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742 stories from and about London, mostly transport & tfl, council & politics, crime & safety. The most recent ran on 14 September 2026. Page 11 of 38.
Simon Levy, 40, was sentenced to a whole-life prison term at the Old Bailey for the murders of two women in 2025. Police and prosecution errors allowed him to remain free after the first killing, leading to a second murder in Tottenham five months later. The Met and CPS have admitted failings.
Chiltern Railways will run a reduced timetable on Thursday as temperatures reach 38C. Off-peak services between London Marylebone and Birmingham Moor Street will drop to one train per hour, while some Oxford services will be cancelled. Passengers are advised to travel only if essential.
Thames Water has repaired one of two burst mains in South Woodford, restoring water to some of the 10,000 affected homes. The second burst on Chigwell Road remains unresolved, leaving residents in parts of Redbridge, Waltham Forest and Epping Forest without reliable supply since Saturday.
Physical assaults on staff at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust rose by 60% in 2025-26, reaching 669 reported cases. Nurses and security teams report broken bones, knife threats, and racist abuse, prompting a new poster campaign to deter violence against NHS workers.
The flagship store, occupying two floors at 134-140 Oxford Street, will open on 4 November 2026. Warner Bros promises a Ukrainian Ironbelly Dragon, a full-sized Knight Bus and a themed pub serving Butterbeer, aiming to draw half a million daily visitors to the West End.
A 63-year-old man from east London was found guilty of harassing Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy after blocking her exit, shouting about knife crime, and filming her on a Victoria line train on 15 July 2025. Passengers intervened before she escaped at Finsbury Park.
Selena Gomez and husband Benny Blanco spent the weekend in a rose-petal-covered suite at a London hotel. The stay was arranged by Blanco, who travelled from the US to visit Gomez while she filmed the sixth series of Only Murders in the Building in Shoreditch. The couple married in September 2025.
Satellite images reveal London’s parks have turned brown after record-breaking heatwaves, with Barnet’s green spaces at risk of wildfires. The Mayor of London has urged residents to create fire breaks in gardens, while the London Fire Brigade warns dry grass can spread flames to nearby homes within minutes.
Veronica Varney, a former St Helier Hospital consultant, was suspended after a review found her advice on flu jabs, rapeseed oil and off-label treatments contributed to three premature deaths. The trust will now examine 203 more of her interstitial lung disease patients, a process expected to take two years.
A high-end estate agency in Old Bond Street used convex lenses and controlled lighting to create immersive property previews in the 1840s and 1850s. Researchers say Brooks and Green’s cosmorama displays, which required artists to visit estates, were an early form of virtual tour decades before photography became standard.
Heathrow handled 7.86 million passengers in July 2026, 1.5% fewer than last year, while Istanbul Airport recorded 8.15 million. The decline follows a 20.2% drop in Middle East routes and ongoing capacity constraints. A public consultation on Heathrow’s expansion is underway.
Joshua Kerry, 28, faces murder charges in the death of former Tory MP Ann Widdecombe. Counter-terrorism police are now investigating whether he is connected to a 2025 firebomb attack at Nigel Farage’s south London home. The IOPC is probing a CTP London staff member for failing to pursue a potential lead.
Barnet residents are under an amber heat health alert until 29 August as England faces its driest July since 1836. The Environment Agency has declared drought across more than two-thirds of the country, with rivers and reservoirs declining and hosepipe bans in place for 27 million customers.
Border Force officers at London Gateway Port in Essex intercepted 2.9 tonnes of cocaine worth over £200 million on 6 August 2026. Nine men were arrested and later released on bail. The National Crime Agency said the seizure disrupted organised crime profits.
British Transport Police will begin a live facial recognition trial at Victoria Underground station on Tuesday 10 September. The cameras will scan for people on a police watchlist, with images of non-matches deleted immediately. Alternative routes will be available for passengers who choose not to pass through the signed areas.
A woman was taken to a major trauma centre after a collision at Westhorne Avenue and Burnt Ash Hill on 10 August 2026. The incident closed the eastbound carriageway, diverted bus route 160, and caused congestion on the A205 South Circular.
Transport for London spends £5,400 daily on a cycle shuttle through the Silvertown Tunnel, used by as few as 51 cyclists a day. The service, required until 2028, has faced criticism for its cost, with calls to allow pedestrians or reduce frequency.
Breyer Holdings Limited, the Harold Hill-based firm behind Breyer Roofing and Breyer Repar, has appointed administrators after failing to meet debt obligations. Its 285 employees face an uncertain future while proposals are prepared for creditors by early October.
Four London boroughs have told Chancellor John Healey that their residents will pay £270m of the £430m annual mansion tax, due to start in April 2028. The levy of £2,500 to £7,500 on homes worth over £2m will not fund local services, council leaders said.
