31/01/2018 London News

That's all from the BBC News at Six,

so it's goodbye from me

and on BBC One we now join the BBC's

news teams where you are.

Coming up on the

programme tonight...

A bad day for Thames Water.

In west London, a burst water main

leaves residents trapped.

It's the second major

incident in a week.

It's not as though that issue has

been unknown to Thames Water, and

they've only just discovered it, so

that's where my sympathy ends and I

think it is time for them to step

up.

And the company's in hot

water over bills, too.

We can reveal that nearly half

of London's councils are accused

of working with Thames Water

to exploit tenants.

Also tonight...

Could there be a new dawn for milk

deliveries in glass bottles,

as the tide turns against plastic?

And she calls dancers

at the Royal Ballet her family -

and now THEY are honouring HER

after two decades at the top.

Good evening, I'm Assad Ahmad.

We start tonight with the flooding

of a major London road.

It's the second time residents

in the area have suffered a serious

burst water main in a matter

of days, and they say

they've had enough.

Today's leak on the Goldhawk Road

in west London put homes

and businesses under water.

Some basement flats have

been seriously damaged

and businesses have lost money.

Many are calling on Thames Water

to do more to prevent the leaks.

Jim Wheble has been speaking

to the people affected.

Another high street flooded thanks

to a burst water main. This time,

Goldhawk Road in Shepherd's Bush

which started rushing at three

o'clock this morning. What has been

going on...? And another shop owner

flooded out. It is the fourth time

in ten years it has happened here.

The water is still flowing in?!

Yeah.

And what does this mean for

you?

Well, we had to close down the

studio, and with then had to close

down the shops upstairs as well.

Next door to Brian, it is even

worse. This is Olga's flat and it is

completely flooded. We are in the

basement level, and there's all

sorts of stuff floating around, I've

got a map floating over to me, she's

managed to take some of her

possessions out, but she's too upset

to talk. And if this seems strangely

familiar, well, that's because on

the weekend, a different burst water

main was in evidence on king street

in Hammersmith with much the same

consequences. The Victorian water

main infrastructure doesn't help,

but some say Thames Water aren't

doing enough.

It's not as though

that issue has been unknown to

Thames Water, and they've only just

discovered it, so that's where my

sync with the ends and I think it is

time for them to step up and get the

detection technology into the pipes

so that they can start telling us

which pipes are most likely to burst

and to try to prevent other than

them trying to solve the problem.

Is

a disappointing that that hasn't

happened already?

Yes, I think it is

disappointing.

Back on the Goldhawk

Road shop owners are still worried,

watching the ebb and flow of the

floodwater.

It's coming up, it's

going down. They're assessing the

situation right now. I don't know

how long it will take but in the

meanwhile, we have to pack up, we

have bills to pay part of things to

do.

This also happened this

afternoon by London Bridge. Another

water leak. This time, though, down

to some overenthusiastic beginning.

-- digging.

Well, Jim's out in West London now -

what's the latest, Jim?

This is the Goldhawk Road and the

water went all the way to the end,

down towards the Shepherd's Bush

roundabout and all this way past the

Goldhawk Road Tube station, you can

see those lights in the background,

that's roughly where the burst water

main is and the floodwater has now

receded. I'm joined by Tim McMahon,

the head of water networks for

Thames Water. Is there enough

investment, is it just pot luck as

to whether you are a victim of this

type of flooding from a burst water

main the EE firstly I'm really,

really sorry for the impact this

burst has had in the vicinity and

for those customers who have

experienced no water throughout the

day. We're really, really sorry and

I have spent the whole day here

talking to customers and reassuring

them of our commitment to get their

water back on.

I understand that, we

will get to that as well, but what

about the amount of investment that

Thames Water puts in to stop this

happening - is it enough?

Investment

in the network is really important

to customers, and that's why we've

increased the investment in our

large pipes, big pipes over 12

inches, by the tune of £90 million.

And by the next annual period, up to

2025 we're aiming to double our

investment as part of our business

plan.

So, has enough been spent in

the past, because you've had your

highest water leak rate for ten

years this year, it sounds to me as

if not enough has been spent and

people have been victims of this?

