0:00:00 > 0:00:13That's all from the BBC News at One - so it's goodbye from me -
0:00:13 > 0:00:15Hello and welcome to BBC London News.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18I'm Alpa Patel.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Homeless families in London claim they are being pressured to accept
0:00:20 > 0:00:24offers of housing outside of the capital.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26BBC London visited one family who had to spend Christmas
0:00:26 > 0:00:29and New Year in a hotel, because they refused to accept
0:00:29 > 0:00:32an offer to move to Southend.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34One housing lawyer said the lack of affordable-social housing
0:00:35 > 0:00:36is contributing to the crisis.
0:00:36 > 0:00:46Chris Rogers reports.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50Since September, this tiny hotel room has been home to Naomi, her
0:00:50 > 0:00:55mother, two sisters and her baby boy. The family happy living in
0:00:55 > 0:01:00hotel rooms like for three years. The cameraman is on one bed, I am on
0:01:00 > 0:01:05the second, you are on the third. I mean, there is hardly any... Room to
0:01:05 > 0:01:09move. I don't know how you live like this.We literally live on top of
0:01:09 > 0:01:16each other. The only breeding room I sisters get is when they go to work.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20My mother is running around doing errands. Some days we go out to
0:01:20 > 0:01:25work.There is nowhere to put stuff away. No storage of clothes? This
0:01:25 > 0:01:30East End born and bred family were offered social housing in Southend.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34That's 42 miles away from their part-time jobs and community.Right
0:01:34 > 0:01:38now, it would get worse, because we don't have the financial backing, we
0:01:38 > 0:01:44don't have the family support that we need to get back on our feet. If
0:01:44 > 0:01:50we have the financial backing behind it, and the job, the two main thing
0:01:50 > 0:01:54is, then no problem, we could go and move to Southend. There would be no
0:01:54 > 0:01:58problem.More than 2000 families in temporary accommodation have been
0:01:58 > 0:02:02uprooted from their communities every year. Local authorities are
0:02:02 > 0:02:06legally obliged to rehouse homeless families within or close to their
0:02:06 > 0:02:10borough. But increasingly that is not happening. Do you think the
0:02:10 > 0:02:17system is imploding?Yes. I do. I think that dramatic steps have to be
0:02:17 > 0:02:24taken to create a stock of affordable social housing. In
0:02:24 > 0:02:29London, as well as other parts of the country. Ordinary people, doing
0:02:29 > 0:02:36ordinary jobs, just cannot make ends meet. That is creating relentless
0:02:36 > 0:02:40pressure, pushing people to the peripheries of London. Pushing
0:02:40 > 0:02:45people outside of London. Tearing up communities, pulling people out of
0:02:45 > 0:02:50work, pulling people out of school. It's just not good enough.London
0:02:50 > 0:02:53councils blame increasing pressure on funds because of the growing
0:02:53 > 0:02:57number of vulnerable families needing affordable housing. That is
0:02:57 > 0:03:02scarce in London. The family now faces a long court battle, using
0:03:02 > 0:03:06legal aid, to force the council to rehouse them in London.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08Now, a bed bug infestation has been causing some discomfort
0:03:08 > 0:03:11at the Palace of Westminster.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14That's despite urgent action to tackle the problem.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18One pest control expert says the outbreak is out of control.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21Sarah Harris has the story.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24In the corridors of power lurk parasites, intent on sucking blood
0:03:24 > 0:03:29to stay alive.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31That's not a metaphor, for these are the culprits.
0:03:31 > 0:03:36Bedbugs.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39Happy to live in chairs where humans stay seated for hours on end,
0:03:39 > 0:03:41waiting for an opportunity to bite.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43This London pest expert says an attempt to eradicate the outbreak
0:03:43 > 0:03:52from Parliament has failed.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56We've had a number of clients where they've been repeatedly
0:03:56 > 0:03:59introducing bedbugs to their home, we can get it clear for a couple of
0:03:59 > 0:04:01weeks, then the problem comes back.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04So we started talking to people, how do you travel to work,
0:04:04 > 0:04:06where do you work, where do you visit on a regular basis?
0:04:06 > 0:04:09And a large number of people were connected with the Houses
0:04:09 > 0:04:10of Parliament in Westminster.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13Staff in Parliament who suspect they been bitten have been advised
0:04:13 > 0:04:15to refer to the NHS website.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Bedbugs aren't dangerous, and don't spread diseases,
0:04:18 > 0:04:20but can cause itchy red bumps on the skin.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24In a statement, a parliamentary spokesperson confirmed
0:04:24 > 0:04:27that there had been a bed bug outbreak within the parliamentary
0:04:27 > 0:04:33estate in a number of places.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36They said an investigation had shown it had been brought in from outside
0:04:36 > 0:04:38and hadn't originated here, and that appropriate
0:04:38 > 0:04:40action is being taken.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43They also said they are monitoring the rest of the estate to make
0:04:43 > 0:04:46sure it hasn't spread.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49Some companies use heat treatments to eradicate the bugs.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52They also strip back chairs and sofas to make sure the parasites
0:04:52 > 0:04:57haven't made their home hidden in upholstery.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59The problem with chemical treatments, they say,
0:04:59 > 0:05:00is that they don't always work.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04I think with any pest species, there's always going to be some kind
0:05:04 > 0:05:07of immunity to whatever chemical or rodenticide you're
0:05:07 > 0:05:10going to use against them.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13So, over time, I think you're going to have to upgrade
0:05:13 > 0:05:14to something different.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16The size of the Parliamentary State makes treatment difficult,
0:05:16 > 0:05:20on top of any chemical resistance the bugs have built up.
