Category Archives: Merton

Woman dies in Wimbledon fire as 14 evacuated from homes

A woman, thought to be in her 70s, died in a house fire in Wimbledon last night. About 60 firefighters were called out to the end-of-terrace house on Rotherwood Close just before 11pm. The woman was pronounced dead at the … Continue reading

Posted in London Fire Brigade, Merton | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Galpins Road hero still in temporary accommodation after blast

The south London hero who risked his life to rescue neighbours from the rubble following the terrifying explosion on a residential street in Thornton Heath last summer is among dozens of evacuated residents still living in hotel rooms six months … Continue reading

Posted in Community associations, Housing, Merton, Siobhain McDonagh MP, Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Viridor turns polluting Beddington incinerator into a sick joke

Incinerator operators Viridor have failed to instal any metal detectors to locate large batteries and other devices which are believed to have caused explosions inside the furnace at the Beddington Lane plant, leading to many of the 40 polluting breaches … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Environment, Kingston, Merton, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Bailey holds urgent talks seeking Viridor bail-out for SDEN

Our environment correspondent, PAUL LUSHION, on the backroom deals that have been going on to try to salvage Sutton Council’s struggling heat network business Helen Bailey, the chief exec at Liberal Democrat-controlled Sutton, has been holding emergency talks with incinerator … Continue reading

Posted in Bobby Dean, Business, Croydon Council, Environment, Helen Bailey, Kingston, London-wide issues, Merton, Refuse collection, Ruth Dombey, Shasha Khan, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

MP secures Commons debate on Galpins Road gas explosion

Siobhain McDonagh, the Labour MP for Mitcham and Morden, has secured a House of Commons debate tomorrow over the gas explosion on Galpins Road in August that caused the tragic death of four-year-old Sahara Salman and led to the evacuation … Continue reading

Posted in London-wide issues, Merton, Norbury, Siobhain McDonagh MP, Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Viridor incinerator breaks its toxic VOC permit for 40th time

MARK GALE reports on how the Environment Agency’s ‘strict limits’ on polluting emissions are not so strict after all The latest emission data for the polluting incinerator on Beddington Lane has just been released and yet again, operators Viridor have … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Environment, Health, Kingston, Merton, Old Palace, Sutton Council, Wandle Park, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Coding teen scoops £5,000 prize from National Lottery Awards

A teen from south London has scooped the Young Hero title at the National Lottery Awards for her project that runs workshops teaching disadvantaged young women skills to improve their confidence and opportunities. Avye Couloute, 15, from Wimbledon, started coding … Continue reading

Posted in Activities, Education, Merton | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Careful what you wish for as we bin rubbish contractor Veolia

CROYDON COMMENTARY: The news that Veolia won’t have their four-borough deal extended once it expires in 2025 has prompted loyal reader LEWIS WHITE, pictured right, to question our councils’ roles in the service decline From the comments made in response … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Environment, Fly tipping, Kingston, Merton, Refuse collection, Sutton Council, Veolia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Croydon and three other boroughs to bin Veolia rubbish deal

Veolia, who have swept Croydon’s streets and emptied its residents’ bins sporadically since 2003, are to be dropped as the council’s rubbish contractor. The decision has been reached following “significant and ongoing concerns” with Veolia’s performance, which saw three of … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Fly tipping, Kingston, Merton, Refuse collection, Sutton Council, Veolia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Bin workers face sack if they don’t work on Queen’s Funeral

While most council services have shut down for the bank holiday weekend ahead of Monday’s solemn royal ceremonials, Veolia staff have been told that if they don’t show up for work, they could be fired. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Croydon’s … Continue reading

Posted in Bromley Council, Business, Croydon Council, Kingston, Lambeth Council, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Merton, Refuse collection, Southwark Council, Veolia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Environment Agency issues flood warning for River Wandle

No sooner has the amber heatwave warning in south London faded away in some light rain than the Environment Agency has put the area on alert for flash flooding. With heavy rain forecast to hit the capital today and tomorrow, … Continue reading

Posted in Environment, Lambeth Council, Merton, Sutton Council, Transport, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

SGN ‘donates’ £0.5m to Merton to pay for displaced residents

A week on from the horrific blast in Thornton Heath that killed a four-year-old child, destroyed one house, damaged dozens of others, and forced 500 people from their homes, Southern Gas Networks, the company responsible for providing gas to Galpins … Continue reading

Posted in Merton, Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Investigations continue into tragic Galpins Road explosion

The four-year-old girl who died in the massive explosion in Thornton Heath on Monday morning has been named as Sahara Salman. Police confirmed that Sahara’s body had been recovered from a house on Galpins Road. Three other people were taken … Continue reading

Posted in London Fire Brigade, Merton, Policing, Siobhain McDonagh MP, Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Viridor incinerator fined for multiple pollution permit breaches

After at least 34 permit breaches in three years, the south London councils’ partnership is taking action against their contractor – though nothing is being done about the serious ‘acidic air’ incident in May Viridor is to be fined for … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Environment, Health, Kingston, London-wide issues, Merton, Refuse collection, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Councillor says big-money deals for medical and radioactive waste are at centre of Viridor’s diesel tank planning application

