THE deputy leaders of Croydon's Conservatives are seeking an urgent party meeting, as pressure grows on Mike Fisher for accepting an 18 per cent pay rise.

Dudley Mead and Tim Pollard have this morning (Thursday) released a joint statement, in which they confirm they had no knowledge of Cllr Fisher making a claim for a pay increase before May's elections.

The statement reads: "Following the outcome of the local election held earlier this year, Cllr Fisher informed his former cabinet colleagues that he believed it was possible for any cabinet member serving between 2010 and May 2014 to claim some of the money they had voluntarily not taken whilst in office, if they individually wished to do so. It is a matter of public record that no other member of the cabinet 2010-14 is pursuing such a claim or received any additional money.

"Whilst senior colleagues were aware that Cllr Fisher believed the possibility existed and that he intended to pursue it, they were not aware that Cllr Fisher had, in fact, already made such a claim pre-election.

"Whilst it is quite clear that the actions of Councillor Fisher are not in any way illegal, it is also clear that there is, quite rightly, significant public interest in this matter. It would be wrong for the Conservative Group to comment further until it has been possible to ascertain the full facts and give Cllr Fisher the opportunity to explain his actions. As the two deputy leaders of the Conservative Group, we are seeking an urgent Group Meeting to discuss this matter and will make no further statement until this has been achieved."

Meanwhile, other prominent Croydon Tories have come out to express disappointment at their leader's decision to accept a £10,000 pay increase.

Cllr Jason Cummings, who was appointed shadow cabinet member for safety and justice after May's elections, said: "I accept he has not broken any laws and it was something he was entitled to do, but it was a poor decision."

And Councillor Maria Gatland, who joined the shadow cabinet after the election, said: "Anything to do with councillors' allowances has to be open and transparent and I am disappointed that this wasn't. I knew nothing about it."

THOUGH hundreds of pupils were unable to start the new term this week due to building delays, one project which has gone to plan is the expansion of Whitehorse Manor junior and infant schools.

The schools are part of the Pegasus Academy Trust, which was asked by the council to open an annex in nearby Brigstock Road, Thornton Heath.

The new building, on the site of a former old people's home, opened to its first intake of 90 children on Wednesday following a nine-month process, which involved much of the structure being built in Northern Ireland before being brought to Croydon.

"You could call it a flat pack school," said Pegasus head teacher Jolyon Roberts. "Doing it this way costs roughly the same as building on site but dramatically reduces the time it takes to get everything done."

The expansion, which brings the sites run by Pegasus to five, is in response the high demand for school places in Thornton Heath.

"The number of school age pupils here has gone through the roof," said Mr Roberts. "At Whitehorse Manor we had 600 applications for 90 places."

The Brigstock annex will open with a new reception class alongside classes in both Year 1 and Year 2 who, up until this point, had been taught at Ecclesbourne Primary School, which is also part of Pegasus. Pupils will share fields with other schools in the group.

"The new way of doing things is that you are given a catalogue of schools to look through," explained Mr Roberts .

"The model we chose is called a 'Dewey', in the same way that a car is called a Ford Focus. You choose it and the contractor makes it fit the site.

"I think the space is great. The hall is particularly large. The colour schemes are very invigorating for the children. There are good classroom sizes, plenty of natural light. It's got all the things you want."

The annex has been funded through money awarded to the council by the government - as opposed to free schools and academies which are overseen by the centrally-run Education Funding Agency (EFA).

Mr Roberts said the local authority deserved praise for how the process had been managed.

"Credit where credit is due, the council seems to be delivering what's needed," he said.

"Don't forget, Croydon is an almost unprecedented situation, almost nationally, in that the number of school age children has rocketed in recent years.

"Almost every primary school, to my knowledge, has either taken a bulge class or has been expanded, and there's still terrific demand in the north of the borough.

"In that light, I think schools should try to expand if they have the capacity. We're fortunate that our pupils will be in the same sort of classrooms and broadly have access to the same facilities."

LABOUR continue to pile the pressure on Mike Fisher and the Conservative Party over the ex-council leader's secret £10,000 pay rise.

Current council leader Tony Newman yesterday called on his rival to consider his position as leader of the Tory group in Croydon. MP Steve Reed went a step further and said Cllr Fisher should resign ahead of a full investigation.

Mr Reed, MP for Croydon North, has now written to Prime Minister David Cameron and urged him to force Cllr Fisher to go.

The Shirley councillor, who was council leader for eight years until losing to Labour in May, also faces criticism from within his own party, with senior figures calling for an urgent meeting to discuss the controversy.

Labour, however, has been quick to seize the opportunity to criticise Cllr Fisher and also raise questions about his cabinet colleagues, who say they were unaware he had asked for his annual allowances to rise from £53,000 to £62,352. In his letter to Mr Cameron, which he posted on Twitter, Mr Reed said Cllr Fisher appeared to be in breach of the Nolan Principles of Conduct in Public Life, and possibly the law.

My letter to Cameron calling on him to suspend Cllr Fisher pic.twitter.com/cicNfqgDzP

— Steve Reed MP (@SteveReedMP) September 4, 2014

Cllr Fisher did not claim the extra cash in 2011/12 or 2012/13 but, in the lead up to May's local elections, decided to claim the money. Senior colleagues within the party said they had advised him not to take the pay increase but that, by the time he asked for their advice following the election defeat, he had already been given it.

Mr Reed's letter continued: "Even if this was not illegal, it certainly appears to be an attempt to deceive the public."

He called on Mr Cameron to support his call for an independent inquiry and to suspend Cllr Fisher as leader of Croydon's Conservative group.

Sarah Jones, Labour's prospective Parliamentary candidate for Croydon Central, is to write to the Audit Office to call for an inquiry and also urged an "overhaul" of councillors' pay.

"At a time when thousands of people in Croydon are forced to use food banks and pay day loan sharks, it is morally reprehensible that the Tory leader should give himself a pay rise," she said.

"But, what is unforgivable, is that the Conservatives would do this behind the backs of the electorate – who foot the bill."

Mrs Jones said councillors allowances should be controlled by an independent body and criticised her Tory rival, incumbent MP Gavin Barwell, for failing to call for Cllr Fisher to quit.

Mr Barwell released a statement on his website yesterday saying that his friend and colleague had been "doubly wrong" – for taking the payrise and doing it secretly.

He later tweeted: "Home for 4.5 hours sleep after a truly depressing day. Waste of time as I'm so angry I won't sleep.

Home for 4.5 hours sleep after a truly depressing day. Waste of time as I'm so angry I won't sleep

— Gavin Barwell MP (@GavinBarwellMP) September 4, 2014

FLY-TIPPERS were hit with more than a dozen fines after a dawn search by council environmental enforcement staff this week.

Staff searched through bags of waste in Portland Road and Cherry Orchard Road in the 5.30am bust on Monday, hunting for evidence of where the rubbish came from and issuing 15 fixed penalty fines of up to £80 each.

The team of seven found a mixture of commercial and household waste thrown on to the street many days before a collection was due.

They then spoke to the managers of early-opening businesses to check they had all the necessary contracts in place to properly dispose of trade waste.

Councillor Stuart Collins, cabinet member for a Clean and Green Croydon, said that residents who witnessed the swoop thanked the team for their work.

"It only takes a small minority of careless or lazy people to spoil the environment for everyone, so our staff got a massive vote of thanks for taking the time to challenge anyone who they found not following the rules," he said.

THEY have been ever-present in Coulsdon town centre for 40 years and now the Doble family have been immortalised after a street was named after them.

Mick Doble opened his motorcycle dealership in Brighton Road in 1974, and has seen the business grow beyond all expectations since expanding across the road.

When the town's bypass was opened in 2007 it cut through Windermere Road, leaving a small street with the same name, sparking fears that emergency services, postmen and sat-nav users might be left confused.

On Tuesday, Croydon mayor Manju Shahul-Hameed cut a ribbon to officially open the renamed street, called 'Dobles Close' after Mario Creatura, a Coulsdon West councillor, suggested the name.

