Fattest Man in The World is from the Winstanley!

Here's a former Winstanley resident tipping the scales at just over 42 stone. Fortunately it's just actor Timothy Spall in make-up and a fat suit while he films ITV comedy drama The Fattest Man in Britain this week in Manchester.

One onlooker, told the Daily Express: “The suit made him so big he could hardly walk. They had to take him from the make-up caravan to the filming point in a people carrier and lever him out of it.

The one-off comedy is the latest offering from Royle Family creator Caroline Aherne and features Bobby Ball as Spall’s agent, desperate to keep him fat so he can win the prize for Britain’s fattest man. It is due to be broadcast later this year.

Spall, 52, grew up on the Winstanley Estate and says he was first inspired to be an actor one Sunday evening while walking his grandmother back home across the estate. He saw an old man struggling down a pathway and, wondering what would feel like to walk in his shoes, decided to start copying the old man's tortured walk.

Spall went on to make his name in the 1980s playing gormless Barry Taylor in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. He has gone on to star in Mike Leigh’s Life is Sweet and Secrets and Lies, Vanilla Sky with Tom Cruise and as Peter Pettigrew in Harry Potter.

He was diagnosed with leukaemia in 1996, but is in remission.

Full story and pictures: Has Timothy eaten Spall the pies?

Clapham Junction: £2,000 of fines handed out for littering this morning

The council's anti-litter squad dished out 25 on-the-spot fines this morning to people who were caught red-handed dropping litter on the pavement outside Clapham Junction station.

The town hall's street care team joined forces with the police in this morning's rush hour to catch people who have turned entrances to the station into litter hotspots.

In little over an hour and a half, 25 fixed penalty notices were issued to commuters who had been spotted dropping waste on the public highway. Most people were seen dropping cigarette butts but others dumped food wrappers, drinks cartons and other types of litter.

These people now have ten days to pay their £55 on-the-spot fine. If they do not pay within the ten days, the fine increases to £80 and if still unpaid after 28 days, they face being summonsed to appear before magistrates, where they could be fined anything up to £2,500.

Earlier this week, commuters using the station were warned that a crackdown was in the offing. On that occasions 60 people were given warnings rather than fines after they were caught dropping litter.

Today's clampdown on littering at Clapham Junction was carried out in partnership with officers from the Clapham Junction Hub Team - a new safer neighbourhoods team set up to provide a high profile police presence in the town centre and the area surrounding the station.

ASBO dog man banned from open spaces

A middle-aged man who used his dog to terrorise visitors to parks and open spaces has been banned from stepping foot inside Battersea Park or on Clapham Common for five years.

Harold Hirst, aged 42, from Montefiore Street in Battersea used his Rottweiler to intimidate and harass other park users.

As well as being banned from these open spaces, he is also now prohibited from exercising any dog on any public highway unless it is kept on a leash at all times. He must also keep his Rottweiler muzzled whenever it is in a public place.

If he fails to comply with this court order he faces immediate arrest, and if convicted, could be sent to jail for up to five years and/or face unlimited fines.

The order was imposed by a judge at Kingston Crown Court, after he was convicted of a series of assaults, threats, criminal damage and also of allowing his dog to be dangerously out of control. These offences were committed in Battersea Park and also on Clapham Common.

He was sentenced to 120 hours community service, a 12 month supervision order and a five year anti-social behaviour order (ASBO).

The case against Mr Hirst was co-ordinated by Met Police's Queenstown ward safer neighbourhoods team, the council's parks police service, the borough's anti-social behaviour unit and the Crown Prosecution Service.

Pc Richard King from the Queenstown SNT said: "Mr Hirst's behaviour and the irresponsible way he looks after his dog has been totally unacceptable. He should be under no illusions as to what our response will be if he breaches his ASBO."

Anyone experiencing anti-social behaviour in the borough can get advice and assistance from the borough's anti-social behaviour unit, which is based in the town hall's technical services department.

