Staff at a prison in Banstead were called to more than a dozen serious medical incidents in a single day, relating to drugs.

A report from the Independent Monitoring Board found that prison staff at HMP High Down faced 13 “code blue” incidents, where prisoners had collapsed or suffered serious breathing difficulties, in one day last year.

A separate report released last week, focusing on HMP High Down found 49% of prisoners surveyed thought it was “easy” to get hold of drugs at the prison, down slightly from 56% in 2024.

Prisons minister Lord James Timpson said “positive improvements” have been made but “more needs to be done” to improve.

The plan to have a two-week autumn half term break for more than 70 schools in Surrey will not happen next year, after headteachers raised concerns.

Children being more tired and less likely to learn, problems with attendance in the last week before the summer holidays and staff and pupil wellbeing were among the concerns that were raised.

It was also felt that a two-week half term in the autumn would disrupt children in reception, as they would have just settled into a new school.

The half term in October 2026 is being extended by a week for community and voluntary controlled schools, after Surrey County Council (SCC) decided to make a change.

But in the 2027/28 academic year, it will go back to being a one-week holiday.

—

Sussex Police are appealing for witnesses and information after an assault took place in The Boulevard, Crawley on Monday 25 May.

Police were called to the scene at around 10.20pm.

It was reported that a man described as wearing a blue and white top and blue tracksuit bottoms assaulted a 50-year-old man in the street.

The victim suffered injuries to his head and attended hospital for treatment.

A 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm with intent and held in police custody.

On 27 May, Archie Gates, 29, of no fixed address was charged with the same offence.

He appeared at Crawley Magistrates’ Court the same day and was remanded into custody until his next court appearance on 24 June.

Officers are continuing to investigate and encourage anyone who witnessed the incident, or who has relevant information such as CCTV or mobile footage to report it to us.

Reports can be made online or by calling 101 and quoting serial 1868 of 25/05.

Public Spaces Protection Orders in place at Meadowbank Park and both Dorking and Leatherhead town centres are due to expire in October 2026.  Ahead of this, there is an opportunity to help inform whether they should be extended or amended if they are to continue for up to a further three years.

Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) are introduced to address a particular nuisance or problem in a specific area that is detrimental to the local community’s quality of life. It does so by imposing conditions or restrictions to help prevent anti-social behaviour from continuing to occur in that area.

PSPOs provide Mole Valley District Council (MVDC) and Surrey Police with additional powers to address anti-social behaviour. If one or more individuals are found to be in breach of conditions outlined in a PSPO relating to that specific area, enforcement measures such as issuing a Fixed Penalty Notice or pursuing a formal prosecution can be used.

In place since 2017 and renewed twice previously, the existing Dorking and Leatherhead town centre PSPOs regulate the consumption of alcohol in those respective locations.  The Meadowbank Park’s PSPO has regulated the consumption of alcohol, use of intoxicating substances, dog fouling and restricting dog access to the park’s playground over the past six years.

PSPOs are not automatically extended, so the opinions of residents, businesses and visitors to the district are vital in helping to inform whether they continue or what they could look like in the future. Visit www.molevalley.gov.uk/pspo between Friday 5 June and Friday 10 July 2026 to complete one, two or all three of the individual area-specific online surveys. Paper copies of all three surveys will be available from the reception at MVDC’s Pippbrook office in Dorking during the consultation period too.

Councillor Caroline Joseph, MVDC’s Cabinet Member for Services and Security, said: “It is important we hear from people who wish to tell us of any personal experiences or firsthand accounts of anti-social behaviour over the past three years in the three specific locations being consulted on. It is only by building a clear picture of the effectiveness of the existing PSPOs can we make an informed decision about extending one or more of them and, if so, whether the anti-social behaviours they currently cover should be retained, added to or removed.”