It’s back and better than ever. We’ve revived our text message alert system for traffic wardens on Stonecot Hill which was discontinued a few months ago when Twitter stopped sending text messages to mobile phones.

Now the Twitter text message service is back on for O2 and Vodaphone customers and we’ve revamped the alert system to make it much faster and more reliable than before.

The new system also monitors Transport for London’s CCTV camera at the junction of Stonecot Hill and Hill Top which also issues parking tickets (though bizarrely TfL claims to have no idea how many).

If you’re already a Twitter member, just follow @stonecotparking and enable text message alerts for that account. If you’re not, here’s how you get going:

1. Join Twitter

Go to the signup page and create yourself an account.

2. Connect your mobile phone to your Twitter account

Now you’re signed up and logged in, go to the Devices page in your account settings and let Twitter know your phone number. You can leave the “device updates” setting Off as you’ll just be enabling text messages coming from a single account (@stonecotparking).

3. Follow @stonecotparking

Go to @stonecotparking’s page and click the big Follow button at the top. You should see a green tick and the word “Following”.

4. Turn on device updates for @stonecotparking

Click the circular mobile phone icon next to where it says “Following”. It should turn green, meaning you’ll get text message alerts whenever there’s a new update from @stonecotparking.

That’s it. While we can’t guarantee this system to be 100% reliable, when there are wardens about or the CCTV camera is working you’ll probably get a text message to let you know.

They couldn’t find a buyer as offices, so now the owner of 104 Ash Road is applying for planning permission to convert them into flats.

If granted, the two new flats will each have a bedroom, bathroom and an open-plan living room with kitchen and diner.

There aren’t any parking spaces but both flats will have their own secure cycle parking at ground level.

You can read the full planning application for 104 Ash Road online. The consultation period ends on 13 March.

Local residents are invited to a Stonecot community event hosted by Councillor Tony Brett Young and Sutton Youth Service detached team.

The event takes place on Friday 20 February 2009 from 6pm – 8.30pm and is held in the school hall, Brookfield Primary School, Ridge Road, SM3 9LY.

Residents will be able to get to know other local people both young and old, have a chance to offer their views on improvements to local facilities and find out more about the council’s work in the area.

Superintendent Warren Shadbolt from the Safer Sutton Partnership will give a presentation on the Sutton Life Centre, a new community centre, library, youth, IT and educational facility to be built on Sutton Common Road.

There will be music, food, group activites, a community question time and prizes to be won.

If you would like to attend, please contact tony.brettyoung@sutton.gov.uk or Joe Edmonds on 07736 338 732.

More information is available on Sutton Council’s website.

Sutton residents in the Stonecot Hill area will be pleased that brown bin waste collections are back to normal tomorrow. Brown bins were not collected last week due to snow in the earlier part of the week. Waste collection staff were transferred to gritting duties and were unable to catch up with the backlog later in the week. Green and blue recycling bins were collected last week as normal.

As many residents now have overflowing brown bins, Sutton Council has relaxed its usual “side waste” policy and will not be penalising any residents that put out extra bin bags beside their wheelie bins.

For more information see Sutton Council’s waste collection page.

Now that the snow has all but disappeared, here are some photos which readers have sent in. I didn’t get to take many myself as I was out making a video.

Jeannie got creative with this multi-talented snowman. A bit puzzled here...