Archive

  • Fire causes damage at restaurant

    FIRE chiefs are investigating a bank holiday blaze at a restaurant which saw four people sent to hospital suffering smoke inhalation. Six fire engines and 30 firefighters were called to the Thai Chung restaurant, Nelson Road, Greenwich, at 6.04pm yesterday

  • Watson seeks specialist help

    CRYSTAL Palace midfielder Ben Watson is set to undergo surgery next week in order to clear up a hernia problem. The 21-year-old missed last weekend's game with Burnley and wasn't named in Peter Taylor's England under-21 squad because of the injury, so

  • On course to fulfil doctor dream

    THERE was a very special reason why Katie-Anne Gresley, 16, was anxious to do well in her GCSE exams at St Catherine's RC Girls' School in Bexleyheath. Three years ago Katie-Anne's younger sister Alison, died aged nine, from bone cancer. Following her

  • Twice the success for clever twins

    IDENTICAL twins Tom and Matt Stankowski achieved almost identical top grade results at St Mary and St Joseph's RC School in Sidcup. While Tom, the younger twin by a couple of minutes, got five A* grades and seven As, his brother Matt achieved four A*

  • Look what the Romans have done for her

    PROBABLY the Bexley borough's oldest GCSE achiever was Mollie Hills. Aged 80, she lives in Welling and has just achieved a C grade in GCSE Latin. Mrs Hills told News Shopper she had decided to take the subject because she has always been interested in

  • Oyster scheme goes global

    INTERNATIONAL visitors can now buy and receive Oyster cards before they arrive in London. Transport for London has joined forces with VisitBritain to sell Oyster cards through their online shops. The Oyster card is an electronic smartcard which holds

  • Recycling message

    THE council wants residents' help to improve its rubbish service by reporting missed collections. These reports will work out why waste or recycling is not collected and will enable the council to send rubbish collectors to missed bins. It is possible

  • Girl hurt during fire

    A FOUR-YEAR-OLD was taken to hospital with smoke inhalation after escaping a fire. The girl got out of the five-bedroom maisonette in Minden Road, Anerley, with a woman before the fire brigade arrived at about 11.30pm on August 28. They were both suffering

  • Shuttlecock a go-go

    IF YOU fancy banging a shuttlecock to and fro then Orpington Junior Badminton Club's (OJs) Play In could be just for you. It is being held at the Priory Leisure Centre, Tintagel Road, Orpington, on September 2 from 3.30pm. It is open to junior players

  • Wands bank holiday points

    Corinthian Cas. 1 v 4 Wands Ryman League Division One South CRAY Wanderers sit second in the Ryman Division One South after a win and draw over the Bank Holiday weekend. While they went on a second-half rampage at Corinthian Casuals they stalled

  • Resident flapped by feathered find

    A HOUSEWIFE got a shock when she saw an unusual bird from Asia in her garden. Sarah Winter was looking through a bedroom window at her home in Berrylands, Orpington, when she spotted what she thought was a toucan. She managed to get a photograph of

  • Players Wanted

    Bromley - For players in Bromley borough call 0906 739 0327 - For Bexley, Dartford and Gravesham boroughs, call 0906 739 0329 - For Lewisham & Greenwich boroughs, 0906 739 0331 - Calls are charged at £1 a minute but listings are free. - These

  • Bromley’s treble dream dashed

    BROMLEY Cricket Club have failed to defend their Evening Standard Challenge Trophy title going down to Finchley in the semi-final. It was a tight affair with the teams finishing on 139 runs with Finchley progressing courtesy of losing fewer wickets.

