Latest news with #HammersmithBridge
BBC News
2 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
London's 'Wet Wipe Island' in Hammersmith to be mass-cleaned
Work has started to get rid of a build up of wet wipes along a stretch of the River Thames in west London known locally as "Wet Wipe Island".The Port of London Authority (PLA) has said it will remove about 180 tonnes of congealed wet wipes – the equivalent to the weight of 15 double decker London buses – that has formed along a 250m (820ft) stretch of the tidal Thames near Hammersmith Bridge. St Paul's School in Barnes is giving access to its grounds to allow an eight-tonne excavator to remove the "island", which is 1m (3ft) high in authority added that the wet wipes and other pollutants would be taken away in skips and disposed of responsibly. The island, which is about the size of two tennis courts, has changed the course of the river and potentially harmed the aquatic wildlife and ecology in the area, the PLA to clean wet wipes from the environment have previously relied on people removing them by hand. Inspired by the work of volunteers at Thames 21, and with support from Thames Water, the PLA said they decided to take a lead in co-ordinating larger scale action to remove this "unsightly and harmful mess".Thames21 and its volunteers have been monitoring the island since PLA added that the project was part of an ambition to improve river health in the Thames. 'World's greatest river' Thames Water recently announced a further £1.8bn investment to improve river health across London, and last year connected its £4.6bn Thames Tideway Tunnel to support the reduction of sewage discharges into the tidal Thames by 95%.Grace Rawnsley from the PLA said: "For too long, 'Wet Wipe Island' in Hammersmith has been a source of environmental harm and an embarrassment to the capital."This is the first time anyone has sought to execute a mass, mechanical removal of wet wipes in this way."We will continue to bring innovation and investment to help the world's greatest river thrive."Chris Coode, the CEO at Thames21, said: "Plastic wet wipes have no place in our rivers or natural environment, so it's terrific news that action is being taken to remove 'Wet Wipe Island' in the Thames."This vital move is a crucial step towards protecting the health of the River Thames and its wildlife, as it will reduce the introduction of microplastics into the environment from this site."He added: "Thames21 has been pushing for a ban on plastics in wet wipes. However, we would like to see more systemic change to tackle the issue of plastics entering the environment via wet wipes and other sanitary waste."The clean up project is expected to take up to a month to complete.
The Independent
6 days ago
- The Independent
Watch: Illegal firework display on Hammersmith Bridge sparks blaze at nearby school
Two men have been arrested after an illegal firework display on Hammersmith Bridge sparked a fire at a nearby school on Sunday evening (3 August). Footage shows the bridge engulfed in flames as dozens of flares and fireworks were set off. It caused a hedge at nearby St Paul's School to catch fire. 'Two men, aged 22 and 18, were arrested on suspicion of arson. They both remain in police custody,' the Met Police said. No injuries were reported. A spokeswoman for St Paul's School told the Evening Standard: 'The fire was in a hedge - but the damage is very limited and only to the hedge itself,' praising staff and the fire brigade for preventing further spread. Anyone with information is urged to call 101, quoting CAD 6861/03AUG.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Yahoo
Shocking footage of Hammersmith Bridge flares that set fire to school
Shocking footage shows Hammersmith Bridge glowing red as flares and fireworks were launched in a chaotic display. The incident, around 9:30pm on Sunday, sparked a bush fire at nearby St Paul's School in Barnes. Resident Will, 22, filmed the chaos: 'The whole bridge was shrouded in red—then a small fire turned massive.' Fire crews and police rushed to the scene, with officers seen using extinguishers on the bridge. Two men, aged 22 and 18, were arrested on suspicion of arson. Police are appealing for footage or information via 101, quoting CAD 6861/03AUG.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Yahoo
Hammersmith bridge illegal fireworks spark 80 emergency calls amid fear for homes
An unauthorised fireworks display on Hammersmith bridge almost resulted in nearby buildings catching fire, it can be revealed. More than 80 emergency calls were received by the London Fire Brigade at around 9.45pm on Sunday when a flare set fire to a hedge on the south side of the river. The blaze is believed to have broken out in the fields belonging to St Paul's School. One resident said the firework could have easily hit a person or burned down a row of houses. It is thought football fans had gathered on the bridge, which has been closed to vehicles since 2019, to let off a 'huge amount' of fireworks, according to residents. A row of hedges caught fire, with the flames reaching 3m in height – caused by a suspected stray firework or flare. Fire brigade sources said it was extremely fortunate that no buildings became involved in this incident. Six fire engines were initially dispatched to the scene, due to the volume of calls and suggestions from some callers that buildings may be involved. Following an assessment of the situation from firefighters on scene, the response was scaled down to three fire engines and about 15 firefighters. A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: "We were called at 21:48 yesterday (August 3) to reports of a fire near Lonsdale Road, SW13. 'Firefighters attended and discovered a hedge fully alight. The fire was safely extinguished by crews by around 22:30. The fire is believed to have been caused by a stray firework or flare." A spokesperson for Hammersmith Bridge SOS, which campaigns to restore public transport over the bridge, said: 'This was terrifying, orchestrated behaviour, its flares and fireworks raining down. 'If they had landed just slightly differently they could've set fire easily to a row of wooden houses or killed someone. 'It shows once again how vulnerable Hammersmith bridge has become now Hammersmith's Labour council, Richmond council, TfL and the Department for Transport all have washed their hands of it and try to pass responsibility from one to the other – no one is monitoring the bridge effectively and crime is becoming rife.' Hammersmith and Fulham council, which owns Hammersmith bridge, said it was aware of the incident. Almost exactly a year ago, Algerian football fans held an illegal firework display on the Millennium Bridge and Blackfriars bridge in central London to celebrate the anniversary of the country's national football team. It is not known at this stage whether the same fans were responsible for the incident on Hammersmith bridge. In March, The Standard revealed that a number of ideas about the future of the bridge were discussed at a meeting of the 'taskforce' designed to get the council, TfL and the Government working together. In April, the bridge's main carriageway reopened to pedestrians and cyclists after a £2.9m upgrade. There is no date for it to reopen to cars and buses. The Metropolitan Police, St Paul's school and Richmond council have been contacted by The Standard.
Times
07-07-2025
- Automotive
- Times
Could a £1bn fund pay to reopen Hammersmith Bridge to cars?
It is 1pm on a sweltering summer's day in north Barnes, southwest London. Yet, unusually for the capital, there is not a car in sight. There are no sirens, no buses and no taxis. In many ways the Castelnau thoroughfare looks like it is stuck in March 2020 when the UK was plunged into the first lockdown and London's usually hectic streets fell silent. The clue to the calm is on a lamppost. 'Road ahead closed,' the large red sign reads. The road in question — once a vital artery into the city — has been closed since April 2019 when sensors detected 'dangerous micro-fractures' in Hammersmith Bridge. A fix, residents were told, would cost £40 million and take ten years to complete. Six years later there is little progress to show and the bill is now estimated to be at least £250 million. First cars were banned, then in August 2020 everyone was barred from crossing. Eleven long months later pedestrians and people pushing bikes were permitted. Then in April this year cyclists were once again allowed to pedal over the 138-year-old bridge. If proper work to repair the bridge started today it would still be at least ten years until it reopened to motorised traffic. Residents have lost hope and Barnes, which sits in a horseshoe bend on the Thames, has become a sort of glorified village. Hospital appointments and examinations have been missed, shops have gone bust and, anecdotally at least, crime has gone up. Yet there seems little political appetite to restore the bridge's motor traffic. 'It's like we never left lockdown,' Louisa Barnett, who lives in a flat near the south side of the bridge, says. 'Just look, there's not a car in sight. We're in Zone 2 of London but it's more like some far-out suburb. The place has lost its buzz.' Barnett moved to north Barnes 20 years ago, attracted by its connectivity, and has a deep-rooted hate of the closure. It is understandable. In 2023 when her sister fell ill and subsequently died she was denied the opportunity of being at her bedside because she was sitting in traffic caused by the bridge closure. 'A journey to my sister's house which should have taken 40 minutes became one hour 30 minutes. She died while I was sitting in traffic and all the rest of the family were there. Had the bridge been open, like it should be, I'd have been at her side.' One of the major issues, residents believe, is that politicians see the area as white, upper middle class and think those living there have nothing better to complain about. Put bluntly, they believe the Labour mayor, Labour government and Liberal Democrat council do not see repairing the grade II* listed iron structure as a vote winner. But there may be hope on the horizon. Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, hinted — loosely — that total restoration could be financed through a £1 billion structures fund announced in last month's spending review. 'We need to work through the details of how that structures fund is going to operate,' Alexander told LBC. 'It may be the case that Hammersmith Bridge and repair work there could be funded through that structures fund.' It is a glimmer of hope but few are convinced. Part of the stalemate is that no one can quite agree on who should pay. The London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, the Department for Transport and the mayor's office have been locked in talks for years. 'I don't think it will ever reopen and politicians should come clean and say it,' Julia Watkins, of Hammersmith Bridge SOS, which is campaigning to have it fully restored, said. 'There are a lot of people who think having the bridge open to cyclists is good enough. But it's not. There are 21,500 people living in SW13 and many of them are old. People's GPs are over the bridge, Charing Cross hospital is over there. It can now regularly be a 40-minute drive for what used to be 0.8 miles.' For Heidi Patton, 66, the reality of the closure is stark. Her husband is 83 and has dementia as well as other health problems. She would regularly drive over the bridge to get to hospital appointments and is fed up with the locals, most of them cyclists, who think the closure is a net-positive. She said: 'To get to appointments now we have to take the car to Barnes station, which has only just had lifts fitted, and go to Waterloo. There we face a long walk to the Tube. There are a small group of people who think it's wonderful and say 'why doesn't everybody cycle over?' Well, not everybody can cycle. Before there were five bus routes over the bridge. Now there are none.' The eeriness of Castelnau is hard to ignore. Until 2015, the bridge was used by 22,000 vehicles including 1,800 buses every day. At Michael's Newsagents, Ronnie Packeer, the shopkeeper of 17 years, says it has hugely affected business. Passing traffic has fallen off a cliff and sales are down. 'I used to open at 6am and close at 9.30pm,' he said standing by his shelf of garden fixtures and fittings. 'Now there is no point because there are no buses stopping outside. I now open at about 7am and close at 7pm. There's simply not the demand now.' The lack of footfall has also made the bridge a hotspot for muggings. 'You hear of one every three days,' Barnett, the managing director of Geronimo Jones jewellery, said. 'When it's dark and no-one is around it's just a playground for gangs. It doesn't feel safe. I'll now wait on the north side at night until a couple come along and walk a few metres behind them.' A spokeswoman for the Department for Transport said: 'We continue to work closely with Transport for London and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham on the Hammersmith Bridge restoration project — and so far have provided almost £17 million of funding. A £1 billion structures fund was announced as part of the spending review settlement and details of allocation will be announced in due course.'
