Monday 11th June 2012
London Fire Brigade had already dealt with more than thirty cases of flooding by early afternoon after some areas saw the average rainfall for the whole of June fall in just 12 hours.
The number is more than double the usual daily calll outs for flood related reasons.
The brigade says it has 15 tonnes of sand ready to be sent out from its distribution centre in Croydon in the event of serious flooding.
The Environment Agency has issued 11 flood alerts for London while the Met Office has issued an Amber warning - the second highest possible - with surface water flooding, localised river flooding and very difficult driving conditions likely.
The flooding caused difficulties for drivers and trains in and around the capital this morning.
Head of road policy at the AA - Paul Watters - has been telling LBC 97.3 it is unpredictable.
"The trouble is with flooding is it can be clear in one place and very deep water in the next, which causes major gridlock," he explained.
"Also drivers braking down, of course, which adds to the problem. We certainly did know about it, we certainly did have the authorities ready for but the system can't cope. It's just like snow in a way."
Source: www.lbc.co.uk
London 2012: Zara Phillips Picked To Represent Great Britain At Olympics - huffingtonpost.co.uk
Zara Phillips has been picked to represent Great Britain at this summer's Olympic Games in London.
The Queen's granddaughter described her selection to the eventing team as "awesome".
Phillips, the 2006 world champion, is following in the footsteps of her parents, who both rode in the Olympic Games for the country.
Her mother, the Princess Royal, competed at the 1976 Montreal Games, while her father Captain Mark Phillips was a team gold medallist at Munich in 1972 and then won silver in Seoul 16 years later.
Phillips, who is married to former England rugby captain Mike Tindall, said: "It's awesome to be given this opportunity.
"I am really excited and can't wait to kick on and get him there. Hopefully, we will make it this time."
The eventing star will ride High Kingdom at Greenwich Park next month. Her hopes of an Olympic place in 2004 and 2008 were dashed by injuries to her world title-winning horse Toytown.
She added: "High Kingdom is a pretty cool, very relaxed kind of guy.
"I was really happy with him at Bramham as he had obviously grown up and is improving all the time.
"He's pretty pony-like, a nippy little jumper and easy to manoeuvre, so hopefully it will suit him well in Greenwich.
"High Kingdom is owned by Trevor Hemmings, who has been one of my earliest supporters. He has owned a lot of my horses and has been so supportive, I couldn't do it without him."
Phillips been chosen alongside William Fox-Pitt, Mary King, Piggy French and Tina Cook for London 2012.
She clinched her spot with a third-placed finish in yesterday's Bramham International CIC three-star class after posting a personal best dressage score, and then jumping clear in the showjumping and cross-country phases.
Source: www.huffingtonpost.co.uk
London Olympics 2012: get set for the gridlock games - Daily Telegraph
Yet even if there are no non-Olympic tourists at all (unlikely), and even if double the usual number of natives stay away from the office (less unlikely), almost half a million people will still need to converge on a small area of east London, including 300,000 spectators, 120,000 staff and volunteers, and 70,000 members of the “Games family” (competitors, sponsors, officials and media).
At peak capacity, the seven railway lines serving Stratford can handle 240,000 passengers an hour. That would be fine if Games demand was spread evenly through the day, and nobody else in London needed to use those services. But the demands of broadcasters mean that events in the most popular disciplines, such as athletics and swimming, tend to be scheduled in two blocks, one from roughly 10am to 1pm and the other from about 7pm to 10pm. So there will be sharp spikes in demand – and most people going to or from the Olympic Park will have to make at least one of their journeys in rush hour, just as the rest of the city is travelling, too. This is probably the moment to mention that the Underground has only had three entirely problem-free weekdays in the last year.
Even if it all works perfectly, the busiest stations will be swamped. At London Bridge, charts on the Games website show that you will have to queue for more than 30 minutes to board a Tube train during the morning and evening peaks, and up to 15 minutes even at 10.30pm. On the worst day, August 9, there will be six hours in total of half-hour-plus delays.
And don’t even think about driving: according to the TfL website, a journey from, say, Hammersmith (west) to St Paul’s (east) will take an extra 57 minutes. Some of the busiest roads in central London will be totally closed to normal traffic, including Whitehall, Constitution Hill and Birdcage Walk. Westminster Bridge will be one-way. The Mall, incredibly, will be off limits to everyone – including pedestrians and cyclists – for almost four months, starting this month and not reopening until the last day of September. It seems a high price to pay for beach volleyball.
