Author: Blake Foster

North Weald Bassett, more commonly referred to as North Weald, lies just over 13 miles outside Romford.  The village is a civil parish within the Epping Forest district of Essex, with split postal addresses due to its proximity to the towns of both Harlow and Epping.  In the 11th century, the village is understood to have been one of the most thickly wooded places in Essex.  It is rumoured that these woods were notorious for robberies in the thirteenth century, to the extent that six acres of woodland were transformed into crop land with royal permission.  One of the most notable…

Named as one of the best places to live by The Sunday Times, East Dulwich continues to be one of London’s most coveted neighbourhoods. East Dulwich continues to be one of London’s most coveted neighbourhoods. (Image: Emily Davison) Nestled between the south east London neighbourhoods of Telegraph Hill and Crystal Palace, East Dulwich has much to offer, from its strong art scene to its walking spots, local cinema and streets lined with period homes. But aside from that, this area has convenient travel links to London, with a train from East Dulwich to London Bridge taking just 13 minutes, whilst…

The crash took place yesterday (April 18) at around 8.46pm, following a police chase that took place in South Norwood Street. Officers on patrol followed a vehicle that was suspected to display cloned number plates, and attempted to stop the vehicle on South Norwood Street at around 8.38pm. The vehicle failed to stop and subsequently crashed with two other vehicles on Wickham Road at the junction with Shirley Road. The scene was attended by fire crews from London Fire Brigade and ambulance crews from London Ambulance Service. Fire crews worked to free three people who had become trapped in the…

The courts at the former tennis club in Blackheath Park have been abandoned for the last 15 years, with the clubhouse destroyed by fire. Now, developer V Fund hopes to repurpose the site for padel, providing eight covered courts that would be run by Padium, which markets itself as a “premium” club. Padel, a racket sport played on an enclosed court about a third of the size of a tennis court, is “rapidly growing” in popularity, the developer claims. The existing site is described as being “overgrown and in poor condition”. A planning application, which includes proposals for a new clubhouse,…

Overground, Southern and Thameslink services have been disrupted today following a points failure in Sydenham. As a result lines have been blocked, with trains unable to run between Norwood Junction, Crystal Palace and New Cross Gate, with delays of up to 40 minutes. National Rail has advised that disruption is expected until “the end of the day”, with passengers advised to check before travelling. For Thameslink and Southern customers, there could be delays of up to 40 minutes, with customers advised that they may need to change trains to complete their journeys today. Most Thameslink services running from the south…

Three cars were involved in the collision on A282, just before the QEII Bridge in Purfleet, at around midday yesterday (April 18). The driver of one of the cars, a silver Mercedes, left the scene before police officers arrived. The other two cars involved in the crash were a Black Mazda CX-5 and a grey Cupra. Only one drivers sustained “minor” injuries, Essex Police said, but all three cars were damaged. READ MORE: Dartford Crossing M25 tunnel closed by fire: Recap Essex Police are urging anyone with information or dash cam footage to get in contact by calling 101 or by submitting a report…

Emergency services were called yesterday (April 17) at around 8:49pm to a crash on the junction of Wickham Road and Shirley Roundabout in Croydon. The scene was attended by fire crews from London Fire Brigade alongside paramedics and police. Specialist equipment was used in the rescue operation along with crews from the brigade’s Fire Rescue Units. Three cars were involved in the crash and fire crews worked to release three people who had become trapped in a vehicle after the crash. They were then taken to hospital along with three others who were assessed by paramedics at the scene. A…

Footage captured by a member of the public shows the woman dancing in the road in Engineers Way at around 11.10pm on Thursday (April 17). She narrowly avoids passing vehicles, but a car is then seen driving into her and carrying her 30 yards on the bonnet, before throwing her to the ground. Emergency services were called after the incident, but the woman was no longer there when officers and paramedics arrived. The car also did not stop at the scene. READ MORE: Police issue update after man in his 20s stabbed multiple times in Kingsbury Investigating officers want to identify…

According to data from HM Land Registry and Property Solvers, the average house price in Sutton is £485,630. Over the past five years, property values have risen by £134,968, an increase of 25.15 per cent. In the last 12 months alone, the average price has gone up by 4.19 per cent to £27,370. In the past year, there were 265 residential property sales, marking a decline of 50 transactions – an 18.87 per cent drop compared to the previous year. The majority of these sales, 79 in total, were for properties priced between £422,000 and £3574,000. Meanwhile, 66 homes sold…

The bank at 65 Eltham High Street shut its doors last summer, and the ground floor of the building has been vacant ever since. But a new planning submission to Greenwich Council suggests that a prospective tenant has been found for the site. The proposals technically ask for permission to install a new ventilation system in the building, but they reveal that this would enable an unnamed restaurant to open. Planning documents claim that the restaurant can open without planning consent, as the building was already being used as a commercial, business or service premises when it was a bank.…