This week in history – 60, 40 and 20 years ago.

Romford Recorder: Romford and Hornchurch Recorder, September 5 1975Romford and Hornchurch Recorder, September 5 1975 (Image: Archant)

Sixty years ago

Smallholders emerged victorious from a battle with Havering Council over their plots.

The residents, from Lodge Lane, in Collier Row, shouted to each other over their gardens in celebration over the council dropping its plans.

The local authority had been set to acquire the land at the rear of the holdings and make a compulsory purchase order on six plots fronting the lane.

Romford Recorder: Romford Recorder, September 8 1995Romford Recorder, September 8 1995 (Image: Archant)

The residents had met with councillors to put forward their objections.

Despite the group’s success, one told the Recorder that the dispute had put them back six to eight months in their work and they faced a period of recovery.

Another said: “This has unsettled us. We would like to see something in black and white to assure us they haven’t just shelved the plan temporarily.”

A spokesman for the council said it had difficulty obtaining information about the land and concluded that the plans would cause hardship to the smallholders and it would be impossible to compensate them adequately.

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A popular transport manager who served Havering for decades died.

Frank Mudd, 64, of South Street, Romford, died in Harold Wood Hospital.

Mr Mudd, who had been due to retire the following year, had been a manager at Romford Brewery for more than 30 years and was also a member of staff for Ind Coope and Allsopp Ltd.

The Suffolk-born man joined Romford Brewery in 1914 and was in charge of the horse transport.

He also set up the Brewery Sports and Social Club. Mr Mudd served in the Tank Corps in the First World War and was promoted to the rank of quartermaster sergeant.

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A teenager was fined for firing an air gun within 50ft of a highway.

The 16-year-old, who had just bought the air gun, was seen firing it at a tin on a wasteground near Alvestoke Road, Harold Hill.

He was fined 10 shillings at Romford Juvenile Court.

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A man described as having an “obsession for stealing” was jailed for three months after pleading guilty to stealing a suit and a raincoat.

The 34-year-old, of no fixed abode, took the items from a boarding house in London Road, Romford.

He was given three months’ imprisonment for this offence and another month for breaching his probation, to run concurrently.

Two other offences, of stealing a suitcase and a pair of shoes from the same house, were taken into consideration.

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Forty years ago

A ring of police surrounded a court as the 16-year-old girlfriend of a fugitive attended to hear the charges against her.

The girl, appearing at Skegness Juvenile Court, had skipped bail two months before with her boyfriend Stephen Battram.

They had been due to appear at Snaresbrook Crown Court to face charges of assault against two Lincolnshire policemen.

On July 31, Battram escaped from a police prison van and was thought to be lying low in Harold Hill. His girlfriend was remanded in custody.

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A young widow was fighting for her life following the car crash in which her husband died.

Roisin Ward, 20, of Chafford Way, Romford, had not regained consciousness since the accident on August 23 at Gallows Corner.

Her husband of one month, John, 21, died instantly and seven other people were injured when two cars collided on top of the flyover and overturned.

Roisin’s parents flew over from Belfast and were remaining at her bedside in hospital.

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Twenty years ago

An 83-year-old woman brutally attacked while out shopping was in a critical condition in hospital.

The pensioner suffered a fractured skull after being assaulted in a chemist in Rise Park.

Police were appealing for witnesses who saw the incident.

One told the Recorder it was a “horrifying experience”, while another said it was a “huge shock” for something like that to happen.

The details of the attack were unknown, but it was thought that witnesses in the chemist tried to stop the perpetrator.

A man was due to appear at Havering Magistrates’ Court in connection with the incident.

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A nursing union slammed a hospital trust’s pay offer to its staff, insisting that employees across the board receive a three per cent rise. Havering Hospitals NHS Trust cut its offer from 3.25 per cent to 2.5 after staff demanded an equal pay rise for all employees.

The trust was leaving it up to individuals to decide whether to accept or reject the offer.

The government had offered nurses an increase of 1pc and left them to negotiate further rises.

Martin MacGregor, the Royal College of Nursing’s local representative, said: “We still want a 3pc increase across the board and urge staff to wait for the full results of the union’s national campaign for a national offer.”

Havering Hospital’s original offer had been a rise of 2.25pc to its nursing staff and others in professions linked to medicine and 1.5pc for other staff.

Director of human resources Peter Murphy said the new one was the “best offer” the trust could make “without strings attached”.