Author: Blake Foster

Dan Horrocks, 33, was diagnosed with his first life-threatening tumour in August 2011 went through brain surgery and started regular scans. In May 2014 he was told he had another brain tumour and required surgery and radiotherapy.  A third mass in his brain was then identified in July 2018 after Dan developed an unusual symptom and started craving olives – which he hadn’t liked before.  This was followed by his latest – a tumour in his brain and one on his spine – which were spotted in October. Dan has faced four brain tumours. (Image: SWNS) After 14 years including…

Officers from the Metropolitan Police were called to Bedford Road at around 8am on February 13 with reports of the incident.  The victim, a woman in her 30s, is being supported and an investigation has been launched into the circumstances.  There have been no arrests at this stage.  The alleyway is believed to connect Bedford Road with Pinner View, and was seen taped off with crime scene tape on the day of the incident. READ MORE: Shopkeeper avoids jail after admitting locking teenage girl in off licence A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “Police were called to Bedford Road, Harrow, at around…

The Nando’s restaurant on 9-11 High Street closed in January for what the chain described as “some DIY”. The restaurant reopened today (February 14) and promises to “tantalise taste buds once more”. Nando’s has been given a fresh new look, and has introduced some new elements to the restaurant, such us a bottomless Rubro Iced Tea machine to complement the existing bottomless soft drink range. Nando’s will continue its No Chuckin’ Our Chicken food donation programme, which operates in every Nando’s restaurant across UK and Ireland with daily donations to local charities, community groups, food banks and soup kitchens. Nando’s…

Over the 12 months from April, rent for all Barnet Homes flats or houses will rise by 2.7%. In a report presented to the council’s cabinet last week (February 5) it was stated that between 2016 and 2020 central government reduced the rent social housing landlords could administer by 1% each year. This ‘social rent reduction’ policy- part of the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016 – led to an estimated £6.1m reduction in income per annum. Cabinet member for regeneration and housing Cllr Ross Houston said: “Nobody likes rent increases but one of the most damaging things that affected affordable…

The coffins are grown out of pliable mycelium – a mat of fibres and upcycled hemp plants – rather than traditional wood. The mycelium, which grows like thread, aids decomposition by breaking down biological matter – biograding within just 45 days. Mycelium is the root structure of mushrooms. Made by Dutch company Loop Biotech, the coffins can be grown in just a week and “feed the earth with your very own nutrients”. (Image: SWNS) Funeral director Poetic Endings in Forest Hill, were the first in the UK to offer one of these unique coffins – officially starting to stock them…

According to data from the HM Land Registry and Property Solvers, the average house price in Croydon is £362,040. However, some properties were bought for much less than that, with the cheapest being only £3,000. Over the past five years, the average property price increased by £2,572 (0.71 per cent) and rose by £515 (0.14 per cent) in the last 12 months. There were 372 residential property sales in the past year, a decrease of 84 transactions (-22.58 per cent) compared to the previous year. Most house sales (86) were in the £200,000 – £262,000 range, followed by 75 sales…

ONS figures released on Wednesday (February 5) show that 34 people died in Havering in 2023 as a direct consequence of alcohol. Both 2022 and 2023 saw this number, which is also the highest amount of alcohol-specific deaths since the data was first recorded in 2001. The numbers have more than tripled over five years, with only eight alcohol-specific deaths in 2018 and 12 in 2019. Other east London boroughs had equally high numbers in the latest data: Newham recorded 36, Waltham Forest recorded 33 and Redbridge recorded 26. READ MORE: Havering train stations ranked by most to least used in 2024 Havering also had the ninth…

The incident happened at around 3.30pm on February 8 in Beckenham Lane in Shortlands when police were called to reports of a “knife robbery”. Having arrived, officers arrested four teenage boys aged between 14 and 17 who remain in custody for questioning. A knife was also seized and there were no reported injuries. A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “We were called to Beckenham Lane, Shortlands at around 15:30hrs on Saturday, 8 February to reports of a knife robbery. “A teenager is reported to have been robbed by a group of teenagers. “Officers arrived on the scene quickly, made four arrests…

The HT FiiT gym has been set up by fitness coach Hanh Tran to help them stay fit, with a creche laid on so that busy mums can also work out. Hanh has been training women in mixed-sex gyms for years — but found a pressing need for a women only fitness environment. “Many expressed discomfort working out in spaces with men present,” she told the Recorder. “This often limited their ability to feel at ease, whether taking off their headscarves or wearing lighter clothing to avoid overheating.” Hanh wanted to create a space “where women can feel free” to focus…

Immigration enforcement raid officers were seen outside the former HG Wells pub in Worcester Park yesterday morning (February 6), which had been closed for a few years before it was put up for sale in November 2021. Since then, the pub in Cheam Common Road has been boarded up, covered in graffiti and has complaints of “squatters” causing “constant stress”. Graffiti and fly-tipping at HG Wells (Image: Street View) Last year, a car wash opened up in the car park, which Sutton and Cheam MP Luke Taylor said “would mean securing the building and stopping fly-tipping”. However following the clamp…