As 2017 drew to a close, Rak-Su were crowned X Factor winners, becoming the first ever boy band to win the competition. The hip-hop group from Watford beat Welsh singer Grace Davies to become the 14th winners of the ITV show and the second band to win, after Little Mix.

A paedophile who posed as a young girl online to persuade boys to perform sex acts on webcams was sentenced in December. Harry Johnson, of Hunter’s Lane, Watford, will spend six years in a young offender’s institution after pleading guilty to 22 charges.

The future of a shopping centre undergoing a multimillion pound development became uncertain after its owner was taken over by a rival company in a £3.4 billion deal. New owner Hammerson agreed an all share takeover of intu in a bid to create “Britain’s biggest property company”.

The Mayor of London’s team had a “productive” meeting with the council over the future of the Metropolitan Line Extension. During a short tour of the borough, Sadiq Khan’s team learned about the schemes running in the town – including the Met Line Extension. TfL’s estimates were that at least an additional £50 million on top of the current total funding package of £284.4 million would now be required to pay for the project