This year has been packed full of news with stories in south east London and north Kent from travel to crime.     

With 2022 just around the corner, we thought we would take a look back at some of our biggest stories of the year.

Whilst we share some of our top stories, we would like to take the opportunity to wish you all a happy new year.  

Here are our most popular stories from 2021. 

Top 10 most read stories in south east London and north Kent in 2021

10. London bus strikes: Which routes are affected next week

TfL has issued updated travel advice ahead of planned strike action by bus drivers next week.

It comes as bus drivers with trade union Unite take strike action against parent company RATP Group over new contracts and pay cuts they say are being forced through amid the coronavirus pandemic.

TfL warned of the possibility for disruption in west, south west, and north west London next week on Wednesday (March 3), Friday (March 5), and Saturday (March 6).

Read more here >>

9. Asda to close Dartford home shopping centre - jobs to go

Asda has launched consultations with around 5,000 staff over a major restructuring which will see its Dartford shopping centre close.

The newly announced plans could put 3,000 back office store workers at risk, with the supermarket giant saying the restructuring has been driven by the "structural shift" towards online grocery shopping during the pandemic.

Part of the plans will see its home shopping centres/warehouses close in Sandpit Road, Dartford, and in Heston, west London, with around 800 jobs affected as it looks to shift more picking operations into stores.

Read more here >>

8. Arctic trough: Forecasters warn of possible snow for London

Forecasters at the Met Office have warned of a sharp drop in temperatures in London from Easter Sunday, with a small chance of wintry showers and snow on Monday.

Weather forecasters are predicting a 'Spring Swing' in temperatures, with thermometers set to plummet from a maximum 11C on Saturday down to as low as freezing on Monday.

Met Office spokeswoman Nicola Maxey said: "It's not unusual to see these big swings in spring - it's a transition period between winter and summer.

Read more here >>

7. Peckham Rye: Dangerous block of flats to be demolished

Flats overlooking a south London beauty spot that were built less than a decade ago are to be demolished because they’re too dangerous to live in.

Four blocks of 80 flats on the edge of Peckham Rye will be bulldozed and replaced with 91 flats in new buildings.

Work to finish the construction of the current apartments only finished between 2009 and 2011 but they have been plagued by damp, mould and safety problems since their completion.

Read more here >>

6. Crime Gallery: South London's most wanted criminals

A number of suspects and criminals from across south London are still at large, and are currently listed in the Met Police's 'Most Wanted' list.

We've seen hundreds of criminals successfully put behind bars in the past year, but a handful hailing from or committing crimes in south London are still out there.

These men and women are wanted for a number of gruesome offences, including armed robbery, Class A drugs supply, running a cannabis factory and money laundering.

Read more here >>

5. South east London mum wins £3m Fulham house in £10 raffle

A woman who has lived in the same two-bedroom house in south east London for 40 years has won a £3 million home after buying a £10 raffle ticket.

Marilyn Pratt, 68, won the four-storey property in leafy Fulham in west London, via the second Omaze Million Pound House Draw, which also raised more than £1 million for the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

The beautiful townhouse comes with three bedrooms, an office, a gym and a lovely walled garden, and is brightly and elegantly decorated throughout.

Read more here >>

4. McDonald’s: Viral video shows Dartford staff member throwing deliveries

A video circulating on social media shows a McDonald’s staff member in Dartford throwing deliveries on the floor.

The video was posted by a man who said that his son’s “food didn't turn up so he went” to the McDonald’s Dartford restaurant in Spital Street.

It is captioned “McDonald’s in Dartford tonight my son’s food didn't turn up, so he went down there”.The following can be heard being said in the video: “She’s throwing the food, like it’s no one else’s food, someone’s got to eat that.”

Read more here >>

3. Bolt helicopter ride option: What does it really mean?

Bolt users might have noticed something different on their apps recently - in the form of a helicopter ride option.

And no, unfortunately it doesn't mean that Bolt will send you your own personal helicopter to get you to your desired destination.

Bolt has partnered up with London's Air Ambulance Charity to recognise its 32-year service of providing round-the-clock trauma care to the people of London.

Read more here >>

2. Data shows worst chicken shops by hygiene rating in London

A new data study examining the hygiene ratings of chicken shops in every London borough has mapped your chances of getting hygienic food (or not) when choosing one of London's most popular take away meals.

The study, which compiled the Food Standards Authority (FSA) hygiene ratings of numerous registered chicken shops across every London borough, gave each borough a "risk-o-meter" score based on the average hygiene rating (1 being the lowest, 5 the highest).

It showed that Richmond, one of the capital's most affluent boroughs, in fact had the lowest average hygiene ratings of any borough in London, though that was based on the one registered chicken shop there included in the study, which had a hygiene rating of 1.

Read more here >>

1. TfL: New Oyster card change coming next month in London

Transport for London's drive for contactless travel has led to a small change in Oyster cards coming next month.

From the end of March, Oyster cards and products will no longer be available at c2c ticket officers.

Trainline company c2c announced the news, saying it was because their ticket offices use a ticket retailing system for Oyster that TfL no longer wishes to support, due to their support for contactless travel.

Read more here >>