1958: Local busmen were annoyed at attempts by suspected conmen to make money from their strike by going around to houses and asking for money to support the strikes.

They had nothing to do with the strikes, said Mr Harry Selmes, chairman of the Seven Kings branch of the TGWU told the Recorder. He said: “Apparently some people - probably wide boys - have been going round with lists asking to try to get money.”

He added: “We want to disassociate ourselves from this.

1978:Teachers, councillors and West Indian parents gathered in Ilford to discuss a report about the education of West Indian children.

The report was compiled by Redbridge Community Relations Council and the Black People’s Progressive Association, to look into the underachievement of these children in the borough’s schools.

Exam results in 1977 showed that West Indian children were performing significantly below white children and Asians.

Mr Trevor Carter, president of the Caribbean teacher association, cited ways in which he claimed teachers were prejudiced without realising such as when teachers said: “I don’t notice colour, all my pupils seem the same to me.

1998: Cancer screen tests for hundred of Redbridge women were left unchecked for up to three month while nursing staff at King George Hospital were taught new computer systems.

A hospital spokesman confirmed smear tests for cervical and ovarian cancer began to mount up in March when the Barley Lane hospital introduced a new computer system to streamline patient medical histories.

The delay infuriated a number of women in high risk groups for cervical cancer, with some waiting as long as nine weeks for their results – so long that some decided to have another test done privately.