Weather in central London
Loading live conditions…
Area
742 stories from and about London, mostly transport & tfl, council & politics, crime & safety. The most recent ran on 14 September 2026. Page 14 of 38.
A Barnet couple in their late 70s have missed hospital appointments and been stranded outside their home after the lift in their Peabody-managed block broke down repeatedly. The landlord has apologised and is considering a ground-floor rehousing request.
Transport for London will require bus operators to install sensors or cameras to detect driver fatigue by next year, following a Unite survey showing 48% of drivers had a close call due to tiredness in the past 12 months. Drivers report working 13-day stretches with minimal breaks.
Transport for London has restarted its Travel Kind initiative this summer, asking passengers to use headphones. Ofcom data shows mobile data use rose 13% year-on-year, while 69% of teens see loud video calls as acceptable. The Liberal Democrats propose £1,000 fines for loudcasting.
A grass fire near Hainault Road in Romford burned through three hectares of land on 5 August 2026. The London Fire Brigade sent six fire engines and around 40 firefighters, using specialised equipment including backpack blowers to control the flames. The fire was extinguished by 3:04 pm.
A 24-year-old man was stabbed on Brook Crescent in Chingford Mount on the evening of 4 August 2026. Police say his injuries are not life-threatening, and no arrests have been made. Witnesses are urged to contact detectives quoting crime reference 7350/4AUG.
Transport for London has approved 15 licences for self-driving minicabs, operated by Uber and Wayve. The vehicles will initially carry a safety driver, with plans to expand pending further regulatory approval. The trial marks a first for London’s private hire sector.
No Bakerloo line trains will run between Harrow & Wealdstone and Queen’s Park on 8-9 August 2026, Transport for London has confirmed. The entire Lioness Overground line will also close both days, affecting journeys across northwest London and Barnet.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct has decided not to pursue misconduct proceedings against a Metropolitan Police firearms officer, ending a nearly four-year investigation. Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley called the system 'broken' and warned of risks to public safety.
Hannah Sims, from Bexleyheath, was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for two years, after admitting to being concerned in the supply of cocaine. She was cleared of conspiracy to commit robbery but must complete 100 hours of unpaid work.
Transport for London has licensed Wayve’s self-driving Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles as private hire cars. The first rides, offered to 100,000 Uber users who registered interest, will begin in Barnet this summer with a safety driver present. Full driverless operation requires further approval.
Transport for London has licensed Wayve’s autonomous Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles for private hire use in Barnet and across the capital. Uber will offer test rides to selected residents later this summer, though a qualified driver must still be in the car. Full public roll-out depends on further approvals from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.
Matthew Buckwell Kalyango, a master's student from Burnt Oak, was found in the River Churwell on 22 July 2026. His family has raised £4,000 towards funeral costs as they seek answers. An inquest is scheduled for 13 August at Manchester City Coroner’s Court.
SPEAR, Richmond’s leading homelessness charity, has signed a joint letter to Prime Minister Andy Burnham demanding nationwide adoption of the housing first model. The charity, which has housed over 100 rough sleepers locally, argues the approach could transform homelessness support across the UK.
A man was stabbed on New Road in Chingford at 7:38 pm on 4 August 2026. London Ambulance Service dispatched multiple crews, including an air ambulance, and took the patient to a major trauma centre. MP Iain Duncan Smith urged witnesses to contact police.
Tesco, Boots, Marks & Spencer and Greggs are trialling a system that shares CCTV and witness statements with the Metropolitan Police instantly. The scheme, active in eleven London boroughs, has raised the caution or charge rate from 7.3% to 29.4% and contributed to a 4% drop in shoplifting across the capital.
Barnet residents face continued heatwaves into September and an ongoing hosepipe ban after Thames Water reported a 15% drop in water storage. The UK Health Security Agency has extended its amber heat alert, while Affinity Water and Essex and Suffolk Water have also imposed restrictions.
Residents in Barnet and across London are warned of prolonged dry conditions after July became the driest on record. Supermarkets have withdrawn disposable barbecues due to wildfire risks, while forecasters predict little rainfall for weeks.
More than 14,500 weapons, including zombie-style knives and machetes, have been handed into Home Office-backed surrender bins across London and other major UK cities since July 2025. Knife-related homicides have fallen by 26% over the same period, according to official figures.
A Metropolitan Police inspector is on trial at Southwark Crown Court accused of sexually assaulting three female officers during a night out in Soho. Dave Newman denies three counts of sexual assault, with one complainant saying she felt 'like a piece of meat' after the alleged incident.
Karan Aujla’s three-date UK tour, including a 4 October 2026 performance at The O2 in Greenwich, has sold out. Resale platforms viagogo and StubHub now list tickets starting at £100, while official sellers report no remaining stock.
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.
Loading live conditions…