0:00:00 > 0:00:00Natalie many thanks once again. Natalie Perks there for us
0:00:12 > 0:00:22Good evening. I'm Riz Lateef.
0:00:24 > 0:00:25The Mayor is demanding
0:00:25 > 0:00:27answers from Thames Water, accusing the company of decades
0:00:27 > 0:00:28of under-investment.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31It's after thousands of Londoners were left without water for days
0:00:31 > 0:00:33and then this morning a burst pipe in Tooting flooded the streets
0:00:33 > 0:00:34forcing businesses to close.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36Marc Ashdown reports.
0:00:36 > 0:00:37Tooting Broadway underwater.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41The early hours of this morning, the road resembles a river,
0:00:41 > 0:00:44the latest burst water pipe to bring chaos to south London.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47It left commuters with a precarious journey to work and many
0:00:47 > 0:00:50businesses closed, and trying - some more successfully than others -
0:00:50 > 0:00:54to deal with flooded shops.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58Never seen anything like it before, to actually come into the shops.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01Just yards from the burst pipe, staff at this charity shop said
0:01:01 > 0:01:03there was waist-high water gushing past, but miraculously
0:01:03 > 0:01:07the doors held firm.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09We thought that everything would be flooded, but luckily someone
0:01:09 > 0:01:13was looking after us, and, yeah, back to business.
0:01:13 > 0:01:14You're going to carry on, you're open?
0:01:14 > 0:01:15Yeah, of course.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19We don't let nothing stop us!
0:01:19 > 0:01:21Thames Water said this incident is unrelated to the recent
0:01:21 > 0:01:23disruption caused by pipes cracking in the severe weather.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26This 30-inch pipe is one of the oldest in London,
0:01:26 > 0:01:29dating back to the 1830s.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32Thames say they had a team on site here within 15 minutes to shut off
0:01:32 > 0:01:36this pipe and reduce the flow, and as you can see, pretty much now
0:01:36 > 0:01:37it has receded altogether.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39The local MP says "sorry" isn't good enough.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41She's calling for tough action.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46I think fundamentally the time has come to legislate for this.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48We need to make sure that Ofwat have the powers
0:01:48 > 0:01:51that they need in order to make sure that things
0:01:51 > 0:01:52up regulated properly.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54Look, they said they couldn't see this coming.
0:01:54 > 0:01:55It's a 200-year-old pipe.
0:01:55 > 0:01:56It was always going to be coming.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59This is happening all across London and enough is enough.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01Local residents have been without water for four
0:02:01 > 0:02:02days, some of them.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04Schools have been closed and now local businesses
0:02:04 > 0:02:07are going to be suffering, due to a loss of local revenue.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09It has been a difficult few days for Thames.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12Thousands of people cut off and accusations of a slow,
0:02:12 > 0:02:15poorly communicated response plan.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19And today, a huge stockpile of water has sprung up to hand out
0:02:19 > 0:02:21with just a slow trickle of residents still in need.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23How long have you been without?
0:02:23 > 0:02:26Erm, five days.
0:02:26 > 0:02:27Five days?!
0:02:27 > 0:02:29How many kids have you got, have you got kids?
0:02:29 > 0:02:30Four.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32The Mayor of London has written to Thames blaming
0:02:32 > 0:02:34decades of underinvestment for the recent problems.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38Sadiq Khan wants pipe upgrade work intensified and said Londoners need
0:02:38 > 0:02:40assurances things will be markedly different when -
0:02:41 > 0:02:42not if - this happens again.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45Marc Ashdown, BBC London News.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Tolu Adayoye has got more on this.
0:02:50 > 0:02:55And the letter the mayor sent to Thames Water - strongly worded?
