jamikins

Thanks guys, this is downright frightening. They seem to have contained the current fires. Fingers crossed. Dont think we will get much sleep...

raincitygirl

jamikins, how horrible. Stay safe. Stay inside unless you have to leave because of fire, and if you have to go out I hope you have a baseball bat or something like it.

I've been reading more about it online and it is downright disgusting. Looks just like an excuse to rob and loot and run wild in the streets. The photos are frightening, can't imagine actually being there.
There are incidents of the rioters attacking commuters and other people just trying to go about their business.

This isn't Somalia where people are starving to death so I don't buy all the b.s. about colonialism, blah blah blah.
It isn't food they are stealing, it is cigarettes, booze, big screen t.v.s, mobile phones, clothes, hangbags etc. I saw a photo of a convenience store and they'd broken into the ATM and then hopped the counter and were cleaning out the cigarette supply.
Disgusting.

dutyfree

My son lives in central London and just called. He said that he and a friend were walking over from Euston street and there are emergency vehicles,police cars all over the place heading up to Camden Locks area.They have trashed a bike store and are looting all over Camden Locks area.His friends who live east of the Liverpool tube station have been told to stay in their flats;some friends of his are stuck in Ealing station.Friends have called from Notting Hill and have said that people are burning cars and trying to break into houses. Bond Street and Oxford Circus streets have been closed off.He says that it is crazy what is going on there but has assured me that he thinks that central London/Bloomsbury will be alright. So sad!

Nikki

Jamikins and anyone else caught in the crossfire, I hope the night passes quickly for you and tomorrow brings a calmer day. I will be checking back to see how things are going.

madamtrashheap

jamikins, hope you're still ok - just saw the footage on The Guardian website of Woolwich. I hope you don't take the advice above and "get out of there whatever it takes". I'm sure it was meant well, but it's just not wise to be outside at the moment. Daylight isn't far away - let's see what that brings. My part of town (Tufnell Park) is ok for the time being, but Camden is just down the road (literally) and things are being smashed/burned there - Electric Ballroom was apparently just smashed up. Friends in Clapham are stuck inside while other friends in Bromley said the high street was being looted. No sleep again tonight. A link was given above for locations around London affected, here's another one: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?msi...0&source=embed

Going to work tomorrow is going to indeed be interesting. Stay safe Londoners (and now Liverpudlians, Brummies and Leodensians) and keep an eye on things. Don't think this is going to stop for a while yet.

JanetKMR

Stay safe jamikins.

Fidel

"Friends have called from Notting Hill and have said that people are burning cars and trying to break into houses."

Amazing. I read that a mob ran into Ledbury and mugged the diners at their tables earlier this evening!

emily71

Hope all of the London peeps are safe. I've read that the looting while spontanious at first is known driven by social networking sites. Gangs/young people meet up trash and loot stores. Shame.

farrermog

Sadly most of the lowlife scum taking part won't be brought to account unless given up by the cowered majority of the communities they are so intent on trashing. How long until there are curfews imposed, swearing of special constables... martial law??

farrermog

PS - Note the cute juxtaposition of threads on this forum - this one with 'Cloth Napkin Etiquette'. Then there's 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' with 'Sean Hannity, "I could get elected in Utah"'.

Kswl2

God, I cannot believe there is anything going on at Oxford Circus. That's close to the dorm my son was living in near Gower Street. Good luck, Jamikins, I am very sorry this is happening

cambe

Jamikins, I agree with you the Met are totally ineffectual in dealing with this. There were pictures on the BBC news where shops were being looted and burnt and not a police car in sight!!!

I would suggest they send over some PSNI from Belfast along with their rubber bullets and pelt them, they are not afraid to use them. The PNSI have experience in dealing with this sort of thing, the Met are totally out of their depth.

Some of the rioters were as young as 10!!!

julia_t

Hope all's well with you both this morning jamie. What a horrid experience last night must have been.

My daughter now lives mid-way between Brixton and Peckham, I told her to call me in the night if she was scared but she hasn't. I've not heard from her yet this morning. A friend's daughter lives in Ealing, I'm concerned about her too. And of course, I hope our old chum CW is safe as well, he's out in the thick of it.

Stay safe jamie and scott.

willit

I wonder how CW is coping?

RM67

I expect he is out there with his big stick!

kerouac

I saw that Mrs. May said that cuts in the police budget have nothing to do with all this. It also sounds like she wants local vigilante gangs to join in the action.

jamikins

Well we made it through the night. Our town center isnt as bad as expected, but its pretty beat up. Wimpy's, Wetherspoons, the new Wilkinsons and the T-mobile building on the high street are all burned. Mobile phone stores, pawn brokers, clothing shops and game shops all broken into. Really unbelievable.

Everyone is up and about their regular business, but everyone is pretty shocked. To be honest, I am frightened about tonight

Stay safe out there everyone!

willit

"Big sociey" volunteer riot Police!!! Although I have said nothing would surprise me, I think officially sanctioned vigilantiism is still one step too far, even for the more Right wing of the Conservative party.

willit

Glad to hear you're OK jamikins.

madamtrashheap

jamikins, very glad to hear you're ok this morning.

It's interesting that there's a lot more talking on the train today - usually there's studied silence but today everyone is comparing notes and just incredulous at the brazen and self-absorbed attitude of those looting/rioting. And that the police seemed to be nowhere at times (Croydon esp.).

<i>kerouac wrote: I saw that Mrs. May said that cuts in the police budget have nothing to do with all this. It also sounds like she wants local vigilante gangs to join in the action.</i> I can't fathom she actually wants us to believe this drivel about police cuts. And yes, I found the subtext of vigilate groups in her speech as well - worrying, but it might just happen. What else can you do when the Mayor and PM won't take the incidents seriously. Will be interesting to hear what they have to say when they compose themselves after unpacking from hols!