01/03/2018 London News

still the risk of some snow showers.

Thank you.

Tonight on BBC London News...

Following the death of a man,

a warning to Londoners to stay off

the ice as the capital remains

in the grip of the big freeze.

Please do not go near frozen water.

Even if it looks like it's safe

to walk on, you've got no idea

how thick the ice is.

People have fallen in and the shock

factor can kill people very quickly.

I will have the latest from

Paddington, which was shot during

the morning rush hour when snow and

ice got inside the station. -- shut.

It's a bit of a nightmare, a bit

of a waste of a day, to be honest.

I can't believe there's not better

things in place other than icy

platforms that we can't go on.

Plus true grit...

The hospital staff working round

the clock to keep the wards open.

We'll have the full forecast.

After crashing out in Pyongchang,

the Team GB snowboarder

back on the piste

closer to home.

Good evening and welcome to the

programme with me, Louisa Preston.

Following the death of a man

who fell through ice

in a park yesterday,

a warning tonight from London's

chief fire officer not

to venture onto frozen water.

The emergency services

in the capital have been

responding to an increase

in weather related callouts.

One London hospital was forced

to cancel some routine operations,

as the freezing conditions continue

for a third day.

And there was disruption

again for commuters

with Paddington, one

of the UK's busiest stations,

closed when snow blew

onto the concourse.

More on that with Tom

Edwards in just a moment.

First to Victoria Hollins who's

at London Ambulance Headquarters.

Victoria?

It is around minus two

degrees here at the London ambulance

headquarters at the moment, with a

wind chill of about -8, we're told.

Those kind of temperatures bring

challenges for pretty much any job

in London. When you are part of the

emergency services dealing with some

of the most vulnerable people at

really difficult times of their

lives, there really are some

challenges to be dealt with. People

have more heart attacks, there are

more strokes, and more people fall

over on the ice and snow. There

really are a whole host of risks

involved in is extremely low

temperatures for London.

You can hear the ice cracking.

It's not thick, but enough to leave

a small dog stranded.

Firefighters wearing dry suits

rescued her in Greenhill Gardens

in Barnet and returned her safely

to her owners.

But elsewhere, the ice and cold had

more tragic consequences.

In Danson Park in Bexleyheath,

a man in his 60s died after falling

through ice on a pond yesterday.

The emergency services

were called just before 4pm.

The man, it's believed,

just fell into the pond here.

He was rescued by another park user,

by a member of the public,

before the emergency services

arrived, he was taken to hospital

but died a short time later.

The circumstances are

still being investigated,

but it's the sort of tragedy

the London Fire Brigade

is really worried about.

Please do not go near frozen water.

Even if it looks like it's safe

to walk on, you've got no idea

how thick the ice is.

People are falling in and the shock

factor can kill people very quickly.

So, we are absolutely urging people

to stay away from any water.

Cold weather brings other

challenges for those keeping

the emergency services going.

All ready to go.

Bob is doing everything he can

to keep things going outside

at St George's Hospital in tooting.

He's got through the entire winter

supply of salt in just four days.

It's my 29th year and I've never

seen it like this before.

I've looked after the grounds

and gardens in all that time

and we've always looked

after the de-icing and clearing

up of the roads.

But it's never been as bad as this.

It's just constant,

constant, constant.

When I came in on Tuesday,

it was minus 12.

How's it going?

It looks OK at the moment.

Dr Phil Ross keeps things

going inside the hospital.

He's in charge of the emergency

department at St George's.

There is an increase

in heart attacks and strokes

during cold weather,

but it brings other problems, too.

We find that we get

an increase in injuries,

because people slip over

on the snow, the ice.

People on bicycles come off

them, cycling in snow

is never a good idea,

from our perspective.

And coupled with that,

it is extremely cold,

so we are seeing patients who come

in hypothermic who need rewarming

and who are incredibly

ill because of this.

At other hospitals including Barts,

some routine operations have

had to be cancelled.

But from the staff on the children's

ward at Queen Elizabeth Hospital

staying overnight, to the paramedics

still on their bikes,

the emergency services

are overcoming the challenges

the weather brings.

We are in the middle of a shift

change, and Stuart Crichton has

taken time to speak to us. A lot of

people are going above and beyond.

What challenges have you faced?

We

have had an increase in slips, trips

and falls. I would like to thank our

staff. They make it into work, the

support services and everybody that

keeps the wheels turning, I

appreciate the efforts they have

gone to to be here for the people of

London.

