Author: Blake Foster

Two HGV trailers have been dumped in laybys on A1306 New Road, Rainham – one of which resident Colin Giles says has been there since February 2024, and the other since Christmas. Colin, who lives in Jordans Way, initially reported the issue to Havering Council around three months after he spotted the first vehicle, and has since notified the authority on “several occasions” about fly-tipping building up behind the trailers. But the council said that each lorry will cost “several thousand pounds” to remove and therefore has not yet made any attempt to get rid of them. READ MORE: New cycle route proposed to…

Eltham Centre Library and Roehampton Children’s Library were highly commended in the ‘Library of the Year’ awards. The annual competition is organised by The Bookseller magazine in partnership with publisher Dorling Kindersley and charity The Reading Agency. The two libraries were commended for their creativity and community engagement. Roehampton Children’s Library has recently undergone a complete renovation via the ‘Revive Roehampton’ project, which included more inclusive stock, eye-catching displays, and new wallpaper. Roehampton’s renovation project praised for inclusivity and creative programming (Image: Roehampton children’s library) Children’s librarian October Jones (Image: Roehampton children’s library) , who was the driving force behind…

Inspectors visited Middle Park Primary School on January 28 and 29, 2025, with their report published on March 6. The school was rated ‘Good’ overall but achieved ‘Outstanding’ in Behaviour and Attitudes and Early Years Provision. According to the report, pupils “arrive at school happy to begin their day of learning” and feel a strong sense of belonging. Inspectors noted that children “follow the routines of the school because they know how they are expected to behave, including in Nursery.” Pupil behaviour was described as “exceptional both during lessons and on the playground,” creating a “calm atmosphere” that allows learning…

Network Rail is organising these unique tours at London Bridge, Victoria, and Waterloo stations, offering a chance to delve into the fascinating historical evolution of these pivotal transport hubs. Renowned railway historian Rachel Kolsky will lead the tours, taking attendees on a journey through time. London Waterloo, the terminus of Network Rail’s Wessex route, opened in 1848 and has a rich and varied history. Renowned historian Rachel Kolsky leads tours exploring station evolution (Image: Network Rail) The tour will uncover the stories of not one, but seven stations, including the eerie ‘Station of the Dead’, from which there were no…

The motorway will close for the final time as part of a National Highways improvement project between 9pm on Friday, March 21 and 5.30am on Monday, March 24. This is to allow for the “safe” removal of a bridge following the completion of an upgrade at Junction 10 last month. This closure will be the fifth and final part of the improvement project, which aims to reduce congestion, improve traffic flow, and provide safer journeys. (Image: National Highways) Jonathan Wade, senior project manager, said: “We are now on the home straight of this complex project and we are pleased to…

The incidents unfolded between Saturday (March 15) and Wednesday (March 19) in Shoreditch, Southall, Croydon, Forest Gate and Crystal Palace. This only includes incidents that Newsquest London is aware of and has reported on. Information about each incident is from the Metropolitan Police. A man in his 20s, who was stabbed in the groin in Shoreditch, has “life-changing” injuries, but is expected to survive. The attack happened on Saturday (March 15) at 2.20am, and the victim faced stab wounds to the groin. Initially described as being in a critical condition, police have since confirmed that the man is expected to survive,…

Hadjer Boumazouna, 27, and Fatiha Boumazouna, 53, have been charged with intending or likely to stir up racial hatred after the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign march which took place on October 28, 2023. The two women from Croydon are both due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on March 21. They were both charged via postal charge requisition in February. These charges relate to an incident which took place near Trafalgar Square during the march, although the Metropolitan Police has not shared further details about what happened. They attended a police station and were arrested on October 29, 2023, after an…

David Haynes, of Nelwyn Avenue, Hornchurch, had almost £70,000 worth of cannabis plants produced on the day when officers executed a warrant at an outbuilding near a house in South End Road. Haynes owned the property but rented out the house. He visited the place five times between December 29, 2023, and January 21, 2024 – each time arriving in his van and leaving hours later with several cardboard boxes. Police later discovered that Haynes paid over £58,000 into a mortgage account in December 2023, in addition to another £38,000 made over two payments within the previous year. After his arrest,…

The 94-year-old spoke to an audience while fundraising for Jewish Care’s Green Holocaust Survivors Centre in Golders Green. Manfred, who survived three-and-a-half years as a youngster held prisoner in five Nazi concentration camps, was interviewed on stage with his wife Shary by compère Ivor Baddiel at Finchley’s Kinloss Synagogue. His ordeal began with Germany’s invasion of the Baltic states in 1941 when he was forced with his mother and nine-year-old brother to live in the Riga ghetto set up in Latvia before being transported to a labour camp. “My young brother was condemned to an immediate death by the SS,” he…

Friends have named the 21-year-old student as Aliyah, who reportedly was sat on a bench outside King’s College London when she was hit yesterday (March 18) at 11.41am. Police have today (March 19) said that a 27-year-old woman who was also hit remains in a serious condition in hospital, but her conditions are not believed to be life-threatening.  A 23-year-old man who was taken to hospital has since been discharged. Medics also treated a fourth person at the scene, but they were discharged. Officers arrested the driver of the van, a 26-year-old man, at the scene on suspicion of causing…