Latest news with #GreaterLondon
Daily Mail
16 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Moment dive-bombing buzzard that has terrorised village tries to get into house before being attacked by magpies and crows
A dive-bombing buzzard that has terrorised villagers for months has been captured attempting to enter a house before being attacked by magpies and crows. Residents in Havering-atte-Bower, Greater London, say they are 'living in fear' after being attacked by the menacing bird of prey which has even caused a local primary school to stop their pupils from going outside during break time. The buzzard, nicknamed Brenda by local school children, is believed to be part of a mating pair and was last week captured narrowly missing resident Louise Whittle's head as it swooped down on her. Now, fellow local Nick Woodgate has captured the bird looking to continue its reign of terror on the community by entering a nearby house. The footage shows the buzzard attempting to fly through the closed window before it flies onto the roof of the house opposite Mr Woodgate's property. It is then circled by crows looking to knock the swaying buzzard off its perch, before a group of magpies seemingly arrive to help oust the bird. She is said to be defending her nest in Havering Country Park, and due to buzzards being protected under UK law, Havering Council has said its intervention options are 'very limited'. It is then circled by crows looking to knock the swaying buzzard off its perch, before a group of magpies seemingly arrive to help oust the bird When Miss Whittle was almost hit in the head by the bird earlier this month she said the situation was 'absolutely bonkers'. And after children at Dame Tipping Primary School were forced to stay inside since Easter through fear of injury, Miss Whittle said it was a 'brilliant' way to handle the issue. She added: 'The school have been absolutely fantastic in prioritising the children's safety and finding other alternatives for getting out. 'If anything, it's been a great learning experience for the children - they have learnt all about buzzards that they otherwise wouldn't have done.' However, Miss Whittle admitted being concerned that 'the birds are being prioritised over the children' and said she is 'hopeful that they fly away so everyone can get back to normal'. Headteacher Stella McCarthy said the 'difficult decision' to keep the children inside was made after the birds became 'highly present' in the playground. She said: 'As a school, safeguarding and protecting children is of paramount importance.' The school has decided to use the situation as a learning experience for pupils, who have created posters promoting the protection of birds. Headteacher Ms McCarthy added: 'Luckily, as part of LIFE Education Trust, we have had excellent support enabling us to use the trust mini bus to regularly visit The Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls where our children have engaged in outdoor learning activities, PE lessons and visited the school's farm. 'We have also introduced additional indoor breaks with lots of engaging activities including traditional board games, cup stacking competitions and puzzles.' The bird also dive-bombed on local resident Nikki Dix, 37, as she took a walk in the park. Miss Dix said she was 'dead shocked' when the bird attacked her from behind and left scratches on her head. She said: 'I was scared, I was taken back by it. 'He was giving me an evil eye so then I carried on my journey for quite a while just swinging my bag above my head because I was just like 'hopefully this will deter him from coming to get me, because if he does try again to get me maybe he won't be so nice'. 'Nothing like that normally gets me so I'm a little bit on high alert at the moment, that's why I've stayed away from that area as well.' The school has been liaising with Havering Council and various bird organisations to find solutions to the issue. The council said its health and safety team has provided the school's trust with 'detailed advice' on legal deterrents and the hiring of a falconry expert. A Havering Council spokesperson said previously: 'The RSPCA has advised that the buzzard may be protecting its nest or chicks, which lines up with the information we have received. 'Buzzards are protected under UK law, therefore our intervention options are very limited, and we have advised that warning signs would be the easiest solution at this time. 'We completely understand how difficult and worrying this situation is for the school and local residents and we regret that there is not a quick or straightforward solution.