What is the toughest thing

you face?

We have had an increase in

slips, trips and falls, people

getting stuck out in the cold,

causing problems.

What can people do

to help themselves in these

challenging circumstances? It is

fair to say that you are stretched?

Absolutely. Only call in a genuine

emergency. The services are

available, call your GP, using the

111 service. Sensible things,

dressing up warm, sensible shoes,

being stocked up on medication and

lucky after vulnerable neighbours

and relatives.

Thank you very much

indeed. Another useful, if not

important step, you can try to keep

your home at 18 degrees, it makes a

difference. Back to you.

Thank you.

Rail commuters travelling

into the capital had another

difficult journey into work

with widespread delays and

cancellations across the network.

There was severe disruption

at Paddington - where the station

was closed during this morning's

rush hour because of snowfall

inside the station.

Our transport correspondent

Tom Edwards reports.

Day three, and Paddington

station had to be shut this

morning for two hours.

Not a problem with the trains,

but snow was blowing

in a gap in the roof,

causing icy platforms.

That meant frustration

for passengers like Kelly

and Stacey, in London for a morning

meeting that got cancelled.

A little bit shocked

that the country is falling

apart with a bit of snow.

But other than that, not too bad.

I mean, it's a bit

of a nightmare, a bit

of a waste of a day,

to be honest.

I can't believe that there is not

better things in place,

other than icy platforms

that we can't go on.

When trains were announced,

it led to a mad dash from commuters.

Stephanie from Southend, though,

was trying to be philosophical.

There's no point stressing about it,

because it's happened.

You can't make it any quicker.

It also meant many travellers had to

terminate their journeys in Reading.

It's just absolute chaos!

I just got here, and all

of the trains are cancelled.

I'm now trying to figure

out how to get home.

Can you move down, please?

Reduced services on some operators

meant packed trains.

Others found them emptier.

ANNOUNCEMENT:

There will be no

access through the gates

for the next ten minutes or so.

The tube also suffered with delays,

and while many stayed at home,

at King's Cross, for example,

they should have access

due to overcrowding.

Commuters, though,

seemed to be adopting.

What are you going to do?

Try and go on the...

What is it called?

Thameslink.

That should be working, we hope.

As well as weather patterns

there are technical reasons why some

train operators are much more

susceptible to snow and ice.

Here at King's Cross, for example,

they use overhead power lines

to power the trains.

But about a third of the network

still use what is called the third

rail, they use power coming

through a rail on the tracks.

And that means it's much more

susceptible to snow and ice.

Airports also cancelled

flights due to the snow.

This was Luton.

And 60 miles of London's canals

have enough frozen over.

Some pavements were gritted -

this was Downing Street -

most, though, weren't.

The Transport Authority's battled

to keep London moving.

We've done OK.

But we're never complacent.

Just looking at the figures,

as I did before I came in this

morning, the taps in and out

on the Tube network are some

20% down this morning

on what you would expect

from a normal day.

The roads have improved

through the day, although it

has been slow going.

In places, snow is now

turning to brown sludge.

But more disruption is expected.

Let's go to Tom at Paddington.

Are we any closer to finding out

what happened this morning?

No, we did ask Network Rail for an

interview and I'm afraid they

declined. They did tell me what they

think happened, and they think that

snow and ice was blown through a gap

in the roof, on platform eight. That

is what caused all of the problems.

As for what is happening here now,

services are actually running, but

there are delays and cancellations.

To be honest, there are delays and

cancellations on all of the rail

networks in London. This is one of

the reasons why. Look at this. This

is what train drivers are having to

cope with. This is footage from a

cab in a train on East Coast Main

line, having to plough the train

through these very deep snow drifts.

Now, the next big thing that

commuters are being told to look out

for is tomorrow night's rush hour,

and South-eastern have put out a

warning, they expect heavy snowfall,

they say not to travel if you don't

have to do. Please try to leave work

earlier than normal. The advice,

again, keep across all of the

operator websites.

Thanks very much.

Surrey was one of the worst

hit places in our area.

180 schools were closed

in the county because of

the freezing weather.

But despite the

difficult conditions.

carers were out in

force bringing much

needed help and support

to the elderly and vulnerable.

From Surrey Gareth Furby

sent this report.

We're on the back roads in Surrey.

The place gritters

don't often visit.

