Recent Comments
Croydon men arrested connected to Russian spying allegations
Russia’s war on Ukraine is now being fought on the streets of London, with three Croydon men among five arrested in a counter-terrorism swoop
The police have made its first arrests under the National Security Act, as part of a counter-terrorism investigation into Russian spies’ part in an arson attack on a warehouse in east London last month.
“The foreign state to which these charges relate is Russia,” the Metropolitan Police said in a statement issued at lunchtime today.
Three of the five arrested in connection with the investigation – not all of them charged under the National Security Act – are from Croydon. Continue reading
Four arrested after people smuggling gang tracked to Croydon
The National Crime Agency has arrested two people in Croydon as part of a major joint UK-French investigation into people smugglers, who are alleged to have advertised on Facebook, offering to get people across the English Channel in small boats.
Dawn raids: the NCA moved in to make arrests on the people smuggling network this week
People smuggling and the desperate, dangerous passage from France to England in small, inflatable boats has become increasingly controversial.
Just this week, five people, including a seven-year-old girl, died when making the Channel crossing. There had been 112 migrants on board the small boat when it ran aground on a sandbank not long after leaving northern France.
The NCA made four arrests this week, all of them Vietnamese nationals. The arrests took place in dawn raids at addresses in Deptford and Leicester, as well as Heathfield Road, Croydon. Continue reading
Posted in Crime
Tagged English Channel, Heathfield Road, National Crime Agency, People smuggling, small boats, Vietnam, Vietnamese
Leave a comment
Philp’s flop: Tory MP becomes national laughing stock (again)
Our political editor, WALTER CRONXITE, reports on a Croydon politician’s televised African problem
There were genuine concerns among Croydon Tories last night, after the recording of this week’s episode of the BBC’s Question Time programme in north London, that Croydon South MP Chris Philp might struggle to find his way from Tottenham all the way to Coulsdon.
Questioned time: Chris Philp is a Oxford-educated Conservative government minister
Philp, a cheerleader for “Thick Lizzy” Truss when she was the country’s disastrous and most short-lived Prime Minister, has made a career out of being a media punch bag for his Conservative government’s unpopular and controversial policies, appearing on TV and radio to take blow after blow of criticism without ever a flinch.
The Croydon MP, remember, was once subjected to a barrage of accusations of lying on national television by rail union chief Mick Lynch. It was like water off a duck’s back for Philp, who appeared impervious to the charges. Continue reading
Posted in 2024 General Election, Chris Philp MP, Croydon South
Tagged Chris Philp MP, Congo, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon South, Daily Torygraph, Grauniad, John Crace, Kigali, Liz Truss, Rwanda, Thick Lizzy Truss, Tory
7 Comments
Croydon barista’s tiramisu special has Costa final in a frappe
Croydon barista Polina Shcherbakova finished a well-placed runner-up at Costa Coffee’s Barista of the Year competition staged in Liverpool this week.
Coffee star: Croydon barista Polina Shcherbakova
Television presenter Joel Dommett hosted the event, which was being staged for a 17th year. The competition is open to all Costa Coffee baristas, providing them with an opportunity to showcase their technical skills, knowledge and passion for all things coffee.
Shcherbakova, 20, has worked at Costa Coffee at 129-131 North End for almost two years, and reached the final after overcoming competition from hundreds of baristas from across the country.
The final 12 baristas took part in a variety of challenges which put their expertise to the test. They were tasked with crafting four high-quality core coffee drinks, including incorporating a plant-based milk, as well as creating two identical flat whites or cortados. Continue reading
Posted in Business
Tagged Costa Coffee, Joel Dommett, Liverpool, North End, Polina Shcherbakova
Leave a comment
Warlingham’s youngsters lift two Surrey cups in season finales
Double glory: Warlingham’s under-16s celebrate winning the Surrey Cup at The Stoop, one of two trophies the group have won this season
There’s some hope down at Hamsey Green, after Warlingham’s under-16s won the Surrey Cup final, beating Farnham 15-14 in a nail-biting finale to their season staged at Harlequins’ Stoop ground.
Warlingham also won the second tier county trophy at under-16s level with a 26-12 victory over Cobham at Old Reigatians. In what is reckoned to be among the toughest county circuits in the whole country, club officials suggest that it is a unique double by their youngsters, and a huge fillip for Warlingham. Continue reading
Posted in Rugby Union, Sport, Warlingham RFC
Tagged Dave Toye, rugby, Surrey, Surrey Cup, Warlingham, Warlingham RFC
1 Comment
1-in-5 Londoners have no idea there’s an election next week
Shocking figures released today show that 20% of Londoners – 1-in-5 – don’t have a Scooby Doo (it’s rhyming slang…) that next Thursday, May 2, is election day in the capital. Among younger Londoners – those under 30 years old – the lack of awareness is even greater, at 33%, or 1-in-3.
Standard issue: the capital’s evening paper no longer has the readers it once had to get an election message across
Worse still, it appears the Tory scam to disenfranchise large sections of society appears to have worked because the research, conducted by pollsters Savanta for the Centre for London, found that nearly a quarter of Londoners have no idea that they will need photo ID to be allowed to vote next week.
The London elections are taking place next Thursday. Most Londoners will have three votes: one to choose the Mayor of London; the second to choose a London Assembly Member by constituency – in our case, for Croydon and Sutton; and the third to vote for a party or candidate on a London-wide basis (our columnist, Andrew Fisher, explained how the voting systems work, and how they have been changed for 2024, in his column last week).
The gaping chasm between the importance of the election – the Mayor of London spends £20billion a year of public money – and the level of awareness that any election is even taking place ought to be a serious concern. Continue reading
Posted in 2024 London elections, Crime, Housing, Knife crime, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Policing, Sadiq Khan
Tagged 2024 London elections, Antonia Jennings, Centre for London, Conservative, Croydon, Labour, Liberal Democrats, London, London Assembly, London Elections, London elections 2024, Mayor Sadiq Khan, Savanta, Tory
7 Comments
3rd class service: Royal Mail reduces collections by stealth
Not content with providing only a third-class service on deliveries, across Croydon, the suits who run Royal Mail have been sticking barely visible notices on post boxes to explain how they are now dismantling their previously reasonably dependable collection service.
Inside Croydon has reported before about the increasingly unreliable delivery service being provided by privatised Royal Mail’s officials.
The likes of BBC Panorama and other media have also reported how a combination of poor management, deliberate under-staffing and prioritising premium package deliveries over first-class mail have all contributed to the rapid decline of a once-prized national service. Continue reading
Posted in Business, Royal Mail, South Croydon, Waddon
Tagged Croydon, Old Town, Privatisation, Royal Mail, South Croydon
6 Comments
At 91 years old, there’s no stopping marathon man Picksley
David Picksley was probably already a bit of a London Marathon hero, but after his unstoppable performance in this year’s race on Sunday, he’s probably worthy of inclusion in the annals of the event’s all-time greats.
Unstoppable: Trinity old boy David Picksley, 91, the oldest finisher in Sunday’s London Marathon
At 91, Picksley was officially the 2024 London Marathon’s oldest runner (in fact, he was the race’s only nonagenarian this year).
But he was far from the last of the 53,000 to finish the 26-mile 385-yard route from Greenwich Park to The Mall.
Picksley clocked 7hr 57min 15sec, a tad slower than his 2023 effort – he’s a committed marathoner – but with good reason.
Picksley possibly had his eye on last year’s finishing time, 7:16:46, the fastest recorded by someone in their 90s in London. Continue reading
Posted in Activities, Charity, Trinity School
Tagged Bowel Cancer UK, Croydon, David Picksley, London Marathon, Trinity School
1 Comment
Beckenham and New Addington trams return to normal service
Normal service has finally resumed on Croydon’s tram network, after two months of disruption and the complete closure of the lines to New Addington, Woodside and Arena, Elmers End and Beckenham Junction since the end of March.
Success story: after a month-long closure, the trams are back to running as normal today
Transport for London’s engineers and contractors finally started removing their barriers and hardware from around East Croydon Station this week.
It followed one of the longest, and largest, network closures since the trams came into service in 2000.
“Good news,” a spokesperson for Transport for London told Inside Croydon today.
“The works are all completed and we are operating a good service on the full London Trams network this morning.”
Posted in Commuting, New Addington, New Addington North, TfL, Tramlink, Transport
Tagged Croydon Tramlink, Croydon Trams, Lloyd Park, London Trams, New Addington, TfL, Transport for London
Leave a comment
East Croydon plaque to get you on track for the Vanguard Way
Almost there: Cuckmere Haven, one of the many breathtaking views along the Vanguard Way, the 66-mile rambling route which starts at East Croydon
For the avoidance of any doubt (if ever there was any), East Croydon Station now has a new sign, designating it as the official starting point of the Vanguard Way, the 66-mile walkers’ route “from the suburbs to the sea”. Or it marks the end of the route, for those having trekked all the way from Newhaven in sunny Sussex.
John Jefkins, a senior official from the Vanguard Way Association, was on hand earlier this month for the installation of the Vanguard Way’s very own version of a blue plaque. “Our Start and End of Trail plaques are now up at the East Croydon Station,” Jefkins declared. Continue reading
Labour figures at centre of police probe now seek your votes
VOTE-RIGGING SCANDAL: 50 days have passed since the Labour Party admitted someone had been tampering with the personal details of around 500 members in Croydon. With the London elections next week, two figures at the centre of a live police investigation are now actively seeking voters’ support. By STEVEN DOWNES
It’s “business as usual” as far as Croydon Labour is concerned.
With polling day coming up next Thursday, two figures at the centre of a current police investigation into allegations of computer misuse have been out and about around the borough, trying to encourage the electorate to vote for their party.
Getting the vote out: Joel Bodmer and candidate Melanie Felten are central figures in the Labour vote-rigging scandal
Melanie Felten, the interim secretary of the under-investigation Croydon East Constituency Labour Party, is Labour’s candidate in the Park Hill and Whitgift council ward by-election.
Joel “Bodger” Bodmer was one of the candidates seeking selection to be Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Croydon East, only withdrawing from the contest after party officials admitted that the selection process had been undermined. Labour’s London Region halted selection proceedings in November 2023 because of complaints of election fraud, ballot-rigging and fixes going on with the CLP membership lists. Continue reading
Locals start campaign to have Burn Bullock pub rebuilt
English Heritage and Merton Council join calls for historic cricket pub to be rebuilt – just like the Crooked House in the Midlands. While in Croydon, there’s a second fire in nine months at another disused pub
Another day, another fire in an abandoned pub building.
Repeat performance: the fire at the Windmill pub on St James Road yesterday
While there seems little chance of any action being taken in Croydon, after the Windmill on St James’ Road was in flames yesterday for a second time in less than nine months, in Mitcham, a strong community group is beginning a campaign to ensure that the owners of the Grade II-listed Burn Bullock repair and rebuild the historic pub which was near-destroyed in Friday’s blaze.
No one was hurt in yesterday’s fire in Croydon, where five workmen evacuated the site when a fire broke out on the ground floor. That had already been badly damaged in a fire last August, when the Windmill and the Drum and Monkey, another derelict pub nearby, both caught light, apparently spontaneously…
Although the cause of both pub fires last year was regarded by the emergency services as “suspicious”, an investigation was abandoned for lack of any evidence of an arsonist. Continue reading
Posted in Business, Community associations, Crime, History, London Fire Brigade, London-wide issues, Merton, Mitcham, Planning, Property, Pubs
Tagged Burn Bullock, Croydon, Drum and Monkey, English Heritage, Historic England, LFB, London Fire Brigade, Merton Council, Metropolitan Police, Mitcham, Mitcham Cricket Green, St James' Road, Suspected arson, The Windmill
1 Comment
‘Scared’ Surrey Street market traders in calls for more police
Home Office funding for extra policing in Croydon town centre finishes at the end of April, and there’s no plans to increase officer presence on Surrey Street. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES
Crime hot-spot: traders and councillors have been appealling for more CCTV and police on Surrey Street
The Metropolitan Police will not provide undertakings that they will increase permanently officer patrolsin Surrey Street Market, despite complaints going back at least three years from traders who say they are “scared” of the drug gangs who operate in the area.
