17/12/2017 London News

You can see more on all of today's

stories on the BBC News Channel.

That's all from me, stay

with us on BBC1 it's time

Good evening and welcome

to the programme,

I'm Katharine Carpenter.

After a decade of fundraising

a memorial has been unveiled

in East London to honour those

who died in World War II's

worst civilian disaster.

It's in memory of the 173 people

who were crushed to death

in Bethnal Green underground

station in 1943.

Tarah Welsh reports.

It was the largest single

loss of civilian life

during World War II and today,

finally, something to

remember all those killed.

The survivors unveiled

the new memorial to mark a night

that had started like so many others

during the war.

The air raid started,

so we ran to the underground

because we used to sleep

there of a night.

And when we got there,

it was just chaos.

This night, anti-aircraft rockets

were being tested nearby.

Nobody was warned and they assumed

it was enemy bombing.

The bombs whistled.

When it fired off and there

were all these different

people getting off buses.

So you have sort of, like,

300 or 400 people trying to get

through this narrow door,

and at that same time a lady

at the bottom of the stairs,

holding a child, fell.

She pulled another man on top

of her and before they could get up

others were falling on top of them.

173 people were crushed to death -

62 were children.

I heard all the people

screaming and calling

for their mommas and dads...

SOBS.

They were calling for their mothers

and fathers and...

We just couldn't get out.

He was eventually pulled free,

but the tragedy also

haunts the rescuers.

Well...

You know...

The whole thing was

an absolute nightmare.

Despite the huge loss of life here,

survivors and people involved

were told never to speak

of what happened here.

The country was at war

and the government didn't want it

to affect public morale.

The family always talked

about the terrible Bethnal Green

underground disaster and no-one knew

about it, there was no

recognition of it.

But now a lasting tribute for one

of the biggest tragedies

the capital has ever seen.

London has taken the fewest number

of refugees following the migrant

crisis than any UK region.

Home Office figures show that

of the thousands of people

resettled across the UK,

just 400 have found

homes in the capital.

Helen Mulroy reports.

It's scenes like these that have

forced more than five million

to flee Syria and neighbouring

countries since the outbreak of war.

Violence and persecution in parts

of the Middle East are forcing

many to look for refuge,

like Layla and her family.

They came to London this year under

a government scheme that

resettles endangered children

and their parents.

The children die,

all the children die.

My children are scared

about the bomb, scared about...

He can play in the street.

This country, it's good

for my children and for me,

because...give us more options.

However, of all the English

regions, London has taken

in the fewest refugees

- just 400.

And about half of the local

authorities across the capital

haven't taken in a single refugee

under the main scheme

for resettlement.

Councils say it's because existing

pressures on housing make it more

difficult in London than elsewhere.

Yet some councils have been more

pro-active than others.

Lambeth has even sent

a representative to Calais.

Housing is a real issue

but I think we've worked very

closely with the community,

particularly the Lambeth

Citizens Group.

It's a moral case.

We can do more and we need to help

people who are living

in dire circumstances.

But writer Douglas Murray isn't

convinced resettlement in London

is the best way to help.

It costs around 100 times as much

to look after a migrant,

an asylum seeker, in Europe,

in a country like Sweden,

a country like Britain,

than it does to pay for them

to remain in, for instance,

Jordan or Lebanon or Turkey.

For Layla and her children, however,

they're just happy to be somewhere

safe this Christmas.

Thank you for giving us

the chance, the new life.

The weather now, and early mist

and fog will clear to leave a dry

and fine day with some sunshine

and a top temperature of seven.

That's all from the late

team, goodnight.