A person has been hit by a train between East Croydon and Purley this evening as major disruption is expected for the rest of the night. The news was shared by Southern Rail on X (formerly Twitter).
They said: "We are very sorry to advise that a person has been hit by a train between East Croydon and Purley. All lines are blocked between these stations, and trains are unable to travel on this part of our network. This incident will cause major disruption for the rest of the night."
National Rail shared in an update: "A person has been hit by a train between East Croydon and Purley. Whilst the emergency services carry out their work, all lines between these stations are closed. Trains may be cancelled, delayed or revised."
They also said there was another incident of a person being hit by a train: "A person beng hit by a train between London Kings Cross / Moorgate and Peterborough / Cambridge. Whilst emergency services attend the incident, all lines are blocked. Trains running between these stations may be cancelled, delayed by up to 60 minutes or revised."
This is a breaking news story, follow our live updates below.
European city breaks can be quite costly when you factor in flights, hotels, food, and tourist attractions. However, there is one destination which has been named the most budget-friendly and it's less than three hours from London.
According to the annual Post Office City Costs Barometer, Lisbon is the most cost-effective city break in Europe. The Portuguese city works out cheapest based on a two-night weekend stay in a three-star hotel, including a visit to a museum, gallery, sightseeing bus tour, and public transport for the day.
What's more, just an hour's journey away are the biggest waves in the world - perfect for a day of surfing - and, you can even swim with dolphins, making it the perfect mixture of culture and beachy relaxation few city breaks have. Lisbon is also home to delicious cuisine and independent boutiques.
Head to Portugal to find the most budget-friendly city break in the continent (Image: Getty Images)
The Post Office’s research found Lisbon was the cheapest of 35 of the most popular European city breaks. Food and drink costs factored in the price of a cup of coffee and a three-course meal.
In Lisbon, you'll spend, on average, just £39.01 and a gallery ticket price is £4.52. Alcohol is much cheaper in Portugal than in London, costing just £2.26 for a 330ml bottle of beer in a bar.
The city is well-known for traditional pastel de nata. Why not also head to Time Out Market where you can choose from 26 restaurants, eight bars, and fresh meat, fish, fruit and flowers?
Top rated attractions for Lisbon on TripAdvisor include the Alfama neighbourhood and Oceanário de Lisboa aquarium. Just an hour's drive from the city, you'll find the biggest surfing waves in the world in Nazaré.
The Nazare Tow Challenge sees surfers ride huge waves at Praia do Norte, or North Beach, in Nazare, Portugal (Image: AP)
The Tow Surfing Challenge, held on Praia do Norte or North Beach, has seen waves that are eight storeys tall entering Guinness World Records. Garrett McNamara, a 52-year-old Hawaiian, rode a wave measuring 23.77m (78ft) in 2011 that entered the record book.
Brazilian Rodrigo Koxa later broke the record after surfing a 24.38m (80ft) wave on the same beach in 2017. There are thousands of miles of stunning coastline to explore, and you can even swim with dolphins.
Operating from Lisbon, Albufeira, Cascais, or Portimão, you can go on a boat tour to see the animals up close. Choose between a half-day or a full-day tour with an on-board lunch and time to snorkel in the clear blue waters.
Whales and dolphins are often visible in Spain and Portugal (Image: Laszlo Szirtesi/Getty Images)
The top 10 European cities if you're on a budget in 2023
Lisbon, Portugal
Vilnius, Lithuania
Krakow, Poland
Athens, Greece
Riga, Latvia
Porto, Portugal
Zagreb, Croatia
Budapest, Hungary
Warsaw, Poland
Lille, France
Lisbon's old town is a fascinating place to explore (Image: Viola Lopes/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)
How to get there
Hop on a flight with Ryanair or Wizz Air to Lisbon - it should take just under three hours. You can drive to Portugal but it'll take almost a whole day at 22 hours You can also book flights through Lastminute.com. See accommodation options on Booking.com and Hotels.com. You can book UK and European trains - including cheap Eurostar tickets - on Trainline.
A pensioner has died in hospital days after he was attacked in his home in Newham. Franklin Agbotui, 79, was attacked on May 15 and left critically injured at his address in East London.
The police were called just after 3pm on Wednesday, May 15 by people concerned with Mr Agbotui's wellbeing. When they found him at the scene he was rushed the London Ambulance Service said that they dispatched an air ambulance to treat Mr Agbotui before he was taken to a major trauma centre.
