The weeks leading up to Christmas can be hard for a plethora of reasons, stress-shopping, frantic decorating and family visits. However, for one girl this run-up to Christmas was more than less than ideal! On December 18th, Old Palace of John
In the UK, the removal of graffiti costs over £1 billion every year. Repainting, pressure washing and chemically dissolving are methods used to get rid of the drawings, messages and ‘tags’ spray painted onto buildings, street signs and public land.
A senior detective has said he believes there was "no third party involvement" in the death of retired Italian businessman Adriano Bussandri last week. DCI John MacFarlane said he had conducted "extensive enquiries" with scientists and fire experts
A driver whose car overturned and ended up on its roof escaped with minor injuries this afternoon. It is unclear how the blue Clio came to be completely overturned in Wellesley Road, Twickenham. A spokesman for the London Ambulance Service
The alleged leader of Tamil gang the Jaffna Boys has been jailed for intimidating a witness. Edward Armstrong-Anton of Broadstairs, Kent, was jailed for 30 months at Croydon Crown Court after a jury took just hours to convict him of the charge.
The battle to secure the construction of the of the £350m first phase of work at Battersea Power Station has been whittled down to four firms, according to a construction news website. The Construction Enquirer website has revealed the four bidding
Police were called to Nando's in Balham yesterday afternoon after a fight broke out. Staff and diners grew concerned when a large group of men at a table started arguing. The argument quickly escalated and several of the group started trading
Croydon Council is to increase council tax in the borough by 1.85 per cent. There have been no increases in council tax for the last two years. Residents will pay an extra 34p a week- £17.64 a year - to add £1.3m to the council's budget.
A runner from Esher will run seven marathons in four months, finishing in South Africa in the Comrades Marathon. Roger Brooks, of West End Gardens, will finish his challenge in June by running 54 miles from Durban on the coast to Pietermaritzburg
Tooting MP Sadiq Khan has gained assurances from the Foreign Office that they will continue to push for the release of his friend and Guantanamo Bay inmate Shaker Aamer. Mr Aamer, who was incarcerated in 2002, is the last British inmate in the
Esher head coach Ollie Smith has moved to play down his verbal clash with match officials at the weekend. The 30-year-old former Harlequins centre Smith and assistant coach Ricky Nebbett were both reported to the Rugby Football Union this week
Kingstonian midfielder Lewis Taylor is out to win Ryman Premier League promotion in memory of his mum. Kathy Taylor, 54, died of a sudden heart attack last month and was buried last Thursday two days before Kingstonian’s 9-3 win over Cray Wanderers
Hampton & Richmond Borough boss Mark Harper believes his players will learn from their mistakes as they look to get one over on Harrow Borough on Saturday. The Beavers threw away the lead twice as they were held 3-3 by Wingate & Finchley
A whistleblower raised concerns about a cover-up in Kingston Council’s social services one hour before she walked out of the authority for good, it has been revealed. Kingston Council said it did not learn of allegations of a cover up in the Charito
Doctors missed opportunities to potentially prolong an injured pensioner's life, a coroner said yesterday. Michael Healey, 77, of South Croydon, was discharged from hospital after radiologists failed to spot a small bleed on his brain caused by
A community group is to host a film night this weekend. The Power of Community, a short film about how Cuban people came together to survive a fuel and food shortage, will screen at Matthews Yard off Surrey Street on Sunday February 17. The
A Government minister says he is very impressed by the borough's work to tackle climate change and create a green environment. Don Foster, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, visited Sutton on Thursday to
Merton Council has reassured parents over its schools meals amid the current horse meat scandal. The council said it is in close contact with its main school meal contractor, ISS, and their suppliers to ensure no contaminated beef products enter
A distraught father was told “there was nothing you could have done” after he blamed himself for his alcoholic son’s death. Salvino Muccio, of Cortis Road, Putney, sobbed as Westminster Coroner’s Court ruled that his 43-year-old son, Riccardo Muccio
Football clubs across the borough are in "uproar" over a new council regime forcing them to pay for phantom matches and substantial up-front sums. Kevin Knott, manager of south Wimbledon-based Wilf Kroucher FC, said he was forced to pay £1,000
A business man has been named entrepreneur of the year during a top award ceremony at the House of Commons. Sutton man Deepak Kuntawala, founder of global trading and finance company DVK, was presented with the award at the Asian Voice Political
They say it takes one to know one so when former England captain Lawrence Dallaglio praises current occupant Chris Robshaw it suggests he is the right man for the job. Robshaw, man of the match for England in Sunday’s 12-6 win over Ireland
Croydon’s ‘Poster Boy’ Jimi Manuwa believes he can become Britain’s first ever UFC champion. The 32-year-old light-heavyweight prospect re-enters the octagon on Saturday at Wembley Arena, this time against towering 6ft 6in kick-boxing specialist
There was standing room only in a crematorium as more than 100 people gathered to pay their respects to a man killed in the Vauxhall helicopter crash. "Big guy with a big heart" Matthew Wood, from Brunswick Road, Sutton, died when the helicopter
