Hayes & Harlington Gazette

Patients left in hospital corridors falling from their trolleys

A WEST London hospital continues to ‘require improvement’ according to a new report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC). In some cases, patients left in corridors fell from their trolleys. The report details how in September 2025 alone more than...

Electric car drivers must pay up too as congestion charges are shaken up

FOR the first time, drivers of electric vehicles (EVs) in central London are required to pay the capital’s Congestion Charge. Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan announced back in November that EVs would no longer be exempt from the fee starting from last...

Met’s £20m funding gap may mean cut in police manpower

THE Metropolitan Police could face further staffing cuts if the impending funding settlement from the Home Office is inadequate, officials have warned. The force has already identified a £20 million budget gap in 2026-27 that they intend to bridge...

‘TfL needs car club action plan’

TRANSPORT for London (TfL) is facing growing calls to establish a pan-London action plan to protect and promote car clubs following the UK closure of the world’s biggest carsharing firm. Zipcar, which is owned by US car rental group Avis Budget, said...

Village facing doom and gloom from airport expansion

RESIDENTS in a village which could be partly demolished as part of plans to build an extended third runway at Heathrow Airport have said they are worried they will be left with nowhere to go. The Government announced on Tuesday last week that it will...

Mayor set to get tourism tax powers

THE Mayor of London has cautiously welcomed reports that he will be granted the power to impose a tourist levy on visitors staying overnight in the capital, and a report outlines how such a tax could work in London. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is...

EV charges ‘will be a step backwards’

King Charles pays tribute to the fallen

THE King has led the nation in honouring those who have died in conflict on Remembrance Sunday at a ceremony attended by thousands of veterans. Charles took centre stage and laid the first wreath at the Cenotaph in recognition of the fallen from...

TRIBUTES TO DOG WALKER KILLED IN TRIPLE STABBING ‘His memory will live on in community’

THE partner of a dog walker killed in a triple stabbing in West London has said she is “heartbroken” over his death. Wayne Broadhurst, 49, died at the scene in Midhurst Gardens in Uxbridge on Monday (October 27). His partner Ann Newman has paid...

POLICE LOOK TO THE SKIES

A NEW trial will see drones launched remotely in London to support police officers responding to emergencies. The Metropolitan Police has launched the trial which will see drones feeding intelligence to assist both officers on the ground and in a...

Families pay price for the cost of living

THE soaring cost of living and childcare, gentrification, and a dearth of social housing has led to families being priced out of the capital, the London Assembly has been told. The number of births in London in 2023 was 20 per cent lower than the peak...

FATBERG IS WIPED OUT

A BLOCKAGE estimated to weigh 100 tonnes has been cleared from a west London sewer. It took a team of Thames Water specialists – wearing gas monitors for their own safety – more than a month to remove the fatberg that was more than 10 metres below...

A breath of fresh air

Sadiq Khan has celebrated the success of ULEZ as new Government data reveals for the first time London has met legal expectations for cleaner air. Sir Sadiq expressed his delight at this “historic milestone” for London over toxic nitrogen dioxide...

‘We don’t want to create panic’

HOUNSLOW Council failed to disclose a three-year police probe into an alleged west London grooming gang that was dropped last year, despite being asked if there were recent concerns in the borough, a MyLondon investigation has found. This week, the...

Closing police front counters ‘pragmatic’

LIVE facial recognition is a “gamechanging tool” that has led to more than 700 arrests so far this year, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has said of the technology that was first trialled in Croydon last year. There were 50 registered...

Work begins to take down Grenfell PAGE 3

A LIKELY two-year process to deconstruct Grenfell Tower is under way. The Government announced earlier this year that the remains of the building – where a deadly fire broke out in 2017 and claimed the lives of 72 people – will be brought...

Sadiq’s success or blight on our city’s drivers?

Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan has hailed his controversial Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) policy as ‘bold’ and ‘transformative’ two years after its expansion to the outer boroughs. Kumail Jaffer takes a look at what’s happened since the expansion, and...

Celebration on the streets

COLOURFUL costumes, dancing and music have filled the streets of London for Notting Hill Carnival. The carnival, Europe’s biggest street party and an annual extravaganza over the summer bank holiday weekend, helps celebrate Caribbean culture and...

‘A long way to go in fighting capital crime’

MAYOR of London Sir Sadiq Khan has admitted there is a “long way to go” when it comes to fighting crime in London, despite a drop in some serious offences like robbery and burglary. The Mayor boasted of “record funding” for the Metropolitan Police as...

Shrinking Met retreat from front counters

SIR Sadiq Khan has been accused of failing to honour a manifesto promise to maintain a police front office counter in all 32 London boroughs. In his manifesto prior to last year’s election, the Mayor of London pledged to “ensure the Met is able to...

‘It’s time to pay Grenfell survivors’

GRENFELL survivors and witnesses have blasted the judicial review process that led to the removal of an insulation firm from Kensington and Chelsea Council’s list of banned companies. This month Siderise was removed from a list of companies banned...

Major work puts Kew icon out of action

KEW Gardens’ iconic Palm House is set to shut for five years in a huge £60 million renovation project. The Victorian glasshouse, which sits at the heart of the world-famous botanic gardens, provides an indoor rainforest environment to protect some of...

Champions of the world

REECE James felt Chelsea made “a big statement” to their rivals by producing a major upset to beat Paris St Germain in the Club World Cup final. Cole Palmer scored two brilliant goals and created a third for Joao Pedro – all in the first half – as the...

‘Blaze was preventable’

ENERGY watchdog Ofgem has launched an investigation after a report found a fire that caused the shutdown of Heathrow Airport was due to a preventable technical fault. The report by the National Energy System Operator (Neso) said an “elevated moisture...

‘Protect our carnival’

CAMPAIGNERS have urged the Government to step in to protect the future of Notting Hill Carnival as they mark Windrush Day. The West London carnival is in jeopardy, its chairman Ian Comfort said in a letter on Wednesday, when he asked Culture Secretary...

Community grows for it

A SITE once plagued by fly tipping and litter in West London has been transformed into a community allotment site. It is the latest derelict site taken on and replenished by Hounslow Council. Earlier this year Westmacott Orchard was one of the first...

‘We have still had no justice’

GRENFELL bereaved and survivors shouted for justice in what is likely to be the final anniversary in the shadow of the tower as it stands, ahead of work to begin its demolition. The Government announced earlier this year that the remains of the...

Plea to save football academy

A West London community football academy claims it is at risk of closure due to a dispute with the council over a lease. Football Samurai Academy has been served an eviction notice and was due to vacate by April 22, 2025. The academy, which is based...

WATER FIRM’S RECORD FINE

ATTEMPTS to tell Heathrow’s sleeping chief executive that the airport had been closed because of a power outage failed because his bedside phone was on silent, an inquiry has found. Thomas Woldbye was in bed as senior Heathrow staff decided to suspend...

‘Don’t close vital centres’

WEST London parents have called on their local council to u-turn on plans to close 12 children’s centres in the borough. A demonstration was held on Wednesday (May 14) with parents, centre staff and opposition councillors attending. Ealing Council...

A bloom fit for royalty

THE King walked with a shepherd’s crook as he toured the Chelsea Flower Show with the Queen and saw a rose named in his honour. Charles and Camilla indulged their passion for gardening during their annual visit to the worldfamous horticultural...

Power outage still a mystery

AN INTERIM report into the power outage which shut down Heathrow Airport for most of a day last month has raised “important questions”. No flights operated at the west London airport from just after 1am on March 21 until around 6pm that evening, after...

Victory in Europe celebration

SENIOR royals have joined thousands of people in London to observe a military procession to begin commemorations marking the end of the Second World War in Europe. Nato allies joined 1,300 members of the UK armed forces for the parade, with the words...

Police fear a carnival crush

MAYOR of London Sadiq Khan has been asked to review attendance numbers for Notting Hill Carnival amid fears of a ‘mass casualty event.’ The request comes following concerns raised by the Metropolitan Police about the possibility of individuals being...

Big step forward for bridge

PEDESTRIANS and cyclists can now return to Hammersmith Bridge follow the re-opening of the structure’s main carriageway after a £2.9 million project. The works were delivered to the Grade II-listed Victorian bridge to improve the experience of...

‘We must break this cycle of violence’

A QUARTER of convictions and cautions for knife crime in London were given to boys last year, recent figures show. A knife crime prevention charity said the crime statistics show a “deeply entrenched problem”, adding targeted interventions to address...

Mayor wants more police on city streets

MAYOR of London Sadiq Khan has outlined plans to put more police officers on London’s streets to reduce robberies. The proposals comes as part of the Mayor’s new Police and Crime Plan launched on Friday March 28, aiming to revitalise neighbourhood...

Airport faces legal action for shutdown

HEATHROW is being threatened with legal action by a body that represents 90 airlines following the closure of the airport after a fire at an electrical substation. A total of 1,300 flights and around 200,000 passengers were disrupted by the closure...

‘It looked like a bomb had exploded’

HEATHROW Airport had “enough power” from remaining substations despite Friday’s shutdown, the chief executive of National Grid has said. John Pettigrew said two substations were “always available for the distribution network companies and Heathrow to...

Clean break for capital’s waterways

SIR Sadiq Khan has announced more than £7m of funding from City Hall and Transport for London (TfL) to stop road run-off pollution entering waterways, as he pursues his pledge to create “swimmable rivers” across the capital. It comes after the Mayor...

‘HS2 has great value’

HS2 will “prove its worth”, the boss of the company building the highspeed railway has claimed. Mark Wild, chief executive of HS2, said the project has “great value, intrinsic value”. He made the comments days after an influential group of MPs...

GRAN HITS OUT AT ‘SENSELESS’ KILLERS

THE grandmother of a “loving, kind, loyal and funny” young man stabbed to death in a feud over drug dealing patches, addressed his murderers directly in the dock in court to slam their “senseless and cruel” actions. Tyreece Scott, 24, was stabbed to...

‘We are faced with tough choices’

THE UK’s biggest police force says it is still facing a £260 million budget shortfall and “substantial tough choices” over cuts despite funding increases from central and local government. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced a £10m boost for the Met...

COUNCIL TARGET LIGHTS TO SAVE CASH–

A PLAN to dim street lights across an entire London borough to save money has been branded “madness”. Hounslow Council is proposing to review street lighting as one of several ways to plug a £30 million shortfall in finances. The proposal to turn off...

Grenfell Tower remaining ‘not a possibility’

ANGELA Rayner has denied being “aggressive” during a meeting of the Grenfell bereaved and survivors when informing them about the decision to dismantle the tower. The Deputy Prime Minister said it is “not a possibility” for Grenfell Tower to remain in...

‘Don’t destroy our villages’

WHEN residents of an idyllic village in West London bought their homes decades ago, they did not expect that they would be forced to uproot and sell their homes in their retirement. However, for residents of Harmondsworth, minutes away from Heathrow...

Third runway plans prepare for take-off

RACHEL Reeves suggested the full Cabinet must back any potential expansion of Heathrow Airport despite previous opposition from senior Government figures, as she all but confirmed plans to endorse a third runway. The Chancellor refused to be drawn on...

WILSON’S HAVING THE TIME OF HIS LIFE

FULHAM winger Harry Wilson feels he is enjoying one of the best spells of his career. The 27-year-old has been in fine form of late and has been key in helping the Cottagers rise up the table with two goals and two assists in his last five...

Loitering taxi drivers in ban

TAXI and private hire drivers have been banned from waiting for Heathrow jobs in Hillingdon neighbourhoods surrounding the airport. Hillingdon Borough Council’s Cabinet voted on Thursday for new measures to combat the antisocial behaviour, including...

Knight & New Year’s Day

SADIQ Khan has been made a knight in the New Year Honours list after securing a record third term as mayor of London. Sir Sadiq, the son of a bus driver in the capital, said he was “truly humbled” to receive the honour. He said: “I couldn’t have...

‘It’s the best Christmas gift’

WEST London theatregoers can rest easy this Christmas as the future of the Beck Theatre has been secured. Hillingdon Council has announced a 15 year deal with Parkwood Theatres, with the option to extend the deal by 10 years. The Hayes theatre was...

Developer sets goal for former football ground

A HOUSING developer has submitted plans to Hounslow Council to convert former Brentford FC stadium Griffin Park into a residential site. EcoWorld London says the plans form the next stage of its multisite residential plan, following its work on the...

Saddled with e-bike problem

TRANSPORT for London (TfL) is asking the Government for increased powers to tackle e-bike parking issues on London’s roads and pavements. Dockless e-bikes, which do not need to be parked in bays, can cause serious problems for pedestrians when parked...

BILLPAYER CASH WILL NOT PAY BONUSES

TROUBLED Thames Water is among nine water companies prevented from using billpayer money to fund £6.8 million of “unjustifiable” bonuses under new powers handed to the regulator. Ofwat said owners and shareholders of the water firms will instead have...

Raw sewage being flushed directly into rivers

LONDON is in the grip of an unchecked environmental disaster as raw sewage from some new-build developments is being flushed directly into rivers due to apparent blunders during construction. Environmental charity the Friends of the River Crane...

We will never forget

THE King has led the nation’s tribute to the country’s war dead during a poignant service of remembrance watched by the Princess of Wales. Charles laid the first wreath at the Cenotaph in recognition of the fallen from conflicts dating back to the...

Green space turns into a battlefield

HOUNSLOW residents are urging the council to cancel its plans to release a protected area of green belt land to developers for potential use as a warehouse site. Hounslow London Borough Council intends to release the land at Hatton Fields in Bedfont...

‘Better safe than sorry’

THE London Fire Brigade has warned against people hosting their own fireworks displays after a surge of incidents last year. Bonfire Night in 2023 saw a 14 per cent increase in emergency calls from the previous year. Over the whole period between...

Tube workers set to strike

LONDON Underground workers including drivers are to stage a series of strikes next month in a dispute over pay. Members of Aslef, working as Tube drivers, instructors, management grades, and those in the engineering section will walk out on different...

Is West London Orbital plan still on track?

MAYOR of London Sadiq Khan has provided an update on when plans for a new leg of the London Overground are set to progress. West London Orbital would utilise railway lines that are currently used for freight only, and serve customers in Barnet, Brent,...

‘There is still much more to do’

LONDON Fire Brigade said it accepts in full the recommendations directed towards the service from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry final report, exactly a month since its publication. The capital’s fire chief acknowledged that while positive changes have...

Pledge to clean up city’s rivers

THE Mayor of London has committed to cleaning up London’s rivers in an “ambitious 10-year plan”. The pledge follows analysis from City Hall which found five times more sewage flowed into London’s rivers in 2023 compared to previous years. The plan...

Taxis facing a ban on roads near airport

TAXI and private hire drivers could be banned from waiting in certain roads around Heathrow Airport to combat antisocial behaviour, which includes them urinating and defecating outside people’s homes. Hillingdon Council plans to hold a public...

‘Devastating’ impact on city

HOMELESSNESS and the housing crisis are having a “devastating impact” on Londoners and “wreaking havoc” on boroughs’ finances, councils have warned. “Skyrocketing” numbers of homeless people requiring temporary accommodation and the growing strain on...