03/09/2017 London News

More throughout the evening on the BBC News channel, but that is it

from us for now. Over the we -- it is now time for the news where you

are. Goodbye. Thousands of minicab

drivers working in London, have been told their background

safety checks are no longer valid. Transport for London says the checks

must be carried out again - or drivers face being taken

off the road. Tara Welsh explains why,

and the concerns it raises As children we don't think about

getting into a car with a stranger -- we want not to get into a car

with a stranger but as adults thousands of us do it everyday. That

is what background checks are four and each private driver has to have

one before they get a licence. The way it works is a new driver

applying for a Government criminal record check would go through a

third-party company, and there were several of them, but now Transport

for London has changed the rules. It said after reviewing its policy

people can only use one preferred supplier and checks done by anyone

else now will not be valid. That means that more than 13,000 drivers

will have to reapply be taken off the road. It puts a novel slant on

the trade which is generally professional. Some of the safest

level of journeys are with private hire in the United Kingdom, probably

safer than most other forms of public transport. The work for

several companies, but the biggest is Uber. Uber has recently faced

criticism after the police accused it of failing to report sex attacks

on passengers by its drivers. As a result its licence to operate in

London was only renewed for a few months and expires at the end of

September. We have these questions around the DVS, then not reporting

sexual offences and so on, so you have to ask the question, are they a

proper operator? Would you regard them as being an operator you would

want them operating in London? Uber spokesperson told us...

TFL has not given a reason why it has done is changed, but just said

it has done so. We could not get hold of anyone there, but it seems

the authorities are making it tougher to work in London's growing

private hire business. Tara Wells, BBC London News.

Tram drivers in Croydon - who work along the route of last

year's fatal accident which claimed multiple lives - are being balloted

for industrial action - over the introduction

Seven people died and more than 50 were injured,

It was travelling at over three times the speed limit.

The ASLEF union says it wasn't properly consulted on plans

to install cameras, which can detect driver fatigue.

The firm which runs the service says discussions are ongoing.

A boxer from Gravesend is training hard for a gold medal

at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 - which in itself

is a minor miracle, when you consider he's already been

Cheavon Clarke is one of Britain's brightest boxing talents -

but his journey to the ring has been an unusual, as Sarah

Britain's top amateur heavyweight Cheavon Clarke

is used to taking blows, but outside the ring he's had

Aged eight, he nearly lost his life falling onto a metal spike,

and at 18 ended up in intensive care when his appendix burst.

The doctor said to my mum, I'm a very lucky young man.

They said during the operation I actually flat lined on the table.

Sometimes a look back and I think, wow, I've come a long way,

but then I just brush it off, because that's yesterday, man.

Despite his success, he's more than happy to help

out with renovations to his Gravesend gym.

His friends say his experiences mean he never gives up.

If that happened to you, and you've gone through that,

and you survive the place, and you've been clinically dead

place, I think your outlook on life can only be,

you know, more positive, just invincibility, and I think that

has helped them so much with the boxing, because that

mentality that he now has going forward is allowing him

Chev has learned not to plan too far ahead,

except when it comes to the next Olympics.

You know, make everybody else is proud, and again

inspire people so, yeah, gold medal, Olympics.

And come Tokyo 2020, his friends won't be

What a terrific athlete, and great determination as well. Time for the

weather forecast with Sara. I suspect the advancing cloud

from the west in the early part of this afternoon ruined many

an afternoon barbecue. Pretty mild weather and it will not

feel too cold to start tomorrow. It will go cloudy at first but as the

day wears on I think we will see some breaks appearing. A bit of

brightness coming through, and the best of that, 22-23, it will do

quite warm. Similar to Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday looked right,

if a little breezy. The next news on BBC One is at 10:20pm tonight, after

the final episode of JK Rowling's Strike. I hope you will join me.