Sadly, Mr Agbotui died in hospital. Philip Fracezek, 20, was arrested soon after and on Friday, May 17, was charged with attempted murder at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court. He will appear at the Central Criminal Court (the Old Bailey) on Friday, June 14 and the Crown Prosecution Service will work with police to amend the charge to murder, given he was charged before the victim died.
Philip Fracezek first appeared at Barkingside Magistrates' Court (Image: Google)
A police spokesperson previously said: "Police were called at 3.08pm on Wednesday, May 15 to concerns for the safety of the occupant of a residential address on Plaistow Road, E15. Officers and London Ambulance Service [LAS] attended.
"At the scene a man, aged 79, was found injured. He was taken to an East London hospital where his condition is critical."
A North London primary school is set to close for a further five days over the next two weeks after staff agreed to take strike action against government plans to turn it into an academy. The decision came after the school was rated ‘inadequate’ by the education watchdog, but staff, parents, and local politicians are fighting against what they feel is a ‘draconian’ measure.
A recent Ofsted report highlighted a ‘marked deterioration’ at Byron Court in Wembley after its rating plummeted from ‘outstanding’ in 2012 to ‘inadequate’ following inspections on November 28 and 29 last year. This triggered an automatic response from the Department for Education (DfE), with the school forced to come under the control of an academy, Harris Trust, to address the issues.
After a number of protests staged outside the school - attended by staff, parents, pupils, and politicians - those staff who are members of the National Education Union (NEU) have now opted to strike in an effort to halt the process, which could be implemented as early as September of this year.
Byron Court Primary School was rated 'inadequate' following an Ofsted inspection last year (Image: Google Maps)
Having already picketed outside the school last week, (May 17), the union has announced a further five days of strikes - meaning the school will be forced to close on those days. The strikes will take place tomorrow (May 21) and Wednesday (May 22), as well as from June 4 to June 6.
A statement from the NEU called the Ofsted inspection ‘intimidating’ and claimed staff had been left ‘fearing for their mental health and their futures’. It added: “Many of these long-serving staff served the school’s community throughout the pandemic and face uncertainty in their jobs, pay and conditions as they face a takeover by the hostile Harris multi-academy trust.”
Brent Secretary at the NEU, Jenny Cooper, said: “We will not be stopping this fight any time soon as there is too much at stake here and we know we have the support of the community. Gillian Keegan (MP and Secretary of State for Education) knows what she can do: commission a reinspection and pause the academy order; this could resolve our dispute.”
If the DfE order goes ahead, the school will come under control of Harris Multi-Academy Trust (Image: Guillermo Lloret Farina)
The strike action is likely to cause significant disruption to pupils and parents, especially as it coincides with SAT exams for those in Year 6. The NEU have noted that it is aimed specifically at the DfE and not Brent Council - which has publicly backed calls for the academisation process to stop and the school to be reinspected after it put ‘extensive support’ in place to ensure the issues had been addressed.
The Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Schools, Cllr Gwen Grahl, called the DfE decision ‘draconian’ and has written to the department and the Secretary of State to oppose the plan. This is a noteworthy intervention as the council is forced to comply with, and facilitate, the order. Addressing a recent Cabinet meeting (April 8), Cllr Grahl even said herself that the council ‘cannot oppose or even delay’ the process.
Cllr Grahl told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “Allowing the school longer to effect improvements and giving Byron Court the opportunity for re-inspection prior to proceeding with academisation proposals is likely to resolve the current industrial dispute and provide reassurance to families and school staff during a tumultuous period for all.
Brent Council's Cabinet Member for Schools, Cllr Gwen Grahl, called the measures 'draconian'
She added: “Byron Court is a much-loved community school and academisation remains deeply unpopular among families and staff. The local authority has quickly put extensive recourse to forced academisation. [...] It is clear that legislation surrounding forced academisation is disenfranchising communities and removing the valuable oversight of local authorities.”
All parties are continuing to lobby Ms Keegan to get the academy order revoked, whilst Cllr Grahl has requested a meeting with the Minister for the School System and Student Finance, Baroness Diana Barran, to discuss the situation further. According to the DfE, 7 out of 10 schools which became academies due to underperformance in inspections while they were local authority-maintained now have a 'good' or 'outstanding' Ofsted rating.
