Bishop's Stortford Independent

The Bishop's Stortford Independent is brought to you by Iliffe Media Group. The editor in charge is Paul Winspear, who can be reached at [email protected]. We strive to provide the community of Bishop's Stortford and its neighboring regions with a reliable, informative, and engaging service that is of high quality and relevance.

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On-duty Herts police officer had sex with woman he met on swingers’ site

5 hours ago | bishopsstortfordindependent.co.uk | Christopher Day

A former Hertfordshire police officer had sex while on duty with a woman he met on a swingers’ website, a misconduct panel has concluded. PC Stuart Greaney met the woman, known as Ms A, on FabSwingers and visited her home on June 16, 2023, when he was on duty in full police uniform. With his shift due to finish at 3pm, he arrived at the woman’s house shortly before 2.30pm and had sex with her before leaving 20 minutes later.
Anna Smith Spark: Bishop’s Stortford’s fantasy fiction queen completes new epic novel, A Sword of Gold and Ruin

22 hours ago | bishopsstortfordindependent.co.uk | Sinead Corr

The latest novel from Bishop’s Stortford author Anna Smith Spark, the Queen of Grimdark, is ready for publication. A Sword of Gold and Ruin is the sequel to her folk horror high fantasy, A Sword of Bronze and Ashes. Her writing career began with her acclaimed grimdark epic fantasy Empires of Dust trilogy: The Court of Broken Knives, The Tower of Living and Dying and The House of Sacrifice.
Essex’s Mind branches unite to offer mental health support across the county

23 hours ago | bishopsstortfordindependent.co.uk | Sinead Corr

Mind in West Essex is collaborating with four other branches in Essex to support people across the county. The new partnership was officially announced during Mental Health Awareness Week (May 12 to 18) and aims to offer a more joined-up approach. Alison Wilson, chief executive of Mind in West Essex, said: “We’re really excited about this new development. We’re all stronger when we work as a team and keen to make the most out of the opportunities this partnership offers.
Herts police launches week of action to combat knife crime

1 day ago | bishopsstortfordindependent.co.uk | Sinead Corr

Published: 14:23, 14 May 2025 A week of action to combat knife crime in Hertfordshire will begin on Monday, May 19. Incidents in the county remain low, but the campaign aims to raise awareness that carrying a knife is illegal. The constabulary will carry out knife detection operations and talk to retailers to ensure knives are not sold to under-18s. The campaign will also educate young people, via school visits and social media, about the dangers of carrying a knife.
Public Image Ltd, The Fratellis and The Undertones headline Stone Valley South

1 day ago | bishopsstortfordindependent.co.uk | Sinead Corr

Stone Valley South festival returns to East Herts this month for three days of ska, punk, rock and indie music. Public Image Ltd, The Fratellis and The Undertones are the headliners for the event at Pepper Hill Farm, Great Amwell, which kicks off on Friday, May 23. British ska/soul/reggae band AKA The Syndicate takes to the stage first, followed by “the undisputed masters of backbeat wizardry” Bombskare.
Royal garden party honour for Takeley women’s rights campaigner Valerie Lolomari

1 day ago | bishopsstortfordindependent.co.uk | Sinead Corr

Campaigner Valerie Lolomari, the founder of Women of Grace UK, enjoyed a visit to Buckingham Palace for a garden party hosted by King Charles. The Takeley mother of three was recognised for her community development and advocacy work — particularly with survivors of female genital mutilation (FGM), sex-based violence, and mental health challenges. Valerie, accompanied by husband Tony, said: “It was a deeply humbling and unforgettable experience.
Police prioritise tackling anti-social behaviour in Stortford and Sawbridgeworth parks

1 day ago | bishopsstortfordindependent.co.uk | Sinead Corr

Published: 10:36, 14 May 2025 Hertfordshire Constabulary has set its policing priorities for Bishop’s Stortford and Sawbridgeworth over the next four months. Residents will see the dedicated neighbourhood team of PCs and PCSOs working alongside partners to tackle problems through increased police presence, engagement events and targeted enforcement.
Plans to break the mould and turn Bishop’s Stortford home into pottery studio

1 day ago | bishopsstortfordindependent.co.uk | Sinead Corr

Ceramacist Kate Swann wants to convert a Bishop’s Stortford home into a pottery studio. She has asked East Herts Council to change the use of the four-bed property at Northgate End. Chantry Community Association has backed objections from neighbours, telling the authority: “We agree with the residents of Yew Tree Place regarding their concerns about deliveries and parking.
Stansted Airport IT outage: Hockerill school trip, honeymoon, family holidays and birthday celebrations disrupted

1 day ago | bishopsstortfordindependent.co.uk | Sinead Corr

Students and staff from Hockerill Anglo-European College were among thousands of passengers caught up in chaos at Stansted Airport as an IT issue disrupted operations. A glitch believed to be related to internet connectivity brought the terminal to a standstill on Sunday morning (May 11), affecting check-in, baggage and security. During the day, around 88,000 passengers were due to travel on nearly 600 flights.
Labour MP Chris Hinchliff calls on Government to think again about planning

2 days ago | bishopsstortfordindependent.co.uk | Sinead Corr

Labour MP Chris Hinchliff has repeated his call for the Government to “listen and think again” about proposed changes to the planning system. His intervention came as the chair of parliament’s environmental audit committee chair Toby Perkins, introduced its report on the role of natural capital in the green economy. The document is underpinned by a review for the Treasury by Sir Partha Dasgupta, professor emeritus of economics at Cambridge University.