New wave of bomb attacks ends in failure

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Shepherd's Bush a target as terror moves West

The second series of attacks on London seems to have ended in disaster for the would-be bombers who appear to only have managed to badly damage their own rucksacks.

This time around attacks hit West London with the Shepherd's Bush tube station on the Hammersmith and City line one of the targets.

Chiswick mother Becky Hamilton, who works in Bush Studios, a rehearsal studio in the arches directly underneath the Shepherd's Bush station of the Hammersmith and City Line when she was told to evacuate.

She said, "We work underneath the station in the arches and police came in and kind of told us to get out basically, just to drop everything and get out. We have left all our cars and everything in there."

She continued, "We didn't hear any noise but we didn't hear trains for about a good half-an-hour before and they just told us to get out and we ran out. When we first came out of the arches we just mingled around but now they are telling us to get back (to the moving police cordon)."

28 year old Abisha Moyo told the Daily Mail how he was on his way to Hammersmith when he heard what sounded like a gunshot. He saw a man lying on top of a rucksack face up. He asked the man if he was okay but was ignored. Then he spotted that there were wires coming out of the bottom of the man's bag and realised that he may have been a suicide bomber. He described the man as of mixed race, clean shaven and dressed smartly in jeans, a navy blue T-shirt and a baseball cap. The man opened the emergency door and jumped onto the tracks along the line heading West. Shortly afterwards, witnesses at the station said they saw a man climb over the station wall and then up Wood Lane past the BBC HQ.

Shepherd's Bush Green was sealed off with police tape and crowds congregated on either side of the park. The area was closed to traffic with vehicles being diverted off the main Shepherd's Bush roundabout.

500 people were evacuated from their homes around Shepherd's Bush Green. 216 of them had nowhere to stay and were looked after by Hammersmith & Fulham Council emergency services team. Council drivers ferried residents to safety and a dedicated band of council staff and volunteers were busy all night trying to give the evacuees as comfortable a night as possible. 133 evacuees slept in Hammersmith Town Hall.

Adrian Price, Emergency Planning Officer at the council, said, "As long as the police cordon is in place we will continue to provide accommodation for residents who need it."

Rooms were found for the more vulnerable and elderly residents at the Novotel hotel and in other centres. The council team were helped by St John Ambulance, the primary Care Trust and WRVS. There is still ( July 22, 2005 10:31 PM ) a cordon round Shepherd's Bush from Macfarlane Road, Frithville Gardens, No17 upwards on Pennard Road, Uxbridge Road between Lime Grove and Wood Lane and Wood Lane up to the northern junction with Macfarlane Road.

Chief Inspector, John Sutherland, said, "The residents of Shepherd Bush have responded magnificently. I would like to pass on my sincere thanks to Hammersmith & Fulham Council and the volunteers who worked tirelessly throughout the night. There is no physical risk to residents in Shepherd Bush but there is an ongoing forensic enquiry. The message is clear to be alert but not alarmed. If you see a suspicious person or package please do not hesitate to call the police."

The police cordon around Shepherd's Bush Underground station is still in place and the council will accommodate residents with nowhere to go until the cordon is lifted. Borough Emergency Control Centre (please call 0208 748 3020 for up-to-date information) is open and is the main source of information for the press and public.

Sir Ian Blair the Metropolitan Police Commissioner has appealed for witnesses with mobile phone pictures of any of the incidents to send them to www.police.uk.

Latest Travel Information

Tube services this weekend

Following the incidents on the Tube on Thursday 21 and Friday 22 July, and with continuing disruption caused by the events of 7 July, some Tube services will remain disrupted over the weekend.

Northern line

Following the incident at Stockwell on Friday, there is currently no service between Kennington and Balham, and only a very limited service between Balham and Morden.

A rail replacement bus service is currently operating Tooting Broadway - Colliers Wood - South Wimbledon - Wimbledon for District line services. This may change over the weekend. Please check the real time travel news on the Transport for London website for the latest information - www.tfl.gov.uk

Piccadilly line

Due to the events of 7 July there remains no service between Arnos Grove and Hyde Park Corner or between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge.

Rail Replacement bus services are running as follows:

Service A: Arnos Grove - Finchley Central (Fast) for Northern line services.

Service B: Arnos Grove - Bounds Green - Wood Green - Turnpike Lane - Seven Sisters for Victoria line and National Rail services.

Circle and Hammersmith & City lines

No service due to the events of 7 July.

District line

No service between Edgware Road and High Street Kensington due to the events of 7 July.

Metropolitan line

No service between Moorgate and Aldgate due to the events of 7 July. We hope to re-introduce full Metropolitan line services from Monday morning, 25 July. Please check over the weekend for further updates.

Other travel information

Please keep your belongings with you at all times. Passengers are asked to remain vigilant and to report anything suspicious to a member of staff or a Police Officer.

July 22, 2005 10:31 PM