If you were by Ashburton Road on the evening of Thursday 18th July, you were probably shocked and confused by the gentleman performing inside and outside of Vujons, an Indian restaurant, dressed in his many costumes. But don't you worry; the leopard print dress he was wearing was in aid of a good cause.

 Vujons hosted an amazing event in order to raise money for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity with an evening of amazing food, hilarious entertainment from Paul Weaver, as well as human bingo. Roughly 40 people attended that evening, and for many of the guests, the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity is a cause that is close to their hearts. This particular evening was organised with Keith Stanley in mind; who lost his fight with cancer on 25th July 2012. Keith Stanley touched the lives of everyone he met, and was a giving, loving man who worked with the Croydon Hearing Resource Centre, fighting alongside his team to help those with impaired hearing in the borough of Croydon as well as founding the ladies league of darts. He was also a man who lived for his family, as a husband, father, nandad, and a great granddad; he was a man who could not do enough to help. He was also a regular at the Vujons restaurant, making it a perfect venue to host the event.

Keith Stanley was also a man who surrounded his life with fun and laughter, which was reflected in the entertainment that night. Paul Weaver's comedic performance included himself as Tom Jones, Elvis Presley and to everybody's surprise, especially the cars driving past, Tina Turner. His act also included a lot of audience interaction, whether or not the audience member wanted to or not, serenading the ladies of the audience and even getting many people up and dancing.

The evening was not just a great night, it was also a success as it was able to raise over £700, which is also to be matched by Barclays bank, meaning the because of this one night of fun, the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity will be given over £1000 to help  people like Keith Stanley.

MORE than 300 people have signed an open letter to the English Volunteer Force (EVF) ahead of the anti-Islamic group's planned demonstration outside the UK Border Agency's Lunar House headquarters tomorrow (Saturday).

The letter has been organised by the Oasis Trust, which runs a number of academies in the borough and sends the EVF the message that they are not speaking for the people of Croydon.

It says: "Freedom of speech is an important part of life in Britain. However, it is our view that the EVF is in no way attempting to make a positive contribution to debate or dialogue.

"Instead, this protest is destined to spark fear and intimidation in Croydon's communities and damage the borough's reputation as a place of happy diversity and tolerance."

Originally, the EVF had planned a march from Lunar House to the Croydon Mosque, in London Road, but police restricted the group to a static demonstration at the front of Lunar House in Wellesley Road.

The demonstration is due to start at noon and there will be two counter demonstrations; one by Croydon trade unionists and the other by anti-fascist groups.

These demonstrations will, according to a police spokesman, take place in Bedford Park, which runs along the side of Lunar House. There will be no public access to Lunar House on the day.

THE Whitgift Foundation says it has still not been provided with key details about a new department store which is set to open in Allders.

Businessman Marco Cash has signed a deal with landlord Minerva to transform the building into a discount outlet store called Croydon Village.

Neither he nor Minerva will reveal the length of the lease, leading to concerns it could cause complications for Westfield and Hammerson's £1billion project.

Westfield said this week that Mr Cash's store has no long-term future in the town centre, after the businessman threatened to bare his backside on the steps of the town hall if the Australian retail giant manages to open its new shopping centre on schedule.

The Whitgift Foundation, the majority freeholder of the Allders building, shares concerns that Mr Cash's company, Metro Outlet Croydon Ltd, could prove a hindrance, but has not received any assurances from Minerva.

A spokesman said: "The foundation has not been provided with any information from Minerva beyond an indication that an agreement has been reached with 'Metro', who apparently intend to trade from the former Allders store. The foundation has not received any information as to how and by whom the building will be occupied, for what uses or the lease length.

"In the meantime the Whitgift Foundation and the Croydon Partnership are focusing on their redevelopment proposals for the town centre which, of course, will include the site of the former Allders store.

"That scheme is on programme, with anticipated outline planning in 2013 and work due to commence on the site in 2015."

Mr Cash, who said he has already spent nearly £1million on refitting the Allders building, told the Advertiser last week that Westfield should "build around him". Both he and Minerva refused to comment this week.

Croydon Central MP Gavin Barwell is among those to have called on Mr Cash and Minerva to reveal the length of the agreement.

THEY may not have blue blood in their veins but these three new arrivals to Croydon are all princes in their mothers' eyes.

Testosterone was in the air at Croydon University Hospital on Monday, just as it was in the Lindon Wing of St Mary's Hospital on the same day when the Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to the third in line to the throne, George Alexander Louis.

For the proud parents of three boys sharing the new prince's birthday, the Royal connection was the icing on the cake.

First-time mother Jamira Semambo, 23, of South Norwood, cuddled baby Emre as she spoke to the Advertiser.

She said: "It's a really nice feeling to have my baby boy born on the same day as a potential King of England.

"I wish Kate the best of luck. We both have a challenging, but extremely exciting time ahead of us.

Ms Semambo went on to say: "I knew that they were going to be born on the same day. I had my scan at the same time that Kate had hers so it was no surprise that it might happen to me, but I am delighted that it did."

Doris Shonowo, 36, of Thornton Heath, said it was "a privilege" for her son Miciah to be born on the same day as the new Royal.

She said: "Who knows? Maybe they could grow up to be friends."

Another new mother on the ward, Doris Akote, 38, of Thornton Heath, gave birth to baby Dre.

She said: "I hope that their baby does grow up to be king and I wish them the best of luck in raising him".

Fourteen other babies were born in the new ward of Croydon's former Mayday hospital on the same day and will share their birthday with the new prince.

DAN GOSLING'S move to Crystal Palace was called off on Tuesday night after a lack of communication from the Eagles, the player's representative David Hodgson has revealed.

Newcastle United and former Everton midfielder Gosling looked set to finalise a move to Selhurst Park after completing a medical in south London on Monday, but after failing to hear back from Palace, he made his way back to the north east in major disappointment.

"The move broke down unfortunately," said Hodgson.

"We arrived at Palace and did all the things we had to do, and unfortunately it came around to 2.30pm on Tuesday and we hadn't had any communication from Palace.

"Having sat there until 9pm that night, we took it upon ourselves to say it wasn't right and this wasn't working.

"A call from anybody at the football club would have been helpful. We didn't get that call.

"Ian Holloway has been absolutely fantastic and Dan wanted the chance to link up with Ian more than anything else.

"His medical on Monday was a formality. He came out of that and the feedback to Dan from the specialist at the time was excellent.

"I can only take whatever the specialist has said in a correct and honest way, and Dan came back to the hotel and I had a chat with him.

"He was very positive and had great feedback but communication between ourselves and Palace simply didn't exist.

"I know people were doing different things but somebody somewhere forgot to link it all together – it just didn't seem right so we made the decision to head back north."

Hodgson revealed a deal lasting up to four years was in the pipeline with Palace and stressed his client wanted to play under the manager who gave him his professional debut at Argyle in 2006.

"I can't tell you how badly he wanted to link up with Ian Holloway again," he said.

"But at the same time this is a young man who is extremely focused and he felt maybe due to the lack of communication, he was maybe thinking it wasn't right.

"There was potentially a good deal there, possibly a three or four-year contract, so he would have taken a huge, huge drop (in wages).

"He just wanted to join Ian Holloway.

"I have spoken to Newcastle by the hour every day, probably a dozen times on Wednesday, but there's been no communication between the two clubs, I'm sure of that."

Gosling is now expected to fight for a place in Alan Pardew's matchday squad or make a move elsewhere.

And Hodgson says despite the breakdown in communication, he and Gosling wish the Eagles well in the Premier League.

"We did have interest elsewhere in Dan but we made it clear that he wanted a move to Palace with Ian Holloway," he said.

"I don't think it will be resurrected. I think the milk has been spilt and we've put it back in the bottle.

"We probably cut our nose off to spite our face – we go back to the drawing board now. How a football club conducts their business is their concern, not mine.

"We wish Crystal Palace well. I had a long chat with the chairman there but that's football. These things happen and you move on.

"I wish Ian Holloway and the club the best, and Dan does as well."

A RESIDENT affected by the Old Lodge Lane roadworks has persuaded Tesco to run an extra shuttle bus for the community.

David Hooper thinks the replacement bus run by TfL is "pretty appalling" because it does not run often enough and is frequently five minutes late.

"I proposed to Tesco that they run a bus on May 31 and eventually we now have one," he said.

"I think the TfL service has been pretty appalling. If they had at least made it four buses an hour, residents could connect with the trains at Reedham Station. It's difficult for the elderly to walk from the station, across the road and then to another bus on the Brighton Road."

