06/01/2018 London News

we are back with the late

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news at 20 past 9 -

Good evening, I'm Asad Ahmad.

Illegal hare coursing -

where wild hares are chased

and brutally torn apart

by greyhounds and other dogs,

is taking place just north

of London, in Hertfordshire.

It's why police are scouring

the area - while local farmers say

they face physical

threats and violence from

those taking part.

Here's Sarah Harris.

On patrol in the heart

of the countryside.

Their mission, to find hunters

attacking wild hares with dogs.

Dozens of reports of illegal hare

coursing have been made

to Hertfordshire police

in recent weeks.

Officers are determined

to put a stop to it.

As you can see today we have

four by four vehicles,

all terrain vehicles and quad bikes

to enable them to be better.

We also use technology in the form

of body worn cameras to capture

and preserve evidence giving us

the best opportunity to put before

the courts the best evidence

possible to achieve an outcome.

This footage shows hare

coursing north of Hertford.

With so many meets in the winter

months, farmers in Hertfordshire

said they had had enough.

There is financial damage,

there is physical damage to fields.

But the real damage as I see it

and certainly what my colleagues

experience, is intimidation,

threats, we've seen

physical violence.

We've had incidents local to me

where projectiles have been fired

through farmers' vehicles' windows,

almost injuring them.

You know, it is the associated

intimidation that goes alongside

hare coursing that is the real

problem for us.

Animal rights protesters

are campaigning for fines to be

increased as a deterrent

against what they see

as a barbaric practice.

It is just incredibly cruel,

these hares just suffer just

indescribable cruelty.

They are ripped apart.

And these animals are trained to rip

them apart slowly and painfully,

in such a torturous manner.

Officers are determined to work

with local farmers and members

of the public to bring hare coursing

to an end in Hertfordshire.

Sarah Harris, BBC London News.

Transport for London has

started an investigation -

into claims by the

singer Will Young

that he was subjected to 'homophobic

abuse' by a bus driver.

He says it happened last month,

while driving his car in Fulham.

TfL has apologised -

but the singer wants Mayor

of London Sadiq Khan himself -

to help track down the driver.

In a week which has seen NHS

hospital services come under great

strain with thousands of operations

and appointments cancelled,

managers at the Royal Berkshire

Hospital in Reading -

say they coped by taking the unusual

step of bringing in volunteers from

St John's Ambulance to help in A&E.

The First Aiders were deployed

on Tuesday, but the Hospital

says they weren't used

to provide clinical care.

Putney MP and Education Secretary,

Justine Greening says she's

committed to closing the gap

for reading and writing -

between children from

disadvantaged backgrounds -

and more affluent children.

Currently, in London,

the attainment gap between those

on Free School Meals and others,

is over 10 percent.

So Ms Greening has announced

a network of 'Literacy Centres'

aimed at helping primary schools -

in poorer areas.

Here's Elaine Dunkley.

Church, cheese.

Can you hear that?

Closing the inequality gap

in classrooms is key to giving every

child the best start.

Research has shown that

five-year-olds who struggle

with language are six times less

likely to reach the expected

standard in English

at the age of 11 than those

with good language skills.

Today the government has

launched literacy hubs,

backed by £26 million of investment,

to improve standards

in reading and writing.

The idea, similar to one

launched in 2014 for maths,

will enable high performing schools

to share knowledge and resources

with those in deprived areas.

This is about investing around

the country, bringing together

teachers and literacy specialists

so we can make sure we do even

better on reading and writing

and standards but also that we don't

see any children falling behind.

Labour says the funding will do

nothing to change government

cuts to school budgets.

Elaine Dunkley, BBC London News.

A look at the weather,

and after a dry night, tomorrow

will be bright but very chilly.

Expect clear skies during the day -

but the wind chill will

make it feel very cold.

That's it.

Check out our website to see

a list of London's most

affordable commuter towns.

It might just surprise you.

I'll be back tomorrow.

Bye for now.

Bye for now.