02/01/2018 London News

Train operators insist it's

necessary to address "decades

Coming up tonight on BBC London.

necessary to address "decades

The illegal sale of steroids - we go

undercover to expose the dealers.

These are the £200 worth of pills he

said would make me big and powerful.

This is the handwritten note I took,

eight handwritten prescription with

instructions on how to use the

steroids.

We'll hear how children

as young as 14 are using

the potentially dangerous drugs.

Also tonight.

A serial killer admits

murdering his third victim -

who he attacked using a claw hammer.

Under threat from developers,

the row over this green

belt land in Surrey.

And how "puppy love" is proving

to be a successful therapy

for children suffering from stress.

Good evening.

I'm Asad Ahmad.

We start with a special report

into the illegal sale of steroids.

Teenagers as young as 14

are taking the drugs -

in what charity workers say could be

"a hidden epidemic".

A BBC undercover investigation has

found steroid dealers in London,

selling "muscle building" substances

without any warning

of their dangerous side effects.

Colin Campbell has

this exclusive report.

Hey, Derek.

He's an amateur body-builder

who illegally sells steroids

from his living room in Greenford,

West London.

Using his partner to translate,

he says they'll transform my body.

These are the £200 worth

of pills that he said

would make me big and powerful.

This is the handwritten note I took,

a dictated prescription if you like,

detailing instructions on how

to use the steroids.

We showed our footage

to this drugs expert.

There are many risks

with taking the drugs,

but a simple way of putting it,

kidney, liver, heart.

You can have liver problems,

liver cysts, problems

with your kidneys and can lead

to heart attacks and strokes.

So you're playing with your life.

What age are the children

that you're speaking

to who have taken steroids?

As young as 14.

This drugs counsellor fears the true

picture of steroid abuse is much

worse than realised.

We could be looking at a hidden

epidemic, to be honest.

It's really, really hard

to gauge how big this is.

Everything anecdotally

that we are getting

is that it could be huge.

Whilst it's legal to take steroids,

it's against the law

to sell and import them.

But we found scores of websites

offering them online

and sending them by post.

The border force is battling to stop

them entering the UK.

These drugs aren't benign.

They aren't a soft option.

They can cause real,

profound, long lasting

harm to people's health.

Selling them can be lucrative,

but it's a trade dealers

don't want exposed.

You are a steroid

dealer, aren't you?

No.

How many people are you

supplying steroids to?

No.

Speaking through an interpreter,

he claims he had only ever

supplied me and no one else.

How many other people have

you supplied steroids too,

because you advertise widely.

The truth is, they are gambling

with people's health,

cashing in on Britain's

body image obsession.

Colin Campbell, BBC London News.

So that's our top story this

evening, but there's plenty more

to come before 7pm, including.

The disturbing "hum"

being heard around London,

but nobody seems to know

where it's coming from.

A serial killer from north London

has admitted murdering a third

victim in Islington.

Theodore Johnson attacked his former

partner Angela Best with a claw

hammer, after she'd started

a relationship with someone else.

Frankie MaCamley is at

the Old Bailey with more details.

Frankie.

Proceedings have a surprisingly

short. We expected the trial to last

a number of weeks but within minutes

of the jury sitting down, Theodore

Johnson changed his prayer. --

changed his plea. He originally

admitted manslaughter with

diminished responsibility, the

manslaughter of Angela Best. Today

he changed that and admitted to

murdering her by hitting her

repeatedly with a hammer before

strangling her. It also emerged

today the 64-year-old had a number

of previous convictions for killing

two other women.

Tell us more about

those convictions, Frankie.

They all

span over three decades and they all

involve former partners. Back in

November 1981, he was convicted of

the manslaughter of his wife Yvonne

Johnson, pushing her over the

balcony of their ninth floor flat.

In March 1993 he was convicted at

the Old Bailey of killing his former

partner Yvonne Bennett by diminished

responsibility. He strangled her

after she had an affair. He spent

time in a secure hospital. 23 years

later Johnson killed his most recent

partner Angela Best after their

relationship broke down. It was then

he tried to kill himself by throwing

himself in front of a train. He

survived that with horrendous

injuries but it was when police went

round to his house but they found

the body of Angela Best. His

sentencing will take place on

Friday.