The Independent
02-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
House prices are dropping across London – but people are still having to leave the capital to buy
Property prices in the UK are on the rise once more – but that's not the case in all areas of London, with some boroughs showing an annual decrease. Despite this, many Londoners are still struggling to get on the property ladder in the capital, forcing them to leave the city to buy elsewhere, or remain part of the forever renters community. Nationwide data on people who had moved house in the last five years also showed a marginally higher rate of people leaving cities for small towns or rural areas, compared to those coming into cities. Toby Leek, NAEA Propertymark president, told The Independent: 'London remains a highly attractive and aspirational place for many people to move to, and though house price growth is slowing, many aspiring homeowners are struggling to step onto the region's housing market due to a myriad of factors. 'These include the growing disparity in house prices and wage growth, with the average home across the Greater London area costing around £680,000 and the average wage sitting at around £48,000, meaning buying a home costs over 14 times the average income. 'Also contributing to this struggle that many buyers are facing is the increased Stamp Duty thresholds from April this year, a shortage of supply triggered by slow rates of development and higher interest rates than those traditionally used to, making mortgaging a property more difficult.' Price divide Land registry data showing London borough house prices over the last 12 months reveals that while the city-wide trend might remain on the up, there's a clear divide between central areas and boroughs on the outskirts. While house prices in areas like Lewisham, Redbridge and Havering are up between 8 and 9 per cent over the past year, more central boroughs such as Greenwich, Camden and Wandsworth are down between 2.4 and 4.5 per cent. For Islington it's more than 8 per cent lower, Kensington and Chelsea is 15 per cent down and Westminster is a full 20.1 per cent below last year. Sellers are having to accept average discounts of nearly ten per cent to the asking price, while Coutts Bank said 82 per cent of properties in prime London sold for below the asking price between January and March this year, per the Telegraph. And that isn't always limited to those traditionally higher-end locations. Leaving London 'It's not just wealthy buyers that are reconsidering their options. Mortgage rates may be easing but with stamp duty costs now higher, wage growth starting to slow and living costs still on the climb, affordability remains a challenge for Londoners whose finances are already constrained by sky-high rents,' Alice Haine, personal finance analyst at Bestinvest told The Independent. ' Homeowners in the capital typically see a larger proportion of their income swallowed up by mortgage payments than their counterparts elsewhere in the country. Plus, with most personal tax thresholds on hold, which results in people paying higher rates of tax as their income increases, it can make sense for people to relocate to cheaper parts of the UK to make life more affordable. 'The pandemic has radically shifted workers' perception of what a healthy work-life balance is. Rather than commuting across a city every day, people can now head into the office once a week or even once a month. It therefore makes more sense for some to live in a larger property in a quieter, cheaper part of the country than trying to squeeze a family into a one- or-two-bedroom flat. 'It seems having a higher disposable income to cover everyday bills with enough spare money to go on holiday once a year and save for the future may now be more important than proximity to the office.' Regardless of location, Bank of England data showed that the number of mortgages approved by UK lenders for home purchases dropped again in April - a third consecutive drop of net residential mortgage approvals. With interest rates now not expected to drop below 4 per cent until the end of this year, if at all, buyers and those looking to remortgage alike may be considering taking the plunge, having been holding off until now due to declining rates in 2025.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ranking boroughs most desperate for the London Underground Bakerloo line extension
Residents and businesses across London have thrown their support behind the proposed Bakerloo line extension, with 76 per cent of locals in boroughs along the proposed new route backing the scheme. The data comes from a set of surveys commissioned by Central London Forward, working alongside alongside Southwark Council, Lewisham Council and Business for Bakerloo, to understand the level of support behind the Tube line upgrade. The scheme would see the service extending to serve Lewisham via Southwark, as well as the opportunity to extend the service further to Hayes and Beckenham Junction. The survey saw 1,014 residents across seven London boroughs being questioned on the scheme. Brent was listed as showing the greatest support for the extension, with 81 per cent of residents backing the scheme. This was closely followed by Lewisham and Southwark, with 79 and 78 per cent respectively. READ MORE: The old London Underground route we wish still existed that went all the way to the seaside READ MORE: Britain's 'most woke' £2m roundabout due to open next week Harrow, Westminster and Lambeth residents all demonstrated a similar level of support, with approximately 75 per cent of those surveyed approving of the upgrade. Bromley respondents were more unsure, as 69 per cent backed the scheme while 24 per cent said they might support it. Regarding local businesses, 95 per cent of businesses surveyed in Brent expressed support for the scheme, while 90 per cent of Bromley businesses backed the proposal. Overall, 88 per cent of the 446 businesses in the area of the extension support the scheme, while 90 per cent of the 459 businesses which were not within the area also approved of it. Labour Councillor Claire Holland, leader of Lambeth Council said: "London needs to invest in its transport infrastructure to drive job creation and increase housing delivery. The Bakerloo line Upgrade and Extension is expected to support the creation of 150,000 good jobs and the delivery of 107,000 new homes across its length. Nearly 80 per cent of residents in Lambeth support the proposals." She added: "As a council we are keenly focussed on growth opportunities that benefit Lambeth residents. The extension would be a major boost for growth in Waterloo, better connecting the area's world-class arts & cultural institutions, thriving hospitality sector and major employers to the rest of South East London." Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said in February this year that the route for the proposed extension had been safeguarded by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander. The comments came during the launch of the London Growth Plan, detailing ambitions for local leaders to work alongside the government to deliver transport projects such as the Bakerloo extension. Sir Sadiq told MyLondon at the launch event on February 27 : "We've safeguarded the route [this week] with the transport secretary, putting the case to her about the importance of the Bakerloo line extension. We're also keen to get government green light for the DLR extension to Thamesmead." He added: "Here's the point, the government rightly wants more homes. The government rightly wants more jobs, wealth, prosperity. Well giving the green light to these pieces of transport infrastructure does just that. More homes, better public transport, more jobs, more growth, more prosperity." Have a story you want to share? Email Don't miss out on the biggest local stories. Sign up to our MySouthLondon newsletter HERE for all the latest daily news and more.