It

is not about money. We have

increased our investment, as I said.

Our leaks division is not where we

want it to be but we are working

incredibly hard to recover that. But

my main focus on today is around

returning our customers' lives back

to normal as quickly as possible.

Thank you very much for that. So,

people will continue to be affected

throughout the night. The problem is

well under way to being solved but

if you are affected there is bottled

water here on Goldhawk Road for you

to take advantage of.

Thames Water features in our next

story this evening, too.

This programme has learnt that

nearly half of London's

council are being accused

of exploiting their most

vulnerable residents -

by billing them for the water.

BBC London has learned

that the boroughs have entered

into what are legally described

as "unfair contracts"

with Thames Water, which means

tenants risk losing their homes

if they fail to pay up.

Alex Bushill has this

exclusive report.

Getting rinsed for your water bills.

Lorraine is a council

tenant on a low income,

but now high on the list of those

due a pay-out, running

perhaps to hundreds of pounds.

It could have benefited me in a lot

of ways, food, pay the bills.

I would not have been struggling

so much to actually live day-to-day.

So what has gone wrong

for Lorraine and thousands

of other tenants like her?

This is what you would expect

to see, Thames Water selling

direct to its customers.

Instead, some councils got

involved as a middlemen,

reselling the water

to their tenants.

In one case, Southwark did not pass

on the discount it was given

by Thames Water for buying in bulk.

It is also worth stressing

that if now tenants fell

into arrears with the council,

effectively their landlord,

they could now face eviction.

Lorraine says that is exactly

what happened to her.

If I was paying my water bill

directly to the water company,

they would not be

allowed to cut my water.

They would have to take me

to court themselves

and I wouldn't face eviction.

I think it is really disgraceful

because they are taking money out

of people's pockets that a lot

of them are on low

incomes and basically

they are benefiting from it.

We have identified 269 recent cases.

14 councils in and around London

have confirms they entered into

similar deals with water companies,

of whom eight councils said they

generated £33 million from those

agreements between them. At least

130,000 tenants might now be getting

a pay-out. Wandsworth council has

already paid back £5.9 million in

total. Of forest has set aside...

And Lorraine's council, Enfield...

As for Thames Water, they say they

have never received any charges over

and above the authorised to tell if.

What's more they're now working with

local authorities reviewing

contracts to ensure customers pay

the correct amount. -- tariff.

Lorraine's case is being

investigated by lawyers seeking to

bring a joint class action for all

those affected. They say even where

councils are already paying out, a

closer look may be needed.

Some of them are saying they are

waiting for a legal challenge.

Others are trying to make small

payments below the radar.

Some tenants are having small

payments, £50, that kind of amount

made into their bank account

or credited against arrears.

Some councils are

clearly hoping they can

dispose of this problem and a few

people against the massive discount

and a true compensation

should be paid.

Enfield have said they have had no

complaint from Lorraine yet

but are happy to discuss one.

What is so unusual

about this case is

that it is local authorities who

stand accused of exploiting their

more vulnerable residents.

You're with BBC London News

this Wednesday evening.

This is what is still

to come before seven.

A new bus fare which allows

you to hop on-and-off

as many times as you can,

in an hour - but the mayor plans

to cut services, too.

Who owns the properties near you?

The answer could be more

surprising than you think.

An investigation has found that

nearly 40,000 in London are owned

by offshore companies.

Maybe not surprisingly,

Westminster and Kensington

and Chelsea have the highest number

registered abroad, with critics now

concerned that it could also be

a way of laundering money.

Tolu Adeoye reports.

Who owns the houses on your street?

Data shows that tens of thousands of

houses in London are owned secretly

by offshore companies. One campaign

group has devised a web tool based

on the Land Registry which shows how

many of these properties are in each

borough and they say the public

should be concerned.

We are talking

properties which could be owned by

human traffickers, drug smugglers,

corrupt politicians or even

legitimate business people but the

point is we just don't know. I for

one do not think that is a good

place to be in in terms of your

local community.

Here is a map of

London's secretly owned properties.