0:02:55 > 0:02:59Yes, this has been a week when thousands of Londoners have really
0:02:59 > 0:03:01been beyond inconvenienced. The Mayor clearly thinks that Thames
0:03:01 > 0:03:05Water should have been better prepared. In the letter, he lists a
0:03:05 > 0:03:08number of concerns, including that the bottled water distribution
0:03:08 > 0:03:12centres that were set up were limited to a handful of locations,
0:03:12 > 0:03:17which were not suitable for many of the people affected, particularly
0:03:17 > 0:03:19vulnerable people. He says throughout the whole affair that has
0:03:19 > 0:03:23been poor communication. For example, even though Thames Water
0:03:23 > 0:03:32anticipated supply issues last week, based on the weather, they still
0:03:32 > 0:03:34didn't tell all agencies, including the Fire Brigade. Lastly, he talks
0:03:34 > 0:03:37about compensation. The advice group says that water companies should
0:03:37 > 0:03:41automatically give companies £20 for 12 hours without water, that should
0:03:41 > 0:03:46be £10 for every 24 hours. The Mayor does not think that is enough, he
0:03:46 > 0:03:50wants more generous compensation and fast.Any response from Thames
0:03:50 > 0:03:54Water?Yes, very brief. They say they have agreed to look at
0:03:54 > 0:03:58compensation issues. For now, their priority is to get every single
0:03:58 > 0:04:01customer back with a water supply.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03More than 500 Syrian refugees have been resettled
0:04:03 > 0:04:06across the capital since 2015.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08But as campaigners demand even more to be taken in -
0:04:08 > 0:04:11some councils say they're already struggling with the housing crisis.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13So now one London borough is appealing for more private
0:04:13 > 0:04:15landlords to offer homes.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17Chris Rogers reports from Islington.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25These two women have formed the most unlikely of close friendships.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29Yvette is a London landlady and Layla is her tenant.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32A refugee from war-torn Syria.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35She was a miracle for me, angel.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38Comes to help us.
0:04:39 > 0:04:46The home changed our life for 100%, to better.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48Leila, her husband and three children are among ten
0:04:48 > 0:04:52Syrian refugee families to settle in Islington.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55Under a government scheme London councils are funded to pay the rent,
0:04:55 > 0:05:00and support parents into work, and children into school.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03Although there is obviously a small hit because you don't get market
0:05:03 > 0:05:05rent, we get secure rent, it's regular, there's no
0:05:05 > 0:05:07gaps between tenancies, and it's an amazing way
0:05:07 > 0:05:10of being able to offer help to families that are just
0:05:10 > 0:05:14like ours, and have found themselves in a difficult time in their lives.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17Islington Council says it is mindful of the housing crisis,
0:05:17 > 0:05:19but there's the issue.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22They now need to appeal for more compassionate private
0:05:22 > 0:05:25landlords to help refugees.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28We aren't able to give any council housing to our Syrian
0:05:28 > 0:05:35resettlement scheme, because frankly there isn't enough.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37We have 19,000 people on the waiting list,
0:05:37 > 0:05:39so we just don't have any council properties to offer,
0:05:39 > 0:05:41and that's why this partnership with the private landlords
0:05:41 > 0:05:44is so important to us.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48But could the demand to house Syrian refugees increase?
0:05:48 > 0:05:5110,000 have been given refuge by the UK from a devastating war,
0:05:51 > 0:05:54with strong support from London local authorities.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58The UN Refugee Agency UNHCR warn the Government's quota of 20,000
0:05:58 > 0:06:01is simply not enough.
0:06:01 > 0:06:06The success of the scheme has fuelled calls from campaigners
0:06:06 > 0:06:09and politicians for the Government to do more, and take in perhaps
0:06:09 > 0:06:15another 10,000 refugees, particularly children -
0:06:15 > 0:06:16and not just from Syria, but other war-torn countries.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19The Home Office tell us it has no planned to increase its quota.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22For now, Layla's family are among the minority to escape war
0:06:22 > 0:06:23for a new start in London.
0:06:23 > 0:06:30Chris Rogers, BBC London News.
0:06:30 > 0:06:31As the capital joins celebrations to mark
0:06:31 > 0:06:33International Women's Day tomorrow, this week we're getting
0:06:33 > 0:06:36an insight into the some of the women who run London.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40Tonight we hear from Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43I spoke to her at a fire station in south east London -
0:06:43 > 0:06:45where she was meeting teenagers interested in learning some
0:06:45 > 0:06:48of the skills needed for the job.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53Get yourself rigged and ready for roll call.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55Dany, does it remind you of your teenage self?
0:06:55 > 0:06:57Oh, definitely, just looking at them doing this,
0:06:57 > 0:07:00the first time you put your fire gear on, it's so exciting,
0:07:00 > 0:07:01but a bit scary too.
0:07:01 > 0:07:02That's it, well done.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04The beginning was tough, you know.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06I was one of about 30 women out of 6000 firefighters.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09I think we were probably tested more than the guys were,
0:07:09 > 0:07:12because there was some questions around can women really do it?
0:07:12 > 0:07:15Are women still being put off a career in the Fire Service
0:07:15 > 0:07:18because it's still seen as a job for men?
