family, it is not where I want to

be. It's not how I want to be.

Do

you feel that you get enough

support?

Not really. I am getting

support but some of the support that

I get, it is not... They are not

doing what they are meant to be

doing as such. It isn't helping in

any way at all.

Helen, TfL have told

us in regard to Martin's case, they

say that they are concerned to hear

that he feels he is not getting

enough support but they have

provided eight interim payments. His

case is not in isolation is it?

It

isn't, all survivors suffer from the

same problem, the psychological

impact from the incident is

significant.

Are people like Martin,

we've heard from other survivors on

the programme, are they being

forgotten, lost in the system, or

not cared about?

I think TfL have

provided some support, it surprises

me an organisation like that would

not have better support in place.

They need to look at also by this

individually, and assess their needs

and provide for them accordingly. To

get his life back on track, Martyn

needs proper psychological support

to do that.

Martin, if there's one

thing they could do immediately to

help, what would that be? I know

that it is a long process.

There are

so many things they can help with.

Since the tram crash, I've been made

homeless twice as a result of losing

my job and have had to stay in a

caravan. I fear that every month I

will be made homeless. Because I

miss payments in rent. I need

counselling that will help me,

someone who will help me with the

nightmares.

TfL say they've met

requests for interim financial

support, if it was made directly to

them. Is there a sense of a

timescale for more help?

We've been

in contact and had meetings with

them and they have responded but the

situation is, I do not think they

anticipated the level of support

that people would need and how

severe the symptoms were going to be

and how long that they would last

for.

Thank you very much indeed.

Martin, we wish you all the best. We

know from earlier in Tom's report

that there have already been some

recommendations after the tram

crash. A final report into the

investigation hasn't yet happened.

That is due at the end of the year.

From here in Croydon, that's all

from us. Our hand you back to Louisa

in the studio for the rest of

today's news. STUDIO: Thank you.

Jeremy Corbyn is calling

on Theresa May to fund

the retrofitting of sprinklers

in all high rise social

housing following the

Grenfell Tower block blaze.

Speaking today the labour

leader said Grenfell

was an avoidable tragedy...

And called on the government

to commit £1 billion to make

social housing safer.

Our political correspondent

Karl Mercer reports.

Croydon likes to show off what it is

doing in its tower blocks. By the

end of next spring, £1300 in 25

blogs over ten stories high will

have had this done to them.

Sprinklers are being retrofitted

into the old blocks.

As you can see,

it is newly fitted...

It's about

reassuring the residents.

If a fire

started here and temperatures hit 57

degrees, the cap would come off the

front.

But it comes with a £10

million price tag.

Like other

councils, Grenfell changed

absolutely everything. On the first

day that we were looking at our

housing stock, our tenant safety was

paramount. We looked at what

happened at Grenfell and decided the

best way forward was retrofitting

sprinklers in our tallest blocks.

The Labour Party today called on the

government to foot the bill, £1

billion across the country. We

-- he said this.

Retrofitting of

sprinkler systems is a basic demand

but one that will save lives if the

government decides to make it

happen... Grenfell was unavoidable

tragedy. It did not have to happen.

It would not have happened if

adequate precautions, including

sprinklers, were in place.

Croydon

has written to government twice

asking for money and twice it has

been told it will not get any. The

government would not be interviewed

today but they said that nothing was

more important than keeping people

safe. They said they commissioned a

review of fire safety. They went on

to say that they had been clear that

where a local authority has concerns

on funding, essential fire safety

measures, they should contact us as

soon as possible to discuss their

position. Croydon says it will foot

the bill for sprinklers.

But other projects may have to be

sacrificed.

The Surrey coroner says he will

consider whether the inquests

of the victims of the Guildford Pub

bombings should resume.

Five people were killed

in the IRA blast in 1974.

The sister of one of the four men

convicted and then later

acquitted has called

for the inquests to re-start.

The families of the victims are now

being consulted on their views.

We've been hearing this week

about people feeling the squeeze

with the cost of living in London,

and the debt that can often result.

It means growing numbers of people

are being forced to look

at different ways of working -

whether that's part time,

working for themselves,

or having to take on two jobs.

Victoria Hollins has more.

Higher rent, wage stagnation, for

lots of reasons many people are

feeling the squeeze and it means the

way we work is changing. There are

now more than a million part-time

workers in London, nearly a quarter

of the capital's workforce. Latest

official figures show there is a big

rise in the number of people who are

self-employed, 882,000 in London.

Now 19% of the workforce. More

people than ever before, 160,000

people, are working two jobs. Some

fruit choice, others through

necessity. Allicin derby lives in a

studio flat in Stratford, she works

two jobs, an office job in the city

and in a pub in evenings and

weekends.

It is hard to work seven

days a week for realistically two

years.

Despite that, she has almost

nothing left and relies on her

parents for hand-outs.

Finish work

at five o'clock, get to the new job

the seven o'clock, sleep, eat and go

to work again. That's how it will

be. The time I do get off, I sleep.

This man is working his way in the

TV industry. He also has a part-time

job in a bar and couldn't survive

without it. Like a growing number of

people his age, he has racked up

debt.

It's a lot of money to pay

back, in a short amount of time as

well. When I had to sell my car it

was a painful experience but the

extra money was needed.

For many,

having two jobs is a necessity but

it can feel like living hand to

mouth.

I see it as if I put the

graft in now, it will work out in

the future.

I would just like to be

able to try new things, have a night

out, have a nice dinner, see my

family, have weekends free. I don't

think that's much, maybe I'm wrong.

Technological changes have made it

easier to work several jobs. Some

people love the flexibility of

short-term or hourly employment but

there can be a trade-off with job

security.

I think it's a question of

getting the balance right. You don't

want to stifle the flexibility at

the heart of this way of working

because employers benefit from it so

you don't want to stifle that but

it's important to ensure people

working this way are properly

protected and not exploited. It's a

question of where the balance is and

maybe that's an issue not for

employers or individuals but for

those regulating the labour market

to think about.

Nearly half of

London's workforce is either

self-employed, working two jobs or

working but savings down and debt

up, the up, the many the world of

work feels more precarious than

never.

Still to come on the programme...

Normally found living

in warmer waters...

The seahorses discovered thriving

in the River Thames near Greenwich.

Hundreds of people living in tower

blocks in south London have been

without heating and hot water

for nearly a week after their gas

supply was turned off

because of safety concerns.

More than 300 homes were cut off

in Stockwell leaving elderly

residents and young children coping

with the cold conditions and it's

not the first time it's happened.

Sonja Jessup reports.

Even with the help of her electric

heater, choice is wearing a coat

inside her home. She's had no gas

supply for nearly a week.

It's

making life very difficult here. We

have one resident who is nearly 90.

On this floor alone we have two

young babies. We are paying for

this, we shouldn't be in a state

like this.

This is one of four tower

blocks in stock well with no

communal heating. The supply turned

off due to safety concerns after a

potential leak was found. Residents

say it's like living in an icebox.

I

have one-year-old twins and I'm

having to double up on blankets and

put the blow heater on all night

which costs a lot of money but I

don't want my kids to get sick

because of it. Boiling water,

bringing it upstairs in pots. I have

to get up early, oil water and bring

it upstairs for her to have a bath,

ridiculous.

Residents are advised to

use immersion heaters but many say

they cannot afford it. Residents are

frustrated because they say two

years ago they were left without

heating and hot water for 11 days

after the boilers failed and they

stopped working again one year

later. The housing association has

apologised and said its consulting

with residents about replacing the

heating system.

This is a very huge,

complicated process and we have good

to get this right but we are working

tirelessly and have been for the

past week to make sure we bring the

heating back on.

Today temporary

boilers have been installed.

Residents were told they would be

running by Saturday but are worried

about whether this could happen

again.

Chelsea ladies Eni Aluko says she

feels let down by some of her

England team-mates were not

supporting her following her

complaint against the former coach

Mark Sampson.

He was sacked because of his conduct

in a previous job but the FA have

apologised to her after an inquiry

found that he had used racially

discriminatory language

towards her and another player.

The players have their own mind and

should be able to say let me step

back from this and see how it may

benefit if I have a problem, you

know, if they have a problem, they

have a process that can protect

them.

The sport of karate will make

its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020,

but the hopes of some of England's

finest youngsters has been

hanging in the balance.

The team was left on the verge

of financial ruin, but their Olympic

dreams appear to have been revived

after a London-based billionaire

offered to pay off their debts.

Chris Slegg has more.

England's under 21 karate team have

just returned from the World

Championships in Tenerife with three

medals to their name.

I was so happy because we have

all worked so hard

and it's paid off.

The mood is more upbeat

than a few weeks ago when we

reported on their

financial problems.

They were preparing for the biggest

moment of the young

sporting lives when Monarch airlines

collapsed leaving them among

thousands of passengers

out of pocket.

Financially it put us

close to bankruptcy.

Watching the report at home

was Kuwaiti billionaire and

former owner of Nottingham

football club.

I saw it on TV and I felt the same

when I used to play in the old

days, I used to play

football in my country,

I know how they feel

so I was talking to my friend

and I told him, can we do something

to help them?

So he offered to pay off

the team's debts of £40,000.

Absolutely overwhelmed.

Everybody is overwhelmed!

It's such a delightful gesture,

such a wonderful gesture

to offer to cover the cost.

He stepped in, it is

overwhelming that

he has decided to do this for us.

I cannot thank that man enough, it

helped all of us because some of us

were not able to make the trip

because of that happening and it

caused a lot of stress

for a lot of athletes.

He has also said he will consider

helping fund the team in

the run-up to Tokyo 2020.

I will help them, if

they need my help and

my support I will try

to help them again.

I love the sport in general and I

would like to help and support them.

The Olympic dream is still alive.

Blue Planet II has captured

the imagination of millions,

making it essential

Sunday night viewing.

And while you may think

that the tidal Thames can't come

close to some of the wonders

of the deep, think again.

It turns out that the river

is in fact home to two

species of seahorse.

And what's more, they

appear to be thriving.

We have found out from various

databases that actually there's been

six records of sea horses found in

the Thames from Greenwich all the

way up to the Globe over the last

two months and that's unusual

because we tend to find only one or

two every year. We don't tend to get

as many recordings of them in the

river itself.

There is more great

content on our Facebook page.

Now the weather with Phil Avery.

I quite fancy a go at that, do you?

Yes but I have no sense of

direction, I would be all over the

shop! Talking of flying, this is

Heathrow and it's one of the more

spectacular shots I have seen the

lighting arrangements in the

Heathrow area. Suspect head-banger

was focusing on the dull start,

which did improve. That's the reason

why it was so cloudy, we had a

weather front which produced some

spots of rain, nothing to write home

about really. In the afternoon there

was that chance of brightness.

Through the evening the skies will

stay clear for a little while. There

could be mist and fog around for a

time, and there will be a thicker

band of cloud which will help if

there has been an early dip in the

temperatures. They will rise as we

get towards the end of the night.

Like today, damp start and it will

gradually brighten up. We have

another set of weather fronts coming

in from the north. I think they will

get away a

in from the north. I think they will

get away a good deal quicker than

was the case today so from about

mid-morning onwards I would have

thought all of us would be in for a

predominantly day. A passing shower

perhaps Tom at the top temperature

12 degrees depending on where you

are spending the day. As we get to

Armistice Day on Saturday, it will

be a dull day.

There's a chance of brightness later

in the day but it won't be that

special. Temperatures in double

figures as you see, but there will

be a marked change as we get on into

Sunday. A great run of north,

north-westerly winds, the weekend

looking finally to be really very

chilly indeed. Not bad if you are

out at the ceremonies of course.

Thank you.

Now the main headlines tonight.

The minister for disabled people,

Penny Mordaunt, has been appointed

the new International Development

Secretary.

Priti Patel resigned

from the Cabinet post last night

over unauthorised meetings

with Israeli officials.

The memorial honouring the victims

of the Croydon tram crash has been

unveiled on the first anniversary of

the derailment.

That's it.

I'll be back later during

the ten o'clock news,

but for now from everyone

on the team have a lovely evening.