Then there are the famous “Zil lanes” – 30 miles of Tarmac for the “Olympic family”, halving the capacity of key routes such as the Victoria Embankment, Knightsbridge and the Cromwell Road, and cutting Park Lane, the Westway and Euston and Marylebone Roads by a third. The Blackwall Tunnel southern approach, one of the busiest roads in London, will be partly shut throughout the morning rush hour, even though the only Olympic users will be a few hundred shooters and riders travelling from Stratford to Woolwich and Greenwich – and even they will be going the other way at the time.
Disruption is also happening far away from the Olympic sites: Russell Square, for instance, is being taken over as the media transport hub. Wanstead Flats has been commandeered as a police camp. A huge area of south-western suburbia will be closed over three days for the cycling. Thirty per cent of London’s road network will be affected in some way, often with restrictions that will stop you parking outside your own home or your customers parking outside your shop. Some firms nearest the Olympic Park are so worried about the effects on their recession-shrunk balance sheets that they believe the Games will put them out of business.
In the end, how these transport problems and restrictions go down will probably depend on how we feel about the Games themselves. The travel difficulties during the Jubilee went almost ignored: people put up with them because they loved the event and they love the Queen. The Olympics, so far, have often presented a much less likeable face: it seems improbable that a million people will line the streets to cheer the chief executives of McDonald’s and Coca-Cola as they sweep past in their Zil lanes.
Olympic organisers protest that sponsors who support the Games must be cherished. But that doesn’t seem to apply to the biggest sponsors of all: the taxpayers of Britain. Even the transport system itself is feasting from the buffet at our expense. Those striking busmen, demanding £750 extra for the favour of turning up to work during the Games, are just the latest in a line of greedy Tube, rail and Docklands Light Railway staff collecting bribes simply for doing their jobs.
The usual history of the Olympics is that the worries beforehand die down as people get caught up in the excitement. If Britain is winning lots of golds, if the sun is shining and there are things to go to for those without tickets, Londoners probably will decide to roll with the punches and take extra holiday. So the real key figures in how the capital is seen to manage may not be the hapless, fluorescent-jacketed transport officials, but Rebecca Adlington, Chris Hoy and all Britain’s other medal hopes. No pressure then, guys.
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
REFILE-London leading destination city in 2012-study - Reuters UK
(Fixes headlne)
By Peter Myers
LONDON, June 11 (Reuters) - The home of this summer's Olympic Games and the Diamond Jubilee celebrations for Britain's Queen Elizabeth is also the world's top destination this year, according to an index released by global credit card company MasterCard on Monday.
MasterCard's "Worldwide Index of Global Destination Cities" predicted that London will see 16.9 million people arrive by air compared with a million less for second place city Paris and airmiles ahead of New York at 13th place with 7.6 million arrivals.
The index also said that London, for the second year running, will attract the highest international visitor spend at $21.1 million, just ahead of New York at $19.4 million.
"London offers better value for money than New York," MasterCard Worldwide's global economic advisor Yuwa Hedrick-Wong told Reuters.
The queen's diamond jubilee saw London fill with visitors from abroad and around Britain for four days of celebrations at the start of June and the Olympics which will take place at venues in and around London from July 27 to August 12 is expected to pull in visitors from all over the planet.
"As our fantastic Diamond Jubilee celebrations demonstrated, London knows how to throw a party and, as we prepare to host the greatest Games the world has ever seen, it is no surprise our capital is the top choice for tourists," London Mayor Boris Johnson said in a statement along with Mastercard's index.
Well established international destination Bangkok was the other big winner in the index at third place with 12.2 million visitors who will spend $19.3 million.
"Bangkok's advantage is that it's a very tolerant culture," Hedrick-Wong told Reuters. "That explains its durability, especially attracting Europeans and Americans. I cannot imagine Western visitors doing the same thing in Malaysia, even China."
The Index, which encompasses 132 of the world's most important cities, is being marketed as a new map for understanding global connectivity.
Businesses and investors might find the Index's list of city growth rates of more interest than current rankings. Brazilian and Chinese cities also featured highly in the survey for both visitor numbers and spend.
"The growth patterns show how important cities are," says Hedrick-Wong, "and they're popping up from everywhere. They take on some really important local or regional significance overnight because of a new development."
Expect to hear much more about Recife and Belo Horizonte in Brazil, and Chengdu, Harbin, Xian and Guangzhou in China.
Using information gleaned from 87 airlines, national tourism boards, the United Nations and other global agencies, the MasterCard Index offers an optimistic overall forecast.
