North London man blames council after tripping on 'pavement crack' and fracturing ankle

A man from North London has blamed the council for ‘forgetting their duty of care’ after he tripped over a cracked pavement and fractured his ankle. He claims Brent Council’s “negligence” could leave vulnerable residents at risk of serious injury.

Robert Medcalfe, 36, says he has been left on crutches after falling over a broken pavement whilst walking down Lancaster Road in Dollis Hill on November 24. Brent Council said the road is inspected yearly for "serious defects" and it has resurfaced more than 45 miles of pavements over the last six years.

Robert was on his way back home from his mum's house when he tripped and said the experience left him "in shock". He "dropped to the floor" before managing to pull himself up and "hop home" to put ice on the swelling and bleeding.

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Robert Medcalfe fractured his ankle after tripping on the broken pavement (Image: Robert Medcalfe)

Robert is calling on the council to urgently carry out repair work to cracked pavements across the borough. He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “I feel it's due to the negligence and failing in their duty of care to residents.”

He added: “A mother and buggy or elderly person is allowed to be put at risk of serious injury just by walking down the street, something the council should be taking seriously. I am neither elderly or accompanied by infants and yet I have been injured and caused harm.

“The care for the community is getting lost [...] and there is too much focus on money. They can't keep blaming central government for actions they pull the trigger on. I'm sure it's not an easy job, but clearly the empathy for the stress and injury they cause to local people with abhorrent decisions is getting lost.”

Robert Medcalfe has called for urgent repair works to be carried out to prevent further injuries (Image: Robert Medcalfe)

In 2019, Brent Council announced a plan to repair 42 miles of pavement by 2022 as part of a £20m improvements programme. According to the council, pavement repairs are prioritised by a number of factors, including the results of an independent annual survey, its usage, level of risk, and cost benefit.

As part of the improvements, the existing surfaces are replaced with a mixture of asphalt and concrete blocks for vehicle crossings and at junctions, which the council claims means It is “less likely to crack and create trip hazards”.

Robert said pavements in need of repair can be found across the borough. However, he claims the wealthier areas benefit from the restoration works whilst the worst affected areas “don’t get the attention”.

He said: “Areas that urgently need the most care initiatives, such as Neasden or Alperton are being left unmaintained having to endure the flytipping and damaged roads.”

The incident happened when Robert Medcalfe was walking down Lancaster Road in Dollis Hill (Image: Robert Medcalfe)

He has previously complained to the council that disabled people have had to use the road when they can't navigate the pavement. He added: “It feels like it's losing its ethos of keeping this borough clean and safe for families and young people to live happily and thrive in and focusing on maximising profits to the detriment of long standing residents.”

Cabinet Member for Environment, Infrastructure and Climate Action, Cllr Krupa Sheth, said: “We are sorry to hear about the resident’s fall and wish him a speedy recovery. We inspect Lancaster Road yearly for serious defects."

She added: "When we draw up our planned maintenance programme for the next two years, this along with all other roads will be considered for pavement resurfacing and we will prioritise the roads in need of the most urgent repairs.

“Since 2017, we have invested more than £27m on improving Brent’s footways, refreshing over 45 miles of pavement. Residents should report any highway defects for investigation through FixMyStreet, including specific location information so we can target inspections appropriately.”

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The air above a London flat is on sale for £10,000

The 'airspace' above a south west London flat is on the market for £10,000. The space at 47 Northcote Road in Battersea is on sale despite no planning permission to build.

Auctioneer Phillip Arnold states in the listing that the freeholder "will be providing landlord's consent to develop" on top of the roof of the flat below. The plot is offered "with vacant possession" and the auctioneer's site says "a new 150-year lease with a peppercorn ground rent will be granted upon completion".

The space is located within walking distance of Clapham Junction station and is above two self-contained flats and a ground-floor restaurant that is changing into a café. It is also within easy reach of Wandsworth and the River Thames.

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Speaking to the BBC, Mr Arnold said revealed that the plot next door was currently being redeveloped with an additional storey and another, two doors down, had permission for the same. "You'd like to think there's a better chance than most with this," he said.

Mr Arnold acknowledged that the project would not be "a straightforward build" and extra costs are likely - for example, if a crane was required - the low initial cost for the space gave it "hope value". He told the BBC: "London has been through a big period of flat conversions.