  • Fond memories of amazing lady

    TRIBUTES have been paid to a community volunteer who dedicated her life to helping others. Rachel Notley was much loved for the work she did in a career spanning more than 60 years and even had a day centre for the elderly in Beckenham Road, Beckenham

  • VCD cruise to Deres win

    Erith and Belvedere 0 v 3 VCD Athletic Kent League Premier Division VCD Athletic made light work of title favourites Erith and Belvedere with a first half performance which took Wayne Brown's side apart. The visitors had a chance cleared off the

  • Chance to get into directory

    BUSINESSES are being invited to register with a free borough directory. The new edition of the Bromley Business Directory will be published in the autumn and distributed across the borough. All businesses can have a brief listing to improve their profiles

  • Time running out for Lottery winner

    A LOTTERY winner has less than a month to claim before forfeiting their £104,773 prize. On March 29, someone bought a ticket in the north Bromley area which matched bonus ball 19 and five numbers from 2, 6, 18, 36, 37 and 44. The win must be claimed

  • Bromley showing class to keep leader on toes

    Bromley 1 v 0 Ramsgate Ryman League Premier Division For more pictures, click on Non League Pictures BROMLEY had the Bank Holiday weekend from heaven taking maximum points and maintaining their unbeaten start to the season. Mark Goldberg's men

  • Victory in battle over bus lane fine

    A MOTORIST has won his appeal after he was fined for entering a controversial bus lane. Roy Swift is thought to be just the second person who has successfully appealed the penalty issued when driving in Cray Avenue, Orpington. The other is thought

  • Super Mac the man

    Gravesend and Northfleet 3 v 1 Altrincham Nationwide Conference For more pictures, click on Non-league pictures SUPER striker Charlie MacDonald scored a brace to sink Altrincham at Stonebridge Road. The former Crawley man now has five in five

  • Fleet flying high after maximum weekend points haul

    Forest Green Rovers 0 v 1 Gravesend and Northfleet Nationwide Conference FLEET secured their first league win on the road since February thanks to Luke Moore's first goal of the new campaign. Liam Daish's men, unchanged for the third consecutive

  • Welling hit Ding for five

    Welling 5 v 1 Yeading Nationwide Conference South AFTER the embarrassing first half performance and the eventual 4-2 defeat against Histon on Tuesday evening, Wings Boss Adrian Pennock made numerous changes to the starting line-up, writes James Underwood

  • Character shines out of frustrating clouds

    Crystal Palace 2 v 2 Burnley Coca-Cola Championship For more pictures, click on Palace pictures PETER Taylor praised his Eagles' character as they came back from behind twice to frustrate Burnley. The Eagles were unlucky to miss out on three

  • Taylor wants more new faces

    CRYSTAL Palace boss Peter Taylor is still working hard behind the scenes to try and add some new faces to the Eagles squad. The transfer window closes tomorrow and Taylor is still chasing a striker and a right winger to give his squad some extra competition

  • Spackman's reaction to Cheltenham defeat

    NIGEL Spackman will study a match video from the Cheltenham game before deciding if the Lions are going to appeal Lenny Pidgeley's red card. Pidgeley was shown a straight red card by referee Trevor Kettle after 36 minutes with the score level at 1-

  • Millwall fall by odd goal in five

    Cheltenham 3 v 2 Millwall Coca Cola League One MILLWALL were denied a third successive victory when Cheltenham's JJ Melligan hit a heartbreaking 82nd-minute winner to clinch the points at a rain-soaked Whaddon Road. Nigel Spackman's bravehearts

  • Motown at the Met

    THE sweet soul sounds of Motown are coming to a police social club next week. An evening of music, dubbed the Motown Extravaganza, features a live set by top soul singer David-Lee Andrews. California-based David is currently touring with Ray Lewis, one

  • Dowie's reaction to Bolton victory

    IAIN Dowie was swelling with pride after picking up his first Premiership win as Charlton's head coach against Bolton Wanderers, writes Lindsay McCombie. He said: "What transpired today is people stood up and were counted. "We played really well

  • Flipron: Biscuits for Cerberus, released on October 2

    BY VISITING their website, you can tell Flipron are not your average band. They come across as an out-there indie alternative, which reminds me of the quirky British Sea Power. Their second album, Biscuits For Cerberus, is a strange collection of musical

