Heathrow Airport receives a noise complaint every five minutes

Staff reporter(wp/es):

Heathrow Airport is the subject of a noise complaint every five minutes, statistics show.

There were 25,200 complaints made between July and September this year, coming from 2,218 people.

However, just under half of the complaints – 12,312 – came from the same 10 people, a report reveals.

Slough was home to the majority of complaints during the summer period, with 3,944.

There have been 84,000 complaints in total this year up to the end of October, approximately one for every five take-offs and landings.

Campaigners opposed to the third runway at Heathrow, which was announced by the government last week, believe it will increase pollution and the number of complaints will rise.

John Stewart, chairman of the Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise (Hacan) told the BBC: "I would expect complaints to rise, certainly initially, if a third runway was built.

"The biggest thing that Heathrow could do to reduce complaints would be to give more communities a break from the noise during the day by varying the flight paths.

"Most of the complaints are coming from areas that get noise all day long."

A spokesman for Heathrow Airport said: "Heathrow's plans for expansion will ensure fewer people are impacted by aircraft noise, offer more predictable respite than we can now and a world-class noise insulation scheme.

"Heathrow has consistently reduced the number of people impacted by aircraft noise, by incentivising airlines to bring their cleanest, quietest aircraft to the airport and driving forward changes in how they operate through measures like steeper approaches.

"Independent experts agree. Following the most in depth study of aviation expansion in a generation, the Government's Airports Commission confirmed a bigger Heathrow can be a better neighbour."

London banker James Starkey who was tortured and murdered was due to return to UK today

Pic:James Starkey
Crime reporter(wp/es):

A London banker found strangled to death in a penthouse apartment in South Africa while on a work trip was due back in the UK today, friends revealed. 

James Starkey, 36, from Woolwich, was found dead after apparently inviting his attacker into the flat in Johannesburg.

Today it emerged he proposed to his fiancée, who wishes to remain anonymous, just two weeks before being murdered when she flew from London to visit him in South Africa.

Friends said she was left “distraught” by the killing and suspected the perpetrators targeted Mr Starkey, who worked for City consultancy firm Catalyst, because they thought they thought he was a wealthy foreigner.   

One friend said: “His fiancée is distraught. We’re all in shock. It seems to be a case of a white banker staying in an estate where it’s white people and I think people have been watching him and mistakenly thought he had money.

“There’s no forced entry so we imagine he may have let them in. Family members did go to see the body and it looks like he’s been tortured. It’s tragic. He was due to return to London today. He was a top guy.

“Their plans were to go to Australia (Mr Starkey’s home country) and get married.”

His body was found in Raphael Penthouse Suites building on October 8 when staff forced open the door after a colleague raised concerns.

Staff at the upmarket block have been quizzed by investigators, while management of the building confirmed they had scanned security footage after finding the dead body and handed all relevant material to detectives.

The Raphael Penthouse apartments are next to Nelson Mandela Square, one of Johannesburg’s best-known tourist hot spots. The complex, owned by Legacy Hotels, is accessed through several sets of security card-protected doors. Reception staff are accompanied by 24-hour security guards.

David Stroud, from Legacy Hotels, said that Mr Starkey appeared to have let his attacker into the building. He said: “This incident was not a breach of security in the building and took place between the tenant and his invited guest in a private apartment.

“We are not in the habit of presuming to tell occupants who they should or should not have visit them.”

Mr Starkey, who had worked for a host of top banks including Ernst & Young, Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan, was apparently planning to settle back in Australia.

His family told the Sydney Morning Herald: “Words cannot describe how devastated we are.

“James lived life to the full and certainly had everything to live for, having recently become engaged and planning to return to settle in Australia in the near future.”

man stabbed to death and three injured in knife ambush by masked thugs

Crime reporter(wp/es):

A man was stabbed to death and three others injured in a terrifying knife ambush by masked thugs on a night of Halloween mayhem in London.

Witnesses said the man, 22, was walking with friends when four men wearing hoods and bandanas jumped out of a car and attacked them.

The victim suffered critical stab injuries, reportedly to his chest and neck, and collapsed in the street. Paramedics battled to save him but he was pronounced dead shortly after they arrived.

Two more men, aged 27 and 21, suffered serious injuries in the Croydon attack and were in hospital today. A fourth man, also believed injured in the frenzied assault and aged 22, walked into a south London hospital later.

In a separate Halloween attack, a 14-year-old boy was stabbed at a McDonald’s  restaurant in Ealing Broadway at 9.30pm. He was taken to hospital but his injuries were not said to be life-threatening.

Police were also targeted with fireworks by youths in Tottenham and an officer narrowly avoided being hit by a rocket. Footage from the dashboard camera of a car being driven by neighbourhood watch group Shomrim showed a firework fly past a running officer. The rocket then ricocheted and exploded next to a police car in Fladbury Road at around 9.40pm. Shomrim said police were responding to reports of youths throwing fireworks at passers-by.

Friends of the murder victim cradled him and desperately banged on doors asking for help in the moments after the stabbings. The attack in Gloucester Road was 300 yards from the Brit School which launched the careers of Adele and the late Amy Winehouse.

A witness, 18, who did not want to be named said: “Four guys pulled up in a car jumped out and attacked the group. They had hoodies pulled down and bandanas covering their faces. It seemed to be over really quickly and the others had no time to fight back.”

Kaschief Miller, 22, a friend of the victim, told how he tried to save his life.  He said: “He was silent, it was obvious he was dying. His brother came and he died in his arms.” Karl Stygal, another friend, had just left the park where he had been with the group minutes earlier.  Paying tribute to the victim, named locally as Scott, he said: “He was just a lovely guy. We all played football together and he was a really good player.”

Distraught relatives of the victim had to be held back by police. His mother stayed at the scene long into the night wailing “No, not my son” .