Fire crews will not automatically attend alarms at business premises in Surrey in a bid to reduce the number of false alarms. Figures released by Surrey Fire and Rescue showed only one in every 200 fire alarm call-outs in Surrey was put out by firefighters
A fire near a petrol station in West Norwood has forced the evacuation of shops and homes. More than 20 firefighters were called to a workshop in Norwood Road about 3.15pm this afternoon. Part of the single storey building was damaged by fire and an
November 1 was the 100th anniversary of women having the right to be elected to local government. Merton Council is more equal than the average local authority in Britain, as more than half its cabinet members are female. According to the Women's Local
An imaginative writer who is having his first novel released next month has advised budding authors to persist with their dreams to get their novels published. The Blue Book by Christopher Bowden, 55 from Alexandra Drive in Upper Norwood, will be published
Three happy slap thugs forced two terrified teens to punch each other while they filmed it on a mobile phone. They forced the two teens into a Croydon alleyway before taking their jewellery and other possessions. David Noakes, 20, and his two young
Taxi fares could be on the increase in the borough after a group of black cab drivers handed in a petition to Elmbridge Borough Council. The 19 Hackney Carriage - or black cab- drivers say they are not making enough money to survive and have requested
One in five children in Wandsworth are at private school, new Government figures show. The proportion of parents in the borough choosing independent secondary schools for their children rose from 15 per cent in 2000 to 19 per cent in 2007, the second
May I please, through your pages, appeal to your readers on the subject of stray cats. If you see one and startfeeding it, don't just assume it is ownerless and keep it. Take it to a local vet to be scanned or call the RSPCA on 08705 555999, the Missing
A new Audi showroom is to be built on the Coulsdon North Industrial Estate. Plans for the 3,295sq m car showroom were approved at a meeting of Croydon Council's planning committee on Thursday night, along with proposals for three more buildings in a
Fire crews will not automatically attend alarms at business premises in Elmbridge in a bid to reduce the number of false alarms. Figures released by Surrey Fire and Rescue showed only one in every 200 fire alarm call-outs in Surrey was put out by firefighters
Battersea Fire Station has scooped a special achievement award at a glitzy ceremony hosted by the London Fire Brigade. The station was recognised at the annual awards for being at the forefront of the brigade's fire rescue unit and Urban Search and Rescue
Television producers are on the hunt for the stars of a 1960 archive film about boy scouts from Raynes Park. The makers of ITV's The Way We Were want to track down the former members of the old 19th Wimbledon scout group, whose two-day camp to St Ives
St George's College U9 hockey girls took on City of London Freeman in two matches last week, winning one and losing one. The A side came up against strong opposition and were 4-0 down at half-time. They rallied after the break but still lost 4-2. The
Brooklands College student Tom Hide has been named London regional winner of the 2007 OCS Young Sports Person Awards. The Hampton Hill-based kayaker will collect his trophy at an awards lunch at The Oval on Thursday, November 22, from BBC TV presenter
Former Davis Cup skipper Jeremy Bates is backing Croydon's Julian Caluya to make his mark in 2008 and charge up the British junior ranking lists. The 16-year-old, who trains at the Sutton Academy, where Bates is director of tennis, and studies at Cheam
A woman was struck by a train as she leant over the track to be sick. The 28-year-old woman was left with a fractured skull and a deep cut to her head after the incident at Purley Oaks train station last night. The driver of the non-stop 6.12pm service
A mother has spoken of her grief after her 45-year-old son was killed in an accident at Heathrow's Terminal 5 on Saturday. Kevin Dawson, who lives in Kenley, Croydon, died in a lift shaft when the counter weight fell on him. He was an employee of lift
Tariro Fairtrade Coffee House, which has its first branch in Morden, is opening a new shop in Sutton. It will be based inside Sutton Salvation Army Church, on the corner of Benhill Avenue and Throwley Way. Tariro's flagship branch in Crown Lane, Morden
A female detective has been critically injured after being hit by a getaway car carrying a man she was trying to arrest near Heathrow this morning. West Midlands Police Detective Constable Catherine Corbett was trying to arrest a man in Bath Road between
Harlequins director of rugby Dean Richards has revealed first team shirts are on the line for Saturday's EDF Energy Cup clash with Woester Warriors. Jim Evans, Mike Brown, Chris Malone, Ceri Jones, Hal Luscombe and Chris Robshaw all return for the match
White bags will be dropping through the doors of every borough resident this week ahead of a new recycling initiative. The bags will mean households can recycle plastic bottles and cardboard for the first time, from November 5. Collection days are
Has the world gone nuts? Are people selectively deaf? Or am I the only sane person with ears? I'm talking about the roadworks at the top of Hilliers Lane and the junction of Croydon Lane, Beddington (from November 8 to 18, possibly more). When it first
A Molesey rower is hoping to smash a world record as he joins five friends in rowing across the Atlantic. Mike Martin, 23, and the rest of the team will depart from the Canary Islands on December 2 in their specially built, high-tech ocean rowing boat
A man guilty of possessing child porn and selling obscene DVDs had his jail sentence halved this morning. Christopher Gow, of Bridge Road, Chessington, was jailed for 15 months at Kingston Crown Court in August. But his lawyer appeared at the Court
Wayne Alexander has been handed a timely boost after his agonising ankle last month revealing he should be back in training before the turn of the year. The Croydon Guardian revealed last month that the former WBU light-middleweight champion had suffered
