Flashback: Brick shortage, doomwatch scare and a mysterious death
20 years ago. - Credit: Romford Library
The stories that made the news 60, 40 and 20 years ago
20 years ago. - Credit: Romford Library
1959
Hundreds of families were due to be re-housed under Romford Council's Waterloo Road redevelopment scheme but may have to wait longer than they thought for the key to the door.
The council's slum clearance and rebuilding plans suffered a serious setback because of a brick shortage.
After only four weeks, work on 28 new maisonettes - the first stage of the scheme - had halted completely.
20 years ago. - Credit: Romford Library
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The situation was so critical that councillors had been asked if they knew where bricks may be bought and Romford MP Ron Ledger was to ask questions in the House of Commons.
Building and town planning committee chairman Mr W. R. Pike said he was "very concerned".
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1979
A doomwatch scare blew up over radioactive waste from nuclear power plants which was being shipped through the heart of Havering.
Romford MP Michael Neubert was set to investigate the cargoes.
The move came after conservation groups attacked security precautions surrounding the night rail shipments from east coast power station.
Members of one group photographed a consignment at Stratford station and claimed there were no security precautions.
Mr Neubert probed the traffic several years ago and was assured it was perfectly safe.
He said: "But I will doubly make sure that everything is alright."
Conservationists were demanding assurances that the containers carrying the waste for reprocessing at Windscale, Cumbria, were properly protected.
Co-ordinator of Havering's Friends of the Earth Aubrey Pope said: "We are worried about the possibility of an accident or a terrorist attack."
1999
Detectives were investigating the death of a young man whose body was discovered across the entrance to a Romford car park.
The man - thought to be in his 20s - was found lying in the open at the base of the multi-storey car park in Western Road.
His injuries appeared consistent with a fall.
Two refuse collectors found the body at 7.40am - they immediately alerted police and paramedics.
A doctor was called and the man was pronounced dead.
Police at first treated the death as suspicious but then ruled out any third party involvement.
Det Ch Insp Tony Southern of Romford Police said: "We will be thoroughly reviewing the CCTV footage from the car park and other cameras in the area.
"We hope this will help us to establish the man's movements before, what appears to be a fall, took place."
