Does anyone else hear a near-constant fire alarm in Spitalfields? It has been going on for at least 3 months. It intermittently stops at some points during the day but is on most of the time. It is 3 alarm sounds, followed by the message "Attention immediately. Attention immediately. Please leave the building immediately. Please leave the building immediately via the nearest exit. Do not use the lift." I would love to find the address of this building so that I can report it to the council, but I've only been able to hear it from my upper floor flat as the sound gets drowned out at street level. Any help or advice on what to do would be much appreciated!

Our weekly programme:

🏸 Tuesday | 8–10pm
Forest Gate Community School
Developing to competitive intermediate

🏸 Saturday | 9–11am
Newham Leisure Centre
Intermediate to advanced

🏸 Sunday | 9–11am
Royal Docks Academy
Ability-tiered courts, from developing to advanced

Hi all! I’m a journalism student working on a short story about Sea Lanes Canary Wharf and how its first summer went.

I’ve spoken to the operator, who said the pool reached around 1,000 swimmers a day during peak periods, which they’d expected eventually, but not from the first summer. They also said the high demand meant bringing in extra staff during the hottest weather.

I’d really like to hear the other side from people who actually used it.

If you went to Sea Lanes this summer, what did you think? Was it too crowded, well run, good value, easy to book, etc.? Did you use it regularly or mainly during the heatwaves? And if you live or work around Canary Wharf, has it actually been a useful addition to the area?

Also interested in hearing from anyone who wanted to use it but was put off by the price, crowds or availability.

Feel free to comment or DM me. Thanks!

Curious how long the process took and anything to be aware of… do they actually pay market rate etc.

As the title says, I've accidentally purchased two car free visitor vouchers, permissible to use in any resident parking.

Council will not issue a refund so will offer them for cost. Not looking to make a profit.

DM if interested, first come first served.

Hi everyone! 😊
My wife Roksolana is a professional cleaner based in Poplar, East London.
She offers regular cleaning and deep cleaning in Canary Wharf, Poplar and surrounding areas.
I wanted to ask the local community — what do you usually look for when choosing a reliable cleaner? And is there much demand for cleaning services in this area?
We would really appreciate your advice! 😊
For bookings or more information, feel free to contact Roksolana directly on WhatsApp: [+44 7395 123614](tel:+44%207395%20123614) 😊

I'm 40 male - looking for a friend to hang out with post work or weekends. I've never been great in maintaining friendships as I'm an introvert but lately I've felt that it would be nice to have someone to chat over a coffee or a beer. I play tennis and padel if that helps.

Hi everyone,

I’m thinking about moving to East London with my partner and would like some honest opinions on whether we’re being realistic or completely delusional.

We’re both 21 and currently live in Wales. Our combined take-home income would be around £60,000 a year after tax.

We’re looking at Tower Hamlets, particularly:

Shadwell
Stepney
Limehouse

We’d be looking for a 1-bedroom flat. We both work from home and work for marketing companies, so we don’t need to commute every day.

We already spend a lot of time in East London and come to London around 10 times a year because, honestly, we find there’s very little to do where we currently live. We really like East London and are considering moving rather than continuing to travel down so often.

We have around £40,000 in combined savings and would like to think we’re fairly good with money. We’d be happy spending around 55% of our combined take-home income on rent if it meant living somewhere we actually enjoy.

I’ve never rented before, so I’m not really sure how realistic this is from a landlord/letting-agent point of view, especially as we’re both only 21.

Does this sound realistic, or are we making a bad financial decision?

Would also be interested in hearing from anyone who lives in Shadwell, Stepney or Limehouse about what it’s actually like day-to-day.

Soon to be replaced with an even bigger tower block consisting of mostly 2/3/4 bedroom flats.
Fantastic that it will be 100% social housing, but I thought back in the 80's, everyone decided that families shouldn't be living in high-rises?!
Hopefully the original tenants who were evacuated at very short notice, will get first options on the residences.

Hi all,

I'm a Tower Hamlets local who's just started a journalism degree at City St. George's. As part of an assignment, I get to cover local business issues, and I wanted to reach out and see if anyone has a lead on something worth writing about. Anything helps!

Almost a year ago, LCSB started with one Sunday court as ‘Lazy Sunday Badminton‘ a handful of people looking for semi-serious doubles badminton.

Since then, we’ve grown into a regular East London programme, welcomed almost 200 different players from all across London, and now run 7–8 courts across three weekly sessions.

We’re open to people of all abilities, but particularly looking for more Mid Intermediate → Upper Intermediate → Advanced players who want regular games and progression rather than just a one-off hit.

1. 📊 Ability-tiered matches, with something for players at every level
2. 🏆 Match outcomes tracked with a post-session podium, so people can track progress.

Right now I’m keen to spotlight our:

Weekend sessions!

⏰ 9–11am

📆 Saturday
📍 Newham Leisure Centre, E13 8SD

and:

📆 Sunday
📍 Royal Docks Academy, E16 3HS

Based in Tower Hamlets? Our venues are particularly accessible from Canary Wharf, Poplar, Bow and Mile End.

Roughly 10–25 minutes by car, with DLR/Jubilee/Elizabeth line and bus options across all three sessions.

If interested, drop a message below and I’ll forward you the details and the modest costs involved.

Hope to see you soon. ☺️

I’m after a cleaner to do a couple of hours cleaning every week for my flat in E1. Does anyone have any recommendations?

After a series of rather bad experiences with the apps, I think word of mouth/reddit recommendations might be the best way forward.

I ask as part of a linguistic study covering this topic!

Examples could include things like The Manor, Vicky P(ark), Shaddy Park or Crippo (never mind how common they are)...

Does anyone know what happened to Ray’s curry pizza? It’s been temporarily closed for months now. Missing it!

looking for some advice - anyone know where to find good places/people to exchangce council houses with? has anyone here done a house swap before? threads, groupchats, email chains, groups/meetings, etc. looking to swap preferably within the borough, but if the right type of property is found in another borough nearby, would also be happy to take a look. thanks so much!

I have my own bay in the council estate I live in yet every so often I will find other cars parked in there. I've called the out of hours parking line, the one operating from 9-5:30 just rings constantly. I don't know what more I can do!

If I don't have my bay, and cant find a nearby residential parking space, I also risk getting a ticket.

All I want to do after a long day at work is to be able to park up in the space I paid for, and go home. What can I do about this?

I've reported it, taken a picture of the car as proof and left a note on the windshield. Really fed up!!

Hello, I'm 22 F looking for any sort of free activity clubs to come to once or twice a week. Im bot sure if there are any in the area of if anyone has a suggestion as to where to look?

Anything that's gardening, arts and crafts, reading clubs or gaming (dnd, pokemon (even though I am a newbie))!

Hi all

I have quite a specific request. I'm a journalist for a small newspaper in Tower Hamlets, and I'm looking to speak to somebody who has worked, or currently works, in waste disposal in the area. Or even better, someone with knowledge of the recycling system. Would anyone be able to help?