Our Hounslow

Max Temp: 24°C (75°F), Min Temp: 13°C (55°F), Wind Direction: NW, Wind Speed: 10mph, Visibility: good, Pressure: 1015mb, Humidity: 50%, UV risk: n/a, Pollution: low, Sunrise: 04:59BST, Sunset: 20:57BST

Max Temp: 20°C (68°F), Min Temp: 11°C (52°F), Wind Direction: N, Wind Speed: 11mph, Visibility: good, Pressure: 1009mb, Humidity: 67%, UV risk: moderate, Pollution: low, Sunrise: 05:00BST, Sunset: 20:56BST

boncey posted a photo:

Hounslow Jobs: Primary Teacher KS1, West London: A lovely, multi-cultural Primary School in the... http://t.co/hwf71V2I #Jobs #Hounslow

Gullies in the pavement on Twickenham Road, Isleworth between Teesdale Gardens and Amhurst Gardens are blocked causing flooding during rainfall events. I have unblocked the one opposite my house, filling two buckets with sludge and litter.
Nearest road to the pin placed on the map (automatically generated by Bing Maps): 117 Twickenham Road, Isleworth
Report on FixMyStreet

Hounslow Jobs: Helpdesk Administrator - Hounslow: Invictus Group - South East England - Hounslow,... http://t.co/lKFapyks #Jobs #Hounslow

Mach 3.25 posted a photo:

Mach 3.25

Hounslow residents are being encouraged by their council to raise their voices over changes to very early morning landings at Heathrow.

This section of road is heavily rutted and potholed along it's entire length - cars frequently swerve to avoid potholes creating a danger for other cars and cyclists as the road is frequently narrowed by parked cars.
Nearest road to the pin placed on the map (automatically generated by Bing Maps): 15 Bath Road, London
Report on FixMyStreet

The Hounslow Chamber is holding a networking evening event for its Women in Business group at Boston Manor House in Brentford on Wednesday, 23 May from 6.30 pm.

PRINCE Harry is actually secretive graffiti artist Banksy, according to a new sign in Feltham.

The painting on the wall opposite the St Giles Hotel in Bedford Avenue has left passers by bemused.

The artwork by Irish artist TUD, shows a hooded Prince Harry spray painting alongside a soliloquy from Shakespeare's Henry IV about revealing true colours.

The graffiti is one of several dotted around the country.

HOUNSLOW'S only strip club has applied to open round the clock, despite fierce opposition from the local church minister, writes R.M. Cumber.

Mist Gentlemen's Club, on the site of the former Riley's snooker hall, in Hounslow High Street, has been open since November 2010.

However, the club's new owner H Properties Ltd has applied for a new 'sexual entertainment venue' licence.

It wants to change the name to Redd Lips and open around the clock, seven days a week, rather than until 4am as at present.

Reverend Malcolm Herbert, of nearby Holy Trinity Church, is furious about the move.

He claims the venue goes against the council's vision to regenerate the High Street as an attractive, friendly and safe place for everyone.

"I am very worried about the impact on children and families, especially with so many schools in the area," he added.

"There's also the issue of whether it will stretch police resources if it becomes a 24-hour operation."

About 20 people attended a meeting at the church on Sunday (May 13) to discuss concerns about the strip club.

When Mist first opened it sparked outrage among some members of the community, with a 900 signature petition being presented to the council.

The strength of the public reaction led to tougher rules being introduced for strip joints and lap-dancing clubs wishing to open in the borough, under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982.

The new regulations, enabling councillors to refuse permission for such venues if it is felt they would harm the 'character' of an area, were approved in November last year.

However, Pritpal Dhiman, the former owner of Mist, this week defended the club, claiming there had not been a single crime committed there in the year-and-a-half he was in charge.

"It was very well run and caused no problems, unlike the many pubs in the town centre," he added.

H Properties Ltd, it was unavailable for comment as the Chronicle went to press this week.

THE LAMPOST that crushed a baby, who later died on the day before his first birthday, was the responsibilty of Hounslow Council, West London Coroner's Court heard today (May 15).

Workmen mistakenly cut off part of its metal support and it then fell on Tommy Hollis as his nanny pushed his pram outside Chiswick Town Hall on February 23, 2010, the inquest heard.

He died in hospital 48 hours later.

They had been moving fibre optic cables on behalf of Virgin Media as part of a local authority project to widen the road.

Speaking today Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector Dominic Long said the post had an unusual design, found in only two per cent of lampposts in the country.

When he was asked who was responsible for safety at the site, he said: "The London Borough of Hounslow had responsibility for that site, it was their site."

He said the HSE had since issued a safety alert to warn others about the risks of working near this type of lamppost.

Yesterday the court heard how Kelvin Elmore, a workman for utilities firm McNicholas Construction (Holdings) Ltd, said he had 'absolutely no idea' his actions would have made the post less stable.

Mr Elmore said, in his statement read to the inquest: "I had believed the piece of steel to be part of a tramline, I had no idea it was connected to the lamppost.

"Had I known that, I would not have continued to work in the vicinity of the lamppost myself."

The senior foreman, who had 17 years of experience said he was 'utterly devastated to have had any involvement in the events that occurred.'

He added: "As a father myself, I cannot express how horrified I am to have had any involvement with the death of a child.

"If I could take the place of that child then I would."

Anna Martin who had been worked as Tommy's nanny for about two months also read a statement to the hearing yesterday.

She said she had taken Tommy from the family home in Sutton Court Road at about 10.30am to go to Starbucks, when she saw the orange barriers on either side of her and checked it was safe to cross.

She added: "The next thing I remember was a loud noise, like something hollow hitting something. There was a terrible scream, and I realised something terrible had happened."

Tommy had suffered an 'instantaneous coma' and massive brain damage and was airlifted to hospital but died at 5.25am on February 25.

The court was told the screams belonged to Mary Gregory who was pushing her granddaughter in a buggy alongside Ms Martin. She was also struck by the lamppost as it fell, knocking her to the ground and leading to an overnight stay in hospital.

A pathologist recorded the cause of death as 'severe impact head injury'.

The hearing continues.

‘East Is East’ writer Ayub Khan-Din’s screen version of his 2007 play ‘Rafta, Rafta’ unfolds another serio-comic tale of generational...

This energetic sequel to the Brit hit ‘Streetdance’begins like a 3D globe trotting heist movie. Determined to form a winning street dance crew, Ash (

ROUGH SLEEPERS under the Heston Flyover are turning the area into a rubbish dump, according to residents, who feel too little is being done about the problem, reports R.M. Cumber.

Fresh piles of dirty sheets, clothing and mattresses have built up beside the M4 motorway bridge since the site was cleared by council workers over Christmas.

One woman who lives nearby claimed the rubbish 'mountain' was a potential fire hazard and smelled so bad people were crossing the road to avoid it.

The homeless people living under the bridge are believed to be mainly illegal immigrants from India's Punjab region, many of whom are understood to have drug and alcohol problems.

The UK Border Agency (UKBA) arrested 13 people at the site at the end of March, three of whom have since been deported, with the remainder still in detention.

However, at least 20 people are still sheltering under the bridge, despite ongoing efforts to clear the site.

A UKBA spokesman said the agency continued to 'engage' with those at the site, along with police, council staff and community groups, and a 14th man had been arrested last month.

A council spokesman said the problem was 'very much a UKBA issue'.

"We anticipate the operation will be repeated in order to clear the site, but time scales are very much for UKBA to decide," he added.

"In the meantime, we remain very conscious of local concerns and our community safety team will of course answer any questions from residents as far as they are able to on the situation."

The Indian High Commission has told how it has been working with UK authorities to identify the rough sleepers and organise the paperwork for them to return home.

A spokesman for homelessness charity Thames Reach said its workers continued to visit rough sleepers under the M4 and had helped two of them return to their overseas homes voluntarily.

He added a Punjabi-speaking worker was being recruited to help the growing number of people from the region sleeping rough across London.

