Darlington women who were caught up in London July 7 attacks look back 20 years on
For Liz Lamb and Hayley Jones, July 7, 2005 is a day they will never forget.
On that Thursday morning a group of four Islamic suicide bombers carried out the UK's deadliest terrorist attack since the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 near Lockerbie.
(Image: PA) Within 50 seconds of each other at about 8.50am, three explosions rang out in the vicinity of Aldgate, Edgware Road and Russell Square stations. Just under an hour later, at 9.47am, a fourth device exploded on a bus that had been diverted via Tavistock Square.
Frantic commuters were initially told there was a "power surge" as they were directed to find other modes of transport. But, the situation soon became clear when police began to swarm streets and cordon off underground stations.
Exiting Kings Cross station just as its underground station was closed was Liz Lamb. Liz, who was a reporter for The Northern Echo at the time, had travelled to London to cover a court case.
Liz Lamb, 48. (Image: LIZ LAMB) "I was going to cover a court case at the High Court of Justice and was set to meet the barrister in Holborn," Liz, 48, said.
"My train from Darlington that day was a bit delayed and I should have got into London a little earlier than I did. Potentially, I could have been on the underground when one of the devices was detonated.
"But when I got off the train there was a guard with his arms outstretched, saying 'you can't come down'. There was a whole load of us there.
"He said 'there has been a power surge' but couldn't say when it would be fixed and he didn't know what was happening.
"Everyone was a bit disgruntled, but we didn't think much of it."
The mum-of-two's next move was to take a bus to the High Court - which was travelling on the same route as the double decker that would soon explode at Tavistock Square.
It was at this point that she started to see police, ambulances and fire engines across the city. "On the bus we were thinking, 'What the heck is going on?'," she added.
Walking wounded leaving Edgware Road tube station to be treated at the London Hilton Metropole on Edgware Road. (Image: EDMOND TERAKOPIAN) "There was a lot of panic. I remember speaking to my mum on the phone very briefly and said that there was something strange going on."
By the time she emerged from the court an hour later, phone networks were down and news had broke about attacks across the city.
Luckily, Liz, now a lecturer in journalism at the University of Sunderland, was able to board a train home that evening - but every year on the anniversary of the attacks, she thinks of those who lost their lives that day.
She added: "It's hard to believe that 20 years have passed since that fateful day. Even though it was two decades ago, it was such a horrific attack on our nation that it is not something easily forgotten.
"My memories of 7/7 have faded in places, but when I read my own account recently, I became teary just recalling the sheer emotion and panic of that day, as people desperately tried to find out if their loved ones were alive.
The Northern Echo's front page on July 8, 2005. "So many people lost their lives, entire families were torn apart. Others were maimed and scarred for life, and countless others – including rail and underground workers, emergency services, and medical staff – were left traumatised by the horrors they witnessed.
"I visited London a week after the attacks to write a tribute piece, and I was overwhelmed by the sense of community and the floral tributes across King's Cross and Russell Square, which had come from across the country and around the world.
"It wasn't just an attack on the United Kingdom; it was an attack on humanity. My thoughts are always with those who lost their lives, and their loved ones left behind."
Also in London on July 7 was Hayley Jones - who works for Darlington Borough Council.
Hayley, who left The Northern Echo in 2006, was in the city with colleagues for an awards ceremony on July 6 and was waiting for a train home on July 7.
Hayley Jones, 50. (Image: HAYLEY JONES) Reflecting, Hayley told the Echo: "We were just sat waiting for our train on the concourse. The first thing we saw was a woman who had soot across her face. We thought, that's a bit odd.
"Then we saw another couple of people in the same way and a police officer screamed for us to get out. They told us it was a power surge so we waited outside the station thinking we would be let back in."
The first Hayley, 50, heard of the attacks was on TV alongside a crowd of people craning to see the screen as others heard a bomb had gone off on a bus.
According to Hayley, buses were abandoned and taxis refused to stop as she made her way to a pub where the news blared out emerging information about what was going on.
"When we were walking I got paranoid thinking what will they do next? I had convinced myself that there would be bombs in the bins.
Walking wounded leaving Edgware Road tube station to be treated at the London Hilton Metropole on Edgware Road. (Image: PA) "Eventually we managed to get on a train up north and at every station there were paramedics checking on people and handing out water.
"It was scary - but it was when I got home and turned the telly on that I realised how close we were to it really."
More than 770 people were injured and 52 people tragically died in the attacks.
In the weeks and months that followed, the four attackers were identified as Hasib Hussain, Mohammad Sidique Khan, Germaine Lindsay and Shehzad Tanweer.
Read more about the July 7 attacks:
BBC to air documentary series about response to July 7 London bombings
Family's anguish at 7/7 inquest evidence
Ten years after terror struck London
Leeds man Hussain, 18, was behind the Tavistock Square attack that killed 13 people. Thirty-year-old Khan, of Dewsbury, detonated his device at Edgeware Road, killing six.
Flowers left in Woburn Place, near the scene of the bus bomb blast in Tavistock Square. (Image: PA) Behind the deadliest attack, at Russell Square, was 19-year-old Lindsay from London - who killed 26 people with his device that exploded just after it pulled out of King's Cross station.