Eden Street has closed following a collapsed sewer today. Bus routes on the busy Kingston road have been diverted, with stops moved to Wheatfield Way. The road has been closed between Lady Booth Road and Nationwide Building Society. Thames
The “pay for play” debate has erupted again after Wandsworth Council unveiled plans to charge children to use new Battersea Park adventure playground equipment. Standard equipment such as chain ladders and rope swings will continue to be free but
Met Police boss Jim Cooper questioned his play-off chasing squad’s desire after slumping to a Tuesday night drubbing at Enfield Town, writes Tom Ambrose. The Blues went into the Ryman Premier League fixture off the back of three straight wins
A man driven to the brink of suicide by the Government’s "cruel" welfare reforms has condemned the system used to assess whether people with mental health issues are able to work. Edmund O’Leary, of Aspen Close, Epsom, has suffered from clinical
Despite his nose still throbbing from a boot in the face at Newcastle, Demba Ba is tipped to start up front when Chelsea host the Bees in the FA Cup at the Bridge this weekend. It’s a must-win game for the Blues, whose season threatens to fade
A 76-year-old woman has been found safe and well. Police issued an appeal yesterday (Thursday February 14) after Beryl Black failed to return home in Worcester Road, Sutton on Wednesday. She was found at a community centre in Banstead, Surrey
Harlequins prop Mark Lambert insists the days of fearing the Leicester Tigers front row are long gone. Having spent his entire career at the Stoop, 27-year-old Lambert admits he would have felt anxious about facing a much-feared Tigers pack in
An elderly couple escaped from a fire at their house in Kingston Hill yesterday afternoon after a kitchen blaze spread to the loft space. Two engines from Kingston, one each from Surbiton and New Malden, plus a cherry-picker from Wimbledon, attended
Works have finally started on a dangerous road junction in Chessington where a girl was hit by a motorbike more than a year ago. A pedestrian crossing is being installed at the junction of the A243 Leatherhead Road and Merritt Gardens, close to
Head coach Ollie Smith has admitted his Esher side can forget about National Division One – for this season anyway, writes Stuart Amos. The Molesey Road outfit crashed 21-20 at Old Albanians on Saturday as a flurry of controversial late penalties
A couple is demanding speed bumps along their road after four of their cats were killed in just two years. Steven and Stella St Lawrence moved to Central Road, Morden three years ago with their beloved brood of 10 cats. Within a year their
Further to Nick Padget’s letter (Virtual traffic wardens are a big shock to the system, February 7) regarding parking tickets at Earlsfield station, I too have been the recipient of a ticket while collecting my son from Earlsfield station. My son is
It starts at 2am, an unearthly chorus of high-pitched wails fills the forest. It's as if the indri, the largest living lemurs, are singing at the door of my simple rainforest lodge in the lowland jungle of eastern Madagascar. In reality, they could
Kingston AC & Polytechnic Harrier Phoebe Law followed up her Surrey Schools’ Cross Country Championship silver medal last week by winning her U17s Surrey Ladies Cross Country League race on Saturday. The 14-year-old Surbiton High School
Think you overdid it on Valentine’s Day? Well have a look at how a quiet and shy husband was surprised by his wife with a dancing mob in Kingston for his birthday. And she was rewarded for her very public display with a cheeky kiss.
Dominique Blaize says there is more to come from her this summer, having signed off indoors by winning long jump gold at the UK Championships and European trials in Sheffield on Sunday, writes Ziad Chaudry. The 25-year-old New Malden heptathlete
New Surbiton men’s captain Ben Tibble finished on the winning side in his first game at the helm last Sunday following predecessor Tim Deakin’s departure for Men’s Hockey League Premier Division rivals East Grinstead. James Tindall hit his ninth
Surbiton Ladies captain Sarah Haycroft says making her England debut is only going to help her team’s play-off quest. Haycroft took her international bow at the Investec Challenge in South Africa last week, where she helped her country to a
A new comedy club in Norbury promises to play host to a hilarious line-up of some of the country's best comedians, but the acts will remain secret from audiences until they get there. Croydon comics Nabil Abdul Rashid, 26, and Ola Gbaja, 25, launched
Murder detectives investigating the disappearance and possible murder of Lee Boxell received more than 40 calls as a result of last night's Crimewatch appeal. The show last night prompted calls from members of the public with information about
Police seized 300 cannabis plants in a drugs raid yesterday morning. One man was arrested after officers executed a warrant to search a house in Springfield Road, Thornton Heath in the early hours of Thursday. He was detained in a south London
The glamorous month-long Fashion Week calendar has kicked off in style, stopping off at New York, London, Milan and Paris. But if your show tickets got lost in the post, you could still come up smelling of roses - or something equally gorgeous,
Acclaimed rock musical Chess will be raising the roof of a theatre in Ewell next month. The musical, written by award-winning lyricist Sir Tim Rice and former Abba members Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, will come to the Adrian Mann Theatre
Council secrets could have fallen into the hands of tabloid journalists, it was claimed, after a former senior councillor was targeted in the phone hacking scandal. Amanda Ramsay, a Labour councillor until 2006, received a cash settlement last