Total visitor numbers and cross-border spending will increase by 5.7 percent and 10.6 percent respectively for the top 20 destination cities in 2012.
The result is a bright spot in a period of slow world economic output, a persistent euro zone crisis and increased uncertainty in the financial sector.
"The growing need and desire to travel, especially by air, are set to expand in spite of the ups and downs of the business cycles," MasterCard's report said.
In a survey also out on Monday, by Mercer, London was ranked the 25th most expensive city in the world and the most expensive city for expatriates. (Editing by Paul Casciato)
Source: uk.reuters.com
Theron signs for Sussex - ECB
Sussex have secured their second overseas player for the Friends Life t20 with the arrival of Juan Theron.
South African seamer Juan Theron becomes Sussex's second overseas signing for the Friends Life t20 after the arrival of Scott Styris
The South African seamer, who has played four one-day internationals and eight Twenty20s for his country, joins former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris at the PROBIZ County Ground.
Theron, signed by Northamptonshire two years ago, said: "I am really looking forward to joining up with Sussex as they have been a leading county in T20 for the last three seasons.
"Having spent two seasons playing club cricket in Brighton, I am pleased to be going back to renew old acquaintances and intend to be part of another successful year with the Sharks."
Sussex's professional cricket manager Mark Robinson added: "We're delighted to have captured a player of Rusty's quality and experience.
"The finish of an innings can win or lose a match and Rusty is a proven performer in the department of bowling at the death."
Source: www.ecb.co.uk
Sussex Cricket League round-up - littlehamptongazette.co.uk
THE top three clubs in the Sussex Premier League all won their games on Saturday and current Champions Hastings still head the table with Roffey and Preston Nomads in hot pursuit.
Hastings lost two early wickets at Eastbourne, but Kirk Wernars and skipper George Campbell put together a century stand to put their side in a commanding position.
Wernars made 61 and Campbell 49 to help towards at total of 257 for 9 declared as veteran former England paceman Ed Giddins took 5 for 68, Stuart Pulford chipped in with 3 for 68.
Eastbourne struggled throughout before tumbling to 87 all out and they remain bottom after six matches.
Mick Glazier send the tail packing with 4 for 8 and Wernars set things tumbling with 2 for 29.
Roffey were put in at Bexhill and declared at 203/8 with 43 from Josh Fleming and 40 from skipper Mick Norris.
Jamie Wicks took 3 for 57 and Calum Guest 2 for 53 for the home side.
Bexhill were them dismissed for 173 despite 87 from Aussie import Andrew Harriott.
For Roffey, Andy McGorian took 4 for 42 as did Luke Barnard to give their side a fourth win of the season.
Preston Nomads made short work of dismissing East Grinstead for just 64 as Carl Simon took 4 for 16 and Matt Hobden 4 for 27.
In reply, Nomads won the game by six wickets at 67 for 4 with 24 not out from skipper Jeremy Green. For the home side Lewis Hatchett took 3 for 25.
Worthing enjoyed their first win of the season following their promotion last year.
They dismissed Brighton and Hove for 140 with Chris Grammer making a top score of 30 as Benn Challen took 4 for 39 and Mason Crane 4 for 35.
Michael Gould then hit 61 as Worthing cruised to 117 for 2.
At Chichester, the home side were dismissed for 140 after being put in by Horsham.
Adam Zampa was top scorer, he made 45 as Hisam-ul-Haq took 3 for 57 and Sam Cushing 3 for 36.
Horsham tumbled to 106 all out despite 45 from skipper Craig Gallagher with Matt Geffen taking 3 for 23 and James Stedman mopping up the innings with 4 for 5.
Three Bridges, relegated from the Premier League last season, have won four games in succession to lead the Division 2 table by 32 points ahead of St.James’s.
James Chadburn hit 116 to lead Three Bridges to 212 for 6 declared at home to Cuckfield. He was well supported by Bradley Gayler who hit 36 as Ebrel Erwee took 4 for 45.
In reply, Cuckfield tumbled to 120 all out despite 24 from Tom Mole and 22 fro Kritoan Piolet. Adrian Chappell took 3 for 32.
St.James enjoyed a 76 run victory at home to Ifield after declaring at 259 for 6 with 108 from Mike Edmonds and 55 from Henry Sims. For the visitors Raza Ali took 3 for 76 against his old club.
Ifield were then dismissed for 183 with Jack Groves hitting 69 and Ali 45, Edmonds took 3 for 34 and Chris Davies 3 for 45.
