Two men and woman found dead near cliffs in Dover

Staff reporter(wp/es):
 Three bodies have been discovered near cliffs in Dover.

Kent Police were called just before 2.30pm to Langdon Cliffs on Sunday due to concern for a man’s safety.

The man’s body was found at the bottom of the cliffs by the coastguard along with the bodies of another man and a woman between half a mile to a mile away.

The deaths are not believed to be linked.

A police spokesman said: “Kent Police was called at 2.27pm due to concern for the welfare of a man at Langdon Cliffs, Dover.

“Officers attended and the body of a man was subsequently discovered at the bottom of the cliffs by the coastguard.

“During the search the coastguard also discovered the bodies of a second man and a woman.

“Officers do not believe their deaths are linked to that of the first man."

A Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) spokeswoman said: "At 2.30pm today, Kent Police requested assistance from the UK Coastguard at an incident in the Dover docks area.

"UK Coastguard sent Langdon Battery and Deal coastguard rescue teams, Dover RNLI lifeboat and the UK search and rescue helicopter based at Lydd."

A Dover RNLI spokesman said: "The conditions were quite rough. The other two were rescued by coastguard teams on the shore.

"It's tragic really."

Investigations into the circumstances of the deaths are ongoing.

Government spent 'eye-watering' £10k a day on consultants over third runway

Pic:Heathrow, The Government is backing a third runway at the airport
Staff reporter(wp/es):

The Government has been slammed for spending an average of £10,000 per day on consultants and law firms to decide if a third runway should be built at Heathrow.

The Department for Transport, headed up by under fire minister Chris Grayling, has shelled out more than £3.8million on external firms since the Airport Commission published a report in July 2015, naming Heathrow Airport as the best location for a new runway.

A Freedom of Information request by the Press Association has revealed that the lion's share of the money has gone to financial advisers N M Rothschild & Sons, who filed four invoices totalling £1.46million, which were paid between July last year and October 2016.

Law firm DLA Piper UK was also paid £1.09 million between August 2015 and October 2016, while Allen & Overy received £152,955.60 between January and September this year. 

Professional services firm Ernst & Young filed two invoices worth £138,765 for consultancy work, which the Government made good between March and August 2016. 

Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney, who stunned the Tories by overturning billionaire Zac Goldsmith's 23,000 majority in the Richmond Park by-election, described the sums as "eye-watering".

She said: "These are eye-watering sums, over £10,000 a day, to pay consultants for an airport people don't want.

"I won a by-election in Richmond Park and North Kingston on a platform opposing Heathrow expansion. Local people have spoken but Theresa May is ignoring democracy. The people lose out and the only gainers are highly paid consultants."

Ms Olney added that it is "patently clear" that the Conservative Government had frittered away taxpayer's money despite deciding "long before it was going to be Heathrow whatever the evidence".

A third runway at Heathrow Airport was given the go-ahead by the Government in October after proposals to expand its existing runway, or build a second runway at Gatwick, were rejected. 

The new runway could be in operation by 2025, but is expected to face fierce opposition from MPs.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson previously described the project as "undeliverable" and claimed it was likely to be stopped, while Education Secretary Justine Greening said she was "extremely disappointed".

A public consultation will be held on the impact of the third runway before the final decision is put to MPs for a vote in the winter of 2017/18. 

It was revealed last month that parliamentary support for a third runway at Heathrow has grown, according to research commissioned by the airport.

Almost three quarters (74 per cent) of the 130 MPs polled between October and November say they would back the third runway project. 

A spokesman for the Department for Transport said: "The Government's decision to back expansion at Heathrow Airport was one of the biggest boosts to the UK's transport infrastructure in a generation, estimated to bring economic benefits to passengers and the wider economy worth up to £61 billion.

"Given the scale and complexity of airport expansion schemes, as well as the various statutory requirements, including those under the Planning Act 2008, it is only right that we should seek expert advice to make sure the Government's analysis is of the highest quality and fully considers all options and any constraints.

"This is to ensure we get the right solution to the UK's airport capacity needs and maximise the benefit to the whole country."

New garden villages and towns 'to help create 200,000 new homes'

Staff reporter(wp/es):

The first wave of garden villages planned to help create 200,000 of new homes in England has been given the go-ahead.

Ministers have backed 14 bids across the country that will develop new communities with between 1,500 and 10,000 properties.

Larger scale garden towns in Harlow and Gilston, on the Essex-Herts border, Aylesbury, Bucks, plus Taunton in Somerset have also been signed off by the Government.

The new villages include Dunton Hills near Brentwood, Essex, and Longcross in Runnymede and Surrey Heath.

The plans are expected to create a series of new communities with green spaces, good transport links and high quality affordable homes to help tackle the country's housing crisis.

Some £6 million in funding will go towards developing the new villages, which could generate 48,000 new homes, while £1.4 million has been earmarked for the towns.

