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Surrey News – Neighbours’ joy as pub put up for sale

Roger Mayne — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:27:29 +0000

RESIDENTS “terrorised” by boozed-up yobs say they are delighted the owner of a popular pub is looking to sell.

Steve Kirk, owner of the revamped Village Inn on Coulsdon Road, Caterham, for the last five-and-a-half years, told the Mirror he is looking to move on, and invited anyone interested in taking the pub on to give him a call.

The news was greeted with delight by residents living nearby, who complain they have been subjected to a tirade of late-night threats, thuggery, criminal damage and anti-social behaviour by revellers coming out of the pub late at night.

Marc Downie, a 42-year-old Coulsdon Road resident and car dealer, told the Mirror: “I’ve been threatened with violence. I’ve had mirrors smashed off my car. I’ve had bottles thrown at my car and down the alley by my house.

“Lots of people just don’t park on this street at weekends, they know their car will get kicked or dented. My windscreen was smashed the night of the Germany vs England match.

“I’ve seen fights right outside my home – one guy was knocked out cold and left lying in the middle of the street.

“And one night I went to move my car, and a big guy literally threw himself over my bonnet, saying there was no need to move, he could guarantee my car wouldn’t get damaged if I bought him a pint.

“The police need to come here, and see what happens at the weekend. Everyone here will tell you the same story. I won’t be disappointed if the pub closes, or if someone turns it into a family pub.”

Mr Downie’s neighbour, a service engineer who only wanted to be known by his first name Mike for fear of reprisals, told a similar story.

He said: “We just don’t go out or near the pub at certain times. It’s dangerous. I’ve looked out of the bedroom window to see a man dancing on the roof of my wife’s car.

“My windscreen was broken in two places. We’ve had spikes driven into the wheels of cars parked up here. We need a police presence. I’ve seen no improvement in the last six months.

“I don’t want the pub to close, necessarily. But it would be good to have a family pub there.”

A spokesman for Surrey Police said: “Complaints regarding anti-social behaviour near the Village Inn, Coulsdon Road, Caterham-on-the-Hill, were first raised at a neighbourhood panel meeting.

“Since then the Safer Neighbourhood Team have been working with the landlord to tackle the issues.

“Voluntary measures have been put in place and the situation has improved.”

Mr Kirk, 32, owner of the pub, declined to comment on incidents of antisocial behaviour and criminal damage, saying “It is not something I want to talk about.”

Pubs in decline – turn to page eight for more.

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Surrey News – £84k ‘wasted’ on council website

Roger Mayne — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:15:51 +0000

SURREY County Council is under fire after the cost of its website – £84,068 – was revealed by a Freedom of Information request.

The figure includes the cost of maintaining, supporting and hosting the necessary databases, running traffic information and £48,000 worth of recruitment.

And this figure does not include the cost of staff to support the website, which was designed in-house.

The expenditure has been blasted by Emma Boon, campaign manager at the Taxpayers Alliance which campaigns for responsible public spending.

She told the Mirror: “It’s outrageous that Surrey County Council is spending so much on the design and maintenance of their website.

“Those in charge must plan more carefully so they don’t have to overhaul their website every couple of years, and they should also be shopping around for the best deal.

“If contracts are not negotiated carefully in the first place, then councils could be tied into paying more than the going rate for a service, with taxpayers picking up the bill.”

Out on the streets of Reigate, the Mirror found residents were equally shocked by the cost of the site.

Basset Drive, Reigate resident and student Pritesh Pankhania was appalled by the cost, saying it was a waste of money and adding: “It’s a stupid amount of money to waste away. Is this website even using the full £85,000?”

And Pat Baker, from Nailsworth Crescent, Merstham, added: “It’s an extortionate amount of money to spendon a website. It’s a disgrace.”

Surrey County Council’s website is hosted by the council’s own in-house web team, and between April 1 2009 and March 31 2010, there were 4,187,359 visitors to the site, with a total of 8,315 pages of information. The council uses third-party tools to test and maintain the performance of the website, for example to check links, at a cost of £20,573 last year.

A spokesman for the council was unavailable to comment.

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Surrey News – Ashtead Tesco plans given the green light

Roger Mayne — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 14:39:31 +0000

Plans to build a Tesco supermarket in the centre of Ashtead have been given the go-ahead after a two year battle.

The supermarket chain had submitted two separate plans to build a supermarket at the former Esso site in The Street – one in 2008, the other in 2009. Both plans were rejected by councillors from Mole Valley District Council.

The plans had also been vehemently opposed by residents in the village including members of the Ashtead Residents’ Association and Save Ashtead’s Village Environment campaign group.

But following a 10-day public hearing planning inspector Nicholas Hammans has decided to pass the second, smaller, plan on appeal.

In his decision statement he said: “I am aware of deep divisions between elected members of the District Council, but that makes no difference whatever to the planning issues from which I draw my conclusions.

“I have taken account of housing need in the District, the availability of affordable housing, and the likelihood of new jobs at

the supermarket.

“I have also taken account of all other matters raised in

evidence and in the very numerous written representations from third parties.”

See this week’s Leatherhead Advertiser for a full report and reaction to the news.

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Sussex News – Heathfield motorcyclist killed in collision

Roger Mayne — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:51:59 +0000

A motorcyclist killed in a crash on Sunday has been named as Richard Collier, 27, of Long View, Heathfield, East Sussex.

Mr Collier was…

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Sussex News – Overcrowded and overpriced

Roger Mayne — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:51:24 +0000

Commuters have slated timetable changes at Southern trains which have left passengers fighting for elbow room on the Uckfield to London line.

…

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Surrey News – CCTV of spectacle thief suspect

Roger Mayne — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:51:09 +0000

Police release a CCTV image of a man suspected of stealing more than £7,000 of designer glasses from two opticians.

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Surrey News – Woman found collapsed in street

Roger Mayne — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:50:56 +0000

A 29-year-old woman is taken to hospital with serious head injuries after being found collapsed in the street in Epsom.

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Sussex News – PC cleared of careless driving charge

Roger Mayne — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:50:41 +0000

An off-duty policeman whose skidding sports car fatally injured a popular teenager has been cleared of causing death by careless driving.

PC…

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Surrey News – Cat shot in eye in rifle attack

Roger Mayne — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:50:25 +0000

A cat dies after being shot in the eye with an air rifle or catapult in the latest in a spate of attacks in Surrey.

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Surrey News – In pictures: Guilfest 2010

Roger Mayne — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:49:54 +0000

Music fans at the three day festival in Stoke Park enjoyed a sweltering weekend.

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