Category Archives: Merton

Police arrest 24-year-old man in connection to Mitcham murder

A 24-year-old man has been arrested following a fatal stabbing in Mitcham on Monday night. Around 7.30pm on Monday, police were called to an address in Maple Close, off Oakleigh Way, Eastfields. A 39-year-old man was treated at the scene … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime, Knife crime, Merton, Mitcham, Policing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Fond sporting memories played out on Norbury’s fine pitches

NEIL BENNETT, the former BBC News reporter, hopes that plans for the redevelopment of a sports ground in Norbury will at least restore some of its past sporting glories It was just the Westminter Bank Sports Ground in the 1950s … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Housing, Lambeth Council, Merton, Neil Bennett, Norbury, Planning | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Councillor slams ‘shameful and deceitful’ waste figures

DODGY LEAFLETS: Local elections are still more than a year away, but the colourful flyers with carefully crafted weasel words are already beginning to appear on residents’ doormats. Not all are overtly from political parties, but as BELLE MONT reports, … Continue reading →

Posted in 2026 council elections, Business, Croydon Council, Environment, Kingston, Merton, Nick Mattey, Refuse collection, Suez waste treatment plant, Sutton Council, Veolia, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

‘Environmental disaster’ on Wandle after diesel spills into river

A Sutton MP has called the latest pollution spill into the River Wandle an “environmental disaster”, after an estimated 4,000 litres of diesel was released into the rare chalk stream yesterday. Officials from Merton Council, crews from the London Fire … Continue reading →

Posted in Bobby Dean, Carshalton and Wallington, Environment, Siobhain McDonagh MP, Steve Reed MP, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Plans submitted for 288 homes on Norbury sports ground

Housing correspondent, BARRATT HOLMES, looks at a planning application for a £75m scheme that the developers hoped you might never notice What do you mean, you had no idea that there have been plans submitted for a massive development of … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Environment, Housing, Lambeth Council, London-wide issues, Merton, Nicola Townsend, Norbury, Norbury Park, Planning, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

#Binmageddon: Now Croydon named worst in UK for fly-tipping

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Just weeks after the borough was named ‘the filthiest in London’ because of its poor bin collection rate, further data shows the cash-strapped council forking out £1m to clear nearly 40,000 reported incidents of fly-tipping in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Environment, Fly tipping, Kingston, Merton, Refuse collection, Sutton Council, Veolia, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Children’s theatre receives £50,000 grant for new play garden

Wimbledon, the spiritual home of British tennis, strawberries and cream, Pimm’s and Henman Hill, has donated £50,000 to the nearby Polka children’s theatre to instal special sensory play equipment in their garden. The Wimbledon Foundation Garden at the theatre has … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Education, Merton, Outside Croydon, Schools, Theatre, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

‘London’s filthiest borough’ hands £40m rubbish deal to Veolia

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Rubbish contractor was sacked in 2022 and in 2023 missed 32,000 bin collections across the borough. But now Mayor Perry has confirmed they are to get a new eight-year contract With all the comic timing of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Environment, Fly tipping, Kingston, Merton, Refuse collection, Sutton Council, Veolia, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Incinerator firm hands out £1m settlement to polluted residents

The Viridor incinerator at Beddington has broken its licence terms 16 times between Oct 2023 and Aug 2024 – including six times for high levels of emissions of sulphur dioxide, the corrosive, acidic gas Residents living near a massive waste … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Council, Environment, Kingston, Merton, Nick Mattey, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Health agencies ignored public’s concerns on incinerator

As BBC television news finally catches up with the notion that what’s coming out of the chimneys of incinerators like the one at Beddington Lane might not be entirely wholesome or healthy, we take another look at the infant death … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Environment, Kingston, London-wide issues, Merton, Refuse collection, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Floods on the Wandle as Environment Agency issues warning

The impact of Sunday night’s heavy rain, when a month’s average rainfall was deposited over parts of London and the south-east in little more than a couple of hours, is still being felt across the area, with a forecast of … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, London-wide issues, Merton, Purley, Sutton Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Fire Brigade issues safety warnings ahead of further flooding

The London Fire Brigade has issued warnings about keeping safe during flooding after downpours saw roads and properties affected across the capital throughout the night. Further heavy rainfall has been forecast for the next 24 to 36 hours. Morden Hall … Continue reading →

