Roses.

The recent rain has done much to help restore the brown and shrivelled grass in the local area; the photo above shows how the bowling green at Crayford Bowls Club in Avenue Road Erith, has already begun to recover from the recent drought.

The opening of the mystery shop in Erith that I had promised to cover in this issue is being delayed due to circumstances beyond the shop owners control. It will now be opening on Tuesday; I will be covering this in depth, with a series of photographs. The identity of the mystery store will remain until the next update. I had a total of eight people guess the location of the new shop - five got it wrong, and three answered correctly. More next week.

Following my article on the poor level of customer service that I have encountered in the Erith branch of Morrisons, I have had a further unsatisfactory experience in the last week; on Monday evening I visited the supermarket branch at just before 7.50pm to do a small amount of shopping. I had intended to purchase some salad items from the salad bar, but when I approached it, the salad bar staff were just finishing the process of emptying the salad containers and cleaning the bar. Nothing was available for sale, and it was still ten minutes before 8pm - two hours and ten minutes before the supermarket closed. Naturally there was no manager available for me to speak to, so I had to leave my displeasure unrecorded. After my comments last week, long time Maggot Sandwich reader Patrick sent me the following Email, which I reproduce with his permission:- "I wholeheartedly agree with your stance vis a vis the ubiquitous self-service checkouts now prevalent all across the retail sector. I too, out of principle, will not use them. I have often been encouraged to use these machines by staff members whilst waiting in the queue for a manned checkout. I simply insist that if I am going to use them, it is only fair that Morrison's (Sainsbury's, Tesco. Asda, etc, etc) pay me the going rate, and offer the same discounts as their 'other staff' enjoy. This response is usually met with a sullen shrug of the shoulders, and the departure of said staff member sloping off to harass some other customer. Another of my pet beef's is the tendency of many checkout personnel to indulge in banal, seemingly pointless, conversations with customers, thereby adding to the delays. On a slightly different tack with regard to Morrison's, I experienced their corporate thought processes many years ago before they decided to spread their tentacles southward and try to take on the 'big boys'. I was a long distance HGV driver and had occasion to make a delivery to Morrison's depot in Wakefield (if memory serves). I was delivering a number of large boxes containing white goods. On opening the rear doors of my trailer and man-handling the first box down onto the floor of the warehouse, the 'jobs worth' supervisor ordered me to stop, as he was not prepared to accept the goods. On politely asking why he was doing that, he said the boxes were not up to Morrison's standards. I pointed out that the boxes were clearly in good order, and undamaged. However, he said his refusal was because the boxes were 'too dusty'. As I had a return load already waiting to be collected once this delivery had been made, I was in a bit of an awkward position. He then said I would have to take the boxes back. I then jumped up onto the back of the trailer with a piece of cloth and proceeded to clean the dust off the boxes. However, he was still adamant that he would not accept delivery. He finally relented, when I pointed out that the boxes were now clean, and once I returned them in that state, he would have some serious explaining to do, he grudgingly accepted the delivery. It seems to me that attitudes have not really changed. Morrison's still treat their staff, customers and suppliers with total contempt. But, to be fair, that attitude permeates throughout much of that sector". Do you concur with Patrick's view, or do you have other experiences? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Some very good news; the Erith Street Kitchen event will be returning on Friday August the 17th. The mini food festival had its first appearance recently on the paved area between Erith Riverside Shopping Centre and Morrison's car park. Around 200 people attended the last event, this was despite it having very little in the way of publicity. Stalls as before will include those selling Italian and African food, along with ice cream, candy floss and various kinds of drinks. As before there will also be live music. I am really glad that the food festival is returning, and will be popping long to the event, which will take place between 4pm and 9pm on Friday the 17th. Hopefully the event will gain some momentum and become a regular feature. 

A message from Mark Deveney - Chairman and owner of Erith Town F.C:- "Having taken over Erith Town FC over in May 2017, it was always my ambition to take the club back to Erith. The club still had one year left on a ground sharing deal at VCD Athletic so finally 18 months later we played our first competitive game at Erith Stadium in over five years. The 1-1 draw with Glebe on Monday, drew a crowd of over 170, which was over double our average attendance last season. The ethos of our football club is to bring the Erith community into the club and to make everyone feel part of Erith. When I visited other clubs last season, it is clear there is no community spirit or an understanding of life outside their grounds. It’s clear Erith is a very changing community with an ever growing diversity. Erith Town FC is here to open up our club to everyone in the area. We have set up a Youth section and currently have 3 sides at U10, U12 & U14 age groups. It is our intention to provide football for all the community, at all levels and age ranges. From toddlers to girls / womens sides to walking football. We are a very ambitious club, but also a very family friendly club and want everyone who comes to The Dockers feel welcomed and most importantly valued. If you would like to come along or would want to bring a group to a match please feel free to contact me. Up The Dockers!" Mark can be contacted directly via this Email link. Alternatively you can send any message for him, to me to forward at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