And the task for Charlotte

is to get through safely.

There are people,

vulnerable people, sometimes

very poorly, elderly, that

are depending on us to get to them.

It's care provided 365

days a year and no

weather, no matter how

extreme will stop it.

They're very small

residential roads.

There is no grit, we're

getting a bit icy, now.

To be honest, I haven't experienced

these weather conditions

before.

I've actually borrowed

my son's wellies.

Hopefully they will do the job.

Hello, my love, we're here.

And delighted that Charlotte's made

the effort is Cynthia,

who is 88 years old.

We will make you all lovely.

Oh, dear.

And you will be

the delight of Cobham.

Really?

Yes, absolutely.

I couldn't manage without somebody

coming in, a carer.

I couldn't manage...

Undressing and dressing,

for example.

I do need that help.

With Charlotte continuing

on her rounds, we headed off through

Surrey and the roads seemed a lot

emptier than usual as people stayed

in and schools were closed.

One of them, Reigate

Grammar had early

warning of this weather

because of a forecast made

using the school's weather station.

It was over a week ago that

I e-mailed all the staff

and on the basis of what we have

learned from our weather club we

started to think this

is a good possibility

that we would get some snow.

I must admit, I have a soft spot

for a snow day, to give the

students a chance to have some fun

in the snow, make some memories,

to create some lifetime

moments of fun.

But for care workers like Charlotte,

the job must go on.

For the sake of those

who can't manage without her.

Well let's find out how much

longer this cold weather

is going to be around for.

Sarah Keith Lucas is here,

in weather terms it's the first

day of Spring today -

definitely doesn't feel like it.

It certainly doesn't feel

springlike. The 1st of March,

meteorologically, that is the first

day of spring. Today has been one of

the coldest March days on record.

Temperatures have struggled to even

get to freezing through the course

of the day. We have had more

snowfall, really icy conditions

around. It is set to last a little

bit longer. We are not out of the

woods just yet. The Beast from the

East is staying with us. The worst

of the weather is going to be over

the next 24 hours or so. We are

going to be seen more snow and ice,

really strong wind around as well.

During the course of the weekend,

things will slightly turn... I won't

say milder, but less cold than it

has been. We could still see a

little bit more snow, ice, even

freezing rain. I will bring you all

the details of the weather a little

bit later in the programme.

Thank

you very much.

And Sarah will be back

with a full forecast

later in the programme.

Also ahead tonight:

Bend your knees and absorb the

bumps, it is pretty bumpy down

there.

We're on the pistes

of Primrose Hill, as Team GB Olympic

snowboarder Aimee Fuller provides

some expert advice in winter sports.

A Surrey businessman who offered

to take a 13-year-old boy

for a spin in his Ferrari,

but then crashed it, killing

the teenager, has been found guilty

of causing his death.

Alexander Worth died

after the supercar accelerated

uncontrollably and flipped over

on a farm lane in Hampshire.

Steve Humphry has more.

This was the moment a schoolboy got

into one of his dream cars.

Alexander Worth, seen wearing

the white T-shirt has been offered a

spin in a red Ferrari F50

but tragedy struck seconds

later when the car

crashed on a farm road

in North Hampshire.

The 13-year-old from Kingsworthy

near Winchester died at

the scene from his injuries.

Both he and the driver,

businessman Matthew

Cobden were thrown out

when the car flipped over.

They were not wearing seat belts.

39-year-old Mr Cobden from Walton

on Thames, who runs a

car storage business had denied

death by careless driving.

The jury reached their

guilty verdicts by a

majority of 10-2.

They had been deliberating

for five and a half hours.

During the trial, the defence

argued the Ferrari had a

pre-existing fault,

which caused a sudden

and uncontrollable

surge in acceleration.

But the prosecution said the Ferrari

was running normally.

After today's verdicts,

Alexander's family issued a

statement saying they hope the case

will increase awareness of the

fragility of life, the danger

of driving powerful cars

and the need to take

sensible safety measures.

Matthew Cobden will be

sentenced on March 26.

Former mayor Boris Johnson says he's

bitterly disappointed the garden

bridge isn't going ahead -

and if he was still mayor it might

now be adorning the Thames.

Questioned by the London Assembly

he denied wasting millions

of pounds on the project

and criticised his successor

Sadiq Khan for pulling the plug.

Our political editor,

Tim Donovan reports.

He used to come in the back

of City Hall on his bike.

