Latest news with #westLondon
The Independent
9 hours ago
- The Independent
Vigilante cyclist speaks out after collision with car caught on video
A well-known cycling activist has claimed he could not stop his e-bike from being struck by a car driving through a no-entry sign in west London. Michael van Erp, known for his Cycling Mikey YouTube channel, posted a video on Sunday showing his bike being hit. On Tuesday, Mr van Erp wrote on the social media platform X that he "couldn't… brake a 28kg e-bike once I realised the driver wasn't stopping". The 52-year-old activist's video also shows him initially blocking the car from passing the no entry sign, installed at the junction due to roadworks. After gesticulating with Mr van Erp, the male driver reverses and allows vehicles coming in the opposite direction to pass, before driving forward again. The cyclist makes a second attempt to block him, but the motorist collides with his bike and drives off. Mr van Erp's belongings were scattered in the road, but it appears he escaped injured and his bike avoided serious damage. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: 'We are aware of footage circulating on social media which appears to show an incident on Paddenswick Road, Hammersmith on Sunday August 10. 'No arrests have been made at this stage. 'We urge victims of crime to contact the police by calling 101, or 999 in an emergency.' Mr van Erp, who has more than 35,000 followers on his X account, regularly films drivers who he claims are breaking road rules, such as using a handheld mobile phone behind the wheel. He says since 2019 he has reported 2,280 drivers, who have received a total of £165,700 in fines and 2,649 penalty points. He claims that 35 people have been disqualified from driving because of his actions. In October 2022, theatrical agent Paul Lyon-Maris, then 60, was cleared of assault and dangerous driving after telling a jury at Southwark Crown Court Mr van Erp 'jumped' on his car. Mr Lyon-Maris – who has represented Oscar-winner Colin Firth and Lord Of The Rings actor Sir Ian McKellen – was said to have lost his temper when the cyclist tried to stop him driving on the wrong side of the road in the outer circle of Regent's Park in central London.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Chelsea are more fluid, more instinctive. Their new faces are adding a whole new dimension
Pre-season, those tantalising few weeks when you're not supposed to get too carried away. But given Chelsea's run-up to the 2025-26 campaign — eight wins from nine, including their Club World Cup triumph and two more dominant displays over the weekend in the west London sun — it's hard not to be excited. Advertisement Chelsea have looked slick in possession, a team who are looking increasingly familiar with the structured positional game that Enzo Maresca has imposed. Defenders are comfortable on the ball, punching passes into a swirling midfield, while fresh faces occupy opposition centre-backs and run the wings. The usual caveats apply at this time, but as the old guard develop their understanding and new players inject exciting variety, there are signs Chelsea have what it takes to start the season very strongly. GO DEEPER The Athletic's Premier League predictions for 2025-26: Title winner, best signing and much more Across both friendlies at Stamford Bridge this weekend – a 2-0 win against Bayer Leverkusen and a 4-1 thrashing of Milan – Chelsea's build-up shape has been relatively familiar. With Marc Cucurella pushing into midfield, the other defenders look to be progressive and break lines with their passing. Moises Caicedo is often the player most likely to receive the first pass, while Cole Palmer is given freedom to drift further ahead, where he can drop into pockets of space, receive the ball on the half-turn, and dance into dangerous areas where the front three await. What has felt fresh, however, is the variety of avenues Chelsea have used to slice through the opposition press, pulling defenders out of position with patient, probing play before hitting with precision through the centre of the pitch. In this first example against Leverkusen on Friday, Josh Acheampong plays through straight to Palmer, who shows his technical ability to feign a touch before allowing the ball to roll across his body, quickly moving possession out to winger Estevao. Ten minutes later, Palmer pulls wide during the build-up, allowing Cucurella to push on and make a dangerous underlapping run just out of shot… … while in a later move, Trevoh Chalobah trusts Caicedo to handle a fizzed pass under pressure as Chelsea move the ball through the lines with a series of one-touch passes. Out by the touchline, Tyrique George finds the run of Cucurella with a clipped ball into the box. That diamond-like structure in front of the three centre-backs, with Andrey Santos replaced by Enzo Fernandez in the starting XI against Milan, brims with energy and invention. Cucurella's aggressive movement without the ball dovetails nicely with Palmer's ability in the pockets, while Caicedo and Fernandez bring press resistance and defensive bite, should possession be lost. The general shape is nothing new, but Chelsea's build-up feels more fluid and instinctive, helping