Further to my recent article on "wee mileage" - there is a campaign to address the issue of a lack of public toilets. Over the past two decades the number of public toilets in the UK has slumped by more than a third (39 percent), according to responses to freedom of information requests, as local councils’ increasingly squeezed budgets lead to mass closures. The total has fallen from 3,955 in 2000 to 2,414 this year, according to data submitted to the British Toilet Association (BTA) by 266 councils in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. In England alone, the average council runs only 15 public toilets, with each having to serve an average of more than 12,500 people. The London Borough of Bexley features very much on the bottom end of these figures. A new campaign called "Use Our Loos" - which is designed to encourage businesses to make their toilets available to non-customers. Each participating outlet will be encouraged to have a sticker on display so the public can easily spot a business happy for people to use its toilets without necessarily being a customer. The scheme is similar to a model encouraging businesses to offer free water refills to non-customers. The Refill campaign aims to break the stigma around asking for water for free even if customers have not purchased anything else.

Mystery surrounds the former Belvedere Police Station in Nuxley Road, which has been empty and unused for some time now. Initially the building had been put up for sale as a going concern, but now it has been purchased by property developer Greencourt Property Group - a company that specialise in redeveloping old public buildings such as schools and police stations. As expected, the developers turn the old buildings into residential apartments - or demolish the structures and start from scratch. 

Do use Google Maps to find your way around? It seems that the very popular mapping service is having an unexpected effect on place names. The effect has initially taken place in the USA, but as with anything of this nature, where it starts in America, the rest of the world will usually follow. For decades, the district south of downtown and alongside San Francisco Bay was known as either Rincon Hill, South Beach or South of Market. This spring, it was suddenly rebranded on Google Maps to a name few had heard of: the East Cut. The peculiar name immediately spread digitally, from hotel sites to dating apps to Uber, which all use Google’s map data. The name soon spilled over into the physical world, too. Estate agent listings beckoned prospective tenants to the East Cut, and news organisations referred to the vicinity by that term. The swift rebranding of the roughly 170-year-old district is just one example of how Google Maps has now become the primary arbiter of place names. With decisions made by a few Google cartographers, the identity of a city, town or neighbourhood can be reshaped, illustrating the outsize influence that Silicon Valley increasingly has in the real world. How Google arrives at its names in maps is often mysterious. Some appear to have resulted from mistakes by researchers, re - branding by real estate agents, or just outright fiction. Before the internet era, neighbourhood names developed via word of mouth, newspaper articles and physical maps that were released periodically. Google Maps, which debuted in 2005, is updated continuously and delivered to more than one billion people on their devices. Google also feeds map data to thousands of websites and apps, magnifying its influence. In May, more than 63 percent of people who accessed a map on a smartphone or tablet used Google Maps, versus 19.4 percent for the Chinese internet giant Alibaba’s maps and 5.5 percent for Apple Maps, according to comScore, which tracks web traffic. Google said in a recent article that it created its maps from third-party data, public sources, satellites and, often most important, users. People can submit changes, which are reviewed by Google employees. This echoes the local issue residents of Nuxley Road, Upper Belvedere have had the people erroneously calling it "Nuxley Village" - a place name that was made up by estate agents from outside the area with no knowledge of the real name. It concerns me that Google Maps may well end up increasing the number of erroneous and downright wrong names ascribed to places, and end up making the situation worse than it currently is. 

