Now that we are heading into Spring, the use of Erith Pier will increase, as the anglers, ship spotters, parents with buggy - bound children and all of the other patrons of the unique structure come out to enjoy it. I feel that only in the last couple of years has any real appreciation of the longest pier on the River Thames really come to the fore - and with the inaugural pier festival last year hopefully going to become a regular event in the social calendar of the town.
Some bad news; it would seem that my announcement of the forthcoming improvements to the accessibility of Erith Station were somewhat premature, despite having information provided by two previously reliable sources. Only a few minutes after I published last week's update, I was contacted by local MP Teresa Pearce with a list of the stations that had been confirmed as being ones who would be getting improvements. Much to my shock and disappointment, Erith Station was missing from the list. I hope to have more detailed information on the subject soon, but at the time of writing it unfortunately looks like once again Erith Station is being overlooked for a much needed lift. One reader with an interest in this issue has advised me of the following:- "Did you know that if any disabled person has not got a Disabled Access Station they can phone South Eastern Railways Head Office and asked to be put through to Disabled Travel Section and request Taxi Transport to take them to the nearest Access Station. I did use this service when living in Erith a few times. The taxi cab does not cost them anything, that is paid for by South Eastern Railway. When phoning South Eastern Railways they must make sure that they ask for a “Wheelchair Friendly Taxi If they use a wheelchair”. That is very important, otherwise they could just send a standard size taxi. Even though Taxis are supposed to be Access Friendly now". More railway news to come.
Last week you may recall that I published a story about the Erith Fun Day 2019 had been cancelled. I appealed for background information about the cancellation, and the organisers named Tracy has been in contact with me. She writes:- "I just wanted to let you know why there will be no Erith Fun Day in 2019. We (a group of local people along with members of Erith Rotary) have worked tirelessly for the last 6 years organising this event for the community of Erith. It takes up many hours of work each week all year round to organise the event and in the last few months leading up to the event, it takes up even more time, virtually taking over our lives. A couple of people from the committee stepped down after the 2018 event, others have increased family commitments (including myself) and those of us left on the committee have struggled to recruit new committee members able to commit to the time and effort needed to stage the ever growing event. It was therefore with regret we decided we couldn’t organise something for 2019. We hope to maybe try and bring the event back in 2020, but this will depend on being able to recruit people onto the organising committee who have the time, energy and commitment needed to assist us in putting on a great event for the local community".
Last week you may recall that I published a story about the Erith Fun Day 2019 had been cancelled. I appealed for background information about the cancellation, and the organisers named Tracy has been in contact with me. She writes:- "I just wanted to let you know why there will be no Erith Fun Day in 2019. We (a group of local people along with members of Erith Rotary) have worked tirelessly for the last 6 years organising this event for the community of Erith. It takes up many hours of work each week all year round to organise the event and in the last few months leading up to the event, it takes up even more time, virtually taking over our lives. A couple of people from the committee stepped down after the 2018 event, others have increased family commitments (including myself) and those of us left on the committee have struggled to recruit new committee members able to commit to the time and effort needed to stage the ever growing event. It was therefore with regret we decided we couldn’t organise something for 2019. We hope to maybe try and bring the event back in 2020, but this will depend on being able to recruit people onto the organising committee who have the time, energy and commitment needed to assist us in putting on a great event for the local community".
One of the most popular end videos I have featured recently was that of YouTube star Geoff Marshall exploring the unique pedestrian crossing at Angerstein Wharf in Charlton. The video got more feedback from readers than any other for the last couple of months. Thanks to "From The Murky Depths" blog, and a couple of readers who also brought the story to my attention, plans by Network Rail to close the foot crossing are shortly to be implemented. When questioned about the very short notice, and the disruption to many Charlton residents, who use the route to travel to Westcombe Park Station, a spokesperson from Network Rail wrote:- "Thank you for contacting us with regards to the footpath over the Angerstein railway. In order to make the infrastructure safer, the track and signalling in this area must be reconfigured to enable safer operations and stop the risk of derailments. The reconfiguration will mean that freight trains exiting Angerstein Wharf are more likely to sit on the crossing while waiting to exit the Wharf onto the mainline. This will increase the risk of the public coming into contact with moving freight trains and the only way to mitigate against this is to permanently close this crossing. I am also able to inform you that there are no rights of way across this footpath crossing. We are unable to build a tunnel under the railway, however there are alternative ways around the railway which are of a short distance. The safety of the public and our passengers is of the utmost priority and importance". I gather that the real reason is that on the one or at most two times per day that a train makes the journey from the Angerstein Wharf to the North Kent line junction, a safety supervisor has to be present by the pedestrian crossing. Network Rail don't want that inconvenience and expense, and so are closing the crossing as a result. If you were not aware, The freight trains one sees on a fairly regular basis travelling on the North Kent line almost exclusively transport sand and gravel to various sites in the region. They load up at Angerstein Wharf, which is located on the banks of the River Thames between Charlton and Greenwich. There is a branch line which connects to the main line just outside of Charlton Station on the London bound side. This branch line is believed to be the oldest privately owned standard gauge siding in the world. Angerstein Wharf was built and opened by Russian born Charlton landowner John Angerstein in 1852 in order to get rail access to the to Angerstein Wharf on the River Thames; it also ran deep into the old East Greenwich gas works. Nowadays it is purely used for freight. Many of the ballast and gravel trains one sees passing along the North Kent line divert onto the Angerstein Wharf branch line. Gravel and sand that has been dredged from the sea is collected by the freight trains for use in the construction industry. No passenger trains run on the branch line; it is exclusively used by freight trains.
Now for part one of a three part special feature by a guest writer to the Maggot Sandwich. Parts two and three will be published next week, and the week after:- "Southeastern: The franchise that didn’t die, the pensions scandal, the private companies vying for a contract and the sorry state of the railway. Firstly, might I introduce myself. I am former Train Driver and Commercial Manager of a few railway companies Nicholas Hair. Following a 5-year career in ‘the trains’, I set up and own the Kentish Belle Micro Pub in Bexleyheath. The reason? Well, the railway is very rapidly going downhill as a result of mismanagement, wastage, Government interference, a loss of knowledge and, most importantly, a complete lack of care for the infrastructure and services by various bodies. I count Hugh Neal as a friend of mine and, following months of interaction since the Kentish Belle’s opening, I have continued to speak to dozens of industry and political contacts and have formed the Lewisham and Bexleyheath Community Rail Partnership to begin to address these concerns. I could never have hoped to form or even participate in a group such as this due to a perceived conflict of interest from companies I have worked for; so to be able to not only have a thorough technical understanding of legal and operational matters (from the movement of sets of points, to the numbers of trains and coaches, through to the stations and whether they get staff or not) without fear of reprisal is a great opportunity for the local area and the line’s passenger base. So, what’s the news? This week, Andrew Jones (Minister of State for Rail) announced that the South Eastern franchise (in the olden days the Integrated Kent franchise) was not going to be awarded. The proposed date for launch in June would have been almost impossible as we were within 7-8 weeks of it starting yet needing around 16-17 weeks to fully mobilise a private franchisee; and therefore a Commons Written Answer to our new friend Teresa Pearce (MP, Erith and Thamesmead) in early April in which it was stated that bids were still being assessed we deem to have been nothing short of an outright lie to all of the MPs of the House of Commons. Whilst Ms Pearce could not make such a ferocious comment for fear of suspension, we are willing to say that given the full facts of the situation it is obvious that Andrew Jones and Chris Grayling must have known many weeks ago that the South Eastern franchise would be extended further and continue to be under another ‘Direct Award’ to Govia (a consortium of Go Ahead and Keolis). A brief run-down of rail franchising, perhaps? A franchise is let from a set start date to a set end date. It is usually about 7 years long and, based on key performance indicators (KPIs), it can be extended under a ‘direct award’ to the private company holding the franchise (it’s almost like being allowed to stay out later playing with your friends for being good and doing as you’re told; whereas giving your mother attitude will get your privileges cut short and you’ll be brought back inside to tidy your room and have to watch everyone else play outside for another hour!). Southeastern was first extended in 2014 to June 2018 (an almost unprecedented franchise extension in respect of length) to cover the London Bridge rebuilding programme, and thence again to December 2018 and then again until June 2019. At this point, we should finally have received a new full franchise, but the Department for Transport has decided to extend until October 2019 with an optional extension again until April 2020. There is a review being undertaken at the moment by former John Lewis Chairman Keith Williams which aims to find all of the ‘fatal flaws’ of the current privatised railway network and identifying how to fix it such that future franchises don’t end in failure or, at least, actually deliver for the customer. It is felt that Govia’s continued extension would be due to awaiting the outcome of the Williams Review but the East Midlands contract was let this week to Abellio and thus we must assume that the Government does not value the outcome of the Williams Review all that much! And therefore we move onto the ‘what on earth next?!’ part of the presentation. Well, Hugh’s previous blogs alluded to several service improvements that were due in May 2022 as part of a mass overhaul of the South Eastern timetable. It was widely-anticipated that new direct peak-time services would operate from Maidstone West to Cannon Street or Charing Cross via Gravesend, Dartford, Abbey Wood and Woolwich Arsenal to create connections with Crossrail; that early morning services would exist from stations such as Bexleyheath to Abbey Wood on the ‘Loop’ service so people could get to Abbey Wood quickly for Crossrail and that Victoria trains would go via Sidcup instead of Bexleyheath to stop trains ‘cutting each other up’ on the unreliable flat diamond junction at Lewisham which was felt would make things more reliable. Whilst we have reasonable confidence that these services will start and run May 2022, it is trains that are now felt to be the problem". Part two of this article will be featured in the next edition.
Now for part one of a three part special feature by a guest writer to the Maggot Sandwich. Parts two and three will be published next week, and the week after:- "Southeastern: The franchise that didn’t die, the pensions scandal, the private companies vying for a contract and the sorry state of the railway. Firstly, might I introduce myself. I am former Train Driver and Commercial Manager of a few railway companies Nicholas Hair. Following a 5-year career in ‘the trains’, I set up and own the Kentish Belle Micro Pub in Bexleyheath. The reason? Well, the railway is very rapidly going downhill as a result of mismanagement, wastage, Government interference, a loss of knowledge and, most importantly, a complete lack of care for the infrastructure and services by various bodies. I count Hugh Neal as a friend of mine and, following months of interaction since the Kentish Belle’s opening, I have continued to speak to dozens of industry and political contacts and have formed the Lewisham and Bexleyheath Community Rail Partnership to begin to address these concerns. I could never have hoped to form or even participate in a group such as this due to a perceived conflict of interest from companies I have worked for; so to be able to not only have a thorough technical understanding of legal and operational matters (from the movement of sets of points, to the numbers of trains and coaches, through to the stations and whether they get staff or not) without fear of reprisal is a great opportunity for the local area and the line’s passenger base. So, what’s the news? This week, Andrew Jones (Minister of State for Rail) announced that the South Eastern franchise (in the olden days the Integrated Kent franchise) was not going to be awarded. The proposed date for launch in June would have been almost impossible as we were within 7-8 weeks of it starting yet needing around 16-17 weeks to fully mobilise a private franchisee; and therefore a Commons Written Answer to our new friend Teresa Pearce (MP, Erith and Thamesmead) in early April in which it was stated that bids were still being assessed we deem to have been nothing short of an outright lie to all of the MPs of the House of Commons. Whilst Ms Pearce could not make such a ferocious comment for fear of suspension, we are willing to say that given the full facts of the situation it is obvious that Andrew Jones and Chris Grayling must have known many weeks ago that the South Eastern franchise would be extended further and continue to be under another ‘Direct Award’ to Govia (a consortium of Go Ahead and Keolis). A brief run-down of rail franchising, perhaps? A franchise is let from a set start date to a set end date. It is usually about 7 years long and, based on key performance indicators (KPIs), it can be extended under a ‘direct award’ to the private company holding the franchise (it’s almost like being allowed to stay out later playing with your friends for being good and doing as you’re told; whereas giving your mother attitude will get your privileges cut short and you’ll be brought back inside to tidy your room and have to watch everyone else play outside for another hour!). Southeastern was first extended in 2014 to June 2018 (an almost unprecedented franchise extension in respect of length) to cover the London Bridge rebuilding programme, and thence again to December 2018 and then again until June 2019. At this point, we should finally have received a new full franchise, but the Department for Transport has decided to extend until October 2019 with an optional extension again until April 2020. There is a review being undertaken at the moment by former John Lewis Chairman Keith Williams which aims to find all of the ‘fatal flaws’ of the current privatised railway network and identifying how to fix it such that future franchises don’t end in failure or, at least, actually deliver for the customer. It is felt that Govia’s continued extension would be due to awaiting the outcome of the Williams Review but the East Midlands contract was let this week to Abellio and thus we must assume that the Government does not value the outcome of the Williams Review all that much! And therefore we move onto the ‘what on earth next?!’ part of the presentation. Well, Hugh’s previous blogs alluded to several service improvements that were due in May 2022 as part of a mass overhaul of the South Eastern timetable. It was widely-anticipated that new direct peak-time services would operate from Maidstone West to Cannon Street or Charing Cross via Gravesend, Dartford, Abbey Wood and Woolwich Arsenal to create connections with Crossrail; that early morning services would exist from stations such as Bexleyheath to Abbey Wood on the ‘Loop’ service so people could get to Abbey Wood quickly for Crossrail and that Victoria trains would go via Sidcup instead of Bexleyheath to stop trains ‘cutting each other up’ on the unreliable flat diamond junction at Lewisham which was felt would make things more reliable. Whilst we have reasonable confidence that these services will start and run May 2022, it is trains that are now felt to be the problem". Part two of this article will be featured in the next edition.
Historically, Erith has made quite a large contribution to the world of sport. Did you know that Erith was once one of the centres of English cricketing excellence? What is now The Europa Industrial Estate was once a cricket pitch and recreation ground? On Saturday 20th September 1884 a local team of sixteen played an eleven raised By a Mr. H.H Hyslop - a local businessman, from the Australian touring side of that year. Hyslop's Australian team won. A similar match took place between another scratch Australian team again put together by Mr. Hyslop on the 3rd May 1890. The Erith local team was composed of eighteen local men, pitted against a visitors team which included nine members of the Australian test side. This match resulted in a draw. Hopes for a rematch were dashed when the cricket ground was sold and a heavy engineering factory built on the site. Nevertheless, local historians refer to the matches as "when Erith took on the Australians". As many of you know, I am not a sports fan, but it is fascinating to discover, as I have done during my research for this week's entry, that Erith and the surrounding have been pivotal in the development of several now major sports. Football had much of its' origins in Erith in the early 1880's. Prior to 1885-1886, only Rugby Union was played in Erith - there were three clubs in the area; Star Rovers RFC played on Lessness Heath, near the Eardley Arms pub. Erith Raven RFC played on the recreation ground adjacent to the aforementioned cricket ground, and lastly, Erith Anglo - Normans RFC played on Faulkner's Meadow. This club had to be disbanded when the meadow was purchased, and the Nordenfeldt gun works was built on the site; no suitable alternative playing ground could be found for the club and it was wound up. In April 1885 Association Football was introduced to Erith by a gentleman called Bernard Beard, who came to Easton and Anderson's engineering works as manager of the boiler shop. A club was formed, called Erith F.C which played on an area then called Hartley's Meadow - which was located on the banks of the River Thames, just of what is now Lower Road. As a result of a personal dispute between club members, a rival club was established called Erith Avenue F.C. At first, as they had no ground, they were forced to play all of their games away, but they later were successful in securing a ground in what is now Avenue Road. Meanwhile, Erith F.C relocated from Hartley's Meadow to Lower Belvedere. Several members of the team subsequently played for Woolwich Arsenal F.C, what was later to become the current Premier League Arsenal club. The present Erith and Belvedere football club was founded in 1922 and had its' ground adjacent to Belvedere railway station for many years, until arsonists destroyed their main clubhouse and Park View stand in 1997. The club soldiered on for two years, using portakabins on the site, until they entered into a ground sharing arrangement with Welling United in 1999, which is still in place to this day. Most recent local football club to play in the area is Erith Town FC, who are based at Erith Sports Centre.
