Archive

  • Jamacian crack addict to be deported

    A Jamaican crack addict living in Wandsworth who bit a police officer and left him in fear of HIV will be kicked out of Britain, after serving a three- year jail sentence. PC Paul Szewcyk still has the imprint of Leroy Wiseman's teeth on his biceps.

  • Bulldozers will sever our links to the past

    A connection to the past would be severed if the Carshalton lavender field is bulldozed by developers, supporters of the community project have said. Lavender was chosen for the site at Stanley Park Allotments because the group behind the scheme - BioRegional

  • Dizzee Rascal to play at Clapham Common festival

    Ragga and grime star Dizzee Rascal and Belgian brothers 2 Many DJs have just been added to Get Loaded in the Park's line-up. Organisers confirmed this afternoon the two acts will join headliners The Streets and The Dirty Pretty Things at the Clapham

  • Free air quality text service for London

    An innovative new service, which was pioneered in Croydon, and helps Londoners likely to suffer from the effects of air pollution, begins today in the capital. The free service, launched by Deputy Mayor Nicky Gavron at City Hall is aimed at Londoners

  • Drivers must go green says insurance company

    Transport is the only sector where greenhouse gas emissions are expected to be higher in 2020 than in 1990*, with 85% of these emissions predicted to come from road vehicles unless motorists take immediate action warns Co-operative Insurance (CIS) today

  • North Cheam power cut

    Most businesses and homes have just seen power restored following a power cut to part of North Cheam. The blackout saw around 4,000 customers, including yourlocalguardian.co.uk lose all electricity for approximately half-an-hour. Power for most

  • Child cycle safety

    You can help your child stay safe on the roads by enrolling them on a cycle training course. The council courses, for children aged 10 and over, are being held at venues throughout the borough during the Easter and summer school breaks. The stage 1

  • Cruise crash survivor dies

    A pensioner died in a Yorkshire hospital 14 months after a horror road smash in Croydon which also killed her husband, an inquest has heard. Rosemary Carr was crippled and under hospital care after the Purley Way crash in September 2005. Croydon

  • On elastic bands

    Why do some postmen just throw their elastic bands on the ground? On some streets, the pavements are littered with red elastic bands. Surely it would be easier for them to put them in their pockets and take them back to the sorting office for reuse.

  • Celebrate Vestry Hall

    Thank you David Williams, leader of the council, for your reply to my letter, published on March 15. I am pleased to hear that no final decision has yet been taken, regarding the proposed closure of the public hall in the Vestry Hall. However, I have

  • Medical practice care is first class

    I have been a patient at the Merton Medical Practice for several years and wholly support everything Dr Nicola Waldman wrote in your paper on March 1. I have always been able to make an appointment when required, been given referrals when necessary,

  • Recycling: the PC thing to do

    In response to the letter in the Wimbledon Guardian about recycling PCs, there is the most wonderful recycling centre in Weir Road, Wimbledon, where you can take batteries for recycling as well as any manner of other items including PCs. These are

  • Amy Winehouse in double dating dilema

    Saucy singer Amy Winehouse has turned into something of a maneater being spotted in separate trysts with two men on the same night. The 23-year-old former Brit School student was spotted snogging ex-boyfriend Blake Fielder-Civil last night at the Maddox

  • Taxing reminder for Labour man

    I see from your paper that Councillor Alambritis has slashed his shirt in protest at Tory attempts to balance Merton's budget. The councillor was and remains, a leading light in the former Labour administration, which lasted some 16 years and from whom

  • You’ve got to fight the air powers that be

    We noted with horror the proposed flightpath maps published recently in the press. We specifically moved to Wimbledon four years ago to get away from the noise and disturbed sleep we experienced while living in Barnes. Being woken up at 4.30am every

  • Aspiring authors meet a master

    Children's author Anthony Wyatt paid a visit to the Merton Explore Learning Centre in Colliers Wood. Wyatt, the author of Professor Molecule's Fantastic Listening Machine, read extracts from his book to the children at the centre. Young aspiring authors

  • Council is protecting the grants budgets

    I was concerned to see by your misleading headline that the future of Vestry Hall is under threat and the even more misleading letter from Maureen Willett, the former building manager, claiming the public hall is to be closed this year. Merton Voluntary

  • No need to fear the misrepresented fox

    Why should foxes be scary? The background to the Wimbledon Guardian's vote represents urban foxes inaccurately. Yes, it's true, foxes can take poorly housed pets, but they are no threat to our domestic cats and dogs. Foxes don't threaten dogs, it's

  • St Helier Hospital is people’s lifeline

    I am writing following a campaign meeting at the House of Commons on Monday which Siobhain McDonagh MP held with her Mitcham and Morden constituents who had offered to help in the campaign to save St Helier Hospital. Siobhain and local councillors updated

  • Watch out for a fishy future...