We can see some of the hotspots,

there are nearly 38,000 in total.

These are our top four boroughs for

hidden homes. Westminster, more than

10,000. Kensington and Chelsea,

nearly 6000. Camden, over 2000.

Wandsworth, just under 2000. And

even in those outer boroughs there

are still hundreds of hidden

properties. The theme of

money-laundering and property

features heavily in the BBC drama

McMafia. The government is planning

to create a public register naming

owners to crack down on the problem

but it won't be operational until

2021, too little, too like, say

some.

Surely we can have, place

within 12 months, surely we can

squeeze it into the Parliamentary

timetable and make it the key thing

which this government can be known

for - tackling corruption, tackling

the tax avoidance and holding these

people to account.

But one tax firm

has warned the creation of a public

register might not be the answer and

could jeopardise the privacy of

property owners.

None of us would

support the use of secret offshore

companies to cover up criminal

activity, whether that was tax

avoidance or money-laundering. But

there are many good reasons why

people, celebrities or wealthy

individuals, might want to use a

confidential offshore vehicle to own

a property in London for legitimate

reasons connected with their

personal protection or safeguarding

against crime.

The government says

it is leading the global crackdown

on money-laundering and the drive

for greater corporate transparency.

It's is that you register will help

to protect the integrity of the UK's

property market.

Some breaking news for you tonight -

and it's just been confirmed that

a prisoner has been found stabbed

to death at Wormwood Scrubs

prison in west London.

Our reporter Alpa Patel

has more on this.

Yes, we're getting reports in the

last hour or so that a male prisoner

was stabbed to death this afternoon

at Wormwood Scrubs, that police are

at the prison investigating, but no

arrests have been made so far. This

comes after a number of concerns

were raised over the safety at

Wormwood Scrubs. The Chief Inspector

of Prisons, Peter Clarke, said he

found an extremely concerning

picture when he visited the jail

back in July. He wrote in his report

that he had concerns about serious

violence which had led to

significant injuries. And in another

report written by the independent

monitoring board, published a few

months ago, they stated that

Wormwood Scrubs was a dangerous

environment for staff and prisoners,

with multiple violent incidents on

most days, they said. So, this

incident will only serve to raise

more concerns about Wormwood Scrubs.

By no information is still coming in

about that one - thanks very much

for now.

Nearly five years after the brutal

murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby

in Woolwich, tension is running high

among some people who want to see

a permanent memorial at the exact

spot where he died -

and others, including the soldier's

own family, who don't.

Death threats have been

issued and so tonight,

the council is having a meeting

to decide what to do.

Let's speak to Charlotte Franks,

who's in that part

of south east London.

Well, it is this location here in

Woolwich, of this unofficial

memorial to leave rugby which has

been at the centre of such

controversy and huge upset for some

mums of the local community. --

Fusilier Lee Rigby. There used to be

a huge amount of cards and flags and

the St George's Park, which has been

since removed by the local council,

because members of this tower block,

families who took their children to

and from a primary school a few

times a day had to walk past this

memorial, and also the family of Lee

Rigby asked for this unofficial

memorial to be removed. That's

because the family never wanted a

memorial here at the exact spot

where Lee Rigby was so tragically

killed, they wanted it inside the

barracks, which they fought long and

hard about. Now, the council have

removed these flags, and that's

because they say the memorial itself

was being hijacked by far right

groups, which they say were using it

for their own causes and threatening

council workers who were going about

their jobs when they were actually

removing them at the time. But the

far right groups say they do want

them to remain, but the council say

that's not going to happen, and in a

meeting tonight at Woolwich Town

Hall down the road, the council will

make a statement where they will say

they will continue to remove every

single one of those flags as they

appear.

If you've just joined us,

welcome to the programme.

This is what you haven't missed.

First it was plastic

bags at the supermarket,

then it was disposable coffee cups.

Could we be about to go back

to seeing milk in glass bottles

in a bid to cut back on plastic?

Celebrating 20 years at the Royal

Ballet, the Argentine dancer who has

made London her home.

the Argentine dancer who has made

London her home.