Superintendent Mitch Carr, the lead for community policing in Croydon, told Inside Croydon today that, “Improving the perception of safety in Croydon town centre cannot be achieved just by the police.” Continue reading
Posted in Business, Crime, Croydon BID, Croydon Council, Fairfield, Jose Joseph, Knife crime, London-wide issues, Policing, Surrey Street
Tagged Jose Joseph, Metropolitan Police, Mitch Carr, Rijkaard Siafa, Superintendent Mitch Carr, Surrey Street, Surrey Street Market, Surrey Street Murder
4 Comments
Sharkey among guests as River Summit comes to the Wandle
Feargal Sharkey, a leader in the national debate about the parlous quality of water in the country’s rivers, lakes and canals, is among the participants at the 2024 UK River Summit which is being held along the banks of the River Wandle next month.
Outraged by outflows: rivers campaigner Feargal Sharkey will be a participant at the River Summit next month
Morden Hall, in Morden Hall Park just a short journey from Croydon on the tram, is the venue for this year’s River Summit on May 21.
The River Wandle, south London’s very own, precious and rare chalk stream, will be at the heart of debates, as well as demonstrations of various river-related activities, as environmental speakers and experts come together to discuss the state of our rivers. Topics include water scarcity, pollution, climate change, and invasive species.
“The event will bring together local businesses and members of the public who share a desire to work towards a more positive future for our rivers,” the organisers say.
Tickets to attend the day-long Summit cost £40. Events include workshops, film screenings, textile printing, art exhibitions and “hands-on outdoor experiences”. Continue reading
How businesses profited at expense of the Borough of Culture
BOROUGH OF VULTURES: £1.3m of arts funding provided by the Mayor of London was misused by Croydon’s Tory council to boost local businesses, but delivered a year-long flop, judging by official audience figures.
EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES
Lights are on, but no one’s at home: the poorly promoted finale weekend for the Borough of Culture had a budget of £85,000 – but failed to attract any crowds
Croydon’s year as the Borough of Culture is over. Waddya mean, you never even noticed it was on..?
Despite £1.3million of Mayor of London cash, plus a few generous hand-outs from the nice people at the Lottery and Arts Council, what was supposed to be a celebration of Croydon’s artistic excellence, and a leg-up for the borough’s many hard-pressed cultural groups, limped across the line before Easter.
Croydon’s year as Borough of Culture had started three months late, and it finally ran out of steam a week early, too.
The Tory-run council had tried to divert the money to boost businesses in the borough, but what they delivered was largely perceived as a cultural flop, with huge amounts of public money squandered.
Inside Croydon has obtained figures that show that many of the events staged, often by groups with little artistic background, drew pitifully small audiences. Continue reading
Posted in Activities, Art, Borough of Culture 2023, Business, CODA, Croydon BID, Croydon Council, Croydonites Festival, Dance, Fairfield Halls, Kristian Aspinall, London Mozart Players, Mayor Jason Perry, Music, Stanley Halls, Theatre
Tagged Andy Stranack, Borough of Culture, Borough of Vultures, CODA, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon BID, Croydon Clocktower, Croydon Council, Croydon Operatic and Dramatic Association, David Lean Cinema, Develop Croydon, Fairfield Halls, Kristian Aspinall, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Tory, White Label
12 Comments
Cause of Beckenham Road shop blaze ‘deliberate’ says LFB
The emergency services have declared that the cause of a fire at a shop with flats above in Bromley in the early hours of this morning was “believed to be deliberate”.