Today, a convoy of cars.

What a pleasure it

is to be back here.

But inside it was like

he'd never been away.

And if he had still been

mayor, he said, there

could now have been a fantastic

bridge adorning the River Thames.

I know it became, latterly,

it became the sort of

favourite thing to bash.

You know, at fashionable

dinner parties.

Everybody used to start

slagging it off.

Actually, there were loads

of people who loved it.

It would have been a wonderful

project for London.

That's why, he said,

he and the then Chancellor

George Osborne had put £60 million

towards this vision of a bridge

across the river.

More than half of that money had

been spent while he was mayor.

He was quizzed on why he kept

allowing millions of pounds out

of the door before all the necessary

land deals and planning permissions

were in place.

We are here to talk about decisions

you made, which have

resulted in taxpayer's money

being wasted on this project.

No, that's not true.

Not a penny of tax payer's

money has been wasted.

Very serious, Foreign Secretary.

No, not a single penny

of taxpayer's money...

Let me...

You listen to me.

Not a single penny of

taxpayer's money had been

wasted by me.

It has been wasted by the current

Mayor of London who

cancelled the project

completely unnecessarily.

Boris Johnson said you needed

real political push from

City Hall to make a project

like this happen.

Something sorely lacking,

he said, in his successor,

Sadiq Khan, who blew hot and then

cold about the scheme.

He never really adopted

it as something that

he wanted to make his own and to be

part of his legacy.

Critics who watched

today's proceedings say

questions remain.

He's in fairyland.

This wasn't achievable.

The fundamental thing

wasn't achievable,

that's the point.

It hasn't gone down

because Sadiq didn't like it.

The trust themselves were unable

to get the land, get the permissions

they required and unable

to get the money.

But while the London Assembly

completes its investigation, the

former mayor says he thinks

the Garden Bridge could yet have its

day.

Meanwhile, the former Mayor

of London Ken Livingstone

has had his suspension

from the Labour Party extended

indefinitely pending the outcome

of a internal investigation.

He was suspended from the Party,

after refusing to apologise

for comments he made

about Adolf Hitler and Zionism.

Now, all this week, as part

of our Civilisations series,

we've been celebrating different

cultures in the capital.

We've met people of Caribbean,

Indian and Australian ancestry

who live in London

and we've been looking

at the artworks in our galleries

that come from those countries.

Today, Wendy Hurrell has been

in Hammersmith at The Polish Centre.

I've been eating my way around town,

basically, for this assignment.

This evening, I've been enjoying

the hospitality of the Polish.

Come and look at the spread

they put on here.

Can you tell me some

of the things that we're eating?

OK.

Polish beetroot soup,

with croquettes.

Probably the most famous Polish

food, sort of dumplings,

ravioli and a very hearty

hunter's stew with cabbage

and sausage and meat.

Keep you warm in weather like this?

They are hopefully going to save me

some but first of all,

we're going to go over

to the Royal Academy of Music

to hear about one of Poland's most

famous composers and pianists,

Frederic Chopin.

SOFT PIANO MUSIC PLAYS.

SOFT PIANO MUSIC PLAYS.

This bust was made to commemorate

the very last concert of his life.

Chopin came to London

and visited in the year before

he died, which was 1848.

He only gave 30 concerts

in total in his lifetime

and the very last one,

which took place at the Guildhall,

was apparently in aid of Polish

refugees as part of a ball.

Those that did hear him play that

night said he played like an angel.

The bust is made in plaster.

The bust is made in plaster.

And it was made

by a Polish sculptor.

Polish people very much

identify with Chopin,

his music just encapsulates

what it is to be Polish in that

sense of nationalism.

When he died and he was laid to rest

in Paris it was his wish

that his heart was taken and that

now lives in Poland.

We've come into the theatre now,

there is more Chopin

being played in the background.

What was remarkable about him

was that he was exiled for many

years, but he kept the Polish

culture alive, didn't he?

Exactly.

Musical soul of Poland travelled

with him all around Europe.

We feel that in the rhythms.

Finally, this homesickness

is what killed him.

But on a happier note,

we have the Polish children's

theatre behind me.

They have been rehearsing today,

they are putting on a show this

Saturday and next Saturday.

You will hear, once they get going,

they're going to be singing

in Polish and it's a very special

year for the Poles this year,

they are celebrating the centenary

of Poland regaining independence.

