Updated 1330: Buses 93 and 413 are now running normally from North Cheam through Stonecot Hill.
Due to a lack of gritting at Priory Road, Churchill Road and at the Queen Vic in North Cheam, the 93 bus route is currently terminating at The Woodstock junction (the crossroads with Stonecot Hill, Tudor Drive and Sutton Common Road). (See this map.)
This morning’s rush hour has seen passengers walking along Stonecot Hill to the bus stops on the north side of the Woodstock junction, outside Ninety2Dental (northbound) and St Peter News (southbound) on Epsom Road.
Currently this information is not available on the TfL website or through TfL’s telephone services but has been confirmed with Sutton bus garage.
Heavy snow has brought most of Stonecot Hill to a standstill today with buses cancelled, schools shut and many businesses closed for the day.
But every cloud has a silver lining. For many it’s an unofficial bank holiday and a chance to go out and play in the snow or just stay at home in the warm. Those desperate or foolish enough to venture out in their cars won’t find themselves bothered by traffic wardens.
Many key businesses and services in the area remain open, including both doctors’ surgeries, Imperial Pharmacy and Barclays Bank (though get in quick before the cash machine runs low). The Co-op is closed but most of the newsagents and convenience stores are open and have stocks of essentials like bread and milk, though many of the newspapers were not delivered to them today.
There has been some gritting and snowploughing on the main road but many of the residential side roads remain dangerous and should be used with caution. There has yet to be any gritting or salting of the pavements.
With most public transport out of action the best advice is to avoid unnecessary journeys but if you really need to travel and can’t reach your destination on foot, local minicab firm Sky Cars are open and doing their best to keep up with demand.
For more information about schools and other public services please keep checking the Sutton Council website.
Residents in Hill Top have terrible trouble with fly tippers, but as their access road is private property the council aren’t that keen to help. Two recent suspicious fires in the area don’t seem to have made much difference.
Sometimes it’s better to show rather than to tell.
Stonecot Hill can look forward to a brighter and more colourful summer after volunteers from Sutton Living Streets gave the street planters a seasonal makeover.
Bright purple lavender plants and pink geraniums now shine alongside the more muted trees and shrubs, which themselves have had a timely trim.
The planting is part of Sutton Council’s Take Part Take Pride week, which encourages residents to organise events in their neighbourhoods to bring people together socially and to improve the places where they live.
Campaigner and keen gardener Charlotte Gilhooly said,
The planters have been dull for a long time and we wanted to do something about it now that summer’s here. We were really pleased when we heard about Take Part Take Pride and asked if we could use the opportunity to brighten up our neighbourhood. We’re delighted with the results and looking forward to keeping the planters in shape.
Sutton Living Streets is the local branch of a national charity that campaigns to promote walking, better streets and stronger communities.
Police and community support officers from Stonecot Safer Neighbourhoods Team are stepping up foot patrols after two suspicious fires broke out in the area last week.
The first fire left the Nisa Thai restaurant with a big clean-up job after the blaze destroyed the roof and part of the walls of its rear extension.
Three days later, a second fire caused damage to a garage at the rear of one of Hill Top’s houses, just 50 metres from the restaurant.
Prompt action from the fire brigade prevented the fires from spreading and kept damage to a minimum. No-one was hurt in either incident.
In an emergency phone 999.
Do you know who may have started these fires? Speak to the Safer Neighbourhoods Team on 020 8721 2492 or email them at Stonecot.snt@met.police.uk