Meanwhile, the charity Sikh Welfare Awareness Team (SWAT) has warned unsanitary conditions at the site could cause disease to spread.

Trustee Randeep Lall said there had already been confirmed cases of tuberculosis in people at the site, where rats and discarded syringes from drug-taking were also a problem.

A MAN with a rare form of cancer is struggling to raise enough money to pay for life-saving treatment.

Henry Charles, 49, who has lived in Green Dragon Lane, Brentford, for 25 years, needs £30,000, but so far has less than £3,000.

He discovered he had stage four Adenocarcinoma, a cancer affecting his right lung in February and was given 18 months to live unless he could travel to Mexico for treatment.

He said: "Doctors advised me I had a very short time to live, I was devastated when I heard the news and thought something had to be done.

"Some thoughtful friends of mine found out about photodynamic therapy, but unfortunately this is not available on the NHS. "We are trying our best to fundraise but it is difficult to raise money. Unfortunately these things take time and I only have a certain amount of time left."

The next event to help the former Tesco delivery driver will take place in Buzz Bar in Cowley on June 9.

For more information and to donate or read Mr Charles' blog, visit henrysappeal.weebly.com.

Yellow Alert of Rain for London & South East England : Bracknell Forest, Brighton and Hove, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Greater London, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Medway, Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Portsmouth, Reading, Slough, Southampton, Surrey, West Berkshire, West Sussex, Windsor and Maidenhead & Wokingham valid from 0000 Thu 10 May to 2359 Thu 10 May

Yellow Alert of Rain for London & South East England : Bracknell Forest, Brighton and Hove, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Greater London, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Medway, Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Portsmouth, Reading, Slough, Southampton, Surrey, West Berkshire, West Sussex, Windsor and Maidenhead & Wokingham valid from 0000 Thu 10 May to 2359 Thu 10 May

The Green Party has overtaken the Liberal Democrats to become the third party in London after the London elections. Jenny Jones, the Green Party candidate for London Mayor, beat Brian Paddick and came in third. In the London lists the Greens also finished third, winning two seats. Daniel Goldsmith, the Green Party candidate for South West London in the London Assembly, increased his share of the vote from 6.7% to 9.8% in the first past the post constituency election, the highest ever result for a Green in South West London.

The Greens are now the third party in London after the Conservatives and Labour.  We are very confident that Jenny Jones and Darren Johnson will use their Assembly seats to continue to hold the Mayor to account, and ensure that the Environment and Social Justice stay on the agenda.

Thanks to everyone who voted Green.  We are very pleased with the good results.  When we spoke to people in the street we found that people are more aware of environmental issues like Air Pollution, and understand how Green policies will help.

Children with Type 1 Diabetes, who are of a young age and in Primary School...

ALMOST 200 jobs have been saved after one of the last glass bottling dairies in England won its battle to stay open, writes George Lindsay-Watson.

Milk giant Dairy Crest's Hanworth dairy in Feltham missed shutting after tense negotiations thanks to its Southern location.

The company's only other glass bottling dairy, Aintree in Liverpool, and another dairy Fenstanton, Cambridgeshire, are to be shut as demand for bottled milk plummets

Dairy Crest spokesman Arthur Reeves said: "It is mainly because of geography. We have two sites that bottle milk in glass bottles and fewer people are taking milk in glass bottles now. It was a difficult choice between the two but Hanworth is closer to more of our customers, we have more customers in the South, in the South-East in particular."

He admitted that there will be increased production at the Feltham site to take up the slack but said that no new staff will be hired.

The news comes after a tough week in which Dairy Crest announced that it had lost a deal to provide milk to Tesco. Dairy Crest denied that the announcement was to blame for the dairy closures and their cheese and butter ranges will still be stocked at the store.

The company has called this a 'challenging market' for milk as fewer people are having milk delivered.

Mr Reeves said: "We are doing all we can to encourage more people to have a milkman with schemes like milk

and more but numbers are falling."

Hanworth is now one of only a handful of glass bottling dairies in the country.

A spokesman for the dairy declined to comment.

No to Pedestrianisation! Sam's Bar & Brasserie owner Sam Harrison, is...

