Author: Wansteadium

Geoff Wilkinson writes on Wanstead Daily Photo: “I came across this shop window that intrigued me, it’s on Aldersbrook Road. As I have mentioned quite a few of the shops appear to have closed down in this row, this one however had this pile of broomsticks in the window. Unfortunately the shop was closed for the night but I will go back and try to find out if there is a broom maker there. I just loved the soft evening light falling on on the wood and the old fashioned window, glad to see perhaps another cottage industry locally.”

@Wansteadium isn't often that we lose a take away in wanstead but the nearest Chinese to wanstead tube is going pic.twitter.com/dvQKMrnqBB

— Tom King (@zgap118) August 9, 2014

An emergency call to police from a Wanstead resident could have been missed for two days because it was made to the mobile phone of the Safer Neighbourhood Team rather than directly to 999.

The call was made to one of the community support officers who was off duty at the time. The officer told local Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinators: “I’m afraid to report that we received a voicemail message which was in fact a 999 call and this was not picked up for 2 days due to us being off, thankfully the caller rang 999 but an hour later.”

The Met is encouraging residents to ring the police “non-emergency” number, 101, instead of their local team’s mobiles, even when people want to contact their local officers.

The Safer Neighbourhood Teams of the Met Police have been reorganised in the past 12 months, which combined with the closure of Wanstead Police Station may have confused people about how to contact the force.

The confusion appears to be shared by the Met itself – its website still maintains that officers can be contacted at the (now boarded-up) station on Spratt Hall Road.

Geoff Wilkinson writes on Wanstead Daily Photo: “This is another photograph from my Wanstead Park walk. I really like the way these tree trunks have been laid to form paths, it helps to keep people from trampling over the bluebells when they are out. I deliberately shot this picture from very low down to include the fungus growing out of the side of the trunk. There’s also a small frog or toad in the picture, I’m afraid I don’t know the difference, it’s well hidden and didn’t seem to mind my presence.

… not actually in Wanstead