The Tesco bus is white and run by Coaches Etc. It will travel from Tesco in Purley to Godstone Road, up Higher Drive and down Burcott Road, then up Old Lodge Lane, turning around at Wattenden Primary School. It will then come back down to Bencombe Road before going back to Higher Drive and round to Tesco.

DISASTER was narrowly averted after 21 firefighters managed to stop a blaze from an exploding shed spreading to neighbouring houses.

The drama unfolded on Monday afternoon in Towpath Way, Addiscombe, when George Bernard Shaw discovered smoke coming from his garden shed.

When he tried to douse the flames of the fire - likely to have been caused by the hot temperatures - with water, the entire structure exploded in his face and proceeded to spread to the garden.

Firefighters arrived in the nick of time before the flames could spread to a gas heater at the other end of the garden.

An investigation is now under way, although a spokesman for the fire brigade said the blaze could possibly have been caused by sunlight beating down on an aerosol can.

Mr Shaw described how he and his 85-year-old mother, Juliet, were in the house at about 4.30pm when he smelt burning, initially thinking it was his daughter's hair straighteners.

The 50-year-old said: "I went to put it out with a bowl of water and as soon as I did this there was an almighty bang.

"Then the grass was on fire causing my slippers to light up.

"By then I was panicking, the fire was several feet high at this point.

"The next thing I know, my neighbour is trying to put out the fire with his hose."

Four fire engines arrived and managed to bring the fire under control.

A Woodside fire spokesman said: "We believe it was the aerosol cans that started it, with the amount of heat we have had.

"The temperatures and direct sunlight over a period of time can start a reaction – it could take two to three days if you leave something on the windowsill.

"It is a little message not to leave things in direct sunlight."

Mr Shaw, however, insisted there were no aerosols in the shed, which he said contained some alcohol, garden furniture and paint.

Although the garden was left a mess, minimal damage was caused to his house.

THE mother of a student who died after being forcibly restrained by police officers said she hopes a new investigation can bring the family "closure".

Olaseni Lewis, 23, of South Norwood, was pinned down by 11 officers for 40 minutes while a patient at Royal Bethlem Hospital on August 31, 2010, and died four days later.

A fresh investigation into the death of Olaseni is set to be launched after the Independent Police Complaints Commission took the unusual step of inviting the family to make a High Court Appeal against its original investigation.

If their appeal, which the family filed last Friday, is successful it could lead to criminal proceedings being brought against the officers involved.

The IPCC has apologised to Olaseni's family about their original investigation, admitting there could have been actions by police officers which justify criminal proceedings.

Olaseni, a successful IT graduate, had voluntarily admitted himself to the psychiatric hospital because he did not feel well.

The former Archbishop Tennison's School pupil was restrained by officers after they were called to an incident at the hospital, but fell into a coma and never woke up.

In February, it emerged the IPCC were reviewing its first inquiry, in which it accepted written statements from the officers involved.

However, the police watchdog would now like to interview the officers under caution, something which the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is refusing.

An MPS spokesman said it would "defend robustly" against any attempts to interview the officers on the basis of conduct.

The IPCC will challenge this in a contested hearing.

Sophie Naftalin, a lawyer for Mr Lewis' family, said she imagined the hearing would take place in September.

Olaseni's mother Ajibola Lewis, 63, told the Advertiser: "The IPCC have made lots of mistakes from the start. This is what they should have done in the first place.

"Their apology is a bit ironic but we take it in good faith.

"We met the commissioner and she came up with the idea. It's been three years and we haven't even had an inquest yet.

"We haven't had any sort of closure yet. We hope this is the start of that."

The IPCC is unable to quash the findings of its original investigation without a court order. As a result of this, it has agreed with Olaseni's family that it will not contest their claim in court and will pay their costs.

The MPS has also indicated it would not contest the family's claim to have the original probe's findings quashed.

Croydon North MP Steve Reed, who has worked with the family to put pressure on the IPCC, said it was "about time" the case was reinvestigated.

He added: "I find it hugely disappointing that the Met were trying to block this. They should have been as open as possible to try and find out what happened.

"If a perfectly fit and healthy 23-year-old man dies, then something has got to be wrong. This is something we have to make sure doesn't happen to any family again."

THE father of murdered schoolgirl Tia Sharp has backed the Prime Minister's clampdown on illegal internet pornography.

Steven Carter, Tia's natural father, said he thought such images "fuelled" his daughter's killer, and that David Cameron's reforms were "long overdue".

Mr Cameron announced measures this week including default blocking of access to online pornography and blacklisting certain "horrific" search terms.

His move followed campaigning by Tia's parents and the family of April Jones. Their killers Stuart Hazell and Mark Bridger, who also grew up in Croydon, each had a history of viewing illegal and violent porn.

Mr Carter, who met Mr Cameron after his announcement in Downing Street, welcomed the plans as a "massive step in the right direction".

Speaking to the Advertiser, he said: "I think if this had been in place before, you might not have fuelled someone like Hazell to go and do what he did.

"I do not believe this is the main cause, but it plays a large part; it fuels them to go on if they think, 'I can get away with this'.

"They should be thinking 'I am going to get into a lot of trouble for this'."

He added: "It is long overdue. It shows that Mr Cameron is looking at it now, not only from a political point of view, but as a parent.

"A lot of it depends on the internet companies, but now he has turned around and said what he thought should be done. Now we are getting the foundations started, which can be built up and worked around to make things safer."

The 31-year-old added that he hoped parents would also become more aware of the dangers of online material and educate their children.

He said: "A lot of parents are not aware of the consequences whereas we are because it has led to Tia's death.

"If parents become more aware and David Cameron does the other part of it, together it will get stronger and safer."

Last week, Merton Council published a report revealing damning details of Tia's upbringing with her mother Natalie Sharp and stepfather David Niles.

Tia, 12, was exposed to drug-taking among her family and was skipping school regularly, the report said.

Mr Carter and Ms Sharp split before Tia was born. He said: "It angers me the state that family were in and I was not notified by social services.

"When I last saw her [Tia] I asked her what happened to the door because she told me the police had done it.

"I raised this with social services the other day – they said it was drug-related.

"With that social services report a lot of questions need to be answered as to what dangers other children are in."

Mr Carter is due to meet Merton Council to discuss the report, he added.

A BOY who battled leukaemia and serious bouts of depression, all before the age of ten, left primary school this week with a glowing report from teachers.

Despite having been diagnosed with the cancer just days before his fourth birthday, Michael Monfries has gone on to score impressive SAT results during his time at St James the Great Catholic School, in Thornton Heath.

According to his mother, Deborah Monfries, 53, the school has gone out of its way to help her son overcome every obstacle in his way.

After being diagnosed with leukaemia in 2006, Michael, of Galpins Road in Thornton Heath, fought for his life at Great Ormond Street Hospital and then spent nearly three years undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

There were times when Mrs Monfries did not think her son would survive, but this week she swelled with pride at how much he had achieved, including a Level 4 in his Maths SAT.

She said: "Michael has been through a really tough time, but the school has always been there for him.

"They have gone above and beyond time and time again."

After Michael was diagnosed with leukaemia, his brain swelled and he went into cardiac arrest.

He spent almost a month in hospital, but the little fighter never gave up.

Eventually he recovered enough to return to school, where he had fallen behind his classmates.

Treatment, including chemotherapy and blood transfusions, took its toll physically and emotionally. He suffered from depression and became withdrawn from his family and friends.

"Michael was like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde," said Mrs Monfries.

"At one time he would be good, then very quiet and later he would be happy.

"He thought he shouldn't have survived, that he should have died.

"He became paranoid and thought everyone was laughing at him because of the tube in his nose.

"He went through a lot, but the school was there for him. At lunch times he just sat in the corner, so they put in extra support for him.

"Even though the Government only pays for 12 hours, the school supported with one-to-one help for more than 24 hours a week, so there was someone there for him.

"That was above and beyond – they didn't need to do that."

Michael, who was left with minor brain damage following his illness, lost his love for football and was unwilling to study.

"After he recovered the hardest thing was to get him to sit down and do his work," said Mrs Monfries.

"But his teachers have worked very hard and he has done really well. I was shocked when I heard he got a Level 4 in Maths.

"To get that, coming from where he was, shows dedication from his teachers because at first we had to get a counsellor to convince him to study."

Staff at St James the Great have been in regular contact with The John Fisher School, where Michael is due to start in September, to ensure his big move goes smoothy.

Mrs Monfries said: "I thought that was really good of them, because at most schools pupils leave and their old schools forget all about them.

"I'm nervous but I'm also excited. Michael's nervous too, but if he can make it through leukaemia he can achieve anything."

