FIRST hints that Purley pool may not close as soon as expected have emerged this week.

Speaking after meeting campaigners on Tuesday, council leader Tony Newman said every option for the short and medium term future of the pool would be examined in detail.

But he warned: "I think everybody accepts that due to under-investment for many years it is a case of when, not if, the pool closes."

Cllr Newman said he had no doubts about the passion of those campaigning for the pool and hopes a constructive outcome would arise from this week's discussions.

He suggested that further indications about the council's thinking on the pool's future could be revealed at Monday's full council when a protest petition calling for it to be saved will be debated by councillors.

The council announced in December the pool would close in April, saving £1 million.

Cllr Newman said keeping the pool functioning in the next financial year would cost £780,000, topped up with another £200,000 running costs.

That would prove too expensive at a time when the council faced having to make massive savings, while maintaining frontline services, he added.

The council backed up its argument with a survey which found the roof was leaking, the mechanical plant was "at the end of its operating life" and that essential sand filters had not been replaced for 14 years, twice as long as their recommended statutory life.

The report from council contractor Interserve concluded that, unless major replacement work on boilers, heating system and roof took place within the next year, "the property will not be able to function in its current capacity."

The closure announcement provoked a huge local reaction resulting in 6,000 people signing the petition against closure organised by the Save Purley Pool campaign.

The council's scrutiny committee stepped into the row, recommending that another detailed report should be produced by the council before any final closure decision was taken.

Fred Wallis, of the Save Purley Pool campaign, will present the petition to the council on Monday. He said: "I think a fantastic job has been done in collecting 6,000 signatures in less than a month." He said he felt the campaigners had received a "warm" reception from Cllr Newman.

Mr Wallis said: "We asked him if there could be a stay of execution for the pool until the bulldozers for the planned Purley regeneration project move in."

They also urged the council to examine every possible way of obtaining grants or other money to finance the pool.

Mr Wallis said: "The pool is a lifeline for many people in the south of the borough and we hope common sense prevails."

A MAN and a woman have been jailed for a combined total of 10 years after the pair committed a violent robbery on a 28-year-old man in South Norwood last year.

Jason Grant, 35, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to five years and nine months imprisonment at Croydon Crown Court on Friday, after he previously pleaded guilty to robbery.

Caroline Betts, 26, of Portland Road, South Norwood, was also sentenced to four years and 10 months imprisonment for robbery and 12 months imprisonment for theft, after being found guilty of both offences following a three-day trial. Her sentences will be served consecutively.

In the early hours of August 4 last year, police were called to reports that a 28-year-old man had been robbed and assaulted in South Norwood.

The victim had been approached by the two suspects - a man and woman - in Portland Road, who told him that they knew a late-night off-licence in the area and could take him there.

As they turned into Doyle Road, the victim was tackled and pinned to the floor by the man who told him he had a knife, whilst the woman went through his pockets, stealing his wallet and bank cards before making off.

Police attended and found the victim and took him on a drive-around of the local area and they spotted a man and a woman matching the description of the two suspects at a bus stop in Portland Road. Betts and Grant were arrested on suspicion of robbery.

When officers searched them in police custody, they also found a bank card belonging to the victim and Betts and Grant were charged later that day with robbery and remanded into custody.

Whilst awaiting trial for the robbery, Betts was also charged in connection with a separate theft offence where she stole cash from a vulnerable adult in Bromley on June 27 2014.

Betts approached the victim, who has learning difficulties, outside the Tesco Express store in Croydon Road, Penge.

Betts told the victim that she had recently miscarried and needed £5. She persuaded the victim to withdraw some money from the cash machine and when the victim was about to select the amount of money to withdraw, Betts reached over, selected £250, and then took the money from the machine and made off.

Detectives from Bromley CID reviewed CCTV footage of the incident and Betts was identified as the suspect and was subsequently charged with theft on October 14.

Grant pleaded guilty to the robbery in South Norwood on the first day of their trial on Tuesday January 13. Betts pleaded not guilty to the robbery and theft, but was found guilty of both offences on January 15, following a three-day trial at Croydon Crown Court.

Detective Constable Rebecca Dyer, from Croydon CID, who investigated the robbery said: "This was a violent robbery, where Betts and Grant worked together to target their victim and steal his wallet. Thanks to the quick police response on the night, we were able to take the victim on a drive around the area, where the pair was spotted and arrested.

"This really highlights the importance of reporting offences to police as soon as possible. The quicker we can respond, the more chance we have of identifying and arresting the suspects - particularly in robbery cases."

FIREFIGHTERS are warning people to take care when using Chinese lanterns after a stray one set fire to the roof of a school on Saturday night. Crews from Croydon were called to Purley Oaks primary school in Bynes Road, South Croydon at 10.30pm after reports of the lantern landing on the roof. A firefighter said the resulting fire had caused relatively minor damage to the roof. He said: "We are continually issuing warning about people letting these lanterns go. They can be very dangerous because there is no control over where they land."

TRADERS and businesses are being urged to support the council's campaign to clean up Croydon and help rid the borough of fly-tipping.

The campaign was launched at Monday's cabinet meeting by Councillor Stuart Collins, the cabinet member for Clean Green Croydon.

It is the latest move in efforts to educate people about the evils of dumping rubbish as part of the Don't Mess with Croydon initiative.

It was immediately dismissed as a "glitzy gimmick" by Cllr Collins' Conservative number, Councillor Phil Thomas, who maintained that despite claims the borough was getting cleaner "people are still messing with Croydon."

Under the new campaign both businesses and residents will be visited by council officers and urged to sign pledges agreeing to keep Croydon clean by not dumping litter, keeping the front and rear of their property clear of rubbish, reporting fly-tipping and littering and increasing recycling.

Businesses are also being asked to pledge that they will have valid trade waste agreements for disposal of rubbish in place and clear up outside their premises at least once a day.

Traders and residents signing up to the pledge will be given stickers to display on their windows.

Cllr Collins said: "We will never give up on talking to people in this borough to change their minds about fly-tipping. We will brainwash those people who feel they have to fly-tip."

He said after the meeting the campaign was part of wider education programme which would be backed up by the prosecution of fly-tippers through the courts, if necessary.

He said: "The most important thing is to change the culture and change people's attitudes and to be able to do that we need to involve traders and residents."

He added educational programmes would also be stepped up in schools to encourage children take home the anti-litter and recycling messages to their parents.

Dismissing the idea of the campaign being a gimmick, Cllr Collins said: "There is a group of people out there who are not getting the message about recycling and fly-tipping and we have got to get to them. We have got to keep on and on."

Cllr Thomas told Monday's meeting that in the first seven months of Labour control of the council incidents of fly-tipping has risen from 8,700 to 10,863.

He said: "What we are not doing is sorting the problem out, what we need is more enforcement officers and more mobile CCTV to catch offenders."

He said Labour was claiming there was no money for this kind of expansion but said it could be found by not wasting £200,000 on setting up the Fairness Commission and not spending £250,000 on paying seven union officials.

Councillor Alison Butler, the cabinet member for homes and regeneration, told Monday's meeting that the number of fly-tipping incidents had increased because more were being reported in the knowledge the rubbish would be cleared.

FORMER Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov is being linked with a surprise move to Crystal Palace.

The 33-year-old ex-Spurs and Fulham man is currently plying his trade with Monaco but, according to the Daily Mail, is keen on a move back to England.

Berbatov is reputed to be on £4 million a year in the principality and would be giving up Champions League football, though the lure of more regular game-time could tempt the languid Bulgarian back to London.

Palace boss Alan Pardew is reportedly keen to beef up his strikeforce - strongly linked with Blackburn's Rudy Gestede, among others - despite the fact his new team have netted 12 goals in his four games in charge so far.

CRYSTAL Palace fans were left feeling miffed after their side's thrilling FA Cup win against Southampton was relegated to a graveyard slot on Match of the Day.

Understandably, the BBC's flagship highlights show led with Bradford City's humbling of Chelsea, followed by Middlesbrough's shock win at the Etihad against Man City.

But, bizarrely, Eagles fans were kept waiting for action from the 3-2 thriller at St Mary's, instead forced to sit through a goalless draw at Anfield between Liverpool and Bolton and two fairly run of the mill ties at Tottenham and Birmingham.

Worse still, as midnight approached and the Palace game finally arrived, it was merely included in a goals round-up segment - with no other highlights or key incidents shown - complete with dubbed commentary from BBC local radio in Southampton.

Needless to say, Palace fans on Twitter were not impressed:

Just caught up with last nights #MoTD didn't expect to be on first but absolutely disgraceful coverage of #cpfc game

— Gareth (@GarethWynDavies) January 25, 2015

Thanks @BBCMOTD for our 5 seconds highlights in a 5 goal thriller! Complete joke. #motd#cpfc

— Tom Bartholomew (@ThomasBarty) January 25, 2015

And yet Wardy's skill + sublime ball wasn't even noticed in the #MOTD studio during the 'snippets' rather than highlights. Casual bias #CPFC

— Jonathan Whitehead (@jonnywheat) January 25, 2015

#MOTD your coverage of the FA Cup is nothing short of a disgrace. Did you have just one camera at St Mary's? Absolute joke. #cpfc

— Just one Lombardo (@rednbluephil) January 25, 2015

Thanks @BBCMOTD for our 5 seconds highlights in a 5 goal thriller! Complete joke. #motd#cpfc

— Tom Bartholomew (@ThomasBarty) January 25, 2015

Bizarre how #motd literally skipped through #cpfc highlights!! @BBCMOTD

— William Morriss (@wdxmorriss) January 24, 2015

IF YOU'RE waiting for snow to fall on our borough, you're likely to be disappointed again this week.

Relatively mild temperatures are forecast for the early part of the week, with highs of 11 degrees today (Monday) and 10 degrees on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The first two days of the week should stay relatively dry, though heavy rain is forecast for much of Wednesday.

Looking further ahead, an extra layer might be needed getting towards the weekend, with temperatures set to dip to around 6 degrees.

A CHEQUE for £3,700 has been presented to the Carer to Carer centre in Katharine Street, Croydon, thanks to the efforts of members of a Coulsdon golf club.

The centre, which provides support and advice to carers, was chosen by Brian Jacob, the club's Five Day captain, as his charity for the 2014/15. The money was raised during a charity golf day held at the club in November.

The cheque was presented to Tina Stracey, vice-chair of Carer to Carer, at a ceremony earlier this month.

Woodcote Park golf club was founded in 1912 and in 1990 the five-day membership section of the club had evolved enough for it to have its own captain and supports local charities every year.

CRYSTAL Palace star Wilfried Zaha admits the Eagles can't keep coming back from losing positions to win football matches.

Following the 3-2 win at Burnley last week, Palace recorded the same result against Southampton on Saturday in the FA Cup after a breath-taking first half.

Zaha performed superbly again, notably on the right, with some intelligent play and also had a big say in Yaya Sanogo's first goal for the club since the 21-year-old signed on loan from Arsenal.

"I am just glad we managed to get back into the game really, and every time we broke forward we looked like we were going to score," Zaha said post-match at St Mary's.

"I managed to get into space and run at them too. We gave sloppy goals away at the beginning but we can't keep doing this every game.

"The opposition will just get better in the Premier League and they will punish us more.

"We're obviously scoring goals but we went through a period where we couldn't score at all.

"Right now, if we're going to carry on scoring goals, we need to tighten up the little things because there are going to be teams out there who will out-score us.

"It can't work like that every game so the gaffer is going to tighten up on certain little things."

By Mark Ritson (Twitter @MR_LWMedia)

WILFRIED Zaha has thanked Palace boss Alan Pardew for placing "trust" in him since the manager was appointed at the start of January.

The winger has been selected in all four games under Pardew so far and believes he is only going to get better the more he plays.

Zaha has impressed on the right in the last couple of matches at Burnley and Southampton, playing his part in goals for Dwight Gayle at Turf Moor and Yaya Sanogo at St Mary's.

And the Academy product, on loan from Manchester United, admits there have been times where he's questioned himself about his time at Old Trafford.

"Obviously there was a period when I was thinking 'what's going on here?', but as a footballer you just need to not think about that side too much," he said post-match at Southampton on Saturday.

"You just have to remain professional and when you get the chance, to take it. You can't just dwell on the past and I'm not the type to do that.

"I know myself. I know if I get more minutes I will get better so to find a manager that has got trust in me and to get me on the pitch and let me do my thing is great.

