News

Street drinkers, noise and antisocial behaviour are blighting a park in North Kensington according to residents.

Neighbours of Tavistock Gardens say that drunks use brand new children's play equipment in the park, and leave broken glass behind, groups of adults row and fight, making noise and causing damage to the gardens.

And police are now vowing to step up patrols, to deal with all of the antisocial behaviour emanating from the gardens.

A pensioner struggling to tend his garden was given a helping hand from two North Kensington PCSOs.

Loizos Michalopoulos, of Silchester Road, had spoken to the PCSOs about anti-social behaviour in his street, and the pair made regular visits to his home to see how they could address the concerns.

But while talking to him, PCSOs Paulotto Castro and Nick Fletcher learned the pensioner was a keen gardener, but could not tend his garden as he would like anymore.

So the officers contacted Age Concern to see what help could be provided, and they subsequently arranged for a gardener to visit Mr Michalopoulos to help him work in the garden.

A conman who rented a town house in Chelsea using a fake identity before trying to sell it on has been jailed for three years.

Steven Rice, 43, from Basingstoke, Hampshire, offered the home in Donne Place for sale for £1m, less than half of its real value.

He was caught trying to withdraw money after the sale using a fake driving licence, Southwark Crown Court was told on Friday (27).

He admitted possession of a fake driving licence, a fake passport, and acquiring criminal property.

Rice was 'a front' for a gang who would rent expensive properties before attempting to sell them, and the court heard officers are trying to trace the rest of the gang.

A Premier League footballer was arrested in High Street Kensington in the early hours of Sunday (29), in connection with a fracas.

Arsenal and England midfielder Jack Wilshere was held after the incident at about 2.45am outside the Amika nightclub, along with three other men, and all four men have since been bailed.

Police and paramedics were called to the nightspot after several men were involved in an incident with two women, and doormen from the nearby Kensington Roof Gardens, rushed over the road to try and help.

A prestigious film festival in West London is airing a record 15 films produced by students from Kensington and Chelsea College.

The Portobello Film Festival, renowned for showcasing new talent, is debuting a series of short films from students, including music videos, documentaries and comedies.

The budding film-makers will be showing their collection on Monday September 13 from 6pm at Westbourne Studios in Acklam Road, North Kensington.

46 years of the carnival

20 miles of colourful costumes

40 static sound systems

200 Caribbean food stalls

300 tonnes of rubbish cleaned up by 370 council cleaners - 200 from K&C and 170 from Westminster.

40,000 volunteers

1,000,000 visitors

Trouble marred the close of the Notting Hill Carnival with missiles being thrown at police as night fell on Monday (30).

More than 20 arrests for public order offences were made as revellers clashed with officers close to the end of the carnival route.

And over the course of the three day celebrations, 230 people were arrested - 15 more than last year - including four people who were found with a gun in their car on the edge of the carnival site.

Two revellers were also stabbed, but sustained minor injuries, and were among 549 people treated for injuries - 46 of them taken to hospital.

A topping out ceremony, celebrating completion of part of a new centre, was held by Kensington and Chelsea College on Thursday (26).

The concrete shell of a brand new centre in Chelsea has been completed, part of a £15m project, which includes spacious fashion studios, professional design suites, an exhibition hall and vibrant cafe.

It features a grand staircase, a balcony, and £500,000 has been invested in cutting edge technology such as computers and plasma screens for classrooms.

An eco-friendly building, it will use energy-efficient lighting, have more cycle bays to encourage greener travel, and lifts for disabled students.

Kensington and Chelsea has some of the highest rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the country.

Figures released by the Health Protection Agency last week, show that London boroughs have the highest infection rates in England, and that the Royal Borough has the 11th highest in the capital.

The figures for 2009 show that in Kensington and Chelsea, the average rate of infection with STIs per 100,000 people, was 1,251, nearly double the national average, which was 774.

The four-week police crackdown ahead of the Notting Hill Carnival has seen 101 arrests and the seizure of many weapons and drugs.

As visitors from around the world descend on West London to celebrate carnival, the Metropolitan Police has released the results of Operation Razorback, which launched at the start of August.

It targeted known troublemakers and gangs who were planning to use carnival as a venue for violence and crime, and through several dawn raids based on intelligence from residents, officers have seized £64,000 cash, and large quantities of crack cocaine and cannabis.

A wide range of weapons have also been seized by officers, including hunting knives, samurai swords and a firearm.