Latest news with #Merstham
BBC News
08-07-2025
- BBC News
Delivery driver robbed of parcel in Surrey town
A DPD delivery driver was robbed by two men while he was working, Surrey Police said. The force said the pair threatened the driver and took a parcel he was delivering on Hildenley Close in Merstham on 5 July at around 10:35 BST. Officers described both men as Black, with one wearing a grey Nike tracksuit and the other a black Nike tracksuit. One suspect was tall and had long hair coming out of his hood and was wearing a blue surgical mask, they added. Both men fled in the direction of Radstock Way, according to Surrey Police. The force urged any witnesses or anyone with information to get in contact.
The Sun
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Inside UK's BIGGEST red phone box graveyard full of 70 rusting kiosks abandoned next to train line – and why it exists
EERIE snaps from the UK's biggest red phone box graveyard reveal rows of rusting kiosks. The chilling snaps show the 70 rotting booths stood next to the abandoned train line, but the graveyard hides a heartwarming secret. 6 6 6 When mobile phones became popular, phone booths fell out of fashion and many fell into disrepair. Left to decay, the 70 kiosks in Merstham, Surrey, are a sinister sight. However, the kiosks are actually part of a massive restoration project. Unicorn Restorations use the site to bring the boxes - which are a beloved national symbol - back to their former glory. The site's hardworking staff spend 30 hours on each box, stripping them down and repainting them in the General Post Office's iconic red. New glass is installed in the phone booths' doors to finish off the restoration. There are also three different models of red telephone booths, including the original K2, the famous K6 and the modern K8. The K6 boxes were designed in 1935 to mark King George V's silver jubilee and, at one point, 60,000 of the boxes were in use across Britain. Often the boxes are used in films to create quintessentially British sets. Film franchises including Harry Potter, Paddington and Disney's Christopher Robin are just a few famous productions to use Unicorn Restorations. I got drunk and bought a double decker bus online - now I've transformed it into the workshop of my dreams in the garden The booths are available to buy too and are priced from £4000 to £20,000. Nicolas Ritter, a professional photographer, recalled visiting the yard back in 2012. He said: 'Being at the telephone graveyard was a great experience for me. It felt like a journey back into the history of the country as the phone boxes are such a unique symbol of British culture. 'Viewing this museal location now after the beginning of a new age of communication the phone graveyard bears a mystic vibe of a past era.' The news comes as plans are made for an iconic steam train to return to the nation's rails. The 60163 Tornado will travel from London Waterloo towards Woking and Basingstoke from August 16. It will follow the route of the classic ACE trains which travelled along the South West coast. Kelly Osborne, managing director of The Railway Touring Company, said: "We are delighted to be working with the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust to provide opportunities for people from Woking and Basingstoke to travel with Tornado and for many more to see the locomotive in action. "It is very exciting that Tornado will be back on the national rail network." 6 6 6
BBC News
01-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Surrey's housing plan will help 'build futures', councillor says
Plans to develop four council-owned sites into new housing which include accommodation for people with mental health needs, have been County Council says it proposals will help meet local housing needs in Merstham, Great Bookham, Cranleigh and Staines. A portion of the homes could be self-contained apartments where people with mental health needs would receive care and Mooney, the council's cabinet member for adult social care, said: "There are strong economic, health and community drivers for seeking to improve housing, accommodation and homes in Surrey." The final number of homes at each site, and the mix of general housing and supported accommodation, will be confirmed during the bidding the council predicted there would be about 20 to 30 homes per site, or about 100 in total. 'Building futures' All four sites – Chalkmead in Merstham, Keswick in Great Bookham, Longfield in Cranleigh, and Meadowside in Staines – have been assessed as suitable for housing based on access to local services, transport links and community facilities. A fifth site – Heathside, in Woking – is not being progressed at this stage, pending further consideration and January 2020, the council was supporting 1,621 people with mental health as their primary social care need, and by May 2025 that number had almost doubled to 3, said: "This initiative is not just about building homes, it's about building futures. "It's about ensuring some of our most vulnerable residents have access to safe, supported and sustainable accommodation, enabling them to live independently and thrive in their communities."
BBC News
13-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Merstham recreation ground's £3m revamp revealed
A Surrey park's £3m revamp including a new playground, parkour course and community orchard has been revealed. Merstham recreation ground's facilities also include a new cafe, pavilion, and outdoor project has been funded by Reigate & Banstead Borough Council (RBBC), Surrey County Council, Community Infrastructure Levy funds, the National Lottery and the government's UK Shared Prosperity borough council says it hopes the pavilion, with a cafe kiosk, toilets and changing rooms, will become a new place to meet, as well as providing better facilities for sports teams. The council is still looking for an operator to take over the running of the worked with a specialist supplier to create the parkour course, which it said was the first in the borough, with a range of obstacles to run, jump, vault and climb deputy leader and executive member for place, planning and regulatory services, Rich Michalowski, says: "It's really exciting to see the plans we talked about with the community come to fruition."He said the new park had "something for everyone" and that designs were developed with input from residents, sports organisations and local groups at various stages along the way. Existing tennis courts and games areas were also refurbished, with new surfacing and resident Sue Reeves, said: "This revamp of the rec is going to be wonderful for Merstham. "All the new facilities will make the rec so inviting for users of all ages."The redesign is expected to reduce flooding in and around the rec with upgrades made to the water channel creating a gravel beach, meadows and wet planting. This will be fenced off for the first year to give the new plants the opportunity to establish themselves, the council says.
