12/03/2018 London News

Skripal using weapons grade nerve

agent. Russia accuses her inventing

fairy tales.

Tonight on BBC London News...

After more crowd trouble

at West Ham, how Londoners could end

up footing the bill for extra

policing at the ground.

Now, the local council says it has

all is urgently reviewing safety at

the stadium.

Also coming up...

On the day a teenager

is jailed for acid

attacks on moped drivers,

one of his victims tell us

how he's forgiven him,

but wants more to be done

to prevent other attacks.

I have sympathy for his age, I

forgive him, from my side. But it

is... He made the crimes.

Why a Tube ad urging businesses

to relocate to France

after Brexit has been banned.

Plus...

Aping around - the chimp

choreographer ? yes,

there is such a thing -

bringing Great Apes

to the London stage.

A very good evening

and welcome to the programme.

First tonight - could London

taxpayers end up footing the bill

for extra policing at the former

Olympic stadium, now

the home of West Ham?

It comes after yet more crowd

trouble at the weekend.

The club is facing an investigation

after a series of pitch invasions

and allegations of assault

during Saturday's match.

Today, Newham Council said

it was urgently reviewing safety

and staffing at the London Stadium.

Our political correspondent

Karl Mercer reports.

We've got a supporter on the pitch!

And Mark Noble is doing his up most

to get him off the pitch...

When

you're captain has to do this, when

fans are able to do, the middle of

the game...

Find David Sullivan has

been encouraged to leave his seat...

And when angry supporters are able

to do this towards your directors'

box, you know all is not well at

your club. You also know questions

will be asked about safety at your

ground. This man was in the crowd on

Saturday, he had flown over from

Texas for the game, his first at

West Ham.

I was looking forward to

it and at the beginning it was

great, nobody was doing anything,

everyone was kind of excited. After

we let in our first goal everyone

just went insane! It was probably

like... It was pretty upsetting for

me, because I really wanted to enjoy

it and it left a bad taste in my

mouth after the game.

It was also

this supporter from Holland's first

game.

It's not good. If you want to

make a statement you can do that but

not ditch invading on the field and

that stuff.

COMMENTATOR: I've never seen such

scenes at a Premier League venue!

It

doesn't look like it's gone away any

time soon, from everything I've seen

online and on social media, there

seems to be a lot of people who want

to march, protest, take on other

forms of protest, people are openly

discussing how can we try to make

the lives of our current owners as

uncomfortable as possible?

Today,

condemnation from the club, the

council, the owners, the mayor and

the search for ways to stop it

happening again. I'm told one of the

biggest issues for the authorities

is not necessarily the fact that

fans got onto the pitch but the

amount of time it took to get them

off. So, we're likely to see a very

different stood in operation the

next time West Ham play, on the 31st

of March, against Southampton. That

is likely to include things like

more stewards on the edge of the

pitch, whose job it is to get fans

of the pitch. And we are likely to

seek up to 100 police officers

stationed within the ground. Under

the terms that West Ham have secured

for the stadium, it won't be the

club who pay for them but the

taxpayer. That could cost the public

verse up to £50,000. That is yet to

be decided. So is the punishment

that West Ham will be given, likely

to be a large fine and a warning

that scenes like these can't be

repeated.

You're watching BBC London News,

coming up later in the programme...

The app-based minibus service

designed to reduce congestion -

but why residents in Greenwich claim

it's making things worse.

A court has heard how the man

accused of a terror attack

at Parsons Green Underground station

allegedly said "it was his

duty to hate Britain".

He also admitted in an immigration

interview that he'd been trained

and recruited by so-called

Islamic State before

he came to live in England.

18-year-old Ahmed Hassan denies

attempted murder and causing

an explosion on a Tube

train last September.

Tolu Adeoye is at the

Old Bailey for us now.

Yeah, we found out a little bit more

about Ahmed Hassan's background. He

came to the UK in 2015 as an asylum

seeker from Iraq and he attended a

college in summary, where he met his

lecturer and mentor Katie Kabel, who

was in court today. She said that

when she met him he was incredibly

conflict to, frightened, confused.

