Author: Daniel Foster

Fire investigators have begun examining the wreckage of a private nursery in south London after a major blaze tore through the building on Saturday evening, leaving half its roof destroyed. The Rushey Green Nursery in Catford became the focus of a major emergency operation on January 31 when flames took hold of the historic childcare facility. The London Fire Brigade has now launched an investigation to determine what sparked the fire that required nearly three hours to extinguish. The extent of the damage to the private childcare centre remains significant, with half of the nursery’s roof completely destroyed by the…

Commuters across London face widespread disruption this weekend as major engineering works close key sections of the Underground and Overground networks. Transport for London has confirmed extensive closures for track maintenance on Saturday 31 January and Sunday 1 February, with the Central line bearing the brunt of the disruption. There will be no service between Bethnal Green and Epping, Woodford, Hainault or Newbury Park on both days. The Night Tube will also be suspended east of Liverpool Street on Friday and Saturday nights. The closures will particularly affect Leyton Orient supporters travelling to Saturday afternoon’s match against Port Vale. The…

A documentary about US First Lady Melania Trump attracted just one viewer at its UK premiere screening in north London, despite President Donald Trump’s assertions that tickets are “selling out, FAST!” The £29 million film, directed by Brett Ratner, debuted at Vue’s Islington cinema at 3.10pm on Friday, 23 January, with a single ticket purchased for the screening. A subsequent 6pm showing performed marginally better, attracting two attendees. The screenings took place in the cinema’s 25-seat theatre. On Monday, 26 January, President Trump shared photographs from a celebrity-filled premiere of the documentary on social media, declaring the film “a MUST…

Two Tottenham Hotspur players were involved in a dramatic incident on the M25 on Tuesday after a tyre blew out on their Ferrari. Wilson Odobert and Randal Kolo Muani were travelling on the motorway in Hertfordshire when the vehicle suffered a catastrophic tyre failure, leaving the luxury sports car stranded at the roadside. Images from the scene showed the French attackers standing beside the motorway alongside what appeared to be emergency service personnel. The front-right tyre of the black Ferrari was completely burnt out. Spurs boss Thomas Frank moved quickly to reassure supporters that both players had avoided serious harm…

Thousands of passengers face significant travel disruption over the coming weekends as Transport for London and Network Rail carry out extensive engineering works across the capital’s transport network. The Hammersmith & City line will be completely closed on two separate weekends, with no service running on Saturday, January 17 and Sunday, January 18, followed by a second full closure from Saturday, January 24 to Sunday, January 25. According to TfL, both closures are necessary for track work. The disruption comes just one week after the Piccadilly line was shut for similar track work, indicating an ongoing programme of engineering interventions…

Detectives are appealing for witnesses following an armed robbery at a shop in Knightsbridge during which staff and members of the public were threatened with weapons including machetes.Police were called at 10:53hrs on Tuesday, 20 January, to reports of a robbery in progress on Knightsbridge. Officers arrived at the scene within minutes.Six suspects wearing motorcycle helmets attended the store. A number of them entered the premises and threatened those inside with weapons, including machetes. A moped was also used to gain entry to the shop.The offenders made off on four mopeds after stealing a number of high-value watches. They left…

Arsenal sit top of the Premier League and remain in contention across all competitions, but concerns are mounting over their recent attacking performances failing to match results.The Gunners are progressing in the Champions League and competing in both domestic cup competitions. However, their forward play has not fully clicked in recent weeks, with fatigue, rotation and injuries cited as contributing factors.While Arsenal’s defensive solidity and set-piece threat have maintained their strong position, there are warnings that any decline in those areas could expose the attacking imbalances more severely.The 0-0 draw against Nottingham Forest highlighted the issue. Mikel Arteta deployed a…

The Crown Prosecution Service has decided not to bring additional criminal charges against Lucy Letby in relation to allegations involving nine further babies, despite Cheshire Police expressing they were “confident” the evidence met charging standards. Frank Ferguson, head of the CPS’s special crime and counter terrorism division, confirmed the decision following a thorough review of evidence submitted by police in July 2025. The review concerned allegations of murder and attempted murder relating to deaths and non-fatal collapses of babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital and Liverpool Women’s Hospital. “Following a thorough review of that evidence, we have decided that…

Train services on the Brighton Main Line between East Croydon and Gatwick Airport will face complete closure across three separate weekends this month, rail operators have announced.The closures will take place from 10–11 January, 17–18 January, and 24–25 January, affecting all railway lines in the area between East Croydon, Gatwick Airport, Redhill, and parts of Surrey and Sussex.Passengers travelling between London and the airport have been warned to expect significantly longer journey times, with operators urging travellers to allow extra time to reach Gatwick during the affected periods.Replacement ServicesAccording to the arrangements, passengers heading to Gatwick Airport from London will…

Four out of five Reform UK-controlled councils are proposing council tax rises of 5% – the maximum permitted by law – despite the party campaigning on pledges to freeze or reduce bills. Kent county council, Reform’s flagship authority and described as a “shop window” for party governance, published a draft budget late on Thursday night proposing a 3.99% increase. The move has prompted accusations of broken promises from opposition councillors. Linden Kemkaran, who leads Kent county council as Reform leader, defended the rise as necessary to protect frontline services. She stated it was lower than the anticipated 5% increase. “When…