  • Royal Standard, Nuxley Road, Belvedere

    Drink 3/5 Decor 4/5 Price 4/5 Atmosphere 4/5 Staff 5/5 TV EXTRAS used to be an unfamiliar breed of person to me. I couldn't understand why they choose to get up at ungodly hours to stand around at the back of scenes while the main actors say their

  • Putting the world to lefts

    Tony Benn is one of Britain's most venerable politicians. With his one-man show coming to Fairfield Halls next week, he talks to PAUL REVEL. THE longest-serving Labour MP in the party's history, Tony Benn was first elected in 1950, becoming the Baby

  • Charlton get first points thanks to Bent

    Charlton Athletic 2 v 0 Bolton Wanderers Barclays Premiership For more photos, click on Charlton picture DARREN Bent's double sealed Charlton's first Premiership points of the season in a tale of two penalties and two red cards against Bolton at

  • Tracy treads the boards

    CHILDREN'S heroine Tracy Beaker is coming to Dartford's Orchard Theatre next month. The show follows the adventures of the mischevious 10-year-old and friends in their children's care home known as The Dumping Ground. Created by award-winning novelist

  • Darts turn Leafe white

    Whyteleafe 1 v 3 Dartford Ryman League Division One South DARTS completed a Bank Holiday clean sweep and by doing so returned to the top of the table thanks to a win at Whyteleafe. On a grassed but bumpy pitch, softened by a pre-match downpour

  • Art exhibition is colourful calorie overload

    A NEW exhibition at the Stephen Lawrence Gallery features a vividly customised 1960s ice-cream van. The van forms its own touring gallery, created by artist Chila Burman. The exhibition's title is as evocative as its images: Candy Pop and Juicy Lucy

  • Darts are top of the table

    Dartford 1 v 0 Kingstonian Ryman League Division One South WHEN he was Darts' manager John Still wanted three things from any game - a win, a clean sheet and good football, writes Mike Brett-Smith. Darts provided two out of three against Kingstonian

  • Bromley enjoy Bank Holiday on the coast

    Worthing 1 v 2 Bromley Ryman League Premier Division BROMLEY came back from the Sussex seaside with three points continuing their unbeaten start to the season with a fine footballing display, writes Patrick Harris. The Lillywhites, lining up 3-

  • You, Me And Dupree (12A)

    OWEN WILSON has been peddling his post adolescent surfer dude routine for some time now. It's a tough act to dislike, but by relying almost totally on the 37-year-old's laid-back charisma, his latest film, You, Me and Dupree (12A), much like Wilson's

  • Cray held by Tooting

    Cray Wanderers 0 v 0 Tooting & Mitcham United Ryman League Division One South Match Report from Daniel Harris CRAY Wanderers dropped their first points of the season after being held to a goalless draw by 10-man Tooting and Mitcham on Bank Holiday

  • Charlton to host Carlisle in Carling Cup

    CHARLTON have been drawn at home to Carlisle in the second round of the Carling Cup. The tie will be played in the weekend commencing September 18. Leeds v Barnet Watford v Accrington Stanley Crewe v Wigan Doncaster v Derby Sheff Utd

  • Teammates set for country clash

    DENNIS Rommedahl and Hermann Hreidarsson will lock horns when qualification for the 2008 European Championships gets underway early next month. The Addicks duo will square up in Reykjavik on September 6 when Iceland face Denmark. Rommedahl has

  • Chelsea tickets

    TICKETS for Charlton's next match, away at Chelsea on September 9 (3pm), are now on sale to all season-ticket holders, using Voucher A. Plenty remained before the weekend priced £48 adults and £20 seniors and under-16s in the upper tier, and £45

  • Blackheath and Bromley update

    ATHLETES from Blackheath & Bromley (B&B) were in action at the Inter Counties match at Eton with two setting Championships best performances. Rachel Blackie may have been down on her personal best but the 53.82m she threw in the under-20s hammer won

