A look back at the biggest local stories from this week 20, 40 and 60 years ago this week.

1956: Teenagers were left fuming when jiving was banned at Hainault Youth Centre after police were called to what they dubbed “a rock and roll disturbance”.

More than 60 of the club’s members, many of them teenage girls, were ejected by police after a visit of the area’s chief youth organiser to the centre’s Grange County Secondary School HQ got out of hand.

Mr T McDowell told the Recorder he was shocked to discover youths climbing through windows and jumping on chairs as he inspected the premises, only to be met with laughter when he appealed for good behaviour. Left with no option, he called the police.

After filing a report, it was agreed with the council that jive events would be banned from the centre for good.

1976:A Clayhall man had a lucky escape after being engulfed in flames when he poured petrol on a bonfire he thought had died out.

Hyman Rose, 57, from Lord Avenue, suffered burns to his arms, face and neck in the resulting blaze and was taken to King George Hospital for treatment.

He said: “It was a stupid thing to do and I am lucky to be alive, the ambulance and hospital staff were absolutely wonderful.

His wife Anne Rose said: “I was watching from the house when all of a sudden the bonfire flared up around my husband.”

1996: A group of five youngsters, one of them just six years old, were left wandering an amusement park by themselves during a council-run summer trip.

Outraged mothers furiously complained to the council when they discovered that the group of boys, aged 6-10, were abandoned at Chessington World of Adventures in Surrey, despite promises beforehand that no child would ever be without adult supervision during the trip.

Redbridge Council admitted there had been a huge blunder and changed its supervision rules to ensure such a mistake could never happen again.

One upset parent said: “We put our trust in the council. We checked repe atedly that they would be supervised. Supervision means they should be with an adult.”