Wreckage removed after derailment kills seven

Staff reporter(wp/es):

The Croydon tram which crashed killing seven people has been removed from the scene as police probe claims another almost derailed near the location last week.

Six men and one woman died and more than 50 people were injured when the carriages flipped over as they turned around a sharp bend in Croydon during the morning commute on Wednesday.

Among the dead were a mother with two young children, a new father, a teenager and a grandfather on his way to work after swapping shifts.

The tram's driver was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and questioned by investigators who have said the vehicle was travelling "significantly" above the permitted speed.

An operation to remove the 100 feet-long articulated tram began late on Friday, with the sections seen being craned onto a flatbed lorry early on Saturday.

All the wreckage was eventually removed from the site overnight.

The only woman to have been killed in the crash has been named as 35-year-old Dorota Rynkiewicz, a mother with two young daughters from New Addington.

Colleagues who started a crowdfunding page to raise £5,000 for her family said Ms Rynkiewicz was "loved by many people".

Dane Chinnery, 19, from New Addington, was also killed on his way to work at Croydon flood response firm Hydro Cleansing Ltd.

Tributes have also been paid to young father Mark Smith, 35, who worked for his father's double glazing firm.

Father-of-three Philip Seary, 57, who was also known as “Tank”, was also named as one of the tragedy's victims.

The driver of the tram, a 42-year-old man from Beckenham, was released on bail after being arrested on suspicion of manslaughter over the crash.

It occurred at around 6.10am on a sharp bend near the Sandilands stop as the vehicle travelled from New Addington to Wimbledon.

Investigators said the tram was travelling at a "significantly higher speed than is permitted" and are probing whether the driver had fallen asleep.

Detectives are also examining a report that a tram "lifted onto one side" at 40mph in the same area on October 31.

British Transport Police said the claim "will now form one of our lines of inquiry".

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has launched a witness appeal, with anyone who was on the tram or has information relevant to the accident being asked to complete an incident form on the organisation's website.

An interim report into what happened will be published by the RAIB next week, with a final report, including any safety recommendations, coming at the conclusion of the investigation.

On Friday an extra minute's silence was held to remember the victims during the town's Armistice Day ceremony.

Croydon MP Gavin Barwell spoke to relatives near the scene where floral tributes and football scarves have been placed.

Authorities are still working on formally identifying the victims, Mr Barwell said.

He said: "It's quite right that the authorities absolutely want to make sure when they give a formal identification that they've got that 100 per cent right."

Prince Harry's girlfriend Meghan Markle spotted in London

Pic:Meghan Markle
Royal correspondent(wp/es):

Prince Harry's girlfriend Meghan Markle has been spotted in London amid unconfirmed reports she is enjoying her first stay at Kensington Palace since their relationship was made public.

The American actress, who stars in hit US television series Suits, is believed to have travelled to the UK to spend time with the prince at his London home.

Reports in America said the 35-year-old broke off from filming to cross the Atlantic to meet up with the prince, telling bosses she had "something important to do".

She was pictured shopping on Kensington High Street before returning to the palace nearby.

Bookmakers are offering odds on when the pair will first be seen in public together, with Harry expected to be in the royal box at Twickenham stadium on Saturday for the match between England and South Africa.

He will lead the nation in remembrance on Friday as he lays a wreath at the National Memorial Arboretum.

On Thursday, he made his first appearance since their secret relationship was made public, visiting Westminster Abbey's Field of Remembrance.

His relationship with Ms Markle, which began in the summer, was officially confirmed on Tuesday by his communications secretary, Jason Knauf, in a strongly-worded statement which described the "wave of abuse and harassment" she has experienced since rumours of the couple's tryst surfaced.

Mr Knauf revealed the depth of Harry's feelings for his girlfriend when he said in the statement that the Prince was "worried about Ms Markle's safety" and "deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her".

London work visas 'could combat Brexit effect in the capital'

Staff reporter(wp/es):

A groundbreaking plan to allow EU nationals to continue working in London through a capital-specific visa scheme has been proposed by business leaders.

The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) wants employers in London to be able to sponsor skilled foreign workers for visas after Britain leaves the EU.

Under the scheme, EU workers would receive London-specific national insurance numbers that prevent them from working elsewhere in the country.

If they left or lost their job there would be a 60-day window to find another one before they are deported.

Sean McKee, LCCI policy director, said: “Our city would collapse without migrants. We need an immigration policy that is slightly different for London.

“The biggest issue by far [for businesses] is skills and staff. It is vital to London’s future that a degree of flexibility is applied if the government amends the UK immigration system.”

There are concerns among London's businesses that Brexit may lead to a shortage of skilled workers in some areas. 

EU nationals currently represent around 25 per cent of London’s workforce, according to a study by the Centre for Economics and Business Research.

If the current immigration rules for non-EU citizens are extended to apply to EU citizens then three quarters of the UK’s EU workforce would not meet the criteria to stay.

However, the government has not yet specified exactly what immigration rules will apply for EU citizens.

As well as a plan for welcoming new mrigant workers to London, the LCCI wants current foreign workers to be given assurances they can remain after Britain leaves the EU.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has confirmed on-going discussions about the possibility of a London work visa.

He previously said: “We are talking to business leaders, businesses, business representatives to see what we can do to make sure London doesn't lose out on the talent, the innovation, the partnership that has let us be the greatest city in the world.”

"The good news is the Government gets it. The good news is in all the conversations I've had with members of the Government, from the Chancellor to the Brexit Secretary to the Foreign Secretary and others in Government, I think they get it."

