North-east people in London when the terror attacks took place on Saturday night have told of their horror as events unfolded.
Friends of recruitment consultant Lucy Durno, including one from the north-east, were forced to hide under tables as the rampaging terrorists wreaked havoc in the area.
The 24-year-old, from Oldmeldrum but who lives and works in London, said: “They were at The Globe Theatre watching a Shakespeare performance. When they came out they had to go and hide. They were told to hide under tables while it was all going on. I haven’t spoken to them yet but I know they are alright but shaken up. One went to university in Aberdeen with me.
“I wasn’t out because I had to be up early for my flight. I normally would have been out on a Saturday night. I got a call from my dad asking if I was okay.
“I stay in the south west in Clapham. It happened about a mile away from me.”
She arrived back in Aberdeen yesterday to see friends and family in the north, and is glad to be close to her loved ones and away from the atmosphere in the capital.
She said: “I was there for the Westminster attack as well. The mood was really weird. I had to walk over the bridge for work a couple of days later and saw all the flowers, it was awful.
“I’m not someone who will change what I’m doing for something like this, but my parents are desperate for me to come and live back here.”
Kevin Fyfe, a 29-year-old oil and gas worker said: “I was in the city at the time it was going on.
“I have not been in London very often and it was all a bit surreal.
“I was on a night out with some friends, I was on the next bridge down from there it happened.
“We were out in South Bank and I saw sirens flashing but I thought as I was in a big city it could be anything.
Mr Fyfe, from Stonehaven, added: “I had no idea what was going on but then I got a message from my sister who lives in Edinburgh asking if I was alright.
“My friends also got messages asking them the same thing.
“We had to stay in the bar while it was going on but the phone reception wasn’t great so a lot of people didn’t know what was going on, it was strange.
“It took us a long time to get back because my friends stay quite far out of London.”
Ellen Bergamaschi, a Aberdeen University student from Northfield, told how the noise of sirens filled the air as emergency services responded to the atrocities.
She said: “It was really scary. Everybody was talking about it. It was hard to move around in London, they closed all the subway stations and there were no buses as well.
“I was staying in Kingston, which is about 5km away. But even there the police were everywhere. I was just there on holiday.
“I did go to the bridge a couple of days ago. Everything was fine, everything was normal. There were lots of people just taking pictures and enjoying themselves. I can’t believe this has happened.”
Thomas Law was in the capital to see university pals when the violence was going on.
The 32-year-old, who lives in Aberdeen city centre, said: “It’s awful, but what can you do about it? It was just like a normal day, there was nothing different. I used to live in London and I was there to see my university friends. We went round a few pubs in Camden in the afternoon and the evening but were back in before it all happened. I’m back living in Aberdeen It just makes you worry about going anywhere so soon after Manchester.
“I hadn’t seen my friends for a while so was really excited. Now I just feel so sad about what has happened. It was a really sombre mood in London. It’s horrible.
“I definitely wouldn’t go to London to live again.
“It’s just a cowardly, vile attack yet again. Something has to be done.”
