29/01/2018 London News

He offered to testify against his

former associates.

That's all from the BBC News at Six,

so it's goodbye from me -

Tonight on BBC London News.

The sound of the underground...

But could the high levels

of noise on the tube be

damaging your hearing?

The Jubilee, Northern and Central

Line at or above 85 decibels, which

if this was a work environment would

be considered so loud that you would

have to wear ear defenders.

We reveal the capital's

noisiest lines.

Also tonight.

Born with severe brain damage.

Now doctors are told they can

withdraw life-support

treatment from a baby boy -

against his parents wishes.

Plus the robot revolution -

how almost a million jobs in London

could be threatened by automation.

And the search for an Olympic

and Paralympic star -

the young people hoping to follow

in the footsteps of their

medal winning heroes.

Good evening and welcome

to the programme.

I'm Victoria Hollins.

Could your daily commute be damaging

your hearing?

That is the claim from

a scientist at University College

London, who says noise levels on the

Underground are in places equivalent

to that found at a rock constant.

BBC London has measured zones one

and two to reveal the loudest lines,

but transport bosses argue the

levels experienced by passengers are

within legal limits and it is

unlikely that anyone will suffer ill

effects.

Meet Roberta. She is now wearing

earplugs whenever she travels on the

London Underground.

It is deafening.

It is definitely not good for you

hearing. You are losing your ability

to hear slowly.

Is that true? With

the noise levels be bad for

unprotected ears. To get some idea,

I measured ten lines in London using

calibrated meter is by UCL. On some

lines, there is no doubt it can get

very loud. This is the Victoria Line

heading toward stock well and it is

absolutely deafening. Here we are on

the Northern Line. Once again it is

really loud. I am having to shout.

Can you actually hear me? It took

one week to get all the measurements

and as the results started coming

in, I was advised to wear ear

protection. The data was uploaded to

a computer at UCL and analysed by a

doctor.

The Central Line has the

loudest section out of all of the

tube lines and it basically gets as

loud as almost 110 decibels. To put

it into perspective that is

approximately as loud as going to a

gig or rock concert.

The three

loudest sections were on the Central

Line from Liverpool Street to

Bethnal Green, on the Northern Line

from Camden Town to Euston and on

the Jubilee Line from North

Greenwich to Canary Wharf. Also on

average the Victoria Line is the

loudest followed by the Jubilee,

Northern and Central Line at or

above 85 decibels.

If this was a

work environment this would be

considered so loud that you would

have to wear ear defenders. I think

what these measurements show was the

tube is sufficiently loud to warrant

further investigation. It certainly

shows it can be loud enough to

damage people's hearing.

We would

like London Underground to have a

look at the levels you have

collected and perhaps do their own

data collection as well.

Transport

for London say noise levels on the

tube are monitored and they are

below those set by the health and

safety executive. The guidance

suggests such levels are highly

unlikely to cause any long-term

damage to passengers here.

We are

confident that nobody is exposed to

unsafe noise level. There are parts

of the network which are noisier

than others but you would need to be

exposed to that noise for a

significant period of time to

causing hearing damage. One of the

things we are doing is look at

quieter track fastenings. We grind

the rails, we replace the rails. All

of that is designed to give a

smoother journey and a quieter

journey.

One acoustic expert says a

change to the train design could

help.

The carriages could be created

to make a quiet carriage. It would

create a pleasant experience.

And

even though Transport for London

says it is highly unlikely there

will be any effects, the UCL expert

who analysed our data said

passengers hearing this day in, day

out, could think about taking

precautions.

For people using the

noisier lines regularly and for long

journeys, it could be worth while

using hearing protection.

And Gareth is with me now.

Gareth you've been through the data.

We all use the tube -

tell us more the lines

that are affected.

There are several maps on the BBC

London website. Number one is

Tufnell Park to... On the Northern

Line. There is Liverpool Street to

Bethnal Green on the Central Line.

Camden Town to Euston on the

Northern Line and Canary Wharf to

North Greenwich on the Jubilee Line.

The quietest is the Metropolitan

line in zone one and two which

sounds like a quiet office.

Good

news if you are using the

Metropolitan line. It is not just

the Underground you have been

looking at?

We have been looking at

how loud a night out in London can

get, going to a pub or a restaurant

or bar and we have also looked at

how loud the busiest streets in

London, Oxford Street, Piccadilly

and Leicester Square. You can find

out more at 7:30pm.

Interesting

stuff, thank you. You can find out

more on Inside Out at 7:30pm.

Lots more to come including...

Cracking down on the most

polluting vehicles.

The ultra low emission zone

where only electric and hybrid

cars would be allowed.

A High Court judge has ruled that

doctors can stop providing

life-support treatment

to an 11-month-old boy -

against his parents' wishes.