0:07:18 > 0:07:21I think they are, and I think it's really important that we role model
0:07:21 > 0:07:24women and that we talk about the fact women
0:07:24 > 0:07:25can be firefighters.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27Most importantly, we explain the role.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31I think people do still think it's just about heroic macho stuff
0:07:31 > 0:07:33and you have to be six foot tall and strong.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39Two women running London's major services, it's not
0:07:39 > 0:07:41that long ago that that would have been unthinkable.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43Completely, and even now sometimes people are quite
0:07:43 > 0:07:46surprised that it's happened, and in the same year, which has just
0:07:46 > 0:07:48been a great coincidence, but a really fantastic one,
0:07:48 > 0:07:51because it has just given us the sort of support and shown,
0:07:51 > 0:07:54for me, young girls and young women that there are fantastic career
0:07:54 > 0:07:59opportunities out there in non sort of traditional roles.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03Your first year, of course, the tragic events of Grenfell.
0:08:03 > 0:08:08Do you remember the moment you got the call?
0:08:08 > 0:08:09Vividly, because I was at home.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13It was in the middle of the night.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16I remember thinking at the very start, this is going to be something
0:08:16 > 0:08:19very different and it's going to be something we've never
0:08:19 > 0:08:20experienced before.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22You've said you never get rid of the guilt and responsibility.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25What did you mean?
0:08:25 > 0:08:27I was responsible for every single firefighter on the fire ground that
0:08:27 > 0:08:29day, and it felt like the biggest weight of responsibility
0:08:30 > 0:08:31I have ever had.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34I have never honestly experienced that feeling of anxiety,
0:08:34 > 0:08:38responsibility and care.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41If you were looking at that building, you couldn't help
0:08:41 > 0:08:43but look at that and just have an overwhelming
0:08:43 > 0:08:46feeling of concern.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49How do you cope with the images that you saw that night?
0:08:49 > 0:08:52I think a lot of it for me has been about having counselling,
0:08:52 > 0:08:54and I've been really honest about that.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57I don't think I could have processed it on my own.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59I think it's a very difficult...
0:08:59 > 0:09:02For me, walking round the fire ground, talking to my firefighters,
0:09:02 > 0:09:04having them physically break down in front of me is something that
0:09:04 > 0:09:06I've never experienced before.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09Do you think admitting that vulnerability is a touch
0:09:09 > 0:09:15from your leadership, because you are a woman?
0:09:15 > 0:09:18Do you think that would have happened under a male commissioner?
0:09:18 > 0:09:20I'm not so sure it would have done.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22I can't judge what people would have thought,
0:09:22 > 0:09:25because it was such a different night, but I felt it's OK for me
0:09:25 > 0:09:30to be really honest about that.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32Do you feel like a role model?
0:09:32 > 0:09:34I do absolutely feel like a role model.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37And when I see groups of young girls like these amazing girls here,
0:09:37 > 0:09:40it just makes me feel proud that I can show them there
0:09:40 > 0:09:41is a way forward.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43They don't have to do traditional jobs.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47They can challenge themselves.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49That's it from me - but let's get a check
0:09:49 > 0:09:50on the weather with Nick Miller.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58After the tally, wet start to the day, things cleared up with some
0:09:58 > 0:10:02sunshine and tomorrow we will get to see a bit of sunshine. It will be a
0:10:02 > 0:10:05windy day as well, particularly in the morning. Between now and the
0:10:05 > 0:10:08morning we are going to see some rain. Let's look at the radar
0:10:08 > 0:10:11picture, and find out what is going on. A few showers popping up towards
0:10:11 > 0:10:16the south-west of the UK into Wales. They are moving east quite quickly.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19By the end of the night not just showers, a spot of rain coming our
0:10:19 > 0:10:23way. Increasing cloud overnight. The odd shower, then here comes the
0:10:23 > 0:10:30rain, a quick moving spell at the end of the night. Quite heavy as it
0:10:30 > 0:10:31moves through, overnight temperatures of four 5 degrees. Not
0:10:31 > 0:10:34just wet, gusty wind. Look out quickly it is out of the way in the
0:10:34 > 0:10:37morning. Then broken cloud, sunshine, maybe a stray shower if we
0:10:37 > 0:10:40catch one tomorrow. It will move through quite quickly on the wind,
0:10:40 > 0:10:43which will be very gusty, particularly during the first part
0:10:43 > 0:10:48of the day. The wind easing as we go to the afternoon. 12 degrees, more
0:10:48 > 0:10:52like ten at best tomorrow. It is going to feel colder, but looking
0:10:52 > 0:10:55ahead to the weekend, temperatures on the up again. But there will be
0:10:55 > 0:10:58some outbreaks of rain at the weekend. Thankfully not all weekend
0:10:58 > 0:11:02long. Rain for us. Elsewhere in the UK there is some