TVFox fraud.

The photos above show the redevelopment / refurbishment work being undertaken on the White Hart pub in Erith High Street. The upper photograph shows the extension to the rear of the existing pub building, creating a number of apartments to the upper and rear of the place once known as Potion. The lower photo shows what was the former pub garden, which has now been cleared and excavated prior to construction of a small block of low rise flats, similar to the ones close to the river front, seen to the left of the shot. I am not sure when work on this, phase two of the redevelopment will start. It is also still unclear as to what use the former bar area of the White Hart main building will be put to. There has been much speculation as to what the former bar will become; I am aware that the whole development has been carried out by The Wellington Pub Company, who have a very good reputation for turning around "problem" pubs. No doubt time will tell. If you have any information regarding the White Hart, please leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

During the last week a number of Maggot sandwich readers have contacted me; they all expressed the same concern. One even went to the trouble of sending me some covertly taken video footage. The reason for this was something that you may find quite surprising, and not to say concerning. I have written at some length of how Bexley Council have been actively promoting recycling over the past couple of years, and how by their own figures, they are one of the best performing London boroughs in respect of domestic recycling; indeed, they have just announced that Bexley has been named as the top recycling borough in London, with 52.7 percent of waste sent to recycling or composting. Notwithstanding the issue I have recently raised in respect of the removal of the plastic and drinks carton recycling hoppers from the borough’s recycling centres, Bexley has sought to present an image of a forward looking, progressive council with a strong emphasis on protecting the environment. Unfortunately their waste disposal contractor seems to have a policy that is somewhat at variance with this. I have been informed by a number of independent sources that the dustmen are not acting in a way that is appropriate with the materials which should be recycled. I have several eye witness accounts, some photos, and even some covertly taken video footage showing the contractors taking the carefully separated tins, glass, plastic, cardboard and even food waste, then dumping it into a single large black bin, which they then dumped into the back of the dustbin truck. These are not isolated incidents - there is evidence that this is a widespread and relatively common occurrence, not limited to the three locations that have so far been reported. To their credit, my contact in the Waste and Recycling Team at Bexley Council has started an investigation into the matter, and the initial results are as follows. The team report that:- "Eastry Road - The crew collecting here were using a hire vehicle. Unfortunately the split vehicles that are required to carry out the collection separately are extremely difficult to hire in as they are like gold dust, the hire vehicle in use in the reported instance was a normal single compartment vehicle. The crew therefore have no alternative other than to mix the materials, as these vehicles are not on the Bexley fleet they also do not have cameras. Picardy Road - There is a record of a vehicle driving through the road however the time does not match and it was not collecting. Eversley Avenue - This road is split between 2 crews we really need to tighten down on where the complainant lives so that we can check. If you can supply a location albeit approximate. Whilst we do our utmost to ensure that we have the correct vehicles to carry out the collections this is not always possible, the vehicles have a 6 weekly servicing schedule and they tend to break down in multiple numbers rather than one at a time. We can only have a finite number of spare vehicles which covers an average level of breakdowns and if the number of breakdowns exceeds the numbers of spares then we sometimes have to use normal dustcarts to collect materials that are not normally mixed. As we cannot mix food and paper that means that if we are short of split vehicles then it is the glass and plastics that suffers. We cannot advise residents when we are mixing as it is impossible at short notice and we do not wish to change the messages as it will cause more confusion. If we are able to talk to the residents directly we can carefully find out what they have seen and with enough information be able to take our contractor to task for failing to meet the contract specification should this be the case. We prefer to keep our materials separate and the quality of what the residents put out for collection is normally good. If the glass and plastics is mixed it is still recycled". This would appear to be just the beginning of this contentious and controversial issue. More on this story in the weeks to come. If you have had any problems with waste disposal / bin collections in the local area, please let me know.

Problems continue with the Dartford River Crossing; congestion, delays and other issues caused mainly by the crossing simply not being sufficient for the number of vehicles using it seem to be getting steadily worse. The 2014 change from using staffed booths to collect the toll fee to an automated Dart Charge system using ANPR (Automated Number Plate Recognition) software has not been the unmitigated success that the operators had hoped for. Putting aside the oft quoted fact that the crossing was supposed to be a free toll road between the counties back in 2003, now relies on its motorists to pay up online via the Dart Charge website. Despite illuminated signs on the Kent approach to the tunnel reminding people to pay their £2.50 each way journey before midnight the following day, the thought seems to escapes many drivers. For those who have been stung in the past for forgetting to pay, a letter comes through your door with a traffic camera image of your car making its journey through the tunnel, or over the QEII Bridge. The fine is £35 each way, or, it ramps up to £70 if you don't pay within an allotted time. People are free to appeal the penalty. According to vehicle news website, Car Buyer, a Freedom of Information request has revealed that the staggering sum accumulated in fines, which now accounts for a third of the crossing's annual income. This is made up from 7.7 million penalties that have been issued since the physical toll booths were dismantled to make way for this newer scheme in 2014. The old booths were in place for decades, and people had to make sure their money was ready to drop into a netted basket before a barrier was released allowing the car or lorry through. The level of income that is reported to arise purely from fines for non payment of the crossing fee is remarkable. The most recent figures available are for the period 2015 - 2016, when a total of £53.1 million was generated by fines alone - estimated to be roughly one third of the total revenue for the crossing. Under the original agreement when the bridge was built, tolling was supposed to stop once it had paid for itself, which was almost 15 years ago. In February 1999, the government announced the Dartford Crossing would be free of toll charges by the end of 2003. Motoring organisations - and drivers themselves - welcomed the news. In 2001, it was revealed that the government had backtracked out of the initial agreement, and there was outrage from all angles, which continues to this day - if you mention the Dartford Crossing to anyone local, the story as to how it was meant to be free once it was paid for will come up almost instantly. 

It has been quite a while since I last highlighted a scam, and to be honest had the advert shown above not appeared as a banner over the News Shopper home page, I too would have been unaware of this confidence trick. The advert is for a supposedly "revolutionary" antenna which will enable the purchaser to access many TV channels that are claimed to be only available to cable TV subscribers. The advert claims that:- "Overpriced cable bills, subscription fees for services like Netflix and sports on demand are frustrating. You spend your money for receivers, expensive Smart TVs, DVD Players, Apple TV or Firesticks. It adds up...and it's a big waste of money. The truth is that more and more people are searching for cheaper solutions to cut cable bills and get rid of all the hardware. Thankfully, there is a simple and perfect solution to legally watch HDTV for free! An US-based startup company has come up with a new innovative and inexpensive device that is totally changing the way people watch HDTV. Already millions of Americans use it. Developed by a NASA engineer using military technology, the TvFox Antenna uses a discrete mud flap modern design which makes it the most reliable and technologically advanced antenna to hit the market today. But there is a main difference - it allows you to watch almost every channel, movie or show for free. With no subscriptions and completely legal.  Just connect TvFox with any TV or monitor you have. All cables are included in the package. Press the power button and start watching. Seriously, it literally takes 10 seconds and you are able to watch all your favorite channels. You don't need anything else!. But how can you watch for free? The secret to that is a law that no cable company wants you to know about. It states that every cable company has to provide additionally to the normal signal an over-the-air signal. So in order to not break the law the cable companies distribute this signal but in a low frequency- so almost no antennas were able to pick it up reliably. Until now - with TvFox you are able to access all your channels in crystal clear 1080 HD in the city and country side". The reality is somewhat different; I will explain. The product is indeed of American origin, and perhaps an explanation of American TV viewing culture needs to be made. Unlike in Europe, and indeed much of the rest of the world, most U.S citizens get their TV supplied via cable. This has been the case in many areas since the late 1970's. The main reason for this is that TV signals, whether analogue or digital only travel a relatively short distance before they disappear off into space. In a huge country like the USA, it is simply not economically practical to have thousands of ground based local TV stations all broadcasting to an area of a few hundred square miles, Instead the major broadcasters transmit their programme content to commercial satellites, where the signal is then intercepted by the local TV stations, who then rebroadcast the shows via cable, for a monthly subscription fee for the end user. What many Americans are not aware of, is that under FCC rules, the local cable companies also have to broadcast their programming via "free to air" digital TV - basically a version of what we in the UK know as FreeView. This is not a popular option with viewers, who seem happy to pay for a cable package which closely replicates what can be received over the airwaves for free. All the TVFox antenna does is act as a FreeView antenna, and by all accounts not very well, and for more money than alternatives do. A wall or window mounted flat plane antenna will only work in very strong signal areas. The banner advert, which appears on the News Shopper website and elsewhere, falsely states that the TVFox antenna can pick up subscription TV services such as Netflix, which is completely incorrect and misleading. The advert is a poorly written Anglicised version of one that has been doing the rounds in the USA for some time, and if you try and click on the links within the advert, you will find that most of them don't actually work. Consumer forums such as the very reputable Money Saving Expert have comments on the antenna - one typical one states:- "The people behind so-called "TVFox" are paying Google a fortune to place deceptive advertising on sites like eBay UK. I was just checking back through my Purchase History and the ad was prominently displayed at the top of the page. The ad says UK buyers can now benefit from a limited-time discount offer. Complaints about this seemingly American outfit - it may well not be that at all - are widespread in the USA. This so-called "miraculous" device didn't even rate a mention in a recent Tom's Hardware HDTV antenna review. Complaints seem to indicate it is no better, or perhaps even worse, than a bent wire coat hanger. Complainants apparently include customers who were sent, and their credit cards billed for, several antennas and boosters, even though only one antenna was ever ordered. The business's European operation may consist of nothing more than a room rented in a warehouse in the Netherlands. "TVFox" - which has nothing to do with Humax other than the fact that the name could only have been chosen to confuse, is selling into the UK but is not VAT registered. It is offering a returns service but takes care not to provide an actual location. In view of the amount of money Google is pocketing from it, its existence as a business will last only as long as there's enough money coming in from enough victims to finance that advertising on eBay worldwide sites and elsewhere. An unregistered business that is making unsupportable claims via misleading online advertising, with a track record of taking money for goods not ordered but not returnable, and no address other than a rented PO Box is not legitimate. Anyone who has had dealings with TVFox and is concerned that they may have been scammed should file a report with Action Fraud". What do you think? Have you purchased a TVFox antenna, and regretted it? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Now for the weekly safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly, a report from Barnehurst ward:- "Barnehurst ward have suffered two burglaries in the past week. The first burglary took place on 09th January between the hours of 1230am and 1130pm. The property was left locked and secure. Victim returned later to find the front door unlocked and open. The rear kitchen door was also open and the window to this door had been smashed. It is believed suspects entered the property via the rear door and left through the front door. An untidy search was made and personal items taken. Unfortunately there was no CCTV at the venue. Also on the 09th January an overnight burglary took place in Northall Road. A Ted Baker bag had been taken from the hall way. It is believed suspects were hoping to find vehicle keys within the bag. Entry was gained by forcing the front door. There have been two reports of vehicle crime in Hall Place car park. Bourne Road. On the 11 January between 1030 and 1252 the driver’s door lock had been drilled however nothing was taken from the vehicle. On 12 January between 1630 and 1730 in Hall Place car park victim returned to find the front and rear plates had been removed from the vehicle. On a good note Barnehurst Officers are pushing forward to get one hundred percent coverage of Neighbourhood Watch Schemes for the ward. We are pleased to say we are very close to achieving this goal. We would like to thank residents who have become involved in our Neighbourhood Watch Schemes and we look forward to working together to ensure