Hemel Hempstead & district · Local news you can trust
Hemel Hempstead's Alex Manton, 17, won the senior men's synchronised trampoline British title with Aidan Taylor, scoring 43.16 at Telford on 3 to 4 October.
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Events
What's On in Hemel Hempstead: Halloween, Fireworks Week
Free Old Town Halloween with fireworks on Sunday 25 October, then four fireworks displays from 5 to 7 November, plus shows, matches and markets with every date.
Crime
Fuel Thefts Across Herts: 12 Charged, 11 From Hemel
Police have charged 12 people over about 600 fuel thefts reported by forecourts in 2025, in Hemel, St Albans, Watford, Harpenden, Luton, Dunstable and Bedford.
Remembrance
Hemel Hempstead Remembrance Sunday: 8 Nov, Boxmoor 10.40am
Remembrance Sunday is 8 November. Hemel gathers at Boxmoor War Memorial at 10.40am with roads shut from 10am; Berkhamsted parades at 2.30pm. Every time.
Christmas
Hemel Hempstead Panto 2026: Hercules at Boxmoor, 4-13 Dec
Hercules plays Boxmoor Playhouse 4 to 13 December; Tring's Sleeping Beauty runs 29 Dec to 3 Jan from £12. Every panto and Christmas show in Dacorum.
Christmas
Ashridge House Illuminated 2026: 20 Nov to 2 Jan
Ashridge House Illuminated runs 20 November to 2 January from 4pm. Adults from £24.50, children £15.40, free parking, dogs on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Council
Hemel E-Bike Contract Awarded: Call-In Ends 1 October
Cabinet awarded the Hemel e-bike contract on 22 September and released £1,004,690. The council logged it as not a key decision, and call-in ends on 1 October.
Community
Dacorum Stray Dogs: £91 to Reclaim, £142 With No Chip
Reclaiming a stray dog in Dacorum costs £91 on day one, or £142 with no microchip. The council's dog service won RSPCA platinum again on 22 September.
Council
Hemel Hempstead E-Bike Hire: £1m Decided Tuesday
Cabinet is asked on 22 September to release £1,004,690 for a Hemel e-bike hire scheme. The council's own survey found 54% of those who replied would not use it.
Planning
Tring 1,400 Homes: Councillors Vote 6-5 to Fight On
Dacorum councillors refused by 6-5 to drop the Green Belt objection to 1,400 homes east of Tring. It now defends the refusal at a November inquiry.
House prices
Dacorum House Prices Up 3.0% to £459,235 in July
Dacorum's average home hit £459,235 in July, up 3.0% in a year and joint third in Hertfordshire. A weak July 2025 flatters it: prices barely moved all summer.
Crime
Dacorum Policing Priorities: Fletcher Way and E-Scooters
Police in Dacorum will target Fletcher Way, e-scooters, shoplifting and drug dealing for the coming months. Each area's priorities, and what the data shows.
Licensing
Camelot Rugby Club 1am Licence: 27 Residents Object
Camelot rugby club wants alcohol to 1am and outdoor music on its playing field. Dacorum's own pollution team objects too. Hearing 11am, Friday 18 Sept.
Three towns along the western edge of Hertfordshire, and they could hardly be more different. Hemel Hempstead is a new town built out from an old one after the war, big enough to dominate the district. Berkhamsted has the castle ruins, the canal and a high street it has kept. Tring sits at the foot of the Chilterns with the gap in the hills behind it.
Hemel Hempstead Live covers all three and the villages around them. They share Dacorum Borough Council, which decides planning, bins, car parks and licensing, while Hertfordshire County Council runs the roads and the schools. Both publish the evidence for what they do. We read it and write down what it says, with a link to the document every time.
Every fact carries a link to its official source.