Incident Submission Terms

These Incident Submission Terms apply when you send London Accident News a news tip, eyewitness account, photograph, video, audio recording, document or other material relating to an accident, emergency or newsworthy incident.

Please read these terms carefully before submitting material. By making a submission, you confirm that you agree to the terms below.

London Accident News is operated by:

Website: londonaccidentnews.co.uk
Contact page: Contact London Accident News
Email: info@londonaccidentnews.co.uk

In these terms, “London Accident News”, “we”, “us” and “our” refer to Billion Media Limited. “You” and “your” refer to the person making the submission.

What You May Submit

You may submit material relating to a newsworthy incident in London, including:

• An eyewitness account;
• Details of the date, time and location of an incident;
• Photographs;
• Video footage;
• Dashcam, doorbell or CCTV footage that you are entitled to share;
• Audio recordings;
• Official documents or public notices;
• Information about road closures or transport disruption;
• Information about an emergency-service response;
• A correction or update to an existing report;
• Contact details for a relevant witness or spokesperson; and
• Other information that may assist responsible public-interest reporting.

Submission does not guarantee that we will investigate, respond to or publish the material.

Do Not Use This Service for Emergencies

Your Safety Comes First

You must not place yourself or another person at risk in order to obtain material for London Accident News.

You must not:

• Enter a dangerous or restricted area;
• Cross a police cordon or safety barrier;
• Stand in a live road or railway area;
• Interfere with emergency personnel;
• Obstruct an ambulance, fire appliance or police vehicle;
• Distract a driver;
• Operate a device while driving;
• Enter private property without permission;
• Move or disturb evidence;
• Approach a dangerous person;
• Encourage another person to take a risk; or
• Continue filming where an authorised official instructs you to move for safety or operational reasons.

Your safety, the safety of the public and the work of the emergency services must always take priority over gathering news material.

Information You Must Not Submit

You must not knowingly submit material that:

• Is false, fabricated or materially misleading;
• Has been altered in a way that creates a false impression;
• Contains a malicious or unsupported allegation;
• Was obtained through theft, hacking, trespass, intimidation or another unlawful act;
• You do not own and are not authorised to share;
• Breaches another person’s copyright or contractual rights;
• Breaches a duty of confidence;
• Contains malware, malicious code or a harmful link;
• Is submitted for blackmail, retaliation, harassment or another improper purpose;
• Unlawfully identifies a protected child, victim or witness;
• Breaches a court order or reporting restriction;
• Could create a substantial risk of serious prejudice to active legal proceedings;
• Reveals sensitive operational information that could endanger emergency workers or the public;
• Contains unnecessary graphic images of an injured or deceased person;
• Includes personal information that is irrelevant to the incident; or
• Would otherwise be unlawful for us to possess or publish.

Your Promises to Us

By making a submission, you confirm that, to the best of your knowledge:

• The information you provide is truthful and accurate;
• You have not deliberately omitted information in order to create a misleading impression;
• You created the submitted material or have authority from the rights owner to submit it;
• You are entitled to grant the permissions described in these terms;
• The material was obtained lawfully;
• The material does not infringe another person’s intellectual property rights;
• The submission does not breach a court order, reporting restriction or legal duty;
• You have disclosed any relevant editing, cropping, enhancement or alteration;
• You have disclosed whether the material was generated or materially altered using artificial intelligence;
• You have not impersonated another person;
• You have not submitted the material under a false identity for a dishonest purpose; and
• You will provide further accurate information where reasonably requested.

Ownership of Submitted Material

You retain ownership of any copyright you hold in your original submission.

Submitting material does not transfer ownership of your copyright to Billion Media Limited unless a separate written assignment is agreed.

However, you grant Billion Media Limited the licence described below so that we can assess, edit, publish and distribute the material.

Copyright protection in the United Kingdom is principally governed by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Licence Granted to London Accident News

By submitting material, you grant Billion Media Limited a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to:

• Store and review the material;
• Copy and reproduce it;
• Edit it for length, clarity, style, accuracy, legality and safety;
• Crop, resize, blur, mute or redact it;
• Publish it on London Accident News;
• Use it in related social media posts, newsletters and alerts;
• Include it in follow-up reports;
• Use extracts, still images or clips;
• Add captions, headlines, commentary and contextual information;
• Archive it with the relevant editorial records;
• Distribute or syndicate it through services operated by or on behalf of Billion Media Limited;
• Allow technical service providers to process it for publication and storage; and
• Exercise these rights in any media or format reasonably connected with our journalism.

This licence allows you to continue using or licensing your material elsewhere because it is non-exclusive.

The licence will continue for as long as reasonably necessary to maintain published reporting, archives, editorial records and lawful copies. Where material has not been published, we may delete it in accordance with our retention practices.

No Automatic Payment

Unless we agree otherwise in writing before publication, submissions are made voluntarily and without payment.

We are not required to pay:

• A submission fee;
• A publication fee;
• A royalty;
• A licence fee;
• A referral fee; or
• Compensation based on views, shares or advertising revenue.

Where we wish to purchase exclusive rights, commission work or agree a payment, the arrangement must be confirmed separately in writing.

No Guarantee of Credit

We may credit you by name, username, organisation or another agreed description, but attribution is not guaranteed unless agreed in writing.

We may withhold attribution where:

• You request anonymity;
• Identification could create a safety or privacy risk;
• We cannot verify the identity or ownership claim;
• The material is used in a short or composite format;
• Legal or editorial considerations justify withholding the name; or
• The source is described in another appropriate way.

You must tell us when a particular credit is required by a licence or agreement.

Editorial Control

London Accident News retains full editorial control over whether and how a submission is used.

We may:

• Decline to review or publish a submission;
• Seek further evidence;
• Verify information with other sources;
• Contact emergency services, public authorities or other organisations;
• Contact people depicted or referred to in the material;
• Publish only part of a submission;
• Edit the material;
• Delay publication;
• Add context or alternative accounts;
• Decline to use your preferred headline or wording;
• Remove the material after publication;
• Restrict the material in particular locations or formats; or
• Take no further action.

We are not required to explain every editorial decision or enter into ongoing correspondence about an unused submission.

Verification

We may ask you to provide information that helps us verify the submission, including:

• Your full name;
• Your contact details;
• Your location at the time of the incident;
• When and where the material was created;
• The original unedited file;
• Device or file metadata;
• Details of any editing or enhancement;
• Evidence that you own the material;
• Evidence of permission from another rights owner;
• The names or contact details of other witnesses;
• Relevant official reference numbers; and
• Other reasonable supporting information.

You are not required to provide information you do not have. However, failure to provide sufficient verification may result in the material not being used.

Photographs and Video

Before submitting a photograph or recording, consider whether it shows:

• An injured or deceased person;
• A child;
• A vulnerable person;
• A private address;
• A vehicle registration number;
• A medical procedure;
• A person in severe distress;
• A confidential document;
• A protected witness or victim;
• A police tactic or sensitive emergency operation; or
• Another detail that could create a privacy, safety or legal risk.

We may crop, blur, mute, redact or withhold parts of submitted material. We may also choose not to publish material that is unnecessarily graphic or intrusive.

Material Showing Death or Serious Injury

Do not send graphic images unless they have genuine evidential or public-interest value.

Where material depicts a death or serious injury, you should tell us clearly before attaching or sending the file.

We may decide that:

• The material should not be opened by all editorial staff;
• A less graphic frame should be used;
• The person should be obscured;
• The material should be described rather than shown;
• A warning should be applied;
• Publication should be delayed; or
• The material should not be published.

Children and Vulnerable People

You must take particular care when submitting information about a child or vulnerable person.

You must not submit material that unlawfully identifies:

• A child protected by a reporting restriction;
• A child involved in youth court proceedings;
• A victim of a sexual offence;
• A protected witness;
• A person whose identity is protected by a court order; or
• Another legally anonymous person.

Do not assume that parental consent overrides a statutory reporting restriction or court order.

Where possible, tell us if a child or vulnerable person appears in the material so that we can assess the risk before publication.

Allegations and Criminal Matters

You must not use our submission service to circulate rumours, pursue personal disputes or accuse someone of criminal conduct without a proper factual basis.