Regular readers will recall that over the years I have written at some great length about local businessman, inventor and somewhat morally dubious character Sir Hiram Maxim. It is now well documented that in addition to inventing the automatic machine gun, the sprung mouse trap, and the fire sprinkler, he also constructed the first heavier than air flying machine, several years before the Wright Brothers. Whilst researching Sir Hiram Maxim, I came across the story of another pioneering aviation engineer, whose story is much less well known, but just as fascinating. Patrick Young Alexander (28th March 1867 – 7th July 1943) was a British aeronautical pioneer fascinated by the possibility of heavier-than-air flight. He was an enthusiastic balloonist and he was also particularly active in meteorology. He performed many meteorological and aviation experiments, designing and building his own equipment. He travelled widely, visiting Australia in his youth and later making many visits to the USA — crossing the Atlantic at least fifty times. Alexander was born and brought up at Hern Villa in Belvedere, and later lived in both Sheffield and Bath. His mother was Harriotte Emma and his father was Andrew Alexander from Scotland. He had an elder brother, John Edmond. His father, Andrew Alexander, was a civil engineer of some standing and a mechanical engineer. He was interested in aeronautics and was a founder member of The Royal Aeronautical Society in 1866. He presented some papers to the society including "Power in Relation to Weight in Aerial Navigation". In 1875, he went to see Thomas Moy's Aerial Steamer at The Crystal Palace. This machine had many interesting design features and may have achieved a brief hop into the air; accounts vary. That year, Andrew Alexander became manager of the Cyclops works of Charles Cammell and Company in Sheffield, where he worked on the improvement of armour plate for warships. In 1878, Patrick Alexander, doubtless encouraged by his father, built an elastic driven model aeroplane of the Penaud type. In the late summer of that year, Patrick was taken by his father to see the Paris Exhibition. One attraction was irresistible: the enormous hydrogen balloon of Henri Giffard, which was capable of taking 52 passengers at a time on a tethered ascent to 500 metres (1,600 ft). The experience left a deep impression on Alexander, then 11 years old. When Andrew Alexander left the Cyclops works, the Alexander family moved from Sheffield to Bath and Patrick decided on a career in the Merchant Navy. On 1 April 1885, just 3 days after his 18th birthday, Patrick Alexander signed as an apprentice Merchant Navy officer. The very next day he sailed upon the Minero, a barque of 478 tones bound for Fremantle in Western Australia, a distance of 12,500 miles (20,000 km) in a vessel powered only by the wind. Sixty days into the journey, while aloft helping with the sails, Patrick lost his grip and fell. As he hit the deck, he broke his leg. The ship was still three weeks away from port and there was little that could be done other than to strap Patrick into a bunk for the rest of the journey, letting the leg heal without expert attention. The Minero had left England with a crew short by one member. At Fremantle, two of the crew jumped ship, possibly encouraged by rumours of gold being found in the desert; replacement crewmen were hard to come by and only one could be found. The Minero set sail for Cossack and Port Walcott some 1,000 miles (1,600 km) to the North, seeking a cargo, probably of wool and pearl shell, for the return to London. Patrick was getting about with the aid of a crutch and, given the shortage of crew, he was helping as best he could. On 10 August, in rough weather on a wet and slippery deck, Alexander fell again and re-broke his injured leg. He was taken to Victoria Hospital at Geraldton. The Minero returned to London without him. Patrick returned to England; despite treatment, it was clear that his injuries would leave him lame for life. Due to his disability, he chose to come ashore, and pursue other interests. In 1893, Patrick Alexander ordered a balloon of 100,000 cubic feet (2,800 m3) capacity from Percival Spencer. At the time, C.G. Spencer and Sons' largest advertised balloon was of 80,000 cubic feet (2,300m3) and when it was made it attracted much public interest. Capable of lifting 12 passengers, it was one of the largest balloons yet made. Alexander named her the Majestic. In 1894, Patrick took it to Germany where he conducted scientific ascents that excited interest among German scientists and the lay public, as well as that of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Ever since the first balloon ascent by the Montgolfier Brothers in 1783, it had been realised that for balloons to be really useful, they had to be navigable. Patrick Alexander applied his mind to this problem of airship propulsion. In 1893 and 1894 he filed a number of patents. His ideas included reciprocating oars and an adjustable-pitch propeller that resembled a pair of fans. One patent includes a means of heating the gas in the balloon envelope by using piped steam, the steam pipe also served to support the balloon in the shape of a parachute in the event of the balloon being burst or punctured. None of Patrick’s ideas ever came to anything; but throughout his life, he never lost faith in the practicality of airships. Patrick Alexander was very interested in the development of heavier-than-air flying machines. Early in the 1890s, he travelled to Germany to meet Otto Lilienthal who was experimenting with gliders, and he continued to study ideas from a wide variety of sources. Patrick was in contact with Octave Chanute and others experimenting with flight. In the USA, sometime before 1903, Patrick visited Samuel Pierpont Langley whose successful models had attracted much attention. At Christmas 1902 he visited the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk. On hearing that Patrick Alexander was planning a return trip to the USA in October 1903, the Wright brothers, not known for welcoming interruptions to their work, said they would be happy to meet him. However, Patrick missed a crucial telegram and never received their message. Patrick must have been most disappointed to have missed the opportunity to witness the first flights of the Wright Flyer on 17 December 1903. Sadly at the age of fifty, his inheritance gone, Patrick Alexander spent the remainder of his life at The United Services College, Windsor, where he taught students the basic principles of aeronautics. He would also hold model flying competitions for the students in the park, watched by the Eton College boys. A young apprenticed carpenter boy, who lived in the same road as Patrick Alexander, started the ‘Windsor Model Aircraft Club’. The boy was very keen at making propellers and testing them on model airplanes he built and flew in the park.  The boy later became to be known the designer of the Hawker Hurricane fighter - the backbone of the RAF during the Battle of Britain -  Sir Sydney Camm. Patrick Alexander died on 7 July 1943, almost penniless — having given most of his money away. Today, he is not well known; having failed to make any singular, lasting contribution to aviation, and there being just a few modest memorials to his name. His primary contribution to the history of aviation was that through his tireless efforts, many journeys, writings, public speeches, and generous donations he was responsible for collecting and disseminating ideas across nations and continents without which development in the field would have proceeded more slowly. He was a generous man — generous with his time, his intellect and with his money. An inheritance and his business ability made him wealthy, but financial success meant little to him, and he ended up giving almost all of his money away. He was driven by native curiosity and ambition, and yet he was always supportive of the efforts of others, often making generous financial contributions, and was not jealous of their achievements. Patrick Alexander was buried in a small churchyard in Windsor. Ironically his headstone faces the flight path from Heathrow Airport.