Isaiah Haastrup suffered severe

brain damage after being deprived

of oxygen at birth.

Staff from King's College Hospital

argued that giving him

further treatment was "not

in his best interests".

Let's get more on this

from Caroline Davies who's

at the hospital this evening.

It was here in February last year

when Isaiah was born in King 's

College London Hospital. What we

know is he suffered from profound

brain damage because he was starved

of oxygen during his birth. The

hospital argued he should be given

palliative care. They think it is

futile to continue with

life-sustaining support. His parents

disagree and that is why this

decision ended up in the High Court

today. We heard from the hospital

today. They described his brain

damage as catastrophic. They said he

could not move or breathe

independently. He is on a

ventilator. They also said he did

not respond to stimulation. That is

something that Isaiah's mother

disagrees with. She said when she

speaks to her child he responds by

slowly opening one eye. She also

said to describe his life as Paul

was not right. The judge said it was

with profound sadness that he did

not believe it was in the best

interests of Isaiah to continue with

that life-sustaining support.

Where

do they go from here?

I have spoken

to the hospital here. They said

there is no date set in stone for

when the treatment is removed. They

said the next stage is to speak to

the parents. The parents are

understood to be disappointed with

this result. They said they will

speak to their lawyer about this and

we may hear further on this story.

Thank you.

In around 20 years' time one

in five jobs in cities

like London could be at risk

because of the rise of robots.

Retail, customer service

and warehouse jobs are among those

most at threat of being lost,

according to the Centre for Cities.

The think tank has predicted huge

changes in the way we work

because of technological advances -

but not all of it is bad news.

Here's our Political

Correspondent Karl Mercer.

It is what you might call a

traditional skill. It is hard work

and it is hot work. At this steel

fabricators in west London, there is

much call for this sort of skill.

Business is good so the men here is

busy. But change is coming to this

industry. Across the workshops that

the future. It does not look much

but this machine cost half £1

million. Bought last year, it is

changing the pace and nature of work

here.

We are looking at this.

Automation allows for much better

lead times and better accuracy so

quality goes up, and the other thing

is it is more difficult to find

skilled people who want to do the

job.

More automation means the

people here have to retrain.

When

I'm here I am just the worker. Now I

am cutting, so I am going up.

Do

think it is better because machines

mean you do not have to do the hard

stuff?

Yes, it is much better for

me.

That is something that a think

tank says many will have to do. It

predicts automation could cost

London 9000 jobs in ten years, but

it says the city is well placed to

cope.

I think it is a gentle prod at

we need to change things. It is a

recognition that we think about

automation and globalisation. It

will create winners and losers in

our cities and if we think about it

now we can maximise the upsides and

reduce the downsides.

It is not just

Manufacturing jobs which may be

under threat. Those in the service

industry will be changing too.

Orders placed here go straight to

the factory floor.

The margin of

error is huge. One tiny mistake may

cause a lot of trouble.

So you think

the humans still have a future?

They

definitely do. I hope! Or we will be

extinct!

The leader of Windsor and Maidenhead

council will face a motion

of no confidence tonight

following his controversial calls

to tackle "aggressive begging"

before the Royal Wedding in May.

Simon Dudley claimed it painted

the town in an "unfavourable light"

and that bags left by those beggars

posed a "security risk".

He has since said the comments

referred to anti-social

behaviour from people

who weren't genuinely homeless.

Passengers travelling on a tense

Clipper -- a Thames Clipper were

evacuated after it crashed into a

here this morning. An investigation

is under way to discover the cause

of the crash.

University of London will use

£100,000 to develop an app which

they are working on which could

record patients' movement which

could help with earlier diagnosis of

Parkinson's disease.

A London surgeon - whose conviction

for the manslaughter of a patient

was overturned at the Appeal Court -

is now fighting to save his career.

David Sellu is going before

a medical tribunal which opened

in Manchester today.

The General Medical Council

claims his actions at a private

hospital fell below expected

standards and amounted

to misconduct.

If that's proven, he

could be struck off.

As our political editor

Tim Donovan reports.

June Hughes was 66 years old when he

went in for what should have been a

routine operation. There were

complications and then delays

dealing with a perforation to his

bowl -- Jim Hughes. He deteriorated

rapidly and died here at the

clementine Church or private

hospital in Harrow. The last time

his daughter came face-to-face with

the surgeon who treated him was when

he stood in the dock at the Old

Bailey. Today she she intended his

-- she attended his trial. He worked

at Ealing Hospital and was accused

of manslaughter over Mr Hughes'

death and served 15 months in

prison. But his original conviction

was quashed.

I think for the sake of

that poor man and his family,

justice has not been done. It has

been retribution but I do not really

believe that they have been served

as well as they should have been.

