New plan sets out 43 actions to keep reducing risks further and tackle new challenges, from latest safety technology using AI to detect dangerous drivers and a new London Road Danger Reduction Team cracking down on most dangerous offences, to safer speed limits and vital infrastructure like 1,000 new pedestrian crossings

Plan to achieve the Mayor’s Vision Zero goal will be delivered in partnership by Transport for London, the Metropolitan Police Service and local councils

The Mayor and Transport for London (TfL) have today (Friday 13 March 2026) launched an ambitious new plan to significantly reduce road danger and prevent deaths and serious injuries on London's roads over the next five years.

In partnership with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and London boroughs, the plan builds on foundations laid by London’s first Vision Zero Action Plan in 2018. As well as highlighting what has been learnt so far, it sets out areas where partners will concentrate efforts over the next five years to drive further progress, prioritising schemes with the potential to reduce the most harm.

The new Plan reviews road casualty data against a 2010-14 baseline figure and demonstrates how London has made significant progress in reducing road danger over the past 10 years, with streets becoming safer more quickly than the rest of the country - and equivalent international capitals including Paris, New York, Brussels, Warsaw, Dublin, Montreal, Barcelona, Rome and Lisbon.

London’s evidence-led Vision Zero approach has already made the capital’s roads safer – especially for children and people walking, cycling, motorcycling or catching the bus. Since 2015, an estimated 262 deaths have been prevented on London’s roads thanks to the Mayor, TfL and Vision Zero partners collectively taking action.

In 2024, the number of people killed or seriously injured was 24 per cent lower (1,162 people fewer) than the 2010-2014 baseline, marking the lowest number of serious casualties ever recorded outside the pandemic-affected years (2020 and 2021). Provisional data indicates 2025 matched 2023 for the lowest number of road fatalities in London ever outside the pandemic.

The 20mph zones went live on Friday 6 March in Edmonton, Palmers Green and Southgate and will help to create safer, calmer streets for everyone as part of the delivery of the Safer Streets for Enfield scheme.

The changes form part of Enfield Council’s ongoing commitment to improving road safety, encouraging active travel and supporting healthier communities.

Cllr Sabri Ozaydin, Cabinet Member for Environment and Placemaking at Enfield Council, said: “I am pleased that we have been able to introduce 20mph speed limits after consultation with our residents.

“By lowering speed limits in town centres, we will now be able to create safer streets for residents, visitors and businesses and help to improve road safety and encourage active travel.

“The scheme will also decrease pollution and create a more inviting environment for pedestrians, and the benefits will include fewer and less severe collisions, cleaner air and lower emissions and we will hopefully see increased walking and wheeling rates for a Safer Enfield.”

The implementation of 20mph zones is part of the council’s long-term commitment to achieve the Mayor of London’s Vision Zero target of no deaths or serious injuries on roads, tackle the climate emergency, and to create neighbourhoods where people feel confident spending time outdoors.

New signage and road markings have been installed to support the changes. Funding for the implementation was provided through the Transport for London Capital Grant.

The changes form part of the Council’s ongoing commitment to improving road safety, encouraging active travel and supporting healthier communities.

The Council is focusing on areas including town centres, near to schools and on residential streets to ensure people are safe travelling from home to local places by walking, cycling, driving or their preferred method of travel around the borough.

For further information on the Safer Streets in Enfield 20mph project visit: https://letstalk.enfield.gov.uk/20mph

The fund has been established through government investment from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Pride in Place Impact Fund, with £400,000 set aside specifically to empower community-led projects that will leave a legacy for residents.

Enfield Council’s Leader, Cllr Ergin Erbil said: “Our neighbourhoods, high streets and parks are at the heart of our communities. We are proud to invest in them. The Pride of Enfield Fund is about putting local people at the centre of improving these wonderful spaces.

"This £400,000 investment will help community groups and local organisations bring forward ideas that make a visible difference. You could upgrade community facilities, improve a public space or make a section of a high street near you more welcoming.

“This fund gives residents, community groups and local community champions the opportunity to turn their ideas into lasting improvements that build pride across our beautiful borough.”

