Ten years ago

Youngsters playing trick or treat in Whitton will be met with a stern message posted in many windows this Hallowe'en telling them to stay away. Whitton traders have printed posters with a witch on a broomstick crossed out and the message, Sorry, No trick or treat' which residents and shopkeepers are snapping up. The aim of the campaign is to protect unsupervised children, the elderly in their homes and reduce trick or treat vandalism.

Ambitious £300 million plans to turn Teddington's National Physical Laboratory into a world leading scientific centre were submitted for planning permission this week.

The Terminal Five inquiry becomes the longest running public inquiry in British planning history today (Friday) with the end not yet in sight. The inquiry, which will determine whether further expansion can take place at Heathrow, overtakes the Sizewell B public inquiry, as it enters its 340th day.

A senior director of fashion retail company is swapping her day job to become a clown. Coco Brandon, a 66 year old grandmother, who lives in Chiswick Mall, will be putting on face paint today, Friday, to raise money for cancer research outside Sainsbury's in the town. She goes under the name of Coco-Nut the Clown.

25 years ago

The prestigious Alan Parker Film company which produced Fame, Bugsy Malone, Midnight Express and Pink Floyd the Wall could set up its headquarters on Richmond riverside, if a tussle over the rights to develop the derelict Riverside House and pumping station in Water Lane is resolved. The application to the council has come as a surprise to the owner of the house and pumping station David Kadir of Petersham Farm. He has an application to convert the buildings into a restaurant wine bar and flats.

When vicar John Hibberd of St James', Gunnersbury looked around and took note of the numbers of careless drivers in the Chiswick area he thought he would set an example - Mr Hibberd has just passed his advanced test at the Institute of Advanced Motoring, Chiswick. "I was surprised by the bad driving locally and decided to take the test. I am hoping to challenge people to set up a better standard of motoring", he commented.

Mrs V H Rutherford, wife of the member for the division will preside at the annual meeting of the Hounslow branch of the Women's Total Abstinence Union.

50 years ago

A plea for the introduction of the comprehensive school system in Middlesex was made at the County Education Committee meeting. Councillor E Castle spoke about parents who wanted their children to have a grammar school education. He said that figures showed that more children were going to grammar schools, but behind the figures was a great deal of discontent among parents. Three out of four parents were concerned that their children did not get to grammar school.

50 years ago A plea for the introduction of the comprehensive school system in Middlesex was made at the County Education Committee meeting. Councillor E Castle spoke about parents who wanted their children to have a grammar school education. He said that figures showed that more children were going to grammar schools, but behind the figures was a great deal of discontent among parents. Three out of four parents were concerned that their children did not get to grammar school.

Patients would be very surprised to know how many times hospital matrons have cooked the Sunday dinners. The reason - shortage of domestic staff.

100 years ago Mr W G Palmer said that the sum of £200 to be allowed to the Isleworth branch of the library until the loan of £800 was paid off was a fair sum. He considered that there would be no need to spend any more money on Isleworth for the next four years. Mr Fish that £200 was more than they should allow for Isleworth and he was strongly opposed to it. There was no need of a branch at Isleworth at all.

Mr F K Martin writing from Montpelier House, Twickenham, says, No one will have been surprised to read that the District Council, in conjunction with neighbouring local bodies are up in arms at the intolerable nuisance, not to speak of the consequent diminishing value of property caused by the harsh grating sounds incident to the rush of trams over the metals. They evidently have no effectual controlling instructions to slacken while they are running round such curves at St Stephen's Church or tearing across the points near the western entrance to Marble Hill, adjacent to the Crown Hotel and that at this populous part the traffic to St Margarets Station bifurcating here the jerking and screeching is at its worst.'