Sarah Batten of The Exchange has published an announcement and update on activities in the former Carnegie Library and The Bookstore Cafe within it - photo above. The update reads:- "We have a number of things going on over the spring holidays at The Exchange, including Garden Games available from The Bookstore, and a trail of our new exhibition Ex Libris. Here are a few more things that might interest you: The next stage in the creation of the Kitchen Garden at The Exchange! Participants will get crafty and green-fingered painting pots and planting up the the budding seedlings (which were planted at a previous workshop). Once grown these plants will be planted in our kitchen garden and all participants will be invited back later in the year for a feast made from the produce! There will also be mini-eggs to take away for all those who get involved. Throughout the Spring Holidays, young visitors to The Exchange will be able to borrow art materials - paper, clipboards, easels, paints and pencils - from The Bookstore Cafe, to create artworks for exhibition in our pop-up Young Person’s Gallery. Young People can enter their artworks into a competition where there are 3 categories:- Using The Old Library as inspiration - What I think should happen in the Old Library in the future? - Freestyle - drawing whatever I want! These entries will be judged by a group of local artists, and the winners of each category will win a set of art materials. Details of the judging to be announced very soon". Following this, you may be interested to learn that I will be conducting guided tours of the former Carnegie Library, starting next Saturday afternoon at 3pm. Visitors will be shown around the building, including areas not normally open to the public. You can learn about the historic building, and also of the future plans for the amazing space. Please note that some parts of the library are still a building site, so stout shoes are recommended. If you would like to join a tour, then please click here to book a place. The tours are free, but in order to manage numbers, we need you to book in advance. Please don't Email me personally about booking a place, but use the link above - many thanks, and I look forward to seeing you on a tour soon.
Early last week the BBC News website published a story about an experimental TV built by Sony that is designed to showcase cutting edge technology. The 63ft by 17ft (19.2m by 5.4m) screen is currently being installed at a new research centre that has been built for the Japanese cosmetics group Shiseido in the city of Yokohama, south of Tokyo. It is so large it will stretch between the first and second floors. The 16K display, contains 16 times as many pixels as a 4K television and 64 times as many as a regular 1080p high definition TV, meaning it can show images in far more detail than normal. this kind of technology is unlikely to emerge into public use for many years, if ever, as the resolution is actually far higher than the human eye can detect. nevertheless it gives an idea where one of the major high technology players is heading, and other large TV manufacturers such as Samsung and LG will no doubt be undertaking similar ventures. In practical terms, in a normal or even large lounge or dedicated home cinema room, the size of screen able to be accommodated and the viewing ranges involved mean that a screen of more than 8K resolution would be a waste of time, as people simply would not be able to detect the higher resolution. Having said that, I can recall when many pundits said that PC's would not need any more than 640K of RAM - and we all know how that panned out. In all this cutting edge technological development, let us not forget that not every new discovery gets accepted by the public, or ends up making the manufacturers pots of cash. A prime example of this is 3D television, which has turned out to be a massive white elephant. Initially 3D TV's were seen as being the future of home entertainment - at least by the vendors. In reality, as early as 2013, 3D televisions were being seen as a fad. DirecTV had stopped broadcasting 3D programmes in 2012, while ESPN in the USA stopped in 2013. In the UK, Sky moved its content to on demand. Fewer and fewer 3D TVs were sold and soon TV manufacturers stopped making them. Vizio stopped production in 2014 and was followed by others. In January 2017, the last two major television manufacturers still producing 3D televisions, Sony and LG, announced they would stop all 3D support. Some viewers have complained of headaches, seizures and eyestrain after watching 3D films. There have been several warnings, especially for the elderly. Motion sickness, in addition to other health concerns, is more easily induced by 3D presentations. There are primarily two effects of 3D TV that are unnatural for the human vision: crosstalk between the eyes caused by imperfect image separation and the mismatch between convergence and accommodation caused by the difference between an object's perceived position in front of or behind the screen and the real origin of that light on the screen. It is believed that approximately 12 percent of people are unable to properly see 3D images, owing to a variety of medical conditions. According to another experiment, up to 30 percent of people have very weak stereoscopic vision preventing depth perception based on stereo disparity. This nullifies or greatly decreases immersion effects of digital stereo to them.