Mick was "very proud" his family name would be on the Coulsdon map forever.

"I think it's fantastic. I'm really pleased they've done it. The fact it'll always have the name Doble is a great honour," he said.

Mick bought the building in Brighton Road for just £19,000 when he set up the business with his friend Peter Watson, having worked as a panel beater when he left school.

Now 40 years later, his whole family is involved, with son Mike, and grandsons Lewis and James, among the many mucking in. The business today employs some 60 people.

"After opening the shop in Brighton Road it just took off from there, pretty much all of the family have been involved at some point," he said.

Mick, who turned 75 this year, has no plans to call it a day himself just yet.

"What's retirement? I'd prefer to be here, I wouldn't know what to do otherwise. I've worked all my life," he said.

The business he has helped to build now sprawls across three shop units in Brighton Road with an additional showroom opposite, and a new service centre in Dobles Close is set to open in the near future.

Cllr Creatura, who worked with council officers to get the street renamed, said: "It needed a new name because heaven forbid if someone had an accident here, the emergency services would have found it difficult to find.

"I thought it would be a nice idea to change the name to reflect something local and these guys [the Doble family] certainly seemed worthy."

UNEMPLOYMENT in Croydon has fallen by a third over the past 12 months.

However, the council's claims that the figures illustrate the "vibrancy" in Croydon's economy have been questioned by business leaders, who fear many simply find work outside the borough.

As of the end of July, there were 5,975 people here claiming Jobseeker's Allowance, compared to 8,875 in July 2013.

The jobless level is falling at the fourth fastest rate in London, while Croydon's employment rate is almost six per cent higher than the average across the capital.

But business chiefs want to know whether people are finding jobs in the borough – or having to leave Croydon to get work.

Jeremy Frost, chairman of Croydon branch of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: "It's great less people are looking for work, but where are they finding it? Here, or in central London?"

Mr Frost added that while things may be looking up for workers, businesses in Croydon are still struggling.

"I don't see businesses thriving. I see a lot of people who are unhappy and a lot of people struggling."

Annabel Fogden, of Croydon Chamber of Commerce, said: "If employment within the borough has increased that is positive. A drop in unemployment sends a very positive message about the local economy in Croydon."

Figures released this week show there were 175 fewer people on the dole in July than in June.

And there has been a drop of about one-third in the number of youngsters out of work, with 1,280 18 to 24-year-olds job-hunting, compared to 1,875 last year.

Councillor Toni Letts, cabinet member for economic development, said the figures show the new council's policies are working.

"These fantastic numbers offer huge encouragement for all those who have suffered, and those who continue to suffer, the hardship of unemployment," she said.

"We said that we'd create a vibrant economy, both in the town and district centres, and put the provision of local jobs, affordable housing and tackling inequality at the heart of all we do."

BEFORE we address Mike Fisher's, to be kind, misguided decision to accept a near 20 per cent pay rise in his final year running Croydon Council, we'll put forward one point of defence.

The leader of the council isn't paid enough. Regardless of whether it's Mike Fisher or Tony Newman; Tory, Labour, or Monster Raving Loony; a salary of £53,000 doesn't do justice to the importance of that position.

Some would argue £53,000 is ample and that the real brains of the town hall operation lie with the civil servants (many of whom will get at least twice the leader's salary) but regardless – for the sheer volume of hours and weight of responsibility involved, the position could be better remunerated.

But this doesn't excuse Mike Fisher's actions. The problem isn't so much that he took this huge pay rise, more the way he did it and the context surrounding this decision.

Mr Fisher wasn't exactly up front and honest about his rise. Was he ever going to tell us? And why did he go against the wishes and advice of so many senior colleagues?

Then, there is this question of context. When you've spent four years having to trim the budget – closing an arthouse cinema here, axing a summer festival there and consigning a few lollipop ladies to the dole queue into the bargain – finding an extra £10k to swell the Fisher coffers does seem morally and ethically, if not legally, questionable.

Politics aside, Mike Fisher was an admirably determined and devoted servant to Croydon, during his eight years running the council.

But he's dropped a rick here – one that could all but cost him his political career.

A SURVEY has revealed almost unanimous support to reinstate longer opening hours at Purley War Memorial Hospital.

Residents' associations across the south of Croydon have been campaigning to have urgent care centre (UCC) status returned to Purley hospital, after it was downgraded to a minor injury clinic in May.

This also resulted in the operating hours being cut, from 8am-8pm to 2pm-8pm.

Now, a survey, completed by 1,163 residents living within two miles of the hospital, has found that 1,144 of those responding agreed that UCC status and longer hours should be brought back.

The survey, organised by Conservative Parliamentary candidate Chris Philp, also revealed that some didn't even realise the UCC had even been there.

"I was completely unaware that Purley even had an urgent care centre prior to visiting and I only live in Coulsdon," said one resident.

Of those respondents who had used the urgent care services, only 1.4 per cent were unhappy with their treatment when the UCC was open, compared to more than 25 per cent unhappiness rate among users of the minor injury clinic.

One response said: "Having taken a child before and being able to have an X-ray, this time was a nightmare as after paying for parking, struggling in with a teenager who couldn't walk, we were then sent to CUH for an x-ray."

The survey was conducted by Mr Philp, who is standing in Croydon South next May, and sent to 3,000 residents from Purley, Kenley, Coulsdon and Sanderstead.

He said: "It's really important that the service level gets restored. There is enormously strong public feeling on the topic."

But Croydon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) maintains the centre was not a UCC in the first place, and that they have simply removed the minor illness element – for example coughs, colds and headaches – from the previous minor injuries and minor illness service.

Dr Agnelo Fernandes, assistant clinical chairman at Croydon CCG, said: "Surely it is right that people with minor ailments – like coughs and colds – are treated by a pharmacist or treat themselves at home?

"In addition, the service is now led by GPs rather than nurses, so it can now see a wider range of patients including children under 12 months old."

However, offering some hope to opponents, Dr Fernandes added: "We have committed to promote the service, and we will review the service every three months with local residents' associations.

"If the demand for the service is there, then it would be in everyone's interests to extend the opening hours."

TRINITY Mid-Whitgiftian were relegated to Division Three as Purley guaranteed their own survival with a 42-run win at Lime Meadow on Saturday.

A strong showing from the visiting middle order was fundamental as they recovered from 68-5 to post a competitive 206 after electing to bat.

Harry Hanford played excellent shots in the opening exchanges as Mark Roberts and Matt Winter initially struggled to hit the right line and length, but three quick wickets altered the mood.

Hanford was caught by Savion Lara at point, Stuart Glassington saw his bails clipped by Roberts for a third ball duck and Shane Patel was bowled by Winter in the very next over.

As the Trinity bowlers grew in confidence and accuracy, runs began to dry up, and just as Tion Webster was settling at the crease, Christian Bond took a sharp catch off the first ball of his own bowling to dismiss the West Indian.

When Purley captain James Scott was caught by his opposite number, Winter, the visitors looked in trouble, but Adam Windley batted diligently for almost an hour and half to hold the innings together.

Windley (37) shared important stands with Tauseef Mehdi (29) and Raul Madhok (11) in the middle order to give Purley the upper hand as a Mids side lacking winning know-how were unable to kill off their opponents.

An erratic spell from spinner Raj Chatwal gave Winter another headache as Trinity's bowlers sent down a generous string of wides.

With Mike Brugnoli unable to bowl through injury, the under-utilised Yousaf Zahari took the wickets of Windley and Madhok.

However, an excellent cameo from number ten Thishan Wanigaratne (23) took the Purley total past 200 before they lost their final wicket off the last ball of their allocation.

Trinity's batsmen failed to make an impact against the loss of early wickets. Adam Kelly captured the first three as Patel drove straight to Glassington at mid-off, Christian Bond was caught by James Scott and Lara played onto his stumps.

