• From July 25, 2006

THREE men saved a teenager from drowning in the Thames after the 16-year-old tried to race his friends across the water at 1am.

The first rescuer, Kingston University student Adedapo Anthony Macaulay, also nearly drowned trying to rescue the boy who had got into trouble in the river near Kingston Bridge.

It was only with the help of houseboat residents Alistair Trotman and Adrian Cox that everyone made it back safely during the dramatic rescue.

At about 1am a large group of teenagers gathered near the bridge after the last day of term.

Three of the boys decided to race each other across the river, but one of them got into trouble as he swam across.

Mr Macaulay, 26, who lived in Surbiton while he studied for an MSc, said: “I was walking out to meet my friends and could hear someone calling. I saw there was someone in the middle of the river shouting for help.”

He added that when the other teenagers realised their friend was in trouble, no-one seemed willing to jump in.

Mr Macaulay said: “He was going to drown. Nobody got in, so I just figured no-one else knew how to swim.

“Anyone who could swim would have done the same.”

He dived in, swam to the boy and started to pull him towards shore. But his jeans became waterlogged and started to weigh him down.

He said: “I was getting tired myself and he was more scared than when I first got to him.

“He started to panic and pull me down with him.

“If the other two guys hadn’t shown up I don’t know what would have happened.”

Mr Trotman, 40, a special constable for Surrey Police, and Mr Cox, 49, arrived after they heard the shouting from their homes on nearby houseboats.

Mr Cox said: “I had to swim out to about the second archway.

“When I got there the kid was under the water. The guy was holding him up but he was going under.

“He said he couldn’t hold him anymore.”

The two men pulled Mr Macaulay and the teenager safely back to the riverbank.

Mr Cox added that he would have thrown in a life ring but it was missing.

He said: “It is ridiculous. If there isn’t one there it’s giving no respect to the waterway.

“If you go to a swimming pool there are lifeguards and rings everywhere for 3ft of water.”

  • From July 20, 2006

Monkey thieves were being hunted by police after one of the endangered animals was stolen from Chessington World of Adventures.

Sponge Bob, a Bolivian squirrel monkey, was found being played with by children in Clapham three days after his kidnapping.

Vets said the two-year-old had lost weight and was “nervous and stressed” after his three nights away from the zoo.

  • From July 5, 1991

MORE than 100 model Spitfires and Hurricanes filled the skies of Hook.

A miniature German village was even blown up in an acrobatic display in front of about 1,000 spectators.

The radio controlled aircraft were all scale models of the classic, iconic Second World War fighter planes and circled the area for about four hours in the aerial extravaganza.

  • From July 13, 1966

BEAUTY-conscious thieves raided a Tolworth hair salon, taking off with more than £200 worth of supplies.

The thieves made off with shaving and toiletry items plus six pairs of electric clippers during the 2am raid on the shop in Raeburn Avenue.

People living above the shop said they were awoken by noise downstairs but did not go and investigate.