Tanweer detonated his device on a train between Liverpool Street and Aldgate. The 22-year-old, from Bradford, killed seven people.
All four men died when they detonated their devices.
A memorial service will be held in Hyde Park at 11.15am today where a memorial stands to those who lost their lives. It will be live streamed online.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Associated Press
26 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Colombian soldier killed, 2 wounded in an attack from explosives laden on a mule
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — A Colombian soldier was killed and two others wounded Wednesday when explosives carried by a mule exploded in rural northeastern Colombia, authorities said. Antioquia Gov. Andrés Julián Rendón confirmed the soldier's death and blamed the National Liberation Army (ELN ), a group of about 6,000 fighters that is still fighting Colombia's government. Rendón said 'an equine armed with explosives' targeted soldiers patrolling near Valdivia. The army later confirmed the animal was a mule and condemned 'the cruel and macabre use of animals to carry out terrorism.' Explosives delivered by car and motorcycle are more common in Colombia. The army said the last record of an animal being used was in 2013, when a dog was armed with explosives. Horses and donkeys have also been used in the past. President Gustavo Petro had opened a dialogue with the ELN and other armed groups with the goal of what he calls 'Total Peace,' but suspended talks with the ELN in January after the group launched an offensive against a rival near the Venezuelan border that left more than 90 people dead.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Man accused of facilitating terrorism used quarry outside Quebec City for target practice
One of the men accused of creating an anti-government militia appears to have used a commercial sand quarry in the Quebec City area as a makeshift firing range. CBC's visual investigations unit has geolocated images posted to Raphaël Lagacé's Facebook pages where he poses with multiple high-calibre sniper rifles. The images were taken at a quarry in Saint-Joachim, Que. The quarry is owned by Les Entreprises LT Ltée/Béton Lagacé. It overlooks the St-Lawrence River and is just south of Mont-Sainte-Anne, a ski resort. In photos, Lagacé appears at the quarry with numerous rifles. Excavation equipment is visible in the background of some of the photos. Lagacé wears ear protection and lies prone, with his hands wrapped around the rifles, aiming at a target off-camera. In the photos and other videos that CBC News has verified as being filmed at the quarry complex, it is not clear if Lagacé is firing the weapons, but there are boxes of ammunition positioned near the weapons. In posts on his Instagram account, Lagacé said he was training for an "extreme long-range" shooting competition. In another video posted to Lagacé's Facebook in 2013, he does fire at a target located in a sandpit. CBC News was unable to verify if that video was taken at the same quarry. The force of the gunshot shakes the camera, and a man uses an expletive off-camera when the gun is fired. CBC does not know the context in which these photos and videos were filmed. Lagacé has been charged with facilitating terrorist activity. The RCMP allege he and three other men hoarded weapons, engaged in military-style training and intended to forcibly take possession of land in the Quebec City area. An RCMP news release issued Tuesday included a photograph showing a group of men engaged in "military-style training" that was taken in a quarry. CBC News was unable to confirm if the quarry in the RCMP photo was located at the Les Entreprises LT Ltée/Béton Lagacé location, but the company's sand quarry site is extensive. Les Entreprises LT Ltée/Béton Lagacé declined requests for comment and declined to answer questions, including whether there is a familial connection between the company and Lagacé. A woman who answered the phone at Les Entreprises LT Ltée/Béton Lagacé said "no comment would be made. No response to any question." Yannick Lagacé, one of the shareholders of Béton Lagacé, said he would not comment. Here is how we found the exact location of Lagacé's social media posts: First, CBC reporters found, and confirmed, his social media profiles. Then, a scan of his Facebook feed revealed multiple images featuring LT Ltée/Béton Lagacé trucks and machinery. A search of the company's website revealed that they operated multiple quarries in the Quebec City area. We tried to see if any of these quarries matched the locations where Lagacé appeared to be handling his weapons. We knew from the photographs that we were looking for a sandy area and, in some photographs, background hills and a river were visible. One of the company's quarries was located on a hill, advertised on their website as having a vantage point over the north shore of the St-Lawrence River. Using Google Earth and satellite imagery, we scanned the quarry and matched the terrain features to the features behind Lagacé. Then, in another video posted to Lagacé's Facebook, we see a man handling a rifle. Again, we see features that seem to indicate a quarry. This time, the video is taken from a different angle, and, in the background, we see Mont-Sainte-Anne, the ski resort. Again, using Google Earth, we matched that same angle of the ski hill to the quarry. The four men appeared in court virtually on Tuesday and remain in custody. Their next court date is July 14.


Washington Post
5 hours ago
- Washington Post
Wimbledon fines players for swearing, abusing rackets and unsportsmanlike conduct
LONDON — Tennis players at Wimbledon have been racking up fines for swearing too loudly, unsportsmanlike conduct and 'abuse of rackets or equipment.' An updated list of fines released Wednesday by the All England Club showed that 2024 men's doubles champion Henry Patten received the biggest fine — $12,500 — in the category of verbal abuse.