Er… excuse us, Wanstead, but WTF???

Wansteadium readers love Wanstead for its tranquility, civility, and for the shared belief that it’s a jolly nice place. So, with all due respect, Wansteadium feels duty bound to ask: “Wanstead? WTF?”

We refer to headlines from the past two weeks.

• Wanstead man steps in to tackle mugger at Santander cashpoint in Wanstead High Street
Scaffolder Tommy Stapleton, sitting at Bar Room Bar and telling his mate how nice Wanstead was, sees an old man getting mugged. He chases and catches one of the muggers and, in his words, gave him a “proper hiding”. There was blood. Some people apparently accused Tommy of committing a racist assault. The mugger ran off.

• Cat is shot in Drummond Road, Wanstead
A two-year-old girl was distraught after her pet cat Coco came home having been shot with an air rifle. In Drummond Road.

• A 22-year-old man was shot in the hand in Sidney Road (not strictly Wanstead, but on the edge of Wanstead Flats)

• OAPs are mugged at Barclays and Natwest cashpoints on Wanstead High Street within space of three days
TWO pensioners have slammed plans to close the area’s police stations after being robbed within three days of each other at neighbouring cashpoints.

• Wanstead is named as 13th worst area in the country for car thefts, according to Swinton Insurance. South Woodford is 10th worst.

All readers are requested to suck their teeth and shake their head slowly while staring into the middle distance.