"You get phases, and I think this will be one of them and people will just actively look for these things. They're like buses; it's the first one I've had for ages but about 18 months ago I had nine.

"I think you're going to see a lot more of them. Sometimes if you've got a couple of people bidding the price will go through the roof."

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Met Police officer who tasered girl, 10, holding garden shears cleared of misconduct

A Metropolitan Police constable who tasered a 10-year-old girl brandishing garden shears has been cleared of gross misconduct by a disciplinary panel. Pc Jonathan Broadhead fired his Taser at the girl twice within seconds of entering her home in south-west London on January 21 2021, after her mother called 999 when the child threatened her with a hammer and the shears.

He was accused of using force “which was not necessary, reasonable and proportionate” against the girl, referred to as Child A during his Met Police gross misconduct hearing at Palestra House in London.

But on Thursday the panel’s chairwoman, Catherine Elliot said: “Having considered the evidence in great detail… the panel has concluded that Pc Broadhead’s use of Taser on Child A was necessary, reasonable and proportionate in all the circumstances. The allegations are therefore not proved.”

READ MORE: Met Police officer who twice tasered girl, 10, said her being a child ‘raised’ risk of situation

A 10-year-old girl was tasered twice during the incident (Image: Getty Images)

The facts of the case were not disputed but Pc Broadhead argued “Taser was the best option I had” after the girl “armed” herself with the shears on his arrival, posing a risk to him and others in the house.

Giving evidence on Tuesday, he said: “I was worried what her intentions were with the shears, why, as soon as she’d seen us, she’d picked the shears up. I was worried what she was going to do with them.”

Olivia Checa-Dover, presenting the case for the Independent Office for Police Conduct watchdog, argued Child A posed “no immediate threat” and claimed her age was not properly factored into Pc Broadhead’s decision making.

The child’s mother, Miss A, previously said she was “shocked” by “the way things were handled” by Pc Broadhead, who she hoped would help verbally de-escalate the situation.

Body-worn footage played during the hearing showed how Pc Broadhead said “Put it down now” three times, referring to the shears, and “Police officer, Taser” before tasering the girl as she tried to go upstairs.

Miss A called police after Child A threatened her with the tools after she confiscated her mobile phone due to a safeguarding concern, the panel previously heard.

She feared the girl’s behaviour may have been affected by consuming cannabis edibles and on Monday said that Child A hit her with the hammer after she called 999.

The incident left Child A with “three barbs in her skin” which had to be removed by paramedics and she spent a night in hospital, Ms Checa-Dover previously said.

Following the panel’s conclusion, Mel Palmer, regional director at the Independent Office for Police Conduct, said: “Following our investigation, it was our view that an independent disciplinary panel could – based on the evidence – find that the officer had committed gross misconduct by breaching the standard of professional behaviour for use of force.

“But only a disciplinary panel – led by an independent legally-qualified chair – can decide if the gross misconduct allegation is proven and the panel has now decided that the officer’s use of force was reasonable and proportionate in the circumstances.

“We did find the officers provided adequate aftercare to the child by calling paramedics to remove the Taser barbs, performing a partial search and keeping her in handcuffs. This meant that the barbs were not moved, which may have caused her further pain.”

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Four snow and ice warnings issued in UK as London temperatures plunge to -2C

Temperatures are set to plummet in London this week as the first cold snap of winter arrives. Met Office forecasters have warned overnight temperatures could be as low as -2C on Friday (December 1), while the mercury won't climb above 3C on Saturday.

A yellow weather warning is in place along the entire eastern coastline of the UK, while another warning covers Devon, Somerset and Dorset. The Met Office says some roads and railways will be affected by the wintry showers and cool conditions as 5cm of snow is expected in some places.

A spokesperson said: “There is the chance of widespread overnight frosts for much of the UK in the coming days and a risk of snow to northern Scotland and parts of northeast England. With the UK sitting in cold air from northern Scandinavia the weather is turning much colder for the rest of this week and the start of next week with daytime temperatures struggling to get above single figures and overnight temperatures staying below freezing for much of the country.”

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Despite the cool conditions, London is set to generally enjoy clear sunny skies between Thursday and Saturday. Next week the mercury will climb slightly as forecasters predict cloudy weather and highs of 7C.

The Met Office says these milder conditions should remain in place for the first half of December, although this is coupled with the potential for more rain.

London & South East England weather forecast

Today:

A cold and start with some frost in places. Any early morning fog will clear through the morning, leaving a fine afternoon with sunny spells and a chance of some showers in the far east. Feeling cold with light winds. Maximum temperature 5 °C.

Tonight:

Clear skies overnight which means it will be turning very cold with a widespread sharp frost, and some icy stretches possible. Mist and freezing fog patches possible too. Minimum temperature -2 °C.

Thursday:

Another cold and frosty start but largely dry with some autumnal sunshine once mist and fog clears. Perhaps the odd shower in the far east. Feeling cold in the breeze. Maximum temperature 4 °C.

Outlook for Friday to Sunday:

Largely dry with some early morning mist and fog around at times. Feeling cold with overnight frosts and showers in the far east, perhaps falling as sleet over high ground.

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Man accused of murdering London student in Nottingham attack pleads not guilty

A man who has been accused of murdering three people in Nottingham, including 19-year-old London student Grace O'Malley-Kumar, has pleaded not guilty today (Tuesday November 28). Valdo Calocane, 32, of no fixed address, was charged with the murder of three people - Barnaby Webber, Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates - and with the attempted murders of Sharon Miller, Marcin Gawronski and Wayne Birkett on June 13.

While Calocane has pleaded not guilty to the charges of murder at Nottingham Crown Court, he has issued guilty pleas regarding charges of manslaughter and attempted murder. Prosecutor Karim Khalil KC has told the hearing the crown will need time to consider whether or not the pleas are acceptable or not, NottinghamshireLive has reported.

Peter Joyce KC, defending, said to the judge: "You know what the issues are and the world should know this: The defendant does not dispute the physical acts of any of the prosecution's case. Though he committed these dreadful acts, he did this while he was suffering from extreme mental illness."

READ MORE: Third man arrested after women grabbed in street and Uber driver stabbed in chest

Valdo Calocane pleaded not guilty in a packed coutroom (Image: Elizabeth Cook/PA Wire)

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The two University of Nottingham students were stabbed to death at around 4am on Ilkeston Road, just a few minutes from their university halls.

Barnaby Webber and Grace Kumar, were both 19 when they were killed. Ian Coates, a primary school caretaker in his 60s, was also found dead with knife wounds near Mapperley Park, Nottingham, sometime after 5am.

Ian had his van stolen and was fatally attacked just under two miles away from where the students were found. His van was then driven into three people waiting at a bus stop on Milton Street in Nottingham’s city centre at around 5.30am.

Grace grew up in London, and had attended Bancroft's School in North-East London. She was a keen sportswoman and was a member of the England U16 and U18 hockey squads, as well as playing for Southgate Hockey Club and Woodford Wells Cricket Club in London.

Her funeral was held at Westminster Cathedral in July, with more than 1,000 guests estimated to be in attendance to pay their respects. During the funeral, her father Dr Sanjoy Kumar said: “No father should be called upon to give a eulogy for their child.

Grace Kumar's family have been left utterly devastated (Image: Nottinghamshire Police)

“It’s not the natural order of things. It generally means something really unnatural has taken place and unfortunately for me, my beloved daughter Grace has been taken away from us.”

Dr Kumar spoke about his daughter’s dedication to medicine and mentioned that she had volunteered to vaccinate people when he became the operations lead for a Covid vaccination centre in Waltham Forest . The congregation heard that Ms O’Malley-Kumar had wanted to apply to the Royal Army Medical Corps to further her medical training, inspired by her father and uncle, an orthopaedic surgeon.

Her mother Sinead O’Malley told the service that her daughter had been “cruelly and inexplicably taken”. She said: “She came into our lives here in Westminster at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington. Her birth registered here, and it is now from Westminster that she will leave. Grace was such a perfect gift to us.”

A funeral for Mr Webber was held at Taunton Minster in Taunton, Somerset, earlier in the month.

Got a story for us? Email anna.willis@reachplc.com.

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The North London bus route that's cut short on Wembley Stadium event days

North London residents are calling for urgent changes to a Wembley Stadium bus route that prematurely stops on event days. Locals claim this ‘disproportionately affects the most vulnerable’ people, including the elderly, disabled, and parents with children.

The number 206 bus that runs between Kilburn Park and The Paddocks in Wembley stops at Brent Park many hours before an event is held at the stadium. Brent Council said it is “committed” to completing road works that will enable the service to use an alternative route.

