Tom Brake, Liberal Democrat politician, has been the Member of Parliament for Carshalton and Wallington since 1997. I was fortunate enough to interview him about his background in politics and his views on some of our current local issues. Q: When
Concerns are growing for a dad who has been missing since Tuesday. Andy Godden, 39, was last seen leaving work in Croydon at 5pm on April 2, but has not returned to his home in Pampisford Road, South Croydon, since. Mr Godden was said to be
The names of county council candidates were unveiled today as hopefuls vie to represent Epsom and Ewell. Residents Association (RA) county councillors Jan Mason and Eber Kingston are standing again. But RA county councillors David Wood and
Made in Chelsea star Ollie Locke will be signing his new book in Croydon on Saturday. The actor will be meeting fans at Waterstones in the Whitgift Centre from 3pm. He will be signing copies of his book Laid in Chelsea- My Life Uncovered, which
I agree with nurse Leila Grebovich. (‘Never again’ Nurse appalled by gran’s horrifying hospital stay - Guardian 6/03/13) When our father died in Croydon University Hospital (CUH) we were left with so many unanswered questions, mainly because we never
There is a new plague spreading in Sutton and Cheam. I refer to the Car2Go vehicles, which are left scattered all over in residential side roads, adding to the difficulty of limited residential parking. Some of these vehicles remain for weeks
A free school promising individualised curricula for every pupil is being proposed. Aiming to open in September 2015, the school could cost up to £15 million to build and would employ radical schooling techniques like online learning at home with
Esher head coach Ollie Smith was saddened that his assistant Ricky Nebbett could not be on the touchline for his team’s best performance of the season so far. Nebbett, banned from the touchline until April 15 for verbally abusing a match official
A man in his 40s was taken to hospital following a suspected carbon monoxide leak this morning. Firefighters from Kingston’s green watch were called by Kingston police at about 1.30am but found no trace of the gas, crew manager Kevin Felthan said
Met Police manager Jim Cooper slammed his team's shameful performance after they were dumped out of the Senior Surrey Cup semi-finals by Godalming Town. A solitary Gary McDonald header was all Met had to show from a 2-1 defeat to the side the Evo-Stik
An 83-year-old man who went missing was found last night. Sarbans Matharu, of Southcroft Road, Tooting, had been missing since 9.30am on Wednesday. Police reported they found him safe yesterday just after 8.30pm following an appeal. The
A 41-year-old man has been jailed for grooming a 13-year-old girl via text message. John Coleman of Carew Road, Wallington, was sentenced to 15 months in prison at Croydon Crown Court on March 27. He was also sentenced to a Sexual Offences
Students from the GBMAA Predatorz martial arts club returned from the Kwon Grand Slam competition last week with a fine haul of medals. Leading the way, from the Epsom & Leatherhead branch, in Birmingam was Ellen Michael, 14, who won double
New Malden motorhead Tom Onslow-Cole only managed to get behind the wheel of his new NGTC Volkswagen Passat CC 24 hours before the first race of the BTCC season. The 25-year-old arrived at Brands Hatch on Saturday morning, in time for practice
Jim Cooper may feel safe in his job as manager of Met Police, but he understands the frustrations faced by others in a different boat. Cooper has every sympathy with Mark Harper, who resigned as manager of Hampton & Richmond at the weekend,
A homeless hound at Battersea Dogs Home could be one of the loneliest dogs in the UK after spending more than 260 days at the world-famous animal charity and receiving little interest from potential owners. The average stay for Battersea dogs is
A brave biker, who miraculously survived a head-on collision with a lorry in India, is to defy the odds and run the London marathon later this month. Roy Clark, 48, from Wandsworth, woke up in intensive care in a southern Indian hospital in February
A man has denied murdering a mum-of-two before dumping her body in the boot of a car. Janelle Duncan-Bailey of Pawsons Road, was last seen in the early hours of January 2, in Thornton Heath. The 25-year-old care support worker's body was discovered
