Polls have now closed for the Coombe Vale double byelection. Nervous excitement is mounting as ballot boxes are arriving at Kingston’s Guildhall and counters are sorting the papers. After a busy day campaigning the eleven candidates
Electors have just three hours to place their votes for the Coombe Vale double byelection. Polling stations across the ward opened at 7am this morning and will shut at 10pm. The eleven candidates have been busy campaigning and are looking
A wildlife charity has branded the Government’s decision to go ahead with a badger cull as a "catastrophic blunder". Two badger culls are planned for next year in two areas after the decision was approved by the Environment Secretary, Caroline
An Epsom firefighter who won a bronze medal at the recent English Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Open now has his sights on becoming a world champion. The English Open is the biggest event of its kind in the UK and now 27-year-old Ashley Martineaux will travel
Leatherhead manager Richard Brady has warned Sunday’s 3-0 win at Kingstonian could be the spark for his side to start climbing the Ryman Premier League table. Two goals from midfielder Vernon Francis and one from striker Tom Hutchings secured a comfortable
A woman in her 60’s has been taken to hospital after two vehicles collided on the M23 this morning. The collision happened at about 9.15am between junctions eight and nine southbound, close to the junction with the M25, and involved a blue
A garden centre promises to donate £200 to charity for the safe return of a stolen elf. Chippy the charity Christmas elf usually greets customers in the entrance to the Woodcote Green garden centre, in Wallington, along with his friend and fellow elf
Casuarina Tree opened this autumn after following the closure of the Crown Inn and now boasts a sleeker decor and a bigger car park. Its new owners have clearly tried to provide an attractive and vibrant dining experience - even the walls are
Terry Brown has admitted hopes of shoring up his leaky defence could rest on the shoulders of Mat Mitchel-King. Brown’s summer signing was an unused substitute as AFC Wimbledon crashed 2-0 at home to Accrington Stanley on Saturday. The former Crewe
As December sets in the Rotary Club of South Croydon begin their annual Christmas collections through the streets of Sanderstead, but with a memorable difference. They are accompanied by Santa on his sleigh. Every night during this month, a team of
AFC Wimbledon manager Terry Brown is after a reaction from his players after labelling his side’s 2-0 defeat to Accrington Stanley as 'soul destroying'. The Kingsmeadow club conceded two soft goals early on to become Stanley’s first victims on the road
Tooting judo star Winston Gordon hopes the spirit of 2002 can help him conquer the world in 2012. The 35-year-old middleweight judoka was last week named in the Team GB squad for next year’s London Games, despite missing the recent test event at London
With most athletes eyeing the London 2012 Olympics, one British sprinter is hoping the 30th Olympiad can open the door for him to an international vest next year. Balham’s AJ Boyce is making great strides in the sport and already has a personal 100m
South London Harrier Tom Holden stole the show on Saturday with a scintillating display at the SEAA Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships, writes Oliver Collis. The 14-year-old ran a spellbinding 12 minutes, 50 seconds to capture gold in the U15s
Streatham Redskins head coach Barry Spours is expecting an emotional night on Saturday as the club bid farewell to the Streatham Ice Arena which has been their home for 79 years. The game against Milton Keynes Thunder will be their last at the venue
Rosslyn Park head coach Jan Bonney is eagerly anticipating this weekend’s top of the table clash against Ealing Trailfinders after beating Barking 44-13 to move up to second in National League One. Park are in red-hot form at the moment having won
Five Holocaust survivors have appeared in a DVD to preserve their stories for future generations. The project grew out of the work Kingston United and Kingston Liberal Synagogues started five years ago, inviting students to talk to survivors
Vandals have stolen Christmas decorations made by schoolchildren from the town centre Christmas tree. Some 300 baubles were hanging on the tree when it was unveiled in front of 2,000 people last month. But within weeks nearly all of
Croydon Athletic appears on the brink of closure with the deputy chairman Paul Smith admitting he cannot see any way forward for the troubled football club. The Rams have been in financial difficulty for some time and were hopeful a investor
Drink drivers who put lives at risk will be targeted in Kingston police’s festive road safety campaign. Inspector Richard Dean wants to hammer the message home of the potentially fatal consequences of driving while under the influence of alcohol
A memory bank of St Helier’s collective history wants questions answered and more stories. St Helier Memories is a website which gathers stories from current and former residents of the St Helier estate. It began last year and was the
Building work on a new care home for disabled ex-service men and women will begin in the new year. An announcement that the Royal Star & Garter Homes would be moving from neighbouring Richmond to the corner of Langley Avenue in Surbiton was
Detectives hunting for the Beddington Park rapist want to find four witnesses who may hold the key to catching the sex attacker. At about 10.45pm on Sunday, November 20, a woman was attacked in London Road, Wallington, near the 151 bus stop
A gang expert has had to postpone his evidence to the Croydon riots panel after being involved in a road collision. Sheldon Thomas was due to speak at the Town Hall this morning to talk about gang involvement during the August riots.