"Obviously I'm going to lose the ball – I'm the type of player to do tricks – but if I get the chance I will either try to score a goal or assist."

By Mark Ritson (Twitter @MR_LWMedia)

CRYSTAL Palace boss Alan Pardew admits that he has been given food for thought by the performance of his strikers in recent weeks.

Marouane Chamakh returned to the side to score two goals in a match-winning display at Southampton on Saturday, while Arsenal loanee Yaya Sanogo netted his first goal for the club as the Eagles progressed to the last 16 of the FA Cup.

And with the two-goal hero from the 3-2 win at Burnley, Dwight Gayle, being left on the bench, and the other goalscorer in that game, Jason Puncheon, a second half substitute against his old club, Pardew admits he has a selection headache for the next Premier League game with Everton.

"The strikers that have come in have given me something to think about," he said.

"Yaya Sanogo has come in and done well and I have been really pleased with him.

"Him and Marouane Chamakh were very good together and I am sure Mr Wenger will be very pleased with what he has seen."

RONALD KOEMAN says an uncharacteristically poor defensive display cost his side as Crystal Palace stunned Southampton on the south coast.

The Eagles scored three goals against the Premier League's meanest defence to dump the Saints out of the FA Cup at the fourth round stage, with all the goals coming in the first half of the clash.

And the Saints boss said he was disappointed with the unusually poor display defensively from his side.

"If you talk about defensive organisation, it is normally one of the strengths of the team," he said.

"But not today. We were not working together and the spaces between the players was too big.

"Crystal Palace punished us to score three goals, but defensively we were very poor and you cannot defend like that.

"Second half we were a bit better, but not good enough to get a draw and the bad first half is why we have lost the game.

"You cannot concede like that twice, so soon after taking the lead, and we were just very poor defensively."

CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save Purley Pool are celebrating after it was announced this morning (Monday) the council was dropping plans to close it in April.

The turnaround follows talks last week between those fighting to save the pool and council leader Tony Newman.

The council says the pool "will be kept open until it can no longer be used."

But it remains vague about exactly what it can do to keep it running, when only weeks ago Cllr Newman was making it plain it was not viable to spend the £780,000 needed to keep the pool functioning.

Another £200,000 is needed annually to meet running costs.

The council will now work with members of the community on a joint survey of the pool.

But it says it was agreed that the decision may need to be reviewed if, in the coming months, there are any major investment or health and safety concerns.

Cllr Newman said today: "I think that everyone understands that due to chronic under investment over recent years the pool could not continue forever in its current dilapidated state.

"It was quite right to review this as part of the budget proposals, as there simply isn't the money available to make the pool viable in the long-term."

He added: "The pool has almost reached the end of its life. However, we believe that we can find a way to keep it open until that time comes. This also gives us more time to work with the community on the future regeneration plans for Purley."

Councillor Timothy Godfrey, cabinet member for culture, leisure and sport, said the council had listened to residents' concerns and "are delighted that we have reached an agreement that allows us to keep the pool open while it can still be safely used and enjoyed by the community."

He said: "We continue to explore ways to keep facilities open and to explore how we can re-provide much improved facilities in any new development.

"We do have to recognise that all council facilities and services are under threat from the funding cuts by the government to local government, leisure provision is no exception."

Fred Wallis, of the Save Purley Pool campaign, thanked Cllr Newman for listening to representations from residents wanting to keep the pool open for the benefit of the community.

He said: "The local representatives look forward to helping the council in whatever way possible to see that the pool and gym can be maintained at a satisfactory level without unnecessary expenditure.

"We would like to say that Purley pool is at the heart of the south of the borough and real long term benefits can be had by all if a swimming pool and gym is planned for in the regeneration of Purley."

THREE men accused of hacking a father-to-be to death in front of his pregnant fiancée have been cleared of murder.

Danny Gough, 24, was cut down with an axe and a machete by masked intruders at his home in Woodside, Croydon, in December 2010.

Prosecutors claimed the killing was a carefully-planned revenge attack by Sam Monteith, 32, Stephen Dougherty, 35, and Paul West, 29.

But they denied any involvement and jurors acquitted all three of the charge after deliberating for more than a week.

One of the suspects tore off his electronic tag and threw it at police as he left court.

