Summary

  • Updates for Tuesday 1 March 2016

  • News, sport, travel and weather updates resume at 08:00 on Wednesday

  1. Police used "unsuitable" force on Sean Riggpublished at 14:14 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016

    Scotland Yard said a sergeant and a police constable are suspended, while another three constables are on restricted duties. 

    In 2012 an inquest jury found that police used "unsuitable" force after arresting Mr Rigg for attacking passers-by and officers. 

    He was taken to Brixton police station, where it was decided to keep him in a police van for 11 minutes until the custody area had been cleared. 

    Mr Rigg was found to be unwell when he was taken into the building and later died from a heart attack. 

  2. Officers could face charges over Sean rigg deathpublished at 14:05 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016

    Five police officers could face criminal charges over the arrest of musician Sean Rigg who died after being restrained. 

    Sean RiggImage source, PA

    Watchdog the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said it has passed its evidence to prosecutors for a decision over whether a case should be brought to court. 

     Mr Rigg, who suffered from schizophrenia, died at Brixton Police station in south London in 2008 after being held down for eight minutes in the "prone position". 

     The five officers have been interviewed over potential misconduct in public office, and Mr Rigg's sister Marcia Rigg-Samuel called for them to be suspended while charges are considered. 

  3. Severe traffic on the M25 in Surrey due to an overturned carpublished at 13:34 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016

    BBC Travel

    There is severe traffic on the M25 near Surrey due to an overturned car. The motorway is blocked anticlockwise between J6, A22 (Godstone) and J5 M26. 

    Also on the M25, an accident has caused two lanes to close and queuing traffic on the road anticlockwise after J23 A1(M). There is congestion to J24 (Potters Bar). 

  4. Your suggestions for which women should be honoured on blue plaques in Londonpublished at 13:23 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016

    BBC London Facebook

    Thanks for your suggestions on Facebook for which historic women should have blue plaques in London, as English Heritage reveals just one in eight of the capital's plaques honour women. 

    David Wheatley says:, external "I think the excellent Rosemary Tonks should have one, as the laureate of 60s existential, cafe-society London."  

    Other suggestions include Jane Austin, Iris Murdoch, Margaret Thatcher and Beatrix Potter. 

  5. On air: What is our relationship to selfies in the digital age?published at 13:02 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016

    BBC London News

    Coming up on air this lunchtime: As we produce more digital information than ever - in 2009 we generated the same amount of data as we did in the entire history of humanity up until that point - the BBC's Alice Salfield looks at issues around this. 

    Do you think about who can see selfies when you upload them online, and what they might be used for?   

    An exhibition at Somerset House explores our relationship to selfies and our digital age.

  6. Women 'missing' from blue plaquespublished at 12:41 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016

    Only 13% of blue plaques in London are dedicated to women, English Heritage has revealed.

    Blue plaqueImage source, Lucy Millson-Watkins/English Heritage

    The organisation (EH) is appealing for people to nominate more notable women for the plaques, of which there are currently 902 around the capital.

    The appeal comes as Women's History Month gets under way, and in the blue plaque scheme's 150th year.

  7. West Drayton immigration centre 'desolate'published at 12:24 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016

    Detainees in Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre

    Some detainees are being held for too long and in dirty and insect-ridden rooms at Europe's largest immigration centre, in west London, inspectors say.

    Conditions at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre were "desolate", with bare rooms, broken equipment, bed bugs and cockroaches, the report by Chief Inspector of Prisons Peter Clarke said.

    Some detainees were held for over a year, with one man held for five years.

    The privately run centre said staff had been working to improve services.

  8. Law firm in new legal threat over UK air pollutionpublished at 12:12 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016

    The UK government has been warned to drastically reduce air pollution or face renewed legal action.

    Car exhaustImage source, Getty

    In April, the Supreme Court ruled immediate action was needed after the UK breached EU limits for nitrogen dioxide. The government said it was committed to cleaning the air and had delivered its plans accordingly.

    But environmental law firm ClientEarth, which took the original case, said the plans still do not protect health.

    Ministers have responded by creating special anti-pollution zones in Leeds, Southampton, Birmingham, Nottingham, Derby and London.  

  9. Watch: Canadian singer Justin Bieber meets a Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choirpublished at 11:51 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016

  10. Comedian Chris Ramsey arrested 'in his kegs' by mistakepublished at 11:23 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016

    More on the story from yesterday about Geordie comedian Chris Ramsey, who was arrested in a London hotel. He says he was mistaken for a guest who had threatened staff with a knife.

