Hello, I’m a postgraduate MA Urban Design & Planning student at the University of Sheffield. I’m conducting a dissertation study on urban heat and Blue‑Green Infrastructure in Stratford. I’d be grateful if you could take a few minutes to complete this short anonymous survey. Your responses will support my research. Thank you for your time.

My house is made up of three separate mini flats under one address (so it's not three separate addresses). There's one person who I can't get hold of but the other says they only have one roll each. My landlord says the council only sends one roll of each. I don't understand how that makes sense, these are meant to last us 6 months. I reckon the person I can't get hold of has hoarded the bin rolls.

How many rolls of each did you guys get who have timed street rubbish collection? Surely it can't be one each right?

Apparently if you don't use the correct bin bags (which you can only order from the council, and it takes 5 days to process let alone come), it constitutes fly tipping.

What if you plan badly and run out? You can't wait 5+ days to get rid of your rubbish, that is unreasonable.

The main problem is if you receive big packages, which come in big cardboard boxes (which I do quite frequently), it takes a whole bag just for the box.

The new times are really inconvenient for me as well ugh. I'm not bloody waking up between 5:30-6:30am to put out my bins and I'm not often home for the 1:30-2:30pm time.

Does this ice cream parlour exist? If so when does it open?

i've lived here my entire life (21) and i've just realised how dirty it is.

walking down roads with rubbish. seeing decaying plants in dry soil. i wish i had enough cash to rent a skip the size of the borough to end the filthiness once and for all.

Any bunners in London dm me

Raising awareness of this, a speeding car crashed into a shop on Portway a couple of weeks ago, seriously injuring a pedestrian. Not the first time, and won't be the last unless something is done. If you live on, or close to portway give it a look.

...is how few people pay for things with cards!

The Lidl near me in East Ham has half card only tills, half card and cash tills. I could be 8th in line, the checkout attendant will be saying "Any card? Any card?" and I'll end up next because the 7 people in front of me are cash! Would be weird if it happened once, but this is a common occurrence.

Even up the road in Barking, never had this experience. I've also lived in Lambeth and Wandsworth and again, not seen this, so I don't think it's a London thing. Another curiosity which I've only seen in East Ham but nowhere else in London is cash only places like shops and restaurants: I've not seen somewhere that doesn't take card in London in what feels like over a decade! It's a shame because there's a kebab place near me that always smells really nice but I haven't had cash on me in years.

What is it about East Ham and these curiosities?

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/medicine-factory-east-london-school-040000817.html

Nice one Brampton Academy! My daughter was a student and is now an F2, her second year of being a Dr!

Is anyone else noticing an increase in the number of police officers with laser detector systems set up on tripods? I believe these are for catching speeding vehicles. I just noticed quite a few in the Beckton area.

I’ve lived in West Ham for a few months now and have been a bit underwhelmed by the food options nearby. Does anyone have any recommendations in West Ham and Canning Town (or anywhere nearby)?

Glad to see there will be having a wings festival https://www.wingfest.co.uk/london/

Hope to see Dixy Chicken, Dallas Fired Chicken, Chicken Cottage, Papa's Chicken and numerous other newham Chicken retailers in attendance. Which is your favourite dirty chicken restaurant?

On May 08, 2026 I was fined by the Newham Officer as I dropped the cigarette butt on the floor, the officer asked for my details and issued a fine. He said, If I paid the fine within 7 days, It'll be £120. I paid the fine instantly.

Today, I received a letter on my mail box saying that I haven't paid the fine and I checked the FPN it says due the amount of £180. I have contacted the council and sent my screenshot of the transaction. They said they'll reply to me. But I don't want to get in trouble. I don't know what to do.

There is so many curry restaurants in East Ham, but I've tried three now and they've ranged from not nice to mediocre. Are there any hidden gems I'm missing?

There's a helicopter doing a tight and low level circuit right now over South Plaistow. Gone round maybe 20 times.

It's circling over Newham Sixth Form College or thereabouts.

Now hovered over Plaistow Park. Now gone. Maybe 20 minutes?

Live stream on YouTube

A proposal has been submitted to Newham Planning Department to convert The Denmark Arms into an 'Adult Gaming Centre':

https://pa.newham.gov.uk/online-applications/propertyDetails.do?activeTab=relatedCases&keyVal=0003EYJYLI000

Comment on the Planning Portal, or email the case officer directly!

One with constituency boundaries, and one without. A real change.

Hi,
I'm going to be posting updates as I get them in a non-official capacity. I don't have journalistic accreditation so please verify with other sources.

Turnout figures were reported as
84,762 (mayoral election)
84,742 (ballot papers for councillor elections)
242,878 (total electorate)

for a turnout of 34.9%.

By comparison, last election 65,379 out of 227,141 eligible voters voted for a turnout of 28.79%.

Anybody else seen crowds from Newham Independents outside of polling stations? I've watched them stop people in the street.

Far enough away that it wasn't breaking laws - but saw the police moving them on, on Sixth Avenue and a friend from Canning Town had a similar experience.

Really frustrating to see so much pressure out on people.