During the trial, Mr Gough's fiancée Kareena Modashia described how the killers shouted 'police' as they stormed her home in Stockbury Road, Woodside.

Miss Modashia, who gave birth to a son in June 2011, said: "I heard a bang, someone coming through the door, it was really loud and woke me up.

"Someone shouted - police, police - there were footsteps on the stairs and next thing I knew they was in the room.

"They entered the room, three guys, and Danny got up and then they attacked him.

"They ran straight over to Danny, I went to get up and one of the guys squirted something in my face.

"My eyes started to instantly burn, I grabbed the pillow to try and wipe it off and by that time all three of them were on Danny.

"There was no sounds they were just attacking him, I thought they were fighting - kicking and punching.

"They ran out the room and then I heard my mum come down the stairs, I went to get off the bed and the whole floor was wet.

"My mum ran in and she had been sprayed as well, she was crying and was in a right state.

"Danny was on the floor he was just laying there. The floor was wet, it was blood."

The prosecution claimed he was killed as the result of a long-running feud between Monteith and Mr Gough and his friends.

On November 3 Monteith was cut and sprayed with ammonia home by three men, including Mr Gough.

Monteith was left with a 10cm gash to his face and burns from the corrosive fluid, thrown in his eyes.

Ten days before the murder Monteith, Dougherty and West were captured on CCTV meeting together, it was claimed.

The following day the movement of their phones was "consistent with surveillance" of the victim, said prosecutor Mark Heywood.

Detectives also discovered that Monteith had accessed Mr Gough's Facebook page just hours before the murder.

Mr Gough had posted an update following a trip to Brighton to say: "Had a great weekend, coming home."

Prosecutor Mark Heywood QC said the revenge attack was meant to make a statement.

Dougherty told the court that the feud began when the sister of Mr Gough's friend Leanne Meredith mocked Monteith's 'wacky' trousers in a pub in June 2010, the court heard.

Dougherty, a self-confessed drug dealer and convicted robber who also worked as a car salesman and jewellery, said he first met Mr Gough in Wandsworth Prison in 2009.

West said the allegation was 'ridiculous' and that he had never met Mr Gough and had nothing to do with the slaying.

Mr Gough, also known as Daniel McGinty, was jailed for 18 months in January 2009 for supplying ecstasy to 18-year-old Cara Deary at a party in Elmwood Road. She later collapsed and died. 

Monteith, of Brighton Road, Sutton, West, of Eaton Avenue, Slough, Berks, and Dougherty, of no fixed address but formerly of Mijas, Spain, were all cleared of murder.

West and Dougherty first stood trial in November 2013 but the jury failed to reach a verdict.

At that time Monteith was unfit to stand trial but he recovered in time for the start of the retrial in November last year.

THE romance of the cup may be an old cliche but it was alive and well for one Crystal Palace fan who "fell in love" with a mystery girl while on the train to watch his side's FA Cup victory on Saturday.

Angus Mainland, 19, has launched a twitter appeal to find the girl - who had an Italian accent - he sat next to on his way to watch Palace's 3-2 win over Southampton on Saturday.

Angus, who studies sports management at university in Bournemouth, loaned the girl her his Palace scarf and snapped a selfie with her.

But he only decided he wanted to ask her out after he left the train and realised he hadn't got her name or number, so his friend suggested he tweet train company Cross Country Trains.

His message read "please help me find the girl I sat next to on the 12:45 from Bournemouth to Southampton. Fell in love."

It has now been retweeted more than 3,300 times.

"I couldn't believe the tweet had gone viral," Angus told the Advertiser.

"At half time it had got 30 retweets and after full time it was over 100. My friend who's a Southampton fan said that if I got 2,000 retweets then he'd get a tattoo to commemorate Palace's incredible win.

"Now it's over three thousand. I never expected to have that kind of response, it's been incredible. The majority of people responding have been supportive."

Palace chairman Steve Parish has even retweeted the message, and with the 2,000 mark comfortably reached, his friend has agreed to get the tattoo - of Palace goalscorers Marouane Chamakh and Yaya Sanogo.

Angus, a lifelong Palace fan from Balham, said he had struck up conversation with the girl as the carriage, on the 12.45 from Bournemouth to Southampton, was quite empty.

