Author: James Whitmore

A police cordon remains in place on Park Street in Croydon this evening. Officers have sealed off the road at number 31, with no access currently permitted to the area. The Metropolitan Police has not yet released details about the nature of the incident.

More than 100 wanted criminals have been arrested in the first three months of a facial recognition pilot scheme operating in Croydon, the Metropolitan Police has announced.The Live Facial Recognition (LFR) pilot, which began in October 2025 in the Fairfield Ward area, has contributed to a 12% reduction in crime in the ward, including retail offences, violent crime, and sexual offences. According to figures from the force, an arrest is made on average every 34 minutes whilst the LFR system is in use during deployments.One third of those arrested are suspected of violence against women and girls offences, including strangulation…

The income gap between London’s wealthiest and poorest neighbourhoods has nearly doubled in three years, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics. Households in Leamouth, Tower Hamlets, had an average disposable income after tax of £107,600 in the financial year ending 2023, making it the highest-earning neighbourhood in London. Meanwhile, Southall West in Ealing recorded the capital’s lowest average at just under £31,700 a year. The difference of £75,900 represents an 84 per cent increase from three years earlier, when the gap between the richest and poorest areas stood at £41,300. The ONS data, which measures mean…

Five people have been charged with murder following the death of a 23-year-old man at a service station in County Durham. Daniel Ambler died following an incident at the Asda Express service station in Seaham on the afternoon of Thursday, 15 January. Durham Constabulary launched a murder investigation and subsequently charged five individuals in connection with his death. Barry Anderson, aged 51, Ashton Anderson, aged 19, and Barry Logan Anderson, aged 18, have each been charged with murder and violent disorder. Two 17-year-old boys, who cannot be named due to their age, face identical charges. All five are scheduled to…

A 38-year-old man has been hospitalised following a stabbing in South London during the early hours of Sunday morning. Metropolitan Police officers responded to reports of a knife attack on Mitcham Road in Tooting at around 3:25am on January 18. The victim was found at the scene and rushed to accident and emergency for treatment. A Met Police spokesperson stated: “Police officers responded to reports of a stabbing on Mitcham Road in Tooting this morning, Sunday January 18, at 3.25am. Officers found one victim, a man aged 38, at the scene. He was taken to hospital where his injuries have…

A man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for a pre-meditated knife attack on a probation officer that left her with serious injuries requiring six weeks of hospital treatment. Ryan Gee, 35, of no fixed abode, pulled a large kitchen knife and black replica handgun from his rucksack during a supervision meeting at Preston Probation office in The Pavilions, Ashton-on-Ribble, on the afternoon of 22 July 2025. The female probation officer, a woman in her 30s and mother of two, suffered serious stab wounds to her shoulder, under her armpit, stomach and chest. She required an immediate operation due to…

Two men have been arrested following a police pursuit that ended when their car collided with a London bus in Islington, after reports of a knifepoint robbery in East London. Metropolitan Police officers pursued the vehicle on Saturday, January 17, deploying a police helicopter after receiving reports of a robbery in Mile End Road, Whitechapel, earlier the same day. The chase concluded at around 2:15pm when the car smashed into a route 38 bus on City Road near Angel Tube station in North London. Both the car driver, a man in his 30s, and the bus driver sustained minor injuries…

Sir Keir Starmer has branded US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on Britain and other NATO allies as “completely wrong,” as tensions escalate over Greenland’s future. The Prime Minister defended the sovereignty of the Danish territory after Mr Trump announced sweeping 10% tariffs on goods from the UK, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Finland, set to take effect on February 1, 2026. According to the President’s announcement, these tariffs will rise to 25% on June 1, 2026, and remain in place until a deal is reached for the complete US purchase of Greenland. Sir Keir…

Five food businesses in Croydon have been ordered to close after council inspectors discovered serious pest infestations posing risks to public health. The closures follow investigations by Croydon Council’s food safety team, which found cockroach, rat and mouse infestations across the premises. Each establishment has been ordered to pay the council’s costs. Catch Star Chippy at 85 Stoats Nest Road in Coulsdon was found to have an active cockroach infestation throughout the premises, resulting in a serious risk of food contamination. The business was ordered to pay costs of £1,382.93. Chicago Pizza, Kebab and Burgers at 206b Addington Road in…

The body of a 15-year-old girl who was swept into the sea during a rescue attempt that claimed two lives has been recovered from a beach in East Yorkshire. Grace Keeling, from Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, had been missing for nearly two weeks following the incident at Withernsea on 2 January. Her body was discovered among rocks on the beach at 8.30am on Thursday and was safely recovered on Saturday morning. The teenager’s mother, Sarah Keeling, 45, and a local resident, Mark Ratcliffe, 67, both died after entering the water in an attempt to save Grace during rough weather conditions. The tragedy…