Raul Madhok then took three more in his first three overs from the other end to leave Mids in disarray.

Stuart Clarke was given out lbw before Scott took two catches at slip, the first a magnificent effort to claim the coveted wicket of Purley old boy Stewart Sales as Mids collapsed to 66-6.

Yousaf Zahari, Mids' best performer on the day, combined well with Raj Chatwal as the pair produced the biggest stand to put the innings back on track. They doubled the score in relative comfort, but Razi Khan and Scott applied pressure and their patience was rewarded when Scott breached Chatwal's defences for a hard-fought 25.

Zahari (39) was dismissed in identical fashion as Mids suffered another mini-collapse, but Winter and Mike Brugnoli held out for seven overs before Madhok hammered the final nail into Trinity's relegation. An unsettled line-up, inconsistent performances, and a lack of players to fill specialist positions have caught up with Trinity.

In the last round, both sides could influence matters at the other end of the table as Purley host Chipstead, Coulsdon & Walcountians and Mids travel to Epsom.

A SPECIAL celebration was held at a Selsdon coffee morning on Tuesday to mark the 100th birthday of one of its members.

Centenarian Reg Wellock, a regular at the monthly Contact event in Selsdon Baptist Church and who has lived in Croydon all his life, was presented with a cake to mark the occasion.

Sue Robson, who volunteers with Contact, said: "Reg is such a lively and cheerful member of our group and is always looking out for the needs of other people who attend the coffee morning.

"His stories of times gone by always keep us entertained."

A POLICE operation targeted at people "responsible" for rough sleeping and begging in Croydon last week did not result in any arrests. 

Officers took to the streets last Friday to continue a crackdown on those "responsible" for rough sleeping and begging.

They were told to "engage, disrupt and deter people involved in such behaviour" and to make arrests and issue antisocial behaviour orders (Asbos) "where appropriate".

It follows an identical crackdown in January this year, during which police attracted criticism after saying they would take action against those who "commit" rough sleeping.

Police targeted six "hotspots" across London: Westminster, Camden, Croydon, Islington, Lambeth and Southwark.

A total of 37 people across London were "arrested and processed" by the police and border officials, Scotland Yard said, and 35 people were given cease-and-desist notices. 

In Croydon, police confiscated alcohol on eight occasions but did not make any arrests relating to rough sleeping or begging. 

Jad Adams, chairman of homeless charity Nightwatch, described the crackdown – called Operation Encompass – as misguided. "If we had been consulted, we would have helped to make sense of a confused policy that conflates a number of issues and problems that relate to different areas," he said.

"Rough sleeping is an expression employed to give the impression that grinding poverty is, in fact, a lifestyle choice.

"If people are street homeless, that is a failing in society, not a manifestation of 'antisocial behaviour'. Improved housing strategies will help them, not more police action. Aggressive begging really is antisocial behaviour and it is in everyone's interest that it is stopped. The police have powers to do this and need no special campaign."

Mr Adams said police were taking issues in Westminster and unfairly applying them to other areas of London.

He added: "Croydon is in no way a 'hotspot' as Westminster is, and I suspect the other boroughs targeted in this way also have their own particular problems which should not be conflated with those of Westminster."

Last week's operation involved the police, local authorities and other agencies. Rough sleepers, the police said, were offered "assistance through support services and arrests are made where offences are identified".

The operation focused on EU nationals who "abuse free movement rights for fraud", the police added. In January, the authorities were given more power to remove those people from the UK.

Mr Adams said: "The police should work with the border staff to ensure that anyone who is involved in antisocial behaviour and comes from an EU country is genuinely fulfilling their treaty obligations and working or looking for work. If they are not, they can be deported.

"On the other hand, we want to help those people who have come here looking for work to enter the legitimate economy."

Last month, Croydon Council launched campaign to make the town's streets safer. It saw 'Alcohol-free zone' signs placed around the town centre in order to "reinforce the message that street drinking is an offence". 

A year earlier an operation by the police, Croydon Business Improvement District (BID), the police and Westminster Drug Project (WDP) saw 185 people being referred for help with substance abuse, 47 arrests and more than 1,250 alcohol seizures. 

