Hammersmith Bridge fireworks caused fire at Barnes school, say police
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Telegraph
2 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Undercover BBC reporters paid £1,200 to people-smuggler
Undercover BBC reporters paid more than £1,200 to a violent people-smuggling gang as part of an investigation. The broadcaster's Paris correspondent, who led the year-long investigation into the Channel trafficking operation, justified the payments as 'the only way' to gain access to the gang. The BBC's investigation claimed to have infiltrated one of the major gangs operating on the north coast of France, helping tens of thousands of people cross the Channel to Britain each year. It used undercover reporters and secret filming to show the gang's forest hideout outside the French port of Dunkirk as well as tracking their members across Europe. As part of the investigation, the corporation's reporter paid for a place on a small boat to cross the Channel, and met a member of the gang's network at Birmingham New Street station to hand over the payment. Handover filmed for report In secretly recorded footage, a reporter can be seen handing over an envelope containing £900 in cash to a gang member with a glass eye who then walks away. In the special report, which was aired on BBC News at 6pm on Tuesday, Andrew Hardy, the BBC's Paris correspondent, said: 'That's it. He's taken the money and left the station. 'You may well be asking why we would pay money to criminals. We believe it is the only way we can gain access to the gang and expose its network – not least its network here in the UK.' Another payment of £348 was made to a gang member in Dunkirk. The report aimed to highlight how people smuggling gangs were using sophisticated techniques to stay one step ahead of the authorities, changing names and phone numbers and having no social media profile. The gang was linked by the BBC to 12 migrant crossing deaths. The investigation by the BBC comes as the Government's 'one in, one out' deal to return migrants to France is set to begin. The treaty was laid in Parliament on Tuesday, and will take effect from Wednesday, with detentions expected in the coming days. The UK-France deal, which will also bring approved asylum seekers on a safe route to Britain, was agreed last month on the last day of Emmanuel Macron's state visit to the UK. Some 25,436 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel this year – a record for this point in the year since data began being collected in 2018. This is up 48 per cent on this point last year (17,170) and 70 per cent higher than at this stage in 2023 (14,994), according to PA news agency analysis of Home Office data. At least 10 people have died while attempting the journey this year, according to reports by the French and UK authorities, but there is no official record of fatalities in the Channel. Ministers say they want to end the crossings because they 'threaten lives and undermine our border security'. Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, has said smuggling gangs have been allowed to take hold along the UK's borders over the last six years, making millions out of the dangerous journeys.
Times
2 minutes ago
- Times
Oasis fan ‘left bruised after Liam's maracas wrestled away from her'
Oasis had just finished another epic gig, concluding the set with Champagne Supernova as fireworks lit up the sky. Leaving the stage on Sunday, Liam Gallagher, the band's lead singer, threw his tambourine to one side of the Wembley crowd and a pair of tied maracas to the other. The latter landed straight in the hands of Chantal Arpino, a 42-year-old mortgage adviser from Buckinghamshire. But before she could pocket her memento, she claims two men ripped the maracas from her, pulling back her fingers, drawing blood and leaving her with cuts and bruises. Arpino, who paid more than £1,000 for two tickets for her and her partner, said: 'I caught them in the air. I've got my hands on both of them but they are strapped at the handle and my hands were twisted holding on to them.
Rhyl Journal
21 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Fact check: Claims around Britannia hotel in Canary Wharf
These claims differ from what the police have said about the events. The police say that people filmed leaving the hotel on mopeds were hotel staff, while the escort was provided to a delivery driver who was delivering to the hotel. Police also said that the ban on protest applies only to a specific group of people and if others want to protest at the hotel lawfully they are allowed. Protests took place outside the Britannia hotel on Sunday amid reports that asylum seekers are set to be housed at the site. Delivery drivers The video of the delivery driver being escorted by police matches images on Google Street View from the site, another video of the event has been shared on social media and the police commented on the video – all of which confirm that the event was indeed filmed at the location in Canary Wharf. The police statement said that the driver was not a resident at the hotel and that there's no evidence they were an illegal worker. 'This person was delivering to the hotel, they were not being accommodated there. There is no evidence to suggest they were working illegally,' the Met Police said. 'They were were surrounded and intimidated by those gathered outside and officers intervened to make sure they got away safely.' A screenshot from another video which showed two people on mopeds trying to leave the hotel matches Street View images from the scene. In response to that the police said: 'The two people leaving were members of staff working at the hotel who were, as with the incident this afternoon, subjected to unacceptable harassment by those waiting outside.' Protesters Videos were circulated online showing police ordering people to leave the area. However, in a statement the Metropolitan Police said that this was for a group which remained 'who were harassing occupants of the hotel and staff'. 'Their actions went well beyond protest to harassment and we used powers under the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 to order that specific group to leave and not return for 28 days. 'If a different group wishes to protest in the vicinity of the hotel they are not banned from doing so, providing they do so lawfully.' Post on X (archived post and video) Post on YouTube (archived post and video from separate source) Post on X (archived) First Street View image (archived) Video on Threads (archived) First police post (archived) Post of screenshot from video (archived) Second Street View image (archived) Second police post (archived) Post of video of police asking people to leave (archived post and video) Third police post (archived)
