Author: Blake Foster

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…

From Saturday, February 8, to Monday, February 4, sections of the northbound carriageway, including the east and west tunnels, will be closed at various times for tunnel works. Closures will begin each night from 10pm and reopen by 5am the following morning. Diversions will be in place via National Highways roads, and motorists are advised to plan ahead to avoid delays. The Dartford Crossing is a vital road link over the River Thames in England, connecting Dartford in Kent to Thurrock in Essex via the A282. This information is accurate at the time of publication, but may be subject to…

The work will affect trains on Tuesday (February 4) and Wednesday (February 5). We have compiled all the details on these works so that you can plan your journey this week. Tuesday and Wednesday (February 4 and February 5): Haslemere area: Due to maintenance work in the Haslemere area, some late evening services will be cancelled or replaced by buses for all or part of their journey. A statement on the South Western Railway website says: “Late evening and early morning services may need to be altered for emergency repairs or planned work. “We are sorry that bulky luggage, cycles…

Sgt Ratana, 54, who was attached to the Met Police, was murdered in the early hours of September 25, 2020 by De Zoysa, who opened fire with an antique revolver at a Croydon custody suite. The former tax office data analyst, who is autistic, discharged three shots within three seconds before a fourth, which was fired while he was on the cell floor, hit an artery in his own neck and caused him brain damage. Speaking to LBC on Tuesday, Elizabeth De Zoysa said: “Emotionally, he’s unstable. I’m very concerned about him in Belmarsh. He doesn’t seem to be coping…

The order will come into force for three years in May, with anyone caught breaking the new rules, which also include letting off fireworks in restricted spaces, liable for a fixed penalty notice of £100 or fines of up to £1,000 if the case goes to court.  Haringey Council approved the public spaces protection order last December, but it was reviewed by the council’s overview and scrutiny committee on January 14 amid concerns it could penalise some homeless people.  The committee made three recommendations: to expand exemptions to include all rough sleepers, to check the council’s antisocial behaviour team co-ordinates…