Thug tortures and robs pensioner

Detectives in south London are hunting three masked men who tortured a pensioner in his bed before robbing him of his savings. The gang broke into the home of Arnold Fishburn,73, in North End Road, Erith, south-east London, while he slept on Monday. They beat him, slashed his body, then stabbed him repeatedly in the legs. As the pensioner blacked-out the men ransacked his home and made off with a small amount of cash. Detective Sergeant Ali Mackenzie, leading the hunt for the gang, said: ' This was one of the most brutal attacks on a frail senior citizen I have ever seen.

Cut-price Old Vic

The Old Vic is to offer cut-price seats for a play about a decadent wealthy American family. The initiative, by the newly formed West End Producers' Alliance, a group of small independent theatre producers, is part of a campaign to bring quality plays to London at affordable prices: pounds 7.50 tickets for '900 Oneonta' will be available for all performances between 7-23 July.

New boss for DLR

Sir Anthony Gill has been appointed chairman of the Docklands Light Railway. He joined the company as a director in February and is a former chief executive of Lucas Industries.

Proud of Portage

Parents, teachers and children in Ealing are celebrating the fifth anniversary of Portage - a scheme which helps children under five with learning difficulties. It teaches self-help, social and language skills.

Mobile health

Free condoms and advice on sexually-transmitted diseases, plus checkups by chiropodists, opticians and dentists will be available when a Health and Housing Roadshow begins in south London. Its first stop will be St. Giles Park in Camberwell on 1 July.

Put house in order

The Central London Housing and Planning Forum yesterday called on the Housing Corporation, which funds homes built by housing associations, to give special attention to the capital's housing needs. It also criticised the Government for ignoring homeless people living in a borough when allocating resources.