Posted in London Fire Brigade, London-wide issues, Merton | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

New bins deal sees tenants living above shops get extra service

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Despite being forced to go back to Veolia two years after they sacked the rubbish contractors, the council is claiming that their new contract is a better deal for residents. By STEVEN DOWNES Croydon Council officials, forced … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Environment, Fly tipping, Merton, Nick Hibberd, Refuse collection, Sutton Council, Veolia, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Two-year search to replace Veolia hands £40m deal to… Veolia

CROYDON IN CRISIS: You could not make this up. After four south London councils sacked their waste contractors for poor service, and hundreds of thousands of pounds were spent on a procurement process, Croydon is about to follow Sutton in … Continue reading →

Posted in Barry Lewis, Business, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Environment, Fly tipping, Kingston, Merton, Natasha Irons, Nick Hibberd, Refuse collection, Sutton Council, Veolia, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Mitcham Cricket Green Community dinner, Sep 21

Posted in Activities, Environment, Mitcham | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Council acts against rogue landlords… just not in Croydon

In a landmark move, Merton Council has taken action against a rogue landlord by seizing 18 private rented flats at locations around the south London borough, after months of tenant complaints were ignored. This move marks what is believed to … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Housing, Landlord licensing, London-wide issues, Merton, Outside Croydon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

40 arrests made in daybreak police operation in Mitcham

The Met Police is claiming 40 arrests today from actioning 32 warrants in early morning raids across Mitcham “to disrupt serious and organised criminality”. The daybreak raids – dubbed Operation Hessian by someone at Scotland Yard who’s probably watched too … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime, Knife crime, Merton, Mitcham, Policing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Ombudsman creates league table of London’s failing councils

The Housing Ombudsman has launched a special investigation into Lewisham Council, which is guilty of “repeated failings”. The watchdog said it would carry out the probe into the south London council after issuing it with 16 “severe maladministration” findings in … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Butler, Bexley, Bromley Council, Croydon Council, Housing, Lambeth Council, Lewisham, London-wide issues, Merton, Southwark Council, Sutton Council, Wandsworth Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Poor councils make bad situations worse says Ombudsman

People who have been treated poorly by their local council are all too often having their situations made worse when their council delays putting things right. That’s the view of the Local Government Ombudsman in her annual review of all … Continue reading →

Posted in Adult Social Care, Bromley Council, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Lambeth Council, Merton, SEND, Southwark Council, Sutton Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Air pollution worries after massive fire at Morden waste dump

The London Fire Brigade is advising residents across a large part of south London to keep their windows and doors closed through today, despite the summer heat, due to the heavy smoke from a recycling centre fire on Amenity Way, … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Environment, London Fire Brigade, London-wide issues, Merton, Suez waste treatment plant, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

7 councils ask Streeting to call-in children’s cancer decision

Croydon has joined with six other local authorities from across south London and Surrey to issue a plea to the new Labour government’s health secretary to call-in plans to move children’s cancer care from The Royal Marsden Hospital at Belmont … Continue reading →

Posted in Barry Lewis, Croydon Council, Health, Kingston, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Merton, Surrey, Sutton Council, Uncategorized, Wandsworth Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Community associations, Crime, History, London Fire Brigade, London-wide issues, Merton, Mitcham, Planning, Property, Pubs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Fire-hit cricket club determined to maintain Mitcham’s traditions

Clubs and residents’ groups in Mitcham have been picking up the pieces following the blaze on Friday night that caused terrible damage to the Grade II-listed Burn Bullock pub. As well as its association with a former Surrey cricketer, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Cricket, Mitcham, Property, Pubs | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Burn Bullock pub fire: ‘Mitcham’s history was lost tonight’

There are well-placed fears that one of the area’s most historic pubs, the Burn Bullock at Mitcham, has been lost forever after a large fire took hold in the long-abandoned building last night. The site has been targeted for a … Continue reading →

Posted in Cricket, History, London Fire Brigade, London-wide issues, Mitcham, Surrey CCC | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Licensed to print money: incinerator’s five latest breaches

Viridor’s polluting incinerator at Beddington Lane broke the strict terms of its operating licence five times during December, according to data released by the operator. Viridor failed to issue its usual two-weekly update during December – at a time when … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Environment, Kingston, Merton, Paul Scully MP, Refuse collection, Scott Roche, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment