A DOG which went missing while out on a walk in Denbies Vineyard has still not been found.

Barley Hollier took her wire-haired fox terrier Jethro out on January 19 following heavy snowfall and he disappeared into bushes near Ashleigh Grange.

Dorking resident Jenny Desoutter said: "He was wearing a collar and tag, and a brown dog coat.

"He is a friendly dog, a much-loved family pet who loves people, but he may be running scared by now, and may avoid people if he is feeling frightened.

"He may be injured, so if anyone is in the area, it is a good idea to keep a look out in bushes in case he is hiding.

"We have been out every day looking. He may also have gone somewhere else by now, or even been taken somewhere else. It is terrible just not knowing."

There was a possible sighting of Jethro on Ranmore Common on January 23.

If you have any information, contact Jethro's owner Barley on 07930 532563.

MORE than 500 of Surrey's 704 firefighters have taken sick days in the last year.

In Mole Valley, 42 officers took one or more day off with illness between January 1, 2012 and January 1, 2013, with 33 in neighbouring Reigate and Banstead and 32 in Tandridge.

Elsewhere in the county, the figure was 63 in Waverley, and 51 in Elmbridge during the same period.

Joint pain was the most common ailment, causing 120 incidents of firefighters and eight support staff to take time off. Digestive problems (60 absences), back problems (47), flu/cold (43), skin ailments (15) and stress (27) were also among the main reasons for sick leave being taken.

A firefighter whom the Advertiser agreed not to name said: "We are under just as much stress as the other emergency services. But we sometimes have to tackle huge fires or road traffic collisions that can be potentially dangerous for us.

"We all work very hard so we are going to get injured, but some of these illnesses might be completely unrelated.

"Working anywhere can be physically and mentally straining, but we can be under more pressure than most people."

Heart problems were the cause of just two firefighters calling in sick.

A RISE of two per cent in council tax is due to be put before Reigate and Banstead Borough Council's executive tonight (Thursday).

The authority has decided to turn down the offer of a Government grant, equivalent to a one per cent rise, in return for freezing its share of the charge.

The executive will also be asked to agree budget savings of more than £1.1 million for the financial year which starts in April.

Council leader Joan Spiers has insisted the council is not "cash-strapped", and that it is cutting spending not because it needs to, but because it wants to.

However, the council's grant from central Government will be cut by £550,000 next financial year, a 12 per cent decrease, and the executive will hear that freezing council tax for the fourth year in a row would leave the authority with a black hole in its budget.

A report issued ahead of the meeting states that accepting the Government's offer of a freeze grant "would mean we face a shortfall of over £0.4 million in 2015/16 if we accept the current proposal and would increase our savings target by over £1.4 million over the next five years".

The council believes it does not need to hold a referendum if it puts the tax up by a flat two per cent, despite many authorities opting for a 1.99 per cent rise. It believes guidance from the Department for Communities and Local Government, which wants councils to freeze the tax, indicates a referendum only needs to be held if the tax is raised by "more than" two per cent.

The borough council increase equates to an annual rise of £3.87.

If Surrey Police and the county council put up their shares of the tax by a similar figure, total bills for an average Band D property would rise by more than £31. Figures will be finalised within the next few weeks.

The borough council's tax will go before full council for final sign-off next week.

A MAN in his 90s was duped out of £2,000 by men posing as water board officials.

The theft took place at around 6.30pm on Monday in the Broadbridge Lane area of Smallfield, after two men entered the victim's home and stole his wallet.

Det Con David Fair said: "Surrey Police will not tolerate such heartless crimes against our elderly and most vulnerable members of our communities.

"We will do all we can to find those responsible and bring them to justice."

The offenders were white, aged in their 40s, clean shaven and around six feet tall.

They wore black woolly hats and black leather jackets with yellow high visibility stripes down the front.

Anyone with information on this incident is urged to contact officers on 101, quoting reference TD/13/453 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

FIVE children were injured in a bus crash on Tuesday.

The bus collided with a car on the A25 just after 4pm, injuring seven and blocking the road for four hours.

The bus driver was taken to East Surrey Hospital with minor injuries, while five child passengers were treated at the scene for minor injuries. The car driver, an elderly woman, was taken to St George's Hospital in Tooting with head injuries.

The road was closed for four hours between the A22 Eastbourne Road and Tandridge Lane. Witnesses should call police on 101.

PEOPLE in Redhill are mourning the death of a popular local character.

Judy Parish died suddenly on Wednesday, January 16, at her home in Garlands Road. She had suffered heart failure and despite valiant attempts by paramedics, could not be revived.

