London

London

was not handled to the standard we strive for

The resident-led housing association, Phoenix Community Housing has submitted plans to partially demolish Catford Police Station on Bromley Road so it can deliver 63 new homes. The plans will be heard by Lewisham Council's Planning Committee at a meeting next week (November 25). Catford Police Station closed at the end of 2017. Since its closure, the building has been occupied by Live In Guardians, who are allowed to live in disused buildings for a lower rate than normal in exchange for guarding' the vacant property.

An enormous new Christmas mural in southwest London has been mercilessly mocked online after viewers spotted its bizarrely disfigured people and dogs and chickens with swapped bodies. The mural, which appears to have been generated by AI, has been installed above the Cote Brasserie restaurant on Kingston upon Thames' Riverside Walk. It seems to depict a Nativity scene with pilgrims gathered to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

The council needs to acknowledge that this is residential. We have a public spaces protection order and the police are only on duty until 11pm so any licence beyond that time must be cancelled immediately and new applications turned down.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the Royal National Institute of Blind People urged the authorities to act "immediately" to fix the issue. The charity said it was concerned the puddle was affecting some people's ability to "walk safely and independently" in the area. Campaigns officer Clay Nash said the flood water blocks access to a signal-controlled pedestrian crossing that allows blind and partially-sighted people to safely cross the road to reach Moorfields Eye Hospital.

A green plaque saved from the former north-west London residence of Alice in Wonderland illustrator Sir John Tenniel, which was demolished in 1959, has found a new home after being restored. The sign was due to be scrapped when the Maida Vale home was knocked down as it was so damaged, but in a fortunate twist of events, it was put into storage.

A couple of police officers leapt out and asked us to jump up and down. You what? They asked us again, but in a tone suggesting it was less of a question than a command. Up and down we jumped until told to stop doing so. The cops thanked us for our trouble and, jumping back into their vehicle, explained they were on the hunt for some lads who'd just robbed an amusement arcade.

The DLR's new trains have been taken out of service just weeks after the first one started carrying passengers, following reports of problems with one of the trains breaking in wet weather. Transport for London ( TfL) says that although there has been only one isolated incident involving a single train, all three new trains that were in service have been temporarily withdrawn from service.

Santa Jaws is now on show for all to see. The yuletide display is less heartwarming, and more horror movie, as it depicts the big dino clad in his jumper and Santa hat terrorising a town, surrounded by snowy mountains, trees and houses. As for the jumper's design, we know this is what you're all here for. This year's jumper features a selection of the museum's finest prehistoric specimens, including a T-Rex skull and ammonite fossil, with an illustration of the South Kensington building on the back.

One worker told the Standard: I heard a scream coming from outside when I was behind the counter. By the time I went into the road, there was an old man on the floor. We later saw the CCTV footage and realised what had happened. A guy was standing next to him. When the old man took the money from the ATM, he just grabbed it and the old man fell. Because of his age, he couldn't stand properly.

Jazz Reid fired a volley of 11 shots, hitting the child twice and the 34-year-old man five times as they sat with other family members in a car in Ladbroke Grove, north-west London, on November 24. It was one of three linked shootings involving the use of two guns, one of which was recovered from underneath a concrete slab outside 33-year-old Reid's home following his arrest, jurors were told.

Love it or hate it, no one can deny that Wetherspoons is one of the most reliable, affordable pubs on the high street. Whether its a huge £8 full English breakfast, a £10 drink and dinner deal or a £5.50 pint, you tend to know exactly what you're in for. So when a Spoons closes down, it can feel like a pretty big loss. And residents in east London are reportedly 'gutted' that their local is next in line.

A one-year-old child has died following a hazardous materials incident at a flat in east London, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) has said. Fire crews were called to a property in Barking Road, Upton Park, in Newham, after two adults and two children attended hospital complaining about a smell of chemicals in a flat. The one-year-old child later died in hospital while receiving treatment. Around 12 people were evacuated from surrounding properties as a precaution as crews responded, LFB said.

The US Embassy in London was plunged into lockdown and bomb disposal experts carried out a controlled explosion after a bag containing wires and an iPad was left outside, a court heard. Daniel Parmenter, 44, is on trial at the Old Bailey accused of making a bomb hoax outside the embassy in Nine Elms last November 22. The court was told the defendant had denied intending to cause alarm, claiming it was just a form of sophisticated graffiti art.

Jewish groups have compiled a dossier of suspected hate crimes, including death threats and support for Hamas, by pro-Palestine protesters over the last two years after studying hours of footage on social media. In many alleged cases, charges by Scotland Yard and Britain's prosecuting authority were dropped or fell through at an preliminary stage. Among the examples cited are activists who blockaded synagogues and speeches in praise of the October 7 massacre, in which Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped a further 251.

It followed a tip-off to authorities that a frightening cache of pyrotechnics were being flogged off by an unlicensed vendor to members of the public. Fireworks should only be purchased from sellers, such as supermarkets, and not from market stalls or sellers conducting transactions door-to-door. Newham Trading Standards obtained a warrant to search a self-contained flat in Forest Gate last week and found the goods Those caught illicitly selling or lighting fireworks risk being fined up to 5,000 or sentenced to six months in prison.

Virgin Trains has had its application to share Eurostar's east London train depot approved by the Office of Rail and Road, paving the way for it to launch international services through the Channel Tunnel. Access to the depot is a critical requirement for an operator to launch Channel Tunnel services competing with Eurostar. Temple Mills is the only train depot that can be accessed from High Speed 1, the line that runs between London and the tunnel.

Two thieves who tried to steal a bicycle locked up opposite a police station in broad daylight have pleaded guilty to theft. John Kent, 43, of no fixed address, admitted attempted theft of a pedal cycle and handling stolen goods. John Hutchenson, 44, of Canton Street, E14, pleaded guilty to attempted theft of a pedal cycle, going equipped to steal, and theft from a shop.

Sentencing the men, a judge at the Old Bailey said they had planned a campaign of terrorism and sabotage in the interests of the Russian state. Dylan Earl was handed 17 years and a further six years on extended licence for his leading role. Jake Reeves, from Croydon in south London, was given 12 years in prison with one year on extended licence. The offences they admitted made them the first to be convicted under the National Security Act 2023.

Two teenagers have appeared in court facing computer hacking charges, in connection with last year's cyber attack on Transport for London (TfL). Thalha Jubair, 19, from east London, and Owen Flowers, 18, from Walsall in the West Midlands, were charged with conspiring to commit unauthorised acts under the Computer Misuse Act. They appeared at a hearing at Southwark Crown Court on Friday, and spoke only to confirm their names.

It begins, as so many of Shakespeare's stories do, in the dark. The Thames breathes mist across Bankside, while inside the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, hundreds of candles are kindled into life. The winter of 202526 at Shakespeare's Globe glimmers with transformation, imagination, and love in all its strange forms. The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse is the Globe's indoor counterpart: a jewel box of oak and candlelight built in 2014 as a reimagining of a Jacobean theatre.

"particularly proud to bring double-decker trains to the UK for the very first time"

Arguably the home of Christmas, the Charles Dickens Museum is the sort of place to visit before the Ghosts arrive to scare Scrooge in the evening. Open throughout the year, they pull out the festive decorations for Christmas and have a special open day on Christmas Eve where they'll be playing adaptations of A Christmas Carol throughout the day. Traditionally decorated in an authentic Victorian style, the Charles Dickens Museum evokes the nostalgia of a Dickensian Christmas.

gave freely of himself sharing his time, his laughter, to bring joy to others, always prioritising the happiness and wellbeing of those around him. In loving memory of a son, a father, and a cherished friend, our hearts are heavy as we remember a man whose presence brightened every room he entered. His generosity knew no bounds, and his compassion touched friends, neighbours, and strangers alike. Words cannot fully capture the depth of our gratitude for him and the impact of his kindness on our lives. He will be deeply missed, but his spirit will remain with us in the love he shared and the memories we will carry forward.