Funding is available for capital projects in line with the following priorities:

Improving community spaces

Enhancing parks and green spaces

Improving high streets and town centres

Achieving green, energy efficient measures to community buildings

The application window is open until 9 March and all funded projects must be completed by 31 December 2026.

Further information about eligibility criteria and how to apply is available on the council’s website.

It also said the incident was not being treated as religiously or racially aggravated. The injuries to the other two men were not life-threatening, police added.

The force said it was carrying out inquiries to establish what happened and there would be a visible police presence in the area to provide reassurance to the public.

In a brief statement, police emphasized that the investigation remains active and that releasing an individual under investigation does not imply guilt or innocence. Officers are continuing to gather evidence and have urged the public to avoid speculation.

Misconduct in public office is a serious common law offence that can apply to individuals who are alleged to have abused their position of authority. Legal experts note that cases of this nature often involve complex reviews of documentation, procedures, and decision-making processes.

A representative for Andrew stated that he is cooperating fully with investigators and denies any wrongdoing.

Further updates are expected as the inquiry progresses.

Both pleaded guilty and admitted to using Blue Badges that did not belong to them in their respective cases. The offences occurred in Lodge Drive Car Park in Palmers Green (N13) on 3 June 2025 and 11 June 2025 respectively.

Their vehicles were removed and towed to the council’s Crown Road Vehicle Park (the pound) where Piroti and Knott had to pay a release fee.

Investigations by the Council identified that the Blue Badge used by Awat Piroti was stolen. He admitted to finding the badge and placing it on his dashboard for ‘safe keeping’, intending to return it. He denied knowing it was stolen or using it to obtain free parking.

The badge displayed by David Knott did not belong to him and had previously been reported as lost by the holder and subsequently cancelled.

The judge ordered that both men received a fine of £200, plus an £80 victim surcharge, and a £300 contribution towards prosecution costs, totalling £580 each.

Cllr Rick Jewell, Cabinet Member for Transport and Waste at Enfield Council, said: “I’m often contacted by our residents who tell me they have suspicions that Blue Badges are not being used by the persons they were issued to.

“Misusing a Blue Badge is fraud and is not a victimless crime. People are selfishly taking accessible parking spaces that are meant for people in real need. We will continue to clamp down on this illegal behaviour and bring people who misuse Blue Badges to justice.

“I would actively encourage residents to report any concerns they have relating to Blue Badge misuse to the council, so we can investigate and take the appropriate action.”

Blue Badges help people with disabilities or health conditions park closer to their destination.

It is a crime to use an expired, cancelled, stolen, fake or altered Blue Badge. It is also an offence for a holder to give their badge to someone else when they are not with the vehicle.

People found to be misusing Blue Badges can be prosecuted and fined up to £1,000 or have their badge taken away.

Residents are advised to report the misuse of a Blue Badge by emailing: enfield@bbfi.org.uk

For further information on Blue Badges visit: https://www.enfield.gov.uk/services/parking/disabled-persons-parking-permits

“Enfield Council has served a formal Section 146 notice on Mitchells & Butlers, the company responsible for the Toby Carvery at Whitewebbs Park. They have failed to engage meaningfully with the Council or to make reparations. We have therefore started forfeiture proceedings for serious breaches of their lease.

“We ask that Mitchells & Butlers issues a public apology and provides financial reparations for the irreversible damage they have caused as well as compensate the Council for the significant costs incurred.

“The people of Enfield deserve accountability. This case is about upholding our duty to protect our environment and our shared heritage.

“We will do everything within our power to ensure justice for the Whitewebbs Oak and seek to make it clear that such reckless disregard for our borough will never be tolerated.”

Cllr Alev Cazimoglu, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care at Enfield Council, said: “I was delighted to be invited to St Anne’s Catholic High School, to meet the pupils who will be participating in our Girls Love Squash programme. “The programme is fantastic as it will provide girls who may not traditionally participate in sport or physical activity in a mixed environment, the chance to get active and it will help to improve their health and wellbeing. “The camaraderie that forms while playing squash will help girls in our schools to thrive in a friendly environment with their peers.”

