Our live coverage across the daypublished at 18:00
Updates for London have ended for the day but we'll be back at 08:00 on Thursday with the latest news, sport, travel and weather.
Summary
Updates for Wednesday 6 January 2016
Our live coverage across the daypublished at 18:00
Wednesday night's weather: Dry night, rain laterpublished at 17:54
It will be a cool evening and night with patchy cloud cover.
After a mainly dry start to the night, further outbreaks of rain will arrive from the west, reaching Westminster soon after midnight.
Minimum temperature: 5C (41F).
Family 'devastated' by Christmas Day fire deathpublished at 17:47
The family of 60-year-old Harbhajan Singh Rooprai who died in a fire at his home in Field Road in Forest Gate, east London, on Christmas Day, said they are "devastated".
Appealing for witnesses and information his cousin Harjit Rooprai said: "Known as ‘Bhajan’, he was a generous and thoughtful individual who always had a friendly smile on his face considering the many hardships he confronted throughout his life.
Image source, Met Police"2016 would have been a memorable year for him as Bhajan was eagerly anticipating the wedding of his youngest daughter in India."
He was an active member within the Sikh community and carried out "selfless service" at the local gurudwara.
A man has been charged with murder and arson with intent to endanger life.
Latest travel: Traffic congestion in central Londonpublished at 17:39
BBC TravelThere are several areas of slow-moving traffic and congestion in central London, according to BBC Travel.
Pall Mall is reduced to one lane for roadworks, which is causing queues back down Cockspur Street and St James's Street, and congestion to Northumberland Avenue and Whitehall area.
Ongoing roadworks at Parliament Square are leading to congestion and queues on Victoria Embankment (westbound), Northumberland Avenue and Bridge Street.
The cycle superhighway on Upper Thames Street is also busy in both directions between Lower Thames Street and Blackfriars Underpass, and there is congestion East Smithfield, Tower Bridge, Tower Hill and Mansell Street.
New cinema in Lewisham after 15-year absencepublished at 17:28
A new cinema has opened, external on the New Cross campus of Goldsmiths university, bringing a cinema to the area after 15 years.
Curzon Goldsmiths in the Richard Hoggart Building will screen films for the public on weekday evenings and on weekends, but the building will be used for teaching on weekday mornings.
The 101-seat cinema, a partnership between the university and Curzon Cinemas, will open at the end of this month.
Footage of 'brazen' armed gang escaping after Mayfair jewel raidpublished at 17:17
New footage from an eyewitness has emerged showing four armed men leaving Mayfair after a gang carried out a smash-and-grab at a jewellers on Avery Row.
One man has been arrested. Police said a taser was drawn but not used during the arrest.
Media caption, Footage of armed men leaving after Mayfair robbery
DC Kevin Parley from the Met's Flying Squad said: "This was a brazen armed robbery carried out on a busy morning.
"Early indications are that the two moped drivers deliberately stayed on their mopeds to act as lookouts and dissuade members of the public from getting involved."
Michael Harriman: Wycombe Wanderers sign QPR playerpublished at 17:08
BBC Sport
Image source, Rex FeaturesLeague Two side Wycombe Wanderers have signed utility man Michael Harriman from QPR for an undisclosed fee.
The 23-year-old has scored six goals in 25 games since initially joining Wycombe on loan in July and has now signed a three-and-a-half-year deal.
Sian Blake case: Partner in Ghana after police spoke to himpublished at 16:58
BreakingThe BBC understand that Arthur Simpson-Kent, the partner of former Eastenders actress Sian Blake, arrived in Ghana some time after 16 December and before Christmas.
Metropolitan Police officers spoke to him on 16 December.
It is not known whether Mr Simpson-Kent is still in Ghana.
Three men admit London canal body case chargespublished at 16:50
Image source, Met PoliceImage caption, Sebastiano Magnanini was discovered submerged near Islington Tunnel on the Regent's Canal
Three men have pleaded guilty in a case relating to an Italian carpenter whose body was found in a north London canal.
Sebastiano Magnanini, 46, was found tied to a shopping trolley in Regent's Canal in Islington in September.