  • Comedy survivor minds his manners

    Dubbed Britain's rudest comedian, Roy "Chubby" Brown tells HANNAH STEPHENSON how a life-threatening illness gave him little to laugh about. MUCKY comic Roy "Chubby" Brown has made a mint on the club circuit and achieved cult status with a huge

  • Bowling update

    TAYLOR Monk, Paul Field, Terry Heppell and Andy Thomson of Blackheath and Greenwich Bowls Club (B&G) crashed out of the Waitrose EBA National Championships in the first round. Held at Worthing, the quartet went down 18-20 to Gloucester side Jack Dempsey

  • Beckenham steal points from Deal

    Beckenham Town 2-1 Deal Town Kent League Premier Division BECKENHAM clinched victory with a last minute goal in this Kent League encounter at Eden Park Avenue, writes Ian Muir. Despite taking a 37th minute lead Town allowed the visitors back into

  • Twelve in court over drugs ring

    A DOZEN men have appeared in court accused of being involved in a £60m cocaine drugs ring. They include 36-year-olds Darren Taylor, of Hayes Wood Avenue, Bromley, and Nicholas Johnson and Paul Collins, both of Seymour Drive, Bromley, who are all charged

  • Fire service goes for environmentally-friendly power

    FIRE stations are turning green with new electricity contracts. Stations in Beckenham, Bromley, Orpington and Biggin Hill will be powered by electricity from environmentally-friendly sources from November 1. Their electricity will be created through

  • Tell me about the honey, mummy

    A BEEHIVE has been built to give people an insight into Charles Darwin's experiments. It will allow visitors to Down House to see honeybees building honeycomb, just as the scientist did 150 years ago when trying to prove his theory of evolution.

  • Council accused of Mafia-like zeal

    A PENSIONER who won an appeal against a parking fine is accusing the council of pursuing him with "Mafia-like" zeal. Bernard Newing was given the £80 parking ticket in October last year after parking in Queensway, Petts Wood. The 70-year-old says a

  • Teenager accused of murder

    A 17-YEAR-OLD youth accused of murdering a gay nurse is set to stand trial more than a year after the alleged attack. The youth, who cannot be named, pleaded not guilty to murdering 45-year-old Simon Pearse when he appeared at the Old Bailey on May

  • In the record books

    FOUR pool players are on their way into the record books after playing for 24 hours. Committee members from the New Eltham Social Club, Avery Hill Road, also raised £3,000 for charity through their efforts. The challenge sets the first world record

  • Pool players hope to pocket new record

    A GROUP of pool players are waiting to have a new world record confirmed after they played 256 games in a 24-hour marathon. Taking into account five-minute breaks every hour, it means the foursome from the New Eltham Social Club in Avery Hill Road, played

  • To the point

    NANNY STATE: In regard to the story Life Expectancy Cut For Drinkers (News Shopper, August 16). I am sorry to see your normally excellent newspaper is buying into the nanny state's "baby-ing" of us all. First it was do not eat too much red meat. Then

  • Parking is poor

    HAS anyone using the facilities at Greenwich Retail Park had a problem with parking? I went to see a film at the Greenwich Odeon which ran for two-and-a-half hours plus adverts. I then moved the car and went to Sainsbury's to do my week's shopping,

  • Postal service is second class

    HAVING to send a letter to the council, I was advised not to send it through the post, as this was considered to be too unreliable. What a state of affairs we find ourselves in at the start of the 21st Century. Our Royal Mail service used to be the

  • It’s right to pardon executed soldiers

    IN A rare fit of soft-heartedness the Government is to take steps to pardon the 300-plus soldiers shot by firing squad in the First World War. Those who have campaigned for this will be surprised and delighted. But the decision comes as no surprise

