There was some heavy rain at the start of October which caused flooding in lower High Street.

The road was flooded on one weekend at the start of the month, causing traffic disruption around the area.

A report from Hertfordshire Ringway revealed a Thames Water manhole cover could not cope with the water pressure from the heavy rain, falling into a pipe and blocking it.

New name for intu Watford?

October was when intu Watford was taken over by Global Mutual, a company managing £4.2 billion of global assets, primarily in retail.

And the shopping centre could be renamed under the new owners, with the intu branding staying in place for an “interim period”.

The centre, formerly known as the Harlequin, has been able to stay open despite intu's financial woes.

New Tier system

The government announced in October a new Tier system, which at the time worked on a three level basis.

Hertfordshire was placed in the most relaxed measures – Tier 1 – at the time, although as cases rose there were warnings the county could move to Tier 2.

Red Arrows squadron leader steps down

The pilot who led the Red Arrows for over three years stepped down in October.

Squadron Leader Martin Pert, who grew up in Abbots Langley, said he finished his “trip of a lifetime” after he took to the skies for one last time in his Red 1 aircraft over Lincolnshire.

In 2017 Sqn Ldr Pert was announced as Red 1 - having led the Red Arrows in 2018 for its Centenary as well as the team’s largest tour of North America in a generation last year.

He also led a fly past over Borehamwood and Watford in 2019 via Elstree Aerodrome, where he learned to fly.