Author: Blake Foster

The men 39, and 34, were targeted by police on Tuesday (April 1) after investigations into Hezbollah activity in the UK, which is a Shia Islamist political party based in Lebanon. The 39-year-old was arrested at an address in north west London on suspicion of being a member of the organisation, preparing for acts of terrorising and being involved in a funding arrangement for the purposes of terrorism. The 35-year-old was arrested in west London on suspicion of being a member of a proscribed organisation. They were taken to a police station and released on bail until a date in…

The incident happened on the B1007 Stock Road by junction 16 of the A12 in Chelmsford on March 23. Two men died at the scene and have since been named as John Kerrigan, 34, from Romford, the driver of one car, and Steven Tibbitt, 54, from Billericay, a passenger in the second car. Two other men, who were in the car with Mr Tibbitt, were taken to hospital with serious injuries. Police enquiries into the crash remain ongoing. Detective Sergeant Natacha Brown, who is leading the investigation, said: “Our specialist officers continue to support the families of those who died…

Noted as the most fragrant Daphne ever, ‘Perfume Princess’ is a joy for the spring garden and is on offer here via You Garden.   The largest, earliest flowers of any Daphne with its purple buds, open to gorgeous pink flowers that fade to white. This is perhaps the most fragrant shrub in the world with its intoxicating, sweetly spicy spring scent and has clusters of beautiful blooms carried along the whole length of the stems from March. A superb hardy evergreen, it is the perfect size for growing in patio pots as well as in borders. Ready to plant,…

The Freddie Mercury at The Mercury event at the Romford shopping centre is raising money for King George and Queen’s Hospitals’ Charity. A tribute band with look-alike lead singer Luke Crawford playing the legendary Queen frontman will perform on May 22 as part of the night’s entertainment. Money raised will go towards projects beyond the NHS budget that will help improve the hospitals. MORE NEWS: ‘I’m honouring my fiancee’s memory by walking 5,000 miles in her honour’ “It’s a fantastic bingo evening while supporting the hospitals at the same time,” the charity’s Debbie Kirby said. “This will help us make a difference for patients, their…

Its ponds, historic buildings and traditional village centre set it apart from much of modern south London. Part of the London Borough of Sutton and close to the Surrey border, Carshalton is made up of several neighbourhoods: Carshalton Village, Carshalton Beeches and Carshalton on the Hill. At its heart are the spring-fed ponds that form part of the River Wandle. These ponds have been here for centuries, shaping the layout, economy and identity of the area. In 1724, author Daniel Defoe called Carshalton “the most agreeable spot on all this side of London”. Nearly 300 years later, much of its…

Rebecca Gilligan-Theodorakopoulou bought a property in Bolton, Manchester, with her ex-partner in the early 2000s, before moving away to Greece and renting it out to a couple. The tenants were initially reliable, but over time, their behaviour changed towards Rebecca. The 50-year-old landlord told Your Local Guardian: “We rented the property out to this couple, and they were pretty good tenants. “They eventually broke up, and she was getting into all sorts of financial trouble. “So, I set up a payment plan with her so that she was paying weekly and her arrears on top of that. “But by August…

Fundraising for the display began on the evening of the Eagles’ last eight win against London neighbours Fulham, with the HF accomplishing their £12k target within five days of launching their GoFundMe. The Fanatics, formed in 2005, aim to ‘take over Wembley’ when Crystal Palace face Aston Villa at the end of the month for a spot in this season’s FA Cup final. Crystal Palace fans at Wembley yesterday#CPFC pic.twitter.com/ZF7oTNtmKn — The Away Ends (@_theawayends) April 18, 2022 On previous trips to the home of football, the HF have crafted tifos while putting flags on every seat.  MORE PALACE NEWS Before…

Merton Council started its rollout of 350 cycle hire bays at the end of last month, demarcating spaces “big enough to fit a van” on local streets. The bays, which have been mostly funded by Transport for London (TfL), are supposed to tackle the scourge of poor e-bike parking in the borough, amid concerns over the number of cycles left obstructing pavements and driveways. But one Liberal Democrat opposition councillor raised concerns that there is no formal agreement between bike hire companies and the council, something which would be needed to require cyclists to park in these bays. Cllr Anthony Faircough…

Under new plans submitted to Greenwich Council, the Who’d A Thought It in Timbercroft Lane would be reduced in size to make space for six new homes. Planners have previously thrown out proposals submitted in 2021 and 2023 which would have seen the pub completely demolished. The pub is locally listed, which means it is considered to be of significance to the local community. Two years ago, the council said that it could not justify the harm demolishing the entire pub would cause to both the locally listed building and conservation area. The latest plans propose retaining the “historic core” of…

Becket Keys Church of England Free School, in Sawyers Hall Lane, Brentwood, has been rated ‘outstanding’ in all grading areas after its most recent Ofsted inspection. This is the school’s first inspection since 2014 and follows the new grading system introduced by Ofsted in September 2024, which does not include an overall effectiveness judgement. In its Ofsted report published on April 1, Becket Keys is described by inspectors as a school where pupils “flourish academically, socially, and spiritually”. Pupils ‘flourish’ at Becket Keys, said Ofsted (Image: Romilly Lockyer) The inspection team, led by lead inspector Bessie Owen, said in the report:…