One product I have not been able to purchase in Morrison's - or indeed any other supermarket recently is my favourite soft drink - Rose's Lime Juice Cordial - which is the oldest manufactured soft drink in the world. The cause of the disappearance of this long established and well known drink has only recently become clear; the mystery behind Rose's Lime Juice Cordial shortage has been solved as the company confirmed there has been a fire at its factory. Coca Cola, which owns the brand, confirmed to the press last week that production had been temporarily suspended in a public apology to customers. It is hoped that supplies of the famous drink will return to normal within a few weeks. Roses's Lime Juice Cordial is not just refreshing and delicious - it also has a considerable history. In 1753, James Lind discovered that consuming citrus fruits cured people affected by scurvy, a disease rife throughout the navy. Captain James Cook adopted his suggested solution of a daily ration of lemon or lime juice to all sailors during his long expeditionary trips. This proved highly successful with a hugely reduced death rate. From 1795, it became normal practice throughout all long voyages within the Royal Navy, for sailors to receive a daily ration of lemon or lime juice. This quickly gave rise to the nickname "limeys" amongst non-British sailors, which arises in the early 19th century. The preservation of the fruit juice was usually done through the addition of 15 percent rum. Lauchlan Rose of Leith (1776-1857) patented a method to preserve citrus juice without alcohol in 1867. He had realised that preserving the juice with sugar rather than alcohol opened the product up to a far wider market - indeed it became a favourite and a market leader in several Islamic countries as a result. The first factory producing lime juice was set up by Rose on Commercial Street in Leith, Scotland in 1868. This was located adjacent to the Old East Dock built during the Napoleonic War. This aided both the supply of limes (which do not grow in the UK), and its proximity to what was then Scotland's principal harbour for the Royal Navy. The limes at this time largely came from Dominica in the West Indies. In 1893, Rose purchased plantations there to ensure his supply. This was further supplemented by plantations from Africa from the region now called Ghana. In 1875 the company had grown so much that it built and moved its headquarters to new premises in London (though still retaining its Leith production). In 1940, during The Blitz, it moved its headquarters from the London docks (a key German target) to St. Albans. After the end of World War II, the company saw its market share in the UK grow. In 1957, Schweppes acquired the company and operated it in the UK until it purchased Mott's in 1982. Cadbury Schweppes merged the operations of the two brands in the United States and Rose's US products became domestically produced. In the United Kingdom, Rose's Lime Juice Cordial is manufactured and distributed by Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd. In New Zealand, the label states it is made under "the authority" of Schweppes Holdings Ltd by Coca-Cola Amatil (NZ). It also bears the notation that Schweppes Holdings Ltd holds a Royal Warrant to HM Queen Elizabeth II as manufacturers of Schweppes and Rose's soft drinks. The majority of limes are now sourced from Mexico and Peru. UK and Canadian production remains close to the original recipe, avoiding artificial preservatives and using sugar rather than corn syrup. Hopefully it will be back on the supermarket shelves in the UK within a short time, as I am missing it!