Barnehurst Ward remains a safe place to live on Bexley Borough. Also thanks to the residents who attended Coffee with cops today. Residents were updated with what Police have been doing on the ward and questions were answered with regards to a few issues raised by the residents. If you would like to join us please come along at 1100am on Tuesday 20th February 2018". Brampton ward:- "In general a quiet seven days on Brampton Ward with only two crimes of note to report, unfortunately these were both burglaries. The first occurred in Rydal Drive on the 12th January, and the second occurred in Long Lane on the 13th January. Asian gold appears to be the target of the latter. Brampton SNT continue to work with the Asian community offering crime prevention advice. No other crimes of note to report. You can now find Brampton SNT on Facebook for the social media lovers amongst you". Christchurch ward:- " Unfortunately we have had two burglaries on the ward and two attempted burglaries. One was along Midhurst Hill on the 16/01/2018, entry was made via the front of the house and the suspect was disturbed. The other was along Warren Road and was reported on the 11/01/2018, door was forced open and large amounts of clothing taken. On the 16th January there was a report of attempted burglary along Martin Rise. The suspect had caused damage to a door trying to gain access to the property. Another attempted burglary was also reported on the 06/01/2018 along the Grove, the suspect had tried to gain entry to the property along a side gate. We have had a report of a Theft of motor vehicle along Midhurst Hill where a motorbike had been stolen from the location. A male has been identified and questioned in relation to criminal damage to McDonalds and had caused £1500 worth of damage and has admitted to causing the damage during the Halloween period. In all cases we have conducted cocooning and super cocooning within the area. Can I ask if you get a report of a Burglary within your road and you have cctv please can check it may have picked up the suspects travelling to or from the venue. There was a disturbance along the Broadway with anti-social behaviour which the team is increasing patrols and dispersal orders have been implemented. Following this arrests have been made. Obviously all partners will be engaged in order to establish a Long term strategy. On the 15/01/2018 a purse was stolen whilst the victim was shopping in Monsoon. Also on the 13/01/2018 a wallet was stolen from the victims jacket in ASDA. Although this crime type is on the decrease please can we continue to be vigilant. The Christchurch team is very keen to increase our NHW coverage and make it as active as possible. We want to work in close partnership with you all to keep our community safe and tackle concerns and issues together, so please keep those email address coming". Colyers ward:- "Unfortunately it’s been another busy week for Colyers this week with 3 residential burglaries and one attempted. All were in close proximity to each other and were overnight on Thursday 11th into Friday 12th. One was in Barnehurst Avenue where entry was gained through forcing the front door, luckily nothing was taken as suspects were scared off by the family dog. The other was in Edendale Road where entry was forced to the front door and the family car stolen. The same night there was a third attempted burglary in Hurstwood Avenue; again attempted forced entry to the front door but entry was not gained. Suspect managed to force the porch door which only locked by the handle but believed were deterred when spotted the burglar alarm system. Lastly there was a garage burglary in Eversley Avenue sometime between Saturday 13th at noon and Sunday 14th and 2 bikes stolen. There was also a car was stolen from Eversley Avenue junction with Parkside Cross during the day Thursday 11th January. Officer stopped two youths in the caravan in the derelict garages in Hurstwood Avenue both youths and caravan searched and drugs found. One youth received a police caution. A male in one of the HMOs was arrested this week for three offences of Failing to appear, common assault and theft". Lesness Abbey ward:- "On Tuesday 09/1/18 at 6;20pm burglary occurred in Chessington Avenue. Entry gained by smashing a patio door. Resident at home at the time; On Tuesday 09/1/18 between the hours of 4:30pm and 7:40 pm a burglary occurred in Pinewood Road. Entry gained by smashing a dining room window; On Wednesday 10/1/18 between the hours of 8:45 pm and 9:10 pm a burglary occurred in Harrow Manor Way. Entry gained by smashing a window pane in the downstairs back door; On Monday 15/1/18 between the hours of 3 : 00 pm and 3:15 pm an attempted burglary occurred in Friars Walk. Resident at home at the time, who heard a loud bang coming from the kitchen area; On Monday 15/1/18 between the hours of 10:45 am and 10 :30 pm entry to a property in New Road was gained by the rear door glass pane being smashed; Burglary in Woodland Way on Tuesday 16/1/18 between the hours of 10 :38 am and 10 : 52 am, entry gained to this property was by smashing a rear door glass pane with a garden tool; On