A spokesman for the mayor told the Financial Times this week he “has been pressing the government to develop a solution to the current failings in the visa system which create too many barriers to London’s businesses".

London voted overwhelming - by 59 per cent - to remain on June 26, prompting calls to declare the capital a separate state to the rest of the UK.

Mr Kahn has dismissed the idea of indpendence for London but in July he launched his ‘London is open’ campaign to encourage visitors and investment to the capital, with the support of leading figures from the world of art, business and sport.

TfL and London Underground staff finally agree on pay deal

Staff reporter(wp/es):

A long-running pay dispute between TfL  and Tube workers has come to end, with unions calling off some threats of Christmas strike action.

The deal, which was hailed a "massive victory” for Tube workers by union bosses, will grant them access pension schemes, pay rises in line with inflation every year until 2019. They will also get extra money for the launch of the Night Tube.

The RMT union described the agreement, reached after “strike action, campaigning and years of resolve”, as "groundbreaking".

It "turns the tide" on the wave of closures of final-salary pensions schemes across the industry, it said.

Mick Cash, RMT union general secretary, said a deal had been secured for “specific disputes with Tube Lines”.

He said: "The dispute over pensions goes back years. This victory proves once again that the RMT model of militant, industrial trade unionism, backed up by professional negotiations and campaigning, gets results where it matters.”

Other disputes are still ongoing.

More than 3,500 Tube station and other staff are currently ballotingfor strikes over jobs and the closure of ticket offices, with the results expected on Tuesday.

In a separate dispute, 400 members of the RMT union are balloting over whether to launch a campaign of industrial action on the Piccadilly Line.

The union said there had been a "wholesale breakdown" of industrial relations on the line, which serves Heathrow Airport.

TfL has been contacted for comment.

Stabbed Ealing businessman saved from knife

Crime reporter(wp/es):

A businessman stabbed by a former employee today hailed as heroes two colleagues who saved his life by wrestling the attacker to the ground. 

Lee Stalham, 38, was at his desk preparing for a meeting when Mohammed Himedan walked into his office brandishing a kitchen knife and stabbed him repeatedly.

Mr Stalham, the owner of Ealing-based corporate telecoms firm Your Company Mobiles, was knifed three times in the right arm before he fled towards the stairs. Dutch-born Himedan, 25, gave chase and continued the attack, stabbing him in the kidney. 

Account manager Kevin Ofosu-Amaah, 20, tackled Himedan to the ground and customer service manager Albinia Nicholas, 29, pulled Mr Stalham to safety. Mr Stalham said: “I should be dead. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for them.”

Mr Stalham said Himedan walked into his second-floor office, shouted, “F*** you” and began to stab him.

He said Himedan had worked for him for 15 months before he “stopped turning up” in mid-December last year. “He went Awol. It was very mysterious. Then at 9.30am on February 10 he just walked in,” he said.

“He came up to a bank of desks, looked at me and said something like, ‘F*** you’ and plunged the knife into me.  It was a deliberate, sustained attack. He was intent on chasing me down the stairs to finish me off. Albinia and Kevin were heroes that day, we will be friends for life.”

Mr Ofosu-Amaah received a deep cut to his hand after trying to wrestle the knife away and was stabbed in the foot as he pinned Himedan to the floor.

£47m route 'should be completed next year'

Pic:Buckingham Palace
Royal  correspondent(wp):

The £47 million cycle superhighway that will pass Buckingham Palace should finally be completed next year, cycling campaigner Chris Boardman believes.

There were concerns Transport for London would leave a “half-mile gap” in the largely segregated Tower Hill to Hyde Park route due to cuts and logistical headaches. It was due for completion in May but TfL only started work on Constitution Hill last month and  has been unable to set a date for the  Spur Road and Birdcage Walk sections. 

Boardman, the ex-Olympic champion and policy adviser to British Cycling, said Val Shawcross, the deputy mayor for cycling, told him the route “is going ahead as planned”.

Green assembly member Caroline Russell, who will question Sadiq Khan on the delay and his discussions with Royal Parks next week, said Ms Shawcross told her construction on the Birdcage Walk section was possibly due to start next month.

TfL this week revealed an £11 million “slippage” in the amount it had been due to spend on cycling this financial year.

New TfL budgets will be set by the Mayor, who pledged to make London “a byword for cycling”, this month. TfL said it was working hard and that construction will extend into the new year.

Woman suffers horrific head injuries in brutal street robbery

Pic:Philippa May, 43, suffered severe facial cuts and bruising after she was pushed to the floor
Crime reporter(wp/es):

These are the shocking injuries inflicted on a woman by a hooded robber who shoved her to the ground before viciously attacking her in an alleyway. 

Philippa May, 43, suffered severe facial cuts and bruising after she was pushed to the floor as she walked through Uxbridge town centre. 

The man, who was wearing a hooded top and gloves, attacked Ms May and stole her rucksack and two mobile phones. 

Ms May was walking down St John’s Road in Uxbridge town centre at around 07.30pm on Halloween when she turned into an alley which leads to Culvery Lane. 

After the attack she managed to make her way to her partner's house where she phoned the police. 

The suspect ran back down the main road past the General Elliott pub. 

Some of her belongings were later recovered in nearby Rockingham Park but the rucksack and phones remain missing.

Investigating Officer Detective Constable Reda Imane said: "Philippa has taken the brave step of releasing an image which shows the extent of her injuries and highlight the excessive violence used by her attacker.

"Philippa was lucky she did not suffer more serious injuries but it goes without saying that her ordeal was extremely traumatic and she has yet to return to work.