Archive

  • Obituary Corner: Ernest Borgnine - Actor

    Ernest Borgnine: Actor (95) 1st January 1917 - 8th July 2012 I was sad to hear about the passing of Ernest Borgnine, although I must admit at 95 years old he had a pretty good innings. Borgnine was born in Connecticut USA and worked with most of

  • Brown in no rush to plug leaky Dons defence

    Terry Brown has admitted plugging a leaky defence will be his number one priority as his new-look Wimbledon side take on Premier League new boys Reading this weekend. Brown said his squad, which includes a string of new signings, returned “fit and sharp

  • Easter eggs on sevens star Ollie to star for Quins

    England Sevens star Ollie Lindsay-Hague has a talent that even Harlequins’ academy boss Howard Graham admits he can’t really coach. The 21-year-old winger is likely to be a key player in Quins’ JP Morgan Asset Management Premiership Rugby Sevens

  • Heavy rain floods Epsom's roads

    Drivers in Epsom met with the effects of heavy rain yesterday. The roundabout on the junction of Shawley Way and Garlichill Road, Epsom, was flooded following a storm just after 7pm. The Met Office advised drivers in the south east to

  • Simple steps to avoid losing rental income

    Landlords are being given fresh advice to make sure they don’t lose money because their properties are standing empty. The advice comes from the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) which is urging landlords to take action and introduce measures

  • Couple find Epsom just perfect

    First-time buyers James Partridge, 28, and his partner Holly Cheshire, 27, were happy to make the move from East Molesey to Epsom after finding their dream home at Noble Park. The couple, who are both teachers at a local independent school, visited Noble

  • Britain: a nation of nosey neighbours

    A massive 17.5 million Brits (35 per cent) have visited an estate agent or online property website specifically to have a nose at the price details and interior photos of their friends’ and neigh-bours’ homes, according to new research. The study from

  • Brits dream of life in a village semi

    Forget the stately home or a city penthouse, new research released today reveals that Britain’s dream home is a three bedroom semi-detached house in a rural village. And as well as wanting a home attached to their next-door neighbours, the British appear

  • Adorable dogs (and owners) launch Paws in the Park

    Dogs Bentley and Lucy put their best paws forward for a practice walk ahead of Paws in the Park on September 3. The Maltese-cross and King Charles Spaniel joined fundraisers at Brooklands Community Park in Weybridge on July 11 to officially

  • Police appeal after tree thefts

    Wandsworth Police have made a renewed appeal for the victims of a spate of bay tree thefts to claim back their plants. Pictures of the stolen plants have been put on Flickr after a man was arrested with a lorry full of them near Chessington

  • Council staff take less sick leave

    Council staff in Wandsworth take less sick leave than most other local authorities and many private companies, according to a new study. Last year council staff took an average of 5.5 days off sick, a figure that includes staff suffering from long

  • Council axes funding for lollipop people

    Councillors voted to axe funding for lollipop ladies and men on Wednesday, without debating the issue in full council. Ditching the school crossing patrol (SCP) service, which operates outside 44 schools in Wandsworth is making the council

  • Man in court charged with altering listed building

    A company director has appeared in court after allegedly altered a listing building without permission. Franco Lumba, 34, of St Margarets Road, Twickenham, spoke only to confirm his name when he appeared at Kingston Crown Court on Thursday,

  • Heroic couple sentenced for teacher attack

    A mother who helped save a woman from hanging herself wept in court as she was sentenced for attacking a teacher at her son’s primary school. Shan Shan Su, 40, and her partner Derek Hoilett, 48, were ordered to pay a combined total of £500

  • Play if tough act to swallow

    Do you know why the old lady swallowed a fly? The classic nursery rhyme is brought to life by the People’s Theatre Company for the first time. Presented by the team behind How the Koala Learned to Hug, this magical new show has been written especially

  • Would-be flower stall thief caught in the act

    Where there's muck there's brass as they say, or in this case flowers. Stunned residents in Rosehill alerted police when they saw a man making off with a large flower stall hooked up to a pony and trap. A 36-year-old man was arrested