A long-standing art group is preparing for its Spring exhibition next month. Epsom and Ewell Art Group is hosting the show in Denbies Vineyard, near Dorking, from March 4 to 10. The group formed in 1948 for artists in the area and its current
The Circus of Horrors will take the audience on a whirlwind journey of the bizarre at the start of next month. The show returns to Epsom Playhouse on Sunday, March 3, with daredevil and bizarre circus acts from around the world. Doktor Haze
A two-year-old boy ended up in hospital after his rented home was left without heating or hot water for two months. Cameron McCaskie, who suffers from a blood disorder that makes him sensitive to extreme temperatures, spent two spells at Croydon
Glendale care home, Walton, celebrated Valentine’s Day with a sweet treats afternoon for residents and staff. Spoiled for choice, they dipped strawberries and marshmallows into a chocolate fountain, before washing them down with a glass or two
Air Chief Marshal Lord Dowding (1882-1970), head of the Royal Air Force’s Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain and three-times a Wimbledon resident, died 43 years ago today in 1970. From April to October 1940, his pilots had resisted the
A motorbike crash forced police to close one lane of a busy roundabout causing rush hour traffic chaos for commuters. Police closed part of the Rose Hill Roundabout in Sutton after a motorcyclist crashed causing tailbacks on some of the town's
By John O’Sullivan; Cricket Green, Mitcham I refer to Carole Mauger’s letter relating to the proposed introduction of an additional bus lane through the pedestrian area of the Fair Green. As a local resident who, from the age of maturity, has
A drug user died after taking more than four times the potentially fatal amount of methadone, an inquest heard. Thomas Horgan, 46, died at a flat in Sutton in November last year having taken a huge dose of the heroin-replacement drug. An inquest
A tiler was convicted of benefit fraud after boasting on his company's website he "works all the way through the year." Andrew Bradbury, 50, of Kinloss Road, Carshalton, was sentenced to 200 hours community punishment at Camberwell Green magistrates
The council is on the hunt for a business development manager to boost Epsom’s flagging town centre. In partnership with Bride Hall, the company which manages The Ashley Centre, Epsom Council is advertising for an "enthusiastic and self-motivated
Battersea Power Station is to be transformed into a temporary park this summer meaning picnic-lovers will be able to be bask in sunshine by the river. The park would be connected to Battersea Park via a new riverside walkway which would run underneath
Police are attempting to reunite stolen items with their rightful owners following a burglary raid. Officers raided a flat in Bensham Manor Road on February 8 and found a stash of what is believed to be stolen goods. They discovered several
Sutton’s councillors are up in arms following the revelation that A&E waiting times are at their worst level for a decade. A health think-tank, The King’s Fund, found that nationally more than 230,000 patients waited more than four hours to
A pair of thieves who left thousands fuming when they ripped out BT copper cables have been jailed. Daryl Carslake, 30, and Gavin Marriott, 28, both from Epsom, were jailed at Southwark Crown Court on Friday, February 8, after pleading guilty to
The King of Pop was spotted at the Whitgift Centre. Shoppers were given a sneak preview of the Jackson Live concert taking place at the Fairfield Halls on Saturday. Ben Bowman, 26, who stars as Michael Jackson in the show, performed three songs
Aspiring stock brokers have won the first phase of a national competition for the third year in a row. Students from Trinity School triumphed in the ifs Student Investor Challenge - which gives students the chance to practice investing in the stock
An MP has said he would back a push for a village council as long as there is enthusiasm and support for it. Community leaders have mooted the idea of a council in Banstead that would get a say over planning and could run youth projects and improve
Plans to reform the way the borough is policed have been branded one-size-fits-all and unconvincing by the leader of the council. It raises the prospect Sutton Council may oppose plans from the Mayor's Office for Police and Crime (MOPAC) to reshape
Wandsworth Council is asking residents to write to Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin to tell him how their lives are affected by aircraft noise. The minister is set to make changes to Heathrow flight pattern rules which will have
A former power station employee who has been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive former of cancer has appealed for former co-workers to come forward. Kevin Shaw, 71, was diagnosed with mesothelioma - which carries a life expectancy of less than
A pensioner was found dead on the floor after he kept quiet about a skin cancer so bad that it had taken over his whole back and infected his internal organs. Colin Peddle, 72, had been dead for three weeks before he was found by council staff
A man jailed for illegally docking four puppies' tails has been accused of causing "hideous cruelty". George Charles Williams, from Neville Gill Close, Wandsworth, was given a lifetime ban on keeping animals after he was found guilty of five breaches
Gas-grabbing thieves have prompted a warning from police in Weston Green. Surrey Police have received three reports in the past week of thefts from cars in the area, after a spate of fuel thefts from vehicles in Thames Ditton, Weston Green, West
Robbers threatened supermarket workers with a knife and hammer before walking out with cash. Two men entered a Co-Op store, in Ewell High Street, on Tuesday, February 12, at 10.40pm and threatened two members of staff with the weapons before leaving