Cheyrou membered him telling her

that his father had been blown up

back in Iraq, his mother had been

shot. She said he had talked about

Tony Blair and the events in Iraq

and it was clear that he was very

angry. She also recalled an occasion

in August 20 16th when he allegedly

told her it was his duty to hate

Britain. She's a gee reported him to

Capita prevent. She said he did

improve over time, he was actually

named student of the year at the

college back in 2017 but she said

she saw him eight days before the

attack and she was concerned about

his mental state when he told her

things were better in Iraq.

And I

gather that the court also heard

from charity workers who had come

into contact with Ahmed Hassan?

Yes.

Court heard from two Barnardos

workers, the first of whom said that

Ahmed Hassan had blamed America and

American soldiers for his father's

death. We also heard from a second

Barnardos worker, she accompanied

Ahmed Hassan to an immigration

interview in January 2016 in

Croydon, where he admitted working

for IS. In a second interview,

though, he denied that he had come

to Europe to work for them. She said

that she had stopped the first

interview because she did not think

he understood the question. But

about a week later Miss Spencer said

she saw him looking at pictures of

people in balaclavas with guns and

with a black IS flag and she was

concerned about him then. Ahmed

Hassan denies attempted murder. The

trial continues.

Tolu Adeoye, many

thanks.

Next - was the banning

of a Tube advert over the top

or being politically sensitive?

The ad in question was urging

businesses in the capital

to relocate to France after Brexit.

Transport for London says they don't

comply with its guidelines.

But the company behind them says

it was supposed to be light-hearted.

Emma North has more.

It's not London. But it's what

stunning views, a great

quality-of-life... And some

delicious soft cheeses. And if

you're an entrepreneur worried about

Brexit, well, Normandie wants to

give your business a new home.

Norman conquest of the Underground

had been planned. A series of

posters containing a little bit of

cheek and rather a lot of charm.

They spoke of great opportunities

and good lunches for anyone, British

or French, worried about what

happens when the UK leaves the EU.

TfL said non. They said the adverts

breached there are guidelines on

public sensitivity and controversy.

At the banning of a few posters

seems but a drop in a deluge of

regions who are trying to get people

back across the channel. The ban on

the adverts broke the campaign a

different kind of publicity but it

seems it is not the only area of

France promising a bright future

post-Brexit.

Manny Ramirez and it is

our coming to London to meet with

British and French entrepreneurs who

have British companies here in

London headed basically they are

offering them financial aid to set

up in their city.

Which could sound

reassuring to the 200,000 French

people living in London, waiting to

find out what happens when the UK

leaves the EU.

There is a high level

of uncertainty about what is going

to happen within a year,

by March 2019 basically.

The main concern is about the access

to international talent.

So is this Normandy trying

to steal British talent?

TRANSLATION: We were not

being opportunistic,

we were simply trying to give

British men and women a foothold

we were simply trying

to give British businessmen

and women a foothold

in the European Union.

We were offering them a plan B

which gives them access

to the single market.

Our streets are no strangers to ads

tempting us to mainland Europe now.

This poster promises a less

expensive life in Amsterdam

but whether a hot or rural idyll

in Normandy will be enough

for Londoners is another matter.

At least the weather

will make it feel like home.

Emma North, BBC London News.

Two people were taken

to hospital as a precaution

following the discovery

of a suspicious package,

which was found outside an MP's

office in Westminster.

The package was later confirmed

NOT to be hazardous,

and the two did not require hospital

treatment, but a police

investigation is ongoing.

Thousands of students

across the capital could be affected

by strike action during their exams.

The universities union has warned

there could be another 14 days

of action between April and June.

The ongoing dispute is about plans

to change lecturers' pensions

and has already seen London

universities close to students.

More now on the string of acid

attacks on moped riders

in the capital by teenager Derryck

John.

In sentencing him today, the judge

described the life-changing

impact on his victims.

Chris Rogers has been

talking to one of them,

a courier from east London.

Derryck John rushes into a lorry and

police pick him up shortly

afterwards. CCTV has also identified

him on a stolen my bed Maupay with

his accomplice at epoch. She and.

His days of crime on the streets of

London were over but the trauma and

suffering of his victims had only

just begun. Hours earlier his first

of six victims is in agony and

searching for help.

I thought I had

lost my face.

Jabed Hussain had been

sprayed with highly erosive acid in

an attempt to take his scooter.

It

is burning on my face. I desperately

needed some water. So, just looking

out the car is asking for someone to

help me and no-one could help me

out.

But despite his painful

injuries and emotional scars, he

forgives his attacker.

I think I

feel sorry for his age, I mean, it

out he didn't realise what he's

doing. I forgive him.

The court

heard how Derryck John's abusive

childhood and placement into care

played a role in turning him to

crime. Jabed says the government and

police need to do more to help

troubled teenagers rather than just

punish them.

We are going to the

local colleges, meeting the youth, X

Benita them our situation, sharing

my story, sharing other victims'

stories.

Jabed think there are

appeals to use groups and students

will help end the cycle of violence

carriers say they face every day.

From my union we have a lot of

drivers and they are kicked out from

the bike, they are stabbed...

They've been stabbed, they've been

robbed, so many times.

It is no

wonder that Derryck John's victims

have been unable to return to a job

that has left them scarred

physically and emotionally for life.

So, a call there for the police

to do more to prevent acid attacks.

Well, our political

editor, Tim Donovan,

is at New Scotland Yard.

You've been speaking

to the Met about their efforts

to tackle the problem?

Yes, was the spike in these offences

caused by the fact that people were

trying to find an alternative to

knives? Was there a copycat factor?

Both those things were true, police

say. And certainly the judge's

comments in this case that there is

a growing and serious problem in the

capital is borne out by official Met

figures. In 2017 there were 464

incidents of the use of corrosive

substances. Compare that to 2015,

when there were 225 cases. Although

the police say the rate of increase

is slowing down, and they're

clinging to the hope they may have

weathered the worst of this by

pointing out that in January just

gone, there were just 14 incidents.

That is the lowest since May 2014.

But the judge's comments also

suggest that this is a very

localised thing, 60% of the

incidents last year took place in

just four boroughs, barking and

Dagenham, Hackney, Dagenham and

Newham. But the police feel by have

assembled a number of strategies and

they may be about to get on top of

this.

It is a mixture of all the

strategy come in together at once,

from us being prepared to treat

victims on the streets through to

preventative messaging in schools,

to stronger sentencing coming

through from courts across England

and from us stepping up our game and

that is our next stage, actually

tackling those who are willing to

possess it on the streets of London

are able by which he means, more

intelligence-led stuff where

possible, and more stop-and-search,

yes.

But they want government help,

too. There is a voluntary scheme

where some of the big employers, the

big suppliers, where you can buy

substances like this, have been

involved in challenging people,

challenging those under the age of

18 in particular, to say, why do you

want it? And not to sell it at all.

There have been calls to store it in

your shop where people cannot find

it or cannot use it. But they want

to make this or support this with

legislative action, a change in the

law, next year.

Tim, many thanks.

The app-based minibus service

designed to reduce congestion -

but why residents in Greenwich claim

it's making things worse.

But some residents say

they don't want them

and the buses block the roads

and they weren't consulted.

Does it highlight the challenge of

regulating app -based technology in

our city?

Four minibuses an hour now use

this residential street

in Greenwich as their route.

There's also what's called

a virtual bus stop here,

where passengers can

catch the buses.

But some residents say

they don't want them

and the buses block the roads

and they weren't consulted.

I don't think this road

is suitable for, you know,

for that type of traffic to be

running up and down

on a regular basis.

It's a quiet road, two cars come

down here from opposite directions

now, and cars have to

reverse and go back.

Starting to run buses

up it is just crazy.

It's never been a bus

route, it's a side road -

to suddenly be used

for a commercial purpose is...

It's just beyond me, it really is.

My main objection is,

week get enough traffic

My main objection is,

we get enough traffic

here in the morning.

And to have a bus ply this route,

I don't think it's the best thing.

And where they've actually put

the bus stop on this road

I would say isn't the best place.