But the General Medical Council is

now pursuing action against Mr

Sellu, arguing that he failed to

provide good clinical care,

including not prescribing

antibiotics are not performing

urgent surgery. The six-week hearing

will mean that protocols at this

hospital will also come under

scrutiny. In recent months, David

Sellu has been practising under

supervision at Northwick Park

Hospital. The tribunal will decide

whether he can continue in the

profession or he is struck off.

Still to come....

Have you got what it takes to be a

potential Olympian? I have Matt Lee

Valley ice centre where the search

is on for the sports stars of the

future stop.

The Brexit secretary has urged

London's businesses to hold back

on plans to move jobs

from the capital until at least

the end of the year.

During a grilling by the EU Select

committee David Davis said firms

should wait to see what the UK's

future deal with the EU looks

like before implementing

contingency plans.

Our Brexit reporter

Katharine Carpenter

is on College Green this evening.

What reaction have we had

so far from the city?

Most in the city have pretty much

wanted a transition period that kept

the status quo as far as possible

lasting for at least two years and

broadly that is what the EU has

offered today albeit with many

conditions attached, which some

hard-line Brexiteers may find very

unpalatable indeed. I spoke to the

City of London Corporation earlier

and they said they cautiously

welcomed this, that it would bring

stability and give businesses much

needed time to ready themselves for

Brexit. That was the hope of David

Davis who was speaking today at an

EU Select Committee hearing in the

House of Lords and I am pleased to

say we have the chair man of that

committee here.

Do you think David

Davis has done enough to reassure

the city that they do not have to

jump into moving jobs abroad? I do

not think it is as simple as that,

nothing is that simple. I think he

has been able to show that there is

thinking going on in government,

that is what this implementation

period is about. He did emphasise

the need to get early resolution of

the facts so that people could

decide what needed to be done and

get on with it so that they would

know what the endgame would be, but

he has not really given us details

on the impact yet.

The fact is that

most businesses planning to move

jobs have begun the process, he

might be able to slow it down but

not halted altogether.

I think

people running their own businesses

will have to take measures according

to what they know and avoid what

they feel they are uncertain about.

He did not set because back with the

way he presented it.

He was also

grilled by your colleagues about why

there were no impact statements on

financial services.

It would have

been easier if he had done that. Now

we have not and I suspect it will

all get wrapped up in the next round

of the negotiations and we shall not

here until after they are underway.

We hope it is not too late. We have

heard a lot, especially over the

weekend about infighting in the Tory

party and disagreement over the

future of Brexit, has that been

distracting from some of the main

issues?

It has distracted the press

and media and I am required not to

be a member of our political parties

like say, I think it has distracted

at least one major political party

in this country and now they have to

get on with the job of negotiation.

Those should come first and sorting

out everyone else and winning the

case for what ever comes out of this

is going to be much more important

for all of us.

Thank you very much.

Just because the EU has said what it

sees as a transition period, it does

not mean it is a done deal, that is

all still very much up for

negotiation in the coming weeks.

Thank you very much.

It's a small scheme but it

could have big consequences.

Hackney Council is the first

in the country to ban all polluting

vehicles from some of it's streets

to try and improve air quality

and they want more of them.

But motoring organisations

say its punishing drivers who bought

diesels in good faith.

Here's our Environment

Correspondent Tom Edwards.

Could this sign become a regular

sight on the roads of London? This

is one of nine streets in Hackney

and Islington were petrol and diesel

vehicles will be banned during rush

hour in the week.

It should be

quieter, cleaner and it is during

the busiest hours of the day, when

there is most conflict with other

vehicle users.

Is it against cars?

People will say that. We are trying

to reduce the dominance in the car

but we are only pity the

restrictions in place for six hours

a day, there are still 18 hours were

you can use a polluting vehicles.

There are also places where you can

park and drop off using vehicles, we

have tried to make it a compromise

between doing something and having

an impact and allowing businesses to

operate as usual.

Why we were

filming, an ambulance got stuck

behind and illegally parked van,

residents and businesses will be

exempt. This coffee shop welcomes

the proposals to improve air

quality.

I think

particularly in the suburb, it will

make it a nicer environment to sit

outside, where you can drink your

coffee and peace rather than having

cars going past.

It is believed this

is the first time in the country

where vehicles will be banned if

they are not ultralow emission, they

have to be either electric or

hydrogen powered and what is

interesting about this scheme, is

sometimes this type of scheme

spreads. Cameras will monitor the

roads and drivers that break the

rules could face fines of £130.

Motoring groups say it is unfair. I

think just banning diesel is not

part of it, you need longer term

incentives and better ones, more

charging points on the streets for

electric vehicles. I think you need

positive proposals rather than

negative ones which can backfire on

those people who bought diesels in

good faith.

The consultation is open

until February the 14th and if it is

approved, this zone could be in

place in March. Tom Edwards, BBC

London News. Tom joins me now. An

interesting idea but will it catch

on?

Really interesting, it is only

nine streets but it could have huge

ramifications across London because

these schemes as we have seen

before, with things like parking

schemes in Westminster, they tend to

spread across the capital and this

is arguably much stricter than the

tea charge. If you drive a polluting

car, you cannot enter the streets

during those hours and what is also

interesting from Hackney Council,

they have seen that 50% of vehicles

in that area are delivery vehicles

on what they are doing is they are

using this as a policy lever to get

the delivery companies to change

fleets to electric and hydrogen

powered, but this will be really

contentious.

I imagine so. Thank you

very much for the update.

The Winter Olympics get underway

in south Korea next week,

but a little closer to home today

aspiring athletes were put

through paces at an event

to discover the Olympians

and Paralympians of the future.

"Discover Your Gold" is the UK's

biggest sport talent

campaign of its kind.

And as Emma Jones reports,

the programme has already delivered

some well-known medal winners.

Short track speed skating, it is

fast, it is fun and on the eve of

the winter Olympics, it is one of

the sports searching for new young

talents.

I think people should be

confident to start something new and

try something. Because I definitely

would not have tried short track if

it had not been for any kind of

talent potential programme. I love

it. It is one of the best decisions

I have made.

This campaign is just

the latest to give gifted young

athletes the

chance to be fast-track into the

world of elite sport. Over 100

athletes have already been found,

over 250 major medals have already

been won from previous talent

searches including Lizzy Yarnold and

rower Vicky Thornley who partnered

Katherine Grainger to her fifth

Olympic medal.

There will be people

sitting at home watching the Winter

Olympics and their Paralympics and

thinking, how could I ever do that?

And this is open to anyone who

thinks they might have the potential

to do something at this level to

come and have a go and do some

physical tests and see if they have

the potential to go all the way.

And

that potential can often be found

when a young athlete tries out a

brand-new sport.

I live in this

area. We usually go into running,

but today I am finding that I can

take part in speed skating. Even

watching the professional skaters, I

feel like that is something I would

love to do and that is the whole

point of the programme.

Inspiration

and a bit of dedication that could

lead to future Olympic medals. Emma

Jones, BBC London News.

Now the weather with Philip Avery.

Now the weather with Philip Avery.

It is a mixed bag. I am thinking of

an old Morecambe and wise sketch

where I have all the right bits but

not necessarily in the right order.

First of all, it was not bad. I was

wandering around and the sky looked

a bit like that and then the cloud

filled in and it got a bit wet to

say the very least. That was in

London, I assure you. Then, we ended

up, if you were lucky with something

a bit more like that. Then it all

came about because that weather

front came down from the north and

eventually, if you were lucky just

before sunset, particularly in the

north and west may have got into

something just a bit brighter. Think

through the course of the night, the

skies will stay pretty clear, and

that is going to lead, especially in

the countryside, to a widespread

frost. That doesn't equate to a

gloriously bright start to the day,

can we keep it going? Just about, I

would have thought. The cloud filled

Zen in the north and west,

particularly as we get into the

later part of the afternoon but if

you work on the basis of a dry day,

you will not go wrong. Eight or 9

degrees, not the lofty heights that

we had today, well into double

figures. Here we are for the start

of Wednesday, do not be suckered by

how dry and bright it is, it will

not last. Down comes the weather

front from the North, it is not just

one, there are two, you will know

when they have both gone through

because the skies will brighten

later in the day. There could be an

early eight or nine about

proceedings. From here on in, it is

going to feel much colder.

Temperatures may stick at the same

values you get used to on Wednesday

but the direction of the wind

changes and noticed the number of

isobars, there is quite a bit of

wet, both through Wednesday and

indeed on into Thursday. You can

see, the chance of some rain and it

may follow to a shower but on

Thursday, drier and bright day after

a pretty chilly start and then into

Friday, the winds beginning to

moderate, but there will be a good

deal more cloud. Thank you very much

indeed.

deal more cloud. Thank you very much

indeed.

Now the main headlines....

A former Loyalist paramilitary

commander has been sentenced to six

and a half years in prison

for scores of terrorist offences --

including five murders in the 1990s.

Gary Haggarty offered

to testify in court

against his former associates.

One and a half million people

receiving pep will have their cases

reviewed, it follows a ruling that

the government was discriminatory

when working out entitlements. And

the judge...

A judge has told doctors they can

withdraw life-support treatment

from a brain-damaged baby --

against his parents' wishes.

The Kings College Hospital NHS Trust

wanted to take Isaiah Haastrup off

a ventilator and provide

palliative care only.

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.

Goodbye.