FORMER council leader Mike Fisher is under pressure to resign after it emerged he secretly took a £10,000 pay rise ahead of May's local elections. 

Labour has called for a public inquiry several senior Conservatives have labelled his actions "wrong" and "deeply disappointing". 

The party will discuss the scandal at an urgent meeting tomorrow (Saturday). 

Do you think he should resign as leader of the Conservative group in Croydon? 

Was he entitled to accept a pay rise recommended by an independent body, even though he turned it down when it was offered in 2010/11? 

Should he step down as a councillor altogether? 

Let us know what you think in our poll below.

A THIRD of people suspected to have cancer in Croydon have to wait at least three months for treatment after seeing a GP.

Only six out of ten patients given an urgent cancer referral were treated within 62 days in June.

The longest-wait at Croydon University Hospital, which is responsible for most but not all of the patients, was 178 days. The patient was a "complicated" case and required substantially more time to diagnose and treat.

Health commissioners described the figures as a "considerable concern" and have urged the hospital to do more to reduce waiting times.

Croydon Health Services (CHS), the trust which runs the hospital, has hired an additional consultant to help it meet the target of 85 per cent of patients treated within 62 days.

South-west London's three main health trusts - Croydon, King's College and St George's hospitals - are all missing the 62-day recommendation.

Figures released by CHS this week show that, in May and June respectively, 69 per cent and 65 per cent of patients were treated within the 62-day period. The hospital is meeting other cancer targets.

Dr Sanjay Gupta, clinical lead for cancer at the trust, said an aging population was placing increased strain on health services.

"With more Londoners living longer every year, there is an increasing demand for our services and we are working hard to provide consistently good cancer care in Croydon," he said.

The hospital has hired an additional consultant urologist, who will start work in October, by which point it says it will be meeting the 85 per cent target.

Dr Gupta said: "We are recruiting a number of support positions within the cancer service to support the clinical team in scheduling their work to increase the efficiency of the department.

"We are also recruiting a new consultant to the urology team to increase the number of specialist biopsies to detect the early signs of prostate cancer.

"We are determined to deliver a marked improvement to our overall 62-day wait performance."

Croydon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) raised concerns about cancer waiting times at a public board meeting on Tuesday.

Its figures differed from the hospital's, because some people in Croydon are referred to hospitals other than CHS. It found just 61.7 per cent of Croydon patients were treated by the 62-day target in May and 60 per cent in June.

May's data relates to 18 breaches from a total of 47 "pathways", a CCG report said, six of which were at CHS, two shared between CHS and St George's and ten shared between CHS and Royal Marsden.

The GP-led group has raised concerns about cancer waiting times directly with John Goulston, chief executive of CHS.

It has also issued a "contract query notice" to formally question the trust's performance.

A spokesman for the CCG said: "Croydon has a good record overall in delivering against national cancer targets however performance against this particular measure is clearly of considerable concern.

"We will continue to work with Croydon Health Services NHS Trust to ensure improvement."

THREE men arrested on suspicion of murdering Sutton teenager Lee Boxell 26 years ago have been re-bailed. 

Lee Boxell went missing age 15 and was last seen on High Street, Sutton, in September 1988. His body has never been found. 

Three men, aged 78, 52, and 41, were arrested in April on suspicion of murder. The 78-year-old and the 52-year-old were also questioned about conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and indecency with children. 

The men answered bail on Wednesday (September 3) and were re-bailed until March 2015.

A 42-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and indecency with children has been told she will face no further action. 

A FORMER police pursuit driver who went into the opticians for a routine eye test was told he had a rare tumour the size of a golf ball in his brain.

Robert Parsons' eyesight started to deteriorate last year, leading to "dreadful" double vision which left him unable to drive.

But after several eye tests at other opticians who failed to spot the cause, one eagle-eyed expert at Heather Bailey Opticians, in Limpsfield Road, Sanderstead, noticed it might be a tumour and referred him to see a specialist.