Tennis fans will soon be able to perfect their serve and volley techniques on upgraded and refurbished tennis courts as part of a campaign to make the sport more popular in Wandsworth. Wandworth Council has teamed up with top class coaches from
A man caught in the middle of the London riots was joined by an MP this week as he prepares to run the London marathon. Sports-mad Tom Brake swapped the corridors of Parliament to pound Carshalton's pavements with Peter Romanov, who is running
Smoke alarms are to be handed out free to more than 1,200 vulnerable people in Surrey to help keep them safe in their own homes. The fire detectors have been fitted in homes in under a year as part of an initiative between Surrey County Council
I wonder whether Viridor recall the article "Viridor accuse objectors of scaremongering" in the Berwickshire News, 20 February 2008? That article, which attacked Dr van Steenis and myself started as follows: "Claims that infant mortality rates
Sutton United are holding a disability awareness day at Gander Green Lane this weekend, to coincide with the Blue Square South clash with Billericay. Among the attractions, that start at 11am with a sports for all session in the Times Square Lounge
A man was dramatically arrested on the roof of a supermarket in the early hours of this morning after a suspected break-in. A police helicopeter and fire officers helped to catch the 24-year-old, who fled to the roof of the store after police were
Kingstonian assistant manager Mark Hams admitted the team is ready to fight for a play-off spot rather than head meekly into the summer. Ks are eight points off fifth place with eight games remaining, and manager Alan Dowson has already turned
Harlequins centre George Lowe will make his 100th appearance for the club when they take on Munster at The Stoop in the Heineken Cup quarter-final. There are four changes to the team that played Gloucester last Friday. Among the backs, Tom
Harlequins might head into their Heineken Cup quarter-final clash against Munster with their Aviva Premiership form faltering, but Tom Casson is adamant the performances will soon start bearing fruit. As reigning Aviva Premiership champions, Quins
Two men have been charged with the murder of a Croydon man killed during a suspected break-in at his girlfriend's house. Sam Monteith, 31, of no fixed abode, Paul West, 29, from Slough, are accused of stabbing to death Danny Gough in the early
A man from Hersham has been charged following a burglary at an address in Long Ditton yesterday. Oliver Hart, 21, of Havers Avenue, was arrested yesterday, Thursday, April 4 and was remanded in custody to appear at South East Surrey Magistrates
Bees boss Uwe Rosler heaped praise on Simon Moore after the young goalkeeper’s mistake gifted MK Dons the opening goal on Monday. Brentford went on to lose 2-0, but Rosler was far happier with his stopper than his strikers. Moore, 22, has been
Police have released an electronic image of the man they believe has snatched eight handbags from cars across Mole Valley. The bag snatcher struck eight times within a week at the end of Feburary and start of March in Ashtead, Dorking, Fetcham,
The family of a pensioner, who died after discovering his home had been ransacked by thieves, have urged witnesses to contact the police. Stanley Amarasinghe went into cardiac arrest and died after returning to his home in Beckford Road, Woodside
We all know her so well as Rachel Berry from the hit TV show Glee but recently Lea Michele stepped out of the salon sporting a very different look. She had ditched her waves for super sleek locks and a blunt cut fringe. As we know, straight
AFC Wimbledon manager Neal Ardley said his team were the victims of daylight robbery during Monday’s 1-0 home defeat to Barnet. However, despite being pulled back into the League Two relegation fight, Ardley takes solace in his belief that his
By James Barrett Carshalton Athletic’s hat-trick hero Tommy Bradford said his side’s emphatic 3-0 win over Hampton & Richmond on Monday had been coming. Striker Bradford, 18, is a product of the club’s youth academy and has firmly established
Art lovers were welcomed to a private viewing of the Molesey Art Society’s 2013 spring exhibition this week. Crowds flocked to St Alban’s School, Beauchamp Road, West Molesey, on Wednesday, April 3, to see the creative efforts 90 members of the
Two school friends from Epsom are starting to struggle as they run across France to take part in the Paris marathon on Sunday. Lloyd Hurrell and Simeon Bates, 24, who met in the sixth form at Blenheim School in Epsom, reached Gisors last night
