Shopkeeper tells of terror after being 'bitten and slashed in the face by gang of teenage thugs'

Crime reporter(wp/es):

A shopkeeper has told how he was bitten and then slashed in the face with a knife by a gang of teenagers trying to buy cigarettes and alcohol. 

Saeed Haleem said he is now terrified to be in his shop alone after the shocking attack at the store in Edgware Road. 

The 43-year-old said he and his 21-year-old colleague were "lucky to be alive" after the ordeal at Station Food and Wines.

He told the Standard a gang of three teenagers had tried to buy alcohol and cigarettes despite having no ID.

He said violence erupted when the boys returned for a third time and tried to leave without paying for a soft drink.

He said violence erupted when the boys returned for a third time and tried to leave without paying for a soft drink.

Mr Haleem said: “My shop worker followed the boy and tried to get the drink and he punched him.

"We cannot hit back, they were children, we were trying to push them out of the door when the smallest one bit me and pulled out a knife. 

“It was very scary, terrifying. We didn’t expect him to have a knife.”

Mr Haleem, who lives in Hendon, was knifed in the side of his face during the vicious attack and thugs smashed a bottle over his employee’s head.

The pair were rushed to hospital and the shopkeepers claims he is now “afraid” to be in the shop on his own. 

He added: “It is scary, in this business this is happening more and more.

“You don’t like to be there on your own.

“There are good and bad people in this world and the scary thing is you don’t know who the good ones are anymore.”

Mr Haleem was forced to have four stitches in his face after the attack.

Police, who were called at 2.15pm to reports of a fight in the shop, have now released CCTV footage of three boys they want to find and speak to following the attack.

The clip shows a struggle continuing down the aisles as the appalling assault carries on.

PC Richard Kidd, from Westminster CID, said: "Both of the victims are very fortunate not to have suffered a fatal injury as a result of this attack."

The first suspect is described as average build with short black hair, a grey hooded top, black trousers and black shoes.

The second suspect is slim with short black hair and was also wearing a grey hoodie, black trousers and black shoes.

The third suspect is of slim build and wearing a black top.

Sadiq Khan formally confirms Tube and bus fares will be frozen until 2020

Staff reporter(wp/es):

Sadiq Khan today formally confirmed he will freeze fares across the Transport for London network until the end of 2020.

The Mayor officially published next year’s fares package which City Hall claims will save around £200 for the average household.

However, the Mayor only has the power to set fares on TfL services so travelcards, and the associated daily and weekly caps, are expected to go up in line with inflation.

Mr Khan promised during his election campaign that Londoners would “not pay a penny more” on their travel, so is calling on Government to follow his lead and freeze fares on London’s suburban rail services.

However, bus and tram tickets, Pay As You Go journeys on the Tube, DLR and TfL rail will all be frozen, as well as Boris bike hire charges.

TfL chief Mike Brown said: “Freezing fares help make our network more affordable for Londoners. Our efficiency programme allows us to deliver this while still providing the transport services London needs and also continuing to invest for future demand and growth."

Man who died in Yellowstone National Park dissolved in acidic hot spring

Staff reporter(wp/es):

A young American man who died after he slipped into a hot spring in Yellowstone National Park dissolved before his body could be recovered.

Colin Scott, 23, from Oregon, died in June when he accidentally fell while looking for a place to soak, or “hot pot”, in the park’s acidic thermal pools.

Rescuers later found his body in the pool but abandoned attempts to retrieve it because of the danger to themselves and an approaching lightning storm.

The next day, workers were unable to find any "significant" remains in the boiling water.

Yellowstone's deputy chief ranger Lorant Veress said: "In a very short order, there was a significant amount of dissolving,"

The incident, which was recorded by the victim’s sister on her mobile phone, emerged following a freedom of information request.

Mr Veress told KULR 8, which broke the story, said the springs were an “unforgiving environment”.

He said: “The whole area is geothermally active.

“There's a closure in place to protect people from doing that for their own safety. It's a very unforgiving environment.”

Yellowstone National Park, which was established in 1872, is situated mostly in Wyoming but parts also extends into Montana and Idaho. 

Woman killed after being hit by Range Rover 'while standing on traffic island'

Staff reporter(wp/es):

A woman has died after being hit by a car while reportedly standing on a traffic island in east London.

The pedestrian, in her 30s, was struck by a white Range Rover Sport, in Commercial Road, Limehouse, just before 11.30pm on Thursday.

It is believed she was standing on a traffic island in the middle of the busy road when she was hit.

Metropolitan Police officers and crews from London Ambulance Service and London’s Air Ambulance rushed to the scene but the woman was pronounced dead at midnight.

A 44-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. 

He is being held at an east London hospital.

A Met Police spokesman said: “Next of kin have been informed. Formal identification is yet to take place.

“A post-mortem examination will be scheduled in due course.”

Detectives are appealing for witnesses to the crash to come forward.

woman trapped under bus which mounted pavement 'avoiding car crash'

Pic:13 people were hurt when the bus veered off the pavement
Staff reporter(wp/es):

A woman was pinned under a double decker bus which mounted the pavement while trying to avoid a car crash, witnesses said today.

Thirteen other people who are understood to have been on board the bus were also hurt in the crash in Ladbroke Grove.

Emergency services rushed to the scene after the woman was hit by the double-decker near the junction with Canal Way just before noon on Thursday.

The woman was trapped under the vehicle. Dramatic pictures show the bus crashed on the pavement with dozens of police officers and paramedics working nearby.