Mr Parsons, from Purley, had the brain tumour removed in June and said he was "hugely grateful" to the opticians for spotting it.

"If it had been left much longer I would be blind. I'm very much indebted to them," said the 71-year-old.

The problems with his sight had come on "suddenly" while driving on a trip to Devon a couple of years ago.

"It was getting really bad. When my wife was driving I was seeing double double-decker buses coming the other way. It was awful, I just had to shut my eyes," he explained

"Before I retired I was in the police service as an advanced driver engaged in pursuits, so the fact that it left me unable to drive at all was quite restricting for me."

Specialist doctors at Moorfields Eye Hospital in Croydon confirmed the cause of the problems, with Mr Parsons' vision was a benign pituitary gland tumour pressing on his optic nerve.

"It was frightening to be told 'you have a brain tumour' but then you just have to go with the experts that tell you this or that can be done," said Mr Parsons.

His double vision and eyesight problems were fixed almost overnight by the keyhole surgery.

He added: "As soon as the surgery was done my vision was better, it was absolutely wonderful.

"I've since gone back to Heather Bailey to sort out a pair of glasses though."

Karina Hay, who carried out Mr Parsons' eye test in January, said she had only ever seen one other patient with a brain tumour in 36 years since she qualified as an optician.

"He showed classic signs that he might have a tumour, so I referred him to the doctors," she said.

"It's certainly quite unusual. It's not exactly what you would expect when you go in for an eye test. I don't think that sort of tumour is actually life-threatening unless they're malignant, but they can make one very unwell and even leave you blind.

"The longer it's there pressing on the optic nerve and causing damage, the less well one might recover."

She added it was important for people to have regular eye tests.

"People so often say 'I didn't need new glasses so I didn't want to come for a checkup'. A proper check can pick up these things."

FORMER Croydon Council leader Mike Fisher has resigned as head of the opposition Conservative group, after the row over his decision to accept a £10,000 pay rise.

Cllr Fisher had been coming under increasing pressure to quit and made his decision last night (Friday), hours before he was due to face the music at a hastily-arranged showdown meeting of party colleagues.

The Advertiser revealed on Wednesday how Cllr Fisher - council leader for eight years until his party lost the elections in May - accepted an 18 per cent pay increase despite being advised against the move by several cabinet members and other senior Tories, including Croydon Central MP Gavin Barwell.

Mr Barwell said on Twitter late last night that his long-time friend had made the right decision in standing down, adding: "Hope this will go some way to restoring his reputation. What he did was wrong but he has also done a lot of good for our town."

Cllr Fisher had come under fire from both sides of the political divide for accepting the pay increase, with Labour's Croydon North MP Steve Reed writing to Prime Minister David Cameron, urging him to suspend the Shirley councillor.

His opposite number and successor as council leader, Tony Newman, said there was no "moral or ethical" justification for what had happened. For his part, Cllr Fisher accused his rival of "stirring things up".

Deputy leaders Dudley Mead and Tim Pollard were among Cllr Fisher's Conservative colleagues to go public with their disappointment at his actions, and an urgent group meeting they'd called for to discuss the situation was due to take place this morning (Saturday).

It is not yet clear who will replace Cllr Fisher as Tory leader, though the likes of Cllr Pollard, Croham councillor Maria Gatland, and Croydon and Sutton GLA member Steve O' Connell are among those likely to be in the frame.

OUR columnist and Crystal Palace fan ALISDAIR KEMP wasn't entirely happy with what he saw from the Eagles in Neil Warnock's first game back in charge...

A last-gasp equaliser always induces an outpouring of emotion, let alone when provided by a popular source with a gripping back-story. Last Saturday's 95^th minute goal from Wilfried Zaha did just that and in the aftermath of such a breathtaking and euphoric end to proceedings at St James' Park, it feels as though a wave of excessive optimism has swept among the Palace faithful.

Certainly there were some encouraging performances from the likes of Dwight Gayle, Jason Puncheon and Martin Kelly – who seamlessly marked Remy Cabella out of the game – but Zaha's dramatic injury-time flourish has somewhat papered over the cracks of a shaky performance.