Mrs Parish, 72, moved to her Victorian terraced home in June 1961 – seven months after she and her husband, Alec, were married at nearby St John's Church.

Mrs Parish was one of Redhill's real characters. She talked unashamedly with a Cockney-like accent and liked to make everyone she met laugh. She also displayed great kindness to scores of elderly people in Redhill over the years.

She was the only child of the late Beatrice and Arthur Northeast, of Earlswood Road, Earlswood. Born on August 14, 1940, she attended St John's Infant School and Hooley School – both in Earlswood – before working as a cleaner at Surrey Fine Art Press in Cavendish Road, Redhill; the Surrey Mirror when its offices were in Ladbroke Road, Redhill; and Foxboro Engineering, Redhill.

For several years she was a sheltered housing officer at Chilmead elderly people's home in North Street, Redhill.

Apart from her husband, she leaves three grown-up children: Michael, Tony, and Christopher. Between them, they provided her with five grandchildren or step-grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren or half great-grandchildren.

The funeral service will be held at Surrey and Sussex Crematorium in Balcombe Road, Worth, on Friday, February 8 at 11.30am.

A WOMAN was racially abused as she walked through an alleyway in Dorking town centre, leading to a police search for the offender.

The woman, who is in her 30s, was walking through an alleyway near Old Brewery Court, off Dorking High Street, at about 11.30pm on Saturday when a man made racist comments to her.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Lewis Flanagan said: "This was a deeply upsetting incident for the victim and no doubt the effects will stay with her for some time.

"Surrey Police will not tolerate such behaviour and we will do all we can to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.

"The victim was able to give us a very good description of the offender.

"I would appeal to anyone who witnessed the incident or who believes they saw the man in the area, possibly drinking in a local pub, to contact officers."

The offender is described as a white man, aged in his 20s, who was of slim build and around 5ft 6in in height.

He had short, brown, curly hair and was wearing a yellow and orange triangle-patterned shirt, with beige jeans and dark shoes.

The man, who was accompanied by a friend at the time of the incident, is unknown to the woman.

Anyone who has information which could assist officers with their investigation is urged to contact Surrey Police on 101, if possible quoting reference MV/13/321. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

THE cost of living – and dying – is set to go up across the Tandridge district.

A wave of fees and charges are likely to increase from April as the cash-strapped council attempts to balance its books.

Among proposed rises are meals on wheels (2.8 per cent more), sports pitch bookings (up 2.5 per cent), scattering of ashes at the garden of remembrance in Caterham (3.3 per cent increase), annual membership of Caterham's Douglas Brunton Day Centre (3 per cent higher) and council offices lettings (2.5 per cent more).

The suggested new fees are expected to be rubber-stamped at the full council meeting on February 14.

However, a proposed 11.1 per cent hike in bathing charges at the Douglas Brunton centre – albeit only by 30p, to £3 – was rejected by the council's housing committee last Thursday.

Alistair Montgomery, the council's chief finance officer, explained: "If income from charging does not fully offset costs, then the council taxpayer must finance the difference.

"It is important that charges are regularly reviewed and assessed to reflect the council's priorities and are increased annually to take account of inflation, demand and any other factors."

Lib Dem councilor Chris Botten said: "We recognise the council is in a difficult financial position and needs to make a balanced budget.

"But I've said for years that we should not hit the most vulnerable people, so I thoroughly welcome the proposed freeze on bathing charges."

DETECTIVES are appealing for information about a statue, similar to that shown in this image, which was stolen in an aggravated burglary in Ockham.

The bronze copy of Degas's Little Dancer is described as about 1m tall and is believed to be valued at several thousand pounds. It was stolen on October 14, 2012.

Detective Inspector Jake Nuttall said: "This is a distinctive piece and I am sure anyone who may have seen it for sale or been offered it in unusual circumstances would remember the item.

"I would urge people to come forward and provide any information they have which may relate to the disappearance of this artefact."

The aggravated burglary is believed to be linked to a robbery which took place at a jewellery store in Cobham.

The 47-year-old victim was at a residential property when a group of men forced their way in. The householder was assaulted and the offenders then searched the property and stole numerous items.

Anyone with information is asked to call the police on 101, quoting reference GD/12/9357, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

TWO of the area's biggest visitor attractions – Dorking Halls and Denbies Wine Estate – have joined forces to offer discounts and more to their customers.

Anyone signing up to be a Friend of Dorking Halls can join the Denbies Loyalty Club for just £5 and enjoy a range of benefits, including unlimited tour tickets.