Are you the mystery girl? Call our newsdesk on 01737 783808 or e-mail newsdesk@croydonadvertiser.co.uk

@crosscountryuk please help me find the girl I sat next to on the 12:45 from Bournemouth to southampton. Fell in love pic.twitter.com/G6qfHU6CkO

— Angus Mainland (@Angus66Mainland) January 24, 2015

CRYSTAL Palace striker Dwight Gayle has been nominated for the January PFA Fan's Player of the Month, powered by 90min.

The hitman scored a double at Burnley - including a dramatic winner at Turf Moor recently - while he scored in the FA Cup win at Dover Athletic and the 2-1 win against Tottenham at Selhurst Park, too.

Gayle is up against Chelsea midfielder Oscar, Liverpool winger Raheem Sterling, Tottenham striker Harry Kane, Southampton defender Jose Fonte and Arsenal playmaker Santi Cazorla for the award.

Fans can vote for Gayle to win by going to the following link http://fanawards.90min.com/

The PFA Fans' Player of the Month award is designed to give a strong voice to the supporters who are the lifeblood of the game. The awards are endorsed by the players and supported by the clubs.

Each month, one lucky fan will meet and present the award to the player on the side of the pitch before the game.

Voting closes at midnight on Saturday, January 31 and the winner will be announced on Wednesday, February 4.

AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD was one of the many people from south Croydon to join the campaign to save Purley Pool.

Grace Wexler, from Coulsdon, has been going to swimming lessons at Purley Pool for three years, so when her swimming teacher asked children if they wanted to send anything to the council Grace decided to make a petition.

And this afternoon the year-four Woodcote Primary School pupil was among activists celebrating after the council announced plans to close the pool had been scrapped.

Dad Tom Wexler said: "She absolutely loves Purley Pool. When she heard there were plans to close it she was really upset.

"She didn't understand why they were shutting it. There was a lot of talk about whose fault it was, but from her perspective she doesn't care whose fault it is she just wants a swimming pool."

Grace took her petition to school for friends sign to help save the pool. She and three-year-old sister Abigail would have faced three buses to Waddon had the pool closed.

MOVES which will help small businesses win more council contracts was launched last Thursday.

At the heart of Value Croydon is the decision to take a long, hard look at the complexities of the contract bidding process with the aim of removing obstacles which put small businesses off.

Councillor Simon Hall, the council's cabinet member for finance and treasury, also announced at the Fairfield Halls launch, that, from March small firms would be able to register on the London Portal - which carries contract notifications across the capital - and see details of all Croydon Council's contracts worth £5,000 or more.

Advertising the lower range contracts more widely will, Cllr Hall believes, encourage more smaller companies to seize opportunities to win new business within their realistic reach.

Cllr Hall told delegates: "This is part of our commitment to making sure the council and its largest suppliers work with Croydon businesses.

"We want to keep more of the £400 million a year council spending in Croydon."

He said that giving smaller firms the chance to get a foothold with the council would boost their own business, create more local jobs and, importantly, keep more money in Croydon's economy.

But Cllr Hall added he recognised the importance of simplifying the bidding and tendering process and it was his intention to ensure that it centred mainly on the most important aspects, such as the price and quality of service that any bidder would provide.

That would answer the gripe raised at the launch by a number of smaller businesses who have been put off bidding in the past, including Kenley-based Cleankill Environmental Services.

Ian Miller from Cleankill, said when the business had looked at applying for contracts with the council previously, it had been confronted with mountains of pre-tender and tender documents.

Mr Miller said: "The major companies have teams of people employed permanently to deal with this sort of thing.

"As a smaller company, employing 27 people, we don't have those kind of resources."

His views were echoed by Neelofar Khan, who runs Croydon-based Angel Catering.

She said: "The political will is there at the top, the problems start when you have to deal with officers at procurement level."

The mechanisms were often not in place, she said, to make it easy for small firms to submit applications.

Value Croydon will not be aimed simply at small firms, however,

Cllr Hall said companies applying for large contracts would be required to pay the London Living Wage and there would be extra pressures on them to ensure they employed more local people, as well as looking at using Croydon firms for any sub-contracting work where possible.

Nathan Elvery, the council's chief executive, had earlier told delegates: "Small and medium-sized enterprises are the lifeblood for employment and it is essential these businesses thrive."