Combined with seven garden towns and cities already announced, the initiative has the potential to deliver 200,000 properties, the Government said.

Homes are already being built in Aylesbury, Taunton, Bicester and Didcot in Oxfordshire, Basingstoke in Hampshire, Ebbsfleet in Kent, and north Northamptonshire.

Housing minister Gavin Barwell said: "Locally led garden towns and villages have enormous potential to deliver the homes that communities need.

"New communities not only deliver homes, they also bring new jobs and facilities and a big boost to local economies. 

"These places combined could provide almost 200,000 homes".

Victoria Line partially closed after man falls onto tracks

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Highbury and Islington station was reportedly evacuated after a man fell onto Tube tracks on Monday, closing part of the Victoria Line.

Police and paramedics raced to Highbury and Islington station where the incident took place at around 9am, according to British Transport Police.

The man was rushed to a north London hospital with minor injuries. 

A spokeswoman for Transport for London said the Victoria Line was temporarily blocked between Kings Cross and Walthamstow Central northbound  but was up and running again by 9.30am with minor delays.

The A1 road was blocked northbound outside the station due to emergency service attending the scene.

CCTV footage from the main road shortly after 9am showed a line of police and ambulance cars blocking the road. 

Bus routes were also diverted in Highbury due to the incident. 

A British Transport Police (BTP) spokesperson said: "BTP officers were called to Highbury & Islington Station  on Monday, January 2, after a report that a man had fallen onto the tracks.

"Officers from the BTP attended the incident, which was reported to BTP at  9.02am and is currently being treated as non-suspicious.

"Medics from the London Ambulance Service also attended and the man was taken to hospital with minor injuries."

Hackney Wick 'on lockdown' after spate of knifepoint robberies

Crime reporter(wp/es):

A corner of east London was placed on lockdown after a spate of knifepoint muggings in the area, frightened residents say.

Boaters and residents living in Hackney Wick told of their fear after four people were robbed by thugs armed with knives over three days just before Christmas.

Christina Kime, 26, and her close friend 30-year-old Drew McEwan, were violently robbed as they made their way home through the Olympic Park at about 10.30pm on December 22, the Standard reported on Friday.

Assistant fashion merchandiser Ms Kime and Mr McEwan, a management consultant, told of their ordeal as police confirmed  two other robberies involving a knife and at least two male suspects took place in the area over three days. 

On Wednesday, December 21, shortly after 10pm, a man aged in his 20s suffered a slash wound to the hand after he was mugged of his phone and wallet by at least two suspects less than a mile away next to Parnell Road Bridge.  

Police said that shortly before midnight on Friday, December 23, another man reported having two phones and a wallet stolen by a pair of male suspects in Mandeville Place, also in the Olympic Park. A spokesman for the Met said the victim reported seeing a knife during the robbery.  

Scotland Yard said it was not yet clear whether the attacks were linked.

Greg Keegan, a 36-year-old boater, told the Standard that the robberies had left the community feeling too afraid to go out after dark. 

Mr Keegan, a photographer who has been mooring his boat in Hackney Wick for about two years, said: “Everyone is feeling very anxious about it. There is a feeling of anxiety in the Hackney Wick area and the boating community.

“The neighbourhood has been really quiet. Everyone has sort of been on lockdown and trying not to go out after dark.

“Every single night there have been reports of a mugging posted on social media. It has brought the Hackney Wick community together trying to tackle this.” 

But he also said he feared vigilante groups would form to try to tackle the thieves if police did not step up patrols in the area.

Mr Keegan added: “This is the biggest problem we have ever had.

“People are afraid to do the usual things they would do at this time of year, it’s taken the fun out of it.”

 A 35-year-old man, who was the victim of the mugging on Friday, December 23, told of his terror after two suspects allegedly held a knife close to his face and ordered him to hand over his mobile phones and the contents of his wallet.

The victim, who was too afraid to be named, was walking home from a night out through the Olympic Park when he was attacked.

The digital business owner, who has lived in the area for about nine years, said: “As I was going through the park I saw one of them riding a bike. 

“The moment I saw them, I knew something wasn’t right, one of them had their face covered.

“I started to walk really quickly but I knew I couldn’t out-run them. I knew what was going to happen next. 

“I didn’t expect to see a knife. One of them held it about two inches from my face. They took everything from me. 

“I tried to lift my head up but they said ‘don’t look, don’t look’. He was tapping with the knife on my head. I was literally petrified.

“I literally haven’t had a proper night’s sleep since. I called the police within 10 minutes. 

“I am still in after shock. Hopefully it will fade away. I have never before felt unsafe.”

A Met Police spokesman said: "Police were called shortly before midnight on Friday, December 23, to reports of a robbery involving two suspects on bikes in the Olympic Park area.

"A man reported having two phones and the contents of his wallet stolen. A knife was seen. Officers from Newham borough are investigating."