In return, Denbies Loyalty Club members can become a Friend of Dorking Halls for free.

To find out more about the Dorking Halls Friends Scheme, visit www.dorkinghalls.co.uk or call the box office on 01306 881717.

For information on Denbies Loyalty Club, visit www.denbies.co.uk or call 01306 876616.

CHAIRMAN Chris Chapman believes Merstham were "unlucky" to lose out to league leaders Maidstone United on Saturday.

Two first half goals saw the Moatsiders leave Kent without any points, but Chapman was encouraged by the performance.

"It was a good performance; we played some good football, but we were a bit unlucky," said Chapman, who took over from Ted Hickman last summer.

"We had opportunities to score but ultimately their finishing was more clinical.

"Their first goal came after their striker [Stuart King] came back onto the pitch while they were taking a corner and their second was a cross that floated in."

The Moatsiders were due to host Walton & Hersham on Tuesday night but the game was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch and Chapman is not confident Saturday's home game against Herne Bay will go ahead either.

"We can only hope the game will go ahead but if this rain carries on then I don't know," the chairman admitted.

"We have had quite a few games postponed now, and we don't want to end up with a fixtures backlog."

Apart from an early chance for Merstham when Peter Wedgeworth crossed for Lee Newman who headed wide, Saturday's game took a little while to get going.

Maidstone first threatened with 14 minutes played when Lloyd Anderson made a hash of an attempted save and fumbled the ball just wide of the post.

But with 23 minutes played, the deadlock was broken. A corner from Phillips was met by the head of Danny Lye and eventually the ball popped out to the left hand side of the box where it was met by the arriving Stuart King and from a tight angle he rifled the ball into the net.

Merstham then had a good chance when a ball over the top caught out the home side and Lee Newman found himself one on one with Ibrahim and with the goal at his mercy, he shot wide.

But with just minutes to play before half-time, the lead was doubled when Tom Mills received the ball out on the left wing and he sent the ball towards goal only for it to catch Anderson out and sail into the side of the net.

Five minutes after the break, Merstham put together a neat passing move, which ended with Wedgeworth picking out Fabio Saraiva with a good cross, but Saraiva's header sailed wide.

With 23 minutes remaining, Merstham's afternoon took another bad turn when Wedgeworth was sent off for a second bookable offence as he fouled Alex Brown.

Merstham: Anderson, Gunner, Wedgeworth, Hessenthaler, Hemmings, Henriques, Mcleod (Nwokeji), I'Anson (Moriarty), Newman, Saraiva, Holland (Nyafli). Unused subs: Williams, Ogun.

A FAMILIAR Dorking High Street landmark is working again after seven years of inaction.

The clock on the old May's Garage building in South Street is ticking once more, after new owners Majestic took over the property in December.

It began working at 1pm last Friday, after being stuck showing the time at ten past 8 since at least 2005.

"We've had a great reaction," said store manager Lauren Carse.

"When we first opened we just didn't have enough time to get it working, but a lot of residents came in and told me they'd love to see it going again."

Ms Carse said the timepiece had been fitted with a new mechanism which will automatically update the time when the clocks go forward or back.

Residents Chris and Veronica Watts of Priory Close were thrilled to see the clock hands on the move again.

"We couldn't believe it when we saw it," said Mr Watts.

"We kept checking back to see it if it was still showing the correct time.

"It's a landmark in Dorking brought back to life."

MIDWIVES and doctors at Epsom Hospital are celebrating after the Department of Health awarded the maternity ward £318,000.

The grant will fund a new home-from-home, midwife-led birth centre complete with three large birthing pools and comfortable sofas – all housed in three separate, custom-made rooms.

Sally Sivas, head of midwifery, said: "We are absolutely overjoyed to have been given this generous funding. It is wonderful news for local parents-to-be and it will help us to further improve the care we provide.

"Our maternity teams work hard to provide the best possible care to parents-to-be and we've invested heavily in recent years to improve our maternity services, from the quality of the environment to the number of midwives."

During 2011/12, Epsom Hospital delivered 1,995 babies.

AN INDIAN restaurant has beaten thousands of rivals to be acclaimed in the top 100 establishments in the UK.

India Dining on Warlingham Green has won a coveted place in the Cobra Good Curry Guide 2013.

Restaurant owner Asad Khan, who established the business in 2003, said: "It's great to get such an accolade. Curry is absolutely sexy these days. The way we try to achieve that is using an East-meets-West concept – getting a product from India, sourcing it from there so it's authentic, and bringing it right here to Warlingham."

