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53 stories from and about Lewisham, mostly crime & safety, council & politics, local news. The most recent ran on 27 October 2026. Page 1 of 3.
Anthony Lloyd, 38, escaped from a Lewisham medical facility on 23 October 2026. The Metropolitan Police confirmed on 27 October 2026 that he remains at large and is considered a risk to the public.
Police are conducting a city‑wide search for Anthony Lloyd, who fled a Lewisham health unit on Friday afternoon. He is described as a risk to himself and others. Residents are urged to call 999 and avoid contact.
Climate Haven, a new initiative focused on building local resilience to climate change, held its inaugural meeting in New Cross Gate. The group, which has secured National Lottery funding, aims to identify and connect existing community resources to prepare for climate-related emergencies.
Residents of The Filigree in Lewisham have been forced out of their homes for over a year due to catastrophic flooding. A burst water pipe in February 2025 has led to a potential reopening date of October 2027, with Lewisham Council criticising a lack of communication from developer Get Living.
Lewisham Council is seeking resident feedback on its draft Gambling Policy for 2027-2030. The policy aims to regulate the borough's 47 gambling premises and mitigate gambling-related harm, which the council estimates affects around 38,000 people.
Lewisham Council is offering microgrants of up to £1,000 to residents and community groups for projects addressing fly-tipping. The initiative comes as the borough faces a high number of incidents and significant spending on waste management.
Jordan Burton has been found guilty of murder after Daniel Allright died from a fatal epileptic seizure 15 years after a head injury sustained during an attack in Lewisham. Burton, 33, was 14 at the time of the 2006 assault.
For the Millwall vs West Ham Championship match at The Den on 19 September, the Metropolitan Police will have 400 officers on the ground, grant stop‑search powers without reasonable suspicion until 8 pm, and enforce a Section 35 dispersal order to curb disorder.
Lewisham Council has released a refreshed Catford Town Centre Business Plan 2026‑2030, promising 113 affordable homes at Thomas’ Lane Yard, improved links between Catford and Catford Bridge stations, and a Goldsmiths campus for 500‑600 students, pending approval on 9 September 2026.
Michelle Neill was sentenced at the Old Bailey to a three‑year prison term, suspended for three years, for the death of her paralysed sister Kelly Neill in Deptford. The court heard no medical or social‑service visits occurred for many months before the fatal sepsis.
London's air quality has improved substantially over the last decade, with average nitrogen dioxide levels falling by nearly 38%. However, significant disparities remain, particularly in more deprived areas, and few neighbourhoods meet World Health Organization standards.
Liam Shrivastava, Lewisham's first directly-elected Green Mayor, has passed his 100-day milestone. His administration has initiated a review into cooperation with immigration enforcement and reported clearing over 11,000 fly-tipping sites since May 2026.
A second fire at a waste facility in Landmann Way, Deptford, on Tuesday 18 August has highlighted concerns about Lewisham council's waste disposal contracts. The site, which handles the council's fly-tipped and bulky waste, previously caught fire in June. Lewisham council paid over £142,000 to the facility operator, SSSI, in June.
Lewisham Council’s Planning Committee approved a revised scheme for 20 flats on Longton Avenue, Sydenham, on 12 August 2026. The developer removed four-bedroom homes to add two storeys and 12 more units, drawing 41 objections but no affordable housing on site.
Lewisham Council has been criticised by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman for failing to provide evidence of compliance in more than a third of investigated complaints. The ombudsman’s letter highlights delays in apologies and payments, affecting vulnerable residents, and calls for urgent improvement.
A 28-year-old woman was pronounced dead at a home on Conington Road, Lewisham, on 5 August 2026. A 25-year-old man arrested in connection with the incident has been released on bail while police investigate. A post-mortem examination has been conducted.
Rob Beckett, the Lewisham comedian known for Taskmaster and Parenting Hell, will appear in the second series of BBC One’s The Celebrity Traitors. Filming is complete, and the show will broadcast in autumn 2026, with 21 contestants competing for a £100,000 charity prize.
Lewisham Council has become the first UK local authority to pass a motion restricting cooperation with Home Office immigration raids. The decision follows 177 raids in SE13 during 2025 and targets data-sharing agreements. The council will train migrant businesses on legal resistance while complying with statutory duties.
Lewisham Council has acknowledged a technical fault affecting the recognition of a Catford resident’s parking permit, leading to 13 Penalty Charge Notices since July. Four tickets have been cancelled, but Ashleigh Gordon says new fines continue to arrive while she awaits a resolution.
A coroner has urged the Metropolitan Police to review its policies after an inquest found delays in responding to Catherine Morgan’s disappearance may have contributed to her death. The 37-year-old from Lewisham died in Kent on 4 September 2024, hours after police declined to investigate despite reports of her high-risk status.
