This is Thames-side Surrey, close enough to Heathrow that the flight paths are part of the weather. Staines-upon-Thames, which added the river to its name in 2012, sits at the middle of it, with Ashford, Sunbury-on-Thames and Shepperton downstream, and Egham, Chertsey, Addlestone and Virginia Water the other way, past Runnymede meadow where the Magna Carta memorials stand.

Staines Online covers both sides. They are in two different boroughs, which is why bin days and car park charges differ between towns a few minutes apart, and we name the right authority every time. Everything we publish comes from the councils’ own registers and papers, with a link to the document.

Where to dive in

• Local Info: bin collection days, parking and council tax bands, with the responsible council named for each town.
• News: the record, including planning applications across both boroughs.
• What’s On: what is happening in Staines, Egham and Chertsey.

Every fact carries a link to the document behind it.