Chariot is carrying out a year-long

trial in the capital and is backed

by the car giant Ford.

Passengers can call up

the bus via an app.

The fare is £2.60.

It's meant to reduce congestion

and offer transport on demand

in underserved areas.

TfL says it does look at licenses

to make sure the routes are safe.

But residents want TfL to intervene.

TfL needs to say, "This

is where you go, AND this

is where you can put bus stops."

They need to do the risk

assessment because it's

a Transport for London issue,

it's not a private operator's issue.

Chariot says it has obtained

all the relevant licenses and has

consulted with the boroughs,

and its buses will only wait

for a minute to pick up passengers.

But as technology

changes transport in

the capital, there are

those that now feel

they're ignored.

Tom Edwards, BBC London News.

Still to come this Monday evening:

The Hollywood primate movement

expert teaching actors in Dalston

have to be half chimp, half human

for a new play.

have to be half chimp,

half human for a new play.

It may look like a scene out

of Countryfile but this

is a familiar sight

across the capital.

And now there's a warning against

feeding birds in your garden.

Scientists at the Zoological Society

of London say it could spread some

diseases if feeding tables

and containers aren't regularly

disinfected and poses

a real threat to wildlife.

Here's Helen Briggs.

Feeding wild birds, it's a great way

to get close to nature,

but scientists say feeding birds may

not always be good for their health.

So when people are feeding

birds in the garden,

you get a number of birds coming

to the same place day after day

after day and you can get a build-up

of disease-causing agents

at those locations.

Data shows new disease threats

to common garden birds

like chaffinches and great tits

which cause symptoms like fluffed up

feathers and lethargy.

Birds rely on us feeding them,

it is their central fuel,

but when they gather on bird feeders

like this they can pass

diseases to each other.

Wildlife experts say anyone

who feeds birds should

follow simple precautions.

So our support really is to get

the message out there to people

that they need to be responsible

if they are feeding birds.

We are not discouraging

people from feeding birds,

but we are saying if you are going

to put feed out for the birds,

you should be very

aware of your hygiene.

You should be aware about keeping

your feeders clean and you should be

aware of what signs of disease look

like and if you see those signs

of disease you should

take the right action.

This bird lover says it is worth

making an effort to keep birds

coming back to her garden.

The news about the necessity

to clean feeders is a bit of a shock

because I don't do it nearly often

enough, I'm aware particularly now.

It is rather a fiddle faddle to do

it and you just have to bother.

With populations of some garden

birds in dramatic decline, more

information will help safeguard

the health of the birds

we share our gardens with.

When we think of the need to build

more new homes in the capital

fair to say the humble bungalow

doesn't come to mind.

They've fallen out of fashion

in recent years, with a steep

decline in the number of single

storey homes being built.

But with an ageing population

could they be part of the answer

to the housing crisis?

Sean Fletcher has the story.

This peaceful street tucked away

from the hustle and bustle of Acton

comes as a great surprise to anyone

who stumbles across it.

Because it consists

only of bungalows.

It is very unusual to find

a whole street of them

this close to the city centre,

but since the early 1950s they have

been a dream home for many

people in retirement.

Building bungalows en masse

in suburbia became very

popular for many years.

In 1987 alone there

were over 28,000 built.

Last year there were just over 2000,

so there has been a steep decline.

It is a lot harder for you to get

planning permission to build

a bungalow than it is to build

a terraced house.

London itself hasn't tried to get

more people to build

bungalows, it hasn't tried

to stimulate the market.

With more and more over 65s living

longer, their housing needs

will need to be met.

The answer?

Start building bungalows again.

This award-winning estate is one

of several being built

or planned in Barking.

These bungalows provide social

housing for elderly and disabled

residents and were built on land

that was just lying dormant.

One of the residents

lost his leg in an industrial

accident so climbing

stairs became impossible.

Moving here was ideal.

Sometimes you can't get your leg

on and your legs swells up

so you have to go around on your bum

or on your hands and knees

or in a wheelchair or on crutches.

Going upstairs if you haven't got

a stair lift is awkward.

So a bungalow is ideal?

Ideal, yes.