They have flown in spices from more than 7,000 miles away, using a south Indian export company in Cochin to fly many of the 60 spices found on its rack into Gatwick Airport.

Judges inspected the menu, service and appearance of the restaurant before trying dishes, including venison cakes and Gajar Ka Halwa, a traditional Punjabi dessert.

HUNDREDS of mourners gathered at St George's Church in Ashtead to remember an amateur rock climber who was killed in a climbing accident.

Friends and family gathered for the funeral service of Jack Wooding, who died on January 14 after falling 300ft while climbing in the Cairngorm Mountains in Scotland.

The Forest Way resident, a qualified solicitor, was not wearing a helmet or any ropes as it was "just a gentle slope", and failed in an attempt to stop his fall with an ice axe.

During Thursday's service, Jack's twin brother George paid tribute to the 29-year-old, calling him a "brave adventurer".

He said: "It will be impossible to forget Jack. I've never met somebody who reminded me of him at all.

"He refused to conform to standards that were not his own and we admired him for it.

"He lived on the edge and was a bit of a renegade. I remember our parents being called to Therfield School once because loads of magnesium and potassium had gone missing.

"Of course he denied everything, and then that weekend: bang!"

He added: "He was so special. He started reading at age two and would sit on the toilet for ages reading world history books.

"Now he has gone I will try extra hard to place great emphasis on the things he valued and make him as proud as I can.

"I think it will be impossible to forget someone so magnificent. We love and miss you, Jack."

Following the accident on January 13, Mr Wooding's father Eric, mother Margaret, sister Mona and George rushed to his bedside.

Doctors told the family he had suffered "unsurvivable" brain injuries and he died 24 hours later.

A legal advisor for the Department for Transport, Mr Wooding attended The Greville Primary School and Therfield School before graduating from Oxford University with a double first in politics and modern history.

Jack's uncle, Richard Collins, said: "Somewhere, there might be someone who didn't like Jack. That person needs a lot of help. Everyone liked Jack. He was funny, smart, well-spoken and well-read. He was brilliant.

"I don't just mean he was intellectually brilliant, although he was; he was brilliant, because he could light up the room with his smile, his energy, his zest.

"When he fell, it was not only we who suffered a loss; all of Britain lost a future champion."

THE leader of Surrey County Council has denied his administration is raising taxes by stealth after it proposed putting up council tax by just under two per cent.

A rise of 2 per cent would trigger a referendum. And Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has lambasted any council which sets its rise fractionally below at 1.99 per cent – as Surrey intends to – as "democracy dodgers".

For the third year in a row, the Conservative Government is offering a grant to all councils which freeze council tax.

However, Tory Surrey – which was just one of two county councils nationally to turn down the grant and put up tax last year – says it cannot afford to accept the offer, which would be equivalent to a 1 per cent rise in council tax. Instead it plans to put its share of the charge up to £1,172.52 per year for a Band D home from April, an increase of £23.33.

"We do not think we are democracy dodgers," said council leader David Hodge.

"We think we are honest and straight and we put the facts to the local residents.

"We would not just do it without having reasons. The Government have to make a decision about VAT in the budget but that doesn't trigger a referendum. We are elected to run Surrey in the best interests of the local people."

He asked residents to make their feelings known at the ballot box in three months' time when all council seats are contested for the first time in four years.

"We have an election in May, and the public can make their choice then," he said.

"We are being honest and upfront with the electorate. It would be easy to hide, take the freeze and try to sort something out after (the election) but that is not the right thing to do."

The Lib Dems have accused the Tories of "hoarding £207 million" made up of tens of millions of reserves and balances and a £6 million under-spend, and said the council should use that cash to pay for services instead of asking residents to fork out more.

But Mr Hodge denied the council was squirrelling away cash unnecessarily.

"You can only use your reserves once," he said.

"They should be there for emergency issues."

He said the council wanted to invest extra cash in schools, roads, adult social care, and creating apprenticeships, and accepting the Government grant offer would leave a £10 million hole in the council's budget.

The proposals will go before the cabinet on Tuesday and full council on February 12.

The county council takes 75 per cent of the money collected from council tax.

The rest goes to borough and district, and parish or town councils in some areas, and Surrey Police. All bodies are set to agree their precepts within the next few weeks.

A DORKING woman is planning a fundraising event in honour of her terminally ill husband, after he was diagnosed with cancer in 2010.

Lynda Wodehouse plans to stage a rock 'n' roll charity night to raise awareness of mesothelioma – a rare cancer associated with prolonged exposure to asbestos – as her husband Martin suffers from the disease.