Now for the weekly safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly from Barnehurst ward:- "Sadly we have a couple of crimes to inform you about this week. Both Incidents took place in Beechcroft Avenue. One of which was a burglary which occurred on the 05/08/2018. Suspects took a wallet from inside the property and a Black Transporter Volkswagen Van was taken from outside the property, registration number MF64 MYG. Point of entry is unknown however the property was fitted with an I Ring door bell and this activated at 00.47, this was the time the victim believes the suspect entered the property. The other Incident involved a White Mercedes registration number PF62 AEJ being taken from the driveway in Beechcroft Avenue. The victim was still in possession of the keys. Unfortunately nothing was seen at the time of these Incidents. On 08/08/2018 whilst Barnehurst ward officers were out on patrol they discovered a stolen vehicle. This vehicle was stolen overnight from Bridge Road and was found stripped of most parts. Forensic opportunities were discovered, scenes of crime officers attended, samples retrieved and submitted to the laboratory. We await results from the lab. Our next community contact session will be at 11.00am at Barnehurst Golf Club on Tuesday 14th August 2018. Please come along to discuss any issues you may have". Belvedere ward:- "The team have recently been receiving reports of Anti-Social behaviour in Wilton Road involving street drinking, littering and general rowdy behaviour from groups of males gathering in the street. It appears that the males may be frequenting betting shops in Wilton Road. After having spoken to residents and businesses in the area, we are working with both Bexley and Greenwich Council and officers from Greenwich borough in an effort to put a stop to this issue. The team have also recently assisted an elderly resident in Lower Belvedere who had been visited by what are suspected to have been rogue traders. The male had been requested to pay a large sum of money for work that had not been done to his property. This has been reported to Police, and also the Trading Standards office. The team will be making efforts to patrol the area to identify any possible suspects over the coming days / weeks. Should anyone have witnessed these males in the Coptefield Drive area, please contact the team on 0208 721 2050. PC Holmes issued a male with a Section 59 warning on Tuesday 7th August after he had been seen driving dangerously in Erith Road, having overtaken a learner driver on the wrong side of the road and very nearly colliding with a traffic island. The team were able to establish the home address of the male after completing checks on the vehicle registration number and paid him a visit that evening. Our next community contact session takes place on Friday 17th August from 4pm at Belvedere Library on Woolwich Road". Bexleyheath ward:- "06/08/2018 – Report of a theft from motor vehicle along Latham Road. Items were taken from car boot whilst victim was in car; 07/08/2018 – Theft from motor vehicle reported in ADSA car park. Number plates stolen; 05/08/2018 – Theft from motor vehicle reported at the Bowling alley car park . Number plates stolen; 06/08/2018 & 07/08/2018 – Theft of motor vehicle. Vehicle was taken without consent of driver along Erith Road. We have had a burglary that had been reported between 07/08/2018 and 08/08/2018 along Garden Avenue Bexleyheath. Entry was gained from the front of the property. Personal items taken and also a vehicle. The team are conducting targeted patrols around the ASDA car park off Graham Road because of issues with vehicles / ASB. We have also had reports of youths riding in the streets in and around Ethronvi Road causing ASB and causing danger to themselves and others". Crayford ward:- "We have been very fortunate in not having many crimes of note to report this week. There was a burglary on 2nd August at 4.45am in Iron Mill Lane. The resident's dog was barking and the burglar was disturbed and dropped the bag that he was about to leave with. He gained entry through a door believed to have been locked, there were tool marks around the frame. Between 22.00 on 4th August and 8.50 on 5th August a vehicle was criminally damaged in Green Walk, the rear window was smashed but it is not believed that anything was stolen. We have been out and about patrolling some of the 'out of the way places' in a bid to deter anti-social behaviour. We have also been looking out for some of our residents who have struggled with the heat as I'm sure you have too and have heard about many kind gestures and care, especially for our more senior residents. Also, a big thank you for all the offers of cold drinks while we have been out! Our next community contact session will be on Wednesday 15th August between 11-12 at the Ellenor Charity Shop in Crayford Road. Please come along if there is anything you wish to discuss or simply to say hello". Erith ward:- "Theft of Motor vehicle - Motor Bike stolen from Holly Hill Road Erith overnight from 4/8/18 23.45—08.40 hours on the 5/8/18; Crim damage to Motor vehicle - Steering lock damaged on motor bike outside Parkspring Court Erith". Northumberland Heath ward:- "No burglaries reported to us over the past week. The team are continuing to focus on anti-social behaviour following reports from local businesses in Northumberland Heath. We are working hard to identify and deter those responsible, referrals are being made to the anti-social behaviour unit and home visits will be conducted in due course. Stop and searches have been conducted this week and PC Smith has dealt with a male in possession of a cannabis joint using a Community Resolution. The Pre School at St .Paul's Church Mill Road reported criminal damage to a Wendy house which took place over last weekend. One theft of Work Transit van in Avenue Road On Friday evening August 3rd. The vehicle contained a number of work tools. Thankfully the vehicle was found on Sunday August 5th in Manor Road and was taken to Charlton Car Pound". Slade Green and North End ward:- "Two empty properties were broken into on the Boundary Street estate last Wednesday evening. The suspects were after the water tanks from the flats but police arrived. The suspects ran away but one was caught with the aid of the police helicopter and after interview we wait for a charging decision. The Boundary Street estate is due for re-development next year and has a high percentage of empty properties. All residents will be moved out by March 2019. We are working closely with Orbit Housing to try and ensure that the empty buildings and flats do not become targets for crime and ASB. A delivery driver had his van stolen at 1530 last Thursday. He was making a drop off at the shop on Northend Road, left his van running with the keys inside and the van was driven away. Please do not leave your vehicle insecure at any location no matter how short a time you are going to be there. On Monday afternoon 06/08/2018 we saw a motorbike riding dangerously up and down South Road back and forth from Erith. The rider was showing off but we could only manage to get a partial number plate reading. On Tuesday 07/08/2018 during a routine patrol, PC Mark saw the exact same bike parked close to Morrison's. Enquiries were made and it turned out to be stolen from a burglary in Dartford. The bike has been recovered and sent for forensic tests. An ongoing neighbour dispute has led to PC James and PC Mark interviewing 2 suspects this past week. Both have admitted the offences and a charging decision awaits. Further to this, Bexley Council have issued the family with behaviour warning letters and Orbit Housing have served a notice stating they will be seeking possession of the house for constant ASB issues. A lot of hard work by PC James has helped to get the eviction process moving. This is another example of excellent partnership work with other agencies. The next Community Contact Session is Wednesday 15th August at Slade Green Library, 12midday until 1". Thamesmead East ward:- "No burglaries to report this week, but want to make you aware of vehicle crime that has occurred. Monday 30th July, between 1100 and 1600 hours, a car was stolen from Kale Road. On Monday 6th August, at around 1000 hours, a vehicle was broken into outside Duxford House, Wolvercote Road. Driver's window smashed and purse stolen. Please try not to leave valuables on show, when vehicles not occupied, even for a few minutes. Between midnight and 0400 hours on Tuesday 7th August, a car was stolen from outside Masham House, Kale Road. Good piece of proactive work by officers during the early hours of Tuesday 2nd August. A vehicle was stopped, Yarnton Way, and subsequently searched. Cannabis found, and the three occupants arrested. Investigation continues. On Wednesday 8th August, the team, in partnership with the National Crime Agency conducted a Search Warrant at an address in North Thamesmead. This proved to be a successful day of action to combat crime, as three arrests were made for money laundering/proceeds of crime and immigration offences. The team will be at the The Link, Bazalgette Way, on the 14th August, between 2-3pm. If you are in the area, come and see us". West Heath ward:- "From Neighbourhood Watch Member - New Road:- "During the early hours of yesterday morning (Wed 8th August), a rare 30 years plus old English pink rose plant (established large plant / bush) was dug out and stolen from my front garden. Clearly it's somebody who knows what they are and may well be a local or somebody scouting gardens". From Neighbourhood Watch Member - Kipling Road:- "On the morning of Wednesday, 01 August, we had a man knock at our front door asking if we wanted any work done in our garden – tidying up, trimming shrubs and trees etc. He said that he was coming back the next day to do our neighbour's property and a number of others in the street. However, nobody appeared on Thursday 2nd or Friday 3rd and we have not heard that other neighbours on the street have booked any work – or had any callers to their property. The man was aged mid to late-thirties, average build, black hair and moustache. We will keep an eye out and report any similar incidents".

The end video this week is a new piece of drone footage taken over Erith Pier. It gives a very good idea as to exactly how large the pier is - by far the largest pier on the River Thames. Hopefully more news as to the potential sale of the pier by Morrisons to a currently unknown third party will be released in the very near future.