Thank you for the update.

A patch of land in Surrey may be

stripped of its status

as being part of the green belt -

as the Local Authority

looks to build upon it.

As you can imagine, it's sparked

anger among some locals who feel

green belt land should

be forever protected.

Well, the row has even been brought

to the personal attention

of the Prime Minister.

Here's Katharine Carpenter.

Guildford, historic, growing,

and at the centre of a row

over the green belt,

after the council submitted

plans to the government

to develop some of it.

To house its growing population,

the council estimates it needs

to build around 12,500 new homes

over the next 16 years.

Its preference is to

do that on previously

developed brown field sites.

But 89% of this borough is green

belt land, so perhaps inevitably

that too is now being eyed

up for development.

2000 houses are proposed for this

area, which will go down

to the railway down there.

Gosden Hill Farm is one of the sites

the council wants to strip of green

belt status to allow building.

But opposition is strong.

It's driven by the incentive

to provide land for development.

There is no interest

in maximising the number

of affordable homes,

there's no interest

in urban regeneration.

It doesn't need to be an extension

of suburbia, but obviously

that's very profitable.

If you accept that some

new homes are needed,

with so much of Guildford on green

belt, what's the alternative?

Guildford is not an island,

and essentially we have

to actually recognise that

as a country our

environment matters.

But the council claims

only 1.5% of its green

belt has been earmarked,

and the development

is vital to protecting jobs

and safeguarding the character

of existing communities.

We have to balance

the need of housing.

There are many young

people who can't get

onto the housing ladder at all.

We have put 40% as our affordability

in the local plan in terms

of percentage that needs to be built

that are affordable.

So for people to be able to live

and manage to live in Guildford,

we do need to have more development.

Challenged on the issue

by a Guildford MP last

month, Theresa May made

the government's position clear.

A local authority may only alter

a green belt boundary

in exceptional circumstances.

In our housing white paper,

we were very clear that this means

when they've examined fully

all other reasonable options.

Personally I think all green belt

should be protected wherever

they are, because they contain

and give people places to go to get

out of towns and cities.

We obviously need houses,

but we need affordable housing.

We don't want houses

that are too expensive.

An independent planning inspector

will examine Guildford's case,

watched closely by other councils

in Surrey preparing to submit

similar plans to deal with housing

challenges of their own.

Katharine Carpenter,

BBC London News.

A group of campaigners in east

London say the way London

tackles knife crime needs to be

seriously re-thought.

It comes after a spate of attacks

which saw four people,

including two teenagers,

killed on New Year evening.

It brought the total

number of those stabbed

to death in London last year to 80.

Here's Ayshea Buksh.

This is where the first knife crime

victim of the New Year was killed,

on an estate in Islington, not far

from the Old Street roundabout.

The Met Police say they were called

here in the early hours

of New Year's Day after a fight

broke out at a house party.

A 20-year-old was found stabbed

to death, and another man,

also in his 20s, is in a critical

condition in hospital.

It was one of four separate knife

attacks in 24 hours, just a few

miles away in Hackney

is the Crib Youth Project.

There, I met with some young

people to talk about

knife crime, only these girls

agreed to be on camera.

I asked them if police stop

and search should be increased.

I think that it's good

that we have stop and search.

But the fact, like,

people say we should

add more and do more,

I don't think that's good.

I think we should have it,

but level it out, not too much,

because it be irritating and young

people will get angry.

And what role if any

gang culture plays

in young people carrying a knife.

Postcode plays a role

in knife crime, basically.

And you know, it don't really

affect me like that,

but sometimes it will,

because I never know who it will be.

You can't just blame it

on gangs, because it

is just anybody.

It could be my brother

or something, he could carry

a knife, but he is

only a little boy.

But because he is saying this

or hearing about all of this

in the news and stuff,

he can pick up a knife

because he is scared of something.

It is not necessarily

because he's in a game.

They think that they need

protection, because

even though there are people...

There isn't people that needs

knives, they feel like it protects

them to have a knife.

Youth worker Kelly Reid

runs workshops at the

Crib for parents worried

about their children

getting into trouble.

