Love it or hate it, no one can deny that Wetherspoons is one of the most reliable, affordable pubs on the high street. Whether its a huge £8 full English breakfast, a £10 drink and dinner deal or a £5.50 pint, you tend to know exactly what you're in for. So when a Spoons closes down, it can feel like a pretty big loss. And residents in east London are reportedly 'gutted' that their local is next in line.
A one-year-old child has died following a hazardous materials incident at a flat in east London, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) has said. Fire crews were called to a property in Barking Road, Upton Park, in Newham, after two adults and two children attended hospital complaining about a smell of chemicals in a flat. The one-year-old child later died in hospital while receiving treatment. Around 12 people were evacuated from surrounding properties as a precaution as crews responded, LFB said.
The US Embassy in London was plunged into lockdown and bomb disposal experts carried out a controlled explosion after a bag containing wires and an iPad was left outside, a court heard. Daniel Parmenter, 44, is on trial at the Old Bailey accused of making a bomb hoax outside the embassy in Nine Elms last November 22. The court was told the defendant had denied intending to cause alarm, claiming it was just a form of sophisticated graffiti art.
Jewish groups have compiled a dossier of suspected hate crimes, including death threats and support for Hamas, by pro-Palestine protesters over the last two years after studying hours of footage on social media. In many alleged cases, charges by Scotland Yard and Britain's prosecuting authority were dropped or fell through at an preliminary stage. Among the examples cited are activists who blockaded synagogues and speeches in praise of the October 7 massacre, in which Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped a further 251.
It followed a tip-off to authorities that a frightening cache of pyrotechnics were being flogged off by an unlicensed vendor to members of the public. Fireworks should only be purchased from sellers, such as supermarkets, and not from market stalls or sellers conducting transactions door-to-door. Newham Trading Standards obtained a warrant to search a self-contained flat in Forest Gate last week and found the goods Those caught illicitly selling or lighting fireworks risk being fined up to 5,000 or sentenced to six months in prison.
Virgin Trains has had its application to share Eurostar's east London train depot approved by the Office of Rail and Road, paving the way for it to launch international services through the Channel Tunnel. Access to the depot is a critical requirement for an operator to launch Channel Tunnel services competing with Eurostar. Temple Mills is the only train depot that can be accessed from High Speed 1, the line that runs between London and the tunnel.
Two thieves who tried to steal a bicycle locked up opposite a police station in broad daylight have pleaded guilty to theft. John Kent, 43, of no fixed address, admitted attempted theft of a pedal cycle and handling stolen goods. John Hutchenson, 44, of Canton Street, E14, pleaded guilty to attempted theft of a pedal cycle, going equipped to steal, and theft from a shop.
Sentencing the men, a judge at the Old Bailey said they had planned a campaign of terrorism and sabotage in the interests of the Russian state. Dylan Earl was handed 17 years and a further six years on extended licence for his leading role. Jake Reeves, from Croydon in south London, was given 12 years in prison with one year on extended licence. The offences they admitted made them the first to be convicted under the National Security Act 2023.
Two teenagers have appeared in court facing computer hacking charges, in connection with last year's cyber attack on Transport for London (TfL). Thalha Jubair, 19, from east London, and Owen Flowers, 18, from Walsall in the West Midlands, were charged with conspiring to commit unauthorised acts under the Computer Misuse Act. They appeared at a hearing at Southwark Crown Court on Friday, and spoke only to confirm their names.
It begins, as so many of Shakespeare's stories do, in the dark. The Thames breathes mist across Bankside, while inside the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, hundreds of candles are kindled into life. The winter of 202526 at Shakespeare's Globe glimmers with transformation, imagination, and love in all its strange forms. The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse is the Globe's indoor counterpart: a jewel box of oak and candlelight built in 2014 as a reimagining of a Jacobean theatre.