YOUNG Croydon athletes are their celebrating success at the London Youth Games.

For nine months, the youths of Team Croydon competed against all 32 other London boroughs in the 2013 Balfour Beatty London Youth Games – part of the National School Games and the biggest sporting event in Europe for young people.

From November 2012 to July 2013, around 1,500 of Croydon's finest young sportspeople aged eight to 18, dedicated their time and talent to 70 sporting events – both in teams and individually – all across London.

Last weekend, Croydon took great pride as the final results were announced at the National Sports Stadium, Crystal Palace after the final two-day event.

Overall, with a score of 1,171, Croydon came second to Wandsworth which had a score of 1,189.

Robert Brown, Croydon's sports and physical activity manager, said: "This is one of those times where the overall position doesn't reflect the true success and achievements of those who took part and did such an amazing job representing Croydon."

Although they lost their first-place title from 2012, the youths of Team Croydon managed to win gold, silver or bronze medals in 13 sports competitions and finished in the top ten for 20 of the sports competitions. They also won more top places in individual events than any other borough.

Pearl Sethna, Croydon Council's sports development officer and Borough Team Organiser for Croydon, said: "We are really proud of everyone who took part in this year's games. To finish as the second best London borough and the best in Paralympic sports is a real achievement."

Councillor Sara Bashford, Croydon's board member on the Youth Games committee, said: "The performances over the final weekend were outstanding – particularly in such high temperatures.

"Every member of the team gave the event their all and given the strength of the opposition there is absolutely no loss of pride to be had from coming second."

THEY look like hard men, but claim to be big softies in pursuit of justice – and now they are turning into Croydon celebrities.

These are the men from the Sheriffs Office, who are starring in another series of The Sheriffs Are Coming – a programme about their work collecting debts around the country.

Kevin McNally, who lives in Croydon, is one of the stars of the documentary – a ratings hit – and told the Advertiser he now regularly finds himself hailed by fans in the town.

"I was walking through Croydon the other day and someone said 'Hey, my wife is owed some money, can you go and get it for me?'

"I've been stopped outside TGI Friday's too, and someone asked me for an autograph the other day.

"The fame hasn't gone to our heads yet though."

Their company, based at Airport House, on Purley Way, is one of the few in the UK to be licensed by the High Court, to put pressure on individuals and companies who owe money to pay it back.

By law, they are allowed to break into properties, seize anything and sell it in auction houses to make back the money if the debtors refuse to pay out.

David Carter, who also lives in Croydon, set up the group five years ago and stressed their difference from bailiffs.

He said: "People think of them as the bad guys or unsympathetic – they go around collecting parking fines and council tax which most people resent.

"We often look after the victims of people who have been ripped off – by rogue builders, car dealers, even really big companies who haven't paid their debts. We're protecting the little guys."

Lawrence Grix, another star of the show who organises the men on the road, said: "It's a satisfying job because it's justice. You're helping out people who have not got a lot of money. I saw my father's company go under because of this when I was younger, and it happens a lot."

Mr McNally also gave an account of the violence they often face on the job, saying: "Only yesterday someone threatened to kill me. We get a lot of 'I'll find you and kill you' threats.

"Most of the officers now wear stab vests. The number of assaults are going up the whole time."

Two people were successfully prosecuted in the last year for assaulting a member of his staff.

"You just have let it wash over you, otherwise you couldn't come into work every day," said Mr McNally.

"I don't know if it's people getting more desperate about money or what, but violence is on the rise."

The team have had to recover money from targets as diverse as huge companies like Fujitsu and people living on benefits.

Mr Carter said the programme has also beaten the record for the most viewers in daytime TV, with their first series getting over two million watchers.

A special edition putting together the best of series one and two will be screened on BBC 1 at 7pm on Monday and Wednesday. Series three, which is being filmed at the moment, will be out next year.

PURLEY War Memorial Hospital will open to the public next week after a £1.1 million revamp.

The finished building will allow for 90,000 outpatient appointments a year and will deal with 80 per cent of the south of the borough's healthcare needs – up from 40 per cent.

The new building will open in phases with the physiotherapy and diabetic retinopathy clinics opening on Monday. Other services will launch in stages through August.

The redevelopment has made the building a base for local GPs.

Since October, the only service on the site has been the nurse-led Urgent Care Centre (UCC) for minor injuries and conditions.