  • Is it a bird, is it a plane? No, it's a blimp

    A giant blimp has been spotted flying over Croydon. The Goodyear Blimp has returned to the air to spread a message of road safety across the country after a ten year break. Filled with helium the giant airship can reach heights of 1,500

  • Recipe: Steak Salad with Aromatic Dressing

    Serves 4 Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: Rare: 2 minutes on each side  Medium Rare: 3-4 minutes on each side Medium: 5-7 minutes on each side Ingredients: 4 x 175g/6oz lean flat iron, rump or picanha steaks  Salt and

  • Writer's magazine attracting large following

    A teenager who left home at 16 has established an online magazine attracting 500,000 viewers in its first six months has been nominated for business champion. Emily-Louise Duff, who has just completed her A-levels at Norbury Manor Business

  • Freedom of the City for navy commander

    A navy commander has followed in the footsteps of Winston Churchill and Admiral Lord Nelson by receiving a prestigious honour. Commander Tom Sharpe, commanding officer of Royal Navy warship HMS St Albans, was awarded the Freedom of the City

  • Man slammed door on distraction burglars

    Police have praised the bravery of an elderly man who slammed the door on two would-be burglars. The 81-year-old man questioned two men when they knocked on his door asking if they could check his water system in order to prevent flooding.

  • Riots detective to drive around the world

    A Scotland Yard detective who worked to track down rioters will begin a round-the-world trip from the site of one of the worst-hit areas. Julian Seal, 46, was so moved by the scenes of devastation he saw in Croydon following the riots he has

  • Event unites South Norwood Community

    Hundreds of residents attended the first South Norwood Community Festival last weekend. The all day event was held at the Clock Tower on Station Road, and offered a range of activities for residents. Guests were able to enjoy more than

  • Rodeo for St Raphael's Hospice

    A rodeo day was held in North Cheam to raise much needed funds for St Raphael’s Hospice. Owner of the Woodstock pub, Brian O’Rouke, provided a bouncy castle and a barbeque on Saturday, July, 7. Customers got to pet some ponies and to

  • In a roundabout way, Elmbridge is ready for Olympics

    A roundabout has received an Olympic makeover in the form of an 11 metre cyclist made of flowers. The Esher bypass roundabout, opposite the Barley Mow pub in Hersham, has been decorated with the eye-catching design. The wheels were planted in red, white

  • Councillors fight over parking zone charges

    A row has broken out between borough councillors over controlled parking zone charges for visitors. Chairman of the Sutton South, Cheam and Belmont Local Committee and Conservative Councillor, Tony Shields, proposed on July 5 that 200 free

  • £12,500 raised at children's charity fun day

    Families braved the weather at the weekend to show their support for a leading children’s charity at its fun day. Nearly one thousand visitors attended the event, held by The Children’s Trust, based in Tadworth Court, raising £12,500 for the

  • Five sentenced for killing “wholly innocent man”

    Five teenagers found guilty of a cold-blooded shooting of a father-to-be were jailed for a total of 82 years on Monday. Daniel Famakinwa, 20, was murdered outside the West Norwood Snooker Club, Norwood Road, on August 6, 2011. During

  • Road deaths double across Croydon

    Road deaths doubled across the borough last year with 10 people killed on Croydon’s roads, the highest number since 2004. Figures published by Transport for London (TfL) showed seven pedestrians, including one child, were killed on Croydon’

  • Archaeologists unearth Ewell's Roman past

    Amateur archaeologists are painstakingly unearthing Ewell’s Roman past before the site is turned into a graveyard. Since the start of the month members of the Epsom and Ewell History and Archaeology, and Surrey Archaeological Societies have

  • Lodge u-turn brings better player back to Ks

    Kingstonian boss Alan Dowson is satisfied winger Dean Lodge will not let him down – 12 months after the Ks manager insisted he would never play for him again. The former QPR trainee was in the Ks line-up for Saturday’s 3-1 friendly win at Dorking Wanderers

  • Students film alcohol awareness story

    A student film raising awareness about the dangers of alcohol will be promoted across the borough. Pupils from Rydens Enterprise School (RES) won the ECP alcohol awareness storyboard competition and have now successfully produced their film

  • Council leader warns of difficult future amid cuts

    Sutton Council’s new leader has said she will have to take more difficult decisions on the borough’s future than her predecessor, in the face of mounting financial pressures. In her first interview since taking over from outgoing leader Sean

  • Destruction of St Helier hospital makes no sense

    By Michael Barltrop, via email With regard to your articles concerning the proposed closure of accident and emergency and maternity at St Helier Hospital. I can speak with some knowledge of how evil that project is since St Helier saved

  • Pool users banned due to Brazil Olympic squad

    More than 1,600 members of the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre have been barred from using some of the facilities during the Olympics while the Brazilians use it as a training base – and will not be refunded. The Olympic pool and all

  • Riots and rubbish could force restaurant out

    One of Croydon’s finest restaurants is threatening to leave the borough. Top chef Malcolm John has warned he could join high-profile names like Nestle and Bank of America by moving his award-winning restaurant, Le Cassoulet, out of town.

  • Park users campaign to protect land from travellers

    Park users are celebrating after councillors agreed to prevent travellers returning to a site in Wallington. An influx of travellers arrived in the borough at the end of May settling in various parks including Beddington Park, Roundshaw Park

  • Businesses 'abusing' resident parking permits

    Businesses were accused of abusing the council’s parking system after private schools and estate agents were found to have many more permits than is allowed. It was revealed one area in Wimbledon Village has six businesses that possess more

  • Ancient mummies' secrets revealed

    The secrets of six perfectly preserved mummies have been revealed with the help of medical staff more used to searching for cancerous tumours than ancient sarcophagi. Radiologists at BMI Shirley Oaks Hospital lent their skills and state of

  • Public to have final say on children's ward closure

    The public will make the final decision on whether a children’s ward in Kingston Hospital will be closed and moved to Tooting. If an NHS review’s recommendations go ahead, Sunshine Ward’s 26 beds would close, as would 18 beds at St Helier and

  • Councillors approve Walton's Waterside Drive project

    A controversial £6m sports and leisure hub has been approved by Conservative councillors, overturning the refusal of an earlier planning committee meeting. Objectors piled in to the public gallery at the Civic Centre in Esher for the full planning meeting

  • Mum forced to 'badger' council for school place

    The mother of a child with Down’s Syndrome has blamed bureaucrats for months of stress after they were unable to allocate her son a school place until seven days before the end of the school year. Tracy Eaton, of Aylward Road in Merton Park

  • Mayor of Wandsworth joins in fun at care home

    The mayor of Wandsworth enjoyed an afternoon of entertainment at the Pines Care Home. Councillor Adrian Knowles joined the residents of the West Hill home for afternoon tea on July 5. Mr Knowles and the residents took part in a sing-along

  • Croydon Olympian backing heart charity

    Olympic squad member Lawrence Okoye is leading a campaign for cardiac screening. Okoye, who holds the British discus record and is a medal prospect at the 2012 Games, was inspired to help the campaign after 16-year-old Oluwatobi Adeyemi, from

  • Hosepipe ban lifted after "miraculous" groundwater rise

    A "miraculous" increase in levels of groundwater has resulted in Sutton and East Surrey’s hosepipe ban being lifted after nearly three months. Sutton and East Surrey Water company (SESW) which supplies areas including Leatherhead, Ashtead,

  • Schools enjoy Paralympics sports festival

    Specialist schools from across Surrey came together for a Paralympics-themed sports festival. The event, held at The Children’s Trust in Tadworth, was organised for young people with profound and multiple learning difficulties. Each

  • Bikes get marked to make them safer

    Bikes in Sutton should be safer after a two-week cycle marking police initiative. More than 100 cyclists in the borough have had their bicycles security marked and registered for free during a two-week initiative run by Sutton's Safer Transport

  • Only three of 26 torchbearers from Kingston

    Only three out of 26 torchbearers honoured with carrying the Olympic flame through the Royal borough have any connection to Kingston. Hundreds of people from Kingston, Surbiton, Chessington and New Malden applied to become torchbearers in the