Thornton Heath lies in the north part of the London Borough of Croydon, has the A23 Brighton Road running through it and shares boundaries with Norbury, Mitcham and Selhurst.
It is an area of dense housing and very little green space. Petty crime, including mugging and burglary is common, and we have our share of shootings.
Various factors have kept housing prices relatively low for London, and coupled with the fact that Croydon is home to the Home Office Immigration and Nationality Directorate, through which all immigrants and asylum seekers must come, the ethnic minority population is both high and has a relatively high turnover.