Tomorrow is Sutton United football club's Disability Awareness Day. At the club's ground on Gander Green Lane, supporters, guests, local clubs, and the Chelsea FC Foundation will raise awareness about disability. There will be blind football
We attended the Cheam North and Worcester Park Local Committee Meeting on 28th March and one of the items on the agenda was a discussion on the proposed ideas of the Better Service Better Value Panel. It is still being suggested that closing Departments
I too support Peter Russell’s letter (No need for fox cull, March 7) as well as Dave Triphook’s (Fox causes no trouble, March 21). What about the many vicious dog attacks on adults and children. Does that qualify for a dog cull? Foxes
A cyclist pedalled the length of the country to raise awareness of a rare illness that afflicts his partner. Chris Manders, from Purley, braved snow, wind and hail to ride from John O'Groats to Lands End last week. The 27-year-old pedalled
A planning consultation paper, created by a pioneering residents group, will become only the second of its kind in the country. The Hackbridge and Beddington Corner Neighbourhood Development Group has created a draft neighbourhood plan which will
Tadworth AC’s Dave Williamson continued his London marathon preparations with a fine run at the Maidenhead Easter 10-mile race on Good Friday, finishing 28th of 1,095 runners, in 57 minutes, 28 seconds. Team-mate Peter Mills followed shortly after
Over £900 was raised for Norwood Foodbank at events held in Crystal Palace in celebration of Fairtrade Fortnight. Two charity events were organised by Crystal Place Transition Town, including a mini festival called Foodstock and a pop-up dinner
The risk a drug-using schizophrenic posed to others was not disclosed to the organisation that housed him in shared accommodation where he killed a fellow resident, a report has found. A long-awaited NHS report into the fatal attack by Adrian Johnson
Harlequins director of rugby Conor O’Shea is preparing to fight fire with fire when Munster descend on the Stoop for Sunday’s Heineken Cup quarter-final. Despite suffering three successive defeats in the Aviva Premiership, and having never progressed
The notorious Brown and Root building of Colliers Wood will start its full makeover within the next six months, it has been confirmed. Residents can expect to see minor road works around the 17-storey building towards the end of this month after
Weybridge rower and Oxford president Alex Davidson put the drama of last year’s Boat Race defeat behind him by gaining revenge on his Cambridge counterparts this time round. The 22-year-old led the Dark Blues to glory in the 159th Boat Race last
A cap on household welfare payments will come into force in Croydon this month. Some 621 benefits claimaints are expected to be affected in the borough, losing an average of £79 a week. Croydon was one of four boroughs chosen to be a guinea
Next month will see a celebration of the achievements of young people participating in the Young Enterprise Company Programme in Sutton and Merton. On April 24, at the Sutton and Merton Chambers of Commerce on Bishopsford Road, Morden, 15-19 year
Archaeologists thought they had it figured out, and the British Museum has long claimed it as evidence of early chess games. But in their latest wheeze in the run-up to the May Merrie, the Seething Festival gang have challenged the academic status
Thousands of foodies are set to swarm on a festival to sample local produce and find out restaurants' unique recipes. Leatherhead's first ever food festival, which starts today will take over the town centre with a food market and pop-up cookery
Kingston Hospital says it has not gagged five former employees who signed non-disclosure agreements in the past five years. They were part of severance packages valuing between £5,000 and £30,000. Two fell into the highest compensation bracket
A unique collection of artists’ books from the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) will go on display on Monday, April 8. The exhibition of the books at Epsom Library, which are "closer to pieces of fine art than literature and demonstrate unusual
A care service team is celebrating after meeting all essential standards in an unannounced inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Home Instead Senior Care Epsom, which provides care for the elderly in their homes around Epsom, Banstead