A Sutton councillor claims that Viridor wants to begin burning medical and radioactive waste at its Beddington Lane incinerator, but that it has withheld these lucrative business plans from its latest application to build a large fuel tank on the … Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Environment, Kingston, Merton, Nick Mattey, Outside Croydon, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Off-target: Town Hall chiefs’ concern over net zero dates

More than half of the country’s local council leaders fear that their areas will fail to meet their own net zero targets, according to a survey published over the weekend. The survey was conducted on behalf of renewable energy supplier … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Climate Crisis Commission, Croydon Council, Environment, Kingston, London-wide issues, Merton, Refuse collection, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sutton planners add fuel to incinerator fires with dirty diesel

Think those plumes of smoke coming out of the polluting Viridor incinerator at Beddington Lane are just from the burning of hundreds of thousands of tons of rubbish? Think again. It’s not entirely the case. Some of the pollution comes … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Environment, London-wide issues, Merton, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

‘A pattern of unacceptable behaviour, spread over months’

Junior government ministers Paul Scully and Chris Philp remain silent over the Prime Minister’s Partygate scandal, while  other Tory MPs call for Boris Johnson to resign Two south London Conservative MPs have joined a growing number from their party to … Continue reading

Posted in Boris Johnson, Bromley Council, Chris Philp MP, Croydon South, Elliot Colburn, London-wide issues, Merton, Paul Scully MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Tories blame Boris as Westminster and Wandsworth fall

Political editor WALTER CRONXITE reports on a ‘dangerous political moment’ for the Conservative Prime Minister When Boris Johnson got up this morning, he was living in a Labour-controlled local council. Labour won Westminster City Council yesterday, the first time since … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Addiscombe East, Boris Johnson, Croydon Council, Fairfield, London-wide issues, Mark Allison, Merton, New Addington, New Addington North, Outside Croydon, Sadiq Khan, Sutton Council, Wandsworth Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Merton’s £50m education shortfall raises finance alarms

A south London council on the brink of financial collapse, getting a multi-million-pound bail-out from government, while being run by a new chief exec and with a rudderless Labour group where the leader isn’t standing for re-election in their old … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, Education, London-wide issues, Mark Allison, Merton, Outside Croydon, Schools | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mayor will have little say over borough’s rubbish contractors

CROYDON COMMENTARY: It is one of the biggest and most important services provided by any local council. But the manner in which the borough has outsourced the management of bin collections, street cleaning and waste disposal and recycling has become … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Business, Croydon Council, Fly tipping, idVerde, Kingston, London-wide issues, Merton, Peter Underwood, Refuse collection, Stuart Collins, Sutton Council, Val Shawcross, Veolia, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

All Croydon parks ‘under threat’ says environmental campaign

A shocking report from charity CPRE London highlights how the council’s Local Plan has put every open space in the borough at risk from development, writes PAUL LUSHION, our environment correspondent Croydon, and its planning protection-lite revised Local Plan, has … Continue reading

Posted in Bromley Council, Charity, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Environment, Friends of Addiscombe Railway Park, Friends of Ashburton Park, Friends of Croham Hurst Woods, Friends of Crystal Palace Park, Friends of Farthing Downs, Friends of Grange Park, Friends of Grangewood Park, Friends of Haling Grove, Friends of Heavers Meadow, Friends of Lloyd Park, Friends of Marlpit Lane Bowling Green, Friends of Millers Ponds, Friends of Norbury Hall Park, Friends of Selsdon Woods, Friends of Shirley Windmill, Friends of South Croydon Rec, Friends of South Norwood Country Park, Friends of Spa Wood, Friends of Stambourne Woods, Friends of Wandle Park, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Merton, Sadiq Khan, Southwark Council, Sutton Council, Wandsworth Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

#Binmageddon: Under-performing Veolia hit with warnings

Our Town Hall reporter, KEN LEE, on some long-overdue action being taken with the rubbish contractors who are supposed to be responsible for the state of the borough’s streets One day after “Mucky Merton”™ issued a Service Improvement Notice to … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Business, Croydon Council, Environment, Fly tipping, Merton, Muhammad Ali, Refuse collection, Veolia | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Help to Buy fuels London’s house price inflation say Lords

A parliamentary report out today underlines that £29bn-worth of housing subsidies have simply helped to boost several Tory donors’ profits, reports our housing correspondent, BARRATT HOLMES The cost of an average home in Croydon increased by 4 per cent in … Continue reading

Posted in Bromley Council, Housing, Lambeth Council, London-wide issues, Merton, Planning, Southwark Council, Sutton Council, Wandsworth Council | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

#BINMAGEDDON! Boroughs left looking like rubbish tips

‘They treat us like the rubbish they are supposed to collect!’ Mounting reports from around the boroughs in the South London Waste Partnership suggest that the councils’ waste service contractors are creaking under pressure. By STEVEN DOWNES The complaints about … Continue reading

Posted in Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Business, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Environment, Fly tipping, Merton, Refuse collection, Shirley North, Steve Iles, Sutton Council, Veolia, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments