Local Democracy Reporting Service

Surge testing in North Kensington to detect the South African strain of Covid has ended, after no new cases were found.

Kensington and Chelsea Council and the Department of Health announced on 10 May that huge numbers of PCR tests would be sent to the W11 area.

This was after a handful of the more contagious variant, first discovered in South Africa, were found in streets near Portobello Road.

The council announced on Tuesday that the surge testing effort saw 2,026 people complete a test, with the vast majority of those being North Kensington residents.

Although new Covid cases were found, zero of them were the South African variant.

Cem Kemahli, the council’s lead member for health, said: “I’d like to thank everyone who played their part in limiting the spread of coronavirus by taking part in the enhanced testing for the variant first detected in South Africa.

"It’s vital that we keep on top of coronavirus and this testing can help identify if a variant of concern is getting into the general population.

Kensington and Chelsea Council’s infection rate for the seven days leading up to 20 May was 16 cases per 100,000 people in the local population.

This was down from an infection rate of 27 cases per 100,000 in the week before 10 May when the surge testing was deployed.

Baby Gracie's parents are getting updates from neonatal nurses thanks to new technology.

A police detective is sentenced after he admitted having indecent images of children on his laptop.

Sharon Osbourne is open about her less-than-idyllic childhood and her remote relationship with her mother, but as she delves into her maternal family history and uncovers the difficult circumstances of her mother’s and grandmother’s lives, she is moved by what she discovers, from family break-up to a brush with the law. Further back, Sharon is astonished to discover that her great-grandmother was born in the United States, but as Sharon digs deeper in to the story she realises it’s a case of the American Dream gone wrong. Sharon’s great-great-grandparents, lured by the promise of work in a cotton mill town advertised as paradise, found the harsh reality very different.

Actor, comedian, talent show judge and children’s author David Walliams delves into his family history. First, he learns of his paternal great-grandfather’s prolonged and traumatic experiences on the battlefields of the First World War. The damage to his mental health condemned him to a lifetime in what was then known as a lunatic asylum. On his mother’s side, David uncovers the story of his great-great-grandfather, who was blind as the result of invasive eye surgery. David is amazed to find out that his ancestor became an entertainer - first a street musician and then a travelling showman, running fairground attractions with the help of his wife and children.

Chad Gordon was killed as he answered the door to his home during the first lockdown, a court hears.

Oscar-winning actor Kate Winslet follows a rumour of Scandinavian ancestry on her late mum Sally’s side of the family and is delighted when it turns out to be true and that she has Swedish heritage. But her joy turns to tears and anger when she uncovers the extreme hardships her ancestors endured, from famine to flogging and imprisonment. On her dad’s side Kate finds a drummer boy in the Grenadier Guards and, this time, an unusually positive encounter with prison.

In a first for the series, father-and-son comedy double-act Jack and Michael Whitehall join forces to investigate their family tree. They discover the tragedy that left Jack’s great grandfather (Michael’s grandfather) an orphan. And tracing their line back to Wales in the 1830s, they find out about a Tory ancestor's role in opposing the Chartist movement for wider voting rights.

People are also asked not to go into or out of places hardest hit by the so-called Indian variant.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has tweeted he has raised concerns with the vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi about the support available for people in Hounslow following an increase in the Indian variant of Covid-19.

He added that he repeated his call for younger people to receive the vaccine to help control the spread of the virus.

Andrew Brown died after being hit by a marked police car in Hounslow in 2019.

The Met Police says there was "nothing to suggest" that Sasha Johnson had been "targeted".

Image source, PA Media

Brentford fans are confused as to whether they can watch their team in the Championship play-off against Swansea this Saturday.

Many supporters live in Hounslow, an area whose inhabitants have been advised by the government to not leave following a rise in the Indian variant of the Covid-19.

Supporters from both clubs had already set up a petition calling for the UK Government and football authorities to increase the capacity at the venue.

The game at Wembley Stadium is limited to 10,000 fans in line with current Covid-19 restrictions, with each club having an allocation of 4,000 tickets.

Jon Varney, CEO of Brentford Football Club told BBC London: "It really does require government intervention so we are asking both the EFL (English Football League) and the FA (Football Association) to speak to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

"In light of trying to get more fans into the stadiums, both fans – Swansea City and Brentford fans - have been very active and have already created an online petition and we’re urging all our supporters from both clubs to sign up to that petition."

A home housing a south London family is described as "unliveable" and is infested with cockroaches.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Hammersmith and Fulham Council will advise residents not to travel to Hounslow in light of concerns about the Indian variant of Covid-19.

It has also revealed that surge testing and vaccinating will be deployed in the borough later this week to help safeguard vulnerable residents.

It comes after the government updated its website to advise the public not to travel in and out of areas, such as Hounslow, where the so-called Indian variant is causing high infection rates.

Hounslow’s infection rate for the week leading up to 20 May – the most recent figures available – was 50.1 cases per 100,000 people. It is understood that its cases are concentrated in the west of the borough, which includes Heathrow airport.

Hammersmith and Fulham’s infection rate for the week up to 20 May was 22.1 cases per 100,000 people. In neighbouring Ealing it was 41.8 per 100,000.

BBC Weather

This morning, it will be mostly dry with sunny spells and variable amounts of cloud.

The afternoon will continue to see some sunshine, but there will also be some isolated showers.

Maximum temperature: 13C to 16C (55F to 61F).

The prominent activist spoke to the BBC while attending a Black Lives Matter event in Oxford in June 2020.

Sasha Johnson has been described as a "powerful voice" who has always campaigned for black people.

Theodore Johnson had killed two previous partners before he murdered Angela Best in 2016.

The LNER service to London King's Cross struck the animal between Durham and Darlington.