Judging by our most read stories of 2017, it appears to have been a year packed with tragedy, sadness and a lack of bin collections.
We know there has been some good news and happier occasions during the past 12 months, but these items have been overshadowed by bleaker events based on what you our readers have been clicking on the most.
Here is a month by month rundown of what stories have attracted the most interest on Sutton Guardian.
JANUARY
Trapped in USA Nails Fashion
1. Woman left with serious injuries after New Year's Eve attack in Harrow Inn pub in Cheam
A woman in her 40s was attacked in a pub on Cheam High Street on New Year's Eve.
Two other women, aged 21 and 47, were arrested. The victim suffered facial injuries and serious injuries to her wrist.
2. 12-year-old girl afraid to leave home following horrific sexual assault in Carshalton High Street
3. 10 people trapped in USA Nails Fashion in Sutton High Street
4. Sutton and Croydon's best and worst-performing schools revealed in Department for Education figures
5. Woman suffers serious head injury in head-on collision in Carshalton High Street
FEBRUARY
Arsenal staff at Gander Green Lane
1. Man dies after falling from Times Square car park in Sutton town centre
A man in his 40s died after plummeting from Times Square car park in Throwley Way.
One witness said: "We saw a body covered in a blanket lying in the middle of the road."
2. Arsenal to donate £50,000 to Sutton United following FA Cup fifth-round win at Gander Green Lane
3. Traffic: Ten-month-old baby unhurt after car and lorry crash in Cheam Common Road, Cheam
4. Bradley Everett found not guilty of raping a woman in Carshalton Park
MARCH
Picture: Lorraine Mcdonald
1. Bungling burglars crash getaway car into Rosehill roundabout before fleeing on foot
One man was arrested in March after burglars crashed a getaway car at the Rosehill Roundabout before fleeing.
A witness Lorraine McDonald said two men ran from the car before police tazered one of them in nearby Newhouse Walk.
The crashed car was later discovered to be stolen.
3. Former Wallington County Grammar School and Whitgift pupil Ahmad Sami Kheder who joined ISIS killed in Iraq
4. Concerns growing for missing 15-year-old Chloe Bedford from Sutton
5. Calls for speed cameras to be introduced after car flips over in Cheam
APRIL
Carshalton pond
1. Dismay as scenic Carshalton Ponds drained
People in Carshalton expressed their outrage earlier this year after water from a pond was diverted to the River Wandle.
In early April there were reports of parts of the pool completely drying up with dead fish being spotted.
Councillor Tim Crowley told Sutton Guardian: “It’s a very sad situation. I can’t understand why they are carrying out maintenance during the bird nesting season."
3. 'Carnage' in Sutton as around 1,500 queue for recycling bins outside B&Q
4. Girl, 13, ‘flung into air’ in Wallington hit-and-run crash
5. 'We are sorry': Sutton Council apologises over missed bin collections
MAY
Edvinas Jankeviciu
1. Body found by police investigating missing boy Edvinas Jankeviciu from Sutton
A body of a 15-year-old boy was found in a secluded area in Upland Road near the junction with Kings Lane in Sutton at the beginning of May.
Police later confirmed that the boy was Edvinas Jankeviciu whose death was not treated as suspicious.
2. Trains between Sutton and Croydon cancelled after man dies on line
3. Tributes paid to Overton Grange schoolboy Edvinas Jankeviciu
JUNE
Windsor Avenue
A 25-year-old man was arrested in a vehicle after an armed stop in relation to a domestic incident.
This happened less than a day after the London Bridge terror attack. Police confirmed that the Cheam incident was not terror related.
3. Vandals attack Sutton Islamic Centre in Oakhill Road scrawling 'Terrorize your own country'
4. Man airlifted to hospital after Carshalton 'stabbing'
JULY
Mr India Oldfields Road
Sutton Guardian put together a list of the lowest rated restaurants and shops selling food in the borough.
A photo gallery was assembled with data coming from The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme.
2. Sutton police release images of a man and a woman they want to speak to
3. Empire cinema in Sutton reveal further refurbishment plans
4. Man blinded in right eye after vicious attack by broom-wielding thugs in Cheam
5. Elderly woman in hospital after single car collision in Malden Road in Cheam
AUGUST
Students celebrate results
1. Wilson's School listed as highest performing state educator in the country for A Level results
Wilson's School in Wallington was named as the highest performing state school in the country by The Times.
A school statement read: “We would like to congratulate the Upper Sixth and their teachers on an outstanding set of results, which are the best the school has ever achieved."
2. Central Road closed due to flooding under bridge near Worcester Park railway station
3. Charlie's Sweet Shop to open on Station Road in Belmont on August 31 with an array of classic treats available
5. Four people hospitalised after car crash on Grosvenor Road in Wallington
SEPTEMBER
The Hope in Carshalton
1. The Hope in Carshalton has been named as Campaign for Real Ale's (CAMRA) best bar in Greater London
A Carshalton pub was one of 16 regional winners as part of CAMRA's the search for the country's National Pub of the Year.
Rodger Molyneux, operations director and licensee, said: "We have 18 young staff and it gives them a boost to be named best pub in the whole of Greater London. It’s quite an accolade.”
3. Sutton man Andrew Boys, 52, jailed for rape committed in 1998 in Fulham
4. Joyce Msokeri, 46, charged with fraud relating to the Grenfell Fire tragedy
5. Miller & Carter Steakhouse is bringing a new restaurant to Worcester Park on October 27
OCTOBER
Sutton High Street
1. Man dies after being 'hit by lorry' in Carshalton Road, Sutton
A man was killed on Sutton High Street in October after being hit by a lorry.
Police said he was pronounced dead at the scene. Sutton Guardian reported a live blog of the events.
2. Carshalton primary school closed after vomiting bug outbreak
3. Terry Dawkins, 49, needs a matching blood cell donor to save his life from acute myeloid leukaemia
4. The best and worst secondary schools in Sutton for pupil progression
5. Fireworks thrown as youths clash with police in Rosehill
NOVEMBER
BP Garage in Carshalton
1. 'Masked' men 'steal' deposit box at Carshalton petrol station
A deposit box from a security van was stolen at BP Garage in Green Wrythe Lane last month by two men wearing balaclavas.
One witness spoke to Sutton Guardian about what she saw.
2. Woman dies after being hit by train at St Helier station
3. Empire Cinemas confirm new Sutton complex to open in the new year
4. Three Sutton schools named among the top 10 performers in London
DECEMBER
Gregory Tomkins
1. Plasterer 'hanged himself live in chatroom' on Christmas morning
On December 27 Sutton Guardian broke the dreadful news that a man who lived in Wallington took his own life during a live video chatroom.
Gregory Tomkins, of Carendon Road, was found dead at 3.36am on December 25.
2. The best primary schools in Sutton for KS2 results revealed
3. Overturned lorry causes closures in Belmont Rise
4. Mum claims Sutton Council moved her into mice infested house
5. Witnesses wanted after woman breaks hip after getting off Sutton bus
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