There will be this kind

of celebration going on around

the capital and I have to say

they really do add some colour,

don't they, to proceedings?

SINGING

You can see the programme

Civilisations tonight

at 9 o'clock on BBC Two.

She crashed out in spectacular

fashion at the Winter Olympics

only a few weeks ago,

making light of her

fall on social media.

Well, today Team GB's snowboarder

Aimee Fuller, who's from Bromley,

was back on the snow...

But this time closer to home.

Katharine Carpenter went

to meet her on Primrose Hill.

Make sure you use your suspension,

it's bumpy. If you are going to

attempt to slide dampening Rosehill

on a for sale sign, who better to

get tips from van an Olympian? --

slide down Primrose hill. Amy Fuller

got back from the Winter games in

South Korea on Monday still buzzing

from the experience. -- Aimee

Fuller.

It was amazing to be there

for my second games. The slopestyle

was as windy as it is on top of

Primrose hill.

Then there was the

big air event and that crash

landing.

My mentality was to go big

or go home, I didn't want to go

there and get 14th place with a safe

run. I went for my best trick, ended

up landing on my face which

wasn't... The best. However, kept my

chin held high and just went on to

support the rest of the team in the

following events.

And she hasn't

been able to keep away from the

white stuff that's greeted her on

her return, taking a ride along pal

mall last night.

I was excited to

get out there and try something a

bit different. -- Pall Mall.

Did you

get some double takes from people?

Many double takes, people were

filming us. So unique to have this

snow and seeing today the amount of

people that are just stoked off the

back of the Olympic hype. I feel

there is a real buzz in the UK.

And

she couldn't resist joining in.

Positively surprised gradient and

speed that you can pick up on

Primrose hill!

Fantastic.

Let's get a

Primrose hill!

Fantastic.

Let's get a full

Primrose hill!

Fantastic.

Let's get a full forecast.

Primrose hill!

Fantastic.

More severe weather on the cards,

likely to cause further disruption

over the next couple of days.

We

start off with a weather watcher

picked from Hyde Park. Showing the

frozen Italian fountains. Lot of

snow lying around, five centimetres

for many places, a bit more in some

parts. A similar scene in Finchley

taken by one of our Weather

Watchers. We have an amber weather

warning in force from the Met

office. Be prepared for further

heavy snowfall around. Yellow

warnings for snow, ice and wind as

we head through the next 24 hours.

Disruption quite likely due to the

weather. With that heavy snow,

feeling really bitterly cold when

you add on the wind-chill. That

amber warning is out across many

south west parts of London. Surrey

and Berkshire seeing heavy snow. It

will ease towards the west as we had

through tonight. It will be staying

dry for most, the odd flurry of snow

early tomorrow morning but the main

problem will be the ice.

Temperatures plummeting 2-3

overnight even in more urban spots.

The countryside could be called

first thing with that biting cold

wind. The beast from the east

bringing us these cold easterly

winds. And then this weather system,

the remnants of storm Emma will

bring this weather front bringing

more snow through the day tomorrow.

Dry, cold and cloudy start but watch

out for the ice risk. Biting

easterly winds. In the afternoon,

snow falling in the south will work

its way out across the capital. The

afternoon and evening rush hour we

are set to see our next batch of

pretty heavy snowfall. The

temperatures will struggle to get

even near freezing. When you add on

those biting easterly winds, this is

what it will be feeling like. -9 or

even -10, bitterly cold. Seven-day

outlook is for things to gradually

turn a bit milder. Watch out for

that severe wintry weather on the

cards over the next 24 hours.

Another difficult day tomorrow.

Thank you very much.

Now the main headlines....

A red alert - meaning

there's a risk to life -

is in force tonight in parts

of south west England and south

Wales as heavy snow and blizzard

conditions sweep in.

And in London a warning tonight

by the Chief Fire Officer not

to venture onto frozen

water, after a man dies.

British children sent

abroad in the years

after the Second World War,

many of whom were physically

and sexually abused,

should get financial compensation

from the Government.

That's according to a new report

by the Independent Inquiry

Into Child Sexual Abuse.

The Prime Minister has been meeting

the European Council

President Donald Tusk

in Downing Street ahead of her major

speech on Brexit tomorrow.

A woman who bludgeoned her husband

to death has won a bid

to challenge her conviction

at the Court of Appeal.

Sally Challen is serving

an 18-year prison sentence

after killing her husband

with a hammer.

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.

Stay warm.