Small business owners have accused a council contractor of unfairly targeting them after being hit with £400 fines for alleged fly-tipping. A café, bar and a shoe shop are among the Barnet-based firms that have recently been stung with fly-tipping fines by private company NSL after items allegedly belonging to them were found outside their premises. Café Buzz, in High Road, North Finchley, was hit with a £400 fly-tipping fine. Owner Helen Michael, said that just because a piece of litter from a shop had been found outside the premises, it did not mean the shop owner was responsible.

Barnet Council says it aims to bring back brown bin collections in an apparent U-turn on its previous decision to scrap them. The council has confirmed it plans to reintroduce separate food waste collections, which are due to be suspended from November 4, following a review of the service.

Campaigners have mounted a last-ditch bid to stop a high-rise development from going ahead near an area of family homes. The first stage of a public inquiry into plans to build more than 1,000 homes at North London Business Park (NLBP) – which were previously turned down by Barnet Council and the Mayor of London – was held last week at Hendon Town Hall.

People in nearby properties fear building tower blocks up to nine storeys high on the site would spoil the character of the area – mainly a neighbourhood of two storey semi-detached houses.

A mystery death left police asking the public for help, a man was found dead from a head injury behind the takeaway in Finchley Road, Barnet, in September, Police released images of the man hoping to identify him back in October.

He is seen walking back and appears to be staggering before sitting down against a wall where he was discovered the next morning.