Arguably the home of Christmas, the Charles Dickens Museum is the sort of place to visit before the Ghosts arrive to scare Scrooge in the evening. Open throughout the year, they pull out the festive decorations for Christmas and have a special open day on Christmas Eve where they'll be playing adaptations of A Christmas Carol throughout the day. Traditionally decorated in an authentic Victorian style, the Charles Dickens Museum evokes the nostalgia of a Dickensian Christmas.
gave freely of himself sharing his time, his laughter, to bring joy to others, always prioritising the happiness and wellbeing of those around him. In loving memory of a son, a father, and a cherished friend, our hearts are heavy as we remember a man whose presence brightened every room he entered. His generosity knew no bounds, and his compassion touched friends, neighbours, and strangers alike. Words cannot fully capture the depth of our gratitude for him and the impact of his kindness on our lives. He will be deeply missed, but his spirit will remain with us in the love he shared and the memories we will carry forward.
The Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan celebrated his birthday on board a 268million superyacht in the heart of London, according to reports. Sir Sadiq is understood to have marked his 55th birthday with a private celebration on the huge vessel anchored near London Bridge and was hosted by billionaire Fulham FC owner Shahid Khan. The mayor's appearance on one of the extravagant superyachts has been criticised by his rivals in City Hall, with one insider suggesting to the Express that it was inappropriate.
This unassuming little park in Battersea was once the scene of fierce legal battles - and even a riot - all sparked by a dog. It sits on what was once a much larger area of common land, which by the 1830s had been enclosed by housing around it and was being used as public allotments. However, the area's growing population meant that it couldn't last, and after about 30 years of debate, finally, in the early 1900s, the Latchmere Estate was constructed.
Rory Campbell launched the fund in 2017, vowing to beat the bookies with bets on games around Europe, including in England's Premier League and Spain's La Liga. Some were said to have lost up to 500,000 from their involvement in the failed fund. One of the investors reportedly died before receiving his money back. Campbell's father and mother Fiona Millar were reported to be facing losses running into hundreds of thousands of pounds relating to the alleged 5 million Ponzi-style pyramid scheme.
A teenage boy is in a critical condition after he was shot in north London. The Metropolitan Police was called to High Road, in Arnos Grove, at 17:40 BST on Thursday to reports of a shooting. A 17-year-old was treated at the scene for serious injuries and taken to hospital.
Residents in Camden filed more than 14,000 graffiti reports in the last three years, according to figures obtained under Freedom of Information legislation. This is equivalent to 6,582 complaints per 100,000 people, showing how the line between vandalism and art has been tested locally. Camden has gained notoriety in recent years for its vibrant street art, featuring large-scale murals to former residents such as Amy Winehouse.
Deep in the grimy, dimly lit back roads of King's Cross is a pub, a boozer in the truest sense of the word. McGlynn's, it's called, and when its landlord Jerry died in 2023, the pub died with him; it became just another ex-pub in a city full of ex-pubs. It was a special, unique place, a surviving slice of pre-gentrification London where you could still get a round in without taking out a mortgage,
Francisca Yawson, 37, made a series of bank transfers to herself when she was a gift aid and operations technician for the central London division of the Roman Catholic Church. Southwark crown court heard she made efforts to hide the thefts by cycling money through different accounts that she controlled. She spent most of the stolen cash on herself and her family, with investigators uncovering purchases on beauty products, John Lewis items, and at JD Sports.
Where to stay: Belgravia's The Emory, London's first all-suite hotel and part of the Maybourne Group (behind Claridge's and The Connaught), is one of the glitziest new addresses in town. It's joined by The Chancery Rosewood, Mayfair's latest opening, which houses a rooftop bar flanked by a magnificent eagle. For something a little more wallet-friendly, see our guide to the cheapest, nicest hotels in London.
Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
Set to be unveiled next March, the new Gilbert Galleries have been designed by the London-based Citizens Design Bureau practice. The number of galleries will increase from four to seven and will occupy adjacent former offices overlooking both the John Madejski Garden and Exhibition Road, as part of the V&A's Future Plan development programme. Project funders include the Gilbert Trust for the Arts and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
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