Tuesday 16/1/18 in Abbotts Walk between the hours of 4 :15 pm and 8 :00 pm, a burglary occurred, the property was entered by an open rear fan light window; On Tuesday 16/1/18 a burglary occurred in Bedonwell Road, entry gained by smashing a back door glass pane. Burglary noticed by a family member as householder away. Male arrested for burglary offences x 4 also theft of Motor Vehicle x 1, failing to stop and attempted Grievous Body Harm on a police officer. The male was arrested at his home address. Excellent work by response team officers". North End ward:- "There was a theft of a vehicle on the morning of Friday Jan 12th in Hilden Drive. The owner of the vehicle started the car to warm it up, went back indoors to get ready and came out a couple of minutes later to no car. This is an easy mistake that anyone can make but please never leave keys in the ignition for any time no matter how short. This is the only crime of note for the last week, which is a good drop in crime numbers for the ward. PC Mark and James (with the assistance of other officers from local teams) arrested a known offender at their home address last Friday and the suspect was surprised to see officers at the back door as they tried to escape. Off road bikes have started making a few appearances of late, patrols have been ongoing down by the Yacht club and at other open space areas in the ward. Mark and James have also been on the borough patrol bus twice at the weekend with officers from Neighbouring wards, covering North End, Erith, Belvedere and other wards in the North. This led to many stop and searches and stop and accounts carried out in North End and plenty of intelligence gained from the patrols". Northumberland Heath ward:- "This week we have had one burglary in Brook street which took place on Saturday January 13th. The burglary took place between 9pm -9.30pm. It is believed the suspect climbed over the fence to access the property. A rear bedroom window was forced and the locking mechanism was damaged. An untidy search took place in all of the four bedrooms, and a bottle of baby oil was sprayed around the window which was the point of entry and exit. A large amount of cash was stolen along with passports and credit cards. There was a theft of a parcel from an address in Hurst Road on Friday January 12th. The parcel was signed for but was never received. Please be aware when ordering goods as to when and where they are delivered to. If possible arrange delivery to a trusted neighbour to look after on your behalf. One report of theft of pick pocketing from a charity shop in Bexley Road this week. This took place on Monday January 15th where the victim has a purse containing £35 stolen. We have had an increase in motor vehicle crime this week. On Wednesday January 10th at 9.40am the victim was involved in a road rage incident in Brook street when an unknown male attacked her car and tried to pull the wing mirror off her vehicle. The victim managed to get a picture of the male and the registration plate of his vehicle. Theft of number plates in Hind Crescent, and two thefts of motor vehicles in Brook Street and Northumberland Park. The team are continuing to focus on anti-social behaviour in and around Bexley Road and will be conducting plain clothes patrols in order to disrupt this". Thamesmead East ward:- "11/01/18 Hartslock Drive – Theft of Motor Vehicle between 6pm - 6am. 12/01/18 Seacourt Road – between 8am - 3pm Theft of registration plates. CHADWICK WAY – 10pm Criminal Damage - Brick through window. Courtland Grove – 5pm Criminal Damage – Brick through windscreen. Lakeside Medical Centre 12 - 1230pm – Theft of Mobile phone. 13/01/18/ Whernside Close – 5pm Criminal Damage – Brick through rear windscreen. 16/01/18 Kale Road – 5am – Broadband wire cut. PC Nana has stopped a male for drugs while completing high visibility patrol in Abbey Way. The male was given a Penalty Notice for Disorder which requires him to pay a fine of £90. A Male was arrested by the response team at his home address for x4 Burglary, Theft of Motor vehicle, failing to stop and attempted GBH on a police officer. Thamesmead East and Lesness Abbey held their quarterly ward panel meeting on 15/01/18. The meeting was attended by residents and Councillor John Husband who explained the new ward boundaries. The new Priorities for the next quarter is 1. Burglary Reduction. 2. Drugs. 3. Motor Vehicle Crime. Remember when leaving your property check all windows and doors are locked. Tell your neighbours if you are going away and ask them to keep an eye on your house. You can get crime prevention advice from www.met.police.uk/burglary". 

The end video this week is a triumph of perseverance in several senses. It features forty five minutes of trains coming and going from Erith Station in the rain. It is the forty ninth such video the person has shot at railway stations around the country. The chap that filmed it must have a serious interest in trains! I would suggest the fast forward button through most of it. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below, or by Emailing me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.