Archive

  • FIRE IN PURLEY WAY CAUSES MASS DISRUPTION

    (22 September 2011) The daily routine of hundreds of people who pass through the Purley area was thrown into chaos this morning, when an inferno roared into life at a tyre shredding plant in Purley Way, Croydon. The monstrous blaze, which was tackled

  • Woman thrown out of riot eviction debate

    A woman was thrown out of Wandsworth Town Hall public gallery last night during a riots debate for shouting "Bring back hanging." The woman stood up during a stormy council meeting debating the aftermath of the riots, evictions and police numbers

  • School prepares to welcome sensory show

    Oily Cart theatre company starts it's UK tour of Gorgeous at Paddock School in Wandsworth this month. The show uses smell to engage with children who have Profound and Multiple Learning Disorders (PMLD) and Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

  • UPDATE: Mental health patient found safe and well

    A mental health patient, who was was reported missing after leaving the Royal Surrey County Hospital yesterday afternoon has been found safe and well. 27-year-old David Hutchinson, a patient detained under the Mental Health Act at a unit in

  • Award-winning theatre company to stage Blood Wedding

    Balham’s award-winning theatre company Southside is to stage a passionate drama of feuding families and forbidden love. The group will perform Blood Wedding, by Federico Garcia Lorca next month. The billing reads: "When the first love of a young

  • Elderly get IT tips in Sutton

    Silver surfers caught the cusp of the IT wave at a computer skills morning this week. Sutton Council joined forces with Age UK Sutton to offer computer and internet skills taster sessions at SCOLA on Monday. The next session is on Thursday

  • Family gets in tune for Sam Beare Hospice

    A family of musicians will play a charity gig to raise funds for the hospice that looked after their mother. The Berrylands pub in Chiltern Drive, Berrylands, will play host to live music from the sons of Marion Dorothy Summers, who was cared

  • £3 million from Olympic budget to boost domestic tourism

    Surrey County Council has welcomed the announcement by Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, Jeremy Hunt, that £3 million from the Olympic budget will be used to boost domestic tourism across the UK in 2012. The boost

  • Minshull wants to keep Wimbledon starting spot

    Terry Brown may still be looking for his best midfield at AFC Wimbledon, but Lee Minshull hopes his performance in the demolition of Cheltenham Town has boosted his chances of more starts. Minshull began the game with Ricky Wellard and Sammy

  • Hopeson still smiling after injury ravaged season

    As injury ravaged seasons go, you will be hard tasked to find one worse than Twinelle Hopeson’s this year but, while the Croydon sprinter’s body might have broken, her confidence is as strong as ever. The Croydon Harrier, who celebrates her 20th birthday

  • Fire foam floats down Wandle

    Foam believed to have been used to fight a major fire in a tyre-shredding plant has been seen floating down the river Wandle. Up to 50 firefighters have been battling the blaze in the two-storey warehouse, in Purley Way, Croydon, since 1.15am

  • Police car in A3 smash

    A marked police car was involved in a two car traffic collision on the A3 last night. The incident happened on Wednesday, September 21, on the northbound A3 close to junction 10 of the M25. The police car was displaying blue lights and

  • Teenagers arrested on suspicion of arson

    A pair of teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of arson after a blaze in Whyteleafe. Surrey Police arrested a 15-year-old from Kenley on Wednesday, September 21, and a 16-year-old from Thornton Heath on Thursday, September 22 in connection

  • Labour incompetence blamed for £500k loss

    Almost half a million pound overspend on adult health care has been blamed on Labour councillors' incompetence and political posturing. An overspend of £413,000 by Croydon Council was caused after opposition councillors chose to call in a decision

  • Battersea Ironsides honour returning troops

    Battersea Ironsides honoured the returning 2nd Royal Tank Regiment last Thursday with a friendly at their home ground. The soldiers, back from a tour of Afghanistan, played the match after parading through Wandsworth and went down 30-0 to the Ironsides

  • Concern grows for missing mental health patient

    Surrey Police is concerned for the welfare of a man who has been reported missing after he escaped from a mental health ward at the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford. 27-year-old David Hutchinson, a patient detained under the Mental

  • Strange weekend for Streatham Redskins

    Streatham Redskins had a topsy-turvy two days last weekend as they were thrashed 14-0 on the Isle of Wight on Saturday but bounced back 24 hours later to record their first win of the season 3-2 over Bracknell Hornets. The Redskins squad

  • Cassius claims close win against Gorman

    Mitcham's Danny ‘Cassius’ Connor backed up his pre-match boasts by winning his fight with Wales' Sean Gorman on Sunday. Connor, who had a slow start to his boxing career, claimed before the match it would be different this time and, despite Gorman starting

  • Morden kickboxer's five world titles

    Rebecca Jennings entered the WKA Kickboxing Championships earlier this month with two previous gold medals to her name - and left with three more, writes Hamish Mackay. Jennings is a member of Croydon Martial Arts Academy in Crown Hill, where she also

  • Lambeth sailor wins coaching prize

    A sport coach from Lambeth won a major prize after leading the borough's sailing team to victory for the first time. Richard Sheridan won the ‘Coach of the Year’ award at the London Youth Games (LYG) following his team’s victory in the competition

  • Vernon Kay among players at American Football finals

    Two London teams will go head to head for American football’s national championship when BritBowl XXV takes place at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre this weekend. The London Blitz will be playing in their sixth consecutive Premier Division Final

  • Fire crews from West Norwood and Norbury fight Croydon fire

    Fire crews from West Norwood and Norbury fire stations are battling a large fire at a Croydon tyre-shredding plant as fears of cylinder explosions continue. They are among 50 firefighters at the two-storey warehouse, on Purley Way, which went

  • Sutton dentists raise money for charity

    Face painting and bouncy castles helped a Sutton dental practice raise money for charity. At Abi Dental on Sutton Common Road, the practice held a special event to raise money for Bridge2Aid. The charity was set up to help train dentists

  • Eagles duo delighted to sign new deals

    Crystal Palace pair Sean Scannell and Jonathan Williams both expressed their delight after signing new contracts with the club yesterday. Scannell, 22, and Williams, 17, have both impressed this season for the Eagles. Scannell made his debut in 2007

  • Thames Ditton Junior School open for business

    Prospective parents can learn about the philosophy and curriculum at Thames Ditton Junior School when it opens its doors on September 28. Headteacher Nick Fry and his colleagues will give a talk about the before taking questions from parents

  • Family fun day held to raise cash for youth centre

    Archery, medieval re-enactment and zumba were just some of the activities at a family fun day held to raise money for a new youth club in Addiscombe. The Sir Philip Game Centre in Morland Avenue, was first established in 1974 as one of three

  • Parents fight play centre closure

    The impending closure of a much-loved childcare group which provided shelter following the riots has sparked protest among parents. Croydon PlayZone, which offered free access to distressed parents in the aftermath of the riots, is set to lose

  • Hospital trust appoints new chair

    St George's Healthcare NHS Trust has appointed a new chair. Christopher Smallwood will take up the role from November 1, replacing Naaz Coker, who has come to the end of her eight year term of office. Mr Smallwood was previously chair

  • Ad van plan to help shop looters

    Police are using advertising vans with images of suspected looters to try and catch the criminals. The van will be in the town centre between Centrale and Whitgift shopping centres on Thursday and Monday between noon and 8pm. Officers

  • Molesey thanks ex-offenders

    Ex-offenders who helped clear up the riverside have been thanked by the community. They were clearing rubbish along Molesey’s towpath as part of a community payback group. Paul Gossage said: “I was particularly struck by one of the group

  • Mystery shopper finds hairy tarantula in parcel

    Opening a parcel which you’ve ordered online always brings a mixture of excitement and trepidation as to what you might find inside. But the last thing you would expect to discover is a big hairy tarantula angrily scuttling among the wrapping

  • Traffic slow after crash on A3

    Traffic is slow through Tolworth and Hook on the A3 after a crash this morning. One lane is closed and traffic is queuing southbound. For live traffic and travel news click here

  • Perfect plots win allotment title for second year

    An allotment site has done the double and been crowned best in the capital two years running. Plot-holders at the Paddock Allotments in Raynes Park are celebrating after winning the honour at the London in Bloom awards, a year after first picking up

  • Tooting's best eateries unveiled

    The best cafes, restaurants and takeaways in town have were revealed when the inaugural Taste of Tooting winners were announced. A whopping 1,500 votes were cast during the competition - run by Tooting MP Sadiq Khan - which was designed to

  • Caretaker was 'scapegoat' for school's missing 100k

    Calls have been made for an investigation into how a school wasted £100,000 on payments to a builder and why its caretaker became a “scapegoat”. We can reveal Stanford Primary School was the subject of a police fraud investigation after a council

