0:00:00 > 0:00:09That's all from the BBC News at One, so it's goodbye from me.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13Welcome to BBC London News. so it's goodbye from me.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17I'm Alpa Patel. so it's goodbye from me.
0:00:17 > 0:00:26Thames Water says it has every available person -
0:00:26 > 0:00:28trying to restore running water, to thousands of homes
0:00:28 > 0:00:29in south London.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Some have been without water for three whole days
0:00:32 > 0:00:33and frustrations are running high.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35The company have apologised and have been blaming trapped air
0:00:35 > 0:00:37in the piping system, for delays to repairs.
0:00:37 > 0:00:44Ayshea Buksh is in Streatham and sent this report.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47I am in a car park in Streatham, which has become a water collection
0:00:47 > 0:00:53point and it has been set by Thames water. There are several others in
0:00:53 > 0:00:58London, and Hampstead, Cricklewood, and Banham, people have come all
0:00:58 > 0:01:02morning to collect some water for themselves, their families and their
0:01:02 > 0:01:07neighbours. Any are frustrated. They still do not have water. How many
0:01:07 > 0:01:11days have you been without water?It went on Saturday night, so they
0:01:11 > 0:01:16haven't had any water since then. We came down on Sunday morning. Sunday
0:01:16 > 0:01:20afternoon, and waited an hour for water to be delivered. And there
0:01:20 > 0:01:27wasn't any.There is no water, no water at all. Not a drop. Nothing
0:01:27 > 0:01:32coming out, nothing for them to shower with, to put the kettle on.
0:01:32 > 0:01:39There are no toilets that can be used.Who we collection for?Myself,
0:01:39 > 0:01:43my family and neighbour, she is an elderly woman, 90 years old so she
0:01:43 > 0:01:47cannot come herself.Thames Water staff are advising people to look at
0:01:47 > 0:01:51social media or the website to get an update on the situation.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55Officially, Thames Water say that they apologise for the situation,
0:01:55 > 0:02:00and they've made every available person work to restore the supply.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03Some news just in now.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06A murder investigation has been launched after a woman was found
0:02:06 > 0:02:08dead with stab wounds in south west London.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11Her body was found at a home in Twickenham.
0:02:11 > 0:02:18Sussex Police discovered the body of a man and two young boys at Birling
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Gap.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23Now it was a system that was introduced to several
0:02:23 > 0:02:24London boroughs six months ago.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27But now nearly 75 percent of council tenants who claim
0:02:27 > 0:02:29'Universal Credit' - are behind with their rent.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31The scheme was supposed to simplify the benefits system.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33But critics say delayed payments have pushed some
0:02:33 > 0:02:34of London's poorest into debt.
0:02:34 > 0:02:40Here's our political editor Tim Donovan.
0:02:40 > 0:02:45You start to feel a little embarrassed...
0:02:45 > 0:02:47Shirley was put on Universal Credit when she moved into her
0:02:47 > 0:02:49new council flat in Peckham.
0:02:49 > 0:02:5112 weeks, it took, to sort out her money.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54By that time, she was well over £1000 behind with her rent.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56So that's 12 weeks without the money, 12 weeks
0:02:56 > 0:02:58without paying my rent every week, 12 weeks without paying
0:02:58 > 0:03:00my television licence, because all I could borrow money
0:03:00 > 0:03:02for was food and gas.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04These six boroughs are the first in London to roll-out
0:03:04 > 0:03:05Universal Credit - Croydon, Hammersmith,
0:03:05 > 0:03:09Hounslow, Southwark, Sutton and Tower Hamlets.
0:03:09 > 0:03:139,379 of their council tenants are in arrears.
0:03:13 > 0:03:19That 73% - nearly three quarters of those on Universal Credit.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23Desmond sought help here from his local advice centre in Peckham.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26Problems with his claim mean he owes £1,600 in back rent.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29What is it like when you get a letter like that?
0:03:29 > 0:03:30It's very...
0:03:30 > 0:03:31How can I put it?
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Stressful.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35A roof over your head, that's the most important thing.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37One safety net is the borough's foodbank.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40They say here the vast majority of people coming for food
0:03:40 > 0:03:41are on Universal Credit.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43People are going on to Universal Credit and suddenly
0:03:43 > 0:03:48they go into this different place of fear where they cannot work out
0:03:48 > 0:03:51what has happened with their money, what's coming in with their money,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54and trying to help them into work becomes a much harder
0:03:54 > 0:03:57situation at the moment.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59There are more than 110,000 people in London currently
0:03:59 > 0:04:01claiming Universal Credit.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05These figures we have for council tenants who have fallen behind
0:04:05 > 0:04:08with their rent are only part of the picture because they don't
0:04:08 > 0:04:10take into account tenants in the private rented sector
0:04:10 > 0:04:15who are in arrears.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17We are seeing more and more in Southwark that people
0:04:17 > 0:04:18are struggling with their rent.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22What we want to be able to do is work with people earlier,
0:04:22 > 0:04:24help them to get through that process, help them to avoid
0:04:24 > 0:04:25being evicted by their landlords.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28The Government's recently taken seven days off the wait time
0:04:28 > 0:04:31and offered a fortnight's extra housing benefit.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34The aim is to ease the situation for new claimants, though
0:04:34 > 0:04:37it is pressing ahead with Universal Credit,
0:04:37 > 0:04:39saying it will help people like Shirley back into work,
0:04:39 > 0:04:44help them pay their rent and improve their lives.
