Pawnbroker Given Hope Over Customers Compensation

Paradise Gems, a Tottenham jeweller whose family business was destroyed in last August's rioting, has been given new hope that his customers may be compensated for the loss of up to £500,000-worth of jewellery that was stolen from his safes after the London mayor's office intervened.

The shop, which had been run by Steve Moore, 57, and his wife and daughter for 20 years, was burned to the ground, they then discovered that fire-proof safes that had survived the blaze intact had been stolen from the rubble of the building. The safes contained 90% of Moore's stock, including jewellery belonging to around 200 pawnbroking customers being held as security for short-term loans.

Moore reported the robbery but was advised by police not to tell his customers. This resulted in his customers missing the deadline for compensation claims.

Now the mayors office has stepped in and asked the Met to look at the case “as a matter of urgency”.

A spokesman said: "If it is accurate that the police asked for discretion so as not to hinder the investigation, then that certainly is relevant and any claims under RDA (Riot Damages Act) should be reconsidered given these circumstances."

Olympic Hurdler Leads Railway Safety Campaign

Olympic gold medal hopeful Dai Greene is leading a safety campaign aimed at young people who risk their lives by taking shortcuts across train tracks.

In an online advert, Welsh athlete Greene races across the tracks while an imaginary train is coming - but the champion hurdler does not make it.

Forty-nine people were killed last year trespassing on the rail network, according to Network Rail figures.

Clinton Cards Pushed Into Administration

More than 8,000 Clinton Cards staff face a nervous wait after its biggest supplier said it planned to push it into administration.

The aggressive move by American Greetings (AG) wrong-footed chief executive Darcy Willson-Rymer who had hoped to work closely with the New York-listed group as part of a turnaround of the loss-making retailer. But all bets were off after AG swooped on Tuesday night, buying up Clinton's £35m debts from Barclays and taxpayer-backed Royal Bank of Scotland and then calling in the loans.