It took four fire engines and around 25 firefighters more than an hour to bring the fire on Beckenham Lane under control.
According to the London Fire Brigade, “A large amount of rubbish at the rear of the property was destroyed by fire, and the ground floor was partially damaged by the blaze.
“Four adults were led to safety by firefighters from the first-floor balcony, assisted by a short extension ladder. There were no injuries.” Continue reading
Posted in Bromley Council, Crime, London Fire Brigade
Tagged Beckenham Road, Bromley, LFB, London Fire Brigade
Leave a comment
Trust to spend thousands on taxis to break ambulance strike
A south London NHS hospital trust is set to spend tens of thousands of pounds on Ubers and other private hire transport as they attempt to break a strike by union members, according to the GMB.
Parked up: non-emergency ambulances working at St Helier will be subject to strike action tomorrow
Members of the union employed as care assistants in the patient transfer ambulances for the Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust claim that they are each owed up to £1,300 by the Trust, which has failed to honour its agreements to meet the London Living Wage.
The workers will be striking tomorrow, April 24, as well as on May 2, May 3 and May 7. The strike will affect transport ambulances, not the vehicles that attend emergencies.
Union officials are furious after discovering the Trust’s plans to hire taxis and private mini-buses for the strike days. Continue reading
Posted in Health, St Helier Hospital
Tagged Ambulance, Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust, GMB, Helen O'Connor, St Helier Hospital
1 Comment
Marathon star helps Wallington school go the extra mile
His legs still aching from the ordeal of racing more than 26 miles through the streets of London the day before, Marc Scott turned out at a Wallington primary school yesterday morning, possibly to inspire the next generation of champion runners.
On his way home: Marc Scott placed 11th in Sunday’s London Marathon
Scott was the third British man to finish in Sunday’s London Marathon, 11th out of the 50,000 runners, clocking 2hr 11min 19sec as he crossed the finish line on The Mall – a brilliant marathon debut for the 30-year-old Yorkshireman, but agonisingly outside the qualifying time for the summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, the target that the former US collegiate champion and world indoors bronze medallist had set for himself.
Despite that disappointment, Scott was on hand at Foresters School to talk to the children about his career as a professional runner, and supporting the pupils while they carried out The Daily Mile.
Foresters School on Redford Avenue, not far from the Purley Way, has been awarded the “Children Fit For Life” award – an award given to schools who participate in The Daily Mile at least three times a week. Foresters School has been participating in The Daily Mile since 2019, and some of its pupils had even taken part in the London Mini Marathon over the weekend. Continue reading
Posted in Athletics, Health, Schools, Sport, Sutton Council
Tagged Foresters School, London Marathon, Marc Scott, Paris Olympics, Paris Olympics 2024, Wallington
Leave a comment
North End barista to contest national coffee-making finals
A barista working at the Costa Coffee shop on Croydon’s North End has made it to the final 12 of her company’s Barista of the Year competition.
Bubbling up: could Croydon North End be the base for one of Britain’s best coffee makers?
Polina Shcherbakova has travelled to Liverpool this week for the two-day final of the prestigious competition, which Costa Coffee has been running for 17 years
Shcherbakova’s route to being among Costa’s top dozen coffee makers in the UK and Ireland “has been marked by fierce competition”, her bosses say.
Shcherbakova “outshone hundreds of Costa Coffee baristas across the country”, they say.
“Polina has demonstrated her passion and skills across two challenging regional stages. Initially, she impressed by crafting four Costa coffee beverages, each meeting the brand’s high standards. Continue reading
Posted in Business
Tagged Barista of the Year, Costa Coffee, North End, Polina Shcherbakova
Leave a comment
LibDems cancel Sutton selection meeting after ‘complaints’
Campaigning in what ought to be a ‘winnable’ parliamentary seat has been dogged by controversies and challenges, reports BELLE MONT
With a General Election getting ever closer, the Liberal Democrats, already in complete disarray over who should be their candidate for the winnable, target seat of Sutton and Cheam, have been forced to cancel a selection meeting due to be held tonight after complaints from applicants who did not make it on to the party’s very short shortlist.