BBC News
27-05-2025
- BBC News
Free activities across London during week celebrating rivers
When Londoners say "the river", most will mean the River there are 25 other rivers in the Greater London area, with familiar names like the Brent, the Fleet, the Ravensbourne, Stamford Brook and the Westbourne. London Rivers Week is an annual campaign encouraging the public to celebrate all the city's rivers - and the many projects taking place to protect in its ninth year, it runs from 30 May to 8 June and has a range of free guided walks, talks and cultural events. Chris Coode from environmental charity Thames21 – who helps coordinate the week of events - said its aim is to "inspire hope and drive action, encouraging Londoners to connect with and protect their local blue spaces". He added: "We invite everyone to get involved in the many exciting events taking place throughout the week."Free activities on offer include a picnic and water sampling event at Chinbrook Meadows in Lewisham; walking the length of the River Crane from its headwaters at Headstone Manor in Harrow to Isleworth, and a "hands-on" wetland maintenance session removing excess reeds in Memorial Park in of the events are already fully booked, including a kayak 'paddle and pick' litter clean on the River Thames near Fulham and day of craft activities for children by the River Wandle in south London. Thames21 works with around 7,000 volunteers to restore and look after rivers, water and nature across London and the Thames was developed from a partnership programme supported by Keep Britain Tidy, the Port of London Authority, the Environment Agency, Thames Water, British Waterways, the Corporation of London and 19 local authorities. The charity is now independent, funded by a number of charitable trusts, companies and public river restoration initiatives include projects such as adding wood material to a river to 'naturalise' it, removing concrete barriers from its banks, or reconnecting a river to its floodplain. Recent projects include 'Rewilding the Rom', which reconnected the River Rom in Dagenham, East London, to its floodplain and created a new wetland for people and wildlife to charity also installed cobbles and gravel on the riverbed to enhance fish passage in River Ravensbourne in Bromley.
Telegraph
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Romford MP demands independence from Sadiq Khan's Ulez London
A major part of east London should be allowed to declare independence from Sadiq Khan and re-join Essex, an MP has said. Andrew Rosindell is campaigning for the area around Romford, which was forced into Greater London in 1965, to leave the capital and reassociate itself with the county of which it is a historic part. He said the borough of Havering, which also includes Hornchurch and Upminster, should be given the power to leave London as part of Angela Rayner's reorganisation of local government. The Deputy Prime Minister has said she wants to see the abolition of county and district councils and their replacement with unitary authorities covering populations of about 500,000 each. Mr Rosindell, the Conservative MP for Romford, obtained a Commons debate about his desire for Havering independence earlier this month. He said that under the Greater London Authority, headed up by Mr Khan, the mayor, his area does not see enough policemen and pays too much for free bus passes for pensioners. And he said its residents did not want to be part of the ultra-low emissions zone (Ulez) and opposed 'planning interference' from the London mayor. 'I believe that today we have a once-in-almost-a-century chance to look afresh at the old boundaries of Greater London that were constructed six decades ago,' he said. 'The entire region around our great United Kingdom capital of London has changed dramatically since those days.' He added: 'It could just be, much to the surprise of many of my constituents, that the new Labour Government's plan for devolution and local government reorganisation provides the opportunity we need to finally take control of our own affairs and have our future restored to becoming part of Essex local government structures once again.' 'We are historically Essex' He said Romford had been part of Essex since the kingdom was founded in the sixth century, and that its people felt part of Essex. 'Romford is geographically Essex,' he said. 'We are historically Essex. We are culturally Essex and our social, sporting and commercial connections have always looked towards the county of Essex. 'My constituents and I are proud of our Essex identity, which transcends local government or administrative boundaries that are forever changing – as they are again today.' The MP added: 'Ever since then, our Essex identity has tragically been diminished and even discarded by some, as if centuries of history in belonging to such a great English county could end simply because of local government reorganisation, which was lazy in its construction and took no account of our history. 'This has led to 60 years of muddle, confusion and constant debate about Romford and Havering remain part of Essex or not.'