Riverside resident Mr Wodehouse, 64, was diagnosed with the condition – caused after he was exposed to asbestos in 1967 – in May 2010.

The couple are fundraising for Mesothelioma UK, which provides information, care and support to sufferers, and the Hampshire Asbestos Support and Awareness Group (Hasag).

"We're really hoping to raise awareness of the dangers of asbestos and of mesothelioma, as well as collect as much money as possible," said Linda, 63.

"Obviously that is very important to both of us."

Grandfather-of-four Mr Wodehouse will also be taking part in a sponsored walk organised by Hasag on Hayling Island a couple of days before the event.

He has been in contact with the group since his diagnosis.

"They have been amazing," he said.

Between two boughts of chemotherapy in September 2011, he completed a 67-mile walk around the Isle of Wight coast in aid of the charity, which took four-and-a-half days.

"That was a struggle and the weather was terrible, but I was really proud to complete it," he said.

His efforts have already raised more than £2,000 for the charity.

Mr Wodehouse worked as a police officer in Surrey until his retirement, beginning in Leatherhead in 1971.

The couple have lived in Dorking since 1971 and have been married for 43 years, producing two sons and four granddaughters, the eldest of whom lives with them.

Mrs Wodehouse has also organised a coffee morning and table sale to take place at the community centre in Pixham Lane on February 23 from 10am to 1pm, and will be fundraising outside Sainsbury's in Dorking this Saturday.

The event, which will take place at Dorking Halls on March 22, will feature West End performer Billy Geraghty singing show songs and BBC Surrey presenter Mark Carter as MC.

Tickets for the show, a two-course meal and a raffle with prizes donated by local businesses, cost £40 from the Dorking Halls box office. Call 01306 881717 or visit www.dorkinghalls.co.uk

For further information or to sponsor the event, e-mail l.wodehouse@talk21.com

THE annual post mortem of secondary school performance is under way after the GCSE league tables were released.

Many schools in East Surrey recorded year-on-year improvements when students collected their results in August, and the tables, released this week, now allow teachers, staff, students and parents to compare performance against all secondaries in England.

The tables, which you can view here, show academic performance as well as other figures, such as school spending and pupil absence.

Mole Valley's top performer was independent school St John's in Leatherhead, which saw 100 per cent of students achieve the benchmark of five GCSEs at grades A* to C – including English and maths – for the second year running.

This makes St John's joint top of the league table for Surrey, equal with four other schools.

Headmaster Martin Collier told the Advertiser: "I am delighted and they are a reflection of the hard work which the pupils put in and the quality of the teaching they received.

"They are also a reflection of the partnership between the teachers and the pupils.

"I am a believer that great results come out of great teaching, and if the pupils are inspired by their teachers, the results will follow."

In Dorking, a big improvement in grades at The Priory C of E School boosted the voluntary-aided secondary from 71st in Surrey in 2011 to 55th in 2012, out of a total of 87 mainstream schools for which results are listed.

Head teacher Andre Sohatski said he was "absolutely delighted" with the result.

"We aim for year-on-year improvement all the time," he said.

"We have done it by designing the curriculum to meet the personal needs of children and a very close focus on children's individual learning."

Independent secondaries Box Hill School in Dorking and Manor House in Bookham also achieved improvements in results, with Manor House rising ten places from 33rd in 2011 to 23rd in 2012.

Meanwhile, a dip in results at The Ashcombe School in Dorking led to a 15-place drop, with the school falling back from 46th in the to 61st.

All schools in Dorking and Leatherhead recorded results well above the Government minimum standard – at which schools can face closure – of 40 per cent of students achieving five grades at C or above, including English and maths.

POLICE want to trace a motorcyclist who left the scene of a road crash in Horley.

Shortly after 9pm yesterday a white and blue Suzuki motorcycle collided with a blue Volkswagen Golf on the A23 Brighton Road.

Following the collision the man riding the Suzuki moved the motorcycle off the road before getting on the back of a blue motorcycle being ridden by another man and leaving the area.

The Suzuki rider is believed to have sustained head injuries during the collision and officers are keen to trace the man to establish his welfare.

The biker is described as white, of slim build, 6ft tall, with short mousy brown hair. He was wearing a black motorcycle helmet, a dark coloured hooded top, dark coloured jeans and black and white gloves.

The driver of the Volkswagen Golf was not injured during the collision.

Police closed the A23 Brighton Road at the junction with Albert Road for several hours following the crash to examin the scene.

Anyone who witnessed the collision or who has information on the current location and condition of the motorcyclist should call police on 101, quoting reference P13030899, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.