The four schools that have been participating in Girls Love Squash are: St Anne's Catholic High, Oasis Academy Enfield, Laurel Park, and Meridian Angel Primary. Four additional schools will join the programme later this year. Squash will be introduced in PE lessons and at after school clubs in 90-minute sessions on a weekly basis, and some sessions will be hosted at Oakleigh Park Lawn Tennis & Squash Club (N20). Squash is recognised as one of the healthiest sports, but national governing body England Squash has revealed only 13 per cent of weekly squash players are female.

For further information on leisure and cultural activities in Enfield visit: https://www.enfield.gov.uk/services/leisure-and-culture

Transport for London (TfL) has announced five new works in its rich and varied Art on the Underground programme for 2026. The new commissions will give space to underrepresented voices, and the renowned painter Hurvin Anderson will deliver the tenth annual commission in the Brixton Mural Programme in November.

Since its conception in 2000, Art on the Underground has commissioned site-specific works on the TfL network that examine themes of community, space and place, and bring unexpected interactions and new perspectives to the millions who travel on London’s transport network each year. Five new commissions by contemporary artists will launch over the course of the year, inspired by subterranean histories, lost voices and hidden work, exploring historic imbalances and under-representation and reframing public space.

London-based artist, Phoebe Boswell will launch a large-scale photographic artwork at Bethnal Green and Notting Hill Underground stations in March, inspired by local Black swimming communities, while American artist Ellen Gallagher will explore colonial landscapes and marine mythology in her design for the 42nd pocket Tube map.

The third audio artwork commission at Waterloo Underground station will run for 10 days in the summer with the Mayor of London’s Culture and Community Spaces at Risk programme, by London-based composer, artist and DJ Ain Bailey. In September, a largescale artwork by Scottish painter Caroline Walker, spotlighting women who work on the TfL network at night, will be introduced at Stratford station.

In November, a new mural will launch at Brixton Underground station by leading painter Hurvin Anderson. It will be the tenth in a series of annual commissions that responds to the rich history of murals in Brixton from the 1980s, and the wider social and political history of mural making. It will follow Anderson’s upcoming major exhibition at Tate Britain.

2026’s programme is sponsored by specialist recruitment company, Reed, as part of its ongoing commitment to Art on the Underground.

The new ticket hall replacing the former 1960s-built entrance includes a distinctive curved ceiling clad with laminated timber, a sustainable blue-and-green roof drainage system, and a lift giving access from street to platform – meaning Colindale becomes the 94th step-free station on the Underground network as part of the Mayor and TfL’s ongoing work to make the capital’s transport network more accessible.

The new ticket hall also provides additional capacity, supporting new homes and helping to future-proof the station for the projected increase in customer demand over the years to come. In addition, the area outside the new station entrance has a wider pavement for pedestrians.

Work started on the station’s major upgrade in January 2024, with funding from the Government and contributions from Barnet Council, local developers and TfL. Without this upgrade, Colindale Tube station was expected to reach passenger capacity by 2026. After a six-month closure in the second half of 2024 for heavy construction work, the station partially re-opened in December 2024 allowing customers to access the Northern line platforms via the existing ticket hall and new staircases while the rest of the station was still under construction.

Now that Colindale’s new ticket hall is open, TfL will complete the final parts of the station’s major upgrade which includes installing an enhanced accessible customer toilet (available from mid-2026), permanent signage, new cycle parking facilities and letting the station’s new retail space. The previous ticket hall will be demolished, and TfL will continue discussions with Barnet Council about potential future uses of the site following completion of the upgrade.

Fourteen years of Tory cuts to police budgets and to the number of police on our streets left Labour with a massive job to do, to take back control of our streets. The Tories neglected our neighbourhoods in Enfield North, Edmonton, and Southgate.

We have frequently met with senior Met Police reps and have sent numerous letters to the Met Police asking that they review the Front Counter arrangements in Enfield.

In communities where trust in institutions is already stretched, the closure of front counters can easily be seen as a step back. That perception risks undoing the progress we’ve made in building better community and Police relationships. I’m also concerned about the knock-on effects to other local services like youth justice, probation, and victim support that rely on the Police being physically present and accessible in the borough.

