Parts of Hartham Common and the River Lee are closed following a fire at an MOT testing station on the Dicker Mill Industrial Estate.

All businesses on the estate have been evacuated following the fire that occurred shortly before 4pm.

Emergency services are currently working to cool gas cyclinders in the building.

Three people were treated for smoke inhalation.

A former hippy shop could be set to re-open as an off-licence.

Over The Moon in The Wash is currently the subject of a premises licence application for off-premises consumption of alcohol.

The application suggests the name of the new outlet will be "Your Local Shop".

Port Hill will be closed during off-peak hours this week to enable repairs to take place on the railway bridge.

The closure will be from from 9:30am to 4:30pm to allow repairs to subsidence and resurfacing.

A new 18-place nursery is to open at Hertford East station in October.

The nursery will feature a 6-place baby room and 12-place toddler room, run by 5 staff.

"The Right Track" Nursery will occupy offices no longer used by rail companies and open 7:30am - 6:30pm Monday to Saturday, and 8am to 1pm on Saturdays.

A man has died after collapsing outside Boots the opticians in Maidenhead Street.

The 50 year-old was rushed to the QEII Hospital in Welwyn Garden City shortly after 2pm but later died.

Reports say that the man collapsed after suffering a cardiac arrest.

Police are appealing for witnesses and information following a burglary at DK Thermal Limited in Tamworth Road.

The incident took place between 10pm on Tuesday, July 20 and 9am on Wednesday, July 21. The offenders removed a large number of air conditioning units and are believed to have loaded them onto a vehicle.

Investigating officer PC Heather Kenwright said: "The offenders made off with a significant amount of these air conditioning units which are quite large and heavy to manoeuvre, so I am sure that someone in the local area must have seen or heard something unusual between the stated times."

“I would urge anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to contact me as soon as possible.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact PC Kenwright on the police non-emergency number 0845 33 00 222 citing crime reference number A1/10/2

Police are appealing for witnesses and information after a Villiers Street resident was duped by rogue traders.

The incident took place on Wednesday, July 14 after two men called at the address claiming they had been sent to do roofing work. They stated that the home owner needed extensive work to be done on his property and asked for a significant sum of money to carry out the work.

The home owner then met the men in Railway Street and paid them for the work in advance. The men never retuned to the house to undertake the work.

One of the men was described as white, around 5ft 8ins tall, between 30-40 years of age, of stocky build, with short fair hair and an Irish accent. He was also reported to be wearing dark clothing and had stubble on his face.

The other man was described as white; around 5ft 6ins tall, between 30-40 years of age, of heavy build with short dark brown hair. He was also reported to be clean shaven and had a southern accent.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Kerri Burns said: "Many rogue traders make a cold call and state they have seen a problem with the roof, driveway or other parts of a property and will offer to fix the problem. Some will even break roof tiles using a catapult before knocking at the property as a way to lure people."

She continued: “These people are very convincing and can seem legitimate, which is why people get caught out. But they will demand cash up front, won’t use any paperwork, and will create new ‘problems’ which need fixing to get more money from their victims."

“Be on your guard; don’t open your door to cold callers if you are not expecting them. Never agree to any work or part with any cash straight away. If you are in doubt, take information and contact Trading Standards to check their legitimacy.”

She continued: “This was a very unfortunate incident for the home owner to go through and we are doing everything we can to find the men responsible.

“They were driving a white van when it is believed they followed the victim home and when the money was handed over to them in Railway Street. I am appealing for anyone who may have seen the men described in the local area to get in contact and would also like to speak to anyone who witnessed any suspicious activity on that day.

Anyone with information should contact police via the non-emergency number 0845 33 00 222 citing crime reference number A1/10/2276.