Tube strike:Two walkouts in February in row over jobs and ticket office closures

Staff reporter(wp/es):

Tube workers are to stage two strikes next month in a row over jobs and ticket office closures.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will walk out for 16 hours from 6pm on February 5 and for 15 hours from 10am on the 7th.

The strike was announced after talks between transport bosses and the union broke down this afternoon. 

The RMT and Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) staged a 24-hour strike earlier this month which crippled Tube services.

The RMT said it is also planning further strikes in March.

Over 3,000 RMT station staff members were balloted for action over the impact on safety from the axing of nearly 900 front-line workers alongside the closure of Tube ticket offices.

The unions have warned that the job cuts have left safety on a "knife edge" with repeated reports of dangerous overcrowding on stations and platforms.

Union members have been banning overtime, which they say has exposed the "massive deficiencies" in station staffing.

Mick Cash, RMT general secretary, said: "RMT will not stand by while safety is compromised on London Underground off the back of cash-led cuts to staffing levels that the union has warned would have a serious, lasting and corrosive impact for staff and passengers alike. That is why our members are taking this further action.

"RMT members on the London Underground stations see day in and day out the toxic impact of the job cuts programme and they are reporting back that it is horrific.

"It has now also been shown that at management level there is agreement with the union that the cuts have been a disastrous mistake.

"With the constant overcrowding on stations and platforms it is only a matter of time before there is a major tragedy if we don't act decisively.

"Our dispute is about taking action to haul back the cuts machine and put safety back at the top of the agenda.

"The union remains available for further serious talks."

Astonishing moment would-be motorbike thief attacks man with nunchucks in Norbury

Pic:The man was attacked with his own weapon
Crime reporter(wp/es):

This is the astonishing moment a man is attacked with nunchucks by would-be motorbike thieves before a heroic barefoot neighbour helps chase them away.

Police say the bike’s owner had been wielding the weapon himself while trying to ward off the crash helmet-wearing pair, but it was grabbed from his hands.

One of the duo then appears to start swinging the nunchucks towards the man, aged 46, before they are seen wrestling against a car.

A neighbour is then seen running barefoot out of a house in Arnull’s Road, Norbury, to chase them off.

Detectives say the two men, clad in motorcycle helmets and balaclavas, had turned up on a stolen motorbike just before 1.30pm on December 10.

One of them then attempted to steal a three-wheeled motorcycle parked in the street using a screwdriver before being confronted by the angry owner.

The victim received injuries to his hand during the struggle before the men ran off towards Gibson Hill, abandoning their vehicle.

 One of the men is described as wearing a dark coloured jacket with a red logo on the back, black trousers with a blue line down the side, black trainers with white soles and gloves.

The other is described as wearing a dark jacket with grey at the top, dark trousers, black trainers with white soles and a helmet with a Nike tick on the back.

Detective Constable Ania Casey, investigating officer from Croydon, said: "If the owner had not locked his motorbike with a heavy chain, his bike may have been taken in seconds. 

“Those extra minutes were sufficient enough to alert the owner and his neighbours to deter the two suspects.”

Diesel drivers will have to pay extra to park in central London

Staff reporter(wp/es):

Diesel car drivers are to be hit with a £2.45-an-hour “D-charge” to park in a swathe of central London to combat toxic air.

Westminster City Council is to become the first town hall in Britain to impose the surcharge for pay-to-park bays.

The “D-charge” will be trialed at 1,424 parking bays in Marylebone, and parts of Fitzrovia and the Hyde Park area from April 3.

Motorists driving diesel models will have to pay an extra 50 per cent on the normal charge, £4.90-an-hour, to park their car or van in a bay.

The maximum stay is four hours, so the diesel levy could total £9.80.

“Residents and visitors tell us all the time that air quality is a key concern in central London,” said Councillor David Harvey, Westminster’s Cabinet member for environment, sports and community.

“Additional charges for diesel vehicles will mean people think twice about using highly polluting cars and invest in cleaner transport that will make a real difference in the quality of air we breathe.”

Marylebone Road was one of at least 20 sites in London where particulate pollution soared to “very high”, or black 10/10, during the recent spike in toxic air.

The area, which includes Baker Street, Princess Grace Hospital, King Edward VII Hospital, the University of Westminster and Madam Tussauds, also frequently suffers from high nitrogen dioxide levels, exceeding recommended health limits.

The flagship Tory council’s move comes ahead of London Mayor Sadiq Khan introducing a “T-charge”, a toxicity levy, later this year, expected to be around £10-a-day, for the most polluting vehicles, diesel and petrol, to drive into central London.

The combination of the two surcharges, and the C-Charge, could equate to around £30 to come into Marylebone and park.

The new levies are likely to spark protests from motorists, especially as many bought diesel cars, which produce less carbon dioxide, after being encouraged through tax breaks to do so by previous governments to tackle climate change.

But the attempts to reduce the number of diesel vehicles in the city spewing out filthy fumes, harmful to human health, will almost certainly be backed by many local residents.

London is seen as trailing other capitals, including Paris and Olso, in having in place measures to tackle toxic air.

Westminster stressed that the “polluters pay” move was supported by groups in the Marylebone Low Emission Neighbourhood including the three business improvement districts (BIDs). 

Penny Alexander, chief executive of the Baker Street Quarter Partnership BID said “Improving air quality is a priority for us and needs to be a unified effort.”

Kay Buxton from the Marble Arch BID said: “We welcome Westminster’s first step to addressing air pollution through differential parking charges and hope to see a resultant behaviour change, with people choosing not to bring diesel vehicles into the area.”

The council stressed that funds raised from the D-charge, which will not apply to motorbikes, will be spent on initiatives to promote sustainable transport.

It could be made permanent or expanded to other parts of the borough if successful in cutting pollution.

Tim Carnegie, Chairman of Marylebone Association, said: “Marylebone residents’ are pleased that the Low Emission Neighbourhood is taking action to deter visiting diesel vehicles from driving into our community.” 

Several councils in London, including Islington and Camden, have introduced diesel surcharges on residents’ parking permits.