A spokesperson told the LDRS: "Strike action is damaging to pupils' learning and disruptive for parents. Children’s education has always been our priority and they should be in classrooms where they belong."
They added: "As with any school that receives an overall judgement of inadequate, Byron Court Primary School will become an academy and be transferred to a strong trust - with a strong track record of ensuring pupils receive the highest standard of education."
Properties in London went for an overall average price of £771,04 last year according to Rightmove, all these pubs are cheaper
If you are saving up to buy a house, good for you. It's a solid investment and will stand you in good stead for your future. London, however, is getting more and more expensive making it less likely to get more for your money.
With all the money that you could put into a house, there are also other types of properties that you could buy which would also serve as a great investment into your future like a business.
On the website BusinessesForSale.com, you can pursue a number of different businesses around the country that are up for sale. In London, there are a number of reputable businesses that can be found from pet shops to pubs.
Below, we have documented each pub for sale that is cheaper than what Rightmove said was the average price of properties in London to see how far your money can go with these.
The London Underground is a marvel of its kind - as the original underground metro system, it's been the map for a great many other cities.
But it's name is...well, misleading. More than half of it is above ground, for one.
That's right, 156 of the 272 stations on the map are actually above the ground. In the case of Whitechapel, the Underground even boasts tracks above the Overground. Confusing, right?
TfL put together a handy map for people with claustrophobia or anxiety, who could find largely underground journeys stressful.
Mapping out these stations "will help a range of customers navigate the network more comfortably by showing them routes they can take to avoid areas with large stretches of tunnels," according to TfL.
Nicky Lidbetter, Chief Executive from Anxiety UK, said: "For those with anxiety conditions such as panic attacks and claustrophobia, we know that travel by the underground can be problematic and challenging."
So, for those of you who could find comfort in knowing how much of each Tube line is actually above ground, or for those of you who are simply nosy like us, here are the exact London Underground stations on each line that aren't actually underground:
Bakerloo line
The Bakerloo line starts at Harrow & Wealdstone, continuing above ground for another seven stops before Queen's Park. The Tube then dips below ground until the end of the line.
Harrow & Wealdstone
Kenton
South Kenton
North Wembley
Stonebridge Park
Harlesden
Willesden Juntion
Kensal Green
Queen's Park
Central line
A lot of the West London stations on the Central line stay above ground. The line dips below ground just before you arrive at Shepherd's Bush, continuing this way all the way to Stratford. The line then dips up again for the rest of the stops, with the exceptions of Wanstead, Redbridge, Gants Hill and some other areas in between stations.
The Circle line runs abiove ground from Hammersmith to Edgeware Road, before descending underground for the rest of the journey, other than Sloane Square and South Kensington.
Hammersmith
Goldhawk Road
Shepherd's Bush Market
Wood Lane
Latimer Road
Ladbroke Grove
Westbourne Park
Royal Oak
Edgware Road
Sloane Square
South Kensington
District line
We haven't seen Tube platforms this crowded on the District line in a long time since the coronavirus lockdown (Image: Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)
West and South West stops on the District line are above ground until arriving at Earl's Court. The stops through Central London are they largely underground until Bromley-by-Bow, and the line from then on stays above.
This line starts above ground from Hammersmith, before going underground as it heads more into the city. It then pops above ground at Farringdon, down again, and again at Bromley-by-Bow for the rest of the line.
Hammersmith
Goldhawk Road
Shepherd's Bush Market
Wood Lane
Latimer Road
Ladbroke Grove
Westbourne Park
Royal Oak
Edgware Road
Farringdon
Bromley-by-Bow
West Ham
Plaistow
Upton Park
East Ham
Barking
Jubilee line
Many stations on the Jubilee line don't live up to the London Underground name (Image: Leon Neal/Getty Images)
Again, the Jubilee line starts above ground in Stanmore, before descending below ground before Swiss Cottage. It then continues below ground until just before Canning Town, dipping below again for Stratford and ending above ground at Stratford International.
Stanmore
Canons Park
Queensbury
Kingsbury
Neasden
Dollis Hill
Willesden Green
Kilburn
West Hampstead
Finchley Road
Canning Town
Stratford International
Metropolitan line
All of the West London stations on the Metropolitan line are above ground, before the line heads underground just after Finchley Road for the rest of the line.
A lot of the Northern line is underground - it also includes the deepest station on the network (Hampstead) in case you were wondering.