Woeful set-piece defending, persistent fouling and profligacy on the counter-attack are of particular concern.

With five goals conceded from set-pieces in just three league games this season, we have been shooting ourselves in the foot emphatically. In the Premier League it is difficult enough to defend against attacks from open play, with the high, relentless tempo and multi-million pound talent conducting it. Set-pieces should be no more difficult to deal with this season than they were in the Championship.

With less movement and more time for defenders to get into shape, goals should rarely, if ever, be conceded from corners and free-kicks. Yet we leaked two against Arsenal – a team with an actual notoriety for rarely scoring from dead balls – and look to have learned nothing from it. It was only Newcastle's lacklustre deliveries and positioning that enabled us to save face.

Saturday also saw an unwelcome return to the least admirable facet of Neil Warnock's previous Palace side: excessive and sometimes cynical, fouling. I was disappointed by the number of stoppages in the game that were forced by our attempts to disrupt any momentum that Newcastle tried to build.

Teams that adopt such a negative approach often do so out of desperation and an inferiority complex. We have more than enough talent to match up technically against the likes of Newcastle so one can but hope that we henceforth choose to exploit that ability rather than resort to unsporting conduct that simply dilutes the spectacle (football is after all an entertainment sport).

Another concern was our wastefulness in attack following swift, clinical breaks. The counter-attacks themselves should provide some cause for optimism – albeit tempered by the fact that Newcastle's attacking full backs often left alarming amounts of space for us to surge into.

All too often either the final ball or the attempt on goal was a hurried anti-climax to an exciting move. Zaha himself was guilty of wasting a couple of opportunities, while Yannick Bolasie is still labouring under the impression that the crossbar is located up in row Z.

The performance on Tyneside was certainly an improvement, with Neil Warnock seemingly having injected greater energy and urgency into the side. However, fans must not allow the last-minute heroics to blind them to the problems that persist.

Judgment should be reserved until after the international break, as Warnock has begun to stamp his authority on the squad.

IT'S A concept so simple it's a wonder no one thought of it sooner. Take Britain's two most popular sports and combine them to make one, simple game.

No, we're not talking about rugby-tennis, this is FootGolf, creating McIlroy-Beckham hybrids on a golf course in Addington.

The new 18-hole FootGolf course at Addington Court opened last year and has already had more than 2,000 people take on its undulations and hazards.

Spotting a gap in the market, Addington Court's director of golf Paul Oliver pushed owners Crown Golf to build the new course, which has holes ranging from the short, par three 40-yarders to par fives of more than 200 yards.

The game itself is, perhaps, less stuffy than golf and players are welcome to arrive in their soccer shirts, armed with just a football in their arsenal.

Mr Oliver said: "Its beauty is it's so simple. It combines the two most popular participation sports in the UK."

Mr Oliver, a Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) member, is confident that although in its relative infancy, the game will become big business.

"It's getting busier and busier," he added. "We know we've got a great product here, it's just waiting for someone big to come in and it's going to take off massively. When a Nike or an Adidas get behind it, it's going to be huge."

Crystal Palace legend Mark Bright, who is good friends with Mr Oliver, will be donning his boots for a charity FootGolf event at Addington Court, in Featherbed Lane, on Sunday.

Players will line up to try and beat Brighty for the chance to win a signed shirt with the pundit's name on it.

"He's very good. He may have retired but you can tell he still oozes class," Mr Oliver said.

The par for the course is 65 and the ball – although much larger than a golf ball – is equally tricky to navigate around the fairways.

Putting techniques vary, although Mr Oliver recommends the 'toe-putt', which is the golfing equivalent of a poacher's toe-poked finish, rather than a side-footed technique.

Mr Oliver, who is the highest ranked FootGolf player in the UK, thinks the game's appeal is massive.

He said: "We've had 60th birthday parties, we've had stag dos, we've had groups of mates.

"You don't need to practise as much as you would in golf and you don't need clubs to play – you just need a foot and a ball."