07/09/2017 London News

Antigua with the latest on the hurricane. More on the BBC

Welcome to BBC London News with me, Alice Salfield.

Oxford Street has reopened this evening after there

were scenes of panic following an electrical explosion.

Eyewitnesses described "screaming, crying and shouting" -

and flames coming from the pavement as many people ran to safety.

It happened at around 7pm during the evening rush hour.

Police say one man suffered minor injuries

Fear and confusion in Oxford Street tonight.

Move back! Move back! Terrified passers-by heard an explosion and

saw flames ten feet high outside of a shop. This BBC reporter saw what

happened. We heard a loud bang. Saw smoke over

the road. I could see flames heat on my leg. I could hear people running

away screaming. What was striking were the flames, they were maybe ten

feet high. This person was window shopping.

Suddenly I heard that massive explosion. Like flames and also a

lot of smoke. And it just smells very like, like a plastic. Very

artificial smell. Everyone was shouting bomb, bomb.

The police say that the blast was caused by an electrical fault and

cabling under the pavement. It followed several similar incidents

in London over the past few years. Well a few moments ago Oxford Street

opened to traffic and pedestrian but the area is cordoned off while the

electricians are sure that the supply here is safe.

One passer by was treated for minor injuries, and there is an

investigation under way as to how the electrical cabling caught fire.

Now: As we've been hearing Brexit negotiations are ramping up

as Parliament begins considering key legislation to take us out

Meanwhile - tens of thousands of anti-Brexit protestors

are preparing to take to the capital's

The People's March for the EU includes celebrity support

from the likes of Sir Bob Geldolf and Sir Patrick Stewart.

But what does it really hope to achieve?

Our Brexit reporter Katharine Carpenter's

She might have said it again and again but here in Blackheath,

the Prime Minister's words have fallen on deaf ears.

She might have said it again and again but here in Blackheath,

the Prime Minister's words have fallen on deaf ears.

I'm just going to put some stickers here.

Instead, they're busy thinking up slogans of their own for this

weekend's anti-Brexit march through the capital.

I just think that if you believe in something so strongly,

And I don't believe Brexit is a done deal yet anyway.

Most of them probably realise what a mistake they have made

and they probably need a chance to redeem themselves.

By continuing to make our voice heard, we are not letting

the reality of it be brushed under the carpet.

Here in the capital, there is a lot of sympathy with these views.

After all, nearly 60% of Londoners voted to stay in the EU.

So what's the deal with stopping Brexit?

And in reality, how might it actually happen?

I want the people in power to investigate in a mature

and considered way what all the options are and what all

the consequences are and to tell them honestly to the people of this

country and then say, you know what, it's not going to work, as it?

Not an impossible dream, according to the experts.

But an unlikely one, as things stand.

There's no reason constitutionally why Brexit shouldn't be reversed

but politically it depends on a radical change in public

opinion and there is no sign of that at all at the moment.

Indeed, survey evidence shows that most people still want to leave

Among them, South London comedian Jeff Northcott.

He has built his sketches around the trials of being a Leave voter

Look at the modern crowd and they don't look very scary,

two squirts of the water cannon and they will be in Ubers.

And they're probably only marching for their Fitbit targets anyway!

I think the people of Scotland wisely realised in the main that

referendums are hard and divisive but the only thing that is harder

and more divisive is not to respect the outcome.

So I'm not saying it's a perfect thing but this

is the situation that we're left with and we have to proceed.

Nothing has been decided in negotiations yet so most

people in the middle, whether you leaned towards Leave

or Remain, are still waiting to see what the colour

And the colour of the deal is likely to be made up

As varied and complex as our views on Brexit.

A London MP is calling for a change in passport regulations -

after being stopped with her daughter at UK border control.

Because they didn't share the same surname.

Tulip Siddiq, the Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn,

says she's since found hundreds of thousands of other women have

been asked to produce marriage or birth certificates -

Well Caroline Davies is here to tell us more.

Tulip Siddiq was on her way home from a relaxing family holiday in

France and was in Paris, about to get onto the Eurostar when she was

separated by staff from her husband, she was on the fast track you with

her 18-month-old daughter where he was held back.

She was waved through French border control but when she

got to the UK border check, she was stopped and the problem

was her daughter has her husband's name on

She kept her maiden name when they got married.

There followed an intense period of questioning, they

asked if I had her birth certificate, my marriage

certificate, if I could prove she was my daughter

He was stuck in the back of a very long queue, I can find him...

And I was holding up the queue, there was an air of suspicion and I

Do we have any idea how widespread these

Mrs Siddiq wrote to Amber Rudd and she has found that in

the last five years, 600,000 women have been asked

to prove they were related to their children at UK

Some have been delayed for hours if they did not

The problem could get even more common, recent research found that

one in seven women are intending to keep her maiden name when they marry

and same-sex couples often have different names also.

SHOULD carry the names of both parents to avoid

Office told us they have a duty to safeguard children and prevent

people trafficking, child sexual exploitation and other crimes and

they have no plans to make any changes and they say a passport as a

travel document and it would fundamentally change its purpose if

they started identifying parental relationships.

They say parents can write details in the emergency page

and there is some advice on the government website.

Detectives investigating an attack on an 82-year-old cancer patient

in east London have described it as "beyond comprehension".

Ahmet Dobran suffered fractures to his spine-

Ahmet Dobran suffered fractures to his spine -

after being dragged to the floor, beaten, and having his watch

and gold bracelet stolen in Newham last month.

Police have released a picture of three men they want to speak

They were among those who risked their lives responding

And now a group of firefighters from North Kensington has swapped

And now a group of firefighters from North Kensington have swapped

The break was organised for them by their Cornish colleagues -

For these London firefighters, a bit of light relief is very welcome.

They're from North Kensington Blue Watch and were involved in tackling

Yeah, no one wants to see a disaster of that scale.

But yeah, we were down to do a job and I think everyone,

This week, Cornish colleagues are keen to show solidarity

and they're treating them to a break full of sand, surf

We offered to raise some money in the community so we did that

by the charity Ladder Climb, a JustGiving page, and help

from the local community all around really that have been very kind

It's just enabled us to actually - and for them - to enjoy Cornwall

and sort of open up and be able to chat, and feel rewarded

Things like this prove that human support is amazing.

The support and love we felt down here is amazing.

Penzance firefighters aren't the only ones

Last week another community effort - Cornwall Hugs Grenfell -

saw a group, including survivors of the blaze,

There are plans from both to repeat the invitations.

That's it from me, but lets find out what the weather's up

A cloudy night ahead. It will not amount to much at first. But towards

dawn, it will be become more persistent an heavy. But not a cold

night. Temperatures at 15 Celsius. A strengthening breeze, we keep that

breeze and the rain. On and off in the morning but in the afternoon

more locally heavy and not ruling out a rumble of thunder. 18 Celsius

the high but on the coal side with the rain and the strength of the.

Wind. A breezy weekend. An area much high pressure building from the

south-west. But the area of low pressure to bring something

unsettled. A breeze and the showers, most frequent on Sunday and possibly

windy to end on Sunday. Nick Miller windy to end on Sunday. Nick Miller

will give you more details with the national forecast in connection.

Hurricane Irma is making the headlines but there are three

hurricanes out there. One is Katria. On Friday, irrationala is heading to

the bar hamas, and then to Florida. And we will keep you updated. Our

weather is looking unsettled for several days to come. The low

pressure is in control. A windy picture, wet at times. Overnight

rain singing