    Chris RamsayImage source, Chris Ramsay

    He was due to perform at the West End's Lyric Theatre when officers barged in.. 

    The comedian was handcuffed and led from the room shouting "but I'm in my kegs". Met Police said he was mistakenly detained.

  11. 'Polluting' incinerator heating scheme in Croydon under firepublished at 10:59 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016

    Inside Croydon

    Cheap, almost cost-free energy to heat your home, all from burning a load of old rubbish. What’s not to like? 

    Well, when it comes to the project Sutton Council has attempted to foist on local people as a way of making the notion of the polluting Viridor incinerator at Beddington Lane more “acceptable”, quite a lot actually.  , external

  12. Londoners jailed for stealing 38 phones and hiding them in a trouser leg at Libertines gigpublished at 10:45 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016

    Two men have been jailed for stealing 38 mobile phones from fans at a Libertines concert and concealing them in a trouser leg.

    Emanuel Paraschiv and Marius BuzuraImage source, West Midlands Police
    Image caption,

    Emanuel Paraschiv (L) and Marius Buzura (R)

    Emanuel Paraschiv and Marius Buzura, both 30, from London targeted the audience at the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham on 27 January.  

    Phones recovered from Libertines concertImage source, West Midlands Police

    Two jailed for 38 phones in trouser leg

    Two men are jailed for stealing 38 mobile phones from fans at a Libertines concert and concealing them in a trouser leg.

    Read More
  13. Two men were in the area of the blaze near Tottenham Hotspur training centrepublished at 10:21 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016

    Two men were staying in the area of the Enfield blaze - near Tottenham Hotspur Football Club's state-of-the-art training centre - in a caravan but left before the fire brigade arrived. 

    Neither were injured. 

    Fire at EnfieldImage source, Paul Wood

    Tottenham said the road has been shut but the centre is open and running as usual. 

    Firefighters moved 35 propane cylinders from the site but warned there could still be more in the vicinity of the blaze.

  14. Enfield blaze burnt down a warehouse, six lorries and seven forklift truckspublished at 10:11 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016

    London Fire Brigade (LFB) says the blaze in Enfield is under control but crews remain at the scene "damping down pockets of fire".

    Enfield fireImage source, Paul Wood

    LFB said it had been "a difficult fire to fight". The cause is not currently known.

    The blaze destroyed a 150m by 100m stack of wooden pallets and burnt down a warehouse. 

    Eight cars, seven forklift trucks, six lorries and three caravans in the yard were also badly damaged.

  15. Watch: Pallet yard fire burns in north Londonpublished at 09:59 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016

    Thanks to Paul Wood for this footage of the fire in Enfield. 

  16. Man cremated at Denmark Hill hospital without family knowing he had diedpublished at 09:52 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016

    A man has been cremated at King's College Hospital in Denmark Hill in London without his family being told that he had died.

    It meant none of the man's family attended his funeral.

    Denmark HillImage source, Google

    The case emerged from a review by the Health Ombudsman which has criticised the NHS Trust for causing shock and distress.

    Lambeth Council, tasked with finding the family, lost key documents after they fell behind an office cabinet. The man's wife was paid £650 in "recognition of the distress caused", said the ombudsman. 

  17. Money for homeless would 'come out of fund to help disadvantaged into work'published at 09:32 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016

    After our post yesterday about Green Party mayoral candidate Sian Berry accusing the prime minister of "inhumanity" for refusing to use £2.5bn of EU funding to help homeless people in the capital, the Conservatives have hit back. 

    A government spokesperson says: “No one should ever have to sleep rough, which is why we have increased central funding to tackle homelessness over the next four years to £139m.

    “This EU fund is not new money - anything we take from it comes out of the money we use to help disadvantaged people into work.”

  18. Hertfordshire fire station helps tackle '10 pump fire'published at 09:16 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016

    Hoddesdon Fire Station in Hertfordshire took this picture at around 04:00 this morning of the fire in Enfield.

    It says along with Potters Bar, external, it assisted London [Fire Brigade] with an "ongoing 10 pump fire".  

    Fire in EnfieldImage source, Hoddesdon Fire Station
  19. Weather: Rather cloudy with some heavy rain this morningpublished at 08:44 Greenwich Mean Time 1 March 2016

    Today will be generally cloudy with prolonged spells of rain this morning.

    During the early part of this afternoon, we will see drier and brighter conditions developing across London but it will turn colder.

    Maximum Temperature: 12C (54F)