02/03/2018 London News

and on BBC One we now join the BBC's

news teams where you are.

Welcome to BBC London News.

I'm Victoria Hollins.

Southeastern Trains have warned

passengers not to travel

on its network until further notice

due to the bad weather.

It says it will try and get services

running again but other operators

are also warning commuters

to leave work early.

Southwestern says it will close

services by 8pm tonight.

Here's our transport

correspondent Tom Edwards.

These Waterloo commuters

had a terrible night

and spent it stranded.

They left London as normal but

trains broke down or couldn't move.

The line was blocked until 6am.

After nine o'clock

we don't have nothing.

No heating, we're going to use

the toilet because its lights.

-- we cannot use the toilet because

the light is off.

It's really horrible.

We started moving around six

o'clock on the train.

We've been stuck maybe for 12 hours.

We didn't move at all.

This morning empty platforms

at Highbury with no trains.

Although today for many in London

some normality so far,

this closure did mean a much longer

journey for Errol D'Lima.

So what are you going to do now?

The Underground, I suppose.

It's going to take me an hour

and a half to half to get to work,

and then an hour and a half

to get home, so...

I don't think we're catered

for things like this, really.

There are no services here running

between Highbury and Stratford,

and that's because ice has got

into the power supply

and it means the trains

at the moment simply can't run.

And all through this week engineers

have been out battling the elements

in atrocious conditions,

trying to make the system work.

This was the main line

to Brighton where icicles have

formed in the tunnels.

Engineers had to knock them off

the roof of the old Victorian

infrastructure to stop them

damaging the trains.

This is what it's like if you're

working on the tracks

when a train passes.

And this footage from inside a cab

on the East Coast Main Line shows

you why trains have to go slower

as they push through snowdrifts.

I'm standing at King's Cross,

where many of the trains are now

running, but there are parts

of the East Coast Main

Line still not open.

Obviously everyone at Network Rail

is working very hard to get

those routes open as soon

as we possibly can.

Southeastern are now

warning commuters not

to travel on its network.

Others that operate to the south

of the capital are also warning

commuters to leave work

early this afternoon.

The Mayor has pledged to take more

action against pay inequality

after a report shows London's public

service workers face an ethnicity

pay gap of up to 37%.

Sadiq Khan says the ethnicity audit

found the pay gap was "particularly

stark" at the Met Police

and the reason is due

to an under-representation of black,

Asian and minority ethnic employees

in senior roles.

A flagship programme to divert young

offenders from a life of crime

and gangs originally piloted

at police stations in Brixton

and Lambeth is to be

rolled out across London.

The scheme offered those detained

in stations a package of support

to turn their lives around.

The re-offending rate is 7% -

far lower than the London average

for adult offenders.

We are coming into contact

with people, right in custody

at that teachable moment,

when people are thinking

about changing their lives.

And Divert is able to speak to them

in consultation and look at getting

them into that employment,

training and development and getting

them away from their lifestyle.

And it's imperative.

This Sunday, weather permitting,

thousands of people will be taking

to the streets of London to run

in a brand new half marathon.

And among them will be Sir Mo Farah.

The four-time Olympic gold medallist

has now swapped the track for road

racing in the hope of even more

success, as Emma Jones reports.

Wins the gold!

He's already one of the most

successful athletes of all time

on the track, and so having won

in London before, today Sir Mo

was at City Hall to meet some

of the other runners who will be

joining him this Sunday

for a brand-new half

marathon in the capital.

A little different to the training

camp he has just left in Ethiopia.

It was a big shock, coming

to the UK, seeing the heavy snow.

Sunday hopefully should

be good, I'm excited.

Part of the London Marathon,

this is just a good opportunity

to see where I am and if anything

needs checking, you know,

then we can work on that.

As you say, is this very

much seen as a warm up

for the London Marathon?

It is a warm up, it is.

Most runners who are taking part

in the big major marathon like to be

able to test themselves,

and this is another test for me.

This is my hometown, it comes

with a little bit of pressure.

For Farah the aim to take

what he learns this weekend

into next month's London Marathon.

For the organisers, to see

if the new event can

become a regular part

of the London sporting calendar.

Although there may be an obvious

challenge.

Of course the current windy, wintry

conditions in London are hardly

ideal either for the 15,000 runners

who will be starting on the other

side of Tower Bridge on Sunday

morning, or the thousands of

spectators hoping to mind the route

from Canary Wharf to the finish line

at Greenwich. The race directors say

they are constantly assessing the

situation and remain confident the

race will go ahead.

There is a huge amount of work going

on to try to ensure that the route

is clear, lots of parts of it are

clear, just some parts are not. We

are really looking after the health

and safety of both the runners, the

spectators, the staff and

volunteers.

So we will hopefully be

seeing the Mobot, not the

snowboards, this Sunday! -- not the

snow bot.

For many people the snow and cold

weather poses a big challenge.

But for others it's

a huge opportunity.

Like Londoner Jessica Rose,

who braved sub-zero

temperatures for her art.

My first thought was I really

hope my boiler doesn't break down.

My second thought was how

can I make a painting

or drawing out of this?

In fact, I did fall

off my bike on the way

here because it was quite slippy.

My name is Jessica Rose and I am

an Ealing-based painter

and printmaker and today I am trying

to paint a snowy tree.

So, in a former life

I was a journalist.

In 2011 I stopped doing

that and I set myself up

as an artist and an art teacher.

I am really inspired by natural

forms and as you can see I have

got my bike here today.

I cycle all around Ealing and other

parts of London with my easel

strapped to my bike.

I stop where I find inspiration.

Today I found a really oddly shaped

tree which is inspiring me,

particularly as it is covered

in snow as well, it has got

a lovely, fairy dusting

of white powder on it.

I think it is quite true that

if you are an artist you see

the world in a grain of sand

and you don't have to travel very

far from where you live to find

really amazing scenery

to paint and draw.

I would just like people to be

inspired by what I do

because I want to get more people

out sketching, painting and drawing

in London's parks and looking

at its amazing buildings

and interpreting it into art.

Now let's check on the weather

with Elizabeth Rizzini.

Now let's check on the weather

with Elizabeth Rizzini.

Any good news in store?

Yes, I think they will stop the big

for this weekend, but we have today

to get through and more snow and

fortunately in the forecast.

We have had some lovely Weather

Watcher pictures, it is bitterly

cold with an easterly wind, snow

spreading in from the south into the

afternoon as well.

Staying pretty windy, lots of art

snow will blow around. There is a

Met Office warning for snow and ice

which has been turning to freezing

rain in Kent and parts of Surrey.

This is

treacherous

This is

treacherous for

This is

treacherous for driving

This is

treacherous for driving in

This is

treacherous for driving in

particular because the super cold

water droplets freeze on impact,

take care if you see the snow

turning back into rain. We could see

as much as five centimetres of snow.

It will feel pretty cold again, as

you would expect. Overnight tonight,

it should gradually clear, we will

see some rather misty and murky

conditions into tomorrow morning.

Slightly milder air coming through

but temperatures generally below

freezing to start the day.

There will be another ice risk for

tomorrow morning, so take care on

the roads and pavements.

It will feel a bit milder, we might

even see brightness around. After

the early mist and fog clears. It

will cloud over through the

afternoon, most of it will fall as

rain, temperatures to end the

afternoon for the first time in

quite some time will be between

three and 6 degrees. Looking a bit

milder still on Sunday. Thank you.

That's about it from me.

Asad Ahmad will be here

with our 6:30 evening programme.

But for now, from us all,

a very good afternoon.