  • Three burglaries in one day as criminals target flats

    Three flats were broken into by burglars targeting Kingston on Tuesday. Two homes were burgled and another empty flat broken into at Regents Court, Kingston, near the station on Tuesday, September 20. Luke Farrell, 30, said he came from

  • Tramlink extension to Sutton supported by councils

    Plans to bring a tram system to Sutton town centre received a boost after Sutton and Merton councils agreed to support an extension of the Croydon Tramlink. Sutton Council leader councillor Sean Brennan and his Merton counterpart, councillor

  • Record number of abandoned kittens in Epsom

    A record number of kittens were taken in by Epsom based charity Cats in Crisis this September, run by a woman out of her home for the last 20 years. Rosemary Cook, 42, set up the sanctuary for abandoned cats in 1988 caring for up to 20 cats

  • Not 'selfish' for trying to block bus route change

    By Sally Berriman, Beverley Way, West Wimbledon I appreciate that Mr Davies finds it difficult to understand the objections of residents in Beverley Way to having a bus run along their slip road, since he will not be affected. If he

  • Boris Johnson talks Sutton

    Mayor of London Boris Johnson will be in Sutton tonight to discuss issues affecting the capital, including community safety. The Sutton leg of the Talk London tour will see the Mayor, along with other politician panelists, answering questions

  • Residents oppose plans for police station cuts

    People in Lambeth are calling on the Mayor of London to keep the borough's police stations open. A petition signed by 770 local people was presented at last week’s Mayor Question Time at City Hall. There are currently six police stations

  • Fears over library plans

    Opposition councillors have denounced plans to outsource the library services in Croydon. At a cabinet meeting on Monday night, the Conservative-led council voted in favour of pursing plans to hand the running of the borough's 13 libraries,

  • Fishing enthusiasts show reel love for Comet campaign

    A pair of fishing enthusiasts have shown reel love for the Surrey Comet’s Honour the Fallen campaign. Barry Alderson and his wife Audrey donated £50 to our campaign after collecting the money from a charity fishing match. The money will

  • Private company to make joint bid for Epsom Hospital

    A private company could take over Epsom Hospital in partnership with an NHS trust it has emerged. Last week a national newspaper revealed that Circle Health is set to make a joint bid with the Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

  • Police investigating after van set alight in Tulse Hill

    Police are investigating after a van caught fire in Tulse Hill. Firefighters from West Norwood attended the blaze at 3.30am in High Trees last Thursday, September 15. No injuries were reported. Police said the driver’s door window of

  • Church sermons blame 'me-culture' for London riots

    A church leader has used his pulpit to blame a “me-centred” culture for the recent riots across England. Queen’s Road Church (QRC) has also been praised by Merton Police, based in Wimbledon Police Station across the road, for its volunteer

  • Schools scoop eco award

    Two Sutton schools are celebrating after being awarded eco-status. Cheam Park Farm Junior and Muschamp Primary in Carshalton have been given the Green Flag Eco-Schools award. The schools succesfully implimented a green aspect to the

  • Dancing on air after BBC dress requests

    With a team of 30 dress makers, and 30 years' experience, a Croydon-based company has cornered the market in producing the dazzling costumes for the BBC show Strictly Come Dancing. Dance Sport International (DSI) first became involved in the

  • Church celebrates green award

    Sutton has its first eco-congregation. Springfield Church in Wallington has been praised for its work on ecology issues and becomes only the second church in the Diocese of Southwark to receive the award. The church, which also has fairtrade

  • RNLI rally kicks off Surbiton Festival

    Boats, sea scouts and the odd pirate took over the riverside for the start of this year’s Surbiton Festival. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) rally kicked off the festivities with activities and stalls lining Queen's Promenade

  • Former club owner jailed after raid uncovers drugs and gun

    The ex-owner of a lap dancing club has been jailed for five years after police found a gun, ammunition and drugs and at his home. Graeme Dean, 40, was sentenced at Croydon Crown Court last Thursday, September 15 along with his fiancée, model

  • BREAKING NEWS: Fire at Croydon tyre-shredding site

    Around 50 firefighters are battling a fire at a Croydon tyre shredding plant.  Half of the two-storey building, on Purley Way, is alight with surrounding roads closed to traffic amid fears containers on site could explode. An exclusion