This week 10, 20, 30 years ago
10 Years Ago
An exploding gas cylinder caused a huge fire, creating havoc on one of South London’s main routes on the hottest day of the year.
Firefighters from Clapham worked alongside crews from West Norwood, Norbury and Tooting to thwart a potential disaster after the acetylene canister exploded- yards from old people’s sheltered housing.
The emergency teams were called to the scene of the blaze behind a row of shops in Streatham High Road.
Ten thousand new council homes were proposed to be built in a borough across 30 years.
Southwark council described the plan as the biggest house-building programme in the country.
Plans were announced at a cabinet meeting at Tooley Street in a bid to alleviate the dire need for new homes in the borough.
The plan was met with scepticism by the Labour-run council’s Liberal Democrat opposition councillors who accused the council of having a “woeful” record when it came to housing.
Firefighters called on London Fire Brigade commissioner Ron Dobson to consult on plans to axe 550 jobs and close 10 station.
20 Years Ago
An expectant mum was forced to leave her hospital bed to pay for a parking permit.
Fhalewa Adebari was kept overnight in St Thomas’ Hospital when she went into labour.
She had called the authorities to explain why she would be late renewing her permit and tried to find a friend to make the payment on her behalf.
But when she made the four mile journey home to make the payment herself, she found mean-spirited wardens had already clamped her car.
Met officers returned from South Africa after helping to launch a cadet force in a troubled township.
Youngsters from Alexandra signed up to be trained by bobbies from Southwark after the officers jetted to the township 10 miles north of Johannesburg.
One of the cadets’ first tasks was to welcome the Princess Royal and her entourage.
A group of lags from Wandsworth Prison hit on a new way to relieve boredom.
The eight inmates set up an embroidery group after a visit from Brazilian artist Fernando Marques Penteado, who showed them how to get started.
But the club was left furious after prison staff banned them from attending an exhibition of their completed work at Goldsmiths college.
30 Years Ago
Red-faced cops were forced to pay £6,000 in compensation to a man after seizing his car and losing it four days later.
The man from Tulse Hill had his Ford Escort taken from outside Brixton police station because officers mistakenly thought it was stolen.
But four days later thieves really did take the car.
The car owner appeared before magistrates, charged with handling stolen goods.
He was acquitted of all charges but had to wait 18 months for compensation.
Police chiefs described the case as “extremely embarrassing”.
Police warned youngsters to be on their guard after a spate of brazen bike thefts.
In the latest incident a boy was threatened with a broken bottle and punched repeatedly by a second youth who then made off with his bike.
Officers appealed for help in tracing the boy’s Raleigh Marauder and asked the public to help them find where the bikes were being taken to after being stolen in Tooting.
Lambeth council launched a review of its children’s homes after it emerged that a convicted sex offender had been allowed to run one of them.
The man had failed to tell social services about a conviction for molesting a 13-year-old several decades earlier.
The inquiry followed a report by independent expert Richard Clough into claims that two council staff had tried to cover up their knowledge of the man’s conviction.
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