0:04:44 > 0:04:49Tim Donovan, BBC London News.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52Now yesterday we brought you the story of the man,
0:04:52 > 0:04:54who uses his inflatable bike, to pick out plastic
0:04:54 > 0:04:55from the river Thames.
0:04:55 > 0:04:56Today we're meeting another plastic warrior.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59Bettina Maidment is on a drive to completely rid her home
0:04:59 > 0:05:07of plastic, here's how she's going about it.
0:05:07 > 0:05:13Bettina is a mother of two and this is her son, two years old uncle
0:05:13 > 0:05:16Dexter. Since last summer, the family have
0:05:16 > 0:05:23tried to kick their plastic habit, replacing bottles for more friendly
0:05:23 > 0:05:26products. I would hate to think that my boys
0:05:26 > 0:05:31grow up in a world where they know nothing but a polluted planet.
0:05:31 > 0:05:36Bettina even makes her own hand soap, storing it in an old bottle.I
0:05:36 > 0:05:45am quite strict.An interruption... It is a home delivery of vegetables,
0:05:45 > 0:05:54almost entirely plastic free.It is brilliant. They are really committed
0:05:54 > 0:05:58to cutting down on plastic waste, so it doesn't all have to be hard work.
0:05:58 > 0:06:03I get vegetables delivered to me, would you like a grape?Yes please!
0:06:03 > 0:06:09But does this come at a higher cost? Some things are more expensive, but
0:06:09 > 0:06:13other things are cheaper. It balances out. I've worked out that
0:06:13 > 0:06:17over the course of the year, my spending food wise hasn't actually
0:06:17 > 0:06:21increased.The family have made real progress. Take the fridge, for
0:06:21 > 0:06:25example. Now almost 90% plastic free.
0:06:25 > 0:06:31As you can see, there's a lot of glass. Plastic milk bottles went out
0:06:31 > 0:06:40for glass bottles, delivered by the milkmen. This is filled up at the
0:06:40 > 0:06:45deli.Products like rice are put in a reusable bag after being filled up
0:06:45 > 0:06:50the shop. Plastic packaging is at a bare minimum here. This is the
0:06:50 > 0:06:55family's total plastic waste since Christmas. In the next room, we have
0:06:55 > 0:07:00a look at Dexter's toys. Almost all wooden, although today, and despite
0:07:00 > 0:07:03his mother's appeals can he would rather play on his plastic
0:07:03 > 0:07:12tractor... What about your children? What if they want that chocolate
0:07:12 > 0:07:17bar, wrapped in plastic? What do you say to them?It's really simple, no!
0:07:17 > 0:07:25I am their parent, and they are my kids. Kids need boundaries. I'm not
0:07:25 > 0:07:29a total grinch, I don't say no all the time. My kids are healthy and
0:07:29 > 0:07:33happy and well adjusted, normal children.They can have an
0:07:33 > 0:07:37alternative. Personally I could never go back to living how I did
0:07:37 > 0:07:41before. It doesn't sit right any more.It's onwards and upwards from
0:07:41 > 0:07:43here.
0:07:43 > 0:07:44Bettina Maidment ending that report.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47Now let's check on the Weather with Kate Kinsella.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49Now let's check on the Weather with Kate Kinsella.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53Good afternoon. The pleasant start this morning.Temperatures above
0:07:53 > 0:07:57zero. Feeling quite pleasant. Some sunshine here. Quite a bit of cloud
0:07:57 > 0:08:01around. It has been thinning and we have decent spells of sunshine. In
0:08:01 > 0:08:06the light winds, it feels quite pleasant. Mild as we had through the
0:08:06 > 0:08:11afternoon. Some sunny spells, we have a risk of a couple of showers
0:08:11 > 0:08:15feeding up from the south. Most places are avoiding them. You may
0:08:15 > 0:08:19catch some further west but temperatures today are a modern 11
0:08:19 > 0:08:24degrees, mild compared to last week. Overnight, starting clear,
0:08:24 > 0:08:28temperatures fall. Colder compared to last night, missed and for
0:08:28 > 0:08:31developing as well. Minimum temperatures between zero and three
0:08:31 > 0:08:37degrees. Quite a misty and murky start first thing on Wednesday. That
0:08:37 > 0:08:45will be slow to clear. Staying rather grave. It looks like showers
0:08:45 > 0:08:49will stay further south. Temperatures up to 10 degrees.
0:08:49 > 0:08:55Through the week, as we had through Thursday, things are unsettled.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58Further south, some rain bullocking drier further north. On Friday,
0:08:58 > 0:09:04things turned progressively more unsettled. Further rain as we had
0:09:04 > 0:09:08through Friday afternoon. On Saturday it ends up better. Drier
0:09:08 > 0:09:14towards the end of the day. Despite the rain, we are looking at 12-13d
0:09:14 > 0:09:17by the time we get through to Sunday. Gradually things are feeling
0:09:17 > 0:09:18a little more like spring.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20That's it from me.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23Louisa Preston will be here with our 6:30 evening programme.
0:09:23 > 0:09:24But for now, from all of us here have a good afternoon.