0:00:00 > 0:00:02I'll be back with the late news a little earlier tonight at 2110.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19Good afternoon from BBC London News, I'm Victoria Hollins.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21Members of London's Indian community are fighting to save a trading area
0:00:21 > 0:00:24in the centre of the capital they say is under threat
0:00:24 > 0:00:30from the construction of HS2.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33Known locally as little India, many of the spice and sweet shops
0:00:33 > 0:00:36on Drummond Street serve families from miles across the city.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38But as Sarah Harris reports, rising rents and building disruption
0:00:38 > 0:00:46could end a tradition stretching back more than 50 years.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49These are the kind of ingredients that are hard to come
0:00:49 > 0:00:50by in central London.
0:00:50 > 0:00:57Trader Hareesh has been selling Indian spices on Drummond Street,
0:00:57 > 0:00:59near Euston station, for more than 30 years,
0:00:59 > 0:01:02but says since the HS2 construction work begun on his doorstep,
0:01:02 > 0:01:07he's struggling to make ends meet.
0:01:07 > 0:01:08It's getting worse because all these hotels
0:01:08 > 0:01:10and everything has closed down.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13People can't park their car here.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16We have a lot of customers from the hotels and everything,
0:01:16 > 0:01:18that completely stopped.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22There are a lot of offices around that have already been closed.
0:01:22 > 0:01:27And basically my lunchtime business is completely ruined.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29Some of the businesses here with Indian connections
0:01:29 > 0:01:33were established more than 50 years ago.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35It's become known as Little India, locally, as more shops
0:01:35 > 0:01:40and restaurants set up in the 50s and 60s.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42The campaign's leader says if the downturn continues, the job
0:01:42 > 0:01:51losses will run into hundreds.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53It's going to be terrible because this street has built up
0:01:53 > 0:01:56a reputation for years and something like this in central London
0:01:56 > 0:01:57is very difficult to get.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00Local people will be out of jobs, people will suffer
0:02:00 > 0:02:02for our bread and butter.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05And I don't think we can build another street like this because it
0:02:06 > 0:02:07takes years to build.
0:02:07 > 0:02:12HS2 has said in a statement that they're working with traders
0:02:12 > 0:02:15and with the local council to try and minimise the disruption this
0:02:16 > 0:02:17construction is making.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21They've said they put up signs saying it's business as usual
0:02:21 > 0:02:26and they also point out that when the improvements to the station
0:02:26 > 0:02:30are finished it should attract more people to this part of London.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34But traders say that is at least ten years away and without more support,
0:02:34 > 0:02:43the tradition that has taken decades to establish will be lost for ever.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47A convicted killer from Hackney who ran over a woman after she tried
0:02:47 > 0:02:50to stop him stealing her handbag has gone on the run after being released
0:02:50 > 0:02:51from prison on licence.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54Mark Woolley was jailed for life in 2001 for the killing
0:02:54 > 0:02:56of Elizabeth Sherlock by running her over
0:02:56 > 0:02:58near Euston station.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00The 52-year-old has not been seen since a probation meeting
0:03:00 > 0:03:02in Hackney on January 31.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05The public have been warned not to approach him.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08A memorial service has taken place to mark 75 years since 41 people
0:03:08 > 0:03:10were killed in a wartime bombing in Reading.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14The People's Pantry Bombing during World War 2 saw four German
0:03:14 > 0:03:22bombs dropped near the town hall.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24150 people were injured, the youngest victims
0:03:24 > 0:03:25were just 10 years old.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28A wreath laying ceremony to mark the tragedy was held this afternoon.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31Early closing day.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33The only people in town were people watching Bambi
0:03:33 > 0:03:35at the cinema just down the road.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37People working in offices.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40Or the unfortunate people who come into town for a cup of tea
0:03:40 > 0:03:47in the People's Pantry.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50One of the ambulance workers that day knew,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53by the time she finished her shift, that her father had been
0:03:53 > 0:03:54killed just behind us.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57Let's see what he weather has I store for the rest of the weekend
0:03:57 > 0:03:58with Elizabeth Rizzini.
0:03:58 > 0:03:59Hello, good evening.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02A bit of everything today, frosty start, early sunshine
0:04:02 > 0:04:03and then a wet afternoon.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06Tomorrow will be different, a lot of dry weather,
0:04:06 > 0:04:11sunny spells and the chance of wintry showers.
0:04:11 > 0:04:16This is the system that gave us the showery rain this afternoon.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18Continuing to push from the West, wet weather overnight
0:04:18 > 0:04:19and quite blustery.
0:04:19 > 0:04:24A windy night.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27Skies clearing into the first part of tomorrow morning,
0:04:27 > 0:04:29starting the day on a milder note, between two and four
0:04:29 > 0:04:30degrees Celsius.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33Plenty of sunshine around tomorrow morning as we can see on the map.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Maybe one or two wintry flurries going into the afternoon.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40Feeling cool with quite a chilly north-westerly wind,
0:04:40 > 0:04:43temperatures between five and seven Celsius.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46Sunday night into Monday morning there could be a widespread hard
0:04:46 > 0:04:50frost so expect a cold feeling day on Monday with a lot of sunshine,
0:04:50 > 0:04:53staying dry but turning wet and windy once more on Tuesday.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55That's it for now.
0:04:55 > 0:04:56We're back tomorrow evening.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59From all of us here, have a really lovely weekend.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01Bye bye.