Author: Blake Foster

Councillor Mark Reed was found in the early hours of Saturday morning (July 5) at his home in Brentwood. Councillor Reed, who represented Hutton South since 2009, had also been heavily involved in amateur dramatics at Brentwood Theatre before leaving in 2017 after 16 years. In 2018, he produced Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat at the Brentwood Centre, which featured Chesney Hawkes as Joseph. He was Brentwood mayor between 2015 and 2016 and chairman of Brentwood & Ongar Conservatives when Brentwood MP Alex Burghart was chosen as the Tory candidate for the 2017 general election. MORE NEWS: Family pays heartfelt…

Oak Road Surgery, also known as Dr Rana Chowdhury practice, in Oak Road has been deemed ‘inadequate’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for the second time this year. Inspections were carried out in March and April following the practice being put into special measures in January. In the most recent findings, the practice was rated ‘inadequate’ in the ‘safe’ and ‘well-led’ categories. It scored ‘requires improvement’ in the ‘effective’ category and scored ‘good’ in the ‘caring’ and ‘responsive’ assessment areas. The findings were published on July 3 and CQC inspectors found the leadership of the practice unable to demonstrate their “capability to deliver consistently high-quality…

The incident happened in North Road near East Road just after 7.40am today (July 9). Officers and London Ambulance Service crews attended and found a man unwell. He was pronounced dead shortly after. His next of kin have been informed. The death is being treated as non-suspicious. A spokesperson for Metropolitan Police said: “On Wednesday, 9 July at 07:42hrs police were called by the London Ambulance Service to North Road, Colliers Wood following a medical incident. “Met officers attended the scene and sadly, despite the best efforts of paramedics, a man was pronounced dead. His next of kin have been…

The station, which is served by Southeastern trains, was listed by the Government among 50 other stations across the UK that have been earmarked for step-free access upgrades. Currently, there is no direct step-free access to platform 2 at Kidbrooke station. Passengers who do not want to go up stairs and across the footbridge have to walk more than 300 metres over a road bridge to access this platform. It is likely that any upgrade of the station would see lifts or ramps installed. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has confirmed that a feasibility study for the upgrade works at the…

Chandos Way and Britten Close Estate in the Garden Suburb ward in Golders Green could see 15 homes added to the 220 home estate. The planning application, which has been submitted by B & C Crestpearl, states a single-story rooftop extension, built across the nine existing blocks, will house the additional flats. Beginning in 2018, previous versions of the extension plan were turned down with issues over uniformity and “significant bulk and height” which would be “out of proportion” highlighted. The “top heavy” design potentially reducing natural light into other homes was another concern. Now, the developer has said this…

But while director Tinuke Craig and movement director Ingrid Mackinnon create tense, pacy storytelling, they are let down by Dominic Cooke’s clunky adaptation, which teeters into melodrama. It’s a shame because Corinna Brown (Heartstopper) and Noah Valentine (Waterloo Road) make a poignant pair of star crossed lovers in a flipped world where dark skinned Crosses are privileged and white skinned noughts systemically oppressed by a brutal state. Malorie Blackman’s YA bestseller is set in a dystopian Britain where black skinned people are privileged and white skinned people are oppressed. (Image: Manuel Harlan) Blackman’s novel raises issues of segregated schooling, a stacked judicial system and armed struggle, which carries echoes…

The York has stood as a landmark near Angel since the 1870s and boasts a historical plaque on the outside detailing its origins as a private house where “dairy cows once grazed up to the back door.” Now located in Islington High Street, the site used to be a farm and sat on open fields until the late 18th century. The York once previously The York Hotel which once stood in open fields with cows grazing up to the door. (Image: Nicholson’s) By 1838 it was a private house belonging to the Pullen and Rhodes families which some 13 years later became “The York Hotel” as a…

Fines, driving bans, community orders and even a short jail term were handed down as the bench dealt with seven defendants from across Bexley, Lewisham, Bromley, Greenwich and beyond. George HODKIN, 25, of Hillingdon Road, Bexleyheath, appeared on July 1, 2025 and must pay £225 in a fine, prosecution costs and a surcharge. He pleaded guilty to throwing a mobile phone towards the spectators’ area during a Millwall match at The Den, SE16, on October 23, 2024, contrary to sections 2 and 5 of the Football (Offences) Act 1991. A collection order was made and he must repay the total…

The station, which is served by Southern trains, was listed by the Government among 50 other stations across the UK that have been earmarked for step-free access upgrades. Currently, there is no step-free access to any platform at South Croydon station. It is understood that improvement works would see new lifts built to make it easier for elderly and disabled people to get across the platforms. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has confirmed that a feasibility study for the upgrade works at the station would be funded through part of £92 billion worth of funding allocated to road and rail projects.…

The London Ambulance Service was called around 9.15pm yesterday (July 8) to reports of the incident. A man was on the wrong side of the barrier on the bridge which was closed to traffic as police also attended. It is understood that the man was safely returned to the other side of the barrier and left in the care of the ambulance service. He was later taken to hospital. A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 9.16pm on Tuesday 8 July to reports of an incident on Tower Bridge, SE1. “We sent resources including ambulance crews and…