Glynde enjoyed a 189-run win at home to Goring after rattling up 289 for 6 declared of which Joe Adams hit 92 and Chris Stanyard 67, the two shared an opening stand of 163.
Matt Keen took 3 for 79 for the visitors who were dismissed for 146 of which Ellis Woolley made 37, as George Hobden took 4 for 24 and Adam Davies 3 for 28.
The game at Sidley was drawn after the home side, put in by Haywards Heath, made 240 for 3 declared with 71 not out from Jon Haffenden and 62 from Sam Steel.
Haywards Heath had reached 182 for 8 at stumps with 43 from Sussex Academy prospect Ollie Graham, Ian May took 3 for 31.
It was also a draw at Pulborough where the home side declared at 219 for 8 with Rohit Jagota making 98 and Amit Suman 62, James Iago took 3 for 49.
In reply, Findon struggled to 165 for 9 of which Dan Bridson made 45, Kuldeep Rawat took 5 for 67 and Suman 3 for 35.
Middleton are the new leaders in the Division 3 West after an emphatic seven-wicket win at Steyning.
Steyning elected to bat and made 186-6 led by captain Ed Lamb with 70 and David Kennett adding 51.
Ben Hansford was out agonisingly close to a ton making 99 as they won with ease.
The previous week’s leaders Bognor Regis dropped to second as Billingshurst’s Dhanushka Mitipolaarachchi enjoyed a remarkable game to send them home with a 96-run defeat. Billingshurst’s 223 included 88 from Mitipolaarachchi while Sam Taylor returned creditable figures of 4-36. Mitipolaarachchi then took 5-27 as Billingshurst moved up to third position just ten points behind the leaders.
Sean Heather made an unbeaten century for the second win running as Stirlands won by eight wickets against Arundel.
Richard James struck 76 in Arundel’s innings of 198-9. Eight of the wickets fell to Struan Cameron who took 8-59. Heather’s 103 not out along with 66 not out from Will Gubbins took Stirlands into fourth spot.
Pagham overcame Wisborough Green to claim their first win of the season and lift themselves off the foot of the table. In a low scoring contest they passed Green’s 138 with 3 wickets in hand.
Littlehampton replaced them at the bottom after losing by four wickets at Slinfold. Their 156 owed much to 51 from Mike Askew but were pegged back by Harrison Webb taking 4-45. Hayden McIntyre hit 52 to take Slinfold to their second win in succession.
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FLOODY HELL: BRITAIN ON COURSE FOR WETTEST SUMMER AS DELUGE CONTINUES - express.co.uk
Flooding also caused the closure of the M1 near Leeds last night.
West Yorkshire Police said the motorway was shut in both directions between junctions 42 and 47 after flash flooding made driving too dangerous.
A man kayaks through flood water in West Sussex /SteveReigate
The carriageway later reopened at 1.40am today.
"Traffic disruption was minimal due to the time it happened," a spokesman said.
The Environment Agency said there was a 'continued risk' of surface water flooding from overwhelmed drains across parts of London, East and West Sussex, Surrey and Kent following rainfall of up to 50 millimetres in some areas overnight.
The agency said there are 35 flood alerts across England and Wales, with one flood warning for the River Mole at Charlwood and Hookwood in south east England amid forecasts of further heavy rainfall today.
Forecaster Gemma Plumb said up to 25 millimetres of rain could fall in parts of the Midlands, East Anglia, central southern and south eastern England today with the rain starting to ease off tonight.
She said: "There will be light rain through central southern parts of England, the Midlands and eastern parts of England tomorrow with some heavy showers across the rest of the UK.
A woman wades through water on the A33 near Bassingstoke
"On Wednesday there will be further showers, the heaviest of which will be across Wales and south west England."
The forecast of further rain comes after parts of Sussex were drenched by between 40 and 48 millimetres of rain overnight, with up to 25 millimetres of rain in parts of London.
The Environment Agency warned people to remain vigilant and check its website and Twitter feed for the latest situation.
The agency added that the public was "strongly" advised to stay away from swollen rivers and not to drive through floodwater.
Gwyn Jones, of North Wales Fire and Rescue Service who had been forced to evacuate a number of people said that a member of the public had called about his concerns over a reservoir on his land.
Cars splash through remaining flood water on the A63 outside Leeds
The decision to evacuate residents was based on the volume of water involved and the heightened risk from rain and debris coming down and making it an unstable structure.
He said: "Over the course of the day, we've been able to undertake two releases of water from the reservoir. We were closely monitoring the level of the river, and everything was satisfactory after those two releases.
"Subsequently, contractors and the landowner have created a permanent channel in the reservoir which is allowing the water to dissipate naturally and at a steady rate.
"Based on that information and a survey from specialist pump operators on the scene, we were able to give the advice through North Wales Police that residents were able to return to their homes."
He said they had been dealing with about six million gallons of water.
The A33 at Chineham in Basingstoke, Hampshire, could be closed for up to 24 hours after flooding.
Police advised motorists to use alternative routes to access the area.
Source: www.express.co.uk
London 2012: Teenage weightlifter Zoe Smith makes Team GB - BBC News
Commonwealth bronze medallist Zoe Smith will make her Olympic debut this summer after being named in the five-strong GB weightlifting squad for London 2012.
Smith, 18, achieved the Olympic A standard twice and finished fourth at April's European Championships.
"I'm elated to have been selected for the team," said Greenwich-born Smith.
"It has been a nerve-wracking period ahead of selection, so I'm glad that I've secured my place to say I'll be representing Team GB!"
The teenager will be joined in the squad of five by veteran Welsh lifter Natasha Perdue.
GB weightlifter and Leeds City council worker Natasha Perdue
The 36-year-old who combines training with full time work at a refuse collection centre in Leeds will be following in the footsteps of her father, Terry, who competed at the 1968 and 1972 Olympics.
"I can't describe in words how happy I feel and I keep pinching myself to make sure I'm not dreaming," said Perdue.
"I waited two weeks for the call, and when it came I didn't want to answer it in case it was bad news.
"I asked them to repeat it about three times just to make sure."
Scotland's Commonwealth silver medallist -94kg Peter Kirkbride is the highest profile lifter in the three-strong men's squad.
The 24-year-old has endured a difficult 18 months after a series of injuries disrupted his training regime, but he hopes to be back to peak form by the Games.
GB weightlifting squad
Gareth Evans - Men's 69kg (26, Holyhead)
Peter Kirkbride - Men's 94kg (24, Hurlford)
Jack Oliver - Men's 77kg (21, Bexleyheath)
Natasha Perdue - Women's 69kg (36, Swansea)
Zoe Smith - Women's 58kg (18, London)
"I'm excited to find out about being selected as part of the team," said Kirkbride.
Winning Commonwealth silver was a great moment for me, and I hope to perform better than I did in Delhi."
Wales' -67kg lifter Gareth Evans, who left both his family and full-time job up to move to Leeds and train full-time with the GB squad, joins Kirkbride in the Olympic team.
"I'm ecstatic," he said. "It is testament to the sacrifice I have made and the hard work I have put in over the years.
"I would just like to thank everyone who has supported me so far."
Despite struggling at the Olympic trials in May, 20-year-old Jack Oliver is included in the team as a result of his promising displays over the past 18 months, which included British records at the World Championships.
"I feel ready to rise to the occasion and try to make my country proud," said Oliver.
The weightlifting events will take place between 28 July and 7 August at London's ExCel Centre at this summer's London 2012 Olympic Games.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Euro 2012: London fire safety posters translated - BBC News
Foreign language posters have been produced to target the problem of people causing kitchen fires while drunk during the Euro 2012 tournament.
London Fire Brigade (LFB) said it hoped to prevent the city's different nationalities leaving cooking unattended after drinking.
The posters come in seven foreign languages including Polish and Russian.
It is the first time translations have been used for an international competition, said LFB.
'Diverse city'The fire brigade's research shows drunk Londoners cause two fires a day.
It also shows a quarter of those who die in fires have alcohol in their systems and over half of alcohol-related fires happen because someone has fallen asleep.
Posters featuring the slogan "Goal" above a burger, will appear in pub lavatories across central London.
The posters have been produced in French, Polish, Ukrainian, German, Russian, Portuguese and Spanish.
They have been sent to different nationality newspapers in London, said LFB.
A spokesman for LFB said that the idea to translate posters was prompted by the BBC's story on London being considered France's sixth biggest city in terms of population.
He said: "London is a diverse city. It's not just England fans at risk.
"There was no extra cost and it will get the message out."
London Fire Brigade's commissioner, Ron Dobson, said: "During Euro 2012, many Londoners will go straight from work to the pub to watch the football.
"Our research shows cooking after having one too many plays a massive part in house fires and, sadly, one in every four fire deaths involves alcohol."
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
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