Morden is the only stop above ground before the Northern Line descends below ground. It then continues to be below ground until the Edgware branch arrives at Golders Green and the High Barnet branch arrives at Each Finchley.
When each branch arrives at these stops, they then stay above ground until the final stops.
The Heathrow branch rises above ground before Hounslow Central, and the Uxbridge branch continues above ground until both branches join at Acton Town, and dip below ground before Earl's Court.
The line then continues through the city underground until it pops up again at Arnos Grove, back down again for Southgate, and above ground at Oakwood and Cockfosters.
Uxbridge
Hillingdon
Ickenham
Ruislip
Ruislip Manor
Eastcote
Rayners Lane
South Harrow
Sudbury Hill
Sudbury Town
Alperton
Park Royal
North Ealing
Ealing Common
South Ealing
Northfields
Boston Manor
Osterley
Hounslow East
Hounslow Central
Hounslow West
Acton Town
Hammersmith
Barons Court
Arnos Grove
Oakwood
Cockfosters
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The Northern Lights are at it again for their latest incredibly rare showing in UK skies. Experts at Auroura Watch UK have forecasted a red alert for geomagnetic activity this evening (Friday) in London and the UK. These geomagnetic events cause what we call aurora borealis.
Ever since their first dramatic showing on May 10, people across the Northern Hemisphere have been pointing their phones to the skies in hopes of capturing the beautiful green and purple lights dancing across the sky. The Met Office predicted tonight could have another coronal mass ejection from the sun causing an interaction with the Earth's magnetic field producing the amazing lights and it appears they were right.
Aroura Watch UK, run by scientists at the Planetary Physics group at Lancaster University, has published a bar chart showing that the base rate of geomagnetic activity is around 30 to 40 nanoteslas (a unit for measuring magnetism) but at 7pm BST this hit 500 nanoteslas. This massive jump is likely to mean we will be able to see the Northern Lights once again in the UK so get ready to stay up late and turn your phone cameras to the sky.
Look to the north: Try to figure out which way is north in advance as the Aurora Borealis is drawn towards the poles of the Earth. You may not be able to see the lights directly overhead, but if you look to the North you may see it on the horizon. To help, download a compass app on your phone in advance
Find somewhere with a clear view: Try to find an area that has no skyscrapers or other tall buildings so that your view is not obscured. Maybe even travel to a quieter area on the outskirts of London if possible to find wide open spaces.
Get up high: To also help with not having your view obscured, you could have a better chance if you’re on a hill or somewhere high and away from light pollution.
Stay up as late as you can: You want the sky to be as dark as possible so that you can see the lights. Staying up late helps this since the Auroras are most active in the late evening to early morning hours.
Use your phone: You can just about see the lights with the naked eye, however cameras can see it better. They can adapt to the wavelengths more than the human eye meaning you'll be able to appreciate the colours even more.
Why it is so rare for the Northern Lights to be seen across UK
The Northern Lights often are confined above the arctic circle, like these in Finland. But when solar storms are particularly strong they can go further south (Image: IRENE STACHON/Lehtikuva/AFP via Getty Images)
The natural aurora belt occurs around Finland, Norway, Iceland and Greenland meaning it takes a severe or extreme geomagnetic storm to bring the belt southwards directly over the UK. This makes it an incredibly rare occurrence. Moderate to strong geomagnetic storms can mean the Aurora borealis moves southwards across southern Iceland or towards the Faroes but these auroras can only be faintly visible from the UK in ideal conditions.
Tips for seeing the aurora in the UK during a severe or extreme storm include it needing to be a clear night with no cloud cover, you'll need to find a dark location with no light pollution and then look towards the northern horizon. The distance to the aurora belt means it can be difficult for it to be seen clearly by eye and it is often portrayed much brighter in pictures.
How to get alerts about UK aurora activity straight to your phone
This chart shows a huge increase in geomagnetic activity this evening - perfect for aroura creation (Image: Aroura Watch UK)
There is a way of making sure you don’t miss it in future and that’s by downloading a free app on your phone. AuroraWatch UK is a free service offering alerts of when the aurora might be visible from the UK. The picture above shows their alerts for this evening highlighted in red at the top.
It is run by scientists in the Space and Planetary Physics group at Lancaster University’s Department of Physics. You can find it in your phone’s App Store called AuroraWatch UK Aurora Alerts. If you download it, you will get a message on your phone when there is activity likely to lead to the Northern Lights.