Tom, like most of the residents

here, moved from a much bigger

house, freeing up other properties

that could house larger families.

So building these new bungalows

actually made economic sense.

This actual site, one of eight now,

we have managed to get 76 of these

type of properties which has freed

up 66 homes for families.

That is really important.

There is a waiting list and that is

why we are still building.

We will have over 100 units

by the end of the summer

which is fantastic.

Bungalows have faced economic

cutbacks and lack of space,

but they are still places that many

elderly see as a dream home

so with support from the Commons

bungalows could be a thing of

the future as well as of the past.

And you can see more on that story

later on Inside Out tonight,

that's at 7.30 here on BBC One.

This image is from the front cover

of a surreal novel by Will Self

written 20 years ago.

Now it's been adapted to a play

also called Great Apes.

So how does its director bring

the chimp-like characters

to life on the stage?

Well, with the help of a Hollywood

actor who has carefully

observed the movements

and behaviours of apes.

Wendy Hurrell's has been to meet him

and will explain more.

Peter Elliott is a pioneer in

primate behaviour for the film

industry. Today he is training

actors at a theatre rehearsal rooms

in Dalston.

I trained as a method

actor, so for me I had to become a

chimp.

And he did that straight from

acting school, East 15 enlightened.

This study has helped to solve a

problem for Hollywood.

A chimpanzee

is one of the most dangerous animals

to work with. About 8-10 times

stronger than the man in the upper

body, about as emotionally stable as

a one-year-old child with an IQ of

85. After being mauled a few times,

that is when it was time to go back

to the production company and say, I

do not think we will be able to mix

real gems and people.

In later years

this was his convincing aping of

gorillas.

Your idea of humans is

degrading.

For this play the

challenge is to become human

chimpanzee, a tricky balance between

human and chimp.

We have got this

little cough. They can go from this

to this. I beg your pardon?

Some

scenes are more human, so we turn

the chimp dialled down to 12, then

you have these big fight sequences

or dance sequences and return it up

and stop the body language goes with

the sound.

Ruth and Brian are

turning more simian by the second,

learning from Peter's 40 years in

the monkey business.

I used to be

able to do this noise from my garden

and get a reply from London Zoo

because I lived nearby. It was

great, talking to real chimps.

It was great, talking

to real chimps.

Time for a check on the weather

with Darren Bett.

Followed that.

It will be a much drier day tomorrow

and there may be some sunshine

around as well. Today has been

disappointing. For the most part

cloudy skies, but we have had wet

weather. This was the scene in

Twickenham. That low pressure is

spiralling around. We have had these

lines of rain and showers and as the

low centre tracks away towards the

east, they will become fewer. But

there is still some rain around at

the moment and for a good few hours

yet there will be lines of showers

coming in. But the winds will drop,

the wetter weather pushes away

towards the east and the cloud if it

breaks towards the north and west it

could be down to three or 4 degrees.

We started Tuesday with a lot of

cloud, but probably drive. It may

stay dry all day. The cloud may

break up around lunchtime, so

sunshine coming through and that

will lift the temperatures to the

shade higher than they were today.

11 degrees with some sunshine at

times. As we head into Wednesday we

change the wind direction. It will

be a Wendi Deng on Wednesday. We

start the day cloudy, but we should

import some dry air from the near

continent. That will mean sunshine

and the temperatures will get more

of a boost and it will feel more

like spring with temperatures at 14

maybe 15. That is due to the mild

air. Make the most of it because we

changed our wind direction again and

we picked up an easterly. It will be

windy and it will be cold in the

outlook and temperatures will be

dropping and perhaps by the weekend

we may well see some sleet and snow.

Goodness me, that had

Goodness me, that had it all there.

Goodness me, that had it all there.

Recapping the day's headlines:

Theresa May says the Government's

concluded it is "highly likely" that

Russia is responsible for the attack

on Sergei Skripal and his

daughter in Salisbury.

the Russian ambassador has been

asked to explain how a Russian nerve

agent made its way to Salisbury.

That's it for now, thanks

for joining us this Monday evening.

I'll be back with the latest

for you during the ten o'clock news.