Enfield Labour’s community safety survey shows strong support for Police Hubs, and Police closer to the communities they serve. In light of this, we are calling for
A clear commitment to keeping the front counter open and to more face-to-face police services.
A faster rollout of Police Hubs, co-designed with local communities and located where they’re most needed. We’re championing one in Edmonton and would welcome a visit from the Met Police senior leadership when it launches.
Access to borough-level data on front counter use and digital exclusion, so councils can plan appropriate support.
A consultation process involving councils, community safety partners, youth justice, probation, victim support services, and local residents before final decisions are made”
 

Vicky Gardner, who lives near the flats, told she was leaving the house to walk her dogs at 5:15, when she "noticed that there were flames coming from the flats at the end of the street."A neighbour... then went and banged on the doors to alert the residents. They evacuated and the fire brigade turned up."Aerial view of firefighters tackling a blaze in a residential area. Smoke billows heavily from the roof of a three-storey red-brick apartment block, which has been badly damaged, withits roof largely destroyed. Several fire engines and crews are visible, including one using an extended yellow ladder to spray water onto the fire. 

 
The LFB said the fire was under control within about four hours

She said that on Sunday the LFB and police responded to a fire alert in the same block of flats "that turned out to be false".Ms Gardner added: "[It's] really horrible for the residents, those poor people have lost everything."Another neighbour said people went in to the building to help residents escape.

Nurcan Ozcan said: "A Turkish boy helped take out all of the neighbours because they were sleeping."
A woman with greying dark hair pulled back, wearing purple glasses and a black jacket, looks directly at the camera. The background is out of focus, showing a plain wall and doorway.
 
Nurcan Ozcan says she was shocked by the fire

"He took out all of the people including one who was disabled. It was just like watching a movie," she added.
"It's so sad. We've had neighbours who've been living together for 25 years. Now nobody's there, it's a shock."
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said its officers were working with the LFB to investigate the cause of the fire.
No arrests have been made.

To officially launch the programme, Enfield Council held an event on 9 September to celebrate the successful community organisation who received the funding. It also offered an opportunity for Councillors, including the Leader of the Council, Cllr Ergin Erbil to meet the groups to discuss the projects further.

Councillor Abdul Abdullahi, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, said: “Creating a stronger and safer Enfield is our top priority. We’re very pleased to get this project off the ground and work with our grassroots organisations to support their work which is starting from September.

“Strengthening and empowering our communities is what MyEnds grant is all about. The funds received will enable us, alongside the successful applicants, to tackle the root causes of violence while building strong and resilient neighbourhoods.  

• Up to £5,000 funding awarded to local grassroots organisation to tackle youth violence
• The grant will help support young people and families in and around Ponders End and Craig Park Youth and Family Hubs
• This initiative is part of the wider Mayor’s Office for Policing a Crime (MOPAC) 

“As a Council, we’re committed to building a safer, stronger borough where young people can thrive and reach their full potential.” 

MyEnds successful applicants are: 

• Leo Powell, County Lines Educator
• The Place of Dreams Global
• Family Based Solutions
• Everybody Loves Music
• The MABA Group
• Friends of Durants and Ponders End Parks
• ACE Ponders End
• London Cycling Club
• IMAP Community
• Exodus Youth Worx
• Kinn Group
• SAY NO! TO JOINT ENTERPRISE

The programme is funded as part of the wider Mayor's Office for Policing a Crime (MOPAC) initiative.  

For more information, visit Youth Enfield. 

The Community Chest is part of Meridian Water’s ongoing commitment to invest in the people and places of Edmonton. By funding grassroots projects, the scheme aims to improve opportunities, strengthen our community, and create lasting positive change.

Local charities and not-for-profit groups applied for the grants earlier this year, with more than 100 applications showing the breadth of community and voluntary work throughout Enfield.

The successful projects, set to launch from September onwards, include an exciting mix of activities. These range from football and basketball training for young people to repairing and refurbishing local church halls, the creation of community gardens, and poetry workshops designed to inspire creativity and wellbeing.

On Thursday 4 September, representatives from each organisation attended a presentation ceremony, where they shared details of their projects and met the Deputy Leader of Enfield Council, Cllr Tim Leaver, who said: “We are committed to supporting our voluntary and community groups across Edmonton and across our borough. These projects are going to make a big difference to our neighbourhoods and residents, and I am so glad Enfield Council has been able to support them.

“This is what Meridian Water is all about, giving back to the community. Not only have we provided hundreds of homes for local people and a brand-new, award-winning playground, but we have also now provided over £700,000 in funding for Edmonton projects through the Community Chest programme.”

Daniel King, London Divisional Chair at Vistry Group, commented: “In partnership with Enfield Council, we’re committed to ensuring that the benefits of Meridian Water go beyond the destination we are creating. Alongside new homes, we’re helping to create training and job opportunities through the Meridian Skills Academy and by supporting local businesses and suppliers. The Community Chest is a crucial part of that commitment, and so we’re proud to support these crucial community-led projects that will provide residents in Edmonton with practical support, new opportunities, and spaces to come together.”

Initiatives like the Community Chest are made possible thanks to the ongoing support of Meridian Water’s partners, such as Vistry, whose contributions have helped bring these vital community projects to life.

The funded projects are:

Performance / Art related

Face Front Inclusive Theatre

Edmonton Community Partnership

Platinum Performing Arts Limited

Schools

Galliard Primary School 

Churchfield Primary School 

Eldon Primary School – Children’s First Academy Trust 

Learning for Life Charity / West Lea School 

Youth Community Groups

1st Edmonton Boys Brigade and Girls Association 

1159 (Edmonton) Squadron RAF Air Cadets – 

St Peter's Church 

Sports

DEMAND

London CC CIC (London Cycling Club) 

Mb Community CIC 

Steel Warriors

Best Basketball Foundation CIC 

Capital Kids Cricket 

White Star FC 

Wellbeing

Pottery Café 

Alpha Care Specialists 

Roj Women’s Association

Refugee Workers Cultural Association 

Cancer Support

Nightingale Cancer Support Centre 

Training

Nigerian Catholic Community, St Edmund’s Parish Edmonton 

Northside Youth and Community Connections 

In Enfield, police have used a range of tactics to tackle this, including:

-More visible patrols

-Summer Safety patrols in our parks and town centres funded by the Council

-Knife arches and detection dogs

-Drones and plain-clothes officers

Over 700 arrests made in Edmonton through Operation Pisces, a local joint operation between Enfield's Labour-run Council and the police targeting crime hotspots

Cllr Ergin Erbil said: “We promised to tackle knife crime in Enfield – and we are. We are committed to creating safer streets. There’s more work to do, but these results show real progress. Enfields families and businesses deserve to feel safe.”

The government has achieved a national ban on dangerous weapons like ninja swords, the first of many steps in Labour’s plan to cut knife crime in half over the next decade.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper added: “Since day one we have acted with urgency to turn the tide on knife crime, which destroys lives and devastates communities.  

“When we came to office, knife-enabled robbery was increasing at a concerning rate, but we have now started to drive numbers of those offences down through the work of our dedicated taskforces, and as a result, we have also seen the first small reduction in overall knife crime for four years.

“The drop in knife enabled robbery in key problem areas shows the impact that our strong new action on knife crime is having, but we now need to supercharge these efforts through more smart and targeted interventions. Anyone can be a victim of knife crime, but new ‘hex mapping’ technology shows that the vast majority of knife crime is concentrated in a relatively small, hyper-concentrated number of areas. 

“As part of the Plan for Change, we will use that new technology to support our mission to halve knife crime over the next decade. In the 2020s, the way to be ‘tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime’ is also to be smart on crime, using the latest technology to target criminals and problem areas, and keep the country safe.”

New technology, like detailed mapping of crime hotspots, is being trialled to help police focus resources where they’re most needed. The government is investing £5 million into new tools, such as facial recognition and advanced knife detection, to target the top 50 worst-hit areas.

This is all part of the national Safer Streets Initiative running this summer, which is boosting police presence and making our communities safer.

Ada, who had just weeks before won the ‘kindest gymnast award’ at her club, was killed while cycling with her dad and younger brother on August 3 last year in Bexleyheath. Bus driver, Martin Asolo-Ogugua, 23, had swerved into the kerb next to her while high on drugs.

