The “obesity epidemic” is a phrase with which we’re all familiar by now: we’ve been made thoroughly aware we exercise too little; that we’ve gorged too habitually and too indulgently; and that our waistlines have burgeoned to unacceptable standards. Nationally
St John's Hill and Falcon Road are open this afternoon after the area was cordoned off following an accident. It was closed at 7.30am this morning following an accident between a car and a pedestrian. St John's Hill and Lavender Hill
Wheelchair users have to climb a flight of stairs to prove they are disabled enough to get benefits at a centre for Sutton residents. Although there are lifts in the disability benefits assessment centre, anyone in a wheelchair or who cannot
Pupils are taking learning outdoors to take advantage of a new tepee installed on site. Pupils in the lower school at ACS Cobham International School have been using the “giant hat” tepee as part of the school’s nature camp, which will be used
A group of travellers descended on Westcroft Leisure Centre last night with "operational precision". Around 30 vehicles arrived at the car park of the centre, which is due to close on friday for a multi-million pound refurbishment. A witness
A bit of American glamour made its way to south London as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' cheerleader squad took to Selhurst Park. The dozen beauties were in town ahead of the big NFL game between Tampa Bay and the Chicago Bears at Wembley.
A 17-year-old girl was taken to hospital after breaking onto the tracks at Ashtead station last night. Thousands of commuters suffered delays of up to one hour during rush hour after the British Transport Police and Surrey Police were called
The Miller Centre Theatre Company is set to stage outlandish comedy Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? The Caterham-based group will play the infamous US play, made famous by the 1966 film featuring then married Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton
A children’s disability charity has had a helping hand from a team of volunteers to transform their office. Staff at Epsom-based MERU, which designs specialist equipment for disabled children, were joined by four workers from pharmaceuticals
An 11th-hour bid to block controversial plans to introduce volunteer-led libraries has failed by one vote after a councillor had to leave the key meeting early. Surrey County Council's community’s select committee met yesterday, October 18,
By Mike Tilcock; Yorkshire Road, Mitcham There are currently three sites in this area that are being developed for housing. All three are on the 463 Bus route. They are as follows: Rowan Road, on the site of the former Rowan Road
Children who look after sick or disabled family members were guest of honour at a ceremony to mark the anniversary of a community market. Surbiton Farmers Market raised £750 at their second anniversary event for the The Young Careers’ Project.
Likely losers from a £44m council cuts package include youth club users, familes with adopted children and bowls lovers - while closures of libraries and children's centres are not off the table. Merton council has revealed officers' proposals for
Council chiefs have said future housing projects will be subject to spot checks and greater scrutiny after £5m of taxpayers’ money was squandered on a heating system that never worked. Lambeth Council is yet to complete work on the combined
Larry Lamb, former EastEnders arch baddie Archie Mitchell, and the star of this year’s pantomime will be joined by Santa when he turns on the town centre Christmas lights. The actor, who plays the wicked Abanazar in Aladdin at Fairfield Hall
Seventeen people are chasing every job in Tooting according to new unemployment figures. Last month there were 2,384 people claiming Job Seekers Allowance and just 137 vacancies advertised at the local Jobcentre according to the Office of National
From Chechnya to Purley, a keyboard player has jetted back from playing with internationally acclaimed violinist Vanessa Mae to join his band members for their latest gig. Giles Holland has barely touched down in the UK from playing at the 35th birthday
Wheelchair users have to climb a flight of stairs to prove they are disabled enough to get benefits at a centre in Croydon. Although there are lifts in the disability benefits assessment centre, anyone in a wheelchair or who cannot climb stairs
The Surrey Royal British Legion is urgently seeking Poppy Collectors in Epsom Town Centre ahead of rememberance day on November 11. More than £25,000 was raised last year in Epsom but more help is needed as the current Poppy Appeal organiser
Budding artists got together to take part in a national drawing campaign. The Big Draw 2011 aims to get people of all ages and abilities drawing to improve communication and bring communities together in creative ways. As one of many
Rising star Katy Shotter has left music heavyweights Sony and Music World Entertainment to fly solo and is preparing to release a single with fellow Croydon musicians Attaca Pesante. Katy, 25, has toured both The UK and USA with RnB super-star
Thousands of households across Croydon have been left with overflowing rubbish bins after being handed the wrong waste collection leaflets. The new refuse collection, rolled out across the borough at the start of October, hit immediate problems
A new show paying tribute to the phenomenon that is High School Musical is on a whirlwind tour of the UK and bearing down on The Fairfield Halls High School Mania features tunes from Camp Rock!, Hannah Montana and Glee in a high octane show that
A pensioner was taken to hospital after being overcome by fumes at a sheltered accommodation block. A piece of plastic was left on a hob at Peverel-managed Arbrook Court in Clayton Road, Chessington, shortly before midnight on Monday night,
The Tamil community has questioned the make-up of Croydon Council’s riot review panel. The Croydon Tamil Business Forum (CTBF) feel the panel has too close a relationship to the Croydon Conservative Party and traders who were looted in London
A campaign to help armed services veterans was given a boost of almost £2,000 last week with a special visit. Annette Crosbie, who played Victor Meldrew’s long-suffering wife in the classic BBC sitcom, One Foot in the Grave, visited Soldiers
Try to pick a song that truly conjures up the pride and passion of the people of Liverpool and it would be hard to better 'Ferry Cross the Mersey' or 'You'll Never Walk Alone'. The man who took both classic songs high into the British charts is
Around 50 residents attended the National Riots panel meeting held in Croydon last night. Councillors and business owners joined Croydon residents in Braithwaite Hall, and attempted to make sense of the riots which destroyed some areas of the
Thousands of frustrated commuters suffered delays of up to an hour last night after a trespasser broke onto train tracks at Ashtead. Police were called to Ashtead station at about 5.35pm after reports of a person on the track. Over 100
Fire crews from West Norwood were called to a tower block in Tulse Hill after a man suffering from a cardiac arrest was trapped in his flat. The incident happened at Beaufoy House, York Hill at about 9.45pm yesterday evening. A spokesman for
Crystal Palace moved up to 5th place in the Championship after an 81st minute penalty from Glen Murray was enough to hand Dougie Freedman's men all three points against a determined Bristol City on Tuesday night. The game against the league's bottom
Reports from the Health Services Ombudsman reveal Croydon Health Services NHS Trust was forced to pay £5,000 to a patient for causing blood clots after failing to administer medication. The patient, referred to as Mrs V, had previously developed
Temporary plaques are to replace the bronze originals stolen from Carshalton's war memorial, ahead of Remembrance Sunday. Fourteen brass plaques were stolen from at the 1921 war memorial at Honeywood Lodge Heritage Centre on September 28.
Two young campaigners have set a Guinness World Record for the most people to sign up to the organ donor register in one hour. 321 people signed up at a special event, hosted by T4 presenter Jameela Jamil, at London’s Covent Garden on Saturday
Epsom Hospital has slashed the number of beds available for general medicine by 34. Croft ward which had 25 beds dedicated to caring for the elderly, closed on Monday, October 17, to make way for an infectious disease ward. Staff at Croft ward
A barking dog was rescued by neighbours this morning after they woke up to find the house next door on fire. Firefighters were called to Hatton Gardens, Mitcham, at 6am this morning where a terraced house had gone up in flames. After
Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman joined TV personality and Keep Britain Tidy ambassador Kirstie Allsopp in a clean up at a Croydon estate on Monday. The pair travelled to Brickfield Meadow, East Croydon, to participate in a litter clean-up
A group of young people took part in a speed dating event last week with councillors and officers from Epsom and Ewell Council. The event, which took place on October 12 at Glyn School, Epsom, was part of Local Democracy Week. The 15
Two attempted murder charges have been dropped against three men who deny shooting a five-year-old girl. Nathaniel Grant, 20, from Camberwell, Kazeem Kolawole, 19, of Black Prince Road, Lambeth, and Anthony McCalla, 19, of Oakdale Road, Streatham
A strange bright orange cone to the side of Sutton High Street is proving an obstacle to shoppers. Opinions are mixed as to weather the easily-removable cone is a health hazard. The incongruent cone, just outside the Cock and Bull pub
Newly-planted trees are being left to die, claimed a campaigner who said her 20-year fight to improve the environment has been ignored. Ingrid Dickenson, who lives in Kohat Road, Wimbledon Park, said new trees planted in the pavements near
A motor with a taste for truly scrumptious adventures has landed on Wimbledon Common. The star of a new Chitty Chitty Bang Bang book – in which the flying car with a mind of its own is reborn as a funky camper van – roared on to the common
Actress June Whitfield joined Trustees of the South-east Cancer Help Centre (SECHC) in Purley at an event organised to thank the charity's supporters. The main purpose of the evening was to thank residents, businesses and charitable trusts
The independent local review set up to look into the cause of the Croydon riots has held its first public hearing. The panel, set up by the council heard accounts of the evening of August 8, from two reporters and from Croydon Council chief
The girlfriend of a teenager killed in a Thailand coach crash has spoken of her heartbreak for the first time, as his mother demands the truth about her son’s death. Elsie Lauchlan, 19, lost her boyfriend of four years, 19-year-old Max Boomgaarden-Cook
Two south London hospitals have been told they must improve standards of care for elderly patients, following a national review by the government’s independent health regulator. St George’s Hospital in Blackshaw Road, Tooting, and Guys’ and
A businesswoman is holding a fashion auction to help tackle human trafficking. Linda Potgieter, 39, from Cobham, has asked friends to take to the catwalk to raise money to tackle forced prostitution. She said: “I have a strong faith
