Most (although not all) DVD/HDD can rip non copy protected discs to the HDD. But none can do so with commercial copy protected DVDs I am afraid, so that rules out 99% of commercial DVDs.
As Nigel says it usually cannot be done via scart either, that's because they also have an analogue Macrovision copy protection system to prevent exactly that. It IS possible on some DVD players to input a handset code that disables Macrovision, that would allow you to record the player's output on your DVD/HDD recorder via scart. Other ways are to buy a special scart cable that can defeat Macrovision, and there are external boxes that plug in between the player and recorder that can also do it. But these may, or may not, be illegal depending on what country you are in. As the OP is in London it's legal to buy these products, but "technically" illegal to use them to defeat copy protection systems.
The easiest way, as already mentioned, is to rip the disc to your PC. You can then copy the rip to your DVD/HDD recorder. How depends on the recorder, some can do it via your home network, some via USB stick and some by copying the ripped files/image onto a blank disc and sticking it in the machine.