Almost a thousand people signed up to volunteer in Reigate and Banstead as the Coronavirus outbreak escalated and hundreds more have taken on voluntary roles in the borough since.

To mark Volunteers’ Week 2020, the borough council has thanked all those signed up with Voluntary Action Reigate & Banstead, to highlight the vital unpaid work done throughout the area.

Councillors also paid tribute to the hard work of churches, foodbanks, schools, residents associations and neighbourhood groups in supporting those in need during the outbreak.

A man was arrested after a spate of vandalism in Crawley and a struggle with police which resulted in a police dog being kicked and punched.

Just over half an hour after receiving reports of a man damaging wing mirrors and wipers on cars in the Northgate area, officers spotted and approached the suspect in Ilfield Avenue.

During an ensuing struggle, police dog Finn, which had helped to track the suspect, was hit.

A 21-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, theft and causing unnecessary suffering to the dog, following the incident, which took place from 4 o’clock on Saturday morning.

Finn was not injured in the incident.

A Redhill resident has been escorted to their bank to draw out money by a rogue trader.

The bogus ‘handyman’ demanded £4,200 in cash for tidying the victim’s garden and removing waste .

Upon trying to withdraw the money the bank became suspicious and intervened and the garden waste was then later found fly tipped.

Denise Turner Stewart, Cabinet Member for Communities at Surrey County Council, said,
“Sadly, rogue traders tend to target people at this time of year when the weather is improving and with lockdown restrictions relaxing, this provides more opportunity for the criminals to dupe householders into paying for shoddy or unnecessary work.

“Rogue traders are highly organised, professional offenders who have developed their skills over the years. It is estimated only 5% of scams are reported so we would encourage everyone to not be afraid or embarrassed to report an incident and seek support. The information could also help our Trading Standards Officers prevent future incidents.”

More information on how to protect against rogue traders can be found here: trading.standards@surreycc.gov.uk.

Crawley has received one of the government’s biggest handouts to help businesses affected by coronavirus.

Almost £12m has been given to more than 800 companies, with another £600,000 being made available for smaller businesses.

It’s as the aviation industry, which makes up a large part of the local economy, continues to be affected by the pandemic.

Crawley Town could lose around £400,00 next season if fans are not allowed into stadiums until January.

The club’s technical director Erdem Konyar has provided an update on the situation and outlined alternative revenue streams for the club.

It comes as the English Football League board will decide next week how it will determine teams’ final positions if the league is curtailed.

You can watch Erdem Konyar’s full update here: