Watford & district · Local news you can trust
Watford's free Trick or Treat Show and haunted house are Sat 31 Oct, 5pm, at Pondside. Market Lates is Fri 30 Oct, plus the ghost trail and pumpkin farms.
Read the full story
Watford council
Watford Parking: 3 More Officers, 27% More Tickets
Three extra civil enforcement officers produced 27% more penalty charge notices than 2024, Watford Borough Council's own scrutiny annual report says.
Chorleywood
Ricky Road Run 2026: Chorleywood, Sun 18 Oct, 9.30am
The 42nd Ricky Road Run, a 10-mile race for four charities, starts at 9.30am on Sunday 18 October at Chorleywood Working Club. Entry is £28 to £32.
Watford
Watford House Prices Down £2,821 in a Year to £404,299
Watford is the only one of Hertfordshire's ten districts where prices fell over the year, down 0.7% to £404,299 in July. Flats fell hardest, by 2.6%.
Watford
Watford Parking: Six Apps Now Work, Not Just RingGo
You can now pay for council parking in Watford with six apps, including JustPark and PayByPhone. The council's own pages still name RingGo alone.
Jobs
Watford Claimant Count: 3,235, and the Rise Is All Women
Women claimants in Watford rose by 70 in a year while men fell by 30, the reverse of Britain. The borough is still Hertfordshire's highest at 4.6%.
Transport
Lioness Line Suspended at Watford Until About 1.45pm
A sewage leak at Watford High Street has stopped Lioness line trains between Watford Junction and Willesden Junction. TfL expects them back about 1.45pm.
Watford Borough Council
Watford Audentior Awards: Nominations Close 25 September
Nominations for Watford's Audentior Awards close on Friday 25 September, across nine categories. The council's own awards pages do not carry that date anywhere.
Council
Watford Council Abolition Paused, May 2027 Election Back On
The government has paused Hertfordshire's four-council plan, so May 2027 is an ordinary borough election again. The council's own page still says otherwise.
Local Info
Watford Roadworks This Week: Stephenson Way Shut From 6 Oct
Stephenson Way closes for 10 days from Tuesday 6 October, then St Albans Road and the A405 North Orbital Road shut from 12 October. Dates and diversions.
Transport
Watford Lower High Street Cycle Plans: Comments Close 29 Sep
Hertfordshire wants to widen the Green Loop path on Lower High Street by taking road space. Drop-in on Thursday, comments close 29 September.
Watford
Watford Fireworks: Cassiobury Park, Sat 7 Nov, 7.30pm
Watford's free display is Saturday 7 November in Cassiobury Park, music 6pm, fireworks 7.30pm. The parking bans, the road ban times and a wrong date to ignore.
Watford
Watford Christmas Lights Switch-On: Sat 21 Nov, 5pm
Watford's Christmas lights come on about 5pm on Saturday 21 November at Pondside, 4pm to 6pm. What is confirmed, and how it differs from last year's Winterfest.
Watford is the busiest town in this part of Hertfordshire, with the ring road around the middle of it, the Metropolitan and Overground lines coming in, and Cassiobury Park on its western edge. Rickmansworth, Chorleywood, Abbots Langley and South Oxhey are next door in Three Rivers, and Bushey, Radlett and Borehamwood are next door again in Hertsmere.
Watford Today covers all three areas, and there is a reason for grouping them: the Government confirmed on 16 July 2026 that Watford, Three Rivers and Hertsmere would merge into a single South West Hertfordshire authority, a plan it paused on 7 September 2026. They remain separate councils with separate bin rounds and separate planning registers, and we name the right one every time, working from the published record with a link to each document.
Every fact carries a link to its official source.