Communities - Hanworth

Cockerel battered to death by thieves

2009-11-13T17:12:01Z

A cockerel was battered to death by 'evil' thieves who stole two chickens and seven rabbits from a Hanworth allotment.

The animals, which were kept mainly as pets, were taken from the allotment in Church Road overnight on Sunday.

Keepers of the plots went to visit their animals on Monday morning to find the chickens and rabbits missing, their hutches and cages ripped to pieces, garden furniture strewn everywhere and the cockerel dead on the floor. The locks had been broken and doors smashed in.

The cockerel and two Silkie chickens that were stolen belonged to Sharon Tallent, of Dickinson Road, Hanworth, along with two friends.

She said: "It just came as such a shock. Everyone's very upset. It's no different to having had a pet killed or stolen. The fact it's mainly pensioners or little children whose animals they were makes it even worse.

"I've got no idea who would do this. It's just plain evil. I can't understand the mentality of these people."

Police believe the suspects broke into the allotments at some point between 10.30pm on Sunday and 6.15am on Monday.

A police spokesman said: "The suspects brutally attacked and killed the cockerel and the victims are extremely upset."

Anyone with information is asked to call call Hounslow CID on 0208 247 6160 or CrimeStoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Anti-social behaviour up despite booze ban

2009-11-10T17:27:21Z

Anti-social behaviour has gone up 18% in Feltham despite drinking being banned in the town centre.

Boozing on the High Street and surrounding roads was outlawed in March but police recorded an extra 82 offences of anti-social behaviour in the area this summer compared with last year.

And residents say the ban is not working, that gangs of youths still congregate, drink and cause trouble and, if anything, the problem has spread to a wider area.

John Kavanagh, who lives in Feltham High Street, has been abused and had eggs thrown at him and thinks trouble from teen gangs is increasing.

He said: "It's still happening in the park opposite [Feltham Green]. They are still drinking, they are having parties with drugs and drink day and night over there.

"There are often ten or 20 of them and if you dare to go near them they'll attack you. It's beyond a joke and it's getting worse and worse.

"The police don't seem to care about them - this drinking ban hasn't had any affect whatsoever. They just let them drink."

The 18% increase in anti-social behaviour in Hanworth Park, Feltham West and Feltham North in July, August and September compared with the same period in 2008 comes following the end of a curfew in the town centre that police declared a success.

Between October 2008 and March this year offences dropped 12% when officers were given powers to send home unsupervised under-16s out after 9pm and ban them from the town centre for 24 hours.

The dispersal zone, which only took in the area around the High Street, was replaced by a year-long drinking ban covering a wider area including most of Hanworth Park, Feltham and parts of Bedfont.

People caught drinking on the streets inside the controlled zone can have their alcohol confiscated and be fined up to £500 for persistent offending or alcohol-related anti-social behaviour.

When it was introduced Simon Williamson, whose Bedfont Lane home has been plagued by yobs, was one of many who warned the drinking ban was not a sufficient replacement to stop the gangs from gathering.

He said: "I hate to say I told you so but this summer's been terrible and with the warm weather continuing it has not let up one bit.

"You see them taunting the police with a can in their hand and making noise until all hours. It's got worse and this so-called drinking ban is doing nothing to help."

Hanworth Remembrance Sunday service details

2009-11-06T17:14:43Z

A parade will leave the Royal British Legion in Cross Road ahead of a Service of Remembrance at the Hanworth War Memorial.

'Residents should get refund for missed bins'

2009-11-04T17:30:42Z

Residents whose bins are not collected should receive a refund from the council, according to one Hounslow councillor.

Hounslow Council has received £54,000 in fines from SITA - the company that runs the service - for failure to collect rubbish since it launched a new waste and recycling scheme in March.

And Liberal Democrat leader Councillor Andrew Dakers believes the council should pass that money on to people who are inconvenienced by missed collections.

He said: "If residents are suffering from a poor service, shouldn't they be given some sort of refund for that?"

"I would say there is a strong argument that it would focus the minds of the contractors and the council if some or all of this money was refunded to residents. That's the line I would take."

Under the terms of the contract, every time an entire street is missed by SITA the contractor is fined £100 but leader of the council Councillor Peter Thompson believes passing this money back to taxpayers is impractical.

"Cllr Dakers fanciful suggestion of refunding residents in affected streets clearly shows that he is only interested in cheap headlines to bolster his own political ambitions. He clearly has no idea of the practical problems and costs of such a scheme," he said.

"Moreover in the vast majority of cases where a street is missed it has been collected by the next day. Every missed street is one too many and despite our dramatic success in increasing recycling by residents, we will not rest on our laurels and will continue to support SITA to improve service levels further."

The council has collected an extra 1,500 tonnes of recycling since the scheme began but Cllr Dakers thinks it could have been much more.

"I acknowledge that there has been a substantial increase in recycling but there is the reality that the introduction of the service was a mess. The sensible thing would have been to pilot it in a small area and work on the problems before introducing it borough-wide," he said.

Households to save £120 on fuel bills

2009-11-02T17:23:31Z

More than 1,100 homes will see their fuel bills cut after Hounslow Homes received a £1m grant to improve insulation.

Households are expected to save up to £120 a year each once the housing association installs new cavity wall insulation in the homes across the borough with the lowest energy ratings. Hounslow Homes also estimates the project will cut CO2 emissions by 88,000kg per year.

The housing association's environmental adviser Rory Prendergast said: ''This grant will greatly assist us in targeting those properties which are the most expensive to heat and are most susceptible to fuel poverty. It will aide us in our efforts to tackle climate change at a local level, improve energy efficiency, and reduce heating costs for our residents.''

Feltham scrap dealer arrested over Milly murder

2009-10-30T17:15:29Z

A Feltham scrap dealer who police believe disposed of a car used in the murder of Milly Dowler has been arrested.

Nirmal Gharu, 40, who used to own an MOT test centre in Hampton Road West, is thought to have disposed of a red Daewoo Nexia car which police think was used to transport the 13-year-old's body.

Amanda Dowler, who was known to family and friends as Milly, vanished while walking home from school in Walton-on-Thames on March 21, 2002. Six months later, her skeletal remains were found 30 miles away by mushroom pickers in Yateley Heath, Hampshire.

Gharu - who is a friend of prime suspect and convicted serial killer Levi Bellfield - voluntarily attended a police station on Tuesday(26), where he was arrested and questioned before being released on bail until December 21. He was previously arrested, questioned and released in August.

Earlier this month police divers searched Bedfont Lakes for the red car after an anonymous tip-off but found nothing of any relevance.

In October Crown Prosecution Service solicitors were handed a dossier of evidence by Surrey Police connecting Bellfield with Milly's murder and are still considering whether to charge him.

The 41-year-old former nightclub bouncer and wheel clamper, who grew up in Hanworth, admitted earlier this year that he had been driving the car on the day Milly disappeared. He is currently serving a life sentence for killing Amelie Delagrange, 22, and Marsha McDonnell, 19.

Florist celebrates 50 years in business

2009-10-27T17:07:43Z

Eva's florists in Hounslow Road, Hanworth is celebrating 50 years in business.

Visitors last Thursday received complementary glasses of champagne to celebrate 50 years since George and Eva Harding set up shop.

It is now run by granddaughter Sue and great granddaughter Sammy, who received many messages of congratulation and a certificate of thanks from the Royal British Legion for their help with poppy appeals over the years.

Man hit by bus in 'shocking' double crash

2009-10-23T15:55:48Z

A man was hit by a bus in one of two accidents just hours apart in the same road last Friday(16).

Hounslow Road in Feltham was shut for much of the afternoon and evening as first a motorcyclist broke his leg in a crash with a car and later a man suffered serious head injuries when he was hit by a bus.

Witnesses told how the bus desperately tried to grind to a halt after the 27-year-old man stepped into the bus lane while crossing the road at about 5.45pm. He was airlifted to Charing Cross hospital where he is in a stable condition.

Bradley Goodwin, who was waiting for a bus in Hounslow Road, said: "It was a big shock. This bus was just motoring along and I don't know if the guy didn't look or what but all I heard was the screech of breaks and then shouts of panic.

"Everyone rushed straight over but you could it was serious. I heard someone say they thought he was dead."

The road was shut between Harlington Road West and Staines Road until 8.40pm, causing traffic chaos as the roads were beginning to clear following the earlier crash.

Hounslow Road was shut between 1.10pm and 1.50pm near the junction of New Road after the collision between a man on a silver moped and Blue Saab car. He was taken to St Peter's Hospital in Chertsey where he was treated for a broken leg.

Students shown shocking crash film

2009-10-21T16:02:58Z

Hounslow students were shocked into thinking about road safety by a hard-hitting video of a fatal crash.

More than 2,000 pupils in Year 12 at schools throughout the borough attended the Road Safety day in Ealing earlier this month.

Aimed at 16 and 17-year-olds who have just started or will soon start to drive, the 'safe drive stay alive' film involved viewing footage from a real crash in which a teenager was killed interspersed with interviews with members of the emergency services and parents affected by serious or fatal accidents.

Community safety partnership inspector Adrian Baxter said: "This is a powerful and emotive project that sends out a very strong message to young people as they reach an age where they're allowed to drive."

Speed limits slashed on danger roads

2009-10-16T15:30:01Z

Lower speed limits are being introduced at accident blackspots in Clockhouse Lane and Stanwell Road in Feltham.

Hounslow Council plans to reduce the limit in Clockhouse Lane - where 11 people have been injured in accidents in the last five years - from 60mph to 40mph.

In Stanwell Road the council is planning a reduction from 70mph to 50mph on the dual carriageway, with a further reduction to 40mph at the approach to the junction with Bedfont Road.

Crematorium wins national awards

2009-10-14T16:29:33Z

South West Middlesex Crematorium has been named as Britain's best cemetery at a national awards ceremony.

The Hanworth crematorium scooped four awards in total at the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management's annual conference on September 29 - most environmentally-friendly, best grounds, most improved and best overall.

Alan Keen predicted to keep his seat

2009-10-13T16:26:39Z

A new poll has predicted Brentford MP Ann Keen will lose her seat at the next election - while husband Alan will hold onto Feltham and Heston by his fingertips.

If the results of the Yougov survey, which quizzed 33,610 people in 238 marginal constituencies, were borne out at next year's election, Tory candidate Mary Macloed would replace health minister Mrs Keen as MP for Brentford and Isleworth.

The poll - commissioned by Politicshome.com - predicts Mr Keen, who has represented Feltham since 1992, would just hold on to his seat ahead of Conservative Mark Bowen.

Mr and Mrs Keen hold large majorities of 18.3% and 9.6% respectively but the poll's results show the extent of the collapse in the Labour vote in London, along with the continuing public anger over the couple's expense claims.

The Chronicle revealed earlier this year that the Keens - who have been dubbed Mr and Mrs Expenses - charged the taxpayer £40,000 in interest payments on a central London home while their 'main home' in Brentford lay empty and boarded up.

Mrs Keen said: "The latest Yougov poll results are, of course, interesting but as you know these can not give an accurate result of an election. When the Prime Minister decides to call the election, the Government and I will be judged on what we have achieved and what we will be able to deliver in the future."

Mary Macloed, who has been predicted to take Mrs Keen's seat, treated the poll results with cautious optimism.

"It's definitely encouraging and I am hoping that people are beginning to know more about me and the work I am doing but there is still more to be done," she said.

"This election is not a done deal and it's really important that people come out and vote."

Tory candidate for Feltham, Mark Bowen, said the results were not bad news, despite them predicting a defeat for him.

"The key piece of news for me is that nothing has changed - every single vote will count," he added. "Feltham and Heston is winnable for the Conservative party with the hard work and a clear message."

Mr Keen refused to comment on the poll.

Family of drug dealers jailed

2009-10-09T15:52:30Z

Three members of a family-run drug dealing ring were each sentenced to three years in prison last Friday.

Alan Bishton Snr, his son Alan Jnr and brother Malcolm had admitted intent to supply drugs and nine counts of handling stolen goods after a police raid on their Feltham home found cocaine worth £18,000, £4,000 in cash and £6,000 worth of stolen goods.

The three men, all of Cottington Road, are thought to have been responsible for the majority of drug-dealing on the Oriel Estate in recent years, which they used to finance an international property empire.

They were sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on Friday and will not be able to return to the estate on release as they have been evicted by Hounslow Homes.

Priest accused of bully his flock

2009-10-06T15:53:41Z

A priest has instructed police to serve harassment warnings to five members of his congregation who have had petty disagreements with him.

Paul Williamson, who is priest-in-charge of St George's Church in Hanworth, had the police visit the homes of three men and two woman and serve written allegations of harassment forms on them.

None of the allegations have been proven but the subjects - whose offences include putting up posters in the church and accusing the priest of bullying - are devastated and some are fearing for their jobs.

Mike Spackman, 60, is a former treasurer at the church but became unhappy at Revd Williamson's treatment of people so put up a poster saying: "Hanworth needs a change."

He was shocked when police turned up at his house and issued him with an official warning.

"I just couldn't believe it," he said. "It's just no way for a priest to behave. I'm not complaining about the system but about the abuse of the system that means that by giving someone's name, he can have totally innocent people visited by the police."

Revd Williamson, who counts Ian Paisley among his friends, is banned from taking anyone to court as he is listed by the Government as a 'vexatious litigant'.

Earlier this year he was officially warned by the Diocese of London for 'inappropriate conduct' in aggressively pursuing a rent charge of £6 per year from each household in the parish.

He lost the claim in court after he was challenged by local residents and the church put a conditional deferment on his record for two years.

John Murphy, who was one of the challengers in that matter, has written to MP Alan Keen about the harassment allegations and the MP has pledged to help and has written to Hounslow Police for an explanation.

Mr Murphy said: "People who don't know him see a dog collar and will believe anything he says but why are the police doing this for someone who has been named as a vexatious litigant?"

A police spokesman said: "If an allegation of harassment is made to the police, if suitable and appropriate and in the spirit of crime prevention and to prevent further incidents police may issue Allegation of Harassment Form.

"Sometimes people do not realise their actions have caused harassment to the other party. We make it clear that their actions has caused harassment to another person and make it clear this does not in any way constitute a criminal record. We make no comment as to the truth, or otherwise to the allegations made at that stage."

Revd Williamson refused to comment on the matter.

Tories hold up Feltham as example of 'Broken Britain'

2009-10-02T15:23:32Z

The Tory party will launch their election campaign next week by using Feltham as an example of 'Broken Britain'.

Shadow immigration minister Damian Green was in the town on Monday making a film about how anti-social behaviour is blighting the country's streets.

A Tory party source told the Chronicle that Feltham was chosen as it had been highlighted as 'somewhere where anti-social behaviour has been a huge problem'.

However, Labour Councillor for Feltham John Cooper said the choice of Feltham showed the contempt the Conservative party had for the town.

"I am shocked and disgusted to be honest," he said. "I think it's appalling that they think so badly of Feltham. It's got its problems like anywhere else but it's certainly not an example of 'Broken Britain'.

"It's an insult to the people of Feltham. We have spent a lot of money on improving Feltham, so why on earth are the Tories slagging it off?"

The film will be shown during shadow home secretary Chris Grayling's speech entitled 'Mending Our Broken Society' at the Conservative party conference in Manchester on Wednesday. It will feature shots of Feltham and parts of Hanworth Park and interviews with local residents who have been victims of anti-social behaviour.

John Kavanagh, who was interviewed for the film, said: "I had a great session with them. I was well and truly pleased to speak to someone important who was prepared to listen.

"I was trying to get across the problems with addicts, dealers and knives around here and they said the shadow home secretary would help sort out my problems."

The Tory party source added: "We know that Feltham has got problems but it's not [been chosen] because of any particular measure that Feltham is the worst on. I'm sure we could have gone to lots of towns."