Borough-wide and national stories that name Lewisham or bear directly on it.
At least seven London councils have now stated they will refuse to cooperate with Home Office immigration enforcement. Newham Council passed a motion to only cooperate with immigration raids where legally obligated, following similar decisions by six other boroughs.
News Shopper reported that five south London schools were recognised in September’s Ofsted inspections. Endeavour Academy Bexley earned Strong Standard in every inspected area, while Newstead Wood School in Orpington secured three Exceptional judgments, signalling high performance for local families.
More than 5,500 children across London have signed up for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library since the singer's death. The free book-gifting scheme is now available in seven London boroughs, aiming to provide age-appropriate books to children from birth to age five.
The ATHLOS LDN26 event, featuring an all-women's competition with a $1.057 million prize purse, is set to take place at StoneX Stadium in Hendon on Friday, September 18. The event will be broadcast live and free-to-air on the BBC.
London Assembly members approved a motion denouncing six Green‑led boroughs for declining to help Home Office immigration raids. The councils, Lewisham, Hackney, Haringey, Lambeth, Southwark and Waltham Forest, have all adopted a non‑cooperation stance. The Home Office says arrests for illegal work rose 83% and raids grew 77% over the past year and a half.
Chislehurst Care Limited in Bromley and Amazon Cleaning Ltd in Bexley have been named by the Government for failing to pay the National Minimum Wage. Nearly £4 million was repaid to over 27,000 workers across the UK in the latest enforcement round.
Organisers of the 2027 London Marathon are being urged to provide clear arrangements for residents and businesses in Greenwich. The event, scheduled for April 24 and 25, is expected to raise £150 million for charity but raises concerns about two days of disruption.
Winn Road in south east London is divided between the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Lewisham. This split means residents on opposite sides of the same street experience different council services and face unique challenges, particularly regarding road safety.
Lime has withdrawn its e-bikes from Penge, Bromley, following complaints from blind residents who were forced into the road by improperly parked vehicles. Bromley Council had previously told Lime to stop operating in the borough as it lacked a contract.
Retailers in Barnet can now submit CCTV footage and witness statements directly to police within hours of a shoplifting incident. The platform, already used in six London boroughs, has increased case resolutions from 7.3% to 29.4%. Smaller shops say cost remains a barrier.
Two separate road collisions in Deptford and Brockley caused significant traffic delays on 6 August. Emergency services attended both incidents, which occurred within an hour of each other during the morning peak. No details of injuries or responsible parties have been released.
Tesco, Boots, Marks & Spencer and Greggs are trialling a system that shares CCTV and witness statements with the Metropolitan Police instantly. The scheme, active in eleven London boroughs, has raised the caution or charge rate from 7.3% to 29.4% and contributed to a 4% drop in shoplifting across the capital.
Southwark Council’s new Green leader, James McAsh, has announced plans to make driving more difficult in the borough. The measures include blocking rat runs and expanding low-traffic neighbourhoods to improve air quality and road safety for children.
The Metropolitan Police will extend a digital evidence-sharing system to eight additional boroughs on Tuesday, after a pilot in six areas increased the rate of cautions and charges for shoplifting from 7.3% to 29.4%. Retailers including Boots and Greggs already use the platform.
Aldi will invest £370 million in 2026 to open 25 new stores across Greater London, including Bromley, Lewisham and Elephant & Castle. The expansion aims to create jobs and improve access to affordable food, with store assistants earning at least £14.88 per hour inside the M25.
The Metropolitan Police’s digital evidence platform has increased prosecution rates for shoplifting from 7.3% to 29.4% in pilot boroughs. The system, used by Tesco, Boots, M&S and Greggs, will cover 14 London boroughs from 3 August 2026, with reported offences down 3.7% in the last year.

Aaron Parker, 41, of Hither Green, admitted two charges of exposing his genitals at Shortlands railway station on 9 March 2025. Bromley Magistrates’ Court sentenced him to a community order lasting until May 2027, including 20 days of rehabilitation and 150 hours of unpaid work.
A 23-year-old man from Lewisham has been sentenced to three years and nine months in prison for robbing a teenager at Stratford Overground station in June 2023. The victim reported lasting impacts on his safety when using the railway network.
A Lewisham man has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison after stealing a £1,500 e-bike and £700 e-scooter from a teenager at Stratford Overground station. The victim identified the thief after seeing the bike advertised on social media days later.
Greenwich Council has launched a public consultation on a two-way cycle track across Blackheath, part of a revised route to Eltham. The scheme drops earlier proposals to close roads to motor traffic but includes shared paths and turning restrictions to reduce rat-running.
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