03/08/2017 London News

I'm Asad Ahmad. for the news where you are.

An area of London has become the first place in the country

where shopkeepers are signing up to a voluntary scheme

restricting the sale of corrosive substances like acid

It's aimed at addressing the current rise in acid attacks.

But Londoners are also being told that their role

if they see someone sprayed with a substance can be crucial.

With details of what to do, here's Marc Ashdown.

Video footage released by police today after an acid

They want to trace these two men on the moped.

They threw a corrosive substance in the face of a pedestrian.

He suffered minor burns, mainly because a passer-by

He just started squeezing it in our faces...

In June, Jameel Mukhtar and his cousin suffered a random

Specialist burns units like this one in Chelsea and Westminster have seen

in recent months, reflecting police figures.

Now surgeons are calling for more public awareness.

Witnesses can play a crucial role in minimising long-term damage.

The danger is relatively superficial.

Usually, it can be treated just with dressings.

But if the injury is of such a severity to damage

surgery will be necessary and the use of skin grafts,

and therefore, the need to inform the patient

that there will be permanent marks or scarring

But quick first aid reduces the chances of that?

The first thing you should do is dial 999.

Delivery driver Javed Hussain was attacked three weeks ago.

I was really scared. I didn't know what to do.

Drivers have become so scared that Deliveroo has

improved security measures and is trialling helmet cameras.

It's thought acid is being used in attacks

because it's easy to get hold of, and legislation is much looser

than rules surrounding possession of a knife.

Shopkeepers in Hackney are signing up to a voluntary scheme to restrict

the sale of products containing ammonia and acid.

It's the first of its kind, and it is backed by the council.

They'll be asking for identification and refusing to sell these kind

of products to anyone under the age of 21.

They'll also be reporting any suspicious sales.

Police say there are far fewer acid attacks than knife crime and people

But being properly prepared to help could

The police watchdog has tonight been forced to reveal more details

surrounding the death of a black man who died after being restrained

Rashan Charles died last month leading to anger in the area.

Our reporter Tolu Adeoye has the details.

Rashan Charles died on the 22nd of July. He was followed by police

officers into a shop. He put an object in his mouth and later lost

his life. His death led the protests, one of which was quite

violent. The police faced criticism over how they dealt with the

incident. Yesterday, the IPCC said an item removed from his mouth was

not a controlled substance. The BBC understood that to mean it was not

an illegal drug or a so-called league high, but no other

information was given. But today, the IPCC revealed that the package

he swallowed consist of a mixture of paracetamol and caffeine wrapped in

plastic. This was information they did not want to give us, but they

said they had given the information because of pressure. The

Commissioner overseeing the investigation explained why in this

statement. At this stage, we still do know what

led to Rashan Charles's death. The postmortem results are pending. But

the IPCC will look to reassure the public by giving out more

information and put to bed some of the speculation. Thank you for that

update. The mother of Sally Anne Bowman -

who was raped and murdered in Croydon over a decade ago -

says her daughter's remains have been exhumed after her grave

was repeatedly desecrated. Linda Bowman told a newspaper that

"cruel people" had targeted the She said they'd covered the grave

in dirt and dead flowers Fire safety work carried

out at a block of flats in Camden has been described

by an independent fire safety expert as being nothing more

than "a tart up and a cover up". His concerns reflect those felt

by many residents who feel "unsafe" after emergency work was carried out

following the Grenfell Tower fire. Camden Council argue

the work has been properly approved and signed off,

as Frankie McCamley reports. This door, they've

just put these on. Lulu lives on the 17th floor

of Taplow Tower on the Chalcots estate with her two children

and is staying in a hotel because she says she's too

scared to come back here. I have two young children

aged one and four. How am I going to be able

to concentrate on their safety? I'm going to be a nervous

wreck the whole time. After the building was evacuated,

the council added a fire door closer to her front door

to make it safe. That's meant to make

my door slam shut. Fire wardens have been placed

on every floor of the towers but despite this, another

who lives on the ground but despite this, another who lives

on the ground floor says she doesn't It's meant to be some

sort of material, As you can see, the wires

are just left stuck in. It makes me feel like

like my landlord doesn't An independent fire safety

expert has been carrying out his own assessment of some

of the flats. But more work still needs to be

done, Camden Council insisted but crucially, I didn't ask anyone

to move back to those blocks until I'd heard from the fire

brigade who are on site The removal of the cladding

from the blocks will begin in the coming months,

but restoring trust in the council One of London's oldest pie

and mash shops, which has survived two world wars,

looks to be staring defeat in the face -

which comes in the form It's in Chapel Market in Islington -

and there's no shortage of customers Nicola Ford has been

to meet some of them before The green is the liquor

and you've got the potato, and the puff pastry pie,

and it's delicious. It's a lunchtime rush at Manze's

on Chapel Market, but customers had better be quick,

as the shop is due to close. I'm 88 now, so that's 80

years of pie and mash, and I don't think they should

close it down. The owners say a recent rise

in business rates are to blame, where in Islington, rates on average

have gone up by 45%, something that is causing local

business groups concern. For me what's sad is that this

is the bloodline of the community. Chapel market, the independent

businesses here, they create It's a focal point, it's

a place people know, it's a place where people

come to visit. It's a community,

families come down... It's part of Islington, it always

has been, and once that goes, it's another small part of Islington

that's broken up, I'm afraid. Anyone moving into the borough has

got to have money now. And that's fine, it's lovely,

but I mean, the kind of things... They're not pie and mash

kind of people, not Manze's is opening another

restaurant in Essex, where there is still a market

for pie and mash, but what about We weren't originally going to come

here, we were going to go down the road, but this one

was recommended to me, The council say they are happy

to discuss with the owner if they can help to keep the shop

open, and say they'd be extremely As it stands, the last pie will be

served at the end of the year. That's it for now from me, but let's

find out what the weather's up to A better day than yesterday, but

windy? Indeed, a real pie and mash day. These trees, I suspect, were

rocking and rolling. For some, it did shower. Not a cold start, and

the wind is less noticeable than was the case today. A dry enough start

for the early morning commute, and I think we will get most of you

through the morning dry. But there is a chance of one or two showers,

rather like today. Top temperature feeling more like 23, given that

there will not be as much wind as I was today. There will be fewer

showers as the evening goes on. As we get into the weekend, the low

pressure which has driven the weather so far today, moves away. We

have hope that Saturday could be a dry affair for many. A bright start

on Sunday. Then more clubs billing in from the west.