Everything from suspicious toilet roll to frozen rat heads have hit the headlines in our area this year.

During the course of the year, St Albans and Harpenden have offered up a variety of stories which captured our readers’ imaginations, many of them relating to crime and crashes but there were also a few quirky surprises in the list.

Here are some of the best read stories from the St Albans and Harpenden Review over the last 12 months.

January

Four men were arrested following a burglary at a house in Harpenden. Police arrived at the address in Common Way to see a blue Audi leaving the scene. They pursued the vehicle before it crashed into a hedgerow and they were able to make the arrests.

http://www.stalbansreview.co.uk/news/14240862.Four_arrested_on_suspicion_of_burglary_in_Harpenden/#

St Albans & Harpenden Review:

February

Worrying news emerged of a woman who was sexually assaulted in St Albans. The victim, who was in her 30s, was approached in a wooded area near Hill End Lane before the assault took place. A 35-year-old man of no fixed address was later charged with attempted rape and sexual assault, and remanded in custody.

http://www.stalbansreview.co.uk/news/14250854.Woman_sexually_assaulted_in_St_Albans/

St Albans & Harpenden Review:

March

People were concerned to hear about the disappearance of a schoolgirl from Harpenden. Samina Chowdhury, 16, was seen at Sir John Lawes School wearing her uniform.

http://www.stalbansreview.co.uk/news/14383056.Schoolgirl_missing_from_Harpenden/

St Albans & Harpenden Review: April

A takeaway manager was forced to undertake 200 hours of unpaid work after being found guilty of a number of food hygiene offences. Nisar Hussein, who had been running Murgano’s on Victoria Street, ignored 12 food hygiene improvement notices, leading to a criminal prosecution.

http://www.stalbansreview.co.uk/news/14404869.Takeaway_manager_sentenced_for_12_food_hygiene_offences/

St Albans & Harpenden Review:

May

A quad bike driver was killed after a crash with a car in Harpenden Road, St Albans. Emergency services spent four hours on the scene but were unable to save the 40-year-old rider. The driver of the car was not injured.

http://www.stalbansreview.co.uk/news/14465790.Motorist_dies_in_quad_bike_crash_in_St_Albans/

St Albans & Harpenden Review:

June

A major supermarket chain won a controversial appeal to build a new store in Chiswell Green. Plans for the Sainsbury’s store on Watford Road were twice rejected by St Albans’ planning committee but the decision was overruled by a Government planning inspector after the supermarket giant lodged an appeal.

http://www.stalbansreview.co.uk/news/14540742.Supermarket_giant_wins_appeal_to_build_store_in_St_Albans/

St Albans & Harpenden Review:

July

A woman was attacked by a man as she was out jogging. The 23-year-old was running in the direction of Sandringham Crescent one evening when a man grabbed her from behind. Fortunately was able to escape and managed to give a description of her attacker to police.

http://www.stalbansreview.co.uk/news/14613696.Woman_attacked_as_she_jogged_in_St_Albans/

St Albans & Harpenden Review: August

Readers this month were drawn by a story from further afield, tuning in to find out which supermarket in High Wycombe received a poor food hygiene rating. Food inspectors investigated the Asda store after a customer discovered a rat’s head in a bag of frozen food.

http://www.stalbansreview.co.uk/news/14699350.REVEALED__Which_major_supermarket_has_worst_food_hygiene_rating_in_town_/#

St Albans & Harpenden Review:

September

More than 10,000 of you read our list of the worst food hygiene-rated eateries in St Albans. Luckily only one was hit with a zero rating, failing to meet even the most basic requirements. However 15 more received a score of one – the second lowest rating.

http://www.stalbansreview.co.uk/news/14766758.Revealed__Worst_eateries_in_St_Albans/

St Albans & Harpenden Review:

October

There was to be no happy ending for a hardcore pornography company after it was evicted from its London Colney home following a series of noise complaints. iBabe.tv had been streaming live from the Hertfordshire Business Park since April but other workers at the park branded the business “absolutely disgraceful”, saying the constant moaning with disrupting their work.

http://www.stalbansreview.co.uk/news/14775053.No_happy_ending__Hardcore_porn_company_evicted_in_St_Albans_after_noise_complaints/#

St Albans & Harpenden Review:

November

A woman became trapped in her car after crashing into a building. The daughter of the injured driver thanked emergency services who help free her from the wreckage.

http://www.stalbansreview.co.uk/news/14880925.Woman_trapped_in_her_car_after_crashing_into_building/

St Albans & Harpenden Review:

December

A marketing stunt backfired after people thought packets of loo roll left on their doorsteps could have been part of a “terrorist plot”. Police initially advised concerned callers not to use the packets of Velvet toilet roll that began appearing outside houses in Harpenden, before establishing the “legitimate promotion”.

http://www.stalbansreview.co.uk/news/14802760._Is_it_a_terrorist_plot_to_infect_us____Marketing_stunt_backfires_causing_panic_among_neighbours/

St Albans & Harpenden Review: