The Borehamwood Times Review of the year 2016

Here are just some of the stories published throughout 2016.

Have a read over some of them and remember 2016 through the stories in the news.

JANUARY

Borehamwood Times:

The beginning of the year saw a month of people complaining about traffic congestion, loss of local amenities across the town. A beloved war veteran also passed away at the beginning of the year.

Hundreds of people said they would rather pay more tax than lose a valuable bus service after Hertfordshire County Council said it would not renew its lease with Transport for London.

Borehamwood residents became more and more annoyed with the excessive traffic down Shenley Road, Borehamwood. Pedestrians and drivers said they have lost patience as traffic jams around the roundabout near the train station get worse.

The town lost a well-known and loved figure of the town. War veteran Bill Davies died on January 15 and the whole of Borehamwood town mourned the loss of the man who helped liberate France during World War Two.

Thameslink was also rated the worst train company in London in January. In a survey released by CommuteLondon the train company was last in the ranking of rail customer satisfaction through 2015.

FEBRUARY

Borehamwood Times:

The second month started by urging the public to help a family keep a club open. A funnier story happened after neighbours were torn over a condom joke.

The Brookside Boys’ Club, in Buxton Road, Borehamwood, was run by the late Richard Clark who died in 2014. His family vowed to keep the club open and needed the help of the public.

A restaurant in Borehamwood caused anger, but also some laughs, with its unique advertisement for Valentine’s Day. Mirzan Restaurant, in Aycliffe Road, decided to place a sign in their window offering a free condom for couples. Some neighbours thought this was funny others said it was ‘disgusting’ and ‘inappropriate’.

A mother was left shaken and scared after her dog was viciously attacked by another dog. Karen Seaton was forced to lie down on top of her dog to protect it from being attacked.

A disabled woman was left heartbroken after her partner and carer suddenly died on Valentine’s Day. Her family were appealing for help to fund for private housing as Lara Croft, of Crown Road, Borehamwood, needed to be rehomed due to her disability.

MARCH

Borehamwood Times:

March was a bit of a sad month with many different people across the town joining in national campaigns including petitions for more in depth research into meningitis and mental health facilities. A caretaker was attacked and a woman died of an insulin overdose.

A family was left worried after their five month daughter was wrongly diagnosed with meningitis. Carly and Ricky Hicks, from Borehamwood, realised there was something wrong with their daughter Lily. She has now made a full recovery.

Sam Lethbridge wrote a letter to the Prime Minister after her 10-year-old daughter’s health deteriorated after the lack of help from Hertfordshire’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

A caretaker was attacked after thieves broke into Allum Hall and Manor House, in Borehamwood. Mick Wickes was in his flat when one of the cleaners told him five men had broken into the building. Mr Wickes took it upon himself to get the thieves out. In the process he was hit on the head and blood was pouring from the wound. The thieves stole the safe but there was little money inside.

At the end of the month there was an inquest into the death of Maria McPherson, who lived in Norfolk Gardens, in Borehamwood. The coroner concluded she had died of an insulin overdose to get high but not to intentionally end her life.

APRIL

Borehamwood Times:

April saw people complaining about potholes across the town and planning applications submitted to Hertsmere Borough Council. A nursery also boosted its Ofsted rating from inadequate to good.

A man became annoyed after he claimed an HGV reversed onto his drive and damaged his property. Ray Burnett, of Kenilworth Drive, Borehamwood, said the HGV left without reporting the damage it caused.

A planning application raised concerned for cab drivers after plans were submitted to turn a disused building inside Elstree and Borehamwood train station into an office for AAA Taxis.

Cyclists pleaded to Hertfordshire County Council to fix the potholes in Theobald Street, in Borehamwood, after Ricky Faust, of Cavendish Road, Elstree, saw the potential for someone to get hurt on the road.

A nursery which left a four-year-old boy at London Zoo was rated as good in their latest Ofsted inspection. In September KidStuff Day Nursery was rated inadequate but managed to up their rating to good.

MAY

Borehamwood Times:

May was a month of complaints and protest. People started to become increasingly concerned about the future of green space across Borehamwood.

Hundreds of primary schoolchildren were taken out of school following news SATS exams could be made more difficult.

June Giles, of Rowley Lane, Borehamwood, was left without a landline for weeks despite her partner Trevor Hockley having dementia. She was told she would be up and running by April 25 but by May she still had no power.

Hundreds of neighbours became angry about the amount of traffic a new development on the Old Haberdashers’ Sport Ground in Croxdale Road, Borehamwood.

Towards the end of the month, concerns were raised about the loss of green space across Borehamwood following an application for two floodlit AstroTurf football pitches was submitted.

JUNE

Borehamwood Times:

This month saw a variety of different stories including court appearances, raising money for charity and a mother urging people to check for heart failure symptoms after her son almost died.

June saw some justice being served after a drug dealer’s mother was forced to pay back more than half a million pounds. Catherine Balckburne, of Cleveland Crescent, was ordered to pay back the money.

A man who requires the aid of a guide dog was refused entry into shops and restaurants along Shenley Road. Kelvin Sheridan, of Whitehouse Avenue, joined a number of other blind residents to speak with Hertsmere MP Oliver Dowden.

Two men who donned lycra took part in a cycle from Paris to London on a tandem. Howard Ash and Spencer Richman decided to complete the 180 mile cycle to raise money for Guts in Motion.

A mother of an 18-year-old boy who nearly died twice from heart failure urged people to check for symptoms and avoid her ordeal. James Conboy, of Elmwood Avenue, now has to live with a LVAD machine until he is strong enough for a transplant.

JULY

Borehamwood Times:

A lot happened in July. A councillor was found guilty of sexual assault, Aldenham Reservoir was back in the news and an Elstree composting site was given an odour abatement notice.

A group of friends jumped out a plane to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital in memory of a nine-month-old boy who died the year before. Harvey Mayhew was only nine months old when he died of sudden infant death syndrome.

An Elstree composting site was ordered to enclose its borders after nearly 100 neighbouring households complained about the stench. Reviva composting site was given an odour abatement notice by Hertsmere Borough Council.

Aldenham Reservoir was back in the news after Hertsmere MP Oliver Dowden backed the campaign to protect the reservoir from development.

A Hertsmere Borough Councillor was found guilty of sexual assault this month. David Burcombe, who represents the Cowley Hill Ward, was convicted of one count of sexual assault which took place in September 2015.

AUGUST

Borehamwood Times:

Celebrations happening in August as students were praised for their A Level and GCSE results, a composting site was described as being from Dante’s Inferno and a disabled man was left trapped in his flats after the disabled access door was not fixed.

Another composting site was brought into the news. The land at Blackbirds Farm, in Aldenham, was described as being something from ‘Dante’s Inferno’ after an application was made to increase the size of the site from 7,000 to 31,000 tonnes.

A disabled man was left trapped in a block of flats after the disabled access was not working. Alan Carr has multiple sclerosis and requires the aid of a wheelchair.

Students across Borehamwood and Elstree celebrated after they received their A Level and GCSE results.

The Sainsbury’s depot in Borehamwood revealed it would be closing. Up to 250 people could be losing their jobs after the supermarket revealed it would be moving locations.

SEPTEMBER

Borehamwood Times:

September started as a very sad month with two tributes paid for two people who died, parents were outraged about school uniform, a disturbing number of children being abused was revealed and a councillor tried to clear his guilty name.

Tributes were paid for a man who drowned in rough seas at Sandbank. Jayarajah Katheeswaran was pulled from the water by lifeguards after being spotted getting into difficulty outside the safe swim zone.

A woman who worked for the Metropolitan Police accidentally killed herself and it was concluded by the coroner she had not intended to end her life. Ann Watson of Walshford Way, was found dead in her home in January.

Outraged parents demanded answers from a school that kept up to 100 children out of lessons on their first day back. Hertswood Academy told students to remain in gym clothes all day after their uniform was not bought from a specific shop.

A disturbing number of children under the age of 16 reporting being victims of child abuse was revealed in September. In Hertsmere the figures had nearly doubled from 17 to 30.

Hertsmere Borough Councillor David Burcombe appealed against his conviction after being found guilty in July.

OCTOBER

Borehamwood Times:

The future of Aldenham Reservoir was featured in the news again as well as Sadiq Khan’s film knowledge. The inquest into the death of a woman was concluded in October and it was revealed what the worst streets in Borehamwood are.

Once again Aldenham Reservoir was a topic on many people’s minds during October after Hertsmere Borough Council’s planning committee were due to decide on the future of the site.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan made an error while addressing a new studio which is due to be built in Dagenham. He referred to Elstree Studios as being in London when in fact it is in Hertfordshire.

The inquest into the death of a woman who was found inside her car was concluded in October. Sinead Symes was travelling home from Borehamwood when she never returned. Her husband found her inside her overturned car. It was concluded she died of a road traffic crash.

The worst streets for crime were identified. Some of the roads included Glenhaven Avenue, Alconbury Close and Keystone Passage.

NOVEMBER

Borehamwood Times:

November was another sad month with hundreds of people paying tribute to those who have died in conflict, an inquest was concluded after a mother was found in her bath by her daughter and a drug dealer was jailed for seven years.

A drug dealer was jailed for seven years after being caught with a shoebox containing 2kg of cocaine. Mustafa Farah, was stopped by police while travelling in a taxi near Elstree.

Reviva Composting site in Elstree came into the news again after it revealed it hoped to address neighbours’ complaints of the unpleasant smell.

Hundreds paid tribute to those who died during conflict at this year’s Remembrance Services across the town.

A woman who had a drinking problem was found dead by her daughter after accidentally drowning herself in a bath the inquest concluded. Linda Coyne of Aycliffe Road died in February this year due to alcohol consumption.

DECEMBER

Borehamwood Times:

The festive season was not as holly and jolly as it should be. The Christmas lights were an ‘embarrassment’, a man was a victim of hate crime, threats were made to drain Aldenham Reservoir but on a positive note a family was reunited with the ambulance crew who saved their daughter’s life.

The Borehamwood Christmas lights switch-on was described as an ‘embarrassment’ after Dame Barbara Windsor was welcomed to the town to turn them on. However the lights were already switched on.

A man was left devastated after a flower decoration displaying the Iranian flag was vandalised and a dead parakeet was left. David Steene of Blattner Close was concerned about the hate crime towards his family.

Threats were made by the owners of Aldenham Reservoir after they said they will start draining the water following the rejection to build 150 new homes on the land.

A family was reunited with the ambulance crew that saved their daughter from dying. Rickie and Carly Hicks of Allerton Road met with the ambulance crew who saved Lily Hicks who had a bad case of meningitis after she was wrongly diagnosed by Watford General Hospital staff.

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