TikTok stars the Smithy Family were sent prostitutes by 'haters' before suspected arson attack - Daily Mail

Tiktok stars the Smithy Family who were targeted in arson attack were sent prostitutes and 95 takeaways by jealous 'haters' enraged by their 2.5m online followers, neighbours say

• Attack took place at family home in Welling, south-east London, on Wednesday
• Next-door neighbour Lisa said family had 95 takeaways delivered in one day
• They also allegedly had 'prostitutes or escorts' showing up at their home 
• Camera phone footage shows the car on fire in Smithy family's driveway
• This caused considerable damage to their home, forcing them to move out 

By Harry Howard For Mailonline

Published: 18:16 BST, 16 July 2021 | Updated: 00:08 BST, 17 July 2021

A TikTok family whose house was wrecked in a suspected arson attack were sent '95 takeaways and prostitutes' by 'jealous haters' before the fire, according to neighbours.

CCTV footage shows two suspects setting fire to a Ford S-Max on the drive outside the semi-detached home of The Smithy Family in Welling, south east London, between 10.30pm and 11pm on Wednesday night with a milk carton filled with petrol.

Nick Smith and his family, who have 2.6 million followers on TikTok, believe their home was set alight because of their new found social media fame. He says they will never be able to live in the house again.

Mr Smith claimed yesterday that the family had received threats online, numerous takeaways delivered to their house, along with prostitutes sent to their door. 

Today, next-door neighbour Lisa, 50, a concierge, backed up his claim, saying: 'One day, they got 95 takeaways delivered and then they had prostitutes or escorts showing up at his house.' 

The Smithy family of TikTok stars, whose house was wrecked in a suspected arson attack, were sent '95 takeaways and prostitutes' by 'jealous haters' before the fire, according to neighbours 

After their car was set on fire, neighbours came to the family's aid, helping carry their two daughters and six-week-old baby boy over the back garden fence to safety.

The family's 'funny' and 'heartwarming' videos have attracted a large following - now over 2.6 million, since Mr Smith joined TikTok a few years ago.

But their new found fame has also attracted unwanted attention after their address was leaked their address online.

Lisa said: 'I've known them since the day we moved in nine years ago.

'I was passing the kids over the back fence because they couldn't get out the front door.

'They have two daughter Isabella, nine, Amelia, six, and a little boy teddy who is just six weeks old.

'Bells was crying, carrying Teddy in her arms, so that will stick with her life.

'If they didn't have a back entrance they would never have got out.

A TikTok family whose house was wrecked in a suspected arson attack were sent '95 takeaways and prostitutes' by 'jealous haters' before the fire, according to neighbours. CCTV footage shows two suspects setting fire to a Ford S-Max on the drive outside the semi-detached home of The Smithy Family in Welling, south east London 

Exclusive footage shared with MailOnline shows the car of TikTok stars the Smithy family on fire after it was set alight by arsonists at their home in Welling, south-east London

Yobs were caught on a neighbour's security camera running down the street towards a railway bridge after they had targeted the social media stars

'The house is completely black so I think they've been put in temporary safe accommodation.

'It's not the first time they've had trouble with haters or whatever you call them.' 

'He's the first one to say he didn't have the best childhood, but he did everything for his kids.

'He's a pest in a vest, but he doesn't have a nasty bone in him and we've been living here nine, ten years.

'There's a guy online claiming he put petrol in their bins, but we know it's not him because it didn't start there.

'He's a rough diamond, but he's as good as gold.'

Barry Sissons, 75, a former HGV driver who lives a few doors down, said: 'We were on the night just getting ready for bed and then we heard a Big Bang and looked out the window and saw the flames.

'He normally has big skip outside full of wood so I asked if that's what had caught fire, and they said no it's the car.

London Fire Brigade said 20 firefighters rushed to the scene last night after flames from a burning car 'spread up the outside of the house' and set a 'number of mobility scooters' alight

'I just feel sorry for the family really, it's horrible and doesn't make any sense.