Daniel Goldsmith, the Green Party candidate for South West London in the London Assembly, attended the launch of the CAMRA “London, City of Beer” initiative at the Red Herring in Gresham Street.  CAMRA is campaigning to raise the profile of London’s beer and pubs during the summer, particularly in the run up to the Olympics, when many visitors will be in London for the first time.

Daniel said “Like CAMRA, the Green Party supports local breweries supplying local pubs, providing local jobs and producing superb beer.  We are very pleased to be able to support this initiative.  I will be looking out for celebration events in the Summer.”

He continued “It is a shame that the only beer served at London 2012 venues will be Heineken.  This won’t give visitors an appreciation of the many quality beers produced in London.”

At the launch five beers were paired with English foods to show that beer is a good alternative to wine with a meal.

Travellers have been warned to expect disruption as London experiences its first snowfall of winter.

Marlborough have submitted plans for the redevelopment of their car showroom site in Isleworth to pr

Earlier this week The West Londoner spoke to the UK Independence Party’s candidate for the Feltham and Heston by-election happening this month, Andrew Charalambous.

He is the party’s Housing spokesman and stood for the Conservatives in Edmonton in the general election before defecting.

Why are you standing for Feltham & Heston?

“UKIP are on about 11 per cent in the national polls now and it’s high time the party had its first member of parliament,” says Charalambous. “It would change the entire political landscape and every by election is an opportunity.”

“I think the majority of people at the moment are suffering. We’re sending 50 million every day to the EU,” says the 44-year-old property developer. “That money should be invested in Britain.”

What will you do if you are elected as Feltham & Heston’s MP?

“We need to invest more money into making council services better and we need to make it easier for people to exercise the right to buy,” says Charalambous. “People will not exercise their right to buy if their property or their council estate as a whole are not in the right condition so we need to work on that.”

He adds: “There’s a lot of young gangs hanging around the council estates making the more vulnerable sections of the population feel uncomfortable.

“We need to create more jobs and more investment. If you look at the M4 corridor we have BSkyB and others. We could bring those people further in to Feltham and Heston.”

“We should encourage young enterprise. Business mentors can offer guidance to young people. We could give local businesses a reduction on their business rates. There’s a difference between the national economy and the local economy; building enterprise from the bottom up.”

You speak a lot about youth; what about other sections of the population?

“I think it’s a scandal how we treat our elderly. If you’re elderly you’re more likely to be a victim of discrimination and of crime. We understand that younger people find it hard in this economic climate; how much harder is it if you’re 85, wheelchair bound , disabled, blind, and trying to deal with the current economic climate then? Looking at provisions for care and facilities for the elderly is very important.”

“The Conservatives haven’t implemented policies they said they would have prevented many of our elderly dying because of fuel poverty. They don’t earn enough from their pensions, that’s the bottom line.

How would you fund your plans?

“We would fund them by not wasting £50 million a day on Europe. We’ve got probably a quarter more public sector workers than we need.”

“Britain spent money on – let’s not hide this – two or three useless wars from which the British people haven’t benefited at all. You may have heard about the ex-soldier who came back to Heston and can’t get housing. This is how we treat our heroes. If UKIP were in a position to influence government we would have stood against these unnecessary wars.”

“If you take the local council it needs to be more transparent. We need to cut down the pay of council executives to three or four figure sums. We need to make these people accountable for their spending and we need them to stop spending money on political correctness and self promoting budgets.”

UKIP has an enduring image of being a party affected by race. Is that true?

“We are in no way a racist party. We have members from all races, colours and backgrounds. UKIP is a party that says immigration isn’t a negative thing – the country need a degree of immigration. We believe that we need to integrate the people who are already here. I think withdrawing from Europe is the best way, which means we won’t have to take the half a million people a year coming from Europe. Then we can give more priority to people coming, for example, from the Indian subcontinent.”

Transparency statement: the UKIP press office contacted The West Londoner to offer us the interview. If you work for a political party with a candidate standing in Feltham & Heston, please use the Contact Us link to get in touch.