0:00:00 > 0:00:01Newsnight is coming up on BBC Two.
0:00:01 > 0:00:01Here on BBC One, it's time for the news where you are.
0:00:14 > 0:00:19Good evening. Welcome to BBC London News.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22Tonight - the vulnerable young women who are being treated like slaves
0:00:22 > 0:00:26behind closed doors. That's the view of one au pair agency in the
0:00:26 > 0:00:31capital. A BBC London investigation has found that some au pairs are
0:00:31 > 0:00:34being exploited and even bullied by their host families, who are
0:00:34 > 0:00:39supposed to be looking after them. We have this special report.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41Some on this march are strangers.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45Almost all are foreign au pairs.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47They have come to support each other and make a stand
0:00:48 > 0:00:50against exploitation and abuse.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53We meet Ellie, not her real name.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57We have disguised her face and changed her voice for legal reasons.
0:00:57 > 0:01:04She tells us about her previous host family.
0:01:04 > 0:01:12The family were very violent, they were not violent with me,
0:01:12 > 0:01:13but violent with each other.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15I felt really uncomfortable and unsafe.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17I also did 14 hours a day, seven days a week.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19It was too much and I left.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21We also spoke to Isabella, again we have disguised her
0:01:21 > 0:01:25identity for legal reasons.
0:01:25 > 0:01:35She says she worked up to 70 hours a week for just £100.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43I started at 7 O'Clock, I tidied, I did three
0:01:43 > 0:01:45washing machines, I cried after the first day.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48My house mum told me to go to my room, she said you work for me
0:01:49 > 0:01:50and you need to do what I want.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52After a few weeks I escaped.
0:01:52 > 0:01:53She was scaring me.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55Isabella was homeless in a foreign country,
0:01:55 > 0:01:57but luckily she was put in touch with Maggie.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59She runs an au pair agency in Hampstead and found
0:01:59 > 0:02:00Isabella another host family.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03But only after she provided a clean criminal record and two references,
0:02:03 > 0:02:08something not required by the current system.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10Some of them are working all hours.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13She said she was working weekends sometimes frequently,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16seven days a week.
0:02:16 > 0:02:21Au pairs are entitled to two completely free days a week.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24But they get really bullied by family some of them.
0:02:24 > 0:02:31It is unbelievable.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33They told me all about it.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35Slavery is getting so much publicity at the moment,
0:02:35 > 0:02:39but some of it is going on with some of these families and the way
0:02:39 > 0:02:40they are treating their au pairs.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43The government says if an au pair is a victim of modern slavery,
0:02:43 > 0:02:45it should be reported to the police.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48According to government guidelines, au pairs are not workers
0:02:48 > 0:02:51and so are not eligible for a minimum wage or paid holiday.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54They are meant to be treated as a member of the family
0:02:54 > 0:03:03and given a room and meals.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05In exchange, they do around 30 hours of light housework
0:03:05 > 0:03:06and baby-sitting a week.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10In return for what is called pocket money of £70 or more a week.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13But we found online adverts that went beyond the recommended hours,
0:03:13 > 0:03:15adverts asking for excessive household tasks, and
0:03:15 > 0:03:25even proxy parenting.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31The title of the advert up here is au pair/carer.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Rosie Cox has carried out extensive research.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35She has been trying to raise awareness about au pair
0:03:35 > 0:03:39exploitation for over a decade.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42The government needs to be quite firm about what an au pair
0:03:42 > 0:03:46is so that somebody can say actually 70 hours a week is not au pair is,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49they ought to be being paid the minimum wage.
0:03:49 > 0:03:55At the moment nobody knows where au pairs are.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58They are not registered in any way, the agencies who pays them do not
0:03:58 > 0:04:01have to be registered, so there is this unknown population.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03We need to think about how vulnerable they are,
0:04:03 > 0:04:05it is almost always young women inside people's homes.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08Not every single au pair we met had a negative story.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12Anna is Spanish and looks after Isabel and Rufus in Nunhead.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15For me, from the first minute I arrived here I feel
0:04:15 > 0:04:20like a member of the family.
