Latest news with #HighWycombe
Telegraph
a day ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
London's graffiti-riddled corpse is a warning of our apocalyptic future
One of the founders, Joe Reeves, 28, shared his rationale for trying to save London, wash cloth by wash cloth. 'I grew up in High Wycombe, which is a 25-minute train ride into Marylebone and then the Bakerloo line into Oxford Circus. The Bakerloo line was this symbol of 'I've arrived in the greatest city in the world.' I was going down the stairs and through this tunnel, and then I would appear somewhere in this amazing city surrounded by opportunity.' Flash forward to his experience now, which most people will find familiar. 'Every morning, I go to Lambeth North station to go to my office, and I see someone push past the barrier,' Reeves says. 'I tap in and follow them in, and then I share a lift with them down to the platform, this person that just stole from me and everybody else on the platform in front of me. They're playing music out loud on their phone. Everybody else is rolling their eyes, frustrated, but no one's doing anything, and the carriage is covered in graffiti.' Personally, I do not think that spray-paint on public (or private) property can ever be called art. But when vandalism is just hideous it's somehow easier to take than when it becomes murderously political, which is the turn it's taken since, you guessed it, October 7 2023. With the license to treat London like a toilet or a rubbish bin firmly in place, courtesy of Sadiq Khan's bizarrely anti-improvement mayoralty, it wasn't going to be a big leap to target 'Zionists', directly or indirectly, on as many public surfaces as possible, constantly. It's a perfect storm. In neighbourhoods like mine, a strong presence of illegal migrants doing their thing below the radar (some of it decent hard work, some of it not), hostels for new arrivals and asylum seekers, and lots of unemployed youths who have given the two fingers to education are all part of the meteorology of the moment. Once home to refugees from Nazi Austria, Germany, Hungary and Poland, my area of London became famous for its Mitteleuropean café culture in the mid-to-late 20th century. People who frequented these cafés in the 1950s and 1960s remember hearing strongly accented old people talking about psychoanalysis where vape shops and grungy middle-eastern supermarkets now sit. 'The bus conductor would call out 'Jerusalem' or 'Vienna'! The German accent in the streets was predominantly Austrian,' recalled Walter Gratzer, a refugee who became a distinguished chemist upon release from an internment camp on the Isle of Man at the start of the war. Now the same road is stalked by feral youths, people who speak no English at all, and has become a throbbing centre of virulent anti-Israel, sometimes Hamas-glorifying, noise-making. We hear it, we feel it, and we see it everywhere in bright ugly letters. That it has become an epicentre of such stuff is not a surprise: it is now home to a large community of people from backgrounds that make them more likely to give voice or be sympathetic to anti-Zionist outpourings. Over the past few years, I have come to see cars, even on the quiet tree-lined roads parallel to my own, emblazoned with emblems of the Palestinian cause – one has a map of Israel done up in green, red and black and a few lines of Arabic translating to 'from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free' on its back window. It's not just unnecessary: it's aggressive. Other daily sights, albeit painted over quite quickly either by horrified locals or the council (I suspect the former) include scrawls (to take just a few recent examples) of 'Israel kills kids', 'F--k Israel', 'Gaza' and 'Free Palestine' and 'Zionists out' over street signs, security grilles and protective covers of shop fronts, and buildings. You can't not see this stuff every day, no matter the route you choose. As soon as one vile message is taken down, another pops up. It's not all bad. For all the scary louts, the nocturnal vandals with spray cans, the phone-thieving chancers, the shoplifters, the music-blaring ruffians, the weed-smoking trespassers, the fare-dodging criminals, and the Islamist sympathisers there are lots of kind, decent people of all ages, backgrounds, both men and women. Someone is always on hand to enthusiastically help with a heavy suitcase or a pram and generally people are considerate on public transport. It's just that the exceptions to this have become painfully frequent and give a feeling of a society coming unstuck, brewing nastiness and danger of a type not seen since in several generations. We have a double society. We have the ugly, dangerous descent into lawlessness, the trashing of our cities by people who feel entirely free to visit their anti-social, crassly political impulses on public property. But we also have the noticeable, reliable kindness of people. I now believe that each type of behaviour is simply a matter of personal inclination, since nobody has much to fear from order-enforcing authorities anymore, either from police or other people's judgment. As the guys from Looking For Growth have found, people keep to themselves and say nothing because they are frightened to intervene. We all feel that fright. I just hope that the good people don't lose the courage and the decency to go on being good, as the cities around them decay into crime and the personal studios of people who mean not just 'Zionists', but all of us, ill.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fire crews tackle large warehouse blaze overnight
