17/06/2017 London News

I'll be back with the team for the late news at 20 past ten -

now on BBC1 it's time for the news where you are.

Good evening and welcome to BBC London News.

First tonight, the growing frustration among volunteers

trying to help victims of the Grenfell Tower fire

in North Kensington, claiming there's a lack

of leadership and coordination from the Government and council.

The borough's town hall was boarded up following last night's protests,

The main doors and windows at Kensington Town Hall

This left many volunteers who said they'd been told

to come here confused about what they should do next.

Amanda Baxter had two vanloads of clothes and supplies which had

She says she'd arranged to meet a relief coordinator here,

but could only talk to a security guard through tinted windows.

I'm absolutely shocked, if I'm honest.

They're real victims, and there's nobody here

to stand here and say, "Right, yes, you need to take

that there, or you need to take that there."

These were the angry scenes last night as protesters demanded

Today it's quiet apart from volunteers who say

I've got people coming up to me giving me bags of stuff,

and they're saying, "Look on the website, look

This is not good enough - do you know what I mean?

They're the people that are in charge to deal

with this situation, and they're saying, we'll take

control and we'll dish it out to all the local authorities

and the local day centres, and now they won't accept my donation,

It's a similar story of chaos at relief centres near Paddington,

where people are crying out for a plan of action.

I would like some officials to come down, to give some direction,

to organise some storage, organised vans, not rely

Get the government officials involved.

From many of those volunteering, the message is clear.

And Sarah joins me now - what has the council

Well, there is a note on the council website saying the reason town hall

was closed last night was because of the damage done by protesters, but

we have asked for an interview both yesterday and today and they have

declined. I think there is a feeling that perhaps in these sensitive

times it might be better to say nothing than to say something that

could make the situation worse. Whether that strategy is working,

given people are crying out for leadership, is another question. OK,

Sarah, thank you. Of course it's also been a difficult

time for many of the neighbours of Grenfell Tower -

they were forced to leave They've now returned,

but as Caroline Davis reports many are deeply distressed,

as they try to carry on in the shadow of

the burned out tower block. Three days ago Kismet could only

watch. Evacuated from his nearby flat with his family, he has now

been allowed back home, but he couldn't sleep last night as

protests went through the streets. He is worried about his children. I

saw them, looking at something, staying, worrying about things.

Among the many problems in Kismet's flat he says the fire alarms have

not been working for five years. Yesterday someone came round. The

fire alarm was changed yesterday, they came quick and said, if you

need anything, we can do it, but it's too late. Viviana and David

live in the same block, and they say they still don't know there are

safety routes. We obviously have fire assemblies and things for when

fire happens but I have never had anything like that here or anyone

tell me where to go if there is a fire. Some of the people I was

speaking to inside today did not want to appear on camera but said

they did want their message to get across, that they want an apology,

they want someone to take responsibility for what happened at

Grenfell. They feel at the moment they can't even trust their homes,

let alone the authorities. These families are back living at the foot

of the tower. Sitting at the dining table, and you see the lights from

the tower, used to see that, but now it is a black hole, just nothing.

They are home, but it'll never the same.

Let's take a quick look at the weather.

More sunshine tomorrow. Very high UV levels and it will be hotter as

well, with highs of 31 Celsius. We will be back at 6:30pm tomorrow on

BBC One and we will of course have all the latest on the Grenfell Tower

fire -- 6:30am tomorrow morning. Goodbye.