Michael Walsh, 41, of King's Cross, north London, and Paul Williams, 61, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to preventing the Italian's lawful burial.
Daniel Hastie, 22, also of no fixed address, admitted conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.
They will be sentenced at Blackfriars Crown Court on 5 February.
Three men admit canal body case charges
Three men plead guilty in a case relating to an Italian carpenter whose body was found in a north London canal.
Read MoreLatest updates: Mayfair armed raid, hunt in Sian Blake case, prison van 'escape plot'published at 16:41
- Moped-riding gang armed with machetes and hammers target Mayfair jewellers
- Police 'urgently' seeking partner of actress Sian Blake after three bodies found
- Man charged with trying to escape from a prison van
Gas works blocked lane causing traffic delayspublished at 16:26
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on TwitterThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.Skip twitter postThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
End of twitter post'Half-a-million' worth of jewels stolen in Mayfair raidpublished at 16:17
Nick Beake
Home affairs correspondent, BBC LondonIt is believed watches and jewels worth more than half-a-million pounds were stolen by armed raiders who stormed in to a high-end jewellers in Mayfair this morning,
One man has been arrested following the smash-and-grab raid in Avery Row.
Drivetime with Eddie Nestor: TfL Q&A and joining a GP's surgerypublished at 15:53
BBC Radio LondonEddie Nestor’s guest in the studio from 16:00 is Transport for London’s Head of Surface Transport Leon Daniels - the man in charge of the roads in London.
We are asking for your calls on 020 722 42000.
Plus, what is your experience of joining a GP’s surgery following reports a growing number are asking to stop taking new patients.
And Battersea Dog and Cats Home says it is having to destroy more dogs because they are dangerous and aggressive.
Woman sexually assaulted at Streatham bus stoppublished at 15:44
Police want to speak to a man after a woman was sexually assaulted at a bus stop in Streatham.
The incident happened at about 11:30 on 28 June when the woman was waiting for a bus on Streatham High Road in Lambeth.
Image source, Met PoliceThe suspect approached the 24-year-old woman and kissed her before squeezing her bottom, police said.
Police have described the suspect as a tall black man, of slim build, aged between 40 and 50 years, with balding hair and missing several teeth. He was wearing a blue tracksuit.
Robber armed with axe guarded jewellers during raidpublished at 15:31
An eyewitness has captured this image of an alleged armed robbery at a jewellers in Avery Row, Mayfair, this morning.
A gang on mopeds, armed with axes and sledgehammers targeted the high-end store this morning.
Image source, UGCOne person has been arrested so far in connection with the raid.
Sian Blake's family demand answers over delay in finding bodiespublished at 15:21
The family of former EastEnders actress Sian Blak, externale has said they want "a full investigation" as to why it took so long for the police to find the bodies of the actress and her two sons.
Charity Commission sends in investigators to Rhema Churchpublished at 15:14
Inside CroydonAn evangelical church which stages its Sunday services at the Fairfield Halls is under investigation by the Charity Commission, external over its use of £280,000 of charitable funds.
O'Grady defends Battersea Dogs and Cats Home over newspaper allegationspublished at 15:00
Wandsworth Guardian
NewspaperComedian and television presenter Paul O'Grady has leapt to the defence of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, external after a whistleblower alleged that hundreds of healthy dogs were being put down because they are anxious.
Analysis - Emily Thornberry: Labour's comeback queenpublished at 14:54
Brian Wheeler
Emily Thornberry, who has been appointed shadow defence secretary by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, has been given that rarest of things in British politics - a second chance.
The Islington South MP is best known to the public for being forced to resign as Labour's shadow attorney general in November 2014 for tweeting a picture of a white van parked outside a house bedecked with England flags.
Eyewitness describes 'shock' armed raid in West Endpublished at 14:44
Eren Marc was walking along Avery Row when armed robbers targeted a jewellers just off Bond Street in the West End earlier.
Police were called at 10:15 to the incident. One man has been arrested.
Media caption, Interview with robbery eyewitness Eren Marc