0:04:20 > 0:04:21I always have the weekends off.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23so I have a lot of time
0:04:23 > 0:04:26to know London and for me it is amazing living here.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28I am lucky.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30Anna's host family work long hours, they are one of many families
0:04:30 > 0:04:32across London who rely on au pairs to
0:04:32 > 0:04:36help with childcare.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39But experts warn without tighter rules on au pairs are left open
0:04:39 > 0:04:48to exploitation with few people to turn to.
0:04:48 > 0:04:54City Hall has said it is to review how stations are evacuated after a
0:04:54 > 0:04:58false terror alert at Oxford Circus sparked panic on Friday. A leaked
0:04:58 > 0:05:01official report into what happened at the station says inaccurate
0:05:01 > 0:05:04information made the situation worse. 16 people were injured in the
0:05:04 > 0:05:10stampede, after what was thought to be gunfire on the platform. Here's
0:05:10 > 0:05:20our Transport Correspondent Tom Edwards.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24This is a Black Friday these shoppers will not forget as fear
0:05:24 > 0:05:26swept Oxford Circus, a busy shopping area.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28What happened?
0:05:28 > 0:05:30In a leaked document, we can reveal a timeline of
0:05:30 > 0:05:40what happened.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49At 16..39pm Oxford Circus station after
0:05:49 > 0:05:50reports received a discharge firearm.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52Six minutes later armed police arrived as the incident was
0:05:52 > 0:05:54declared the most category one.
0:05:54 > 0:05:55By 17:34pm it was over.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57TfL had been given permission from the police to
0:05:57 > 0:06:07reopen the station.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11The report does say the incident was "compounded by
0:06:11 > 0:06:13various differing reports of what the incident actually was."
0:06:13 > 0:06:15The panic spread from the platforms up here
0:06:15 > 0:06:18onto the street level and right down to Selfridge's and there are the
0:06:18 > 0:06:21store says a surge of shoppers not items onto the marble floor adding
0:06:21 > 0:06:22to the pandemonium.
0:06:22 > 0:06:23Inside Selfridge's the singer Olly Murs
0:06:23 > 0:06:26tweeted there had been gunshots and on social
0:06:26 > 0:06:28media many posted about a possible terror attack.
0:06:28 > 0:06:29But commentators say the panic was understandable.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32To go with the herd is more than just a survival
0:06:32 > 0:06:34instinct, it is a smart thing to do.
0:06:34 > 0:06:39It is like outsourcing your cognitive powers to other people,
0:06:39 > 0:06:46With some injured in the station evacuation, now the
0:06:46 > 0:06:48authorities are looking at their announcements at tube stations
0:06:48 > 0:06:49and whether they can be improved.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Clearly there is an issue about getting people out of stations
0:06:52 > 0:06:54very quickly and that is something that
0:06:54 > 0:07:01is worthy of more examination.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03How do we evacuate people really quickly
0:07:03 > 0:07:05in a situation where there is probably some panic?
0:07:05 > 0:07:07The Met found no evidence that any shots were
0:07:07 > 0:07:11fired and the authorities are now looking at what lessons can be
0:07:11 > 0:07:15learn, especially
0:07:15 > 0:07:24When misinformation and panic spread to quickly.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27It's been criticised over many areas. Thames Water has admitted it
0:07:27 > 0:07:32let its customers down. Now they've promised cheaper bills for everyone
0:07:32 > 0:07:37next year but consumer goods say it is nod good enough.
