The most random and surprising things you'll find at one of London's biggest National Rail stations from a magical platform to h...

London Bridge train station, located in central London, is a bustling transportation hub. The interchange opened in 1836, and after more than 100 years of service, in the 1960s and 1970s, the station underwent a significant modernisation program led by architect Sir Robert Matthew.

The old Victorian train shed was replaced by a new brutalist-style building, which included a 300-metre-long concourse and a pedestrian walkway known as the "Hay's Galleria." In the 2010s, London Bridge station underwent another major redevelopment project to accommodate increasing passenger numbers and improve facilities.

The Thameslink Programme involved the construction of a new street-level concourse and additional platforms.

READ MORE: Mayor says he is ‘not anti-car’ but hopes Outer Londoners will ditch petrol and diesel after ULEZ expands

A view of London Bridge station in the 1920s (Image: TV Grab)

Away from its core function as a central piece of London’s infrastructure, commuters will come across a heartwarming bronze statue depicting the characters from E. Nesbit's famous book - The Railway Children. It pays tribute to the children who waved goodbye to their father at the station.

Elsewhere, fans of the Harry Potter series will be delighted to know that there is a Harry Potter-themed installation at the station. Look for the sign indicating Platform nine and three quarters, reminiscent of the magical platform from the books and films.

For railway enthusiasts, there is an engineering marvel. The Bermondsey Diveunder is a section of the railway track near London Bridge station that has been ingeniously built beneath the existing tracks, which allows trains to pass over or under each other, improving capacity and reducing congestion.

There's also rumour that the house used in Bridget Jone's Diary, where Renée Zellweger's character famously made her three-course meal of blue soup, an omelette, and marmalade, is surrounded by railway tracks leading out of London Bridge station.

Under all of this is a network of hidden tunnels and chambers known as The Vaults. These spaces are occasionally used for art installations, immersive theatre experiences and other unique events.

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Live M25 traffic updates as huge crash between multiple cars causes severe delays near East London

The M25 clockwise has been closed near East London this morning (June 10) after a huge multi-vehicle crash blocked the entire carriageway, with emergency services rushing to the scene.

It's understood the incident happened near Epping with the northbound carriageway closed on the link road from the M25 Junction 27 clockwise in Epping through to the M11 Junction 6 northbound.

It's not known yet whether any of those involved in the crash have been injured.

National Highways has tweeted to warn motorists of the closure. All lanes are being temporarily held as of 10.30am.

MyLondon has reached out to Essex Police for more information on this incident.

Did you see what happened? Get in touch at dan.wiggins@reachplc.com

For more updates on this breaking news story follow our blog below

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Live North Finchley fire updates as blaze breaks out near primary school

A fire has broken out close to a primary school in North Finchley this morning (June 8). Around six fire engines and 40 firefighters have rushed to the scene of the blaze.

A London Fire Brigade spokesperson wrote: "Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters have been called to a fire on Moss Hall Grove in North Finchley. The Brigade's 999 Control Officers have taken nearly 40 calls. More info soon"

The nature of the fire is not yet known and there have not yet been reports of any injuries.

This is a developing news story, follow our live blog for all the latest updates.

Are you at the scene? Did you see what happened? Let us know at matt.spivey@reachplc.com.

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South London mum wins £6.5k after she was forced to sleep in same bed as son while council 'ignored' leaky roof for 5 years

A mum has won £6,500 from a South London council after it failed to fix her leaky roof for five years. The Housing Ombudsman - which deals with complaints about town hall landlords - found Lambeth Council spent a total of six years dragging its heels over an ongoing damp and mould problem in the unnamed woman’s flat.

In one instance, the council took five months to act on a safeguarding enquiry from her son’s primary school about black mould and a broken window pane in the house. It was one of a catalogue of failures in the council’s handling of the case which led the woman and her son having to sleep in the same bed to keep warm because of dodgy windows elsewhere in the house.

While workmen sent by the council tried to fix the problems, the flat was left in darkness, surrounded by scaffolding, for over two years. Meanwhile, the woman’s son developed what she described as “extreme eczema,” which his school reported was visible on his hands and body. He also started using an inhaler, which his mum blamed on mould in the property.

READ MORE: South London council staff evacuated through 'plume of smoke' during fire at headquarters

Lambeth Council has since apologised to the woman for the delays (Image: LDR Grainne Cuffe)

During an emergency leak at the flat in 2021, the woman called the fire brigade after the council failed to respond. When firefighters arrived, they told her that live wires above the flat’s door were hazardous.

Lambeth said that repairs were delayed because the woman refused to let a surveyor in to inspect her roof. But the Ombudsman said “little evidence was seen to support” the council’s claims, noting that there was no evidence it had formally raised access issues since a court hearing in 2016.

The Ombudsman added that missing information “hampered” its investigation into the case. Lambeth was unable to provide a tenancy agreement or any inspection reports when asked for them.

Richard Blakeway, the Housing Ombudsman, branded the woman’s situation “intolerable” and blasted the council for its “inappropriate” response which was “contrary to its legal obligations.”

He added: “It should not take intervention from the Ombudsman to carry out fundamental repairs."

Lambeth Council said it had now completed all the works, apologised to the woman and paid her £6,500 compensation.

A council spokesperson added: “We acknowledge that our management of the repair was inadequate, and we recognize the need for greater proactive communication with our tenants.

“We acknowledge that a proactive approach is crucial when addressing water penetration and damp issues, as these can be highly disruptive for our residents and have the potential to escalate.

“The council is therefore actively working on establishing a Repairs Journey team and an Early Resolutions team dedicated to improving communication between the Repairs Service and our tenants, and managing and coordinating repair needs promptly and proactively.”

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