If your submission concerns an alleged offence, clearly distinguish between:

• What you personally witnessed;
• What another person told you;
• What you inferred;
• What an official source confirmed; and
• What remains unverified.

An allegation, arrest or charge does not establish guilt.

We may contact the person or organisation concerned and provide a fair opportunity to respond.

Active Legal Proceedings and Reporting Restrictions

Material about an arrest, charge, trial, inquest or other legal proceeding may be subject to statutory restrictions, court orders and contempt of court law.

You must tell us if you are aware that:

• Proceedings are active;
• A reporting restriction has been imposed;
• A person has legal anonymity;
• A court has prohibited publication of particular information;
• A jury is considering a case;
• The material has been disclosed for a limited legal purpose; or
• Publication could interfere with an investigation or trial.

Publication that creates a substantial risk of serious prejudice to active proceedings can amount to contempt of court. Official guidance is available from the UK Government’s contempt of court guidance.

Copyright and Third-Party Material

You must not submit a photograph, video, recording, article, screenshot or document merely because you found it online.

Before submitting third-party material, you must have:

• Permission from the copyright owner;
• A valid licence;
• Authority to act for the rights owner; or
• Another lawful basis that permits you to provide the material to us.

Please provide the creator’s name, source, licence information and any attribution requirements.

We may remove or decline material where ownership is disputed or cannot be verified.

CCTV, Dashcam and Doorbell Footage

You should only submit CCTV, dashcam, body-worn, doorbell or similar footage where you are entitled to access and share it.

Before submission, consider whether the footage contains:

• Audio recorded without the knowledge of those involved;
• People inside a private home or private area;
• Children;
• Vehicle registration numbers;
• Neighbouring properties;
• Unrelated passers-by;
• Medical or sensitive information;
• A confidential workplace area; or
• Footage relevant to an active police investigation.

Where police or another investigating authority has requested the original footage, preserve the original file and follow any lawful instructions they provide.

Personal Information

Your submission may contain personal information about you or another person.

We may use personal information to:

• Review and verify the submission;
• Contact you;
• Contact relevant witnesses, authorities or organisations;
• Assess legal and editorial risks;
• Publish a report;
• Attribute the material where appropriate;
• Protect a confidential source;
• Maintain editorial records;
• Handle complaints or legal claims; and
• Protect public safety.

Further details about how we process personal information are set out in our Privacy Policy.

The Information Commissioner’s Office recognises that data protection law balances privacy with freedom of expression and contains particular provisions relevant to journalism.

Your Identity and Contact Details

We may require your real name and reliable contact details to assess or verify a submission.

Providing your identity to us does not necessarily mean that we will publish it.

We may decline anonymous submissions where:

• The information cannot be verified;
• A serious allegation is made;
• Ownership of the material is uncertain;
• The submission appears malicious or deceptive;
• We cannot assess the source’s access to the information; or
• The legal or editorial risk is too high.

Confidential Sources

Do not assume that a submission is confidential merely because you ask us not to publish your name.

Confidentiality must be expressly agreed with an authorised member of our editorial team.

Where we agree to protect a source’s identity, we will take reasonable steps to do so. However:

• No email, contact form or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure;
• We may need to share information with a limited number of editors or professional advisers;
• We may be required to preserve material for legal reasons; and
• A court or public authority may seek disclosure through a lawful process.

If identification could expose you or another person to serious danger, do not send highly sensitive information through an ordinary contact form. Contact us first to discuss an appropriate method.

Artificial Intelligence and Edited Material

You must tell us if submitted material:

• Was generated entirely or partly using artificial intelligence;
• Contains an AI-generated person, event, voice or location;
• Has been materially altered;
• Uses face replacement or voice cloning;
• Combines separate events or images;
• Has had objects added or removed;
• Has been enhanced in a way that changes its meaning; or
• Is a reconstruction rather than a genuine recording.

You must not present generated, staged or reconstructed material as an authentic recording of a real incident.

Ordinary adjustments such as basic cropping, exposure correction or noise reduction should also be disclosed where they could affect interpretation.