A total of 14 people, including the driver of the bus, were injured in the collision. Police said the victims' injuries were not life threatening or changing.

The woman who was trapped has since been taken to hospital after being released by fire crews.

Personal trainer Karim Roundi, 25, who lives opposite the crash scene said he was on a lunch break when he witnessed the collision.

He told the Standard: “Someone stepped out onto a pedestrian crossing and a car slammed on its brakes. 

“The car behind went into the back of it and the bus swerved out of the way to avoid colliding into them.

“It lost control and went up onto the pavement and hit a block of flats.

“I didn’t realise it hit a woman at first"

“The top window was smashed so I think people on the top deck must have been hurt as well, you could see them getting off the bus.

“There was a lot of screaming when it happened. I went to Sainsbury’s and came back to see police had locked off the road.”

A police spokesman said: “Emergency services are dealing with a collision in Ladbroke Grove. 

“Police were called at 11:51hrs on Thursday, 17 November to Ladbroke Gove near the junction with Canal Way, W10.

“It was reported that a bus had been in collision with a pedestrian.

“London Ambulance Service and London fire Brigade attended.

“A female was reported trapped, she has been taken to a central London hospital; her condition awaits.

“Road closures are in place while emergency services deal.”

Worker Ali Nabi Nur said an air ambulance landed in Emslie Horniman Pleasance park off Bosworth Road.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 11.51am today to reports of a road traffic collision at Ladbroke Grove.” 

“We sent multiple resources to the scene, including four ambulance crews, a single responder in a car, an incident response officer and our Hazardous Area Response Team. We also dispatched London’s Air Ambulance. The first of our medics arrived at the scene in under six minutes. 

“We are treating a number of patients and more information will follow.” 

Tony Akers, TfL’s Head of Bus Operations, said: “Just before midday today, a route 52 double deck bus, operated by Metroline, was involved in a collision with a pedestrian at the junction of Ladbroke Grove and Canal Way. 

“Emergency services attended the scene. There will be a full investigation into the incident.”

Barking and Dagenham tops list of London's 'least vibrant boroughs'

Staff reporter(wp/es):

Barking and Dagenham has been named London’s least “vibrant” area, according to a new study.

The east London borough was given the lowest score in the capital following a ‘vibrant economy’ index.

The list measures places across England with the best balance between economic growth, social equality, health and happiness.

The list, compiled by accountants Grant Thornton, analyses 52 factors including economic output, earnings, crime statistics and obesity levels.

Barking and Dagenham measured at 92.09 on the index with the next lowest Newham at 96.46.

Waltham Forest, Enfield, Lewisham, Redbridge, Hackney and Haringey all scored less than 100, according to the rankings.

Leafy Richmond upon Thames was named London’s most ‘vibrant’ area and was third in England overall behind Cambridge and Oxford.

It is not the first time Barking and Dagenham has been highlighted as one of the most unappealing parts of the capital.

Last month, the borough was named the least prosperous in Londonaccording to the UK Prosperity Index, which studied education, health and well-being alongside the local economy.

Horrifying moment coach careers into car which killed three people

Staff reporter(wp/es):

This is the horrific moment a coach crashes into the back of a car in a high speed crash in which three people died. 

The chilling footage, released by police, shows the double-decker coach craeer into the back of a car which was pulled over on the hard shoulder of the M1.

Allan Evans 59, from Islington, Tom Aldridge, 20, and Nathan Reeves, 23, both from Newport Pagnell, were killed when the coach carrying cheerleaders crashed into their car early on Valentines day 2015.

Coach driver Alan Peters, now 78, from Gravesend, was convicted after a court heard that he “consistently ignored” signs stating the hard shoulder was only to be used in emergencies.

A fourth man, Jake Dorling, suffered serious injuries in the collision including a fractured skull and a punctured lung. 

Jake, Tom, and Nathan were being given a lift back to Buckinghamshire by Allan following a night out in London when the “tragic” incident happened. 

They had pulled onto the hard shoulder after the car's oil light came on and were about to re-enter the motorway when Peters crashed into them.

The jury heard how Peters failed to see signs saying that the hard shoulder was not to be used except for in emergencies and travelled along it for almost three minutes before colliding with the car – which had its hazard warning lights activated. 

The Crown Prosecution Service also told the court that he had been driving along the hard shoulder for three minutes prior to the collision.

The car had been visible for almost a minute before the crash but he only applied brakes 0.4 seconds before impact.

Peters pleaded guilty to causing the deaths by careless driving, but his pleas were not accepted and, on Wednesday, he was found guilty of three counts of causing death by dangerous driving and one count of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

PC David Clarke, of the Bedfordshire Forensic Collisions Investigation Unit, said: “This was an utterly devastating incident which resulted in three innocent men having their lives cut short. 

“What makes this even more tragic is that the collision was completely avoidable. 

“Peters consistently ignored signs saying that the hard shoulder was for emergencies only and also had ample time in which to see the car and move to a different lane. 

“His lack of attentiveness on that fatal morning has forever changed the lives of four families and Peters will have to live with that for the rest of his life.”

A statement written on behalf the families said: “The loss of Tom, Nathan and Alan, due to the actions of Mr Peters, has dealt a devastating blow to our families, a blow from which we will never fully recover. 

“Nothing can ever make up for the heartache caused by events on that day, but we hope that this incident will act as a reminder to all other drivers to pay attention to the road at all time.”

Peters will be sentenced in December.