Her younger brother, who was also taken to hospital, and dad witnessed the whole accident. Ever since, the family’s foundations ‘have been broken’, and their home left with a sense that something is missing. Ada’s pictures, toys and artwork all remain, but there is no little girl. The grief in their home is palpable. As she holds onto her husband Bora, Ada’s mum Nevgul tells Metro: ‘Everyone was her best friend. Her school friends now complain that now she is gone, they are getting into fights more because Ada isn’t there to tell them to make up. ‘If she ever saw me crying, she would always come up and wipe away my tears. Now, I can’t stop them from coming.’

‘We took a route we never usually take – I wish I had made another choice’

Ada Bicakci. Photo released August 15 2024. Police have confirmed the name of a nine-year-old girl who was killed in a collision in Bexleyheath.Ada Bicakci lived in the area with her family and attended a local primary school. She also attended a Turkish school in south-east London. She was a Turkish-British national.She was a keen gymnast and swimmer.

Bora and Nevgul Bicakci pictured at home in Bexleyheath, London. They hold a picture of their daughter Ada, who was killed last year by a bus driver who was high on cannabis. Bora tells Metro that the family had taken a route they don’t usually take to try to save a bit of time. ‘We needed to leave the house, but we were all feeling tired that day. I decided we should take a shortcut on a route which we rarely take,’ he explains. ‘I wish I had made another choice.’ As the three were riding along, Bora recalls how he could see the bus on the other side of the road begin to drift. ‘I then remember the bus’s tyres hitting the kerb near us. Then Ada was in my lap,’ he says. From that moment, Bora says his memories of what happened next are a little hazy due to the chaos, but he remembers a passerby called Sam managing to calmly take Ada from her dad’s arms and give the little girl first aid.

Undated family handout photo issued by the Metropolitan Police of nine-year-old Ada Bicakci from Bexleyheath, who died in the afternoon of Monday, August 5, after being hit by a bus on Watling Street, Bexleyheath, south-east London on Saturday, 3 August. ‘I won’t forget her,’ he said. ‘It is hard not be angry at Ada’s death, but there were some people who showed how great humanity can be.’ At the time of the accident, Ada’s mum Nevgul was in a hotel in Surrey with her own mother, who had flown in from Turkey on a visit. Police officers came to the hotel to deliver the devastating news in the lobby that her daughter was seriously ill, and probably would not make it. They promised to do their best to get them to King’s College Hospital, where Ada lay dying from a severe head injury. Nevgul recalls: ‘The whole time in the car I was praying we would get there on time.’ ‘We consider ourselves lucky we got to spend two more days with her. ‘I spoke with her, I slept with her, I hugged her. And I know she heard me. She knew I was there.’ Ada died two days after the crash, and with her organs donated, she went on to help six other people after her death.

‘We are struggling’

After the family were able to say a proper goodbye to Ada as she died, all their efforts went into organising her funeral. Around 250 people attended the service and included some Taylor Swift songs, as they knew how much their daughter loved her. ‘Her favourite song ever was Cruel Summer, which was played out loud,’ Negul explains. ‘It was a hard day, but it really was a lovely send-off.’ Bora and Nevgul Bicakci pictured at home in Bexleyheath, London. They hold a picture of their daughter Ada, who was killed last year by a bus driver who was high on cannabis. The criminal investigation into Ada’s death went smoothly for the family, but as more details of the driver and previous incidents came to light, the more anger they began to feel. The driver was found to have traces of cannabis in his system at the scene and fell asleep at the wheel. He had been given previous warnings on careless driving. But the specialist police officers which supported the family were ‘faultless’, they say. Every day is a battle for the family. The couple’s younger son asks when he is going to get a new sister, and spends his time playing with Ada’s friends at school. Nevgul says: ‘It’s like he’s looking to replace her. He misses his big sister so much.’

‘Why was he allowed to drive?’

Now, the family are doing all they can to make sure no other parent has to go through the heartbreak they have. In their search for answers, it was found Asolo-Ogugua was on probation after other Londoners complained about his dangerous driving. Yet he continued to attend his shifts without question, eventually leading to Ada’s death. In June Asolo-Ogugua jailed for four years and disqualified from driving for seven years.