All the out-patient clinics, therapy services and diagnostic services were moved to other locations during building.

The new development has created new out-patient and diagnostic areas and brought disused wards back into use for clinics and GP practice.

However, residents are still concerned about a shortage of parking. Just 40 spaces are included in the plans, despite an estimated 3,000 visitors a week.

The spaces are reserved for patients and ambulances – staff will have to park elsewhere.

Although the council and the NHS are in talks to reserve part of the multi-storey car park for staff, a decision is yet to be made.

A CHILDREN'S football club targeted by thieves says its "faith in humanity is restored" after receiving thousands of pounds in donations.

The Selsdon Little League club at Sanderstead Recreation Ground had kit, equipment and a generator stolen as well as precious trophies trashed.

Bob Clewley, the club's chairman, said the league was devastated and they were not sure how to recover enough money to replace all the kit.

However, after the Advertiser reported the club's plight, thousands of pounds have flooded in from companies, parents and the local residents' association.

"We are absolutely delighted," said Mr Clewley.

"The Sanderstead Residents' Association has given us £600, the Dynamo Boxing Club are giving us anything between £600 and £1,000, a man from Sheldon is handing over his generator worth £800 and we're also getting £500 from a chemist in Brighton Road.

"It's a really amazing response and hopefully we'll be able to be fully up and running after claiming the rest on insurance in time for the season in September."

Mik Simmons, the club's vice-president, said: "I am so surprised. I can understand the local residents' association but for complete strangers you don't know from Adam to call in and offer hundreds of pounds is great.

"I know it's a cliche but it really restores your faith in humanity after what happened. It gives you a big smile."

The owner of Dynamo Boxing Club, Martin Dilworth, who raised more than £600 for the club, said: "I put up the Advertiser article on my Facebook and in the gym for my clients to see.

"We got such a quick response, I nearly had to take it down again, we made hundreds in just hours.

"For me it's really important for kids to stay busy and clubs like this need to keep running, keep them out of trouble.

"It's good to show that good stuff can come out of bad.

"It was just mindless vandalism on the club but I hope now we can set up a working partnership."

Denis King, the new chair of the Sanderstead RA said the group was very keen to start supporting youth groups.

"It was front page news in the Advertiser and it seemed like a great opportunity.

"They run the club for kids from all over and we want to be a proactive organisation rather than just responding to planning applications all the time.

"We support more than 60 groups locally and not one of them is for young people.

"This is a good start."

A FED-UP pensioner has launched a one-woman campaign against antisocial behaviour around Purley, including barring misbehaving youths from getting on the bus.

Sandie Sullivan, 73, a member of Croftleigh Residents' Association who regularly reports bus disturbances to the Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT), says the ever-increasing problem stems from a lack of youth facilities in the area.

"It's been going on for a while now and it's certain kids that cause all the trouble," she said.

"The other day the bus stopped outside Tesco in Purley and passengers got on. Then, as it was pulling away, these kids pressed the emergency button for the doors to open again, just because they thought it was funny.

"This kind of thing happens all the time and it's not safe – someone will get hurt soon. Anyone on the pavement could get knocked over; a child, a person in a wheelchair or an old person.

"I know who they are and said 'No, you are not coming on' and told the bus driver to stop them."

Ms Sullivan, along with neighbours such as Denis Clarke, believe the council failed to create enough facilities when more flats were built near Costcutter.

"The problem is, these kids have nothing to do and they're bored so they make trouble," said Mr Clarke.

"We don't have a youth centre or really anywhere for kids to go."

"Loads of houses and flats were built around 20 years ago and they're all families so the place is much busier. It's no surprise we are having problems."

Sergeant Nick Tooher, from the Kenley SNT, said: "We're aware of a small number of children causing a nuisance and behaving antisocially around the Old Lodge Lane area and on some local buses.

"We do carry out patrols in the area and will speak to anyone behaving inappropriately.

"We've identified a handful of children we believe are largely responsible for this, and we're seeking to engage with them and their parents to improve their behaviour; this could lead to acceptable behaviour agreements.

A Croydon Council spokesman said: "The council recognises the need for community facilities as part of housing developments.

"Croydon is one of the first councils to introduce a community infrastructure levy, which requires developers to invest in community projects such as leisure facilities, parks and green spaces.

"Should the police decide to issue what is called an acceptable behaviour agreement, they would make a referral to the council."