You can't remove the family

from the young person,

because the family is a part of that

young person's growth,

and if we're not helping

the families, the parents and

the carers, and the grandparents,

then are we actually

focusing on the problem

or are we looking at it

as an individual thing

where it is just the young people

that have gone wild.

June's 18-year-old grandson Marcel

was stabbed to death by a gang

two years ago.

Parents need to check their children

when they go out, it

doesn't matter how old they are,

check them where they're going, who

their friends are,

search their bags, such

the kitchen and check

there are no knives missing.

Check where they are,

don't let them out the door.

As for the stabbing in Islington,

a 19-year-old man has

been arrested in Hackney

on suspicion of murder.

Ayshea Buksh, BBC London News.

As regular as clockwork,

at this time of year,

we can expect the price

of train tickets to go up.

2018 is no exception,

although London Mayor,

Sadeeq Khan has stuck to his promise

to freeze bus and tube fares.

But far from keeping everyone happy,

there's criticism that

by not increasing fares,

badly needed investment,

just won't happen.

Here's our transport

correspondent, Tom Edwards.

The first day back for many,

and a fare rise for some

commuters but not others.

In Hertfordshire, for rail

commuters season-ticket fares

have gone up by 3.4%.

Those using the train here seem

to be used to the financial pain.

I'm not too bothered, to be honest.

I'll still pay it anyway

because you have to.

We feel the pain now, but obviously,

there are improvements being made.

But we've been feeling

the pain fears and I haven't

seen any improvements.

At London Bridge, Network Rail has

been showing off what the extra

money is paying for.

On the buses, and other TfL services

though, fares are frozen,

paid for with job cuts at TfL

and efficiencies, and

the scrapping of extra trains

on the Northern and Jubilee

that was meant to increase capacity.

The cost is very high.

We've seen that the Mayor has now

cut the investment in the Northern

line and the Jubilee line.

There will be 27 fewer trains.

Many people travel to Canada Water.

I was talking to someone

over Christmas who said you can

hardly get on the train,

you have to wait for two or three.

That will continue.

Here, we are in London Bridge,

the Northern line and

Jubilee line meet here.

Try and get on the train

in the evening, you have to queue

just get on the platform let alone

actually get on a train.

It's a disgrace.

The Mayor had promised no Londoners

would pay more in fares by 2020.

But travelcards and the fare cap are

going up, and he still wants to take

over suburban rail franchises.

We call on the government to

match the levels of efficiency

that we're providing in Transport

for London, and actually freeze

the fares on National Rail and

do everything they can to provide

the kind of premium service that

people are paying for right now.

And actually, not all

passengers are the same.

In stations around Redhill,

rail fares are also being frozen.

It's only fair, we've had

to suffer for a long time.

So no fare rise is good, in fact,

it should come down.

I think the rail

network's a shambles.

I pay too much for a train that

never gets in on time.

Fares and who pays for transport

as a political decision.

All have challenges

and consequences.

Tom Edwards, BBC London News.

A New Year for many of

us means a new start.

And as the cost of living

in London continues to rise -

you may think that a move away

from the capital would make sense.

If so, you're not alone.

According to recent figures,

the number of Londoners

leaving the capital for other

parts of the UK has

hit a ten-year high.

Nearly 300,000 people

left London in 2016.

That's a 14% rise from a decade ago.

So, this week we're looking

at why so many of us

are deciding to relocate.

In the first of our series,

Caroline Davies speaks to a young

family planning to move away.

Born and bred in London,

and an ex-Met Police officer.

You might have thought

that Gemma has London

in her bones, but now

she wants out of the capital.

I've had enough of the traffic,

the cars, the busyness

of the area, and then not being able

to have the childhood that I had.

The amount of people coming

here into this area for the schools,

it's an outstanding

area for schools,

but there's only so many places.

She plans to move her and her

family to the New Forest.

I remember me and my husband

standing there on the beach,

the kids were playing, running

in and out of the sea and we were

looking across to the Needles,

the Isle of Wight.

I remember looking at him

and saying, I could live here.

And that was literally yet, and ever

since I can't stop

thinking about it!

She's not the only one with eyes

wandering beyond London.

This is the M25.

Traditionally considered

the boundary line of London,

if not entirely accurate.

Now according to the ONS,

more people are leaving this

behind in London and going to

the rest of the UK than vice versa.