Firefighters have spent the night tackling a blaze at a large recycling warehouse. Crews from seven stations were called to Cressex Business Park in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire at 01:00 BST. The fire affected a building measuring 80m by 60m (262ft by 196ft), and several roads were expected to remain closed throughout Tuesday. "Local business and residents may wish to keep doors and windows closed while the fire continues to generate smoke," Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue said. It added the fire happened at a "large component for recycling materials" in Coronation Road. People have been asked to avoid the business park and junction four of the M40. Coronation Road's junctions with Halifax Road and Lincoln Road were shut, Buckinghamshire Highways said. "The incident response began to be scaled back shortly after 05:00, however road closures are likely to remain in place throughout the day," the fire service added. Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service
BBC News
03-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Fire crews tackle large warehouse blaze in High Wycombe overnight
Firefighters have spent the night tackling a blaze at a large recycling from seven stations were called to Cressex Business Park in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire at 01:00 fire affected a building measuring 80m by 60m (262ft by 196ft), and several roads were expected to remain closed throughout Tuesday."Local business and residents may wish to keep doors and windows closed while the fire continues to generate smoke," Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue said. It added the fire happened at a "large component for recycling materials" in Coronation have been asked to avoid the business park and junction four of the Road's junctions with Halifax Road and Lincoln Road were shut, Buckinghamshire Highways said."The incident response began to be scaled back shortly after 05:00, however road closures are likely to remain in place throughout the day," the fire service added. Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
27-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
High Wycombe man who enslaved and sexually abused women jailed
A man who subjected two women to sexual abuse and enslaved one of them has been jailed for nearly three Arshad was sentenced to 27 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of modern slavery and sexual assault 47-year-old, of Chairborough Road, High Wycombe, was sentenced at Aylesbury Crown Court on Friday following an eight-day trial last Con Emily Sendall, from Thames Valley Police, said Arshad had committed "truly horrendous" crimes. During trial it was found that Arshad had subjected two women to a campaign of sexual abuse between January 2018 and July 2019 and 2024, he held one of the women in servitude, raping and assaulting her."Muhammad Arshad was a well-respected man in the community until this offending was uncovered," Det Con Sendall was found guilty of one count of modern slavery, seven counts of rape, two counts of assault, one count of common assault, three counts of sexual assault and one count of threatening to disclose a private sexual image. Some of the rape counts included multiple offences of was acquitted of two counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault and one count of assault. 'Incredible bravery' "During our investigation, we were able to evidence the years of abuse," added Det Con praised the victims for having the courage to come forward."I would like to thank the victims for their incredible bravery and providing evidence," she said."If you are a victim of a sexual offence or have information about sexual offences, please contact the force."We have specially trained officers who will listen and support you." Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Litter picks continue as community housing business tackles discarded waste
As part of their anti-littering and fly-tipping campaign across High Wycombe, Red Kite Community Housing have continued to do its bit to keep the town tidy. With numerous litter picks being carried out in recent weeks, those at the Loudwater-based business believe their neighbourhoods should be great places to live. That's why they carry out several estate inspections on a monthly basis, working hard to make sure their communities stay clean, tidy, and just generally great. A spokesperson from Red Kite said: 'These regular check-ups are a super important part of how they keep things looking good across all their estates.' The community housing business has also invited residents and Councillors to all their inspections, describing it as a 'fantastic way to show how everyone's working together to make the areas better'. They continued: 'When Red Kite's team is out and about, they're always on the lookout for anything that might spoil things for their tenants. 'They pay close attention to anti-social behaviour (ASB) because they want everyone to feel safe where they live, so sorting out any issues quickly is key. 'They're also focused on spotting litter and fly-tipping. 'No one wants to see rubbish piled up, and it can actually be a bit of a hazard too. 'So, if they see it, they act fast to get it cleared. 'By regularly checking these areas, they can make sure any problems are sorted out quickly.' The June inspections are now listed on their website, so take a look to see where they'll be. They added: 'If you fancy joining them on any of their inspections, just give them a call on 01494 476 100 or drop them an email at contact@ 'They'd love to have you on board to help keep their communities looking their best! 'And there's more - as well as their regular estate inspections, Red Kite is holding another litter pick next Wednesday (May 28). 'The exact location is still being decided, but it'll be based on where they're currently seeing the most issues with litter and fly-tipping. 'Keep an eye out on their Facebook page for more details.' Red Kite Community Housing is a tenant-led, not-for-profit, charitable housing organisation that was formed in December 2011. They own and manage more than 6,600 homes all within 15 miles of High Wycombe, in the south of Buckinghamshire.