Resident Peggy Wylie raised the issue at a recent council meeting (November 20). She said for many the route is “a real necessity” and pressured the administration to commit to completing the remaining works to ensure the route is fully operational by spring of next year.

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The 206 bus doesn't go any further than Brent Park on Wembley Stadium event days (Image: TfL)

Peggy said: “The suspension of this service to the Wembley Park, Kings Drive, The Paddocks and Salmon Street area disproportionately affects our most vulnerable residents - the elderly, disabled, parents with small children and women travelling home alone at night.

She added: “It also affects people needing to travel from this area to reach their place of employment and in particular those that work for Tesco, IKEA [...] and the large number of school children who rely on this bus to take them to and from home safely.”

The Wembley Area Action Plan proposed to open North End Road, which would allow traffic to and from Bridge Road and enable the 206 bus to complete the entire route on match days. These works, alongside the Wembley 2 Way project, have now been completed but Peggy said residents are “still deprived” of the full service.

Cabinet Member for Environment, Infrastructure and Climate Action, Cllr Krupa Sheth, said: Transport for London (TfL) are responsible for providing bus services in London but the council requests improvements “to satisfy the needs of residents and businesses” and works with them on Wembley Stadium event days where diverting services is necessary “for security”.

TfL carried out a consultation earlier this year on proposed changes to the 206 route after the introduction of the two-way arrangement in the area. Following the consultation and subsequent tests of the route, TfL confirmed that, due to the need for further signal work at the junction of Bridge Road and North End, as well as parking controls and strengthening of a water culvert, a revised change to the route would need to be implemented.

Cllr Sheth said: “The latter is now required in order to support the intention to introduce electric buses on the 206 route. As such, and for the immediate future at least, route 206 will continue to serve Fulton Road and Rutherford road.”

She added: “It is intended that all these changes will be introduced during 2024. The Council will continue to work with TfL to deliver improvements to bus services through the area on stadium event days and throughout the borough.”

A TfL spokesperson said: "Buses play a vital role in enabling people to travel affordably and sustainably and we work hard to ensure that we can run as full a service as possible, while accommodating major events and other disruption on the road network. Occasionally on busier match days this means having to slightly shorten the 206 route."

They added: “Following a recent consultation and feedback from the local community, we took the decision not to reroute the 206 via North End Road at this time as work would be needed to strengthen a road bridge over the canal. We continue to keep our service on match days under review to ensure we can offer the best possible service to our customers."

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Brummie boards packed London Underground train to 'find friendly people' and passengers couldn't look less impressed

People not from London always comment about how unfriendly Londoners are and how everyone looks miserable on the Tube. One Brummie decided to put that to the test, boarding a packed London Underground train to try to find friendly people and fellow passengers couldn't look less impressed by his attempt.

In the video posted on TikTok, you can see the Brummie practically shout on a Piccadilly line train: "So London is full of friendly people. As you can see these people are very friendly. Hello, everyone. Hello, hello. Is anyone friendly? Is there any friendly people on this train, please?"

He then shouts at two people near him "Are you friendly, brother? Are you friendly, Madam? London is full of friendly people, as you can see. Everybody in here is saying hello to me." Most people on the Tube are trying to avoid eye contact with the Brummie, and to be fair you can understand why.

READ MORE: London bus passenger goes viral for how respectfully he treats his dog - and the seats

The Brummie continues to shout about people not being that friendly and does so when transferring to the Jubilee Line, before boarding another train and continuing on his antics.

On this train, where it is not busy, he starts speaking loudly again: "We're from up north., we're friendly. London people, they will not talk to you because they are not friendly like us. But yeah. Anyways, if you're a tourist in London, please be vigilant. Look, nobody smiles."

However, on this train, he does meet someone who responds to him and acts friendly. The Brummie then says: "Mate, you're the first person who's fully smiled in London. Actually, there's some nice people in London." He then asks them 'Are you from London?' to which they respond 'no' which the Brummie then uses to prove his point.

Many people in the comments have found the TikTok very funny and there are many other TikToks that people make on the Tube. MyLondon covered one story about people urinating on the Tube seats on the Central Line which sparked mass outrage from people.

There was another video where a TikTok star who pranks people with his own megaphone on the Tube manages to prank a train full of people that there were bed bugs on their train. In the video, you can see that his announcement causes many to vacate their seats.

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