‘Get your eyes tested’ says tumour survivor
A woman whose tumour was spotted by opticians is urging others to ensure they get regular eye tests. The rare ocular melanoma was picked up by eagle-eyed optometrist Daniel Harris during a routine...
View ArticleProps respect to ace Hannah
The prop-maker who created wands, brooms and Death Eater masks for the Harry Potter films has given the Gazette a demonstration of how she works.Hannah Getley, 38, of Bourne End Lane, Bourne End, made...
View ArticleCouncil tax ‘up 1p a day’
Householders are set to see their council tax bill go up. Dacorum Borough Council wants to increase its portion of what makes up the annual bill by 1.9 per cent. The council’s cabinet agreed last...
View ArticleHelp to get on the road for work
A project aimed at getting people on their bike and into work or education is off the ground after its December launch.Scoots L20 is a ‘Wheels2Work’ project run by the Community Development Agency for...
View ArticleClass plan OK, but not there
Town leaders have asked for plans for two temporary classrooms to be changed after complaints by neighbours that children would overlook their homes.Berkhamsted’s Bridgewater Middle School wants to...
View ArticleNeighbours fume over Berkhamsted Prep School blueprint
An independent school has come under fire after submitting plans for a larger netball court, three new Eton Fives courts, a drop-off facility and a huge amphitheatre.Berkhamsted Prep School says the...
View ArticleLucky escape for family after Piccotts End fire
A family had a lucky escape after a tumble drier fire turned the utility room it was in ‘completely black’.Firefighters were called to the end-of-terrace home in Piccotts End Road, Piccotts End, at...
View ArticleNeil Fox’s film reviews: Cloud Atlas, Mama
Cloud AtlasEvery now and again a film comes along that just jolts you, and you don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing.The new film from the Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer is a sprawling, hugely...
View ArticleTwo cut from M1 fog car smash
Two people were cut from a car and taken to Watford General Hospital after hitting the M1’s central reservation in the fog.Rescue workers rushed to help the man and woman after being called to Junction...
View ArticleIt’s a tough lesson, but one that has be learned...
On the night of June 29 2008, 16-year-old Ben Kinsella’s family received the devastating news that would change their lives forever – Ben had been the victim of a knife attack and was fighting for his...
View ArticleAdministrators announce Hemel’s HMV will close
Administrators acting for HMV have today confirmed that the Hemel Hempstead store is in line for closure. The Riverside Shopping Centre branch was initially saved from the axe in the first wave of...
View ArticleAdam breezes in to firm’s board
A Hemel Hempstead firm that makes breeze blocks from recycled paper has appointed a new investor onto its board of directors.Adam Smith is executive director of London and Surrey Property Holdings as...
View ArticleShorter Friday school hours plan – but not for teachers
A school has launched a consultation on plans to cut its teaching hours on a Friday to allow extra time for training. Cavendish School’s headteacher Sue Forde is proposing to end the school day at...
View ArticleNCT group comes back from brink of closure
A group for new parents that was threatened with closure last year has received so much support that it is now set to get bigger and better. After a desperate plea for helpers the Tring and District...
View Article‘We don’t want to live in a workhouse’
Old folk in sheltered housing have been ordered to strip their communal hallways of pretty pictures that make the building more homely – because they have been branded a fire hazard. People living in...
View ArticleHistoric grave of ‘wild boy’ gets listed status
The final resting place of a child who was kept as a pet by King George I nearly 300 years ago has now been given protected status.Peter the Wild Boy was found dishevelled, unable to speak and walking...
View ArticleI still back 80mph on motorways – MP Mike
Hemel Hempstead’s MP and former transport minister Mike Penning remains solidly behind plans to raise the motorway speed limit despite reports that the proposal is to be dropped.Road safety campaigners...
View ArticleHundreds caught out in licence crackdown
A crackdown on TV licence dodgers saw more than 300 people in Hemel Hempstead caught out last year.The figure reflects the average evasion rate of around five per cent. More than 500 people in Watford...
View ArticleNew chief knows there’s a lot to do
The new woman in charge of hospital services in West Herts says she will be asking for views on parking charges – and says the controversial scrapping of an inter-site bus service is not a done deal....
View ArticleTring Open University student died from drug overdose ‘while cleaning bath’
A 20-year-old student may have died while trying to clean the bath before his mother returned from a holiday, an inquest heard today.Herts Coroners Court heard that Benjamin McManus, of Windmill Way,...
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