Last week, Inside Sutton reported that just Luke Taylor and Luisa Porritt had been put forward for a members’ selection meeting tonight, from a set of 16 applicants who included former BBC reporter John “Foghorn” Sweeney. The crucial selection meeting was due to be held tonight.
But political journalist Michael Crick has tweeted that “the hustings have been postponed because two complaints were received, and the source suggests John Sweeney and Trish Fivey may now have been added to the shortlist”.
Continue reading
Posted in 2024 General Election, 2024 London elections, London-wide issues, Luke Taylor, Mayor of London, Outside Croydon, Paul Scully MP, Sutton Council, Tom Drummond
Tagged Conservative, John Sweeney, Liberal Democrats, London, Luisa Porritt, Luke Taylor, Paul Scully MP, Ruth Dombey, Sutton South, Tom Drummond, Tory, Trish Fivey
1 Comment
Coulsdon’s cast goes out to sea to deliver a complex catch
All at sea: Hannah Montgomery (right, as Gretchen) and Anya Destiney (as Maggie) form part of an impressive cast in a brilliant, and affecting, staging of Orca
The latest play being performed this week on stage at the Coulsdon Community Centre is not to be missed, says KEN TOWL
The orca is, in many ways, not what it seems.
Also known as the killer whale, it is no whale, but rather a species of dolphin.
It has never killed a human, except, occasionally in captivity, and there have been recent reports of them either playing with or battering boats.
In a play redolent with symbolism, a play that depicts a toxic (to say the least) patriarchal society, the orca, a marine animal that lives in matrilinear pods led by post-menopausal females, makes for the ultimate metaphor. Continue reading
Artist Nash who captured Croydon church’s great disaster
Raging inferno: the 1867 fire at Croydon Parish Church destroyed hundreds of years of records, tombs and artwork. The fire was famously captured in this painting by Joseph Nash
SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT: A pupil at a school in the town centre went on to become a noted Victorian era illustrator, an artist to the Queen, and responsible for probably the most famous image of the dreadful blaze that almost destroyed Croydon Parish Church, as DAVID MORGAN, left, explains
Manor House School stood in Croydon, 200 years ago, at No38 North End, next to the Rising Sun public house. It’s more or less where JD Sports is today. An advertisement in the Morning Herald in 1820 informed its readers that Manor House was a school for “young gentlemen”.
Prospective parents would have needed to have a good income if their son was to attend this establishment. The annual fee for boys under 12 years of age was 40 guineas, at a time when a labourer might be fortunate if they earned £10 in a year. Continue reading
Posted in Art, Croydon Minster, David Morgan, History
Tagged Croydon, Croydon Minster, Croydon Parish Church, David Morgan, Joseph Nash
1 Comment
Auckland Rise residents suffer the ‘curse’ of Brick by Brick
Our housing correspondent, BARRATT HOLMES, reports on how some of the warnings about the council house-builders’ ‘affordable’ homes are becoming an costly reality in Crystal Palace
Residents in supposedly “affordable” shared ownership homes built in Crystal Palace by the council-owned developer Brick by Brick have been hit with a 35% service charge hike.
Highly charged: Sinead Harmey (right), a resident of Auckland Rise, with her councillor, Claire Bonham
The residents living on Auckland Rise, with the backing of their local councillor, Claire Bonham, have demanded an urgent meeting with Jason Perry, the Mayor of Croydon.
Shared-ownership properties have strictly controlled rent rises but there are typically no similar limits on service charges.
Despite shared ownership purchasers being only partial owners of their homes, they have to pay a full share of service charges and repair bills. Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Claire Bonham, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Housing, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning
Tagged Alison Butler, Auckland Rise, Brick by Brick, Claire Bonham, Colm Lacey, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Jo Negrini, Labour, Liberal Democrats, London, London Borough of Croydon, Tory
Leave a comment