0:05:20 > 0:05:28Some experts say only by making the parasites a notifiable pest
0:05:28 > 0:05:29will they be eradicated long-term.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34A row has broken out after a famous women's-only pool
0:05:34 > 0:05:36announced that men transitioning into women will be
0:05:36 > 0:05:43allowed to bathe there.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45A spokesperson for the City of London Corporation -
0:05:45 > 0:05:48which runs the Ladies Pond on Hampstead Heath - confirmed that
0:05:48 > 0:05:50men who identify as female and undergoing transition,
0:05:50 > 0:05:52will be allowed to use the pool and female changing rooms.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55But there are concerns that the ruling could encourage some
0:05:55 > 0:06:00people to take advantage.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02Storm Eleanor has caused travel disruption and damage in our region.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05Strong winds brought down trees and power cables.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08Well let's get the latest from our reporter Paul Murphy-Kasp.
0:06:08 > 0:06:13Paul, tell us which parts have been affected.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17Compared to the rest of the country, London has not been too badly
0:06:17 > 0:06:20affected so far. The Thames Barrier has been closed for most of the
0:06:20 > 0:06:25morning, to try to prevent any tidal surges. Some rail services were also
0:06:25 > 0:06:29disrupted earlier, Southern, Thameslink and the Gallic express,
0:06:29 > 0:06:34running not as usual to Redhill. That is now resolved. The latest
0:06:34 > 0:06:38problem is that the Woolwich Ferry has been suspended because of the
0:06:38 > 0:06:42wind and high tide. Still some niggling issues. As for the roads,
0:06:42 > 0:06:46through the morning we had a partial closure of the M25, that has been
0:06:46 > 0:06:50sorted. Closer to London, we had a couple of trees down. There is one
0:06:50 > 0:06:55in Stan Moore. The road was closed all morning, but the council have
0:06:55 > 0:06:59cut it out and it is now open again. In central London, we didn't escape
0:06:59 > 0:07:04the wind. This car in Marylebone felt the full force when stonework
0:07:04 > 0:07:08fell from the top of a residential block. On new Oxford Street, right
0:07:08 > 0:07:11in the centre of town, police and the Fire Brigade had to remove a
0:07:11 > 0:07:17hoarding that had come loose.Some serious damage, and homes without
0:07:17 > 0:07:22power?About 200 homes lost power last night on the London and Surrey
0:07:22 > 0:07:30border. Homes in the West area of Woking were affected. Scottish and
0:07:30 > 0:07:32Southern actress Eddie Howe been working very hard through the
0:07:32 > 0:07:35morning to fix that. Some homes still remain without power and that
0:07:35 > 0:07:38is likely to be the case until mid-afternoon. Storm Eleanor may
0:07:38 > 0:07:42have swept past London, but we are definitely feeling the effects.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46Thank you very much. Let's take a look at the weather.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50Hello, we've had our first named storm of the year,
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Storm Eleanor brought wind gusts of 73 mph in Northolt
0:07:53 > 0:07:54in West London.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57You can see the area of low pressure associated with the storm here.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59Now well out into the North Sea, but still a squeeze
0:07:59 > 0:08:01on the isobars behind it.
0:08:01 > 0:08:02Still gusty for a time.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04Bright, with some sunshine through most of the afternoon,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07just can't rule out one or two squally showers.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09Still a yellow warning for The Met Office,
0:08:09 > 0:08:13because the winds will still be gusting or 50 mph for a time.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17Temperatures ten, 11 Celsius, but certainly feeling on the chilly
0:08:17 > 0:08:19side in exposure to the breeze.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21The wind eventually starts to ease down through the evening,
0:08:21 > 0:08:23but still a notable wind blowing.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25Some clear skies at first, before the cloud starts
0:08:25 > 0:08:26to build later in the night.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28That will eventually bring some light and patchy
0:08:28 > 0:08:30rain in from the West.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34Temperatures not getting much lower than five or six Celsius.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37Certainly a grey, damp start to the day tomorrow.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39There will be some outbreaks of chiefly light rain,
0:08:39 > 0:08:41that will slowly start to ease.
0:08:41 > 0:08:47By the afternoon, drier, brighter, some spells of sunshine.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51The wind starting to pick up again, but not as strong as the wind
0:08:51 > 0:08:53we have seen in the last 24 hours.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55A mild afternoon tomorrow, 12 or 13 Celsius the top temperature.
0:08:55 > 0:08:56As we go into Friday, it's quite limited picture.
0:08:57 > 0:09:02There are areas of low pressure nearby.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05The wind will start to pick up a little bit again.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08There will be some outbreaks of rain again for a time on Friday.
0:09:08 > 0:09:09Never really amounting to much.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11As that clears, the weekend is looking drier,
0:09:11 > 0:09:16brighter, but much colder.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18A brolly definitely needed.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20That's it from us - Asad Ahmed will be back
0:09:21 > 0:09:22at 6:30 this evening.
0:09:22 > 0:09:27But for now, enjoy your afternoon.