Thousands of young people have been hooked up with courses and training thanks to a new website inspired by August’s riots. West Norwood based Neet2eet.com, a free-to-use website that helps teenagers and young adults find courses and training
A chat with a museum curator at England’s secret wartime decoding centre has led to a Hook grandmother writing her memories in a new book. Muriel Davison, 89, was a radio mechanic at Scarborough’s secret listening station in the Second World
Campaigners fighting plans for a waste facility in Beddington continued their protests against the councils involved. Campaign group 'Stop the Incinerator' protested at a Sutton Council executive meeting on Monday night, as councillors voted
If I recommend that you go and see a movie that is set in the 1920’s about Hollywood’s golden era of silent films and the evolution of the talking picture. You would probably raise your eyebrows and say “Ok I’ll give it a try”. But if I said, by
The former chairman of Disability Croydon Forum has died after a two-year battle with bladder cancer. Robin Hunter, 69, served on the disability forum for ten years as well as the Croydon Mobility Forum where he worked to highlight key issues
A charity has predicted more pleas for help from vulnerable people struggling to deal with the cost of cold weather this winter. The Wimbledon Guild said it expected more requests following cuts to the Government's winter fuel allowance.
The Croydon Guardian has teamed up with Texaco, official motor fuel partner of Crystal Palace FC, to offer you and a friend the chance to be at Selhurst Park to watch The Eagles face Birmingham City on December 19. To win one of four pairs
Health campaigners fear key services at St Helier Hospital are under threat, after the NHS suggested accident and emergency (A&E) and maternity wards in London could close. NHS South West London (NHSSWL) has launched a review of its services
Cocum, which opened just three weeks ago in Sutton, promises diners a taste of authentic Keralan cuisine. The restaurant is the fourth in the Cocum chain with others in Raynes Park, Hampton Court and Cambridge. The Raynes Park restaurant has
Upcoming games releases in January 2012 (dates may be subject to change): Xbox: UFC: Undisputed 3 27 January 2012 Anarchy Reigns 27 January 2012 Combat Wings: The Great Battles Of World War 2 27 January 2012
Dougie Freedman has told Nathaniel Clyne he would be better off putting pen to paper on a new deal at Crystal Palace than moving elsewhere at this stage of his career. Clyne is stalling over signing a new contract and was this week linked with a January
Laugh away those New Year blues at Sandown Park Racecourse when Comedy at the Races returns on the first weekend in January. The venue is hosting three comedians from the Comedy Store on Saturday, January 7. The highlight on the racecard will be the
Elmbridge is still attracting developers in the face of challenging marketing conditions. Figures set out in the borough’s 2010/11 planning services annual monitoring report showed an increase in development activity. There were 355 new dwellings built
St Nicholas’ Centre has a giant snow globe to entertain Christmas shoppers. The giant globe will be present outside Robert Dyas from Friday to Sunday this weekend. It will return Wednesday, December 21 and remain until Christmas Eve.
A dying man was refused palliative home care and has had to go into a hospice after allegations that he was aggressive towards visiting nurses. Barry Jacobs, 59, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March last year and has been undergoing
A predatory paedophile who tried to talk a teenage boy into becoming his live-in sex toy - just days after being given a “single chance” to stop offending - has avoided jail again. Sean Doncaster walked free from court for a second time on
The owner of a 144-year-old family business destroyed during the riots, met with a convicted looter as part of a documentary. The nation watched in horror as Reeves Furniture store was targeted by rioters on August 8. After watching
A £10,000 bronze statue was stolen from a man’s grave last week, leaving his widow in tears and ruining the family Christmas. The statue of the Divine Mercy, almost certainly stolen to be melted down for its scrap metal value of just £250,
Tooting & Mitcham’s new chief executive Joe Sealey has unveiled a seven-year plan to follow AFC Wimbledon into the football league, writes Omar Oakes. Sealey, son of the late ex-Luton and West Ham United goalkeeper Les Sealey, was appointed last week
The mother of an inmate who committed suicide in Wandsworth prison has questioned why authorities have ignored a recommendation to re-open an investigation into her son’s death. Kathleen Wardally has confirmed this week she will sue prison
The parents of an eight-year-old boy battling cancer have slammed NHS Surrey over a funding post code lottery for children’s cancer care. Adam Bird, from The Green in Epsom and a pupil at Wallace Fields Junior School, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma
A woman has dubbed her employers Scrooge after they asked her to pay for a prize turkey she ‘won’ at her work Christmas party raffle. The woman, who has worked at Marks and Spencer’s Epsom branch for six years, couldn’t believe her luck when
A man has been jailed by the courts for 10 years after firing a gun which is nearly 100 years old. Shaun Calinder, 23, fired the Webley revolver near Sternhold Avenue, Streatham Hill, on the evening of July 4 this year. Lambeth police
An artistic eight-year-old has won a poster competition after her design wishing Walton a merry Christmas. Mica Simpson won a family ticket for four to the Everyman Cinema in Walton and her poster has gone on display in the Heart. The student’s poster
German traders feared the wurst as they battened down the hatches and closed their market in the face of strong winds and stormy weather. The traditional Christmas market set up in Kingston’s historic market place shut down on Thursday, December
A woman died after she was accidentally run over while checking the brakes on her husband's car, an inquest heard. Beatrice Hutson was run over by the 2001 Daewoo Lanos, when her husband mistakenly pressed the accelerator instead of the brake
Hundreds of thousands will be invested into preventing young people becoming involved in gang crime in Croydon. The Home Office has announced £344,454 will be spent in 2012/13 in Croydon, the fourth highest sum, as part of a £10m investment
Resident’s Association councillors have thrown out proposals to reduce disabled bay parking in Epsom town centre, despite opposition from Liberal Democrat, Conservative and Labour councillors. In August 2010 blue badge spaces at the town hall
Croydon Council is demanding cash strapped NHS Croydon pay up for services provided on its behalf. Council Chief Executive Jon Rouse has written to his NHS Croydon counterpart demanding health services in the borough are protected. The
Around half of all schools and nurseries in Wandsworth have been found to be in close proximity to London’s busiest and most polluted roads. Research conducted this year found that living less than 150m away from roads carrying more than 10,000
An engineer who studied theology and philosophy turned his hand to composing sci-fi after being denied a career in football through injury. Anthony Fucilla, who lives in Purley, is touring the country signing copies of his second anthology
A former retail manager is urging business owners to help him set up a boxing gym for young people. Darren Hill, 40, wants to launch the gym for teenagers in Streatham who are likely to get caught up in knife and gun crime. Mr Hill,
Police in Sutton stopped 15 vehicles and towed one away in an operation to target illegal vehicles. In Wates Way on the Willow Lane Industrial Estate, police stopped drivers who they suspected of stealing metal, or driving without correct insurance
By Councillor Gilli Lewis-Lavender, Merton Council (Conservative, West Barnes ward) I can entirely understand the concern of Martin Mauel and his fellow campaigners about plans for the development of Raynes Park Playing Fields. This is an
