Author: Blake Foster

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…

Around 50 people attended a public meeting held by residents’ group Bacton Towers Action in the Wendling Estate in Gospel Oak last week to raise awareness of plans for “hyper-density” flats in the area. Developer Mount Anvil has submitted a planning application to redevelop the former Bacton Low Rise estate, off Wellesley Road, on behalf of Camden Council. Redevelopment plans approved more than a decade ago were for 247 homes, but the new designs are for 447, with two towers up to 26 storeys high, according to documents on Camden Council’s online planning portal. Former architect Pat Bullivant, who lives in Oak Village, said: “The plans are absolutely atrocious.…

Over the course of 30 years Andrew Wilson groomed young boys by singling them out for special treatment then luring them into a sexual relationship with him.  In the 1980s he was abusing boys in Warnham, West Sussex, while he was a choirmaster at St Margaret’s Church in the village.   Then later he committed further abuse while he was a choirmaster and teacher at St Mary’s Church in Beddington.  In 2019, Andrew Wilson was locked up for 12 years after being found guilty 19 sex offences including gross indecency against boys aged between nine and 14.  On Friday (January 24)…

Winstone, who portrayed Dame Barbara Windsor in biopic Babs and took on the actress’ role of formidable pub landlord Peggy in a 1979-based flashback episode, is going to appear in new scenes, set in 1985. In recent months, Phil, played by Steve McFadden, has been struggling with loneliness following his former partner Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) starting a relationship with his long-lost cousin Teddy Mitchell (Roland Manookian), and the end of his marriage to Kathleen “Kat” Slater (Jessie Wallace). EastEnders will show how the character’s depression and symptoms of psychosis intensify, with him experiencing hallucinations, including a young Peggy. The…

University student, Rodrick Ekechi, embraced a new fitness goal to run from London to Birmingham after a month’s worth of training. The 22-year-old says on his page that had been overweight for the majority of his life and as a result was dealing with daily problems while experiencing a period of bullying in secondary school. He said: “I got tired of living with those problems and I was just tired of being tired and one day I just pushed myself and said I’m going to change no matter what. It starts today.” @rkfitnessss Running from London to Birmingham????????‍♂️,this was a…

The motoring association said recent rulings by London Tribunals’ traffic adjudicators show at least six councils have handed out £130 fines based on restrictions and enforcement cameras which lack up-to-date paperwork. Between December 13 and January 4, two such cases in Lambeth were overturned on appeal, as well as one in Croydon. In all three cases, an adjudicator found that the local authority had not provided evidence to show that the alleged contravention was an enforceable restriction. Instead, the restriction either appeared to have expired or invalidated by a subsequent order at the time the fine was handed down. In…

A public consultation on cuts needed to balance the 2025/26 budget ends on Wednesday, January 29. A financial report discussed at a cabinet meeting stated the proposals would bring the budget gap for 2025/26 from £30 million to £10.8 million. The need for savings was blamed on the “pressures” arising from greater demand for adult and children’s social care and special needs education. Out of the total £18.7 million of proposed cuts, around £8.8m comes from raising fees and charges on most council services by 10% in the year from April, with new charges on licences for “breeding dogs, dangerous wild…

The 64-year-old was in Silkstream Park, near the A5, when he had been allegedly attacked on Thursday (January 16) at 9.17pm. He was taken to hospital for treatment, where he remains. Part of the park was closed off as a cordon was in place. A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “Officers responded to an alleged assault on a 64-year-old man in Silkstream Park, at 9.17pm on Thursday (January 16). “London Ambulance Services also attended the scene to treat the victim. He was later taken to hospital for treatment where he remains. “A crime scene remains in place while police investigate. Officers…

Enfield man Kyle Clifford tied 25-year-old former partner Louise Hunt’s arms and ankles with duct tape and shot her through the chest with a crossbow bolt at the family home in the quiet cul-de-sac of Ashlyn Close in Bushey, Hertfordshire, in July. Ms Hunt’s 61-year-old mother Carol Hunt, the wife of BBC commentator John Hunt, sustained significant stab wounds to her knee, hands, back and torso following the attack by Clifford with a 10in butcher’s knife. Kyle Clifford. (Image: Elizabeth Cook/PA Wire) Hannah Hunt, 28, was found in the main doorway of the house with a crossbow bolt to the chest and was still…

The annual event, taking place this year on Saturday, January 25, is a firm fixture in the diary of horticulturists, attracting hundreds of green-fingered enthusiasts and collectors to the grounds in Bulls Cross, anxious to see rare varieties of the Galanthus bulb. Snowdrops, one of the earliest harbingers of spring, are delicate bell-shaped winter flowers that bloom as early as January or February, defying the prevailing winter weather. “Collectors will be captivated by the beauty of these flowers,” Myddelton House head gardener Julia Bigham says. “They can find the perfect addition to their own garden at this magical time of year.” A lecture on the flower is being given by ‘Mr…