Barnet will see its first rainfall in weeks on 17 August, with light showers forecast for the afternoon, BBC Weather reports. A yellow heat health alert remains in place for London until 19 August, as temperatures stay above 20°C even during rain.
Borough-wide and national stories that name London or bear directly on it.
A man has died following a fire at Neutron Tower in Poplar, east London, on 13 September 2026. Residents reported that building alarms failed to sound, with many alerted by neighbours banging on doors.
NQ64 has opened its largest arcade bar yet in Soho, occupying two floors at Orange Yard on Manette Street. The venue houses more than 60 arcade machines, UV‑lit pool tables, AR darts and two cocktail bars, while a Vevo study notes that 65% of Gen Z feel borrowed nostalgia for the era the bar celebrates.
Lambeth Council has approved a £2 billion development in Vauxhall, featuring 1,097 flats and 1,164 co-living units across seven buildings. The decision follows concerns over reduced affordable housing and high carbon emissions, with developers contributing £79.9 million off-site.
Transport for London will start talks this month with the city’s 16 private bus operators about creating a publicly owned bus company, a step made possible by the Bus Services Act. Unions and Labour welcome the plan, while a Conservative mayoral hopeful warns of higher costs.
After smoking for five decades, Ealing resident Mohamed has successfully quit with the help of the Ealing Smokefree Service. The service offers free, funded support for up to eight weeks, including behavioural advice and medication, to help residents become smoke-free.
The Museum Tavern in Camden is showcasing an eight-metre-long embroidered tapestry illustrating the history of beer in Britain throughout September 2026. Greene King, the pub's owner, has also launched a limited-edition ale to coincide with the display.
From 10 pm to 5 am on 30 September, the westbound A406 will close as TfL starts the Brent Cross flyover renewal. The two‑year scheme, funded with £10.8 million by the DfT, will remove a 7.5‑tonne weight restriction and involve lane changes through October.
Zola Bitshuangu, 48, died of heatstroke after staff left him in the rear garden of Forest Lodge care home on 26 May 2026. An inquest opened on 10 September 2026, led by Senior Coroner Graeme Irvine, with the CQC named as an interested person.
Traffic on the M4 was brought to a complete standstill near Heathrow Airport on Tuesday morning following a medical incident. The halt in traffic caused significant delays for motorists in the area.
Firefighters tackled a blaze at a fast food restaurant on Mile End Road in Stepney Green on September 11. Six fire engines and approximately 40 firefighters responded to the incident, which affected the ground floor kitchen and ducting.
Comedian Fatiha El-Ghorri performed her show "Cockney Stacking Doll" at Hackney Empire in September 2026. The show touched on personal experiences, including her womb cancer diagnosis and hysterectomy in 2025, and her Edinburgh Fringe Best Newcomer nomination in August 2026.
The City of London Corporation is reviewing its long-standing ban on corporate signage, a rule in place since at least 1911. The potential change aims to enhance the Square Mile's financial hub status, though it requires committee approval and could take 18 months.
Greenwich Council is proposing a borough-wide 20mph speed limit to improve road safety and make rules easier for drivers. Data shows most serious road incidents in the last decade occurred on roads with higher speed limits.
Hackney Council has awarded £1,500 grants to seven community groups to establish Repair Cafés across the borough. These initiatives, running from September to December 2026, aim to reduce waste by offering free repairs for household items and foster community resilience through skill-sharing.
The City of London Corporation has named Victoria Smith as its Executive Director of HR and Chief People Officer. She joins in November, bringing experience from the NHS and previous senior roles in defence and foreign affairs, while Policy Chairman Chris Hayward praised the appointment.
The Met has recorded 1,379 antisemitic offences in the year to July, a 25 percent rise. In July the government allocated £86 million for extra officers. Barnet’s Golders Green will see new community protection teams, boosting the current 36 dedicated officers.
Transport for London says work on the Oxford Street pedestrian scheme will start soon, with the first section expected to close to traffic in October 2026. Westminster’s Conservative leader claims the mayor shortcut the process, while the government confirmed no assessment was needed.
Five rare‑breed ewes have been placed on Hampstead Heath between 9 and 21 September as part of a conservation grazing trial run by the City of London Corporation. The flock is on loan from Mudchute City Farm and will be visible to the public during daily opening hours.
A man who failed to validate his contactless card more than 240 times at Abbey Wood station has been identified by TfL. Unpaid fares total £2,515.40 and the maximum penalty could raise the debt to £3,515.40.
A technical fault in NATS’s flight‑processing system forced the cancellation of over 400 flights on Tuesday. Ryanair, British Airways and EasyJet all reported large numbers of disrupted customers, while the transport secretary said she is seeking assurances that the problem will be prevented in future.
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