    In George Orwell’s finest novel, Coming Up For Air, which warns against the unthinking acceptance of modern things such as totalitarianism and tinned fruit, his protagonist, a middle-aged insurance salesman who embarks on a Proustian journey back to his

  • Ticket scandal

    I refer to the letter from Suzy Jacobs, as published in your paper of March 8. I received a fine in exactly the same circumstances as Ms Jacobs did. This was in Selkirk Road in Tooting. I apparently purchased my ticket from the wrong machine. This machine

  • Tax cap has caused us problems

    The Sunday Times carried an interesting and important article by Simon Jenkins which is very relevant to Wandsworth Council's inability to continue its support for our museum and libraries. It was Nigel Lawson who capped our local council tax for fear

  • Cyclist is on wrong path

    Cycling on a footpath or pavement is antisocial, irresponsible, dangerous and against the law. "Cyclists beware if you cycle you could be fined..." Only if they do so illegally - like Adam Winkler (Wandsworth Guard- ian March 8) did. As for when a parent

  • Deaf children must be helped

    One year on from the official roll out of the NHS Newborn Hearing Screening programme (NHSP) and every child in England is now screened for deafness as soon as they are born. The test ensures that hearing loss and impairment is identified on average

  • The lottery fund is not Tessa Jowell’s personal piggy bank

    Tessa Jowell has announced yet another raid on lottery funds - this is bad news for Wandsworth's voluntary sector. Since January 2006 Wandsworth groups have received just under £1million in grants. As the lottery pot gets smaller, the good causes will

  • Guantanamo prisoner to be freed

    New Malden resident Bisher al-Rawi is to be sent home from Guantanamo Bay within the next 72 hours after British diplomats secured his release. Mr al-Rawi, an Iraqi citizen who has lived in Britain since he was 16, was arrested by the CIA in Gambia in

  • Kosher food factory up in flames

    To see a video of the incident click here More than 60 firefighters are tackling a blaze at a food factory in Brentford. Crews from Heston, Ealing, Chiswick, Wembley and North Kensington were among more than 40 emergency vehicles called to Kosher

  • Record entry for Breakfast Run

    A record-breaking 5,100 competitors will take part in Sunday's ASICS Kingston Breakfast Run, writes Waveney Thompson. Contested over two distances, 8.2 and 16 miles, the run traditional marks the start of the racing calendar, with well-known faces among

  • Pheasant

    Chris Phillips from Worcester Park took this pic of a pheasant sitting on the top of his garden shed. He said: "Not being a bird expert, it was a bit of a shock to see him there and doesn't he have beautiful plumage?" Chris Phillips

  • Teens arrested following armed mugging

    Two teenagers have been arrested following an armed mugging in Wandsworth. Officers were patrolling the Doddington estate on Monday when they were were approached by a man in Ravenet Street who told them a robbery was taking place nearby. When the

  • Clear view, safe journey

    Kelvin Knight sent us this picture of a van crash in Merton High Street on Sunday, March 11. The caption on the back of the van says: "Clear view, safe journey."

  • Spongebob theft "an act of devilry"

    A 23-year-old man has been jailed for 12 months for stealing a rare monkey from Chessington World of Adventures. Marlon Brown, of Bowater Close, Brixton, was found guilty of the theft of Spongebob at Kingston Crown Court last Friday. Brown had denied

  • Confident Beavers in control of own destiny

    Hampton & Richmond striker Ian Hodges says the confidence in his side will lead them to championship glory. Hodges notched his 15th goal of the season, adding to Rob Paris's opener, in a 2-0 victory over promotion rivals AFC Wimbledon on Saturday. The

  • Mascot treads hallowed Wembley turf

    A Croydon girl played a part in the first competitive match at the new Wembley stadium - as a mascot for the Italy under-21 team. Lexi Jordan, of Sydenham Road, walked out with the Azzuri in front of a 60,000-strong crowd on Saturday for the game against

  • Living the Gander Green dream

    Sutton United debutant Soloman Taiwo says choosing between living the high life in the USA and continuing his non-league footballing education was easy. Taiwo put in a solid display on his first two appearances for Ian Hazel's men in Saturday's 0-0

  • Angelina quits Croydon Business

    Just a few weeks after securing the support of businesses across Croydon to implement a Business Improvement District Croydon Business' chief executive is standing down. Angelina Purcell, the founder of the two-year-old organisation, has decided to

  • BMW stolen in house burglary

    House burglars turned car thieves when they raided an Epsom home. Police are appealing for information following the burglary in Pams Way on Thursday, March 22, in which car keys and a BMW were stolen. Detectives said thieves got in by lifting keys

  • Plea for help over man's death

    Merton detectives have repeated their plea for information about the death of a man found unconscious on a Mitcham street. Derek Monger, 52, was found unconscious outside Lister Close, Mitcham on Thursday, March 22 about 10.30pm. He was taken to St

  • Overtime ban to cause Tube chaos

    Tube maintenance workers have voted for an overtime ban as part of their industrial campaign against Metronet. RMT union general secretary Bob Crow said the ban on overtime from Easter Monday would run for a week and could cripple the Underground network

  • Man, 58, bashed on way home

    Detectives in Elmbridge are appealing for witnesses after a man was bashed in Walton-on-Thames. The man was walking home along Rydens Road on Sunday, March 25, about 11.30pm when a group of youths demanded money then attacked him. Detectives said the

  • Kate rescued from course

    Teddington-based Kate Reed woke up with a drip in each arm after passing out during the women's 8km race at the IAAF World Championships in Mombasa. Reed, winner of the trials race in Bath last month, was among 12 women who failed to finish. She led

  • Chiefs to plan dead ‘parakeet’ sketch?

    Croydon's parakeets are perched in a precarious position as Government chiefs consider a cull. But London's leading nature expert claims it could already be too late. As numbers of the exotic bird have increased, traditional favourites such as the

  • Wicks inspired by great experience

    Worcester Park-based Phil Wicks says the experience of running in Mombasa will inspire him to greater deeds. Wicks, who celebrated his 22nd birthday during the training camp, followed team instructions to start steadily and work his way through. The

  • Fantastic Farah is top non-African

    Teddington-based European cross country champion Mo Farah, who celebrated his 24th birthday the previous day, produced an outstanding run at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa, Kenya, on Saturday. Farah was 10th, and the first non-African