Review of the Year 2022 - November

One shocking story involved a Tesco delivery driver who allegedly tried to kiss a customer on the lips on her own doorstep.

It happened on November 16 and left a 33-year-old mother-of-one feeling “vulnerable and scared”.

Doorbell footage (Image: UGC)

The driver had already dropped off an order at her home on the Meriden estate when, within a minute, he returned and knocked on the door.

Doorbell footage captured him suddenly leaning in and allegedly grabbing both sides of her face while trying to kiss her on the lips.

The incident was reported to police and the supermarket, but a month later, Hertfordshire Constabulary confirmed no arrests had been made.

Tesco has reportedly apologised to the woman and told her the man no longer works for them.

The Horns (Image: Watford Observer Camera Club/Vlad Dan)

Within the first half of the month one of Watford’s top venues had closed for good, and then reopened.

The Horns announced it was shutting "for the last time" at the end of October but general manager Jane Giles indicated she would fight to keep the pub running.

Following talks with its landlord, The Horns confirmed it would be welcoming customers again from November 18.

But the long-term future remains up in the air with a £50,000 debt needing to be cleared and terms of a new lease to be agreed.

After confirming the reopening, the manager set up a fundraising page and a host of events with the aim of setting the live music venue on the path to a “sustainable” future.

A story which may take some time to become completely clear still fixed people’s attention on Atria Watford.

Atria John Lewis unit (Image: Stephen Danzig)

A planning application was submitted by Atria to Watford Borough Council regarding the former John Lewis unit.

Thousands were left dismayed when John lewis closed in Watford in the summer of 2020 and there have been several false dawns ever since.

The application submitted last month seeks to change the proposed use, which is currently just retail, to "retail, leisure, the sale of food and beverage for consumption (mostly) on the premises, and/or services offices".

In layman's terms, it appears Atria wants to know what it can do with the site without needing planning permission.

It may take some time until we find out what/if any specific use was in mind when the application was submitted, but it does indicate there may be progress on moving a business or multiple business into the unit.

The month also saw bus chaos appear to escalate in Watford.

Cancellations have been crippling Watford and nearby areas for months, with problems seemingly worsening in November, with regular reports of rush-hour misery.

Parents of children in the town’s schools appear to have been particularly affected as children faced long walks in the dark without reliable services.

Harriet Mitchell, whose daughter gets the 10 and 20 to school, told Arriva on social media: “You’re destroying lives with your terrible route planning.

“I’ve spent hundreds on Ubers and TaxiClick to get her to school since September. No heating for us over Christmas.”

Arriva has said it hopes to see improvements in Watford buses in January (Image: Holly Cant)

Another local mum, Anna Luna, said the 10 and 20 buses alone had “at least 15 cancellations a week” since the start of September. Her daughter’s “study spirit is just gone” because of lateness detentions, she added.

Operator Arriva, which has long blamed industry-wide staff shortages, insists its “highly targeted” recruitment drive is “welcoming new drivers into Watford regularly”.

“To further boost our ‘on the road’ capacity, we’ve utilised agency drivers in recent weeks, helping to bridge the gap whilst some of our newly recruited Arriva drivers undergo their training,” a spokesperson added.

But hopes of rapid improvement were dashed after Arriva told the Watford Observer additional changes will not happen until early next year.