It was one of his election

pledges and today the Mayor

of London delivered on his

unlimited hopper fare.

It means you can take as many

journeys as you want in an hour.

But we can reveal that the Mayor has

plans to cut bus services too

after figures show a big drop

in the number of people using them.

Here's our Transport

Correspondent, Tom Edwards.

If you have noticed it can take

a little longer to get

a bus, you are not wrong.

Services in London are being cut.

The bad news is it is going to get

worse. Buses are the most used form

of public transport with 6 million

journeys a day.

The bus service I use

is pretty regular, but other

services are not so good.

The only thing I can't complain

about actually is the drivers.

Are they regular?

Yes, they are.

In 2016, buses travelled

495 million kilometres.

In 2017 it fell to 490

million, a drop of 1%.

And bus passengers have fallen by 6%

over the last three years.

32 million. That is blamed on

congestion, the rise of minicab apps

and even Netflix. But the Mayor

wants to make further cuts to the

bus service and wants to reduce the

bus mileage by 7% by 2022.

bus service and wants to reduce

the bus mileage by 7% by 2022.

This morning the Mayor

launched his hopper fare,

meaning unlimited bus trips

within an hour.

You have got passenger numbers

coming down and you have cut bus

mileage.

mileage.

Is the bus service

in London in decline?

No, not at all.

I am committed to bus

services in London.

In outer London you

will see more buses.

In central London there will be

fewer buses because of

the Elizabeth Line coming

in and the Oxford Street

pedestrianisation.

But I want to make sure buses

are where they are needed most.

No one wants to see empty

double-decker buses

driving around London.

We want to see buses in parts

of London where people need more

buses and with the unlimited

hopper fare it makes it

far more attractive.

The unlimited hopper will also cost

£35 million a year in lost revenue.

TfL's finances are already

under strain so it will

mean more efficiencies.

It will increase the number

of bus journeys, but it

will reduce our income a little bit.

It means more journeys for free.

It has a small impact on our budget.

It has a small impact on our budget.

But as the Mayor has said,

TfL has been on the path of reducing

costs aggressively in the past few

years and that will

pay for the hopper.

The Mayor says it will bring back

passengers. Its critics say it is

not worth paying that for less

passengers.

Milkmen.

There was a time when nearly

all of us used them

to leave a pint on our

doorstep in a glass bottle.

And now because more Londoners

want to start using less plastic,

morning deliveries by a milk float

appear to be booming.

Carrie Davies joined a milkman very

early today in west London.

Ian has seen it all on his early

morning milk shift.

You do see some sights.

Yes, people do tend

to lock themselves out

in their pyjamas quite often.

I have seen one or two naked

people running around.

I don't know what they

have been up to but...

He has been a milkman for 27 years.

He is not the first in his family.

My uncle was a milkman

for 50 years and my dad

was a milkman for 38 years

all in the Southwest London area.

Even when they packed up doing it

they still missed it and talk

about doing it to this day to me.

Milk delivery was popular

in the 60s and 70s but by

the 90s it had dropped.

Supermarkets and corner shops meant

buying fresh milk was easier

than ever and often cheaper.

Cheerful, contented and dependable.

Some of his customers have

been getting their pints

from him for over 40 years.

Some Londoners have been keeping

the tradition going.

Andy has had his delivery

for three years.

I am very pro-milkman.

I always have been, especially

for the elderly who can have

lots of services delivered

to their door.

My wife, who is German,

loved the idea of having

a milkman, it is very British

and so immediately we signed up.

And now others might be joining him.

According to one company Londoners

looking to cut down on plastic

are swapping to the milkman.

Who would have thought the British

milkman was making a comeback?

So we indeed saw after

the David Attenborough

programme of blue planet,

we saw that our website doubled

pretty much and also most of these

customers are taking glass bottles.

Before we had about 50%

of our customers taking glass

and now it is over 90%.

Milk and more is part of Muller,

the big German company invested

in keeping this big bottling plant

open and to keep London

and beyond in glass milk bottles.

Here behind me is where

the glass is coming out.

These bottles can be reused

on average about 25 times.

They are then scanned

to detect falts and then

They are then scanned

to detect faults and then

they are refilled with milk.

Could glass bottles

save the milkman?

Ian is committed to it.

I do take my own milk home and I do

take glass bottles home as well.

Era of the milkman is not over yet.

Marianela Nunez calls

the Royal Opera House

in Covent Garden, her home

and dancers there her family.

It's just as well then,

that tomorrow evening they're

giving her a rare honour

to mark her 20 years there.

Wendy Hurrell has been speaking

to the Principal dancer

and even if you're not

into ballet just watch some

of her amazing moves.

In 5-star reviews for her

performance in Giselle

at the Royal Opera House,

Marianela Nunez is being described

is the best ballerina in Britain.

The result of a lifelong

passion, starting when,

as a little girl in Argentina,

she first laced up her shoes.

I was three years old when I

started, my mum was desperate

after three boys to go...pink

everywhere, and literally that's why

I think I love pink so much!

And she sent me to ballet

lessons, and, erm...

And I just knew that

it was what I wanted.

And I can't really

explain why, how...

It's just a calling,

I think, it really is.

A long way away from that

large and loving family,

speaking no English and at the age

of just 15, she arrived in London.

Suddenly I was here,

I joined the company and then

I became a principal

and there were still principals

like Darcey Bussell,

Sylvie Guillem, Viviana Durante,

Leanne Benjamin, and these

were all my idols, you know?

And that 20-year career

at the Royal Ballet will be

celebrated tomorrow evening.

Following the performance,

there will be speeches

and a shower of flowers -

a tradition reserved

for retiring dancers.

Yet Marianela Nunez

is at the height of her powers.

She's the first dancer to be

honoured in this way,

and in the audience,

her family and many friends

from around the world.

I definitely will get

emotional, I know it!

Because actually thinking about it

now, it does make me...

Goose bumps.

Yeah, it really is going

to be very special.

Every day from her

cosy dressing room...

This is a fan, and she makes these

drawings, of like, the photos.

It's amazing, isn't it?

This is a principal dancer who has

to remind herself she is no more

that little three-year-old dreaming

of becoming a ballerina.

I come every morning

and I still just have that feeling

that I had when I came 20 years ago.

I love this place, it's a very,

very special place.

I say the opera house is my home,

the Royal Ballet is my family,

and I just love it with all my heart

- no, I really do.

Wendy Hurrell, BBC London News.

And on are so well deserved.

Let's talk about the blue Moon. In

an amazing twist of fate we have a

celestial event coinciding with

clear skies. How often does that

happen? Once in a blue moon! See

what I have done there. This is it

over Waterloo Bridge. It appears

closer to us and so it is

super-sized and we call it a blue

moon because it is the second full

moon in a month. Catch it whilst you

can.

We will not be having clear skies

for long. The fact we have clear

skies now is an achievement after

the rain we have had today. But they

will not be there for long. There

will be some wintry showers coming

our way and we could see a bit of

sleet and snow for a time. But the

bigger problem once these move is

ice. There is a Met Office warning,

a yellow warning, which means be

aware that ice on untreated surfaces

will be there going into tomorrow

morning. Take it a bit easy first

thing. It will be a chilly and

bright start. Early on there will be

a few of these showers around, but a

lot of them will fade away. In the

afternoon we are left with some

sparkling sunshine. It is a chilly

North westerly wind and it makes it

feel colder than these temperatures

might suggest. Going into tomorrow

evening it is largely clear, so we

will see a frost setting in. For

Friday it is looking mainly dry and

I am not sure we will see as much

sunshine on Friday, but still some

sunny spells coming through. A brisk

wind as well, perhaps not quite as

strong, but it all has an impact on

the temperature. This is the weekend

and a hint of what is to come.

Another rubbish one, outbreaks of

rain on Saturday, maybe sleet and

snow. The main theme for the weekend

is it is looking cold.

I'm so glad you have explained about

the blue moon. It isn't blue. Our

next news is on BBC One at 10:30

p:m.. You can check out our Facebook

page for more stories. See you

later.