The body of a man was found lying in a road in East Molesey this morning. Police were called by ambulance staff to Bridge Road at around 6am and are currently treating the death as suspicious. Attempts are being made to identify the man, believed to
Mums whose babies have flat head syndrome sought advice at an open day at a Wimbledon orthopaedic clinic on Thursday. A free consultation at the Technology in Motion clinic could tell mothers whether their child suffered from plagiocephaly - which affects
Pressure is mounting on Met Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair to resign over the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes. Mr Menezes, who lived in Herne Hill, was shot at Stockwell Tube station after being mistaken for suicide bomber, Hussain Osman in July
Hounslow Heath Junior School got a world class taste of rugby yesterday when England's Mathew Tait visited the west London School as part of EDF Energy's national schools rugby programme. Rugby World Cup star Tait fielded questions from a packed 400-
Plans to relocate Elmbridge Museum are facing a possible £125,000 shortfall which could put the whole project in jeopardy. The budget set for the move from Weybridge to the site at the old Walton library does not cover a new permanent exhibition space
London Welsh have signed Fiji World Cup star Wame Lewaravu. The 25-year-old lock was part of the Fiji side that reached the World Cup quarter finals, making three World Cup appearances in total. He featured in Fiji's World Cup quarter-final exit at
One final thought regarding Chessington Garden Centre. Why is it that a small, family-run business gets its planning application refused by the GLA, yet the profitable, now group-owned, Chessington World of Adventures (CWA) continues to expand and build
Youngsters at a borough primary school showed the mayor of Richmond how to get in touch with his green side when he paid them a visit. Councillor Marc Cranfield-Adams found out from Sheen Mount pupils the best ways to recycle and save energy and also
Delays were caused for commuters on the Thameslink between Streatham and Tooting during the morning rush hour. British Transport Police said the delays were due to a non-suspicious fatality on the tracks at Streatham station at 8.43am. The body of a
I can guarantee that sometime next year, probably in the summer, I will become unbareable to be with… Some people probably think that already. But yeah, next year, its all about Doctor Henry Jones Jnr, AKA Indiana Jones (he was named after the dog) and
Wimbledon Park could be the first ward in Merton to go plastic bag-free as an environmental group develops its ambitious vision for the borough. Sustainable Merton's Bags for Better Lives team hopes to launch a pilot scheme in the neighbourhood as soon
Rock Legends Led Zeppelin have postponed their reunion show because guitarist Jimmy Page has fractured his finger. The show, which was scheduled for November 26 at London's 02 Arena, has been rescheduled for December 10. It will be the first time the
There were lots of spooky goings-in in Raynes Park last week when a dad transformed his home into a haunted house. Dressed as the grim reaper, Terry Layfield decked out his house in Polesden Gardens with cobwebs, scary spiders and talking skeletons.
Hospital Radio Wey, which broadcasts to patients at Ashford, St Peter's and Weybridge Hospitals has given one of its studios a £15,000 refit. The station's Studio Two, fitted out with the latest radio equipment and paid for by public donations, will
Raynes Park High School is leading the borough's secondary schools when it comes to sustainability - proved by its recent win at Merton's Green Guardian awards. Based in Bushey Road, Raynes Park High scooped the top award in the green school category
A Hindu priest has been cleared of sexually assaulting two girls and their mothers. Priest Bharat Vyas, 55, of Baytree Road, Streatham, had denied all five counts of sexually assaulting the two women and the girls, aged 12 and 15, at a trial at Croydon
The funeral of a South African who died after he was hit by a car after a night out will be held today. Hugh Morton, 34, was walking home to Ethelbert Road, Raynes Park, after watching his team win the Rugby World Cup with one of his brothers in a Wimbledon
A City banker who sued his former employer for £10million after claiming he was sacked for "not being German enough" has lost his case. Australian Malcolm Perry, from Barnes, has accused investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort of racial discrimination and
Harlequins centre De Wet Barry has not ruled out a return to the international stage, despite swapping South Africa for a crack at the Guinness Premiership. The 29-year-old is set to make his home debut in the EDF Energy Cup clash with Worcester Warriors
London Welsh head coach Martin Jones has urged patience with his expensively assembled squad after admitting the pressure is mounting on the management team. The Exiles went down 40-10 to fellow strugglers Moseley on Saturday in what Jones described
Harlequins centre De Wet Barry has not ruled out a return to the international stage, despite swapping South Africa for a crack at the Guinness Premiership. The 29-year-old is set to make his home debut in the EDF Energy Cup clash with Worcester Warriors
A Tooting fast food shop owner has been hit with a £1,000 flytipping fine. Mr Ahmed Ali, who owns The Kebab & Hamburger Bar in Tooting High Street was convicted by magistrates of dumping unwanted wood and building waste in neighbouring Garratt Terrace
A council is warning is residents not to be caught out by a new mobile phone scam that lets fraudsters run up massive bills on their handset. Wandsworth Council is urging people to watch out for calls from crooks posing as telephone company engineers
November 2nd 1936 - The BBC starts the BBC Television Service, the world's first regular TV service. It was renamed BBC1 in 1964 and still runs to this day. 1953 - The Samaritans is founded. 1957 - American rock n roll star Elvis Presley sets a record
