A FLAT fire in Pyrcroft Roan, Chertsey shut the road for an hour on Thursday afternoon.

Fire appliances from Chertsey, Staines and Woking were called to the address at Pyrcroft Court just before 3pm.

RUNNYMEDE police officers raided a flat in the Bridge Wharf area of Chertsey in the early hours on today (Wednesday).

Officers from the drug enforcement team entered the property just before 6.30am acting on information that there were drugs on the premises.

The officers found two males and two females in the property along with drug paraphernalia including needles and a spoon.

More to follow...

A CUT in visiting hours at St Peter's Hospital in Chertsey has been extended until the end of the month.

In a trial intended to aid patients' recovery and ease parking problems visiting hours were slashed in June for an initial three months.

Now Ashofod and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust said it is extending the trial, which was due to end on Today (Tuesday) to allow more views to be gathered from patients.

Afternoon visiting was stopped on weekdays for three months from June 1 - to allow people on the wards to rest properly after lunch, it was claimed.

A spokesman for the Trust told the Herald that evening only visiting during the week
from 6pm to 8pm would now run until September 30, with wards being closed to visitors
between 2pm and 4pm.

Visiting on Saturday and Sunday is now extended from 2.30pm until 8pm.

He said: This aims to give patients more recovery time and will also help clinical staff give the best possible care.

"The proposed new times will also help with congestion on the hospital sites during the week, particularly with parking, which is of great concern to patients and visitors alike. "

The pilot does not apply to visiting times at Ashford Hospital which will remain as they
currently are.

The spokesman added that exceptions could be made for visitors who could not easily get to St Peter's, those visiting critically ill patients, and those who work during the evening visiting times.

Ashford Hospital and the St Peter's maternity and medical assessment units and the children's and intensive care wards are excluded from the trial.

The Board of Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust will consider the views of patients and visitors at its meeting on September 30 before deciding if the changes will be made permanent.

A MORE tasty, colourful and exciting menu is being offered to new mums at the St Peter's Hospital maternity unit, in Chertsey.

The new and better range of food, which includes, soup, sandwiches and salads as well as 12 hot dishes, cuts out food waste by providing high quality meals that are individually heated up on demand, according to hospital staff.

William Britton, head of hotel services, said: "We have to cater for everyone's tastes and, in reality, an elderly patient who feels very unwell in their 80s or 90s wants different food to a younger woman who has given birth, but is otherwise in good health.

"Maternity is also very unpredictable - women can be admitted any time during the day or night; so sometimes we are catering for 20 people and other times up to 50."

Chicken tikka and lasagne are two of the favourite dishes on trial, which are heated up individually and delivered to the new mum's bed.

CHERTSEY'S MP Philip Hammond has called on councils to reduce street clutter by getting rid of unnecessary signs, railings and advertising hoardings.

The Transport Secretary, along with Communities Secretary Eric Pickles have written to council leaders calling on them to reduce the number of signs and other "street clutter".

The Government believes that in some cases traffic signs and railings are installed by councils in the mistaken belief that they are legally required.

However, although some signs are required by law, Government advice is that for signs to be most effective they should be kept to a minimum.

Mr Hammond said: "We all know that some signs are necessary to make our roads safe and help traffic flow freely.

"But unnecessary street furniture is a waste of taxpayers' money and leaves our streets looking more like scrap yards than public spaces. We have written to councils to remind them that it need not be this way.

"We don't need all this clutter confusing motorists, obstructing pedestrians and hindering those with disabilities who are trying to navigate our streets."

THE girls at Sir William Perkins's School in Chertsey far exceeded the national GCSE results by achieving an amazing 99.8 per cent A* to C grades in their exams.

Almost half of the year group achieved a clean sweep of A* or A grades; and 13 girls managed at least 8 A* grades each. Three girls achieved an impressive 10 A*s: Alysha Bhatti, Alice Cairns and Lucy Coe.

STUDENTS at Sir William Perkins' school were jumping for joy at their A-level results.

The school in Guildford Road, Chertsey posted some outstanding scores with 96.3 per cent of pupils getting A* to C grades and a 100 per cent pass rate.

The average points score for the pupils was also the highest ever at 456.4.

Headteacher at the all girls school Del Cooke, said: "With 89 per cent of grades at B or above, and 22 per cent resulting in the challenging new A* grade, we are very proud of our students' achievements.

"On top of this success the girls have shown considerable leadership skills as the top year group, and have got involved in all kinds of extracurricular and community activities.

"They have been a joy and deserve much congratulation for their hard work and achievements."

This year students could check their results on line but some still had to go through the nervous opening of the envelope.

Eighteen-year-old Carys Ley from West Byfleet was able to see she got an A* in Maths and an A in Economics on line but needed a good pass in Geography to go on and study the course at Bristol.

She said: "I had to come in to find out my Geography result and I was very nervous when I was opening the envelope."

Thankfully Carys achieved more than she had dreamed of.
"I got an A* so now I am looking forward to celebrating today before planning my move to Bristol.

"I can't wait."

Two A*s and two A's were more than enough to let Walton-on-Thames' Helen Berg follow her dream.

"I want to be an architect as it is something interesting and now I can do that," she said.
"I think I am going to spend the rest of the day celebrating."

CHERTSEY school Salesian were celebrating on Thursday after a fine set of A-Level results.

Salesian posted their best ever scores with 82 per cent of pupils achieving A* to C grades and 100% pass rate for pupils.

Headteacher James Kibble said: "I'm delighted with the A-level results announced - the best since the extensive analysis by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) began.

A RIGHT royal battle for the kingdom of Chertsey was waged on Saturday afternoon.

The Earl of Chertsey battled against the Dark Knight in a show of horsemanship and full on jousting for the right to rule the land.

After a fierce and bad-tempered fight the good knight prevailed much to the delight of the watching crowds.

The spectacular show was put on by The Knights of Middle England, a Warwickshire-based company who are bringing the Knights of Old into the 21st Century.

The fast-paced jousting on horse back had the crowd at Chertsey Show gasping and grimacing as the wooden lances crashed against metal armour.

One of the knights, Scott Travis, said that many of the Knights of Middle had trained all their lives to take part in the show.

"I have been a member for five years but to get to the stage where you call do the jousting at the speed we do takes a lifetime to master," he said.

"We came last year and the crowd seemed to really enjoy it so we are determined to put on a high octane performance for the crowd.

"We love performing and when the crowd get involved it spurs on the riders to go faster and faster."

William West was just 19-years-old when he was drafted into the army.

It was 1942 and Britain was in the midst of the Second World War. But, despite the imminent threat of danger, the former gardener from Ottershaw had no hesitation in joining up and "doing his bit" for his country.

Fast forward a couple of years and the military-hardened lance sergeant found himself trekking through Europe and battling his way to Hamburg after the successful D-Day invasions.

Here, for the first time ever, Mr West's diaries are released, telling the true tale of the Normandy invasions in which he played an integral part.

Speaking exclusively to the Surrey Herald, the 87-year-old said: "When my regiment went across to Normandy it was a few weeks after the first invasion, but it wasn't easy. Some people have compared our battle of Normandy to that of the Somme in the First World War.