'I think he's quite an entrepreneur, always building things.

The Smithy Family: How a builder turned his partner and children into TikTok superstars

The Smithy Family first gained notoriety on TikTok during lockdown.

Father Nick Smith and his partner Jess shared funny videos of their children Amelia, six, and Isabella, nine.

Jess' half-brother Jack, 16, also appears regularly in the videos, as does Nick's son Ben, 13.

He launched the account when his daughter said he was 'too embarrassing' to appear on her TikTok so had to create his own.

Mr Smith - who has ADHD - used his regular posting schedule of around 15 videos per day to keep him focused and in a steady routine in lockdown.

The family was so popular, Mr Smith was able to give up his job as a builder to do social media full time.

They share clips of family life, along with sketches. Their TikTok bio reads: 'Life's what you make it so make it good.' 

Mr Smith has not revealed how much the family earn, but admitted the income from their Facebook page alone is more than what he made as a builder.  

The Smiths also use their platform to raise money for charity.

They collected £60,000 worth of gifts for the Salvation Army over Christmas.

They now have 2.5million followers on TikTok. 

'He built a big play area in the back garden and a swimming pool.

'Even the lady next door suffered and we felt the heat from the fire here.

'The fire was higher than that hedge, so probably seven or eight foot flames.

'When it started, the children had to climb over the neighbour's back garden fence.

'Our shirts were getting covered in soot and it gets in your eyes.

'We've been here 46 years so we know them, but the fire was so intense, you couldn't go down there and help.

'Two fire engines arrived and had to use an angle grinder to break through the gate up the street because none of us had the keys.'

Walking around his burnt out house with his partner today [FRI], Nick Smith, 33, said: 'We're trying to find the person who done it and there's someone on Snapchat whose posted pictures of him on the night.

'But there's been multiple people doing it, trying to claim glory of burning our house down.

'Jess, my partner, was born in this house and our three kids have grown up here, and now, no matter what happens, we're not going to stay here, after everything that's happened.

'Now our address has been leaked and the takeaways and prostitutes there's no coming back from that. Would you feel safe?

'We don't see ourselves as famous or anything we're just a family who've gained a bit of a following and we've been targeted.

'I just think it's jealousy mate, most people would be happy for others when they do well, but others are jealous.

'Jack, my partner's brother, was screaming 'Nick! Nick!' so I grabbed Teddy and Isabella.

'When I went back up to get Amelia, she'd climbed back up the bunk bed ladder and got back into bed.'

Holding back tears, Mr Smith continued: 'My daughter wants to come home.

'She doesn't understand why we can't come back.'

He added: 'I joined TikTok back in 2019 after my daughter refused to do any more TikToks with me.

'People are very loose on social media with their comments and for me, who hasn't been on there very long, I think people can be really nasty.

The Smithy Family first gained notoriety on TikTok during lockdown. Father Nick Smith and his partner Jess shared funny videos of their children Amelia, six, and Isabella, nine

The family was so popular, Mr Smith was able to give up his job as a builder to do social media full time. Above: Mr Smith and his children wear England shirts and face paint during Euro 2020

Mr Smith has not revealed how much the family earn, but admitted the income from their Facebook page alone is more than what he made as a builder

'What they don't realise is we read all the comments.

'At the end of the day it could have cost people's lives.

'If that had been a petrol car it would have exploded and it would have been like a small bomb going off.'

Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters were called to tackle the blaze after London Fire Brigade's 999 Control Officers took 16 calls.

Sub Officer Tim Sammons, who was at the scene, said: 'We were called to reports of a car alight that had spread up the outside of the house.

The family collected £60,000 worth of gifts for the Salvation Army over Christmas. They now have 2.5million followers on TikTok. Above: The family in one of their videos

'There were a number of mobility scooters parked outside which had caught alight and were producing a large amount of smoke and flames.

'Everyone was out of the building before we arrived, and crews worked incredibly hard to prevent further damage to the inside of the property and to neighbouring properties.

'Our fire investigation dogs also attended to help identify any ignitable substances present.'

The Brigade was called at 22:56pm and the fire was under control by 0030. Fire crews from Bexley, Plumstead and Erith fire stations attended the scene.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Brigade and the Met Police.

A Met Police spokesman said no arrests have been made and enquiries are continuing.

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2021-07-16 17:16:13Z
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COVID-19: UK reports 51,870 new coronavirus cases and 49 more deaths - Sky News

The UK has reported 51,870 new COVID-19 cases in the latest 24-hour period - the highest number since 15 January.

Some 49 coronavirus deaths have also been recorded in the last 24 hours.

It comes just days before the government eases all social distancing restrictions and mask-wearing rules in England, despite objections from medical experts.

On Thursday there were 63 deaths and 48,553 new COVID-19 cases confirmed and 42,302 new infections were confirmed on Wednesday, along with 49 fatalities.

Earlier on Friday, it was confirmed that England's R number had dropped slightly to between 1.2 and 1.4, despite the increase in coronavirus infection rates.

Data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that more than half a million people in private households in England are likely to have had COVID-19 in the week to 10 July.

This is equivalent to approximately one in 95 people in England.

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Government data up to 15 July shows that of the 81,702,466 jabs given in the UK, 46,159,145 were first doses, a rise of 61,681 on the previous day.

Some 35,543,321 were second doses, an increase of 201,893.

More than two-thirds of adults have had both doses of a coronavirus vaccine, and hundreds of thousands more people are being urged to bring forward their second dose of a vaccine.

Text messages are being sent to 650,000 people telling them they should make sure their second vaccine appointment is no more than eight weeks after their first.

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2021-07-16 16:52:30Z
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COVID-19: No plans to change sensitivity of NHS contact tracing app after half a million people pinged in a week - Sky News

There are no plans to change the sensitivity of the NHS COVID-19 app to reduce the number of people being told to self-isolate.

Ministers had indicated that the contact tracing tool would be tweaked, with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps telling Sky News last Friday, 9 July, it would be "tailored" to keep it aligned with new social distancing rules.

However, Sky News understands there are no current plans to change the "sensitivity of the risk threshold" - but the app will be kept under "constant review".

Image: The app tells people to self-isolate for upwards of 10 days depending on when they came into contact with someone who later tested positive for COVID

Business groups have expressed frustration at the increasing number of workers being pinged by the app and told to stay at home.

The British Meat Processors Association said companies may be forced to shut down production lines if more workers are forced to isolate.

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Car makers Rolls-Royce and Nissan have also warned that their manufacturing plants face major disruption due to the number of people being told to self-isolate by the app.

More than half a million alerts were sent out in the week to 7 July, a 46% rise on the previous week and the highest number on record.

More on Covid-19

The prime minister has previously said he understands people's frustrations with the app, but his spokesman said on Friday that it was "working as it is designed to do".

But it will be kept "under review", they added.

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PM 'gets' NHS app frustration

The spokesman also dismissed reports in The Daily Telegraph of the app pinging people through brick walls, saying it used "low energy Bluetooth", thus making that situation "highly unlikely".

Self-isolation for fully vaccinated contacts of COVID sufferers is due to end on 16 August, but there had been hopes that measures may be eased before then with daily testing replacing quarantine.

Government sources have sounded increasingly downbeat on the so-called "test to release" plan, though, with the results from pilots into strategy only due to report in the next two months.

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Sunak hint over change to 'pinging'

The decision not to tweak the app for the time being comes after Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer equated it to "taking the batteries out of the smoke alarm".

His comments came after Chancellor Rishi Sunak hinted to Sky News last week that a tweak was in the works.

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2021-07-16 14:11:24Z
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Durham A1 crash: Three killed in six-vehicle collision - BBC News

Terry Blackburn

Three people have died in a crash on the A1(M) which involved six vehicles, police said.

Two lorries and four cars were caught up in the crash at Bowburn, County Durham, at about 18:20 BST on Thursday.

Durham Police said three people from two of the cars died at the scene.

A man, 41, who was driving one of the lorries has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, the force said.

A man who was driving a Toyota Hilux and a man and woman from a Vauxhall Crossland all died at the scene.

A police spokeswoman said formal identification was expected "to take some time" but families had been informed.

Several others were injured in the collision, with two people requiring hospital treatment, she said.

'Harrowing incident'

The spokeswoman said: "Due to the complexity of the scene, there is ongoing work to safely recover evidence and remove vehicles which will take some time."

Det Supt Dave Ashton said it was a "harrowing incident" and has been "incredibly upsetting and distressing for those who witnessed the collision, and for the emergency responders, including police officers, firefighters and paramedics, who attended the scene".

"Our thoughts are with the family and friends of those who have lost their loved ones," Mr Ashton said.

He also urged members of the public not to share pictures or videos of the crash online "out of dignity and respect for those who have lost their lives".

Great North Air Ambulance

Mr Ashton said the road would stay shut for the rest of the day and would need to be assessed for damage before it could be opened.

"Motorists should avoid the area and plan ahead if they need to travel," he said.

"We understand the significant disruption that this incident has caused, and would like to thank people for their patience, understanding and co-operation while we work at the scene."

Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service said it had taken more than an hour to put out the lorry fire.

Seven crews, including a specialist unit from Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, were sent to the site, it said.

The Great North Air Ambulance was also deployed to transport casualties.

The police force is appealing for dashcam footage or photographs of the crash to be uploaded to a specialist website.

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2021-07-16 13:35:19Z
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Britain's Covid vaccine drive-out has slashed death rate among over-80s - Daily Mail

Britain's Covid vaccine drive-out has slashed death rate among over-80s: Elderly now only make up 40% of all victims - down from two-thirds at peak of the pandemic... but experts warn rapid spread of cases will cause trend to U-turn

• At the peak of the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, over-80s made up two thirds of Covid deaths
• But this has dropped to just 40 per cent in recent months due to the success of the vaccine rollout
• However, experts warned deaths in older groups will rise as other groups get double jabbed

By Emily Craig Health Reporter For Mailonline

Published: 12:05 BST, 16 July 2021 | Updated: 12:05 BST, 16 July 2021

The proportion of over-80s dying from Covid in England and Wales has plunged following the launch of Britain's vaccine drive, figures show. 

At the peak of the first wave, the elderly made up to 68 per cent of all coronavirus deaths. But last month only 40 per cent of people succumbing to the illness were aged 80 or above.

Experts say the vaccine roll-out is responsible for the turnaround, with SAGE figures showing that 95 per cent of over-80s have been fully immunised.

But they warned the trend will shift back to how it was earlier on in the pandemic as the jab drive continues as more younger people are protected against the virus. 

This could be further exacerbated by restrictions easing next week, with infections predicted to skyrocket to over 100,000 every day.

The third wave began in younger people, skewing death figures slightly - but now infections are ticking upwards in older people too, who still face a greater risk of dying.  

It comes after Britain yesterday recorded 63 Covid deaths in the highest daily toll since March.  

The link between people getting infected and being admitted to hospital and dying has been weakened by the vaccine but not completely severed.

At the peak of the first wave last March, more than two thirds of Covid deaths in England and Wales were among the over-80s. But since the beginning of the year, the proportion of people in the age group dying from the virus has been trending downwards, making up as little as 40 per cent of deaths in recent weeks

This graph shows the proportion of people who catch Covid that are dying from the disease by age group. At the beginning of the pandemic, the risk was around 10 per cent (0.10) for over-75s, but was as low as 2 per cent (0.02) for those aged 65 to 74. The rate has fallen markedly among older people since the vaccine roll-out began in January, but the risk of dath is still higher for over-65s

The number of people dying daily from Covid jumped 63 yesterday, an 80 per cent jump from the 35 recorded seven days ago and the highest daily rise since March. Despite the uptick in deaths, they are still significantly lower than levels recorded in the first and second waves, when infections were at the same level as they are now.