Our Use of Automated Tools

We may use automated tools to assist with:

• Scanning files for malware;
• Transcribing audio or video;
• Identifying duplicate submissions;
• Extracting technical metadata;
• Organising incoming reports;
• Checking image dimensions or file types; and
• Supporting editorial review.

Automated results may be inaccurate and will not automatically determine whether a submission is genuine or publishable.

Withdrawal Requests

You may ask us to stop considering an unpublished submission by contacting info@londonaccidentnews.co.uk.

We will consider the request, but withdrawal may not always be possible where:

• The material has already been published;
• Editorial work has substantially relied on it;
• It forms part of a legal or complaint record;
• We are required to retain it;
• It provides evidence of wrongdoing or a safety risk;
• Another lawful basis permits continued use; or
• The public interest justifies retention or publication.

Removing material from our website does not guarantee that copies, screenshots, archives or social media posts created by third parties will also disappear.

Corrections to Your Submission

If you discover that information you submitted was inaccurate or incomplete, contact us promptly.

Please provide:

• The date of your original submission;
• The email address or name used;
• The relevant article URL, where applicable;
• The inaccurate information;
• The corrected information; and
• Any supporting evidence.

You can send a correction through our contact page or email info@londonaccidentnews.co.uk.

Disputed Ownership or Authority

If another person disputes your ownership of, or authority to submit, material, we may:

• Request further evidence;
• Temporarily restrict or remove the material;
• Contact the alleged rights owner;
• Stop further distribution;
• Decline to determine a complex ownership dispute;
• Seek legal advice; or
• Require the parties to resolve the dispute independently.

You agree to cooperate reasonably with an investigation into the authenticity, ownership or legality of your submission.

Your Responsibility for Loss Caused by a Submission

You are responsible for ensuring that your submission complies with these terms.

Where permitted by law, you may be responsible for reasonably foreseeable loss, liability or expense caused by a knowingly false statement, deliberate rights infringement, malicious submission or other serious breach of these terms.

Nothing in this section requires a consumer to compensate us where doing so would be unfair or unlawful.

Our Responsibility to You

Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability where doing so would be unlawful, including liability for fraud or for death or personal injury caused by negligence.

Subject to rights that cannot legally be excluded, we are not responsible for:

• Our decision not to publish a submission;
• Loss of an opportunity to sell the material elsewhere;
• Failure of an email or upload to reach us;
• Loss caused by your decision to gather material in an unsafe or unlawful way;
• Use of material by third parties after lawful public publication;
• Third-party copying, archiving or sharing outside our control; or
• Loss arising from your breach of these terms.

File Security

We may scan, quarantine, block or delete a file that appears to contain malware or creates a technical or security risk.

Do not submit:

• Executable files;
• Password-stealing software;
• Malicious links;
• Corrupted files intended to disrupt our systems;
• Files designed to evade security scanning; or
• Material containing unlawfully obtained login details or access credentials.

Retention of Submissions

We may retain submissions and related correspondence for as long as reasonably necessary for:

• Editorial assessment;
• Publication and updates;
• Verification;
• Source protection;
• Complaints handling;
• Legal compliance;
• Establishing or defending legal claims;
• Archiving in the public interest; and
• Maintaining an accurate record of our journalism.

Unused submissions may be deleted when they are no longer needed. Published material and supporting editorial records may be retained for a longer period.

Changes to These Terms

We may update these Incident Submission Terms to reflect changes in:

• The way submissions are received;
• Our editorial processes;
• Available technologies;
• Media, copyright or data protection law;
• Court-reporting requirements; or
• Our business operations.

The latest version will be published on this page with the revision date displayed at the top.

The version in force when you make a submission will generally apply to that submission, subject to any later agreement or legal requirement.

Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Incident Submission Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

If you are a consumer resident elsewhere in the United Kingdom, you may also benefit from mandatory legal protections available in your place of residence.

Subject to mandatory consumer rights, the courts of England and Wales will have jurisdiction over disputes arising from these terms.

Contact London Accident News

Questions about these terms or an existing submission can be sent through our contact page.

You may also email info@londonaccidentnews.co.uk or write to: