10/02/2018 London News

I'll be back with the late news

a little earlier tonight at 2110.

Good afternoon from BBC London News,

I'm Victoria Hollins.

Members of London's Indian community

are fighting to save a trading area

in the centre of the capital

they say is under threat

from the construction of HS2.

Known locally as little India,

many of the spice and sweet shops

on Drummond Street serve families

from miles across the city.

But as Sarah Harris reports,

rising rents and building disruption

could end a tradition stretching

back more than 50 years.

These are the kind of ingredients

that are hard to come

by in central London.

Trader Hareesh has been selling

Indian spices on Drummond Street,

near Euston station,

for more than 30 years,

but says since the HS2 construction

work begun on his doorstep,

he's struggling to make ends meet.

It's getting worse

because all these hotels

and everything has closed down.

People can't park their car here.

We have a lot of customers

from the hotels and everything,

that completely stopped.

There are a lot of offices around

that have already been closed.

And basically my lunchtime business

is completely ruined.

Some of the businesses

here with Indian connections

were established more

than 50 years ago.

It's become known as Little India,

locally, as more shops

and restaurants set up

in the 50s and 60s.

The campaign's leader says

if the downturn continues, the job

losses will run into hundreds.

It's going to be terrible

because this street has built up

a reputation for years and something

like this in central London

is very difficult to get.

Local people will be out

of jobs, people will suffer

for our bread and butter.

And I don't think we can build

another street like this because it

takes years to build.

HS2 has said in a statement that

they're working with traders

and with the local council to try

and minimise the disruption this

construction is making.

They've said they put up signs

saying it's business as usual

and they also point out that

when the improvements to the station

are finished it should attract more

people to this part of London.

But traders say that is at least ten

years away and without more support,

the tradition that has taken decades

to establish will be lost for ever.

A convicted killer from Hackney

who ran over a woman after she tried

to stop him stealing her handbag has

gone on the run after being released

from prison on licence.

Mark Woolley was jailed for life

in 2001 for the killing

of Elizabeth Sherlock

by running her over

near Euston station.

The 52-year-old has not been seen

since a probation meeting

in Hackney on January 31.

The public have been warned

not to approach him.

A memorial service has taken place

to mark 75 years since 41 people

were killed in a wartime

bombing in Reading.

The People's Pantry Bombing

during World War 2 saw four German

bombs dropped near the town hall.

150 people were injured,

the youngest victims

were just 10 years old.

A wreath laying ceremony to mark

the tragedy was held this afternoon.

Early closing day.

The only people in town

were people watching Bambi

at the cinema just down the road.

People working in offices.

Or the unfortunate people who come

into town for a cup of tea

in the People's Pantry.

One of the ambulance

workers that day knew,

by the time she finished her shift,

that her father had been

killed just behind us.

Let's see what he weather has

I store for the rest of the weekend

with Elizabeth Rizzini.

Hello, good evening.

A bit of everything today,

frosty start, early sunshine

and then a wet afternoon.

Tomorrow will be different,

a lot of dry weather,

sunny spells and the chance

of wintry showers.

This is the system that gave us

the showery rain this afternoon.

Continuing to push from the West,

wet weather overnight

and quite blustery.

A windy night.

Skies clearing into the first part

of tomorrow morning,

starting the day on a milder note,

between two and four

degrees Celsius.

Plenty of sunshine around tomorrow

morning as we can see on the map.

Maybe one or two wintry flurries

going into the afternoon.

Feeling cool with quite a chilly

north-westerly wind,

temperatures between five and seven

Celsius.

Sunday night into Monday morning

there could be a widespread hard

frost so expect a cold feeling day

on Monday with a lot of sunshine,

staying dry but turning wet

and windy once more on Tuesday.

That's it for now.

We're back tomorrow evening.

From all of us here,

have a really lovely weekend.

Bye bye.