Latest Government figures show 87.5 per cent of all over-18s in the UK have received one dose, while 67.1 per cent of the population are fully immunised. A total of 46million first doses have been administered in the UK, while 35.3million people have received both doses

The above table shows the risk of dying from Covid after catching the disease at the peak of the second wave in January, first column, and now after more than half of all people in Britain have received two doses of the Covid vaccine, second column. The estimates were calculated by Cambridge University scientists and are for England only. Overall for all age groups one in 90 (1.1 per cent) of those who caught the virus died from the disease in the darkest days of January. For comparison, fewer than one in 1,000 (0.085 per cent) of infected individuals were dying in June. Among over-75s only 2.1 per cent of those who caught the virus died from it in June, compared to 17 per cent in January. But for children and teenagers there risk of dying from the virus has barely changed between January (0.0015 per cent) and June (0.0011 per cent)

SAGE estimates predict that double-jabbed Brits are up to 91 per cent less likely to be admitted to hospital with the virus, and 96 per cent less likely to die from Covid.

And separate Cambridge University researchers say the overall death rate for the virus has plunged to one in 1,000 compared to one in 100 during the darkest days of the first wave.

But the death rate is still high among the elderly, with 2.2 per cent of over 75s infected expected to die.  

The success of the vaccine rollout is reflected in ONS figures of the number of people who have died from the virus.

At the beginning of the pandemic last March, around half of all Covid deaths were recorded in the over-80s and four in 10 occurred among people in their 70s. 

Meanwhile, just one per cent of deaths were among people aged under 40. 

But this year, the rate of death recorded in the over-80s dropped to around 50 per cent, while the percentage of deaths recorded in people aged 40 to 60 has increased.

In the six weeks up to July 2, the death rate dropped even lower, with people in that age group making up just four in 10 Covid deaths.

Dr Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, a senior researcher in evidence-based medicine at the University of Oxford told MailOnline: 'The vaccines have been a huge success in preventing Covid deaths.

'And one of the many ways in which this is evident is that the proportion of people dying from Covid is less in older age groups than it was in previous waves. 

'Currently, older age groups are more likely to have had both vaccination doses. 

'As the UK’s vaccination programme continues to roll out, eventually a high proportion of British adults will have had both doses, regardless of age. 

'At this point, we may return to seeing a larger proportion of overall Covid deaths in older age groups. 

'The best thing that anyone can do to protect themselves is have both doses of a Covid vaccine when offered.'

Latest Government figures show 87.5 per cent of all over-18s in the UK have received one dose, while 67.1 per cent of the population are fully immunised. 

A total of 46million first doses have been administered in the UK, while 35.3million people have received both doses. 

Despite the uptick in deaths, they are still significantly lower than levels recorded in the first and second waves, when infections were at the same level as they are now. 

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 128,593 deaths have been linked with the virus. 

Solicitor General Lucy Frazer warned today that lockdown restrictions will need to be reimposed if the third wave hit 'unacceptable levels'. 

Meanwhile, Chris Whitty warned at a Science Museum even yesterday Britain is 'not out of the woods yet' but is in 'much better shape' due to the vaccine programme and Covid drugs.

 

 

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2021-07-16 11:05:38Z
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Covid hospital numbers could get scary - Prof Chris Whitty - BBC News

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The UK is "not out of the woods yet" and people should act with caution as Covid restrictions in England end on Monday, Prof Chris Whitty has said.

England's chief medical officer warned that hospital admissions were doubling every three weeks and could hit "scary numbers" if the trend continues.

Prof Whitty said the pandemic still had a "long way to run in the UK".

It comes as the UK recorded nearly 50,000 new cases on Thursday - the highest daily number since January.

Prof Whitty told an online seminar hosted by the Science Museum on Thursday evening: "I don't think we should underestimate the fact that we could get into trouble again surprisingly fast."

He added: "We are not by any means out of the woods yet on this, we are in much better shape due to the vaccine programme, and drugs, and a variety of other things.

"But this has got a long way to run in the UK, and it's got even further to run globally."

He said while the number of people in hospital with Covid-19 at the moment was "mercifully much lower than it was previously", he insisted the number was "not trivial".

"We've still got over 2,000 people in hospital and that number is increasing," he said.

• Sainsbury's and Tesco to encourage mask-wearing
• England lockdown rules to end on 19 July
• NHS Covid app pings more than 500,000 in a week
• Covid staff shortage could shut meat production

But Prof Whitty said the key on 19 July was "to take things incredibly slowly" - adding that he fully anticipated most people would still take precautions.

"If you look over what people have done, and in fact if you look at what people intend to do now, people have been incredibly good at saying, 'I may be a relatively low risk, but people around me are at high risk, and I'm going to modify my behaviours, I'm going to reduce my contacts, I'm going to improve ventilation...'," he said.

From 19 July, almost all legal restrictions on social contact will be removed in England, but some guidance will remain. Different rules apply in the the rest of the UK.

Nightclubs will be allowed to reopen for the first time since March last year and capacity limits will be removed for all venues and events.

There will no longer be any limits on how many people can meet and the 1m-plus distancing rule will also end.

The legal requirement to wear face coverings in some enclosed public places will expire, but Health Secretary Sajid Javid has previously said masks would still be "expected and recommended" in crowded indoor areas.

But the UK's two largest supermarkets - Tesco and Sainsbury's - have said they will continue to ask shoppers to wear masks from Monday to protect staff and shoppers.

Prof Whitty predicted that in the medium term, coronavirus could mutate into a "vaccine escape variant" that could take the UK "some of the way backwards" into the worst days of the pandemic.

"The further out in time we go, the more tools we have at our disposal from science, the less likely that is but you can never take that possibility completely off the table," he said.

"But you know, science has done a phenomenal job so far and it will continue to do so."

Prof Whitty's latest comments echo his statements at Monday's Downing Street coronavirus briefing where Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed the final stage of unlocking in England would take place on 19 July.

The chief medical officer said the "overwhelming view" of the scientific community was that moving "slowly" through the next step of easing restrictions was "essential".

He added that while the numbers of people being admitted to hospital with Covid were "not trivial", they were rising at a much lower rate than previous waves.

On Thursday, the UK recorded new 48,553 new infections and a further 63 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.

It comes as more than half a million self-isolation alerts were sent to people using the NHS Covid-19 app in England and Wales during the first week of July - a 46% rise on the previous week.

Firms including Nissan and Rolls-Royce have warned production could be affected due to high numbers of staff being told to isolate by the NHS Test and Trace app.

• THE BATTLE FOR THE SOUTH CHINA SEA: The Filipino fisherman caught in the middle of a political storm
• LUTHER: This detective might be as dangerous as the criminals he catches

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2021-07-15 23:47:25Z
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Durham A1 motorway crash: Police report fatalities - BBC News

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A number of people are believed to have died in a motorway crash involving two lorries and several cars, police have said.

It happened on the northbound carriageway of the A1(M) at Bowburn, between Bradbury and Carrville, County Durham, at 18:20 BST.

The motorway has been closed in both directions.

Appealing for dashcam footage of the crash, Durham Police said there "appear to have been fatalities".

The North East Ambulance Service said it was "incredibly busy" dealing with the crash, which it warned could lead to delays in attending other emergencies in the area.

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Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service said it had taken more than an hour to put out the lorry fire.

Seven crews, including Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service's Heavy Rescue Unit, had been sent to the site, it said.

"On arrival at the scene crews were faced with a multi-vehicle collision across both carriageways and a heavy goods vehicle well alight," a spokesperson said.

The Great North Air Ambulance was also deployed to transport casualties.

The motorway is expected to remain shut between junctions 60 and 62 for a number of hours and motorists are being advised to avoid the area.

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2021-07-15 22:10:44Z
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