Its staff includes a specially seconded police officer and it works in very close partnership with the police, especially the borough's safer neighbourhood teams and other agencies. The unit was set up by the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership to provide the community with effective solutions to anti-social behaviour problems.

Council tenants or leaseholders should call (020) 8871 6829. People living in privately-owned accommodation should call (020) 8871 8894.

Beware the council tax phone scam

Trading standards officers in Wandsworth are warning residents that fraudsters are using a sophisticated new council tax scam to try and steal from them.

Con-artists are using the promise of council tax rebates to obtain residents' bank details and other sensitive personal information. Armed with this important data, the fraudsters are then able to empty their victim's bank accounts.

Their latest tactic is to telephone householders and masquerade as council tax officials. They are either told they have paid too much and are entitled to a rebate, or that they have not paid enough and need to top up their payments.

In both scenarios, the caller asks for bank account details and other information such as date of birth and becomes quite insistent if refused.

The scam has been reported to trading standards in Wandsworth and is also believed to be happening in other parts of the country.

Now trading standards officers are urging people to be on their guard against the confidence tricksters and to also report any similar incidents.

Anyone receiving this kind of telephone call is strongly advised not to disclose any personal information and to report the matter to trading standards on (020) 8871 7720 or by emailing tradingstandards@wandsworth.gov.uk

Anyone who wishes to check their council tax account details can call (020) 8871 8081 or email counciltax@wandsworth.gov.uk

Plans to house 450 students on the Winstanley Estate

Many residents will be aware of a recent planning application for the site of Griffon House and Lanner House.

The proposal is for: 'Redevelopment of site involving demolition of existing buildings and construction of new building between 9-11 storeys to provide 452 self-contained studio rooms for use as student accommodation together with associated car and cycle parking, landscape treatment, amenity space, access and servicing facilities.'

This is even more intense than the ten-storey residential block that has already been approved for the site. The proposal is likely to come before the planning committee of Wandsworth council in September. Your Labour councillors will be on the estate between now and then collecting signatures on a petition against the development. For more information, contact Latchmere Labour councillor Tony Belton at tonybelton@btconnect.com.

You can view details of the scheme and make your comments on it by going to the council's website (click here).

In pictures: The Winstanley Estate

There are some great pictures of the Winstanley on photo website Flickr - here is a selection. Check out the wonderful sixties shot with the car!

What's in a name? Ganley Court

Most of the blocks on the Winstanley Estate are named after prominent local people. You might be interested to learn about the impressive woman who lent her name to Ganley Court: thanks to wikipedia, here is the low-down on Caroline Ganley.

Caroline Selina Ganley, née Blumfield, CBE, JP (16 September 1879 – 3 August 1966) was an English Labour and Co-operative politician.

Ganley was born in Plymouth, the daughter of a tailor. She became politically active in 1906 in opposition to the Boer War, and joined the Social Democratic Federation that year. She actively supported women's suffrage and helped set up what would become the Women's Labour League branch in Battersea. She became involved in the British Committee of the International Congress for Peace and Freedom in 1914.

Ganley was a school manager and governor, becoming a Justice of the Peace (JP) in 1920, one of London's first female magistrates. She joined the Labour and Co-operative Parties and served on Battersea Council (1919-25, 1953-65) and the London County Council (1925-29 and 1934-37), and was a member of the London County Education Committee. She contested the Paddington North seat at the 1935 general election.

At the 1945 general election, Ganley was elected as Member of Parliament for Battersea South. She narrowly held the seat in 1950 but was defeated by Ernest Partridge in 1951.

Ganley was elected a director of the West London Co-operative Society in 1918 and served on the board of its successor, the London Co-operative Society for many years and as President 1942-46, its first woman president. She held national positions in the Women's Co-operative Guild and was one of the speakers at its diamond jubilee celebrations at the Royal Albert Hall in 1943.

She was awarded the CBE in 1953.