them move the ball forward with speed and precision, and find a new-look front three with more space to attack. In comparison to the midfielders, Chelsea's front three have relatively few responsibilities during build-up; wingers stay wide and stretch the pitch, while the centre-forward will ideally occupy the central channel, occasionally dropping in and linking up to allow a run behind the defensive line from a team-mate. Advertisement The names are different, but familiar positioning within the system helps Chelsea's progressive players find Estevao and Jamie Gittens with repetitive ease, giving them plenty of opportunity to display their dribbling ability out wide. Here is another example of Chelsea's build-up, this time pressed closer to their own goal by Leverkusen. Notice how Cucurella's movement drags Robert Andrich forward, creating space for Palmer to receive another excellent line-breaking pass from Acheampong. The Englishman turns, and without even having to lift his head, sweeps the ball out to Estevao, who drives at his full-back and forces a good save from goalkeeper Mark Flekken. It was Gittens' turn to impress on Sunday against Milan, another beneficiary of Chelsea's increasingly intuitive ability to find their wingers in space. After just four minutes, Tosin Adarabioyo pops the ball into Caicedo, who moves it out to the right and draws the opposition press. It's a trigger for Chelsea to quickly switch flanks, going direct into the winger, who instantly squares up to Yunus Musah and wins a foul after a tricky step-over takes him to the byline. From the resulting free kick, floated in by Reece James, the hosts take the lead. On the opposite side, Pedro Neto rarely needed a second invitation to drive forward and hit the byline or cut inside onto his left. He teed up Joao Pedro's first-half header after carrying the ball down the line and chopping inside, showing the value that Chelsea's front-footed wingers can provide when the conditions are right for them to attack. Joao Pedro and Liam Delap both scored two goals over the two games but through the middle, their role in build-up across both contests was limited. Joao Pedro took 12 touches in the first half of the Milan game, mainly concerned with occupying defenders, making darting runs and being alert when the ball came his way. Advertisement Still, Joao Pedro's multi-faceted profile brings a lot to Chelsea, equally comfortable playing with his back to goal as he is sprinting in behind. He was the player fouled by Andrei Coubis, who received a straight red card for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity, a sequence kick-started by the Brazilian's spin and run to meet a long Robert Sanchez pass. Joao Pedro has now found the back of the net with five of his seven shots in a Chelsea shirt. It is a remarkable and unsustainable run of form, but his touch around the penalty area makes him the likely starter at home to Crystal Palace next weekend, with Nicolas Jackson's future at the club no closer to being resolved. In an ideal world, Chelsea would retain Jackson's distinct profile across the front line. He is a potent centre-forward on the transition who can tear through teams with powerful, head-down dribbling and lead breakaways on his own. According to Footovision, Jackson had the most counter-attacking involvements via ball carries in the Premier League last season. Still, with Delap — another who can ruffle feathers on the break — providing competition from the bench, Chelsea can switch up their No 9s depending on the task at hand. Delap, 22, was desperate to make an impression off the bench against Milan, instantly chasing down and charging into centre-back Fikayo Tomori as he led the press from the front, before stepping up and confidently thumping home his first Chelsea penalty. His second captured the advantages of Maresca's pitch-stretching build-up shape, as a threaded pass through the lines, a neat lay-off and a snapshot finish from Delap wrapped up another win in style. Liam Delap again! Chelsea new boy bags a brace 💙 — Channel 5 Sport (@Channel5Sport) August 10, 2025 It is, of course, extremely early and there will be tougher tests to come. In attempting to press high but failing to bring the intensity required, Leverkusen and Milan played into Chelsea's hands. Games against fitter, more physical Premier League sides and stingier, lower blocks will bring new challenges for Chelsea's recruits, who may not receive the ball in so much space. Even so, the signs are encouraging, and it's not just the new names who are raising the levels. Positional football takes time to implement — in that regard, Chelsea look to have had a very productive summer. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Moment McDonald's customer jumps over the counter and starts brawling with staff in London
An X post shows the shocking moment a McDonald's customer jumps over the counter to fight with members of staff. The clash with workers appeared to take place in a branch of the fast-food restaurant in west London, and the clip filmed by a delivery driver showed a raging man as he initially violently threw something over the counter. The angry man then jumped on top of the counter and over into the kitchen area, where he lunged for a particular member of staff and appeared to try to throw a punch at him as two others grappled with him to hold him back. The workers raised their voices to reason with the man as startled onlookers scattered backwards as they watched on. The customer then went in for another punch, which visibly frightened the staff member, whose colleague covered him with his arms to hold back the attacker. Still holding on to each other, the two men slowly retreat into the kitchen but the enraged customer was relentless and pursued them. The two workers were clearly keen to discourage further violence but things soon escalated even further, and the customer tackled the worker he originally threatened. The other staff member tried to pull them apart but with the burly customer's back to him, he struggled to properly intervene. Another worker rushed to help, with the two of them eventually managing to pull the man off of their colleague. Desperate to bring the tussle to an end, they were forced to grab the customer's shirt to drag him away - which seemed to almost come off him amid his exertions. A crowd of delivery drivers watched, seemingly lost for words by the suddenness of the fight, as others in the restaurant shouted in shock. A female staff member called out for their help: 'Can you help us, please? Drivers, please! Drivers, can you help us?' A McDonald's spokesperson said: 'The safety and security of our people and our customers is our utmost priority it is completely unacceptable to see anyone behaving this way. 'We have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to violent and anti-social behavior, and we are currently assisting the police with their enquiries.'
The Sun
4 days ago
- The Sun
Terrifying moment brawl erupts in McDonald's as raging customer LEAPS over counter and throws punches at worker
TERRIFYING footage shows the moment a brawl erupted in McDonald's as an angry customer attacks a worker. The furious client lost his rag at the fast food chain's restaurant in Acton, west London. 7 7 7 Footage captured at the fast food branch shows the fuming man appear to throw an object at one of the servers, before climbing over the counter and running into the kitchen. The man then tries to throw a punch at one of the kitchen staff. Another member of staff can be seen trying to pull him away, and calm the customer down before he attempts to throw some more punches. One appears to use a tray to try and defend himself, while two other staff members attempt to hold the customer back. But the brawl seems to escalate even further, as the angry starts encroaching on the original worker he threatened. The customer can then be seen tackling the worker to the ground. His colleagues rush in the help, with two of them managing to pull the man back by his shirt. A female worker at the end of the video can be heard saying: "Can you help us please? "Driver, please. "Driver, can you help us," as various delivery drivers can be seen in front of the counter watching the conflict unfold. Moment McDonald's worker SLAPS yob across head before brawl breaks out as group storm restaurant A McDonald's spokesperson said: "The safety and security of our people and our customers is our utmost priority it is completely unacceptable to see anyone behaving this way. "We have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to violent and anti-social behaviour, and we are currently assisting the Police with their enquiries." Metropolitan police have been approached for comment. This kind of incident is not rare to McDonald's fast food chains, as just last month another violent incident that occurred between a worker and customer was captured on video. Multiple workers and customers were seen involved in the brawl that occurred at a McDonald's in Merseyside. The month prior, a group of youths were also captured in a mass brawl with a McDonald's staff member at a branch in Dalston, East London. In the footage captured, the yobs can be seen forcing entrance into the fast food restaurant, before one staff member appears to retaliate by slapping one of the teenagers across the face. Another incident saw a mass brawl break out in a McDonald's car park near Finsbury Park in North London. It occurred between delivery drivers and members of public. These incidents come amid rising anti-social behaviour in the hospitality and retail sector across the country. 7 7 7
Times
17-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Times
Kate Spicer: I needed a new home, a new life — and a new wardrobe
Move to a more affordable bit of west London, meaning the 'burbs. Ditch the dogs and live a more compact high-rise central London life. Or surrender west London life entirely and move to the country. These were the options; I chose the country. When people asked, 'Where?' I gave them three guesses. The first was usually Bruton, and they were right. It's a migration route from west London so well trodden now that to move to the Somerset town is 100 per cent cliché. 'What is it about that place? What's wrong with Yorkshire?' asked my friend Grev. He had a point, but now was not a time to be taking risks. I'd recently split up with my long-term partner and could no longer afford