0:07:37 > 0:07:42This was Upper Street in Angel after a Thames Water main bust last
0:07:42 > 0:07:45December. Many businesses were flooded and around 100 people were
0:07:45 > 0:07:49evacuated from their homesYes, this is all flooded. It was flooded right
0:07:49 > 0:07:53up to about here, the line there. Trevor Turner was one of them. He
0:07:53 > 0:07:58and his wife still haven't moved home permanentlyWhenever I see a
0:07:58 > 0:08:02Thames Water van now, I go - not again, not again. It is a fearful
0:08:02 > 0:08:10thought. You watch this enormous, giant bust on a 36 inch mainstream
0:08:10 > 0:08:14pipe leak on Upper Street bubbling away.It is just one of the Incep
0:08:14 > 0:08:18dents Thames Water has been criticised for. It has now announced
0:08:18 > 0:08:22it'll be repaying customers £40 million worth of penalties for past
0:08:22 > 0:08:26leaks, earlier than required, having the expected annual rise in bills by
0:08:26 > 0:08:31around £8. The company has admitted it has let customers down and is
0:08:31 > 0:08:33unlikely to meet its targets for leaks once again this financial
0:08:33 > 0:08:37year. What is going so wrong?The thing about a big water company like
0:08:37 > 0:08:42Thames is a lot of these things are legacy issues, and I think we can
0:08:42 > 0:08:46see a real change happening inside the company. It's not just about
0:08:46 > 0:08:49paying back our customers early, it's also a lot of incremental
0:08:49 > 0:08:53investment. So this year we're in the going to be paying any dividends
0:08:53 > 0:08:56to our investors, what we're going to be doing is spending the money
0:08:56 > 0:09:00for the benefit of our customers, improving our service.And it's been
0:09:00 > 0:09:07aed about year for Thames Water. It was fined £20 million in March for
0:09:07 > 0:09:12allowing 1.4 billion litres of raw sewage into the River Thames and it
0:09:12 > 0:09:19was hit with an £8.6 million penalty for misleaked targets in the fngess
0:09:19 > 0:09:27year. The consumer council says it must do better.There have been
0:09:27 > 0:09:30significant bursts. The leakage problems have not been met at the
0:09:30 > 0:09:35level it should have been and there have been fines over that. And there
0:09:35 > 0:09:39has been sewer flooding in the Thames Valley area. It is not
0:09:39 > 0:09:43acceptable it customers.Around 60% of the top team has changed at
0:09:43 > 0:09:47Thames Water since last September. It is a company that looks to want
0:09:47 > 0:09:51to turn a corner and says it wants it get its leaks back continue
0:09:51 > 0:09:56target by 2020. Well that's it for now, I will say good night and hand
0:09:56 > 0:09:59you over to Elizabeth for the weather. It's getting a lot
0:10:00 > 0:10:01you over to Elizabeth for the weather. It's getting a lot colder.
0:10:01 > 0:10:07It certainly is. It felt colder today but at least we had sunshine.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10Temperatures reached 7 only and it actually felt cold we are that with
0:10:10 > 0:10:14the strength of the northerly wind. We will be keeping that for the next
0:10:14 > 0:10:17few days, the theme is it'll turn progressively colder there. Could be
0:10:17 > 0:10:21a few showers around at times in the east but otherwise mostly dry. Some
0:10:21 > 0:10:25sunshine and feeling a bit less chilly as we head into the weekend.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28Now, overnight tonight, we will probably see a patchy frost form in
0:10:28 > 0:10:31the more sheltered spots really. There will be clear spells around
0:10:31 > 0:10:36but quite a bit of cloud. We'll steefrp tours dip to probably two to
0:10:36 > 0:10:40three degrees Celsius in the towns but below freezing where we have the
0:10:40 > 0:10:42clear spells and brightness and sunshine around tomorrow morning.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46Then we will see more cloud around, maybe one or two showers across
0:10:46 > 0:10:49parts of Essex and Hertfordshire and we have a northerly wind. That will
0:10:49 > 0:10:52make it feel colder than these numbers would otherwise suggest. We
0:10:52 > 0:10:56will be keeping the wind, the strength of that cold wind over the
0:10:56 > 0:11:01next few days, of course. Thursday is looking like the coldest day. One
0:11:01 > 0:11:02or two sleety showers