  • Teenagers get free travelcard

    FULL-TIME students aged 16 and 17 can get free bus and tram travel from Friday. London teenagers can apply for an Oyster 16 to 17-year-old photocard and claim free travel. Application forms need to be authorised by a school or a college. Forms are

  • Cash carrot for landlords

    PRIVATE landlords can claim up to £1,500 for energy-saving improvements in their tenants' homes. The deduction against their profits from income tax payments can be used to pay for insulating lofts, walls, hot water systems and draught proofing. Landlords

  • Millwall face Saints in Carling Cup

    MILWALL have been drawn at home against Championship outfit Southampton in the second round of the Carling Cup. The ties are due to be played the week starting September 18. Leeds v Barnet Watford v Accrington Stanley Crewe v Wigan Doncaster

  • Art in the aisles

    A CHURCH was transformed into an art gallery with more than 200 paintings during the bank holiday weekend to help raise funds. Cobham Church, The Street, Cobham, hosted its fifth biennial art exhibition to help raise money to restore its stained-glass

  • Arrest is linked to death

    DETECTIVES investigating the murder of a woman found in woodlands, have arrested a 38-year-old. The man, who lives in Windmill Street, Gravesend, was arrested at 8am on August 24, by officers from Thames Valley police. His arrest is part of an ongoing

  • Officers alerted to dead body

    THE body of a 50-year-old man has been found in his home. Police were called to a property in Rashleigh Way, Horton Kirby, at 12.48am on August 24. Officers were responding to the incident after receiving reports a body had been discovered. A neighbour

  • Police operate car crackdown

    A CRACKDOWN on uninsured motorists has seen more than 200 cars seized in north Kent since April. Almost 1,500 vehicles were seized across the county by Kent Police during a five-month crackdown on uninsured drivers in Kent. From April north Kent Police

  • News in Brief

    ROUTE EXTENSION: Greenwich and Lewisham assembly member Len Duvall has welcomed news Transport for London is consulting until September 29 on extending the 386 bus route from Greenwich Town Centre to Blackheath Village. Send comments to Len Duvall at

  • Put charity news on Shopper site

    BIG-hearted readers are constantly contacting News Shopper to tell us about their good work. In fact, over the course of the past year we have noticed a massive increase in charity calls. Unfortunately, such has been the increase, we have been unable

  • Cash boost for old hospital site

    REGENERATION plans to transform an old hospital site have been given a boost with a cash injection of almost £190,000. The transformation of the former Greenwich District Hospital site is a step closer to getting off the ground after Greenwich Council

  • News in brief

    CUT BILLS: British Gas has teamed up with Dartford Council to save residents up to £50 off council tax and £270 off their annual heating bills. The scheme encourages homeowners to install cavity wall or loft insulation to claim the discounts. Call 0845

  • Ferry stays afloat with cash lifeline

    RECORD funding from councils has helped a 150-year-old passenger ferry sail on. Kent County Council (KCC) has signed a new contract to continue the operation of the Gravesend to Tilbury passenger ferry. There are more than 70,000 journeys a year on

  • Big mess

    I FEEL I have to complain about the amount of graffiti in the alleyway leading from Bark Hart Road to Homefield Rise, Orpington. All along it's sprayed on virtually every fence. I think it needs urgent attention. W BARNARD Orpington

  • Cash waste

    WE HAVE pothole-ridden roads, filth and litter and awful street cleaning, but there appears to be plenty of money for bus stop alterations. Doubtless we will be told the wonderful improvements to bus stops is paid for by Transport for London. It's still

  • Fine them

    WE WONDER why we avidly separate our household waste. Last week our recycling boxes were not emptied. The paper box was emptied but the folded cardboard was not. We contacted Bromley Council and true to their word a crew arrived a few hours later and

  • Hospital stay

    I saw the letter about Princess Royal University Hospital (No Air Conditioning At Our New Hospital, News Shopper August 9) and I agree. I have just been discharged after spending a week in the medical ward. There are fans at every bed on 24 hours a

  • Collection shift is total rubbish

    OUR rubbish collection day has been changed from Wednesday to Thursday and the council has told us to put our rubbish out by 7am. I put my rubbish out at 6.50am to my dismay the dustman had already been and gone. Do we have to do get up at 5am to put

  • Designed to aid patient recovery

    REGARDING the articles and letters in your August 9 edition regarding parking and air- conditioning at the Princess Royal hospital. It is necessary for us to charge for parking in order to ensure the spaces at the hospital remain available for those

  • Acting before an emergency

    I WAS heartened to see coverage of the parking problems in Mere Close (Double Parking Is Load of Rubbish, News Shopper, August 16). For many months this issue has been the cause of much frustration to residents here in Locksbottom. The article suggests

  • Idiot needs to use his head

    TO THE young idiot I saw riding his motorcycle up White Horse Hill, Chislehurst, while having his hands apparently behind his back. Sonny, perhaps you thought you were being clever. Perhaps they were your friends riding a little way behind you and you

  • Getting behind parking campaign

    I SUPPORT Sheila Gunn's campaign to stop staff from the Princess Royal University Hospital parking in nearby roads (Double Parking Is Load of Rubbish, News Shopper, August 16). The same problem as Mrs Gunn experiences occurs in Hilda Vale Close, but

  • Keeping Thames traffic flowing

    Overseeing a busy cargo port is no easy job. CORINNE MCPARTLAND visits the Port of London Authority to find out more. THE Port of London encompasses the entire tidal Thames, from Margate to Teddington, a distance of 150km. The Port of London Authority

  • Mum shocked by cooker explosion

    A MUM is fuming after part of her cooker exploded "like a bomb" and showered her in hot glass. Kellie Murray, of Coulton Avenue, Northfleet, jumped back in shock when a glass pane smashed after she opened her oven door. She says hot glass sprayed up

  • Crime on decline as detection rate rises

    CRIME figures in Gravesham have dropped for the fourth consecutive month and more incidents are being detected. Figures for July show a 14 per cent reduction in crime for the borough compared with the same month last year. The detection rate has climbed

  • Learning survival skills with charity

    YOUNGSTERS spent their school holidays learning woodland survival skills. More than 20 children aged between seven and 12-years-old took part in a day dedicated to learning how to survive in the wild. They spent more than four hours trekking around

  • Police hunt shooting gang

    POLICE are hunting a gang of five black men thought to be behind a shooting which left a man seriously wounded. Detectives are appealing for information after a 20-year-old black man was shot in the chest on Saturday at around 12.50am. The shot was

  • News In Brief

    ARSON: A fire at two portable buildings in Leyton Cross Road, Wilmington, caused £8,000 worth of damage. Plastic goalposts and corner flags were destroyed in the buildings, owned by Hayden Youth Association. The arson attack happened between 3pm and 4.15pm

  • Group involved in celebrations

    A HINDU group celebrated the birth of the faith's highest God, Lord Krishna, with an evening of entertainment. Gravesend's Hindu Samati joined worshippers worldwide by celebrating the occasion at Miskin Hall, Hever Court Road, Singlewell. Sant Dharam

  • Hospital delivering birth rate figures

    HOSPITAL statistics have revealed an increase in births. The first six months of the year have seen an 11-per-cent rise in births at Darent Valley Hospital, Dartford, compared with the same period last year. Last month saw 271 babies born - the highest

  • Time to make nominations

    THERE is still time to recognise residents for the work they do voluntarily. Nominations for the Kent Volunteers' Awards, which has received thousands of entries since it began in 1999, close on September 22. Winners will be notified on October 13 and

  • News In Brief

    GIVE BLOOD: You can donate blood at the Woodville Halls Theatre on September 19 and September 27. The National Blood Service will also be at Longfield Community Centre, Fawkham Road, Longfield, on September 18. Sessions run between 2pm and 4.30pm and

  • Children transfixed by Caribbean tales

    TWO hundred children were entertained by a theatre group at a museum. The Whippersnappers Theatre put on a lively interactive show at the Horniman Museum in London Road, Forest Hill. Children were told stories about the Caribbean at the event, which

  • Learn to care for pondlife

    PONDS and all the plants and wildlife which depend on them have suffered in this summer's heatwave, according to a group of volunteers. Lesnes Abbey Conservation Volunteers (LACV) will be carrying out maintenance work on the pond in Abbey Wood on September

  • Opportunity for owners to get pets into line

    HELP will be at hand for people with delinquent pets when the new term starts at an adult education centre. From September 23 there will be new classes at Crayford Manor House for dog owners on practical training to turn their animals into happy and

  • Touch of magic at children’s picnic

    THERE was magic at a community centre when a community forum invited youngsters in for a picnic. The hall in Bedens Road, North Cray, was filled with children, from toddlers up to nine-year-olds, for a magic show and teddy bears' picnic. After the magic

  • Drivers warned about using mobile phones

    DESPITE being illegal, hundreds of drivers in Bexley are still being caught using their mobile phones while driving. Figures released to Jenny Jones, a London Assembly Green Party member, show 371 drivers in Bexley were issued with fixed penalty notices

  • Injured by gang in park beating

    A MAN with severe learning difficulties has been beaten up in a public park by a group of yobs. The man, aged 42, was in Franks Park in Parkside Road, Belvedere, at about 3.45pm on Agust 23 when the attack took place. He received a number of wounds

  • Plenty of new arrivals in block’s baby boom

    HARKING back to the reputation of activities in the back row at the pictures, a block of flats built on the site of a former cinema is enjoying a baby boom. Chaplin House, in Sidcup High Street, was built on the site of the old ABC cinema and, according

  • Volunteers’ art proves to be talking point

    A TEAM of volunteers spent a week painting a "talking point" mural at a youth centre. The artwork, which features a black fist and a white fist touching, was painted on the sports hall at Miracles Youth Centre, Windsor Road, Kings Farm, Gravesend. Volunteers

  • Trio arrested in hit and run case

    THREE people have been arrested in connection with the mowing down of two police officers. The day after the incident, which happened at around 11pm on August 18, an Erith man aged 21, was arrested in connection with causing grievous bodily harm. On

  • Motorbike rider dies in smash

    A MOTORCYCLIST has died following a collision near a busy road junction. Police are appealing for witnesses to the incident which happened in Bexley Lane, Sidcup, near the junction of Faraday Avenue at about 5.15pm on August 22. The motorcyclist, 45

  • Friend’s snap of man after alleged assault

    A MOBILE phone camera was used to picture a man police want to speak to in connection with an alleged indecent assault. North Kent police have issued the image following the incident which allegedly took place at around 1.30pm on July 21. It is reported

  • Tidy win for young designer

    THE fight against litter has brought young people together during the school holidays. Swanley Council organised the fifth annual Just Bin It competition aimed at involving youngsters in keeping the community tidy. Children aged four to 15 designed

  • History group reproduces updated book of area

    A HISTORY society has re-launched and updated a book about Gravesend it first published in the 1970s. Gravesend Historical Society, which has charitable status, raised the money through bequests and loans to print 2,600 copies of the book. The group

  • Talents to help kids

    PEOPLE will have the chance to show off their skills and help sick children at a fundraising talent show. The event is being organised by student nurse Sally Cudmore, who hopes to work at the new children's hospice unit in Eltham, to be opened soon by

  • More pupils making GCSE grade

    STUDENTS and their schools across Bexley have been celebrating the borough's best ever GCSE results, with a big leap in the numbers of pupils gaining five GCSEs in the top A* to C grades. Many schools have broken their own previous best performances.

  • Help group spend Lottery cash on older residents

    A COMMUNITY forum has cash to spend on people aged 50 and above and wants ideas on what to do with it. The Belvedere Community Forum was given £5,000 by the Big Lottery's Awards for All to fund a weekly activity for older people. Now it is canvassing

  • Log on to discover whole new website wonderland

    NEWS Shopper is moving into an exciting new era where we will further aim to give you the very best news coverage. Our website is undergoing massive changes which are aimed at providing the fastest news service in south-east London and north Kent. Within

  • Make film dreams a reality

    PEOPLE with a passion for making films are being offered the chance to explore their talents with access to professional help and funding. A project, called the Tripod Filming Fund, has been set up between Film London and the arts and film departments

  • ‘Delighted’ by new sculpture

    I WAS delighted to see the new sculpture on the roundabout at Erith unlike Valerie Wilton, (Monstrous' Sculpture Looks Like Child's Work, News Shopper, August 23). I think it is a beautiful and tasteful piece of art and shows a respect for the people

  • Fishy addition is totally hideous

    I AM certain I am not the only Erith resident who has almost crashed their car at the roundabout in Erith after having spotted the startling fishy sculpture recently deposited there. It is hideous, vulgar, gaudy, pointless and a new barnacle on the face

  • Do not become victim of bogus callers

    POLICE are advising people how to avoid becoming a victim of bogus callers. They may pose as workers from gas, electricity or water companies, officials from the council or even police officers. If you are not expecting someone to call, lock your back

  • Pardoning soldiers is right thing to do

    IN A rare fit of soft-heartedness the Government is to take steps to pardon the 300-plus soldiers - some of them just teenagers - who were shot by firing squad in the First World War. Those who have campaigned for many years, along with bereaved relatives

  • Getting in step to help others

    A GROUP of youngsters has trekked 32 miles in a bid to help an organisation which has helped them. The nine young people, aged between 13 and 18, are members of the Duke of Edinburgh Award's open centres in Sidcup and Erith. They were raising cash for

  • Warden invasion

    IN REPLY to Will Duffay (Letters, August 16) about traffic wardens. I respected the job traffic wardens do until recently. I live in Bexleyheath and left my car on my drive while I walked to the shops with my daughter in her pushchair. On my return

  • Pardon these dead soldiers

    THE Government is to take steps to pardon the 300-plus soldiers - some of them just teenagers - who were shot by firing squad in the First World War. Those who have campaigned for this will be surprised and delighted. But the decision comes as no surprise

  • TO THE POINT

    GOOD FOOD?: It is good supermarkets are starting to provide organically-grown food. However, I would like readers to look closely to see where these crops are grown. As a pensioner who lived in Kent during the Second World War, I have memories of queueing

  • Don’t punish trivial offences

    I AM not hysterical, selfish, or pampered and how can telling the truth about parking wardens be offensive? What a lot of rubbish in Will Duffay's letter (Drivers Must Get Off Backsides, August 16) stating wardens do an excellent job and we should all

  • Working together to support Muslims

    There have been a number of articles recently about the mosque in Gravesend and I am pleased papers are showing the useful work which the Muslim community does in Gravesham. Quite often, in these days of Islamic-phobia, things are written which have

  • To The Point

    DRIVERS HINDERED: If Will Duffay (Drivers Must Get Off Backsides, News Shopper, August 16) thinks drivers are pampered, he obviously does not drive. They are hindered, harassed and obstructed at every turn and overtaxed to boot. Because of the errors

  • Addicks sweat on Bolanos appeal

    CHARLTON will discover whether new winger Christian Bolanos is to be given a work permit at a Home Office appeal hearing today. The 22-year-old Costa Rican joined on a one-year loan from Deportivo Saprissa earlier this month but has not yet been given

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    URUGUAYAN midfielder Omar Pouso is poised to seal a loan move to Charlton after his current club revealed he had flown to England to discuss terms. Pouso, who scored in a friendly against England in March, wants to leave Penarol and agree a season-long