One of the biggest demographic

groups making the move

is people in their 30s and 40s,

often with young children.

Belinda runs a service advising

people who want to make the

move, but why did they leave?

For a lot of people its schools.

For others, it is financial.

Property prices in London

are putting people off staying.

There are some fantastic areas

outside of London that offer

amazing opportunities.

And not just from a property

buying point of view,

but to move and to be part

of the community and to create

a whole life which I think

is what people are generally

looking to do.

What's the biggest misconception

people have that are planning

to move out of London?

I think that it will solve all ills.

You know, I joke with people,

it doesn't mend broken marriages

and doesn't make children

automatically behave better.

You're still parents or you're

still struggling with work.

I think people need to really think

about what their lives

look like now, and keep

in touch with that.

If you really like going to a cafe

then don't assume because you've

moved out of London that

you want to drop that, you probably

will still want to do that.

Gemma can't wait

to try somewhere new.

I suppose you can't forget where

you've been brought up, but I'm

ready for the next chapter

of my life now, I think.

As the New Year starts, other

Londoners will have similar ideas.

Caroline Davies, BBC London News.

You're watching the first full

length BBC London News of 2018.

Thanks for being with us.

This is what's still

to come tonight.

West Ham face fellow strugglers West

Brom in a crucial match tonight, but

we'll be looking at why, if they do

go down it might not just be the

club left counting the cost of

relegation.

And if you're headed back to work or

school tomorrow, it could be a very

windy commute. I will have full

details later.

Hundreds of Londoners have reported

hearing a disturbing "hum".

No-one seems to know what's causing

it, but for those hearing

it, it brings misery.

Public Health England says it's

"aware" of the "humming" claims,

but they add there's

little evidence to support it.

Gareth Furby has

been finding out more.

Lydia loves being a mother.

But she says her life is being

ruined by low-frequency noise.

I started hearing it

in my flat in Teddington,

and it was sounding like,

the lowest string of the bass

guitar, it was like a...

SHE HUMS

She called in the local

environmental health,

and says they plotted the noises

she recorded on a chart

showing low frequencies.

Donna says the noise in her flat

is driving her to despair.

She lives near Luton and says

she first heard it about a year ago.

If I spend too much time here,

I could literally top myself, it...

It drills into your brain that much.

Donna believes something may have

happened to cabling near her home,

or it could be she's hearing noise

from a nearby substation.

Lydia believes it's linked

to mobile phone masts.

But another theory now

being considered by some researchers

is that some people may develop

unusual sensitivity to some types

of low-frequency noise.

Lydia says environmental health

told her the frequencies recorded

in her home were not normally heard.

And Richmond Council

says its officers didn't witness

any noises, so could do nothing.

They cannot find the source

of the hum, so they couldn't

help me any further.

But Lydia and others are now

making use of a data gathering

project on the internet,

called the World Hum Map,

and in the London area,

there have been hundreds of reports.

The actual number of people who,

under the right conditions,

might be able to detect it could be

much higher, simply

because of the mass of level

of noise and vibration that

London itself produces.

Public Health England says its noise

specialists are aware of claims

about low-frequency noise and health

effects, but the evidence concerning

their impact is very limited.

Gareth Furby, BBC London News.

The London Stadium -

the setting for tonight's

crucial relegation battle

between West Ham United and fellow

Premier League strugglers,

West Bromwich Albion.

But the controversy over

the deal that took West Ham

to the former Olympic venue -

means there's more to tonight's game

than just three points.

Chris Slegg is there

and can tell us why.

There's plenty at stake for the

teams tonight, and as taxpayers,

everyone has a stake in West Ham's

future. The deal which brought the

club to the stadium has been widely

and highly criticised for a long

time now. West Ham pay just £2.5

million a year in rent. As a Premier

League club, they make at least £100

million a year. Now, if worse canes

to worse, and they were to get

relegated, their rent would be

halved. They would only pay £1.25

million a year for every year they

are outside the top division. Some

have questioned if that is really

right, given the Premier League

compensates well a gated clubs

anyway, it would award a parachute

payment of more than £40 million to

West Ham next season to soften the

financial blow of relegation. Now,

there is an argument that outside

the Premier League, the crowds

would-be lover, the running costs

would therefore be lower, and West

Hyam would be entitled to a rental

reduction. -- West Ham full of any

shortfall in the bread would be

another burden on the taxpayer. The

taxpayers Alliance have been highly

critical of many aspects of the

deal.

It's not necessarily West Ham's

four, they have managed to get a

good deal here. The blame should lie

with the public sector bodies that

have negotiated this deal in the

first place. It's why the public

sector shouldn't be involved in

these sorts of sports facilities in

big stadium projects like this,

because they are bad at argument and

bad at these contracts. It will feel

like a bit of a kick to taxpayers

funding these things.

Hugely important match for West Ham

on the pitch tonight. If they were

to lose to West Brom, and other

results go against them, they could

be bottom of the table by the end of

tonight's matches. If they win, they

could go up to 15th, plenty of time

to turn the season around. They have

had a mini revival under David

Moyes, a month ago they got a draw

against Arsenal, and a win at Stoke,

but can they return to winning ways

tonight after a bad period over the

festive season?

Meet Max.

He's not just cute and cuddly.

He's also a therapist,

of sorts, for children.

He works in north London

and his impact on children

with mental health issues,

has been extraordinary.

In one primary school,

Max has helped to reduce

mental health referrals,

to zero - so Charlotte Franks

went to speak to one

of the children he's helped.

This guy is thinking he is worried.

More than 100,000 children in London

are suffering with mental health

problems, 11-year-old Jarod is one

of them. His mother died soon after

childbirth, and he's been having

counselling sessions at school to

help him cope. Max, the therapy dog,

has been supporting him, too.

Sometimes if someone has really

annoyed me, I sometimes feel angry.

If they've upset me, I feel

obviously, upset. Max helped me

concentrate and think. I think it

does help to have a dog.

Jarod has

had therapy for a few years, and

definitely feels the benefits from

each session.

After, I feel like a

weight has been lifted off me. But

before, I feel, like, "Help."

Despite funding cuts, hybrid

preprimary school has developed a

programme of mental health services

to help pupils that struggle. They

include dog therapy.

We have 40

children on site a week to see

therapist. Dogs are completely

nonjudgemental, so it aids the child

to relax. It is not just about the

therapeutic support we have going

on, it is about a whole culture

change, it is an ethos of

well-being.

The programme costs at

£8,500 a year and has proved so

successful that in the last 12

months the school has reduced

exclusions and broad mental health

referrals down to zero.

There is

effective pastoral support in many

schools, but we have taken it to a

new level by having a therapist

working in a therapeutic way on

site.

After therapy, most pupils

feel calmer and more relaxed.

So

cute.

Do you think Max enjoys the

sessions?

Definitely. Because he

gets the attention and occasionally

a treat.

You are beautiful, aren't you.

Every school should have won, that

is my personal opinion.

Now the Weather with Elizabeth.

The rain pushing eastwards as we can

see. But now it is all about this

clamp of rain. You can see a hook

forming. This is storm Eleanor. It

is more about the wind gusts. 87 mph

over the Republic of Ireland, but

don't worry, we won't get that here.

But strong gusts included in the Met

office weather warning. Gusts of

50-60 mph through the small hours of

tomorrow morning, and in rush-hour

as well. This is tonight, rain

coming in from the west. Look at the

white circles, the wind speed,

average wind speed. In the black

circles, gusts likely to be

experienced through the small hours

of tomorrow morning. Some gusts

40-50 mph, causing problems for high

sided vehicles and transport

disruption as well. Not many people

will be up at that time, but lots of

people up through the morning rush

hour, and that is where we could see

strong gusts of wind, highs of 40-50

mph in places, through tomorrow

morning's rush hour. It will be a

windy day indeed, but the wind will

calm down in the afternoon, squally

showers around, but also late

brightness as well. A windy day

tomorrow. Totten bridges ten or 11,

but the numbers are largely academic

because it will feel windy. More

rain on the way as we head into

Thursday, and that will sink

southwards on Friday, introducing a

north-easterly wind. Tomorrow,

windy. The weekend, cold.

That's it.

We hope you've enjoyed our first

full BBC London News

for the New Year.

I'll be back at 10.30.

Have a good evening.