Undated handout photo issued by the Metropolitan Police of Martin Asolo-Ogugua, 23, who was sentenced to four years in prison at Woolwich Crown Court for causing the death of nine-year-old Ada Bicakci by dangerous driving. Ada Bicakci died in hospital on August 5 last year, two days after the collision in Bexleyheath, south-east London, which left her with "catastrophic injuries". 

‘TfL told us he must have “slipped through their fingers”, but this isn’t good enough,’ says Bora. ‘Why was he allowed to drive as normal when he was on probation for dangerous driving?

‘It shouldn’t take the death of a child to get him off the roads.’

Like train drivers, the couple are pushing for Transport for London to test drivers before every shift, and stricter sentencing for those found to have broken the rules. Nevgul adds: ‘If necessary precautions had been taken, this never would have happened. ‘I feel the sentence was very soft. It shouldn’t have been only four years when he took a child’s life away.’ Bora said: ‘We don’t want anyone to suffer like we have. A bus knocks down one person every month.

‘TfL need to surrender to the facts.’  (News: Metro) 

The company was originally fined £72,000, which was reduced to £48,000 due to an early guilty plea.

Following a partial appeal heard at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 28 May 2025, the fine was reduced to £10,500. However, the court upheld the guilty verdict and confirmed the company must pay £2,000 victim surcharge and £2,754.31 in costs to Enfield Council. Cabinet Member for Planning and Regulatory Services at Enfield Council, Cllr Susan Erbil, said: “The Council is supportive to local businesses and offers help and advice to local food related trades to comply with legislation.

“But unfortunately, not all related businesses follow the guidance provided to maintain acceptable standards of hygiene in food preparation and the cleanliness of their premises

“I was horrified to learn the extent of the lack of pest control measures at Sweet Confectionery Limited that were discovered by Enfield Council’s environmental health officers, and the fact the business had to be closed immediately due the dangers the premises posed to the health of consumers and the company’s employees.   

“The fine imposed by the courts was not consummate with the seriousness of this case, but unfortunately this is out of the Council’s control. The Council will continue to protect public health with all measures possible.”

The company, trading under the brand name Nawal, manufactures sweets and desserts distributed to eight of its own retail shops across London and Slough.

The investigation and enforcement actions were the result of multiple inspections by Enfield Council’s environmental health team between January and February 2024, during which a dead rat and droppings were found in a storage room and food production areas with pigeons found roosting in the upper storage area.

Accumulations of dirt and food debris were discovered in the production and storage areas along with poor cleaning and disinfection practices to equipment, surfaces and food preparation areas were also found, along with gnaw marks in the wall insulation. 

The owner received a detailed report from the Council on the improvements that were required to be made to the premises, including eradicating infestations. But rodent droppings were still present during follow-up visits.

For further information on Enfield Council’s food hygiene inspections visit: https://www.enfield.gov.uk/services/environment/food-safety 

Cllr Rowena Champion, Executive Member for Environment, Air Quality, and Transport, said: “This is about more than just transport — it’s about creating streets that people enjoy, communities feel safe and welcome, and the air is cleaner. We’re committed to more environmentally friendly streets, through our tree planting and greening programme including Liveable Neighbourhoods - making it easier for more people to walk, cycle and wheel.  

“We’re taking a holistic approach to our planning and our work to tackle to the climate challenges we face in Islington. This means thinking about local people’s whole health and experience of the borough. We want Islington to be a safe, healthy and welcoming place where people can really thrive.  

“We’re proud of what we’ve achieved, but we’re not stopping here. The journey to a greener, healthier Islington continues — and it is one that involves everyone in Islington from local people to businesses.” 

The plans have been criticized by NGOs, who argue they could endanger lives by pushing interceptions further into treacherous waters or before rescue teams can safely intervene. The shift in French policy follows comments from UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who earlier this week expressed concern over the lack of swift French intervention. Cooper said she wants to see French border forces intercepting boats not only in shallow waters but also as they travel from rivers and canals.

The issue has come to a head as Prime Minister and Labour leader Keir Starmer faces increasing pressure from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Party, with immigration expected to be a central issue in the coming election cycle. On Saturday, a record 1,195 people arrived in the UK in 19 small boats, bringing the total number of Channel arrivals this year to 14,812 -- the highest ever recorded for this point in the year. With heat waves forecast for the summer, officials fear the numbers could rise even further.