In a second television based post; I want to share something with you which reflects my own personal experience, but not something that I am inclined to encourage others to do. As regular readers will be aware, I have been of the opinion for quite some time that the business model used by Sky TV is unsustainable. When Sky launched their original analogue satellite based service back in February 1989, there was no broadband infrastructure in the UK (or anywhere for that matter), as the World Wide Web had yet to be invented by Tim Berners – Lee. Satellites were the only economic method of broadcasting to large areas of the planet. Now the use of satellites for broadcasting is soon to go the way of using hot air balloons for air travel – yes you can still do it, but why would you bother? Fibre optic broadband is the way forward. Mark my words, the age of Sky using hugely expensive satellites to broadcast will soon be at an end; they will either change their operating model and switch to online, or they will slowly die. To this end, after being a Sky TV customer for 23 years (I was originally an Analogue subscriber, and an early adopter of Sky Digital, and subsequently the HD service), last week I cancelled my subscription. Sky have been endlessly bombarded me with promotional material encouraging me to upgrade to Sky Q 4K UHD, but I have neither the desire to spend money on a 4K television to watch a handful of channels that are actually in 4K. The ultra high definition offering is primarily aimed at those watching the sports channels, which are of no interest to me. I also have recently got increasingly ticked off with the fact that even though you are paying a substantial monthly subscription for Sky, they still show commercials. In essence you are paying to watch advertising. After around a year of prevaricating, I have now bitten the bullet and cancelled my Sky contract. I have Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Freeview and BBC iPlayer, so I am hardly going to be short of entertainment. What do you think? Are you a fan of Sky, or do you too feel that the costs have now so far exceeded the benefit? Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.
Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly the report from Barnehurst ward:- "Barnehurst ward has yet another week with no residential burglaries to report however there has been an Incident in Eversley Avenue overnight on Monday 08/04/2019 whereby a garden shed was broken into and tools stolen from within. Vehicle crime on Barnehurst continues to be a concern following a further three Incidents over the past week. On Friday 05/04/2019 between 06.45pm – 11.15pm in Selkirk Drive both number plates were stolen from a vehicle. In Parkside Avenue on Monday 08/04/2019 overnight a spare tyre was stolen from a brand new Ford Transit van. Tool marks were seen on the van where it is believed the suspect went under the van to remove the tyre cutting the cables that held the tyre in place. Most recently on Tuesday 09/04/2019 overnight in Hillingdon Road a vehicle was entered and a Superdry jacket stolen. There was no damage found on the vehicle. We are asking residents to remove items from vehicles and once you have locked your vehicle please take a second to double check that the vehicle locked. There are opportunists out there that will stroll around and try door handles. On a good note Barnehurst Officers stopped a vehicle in Stephens Road and following checks it was established this vehicle was being driven with no Insurance held and the driver had also been disqualified from driving. The vehicle was subsequently seized. Our next Community Contact Session is on Tuesday 16th April 2019 at 04.00pm at Barnehurst Golf Club. Please come along and join us for a chat". Belvedere ward:- "PC Holmes and PC Smith took part in plain clothed patrols throughout the ward last weekend after reports of anti-social behaviour (ASB) in Nuxley Road/ Lower Road and drug use/ dealing in and around Picardy Street. During this, five stop and searches took place in relation to drug possession (cannabis). A community resolution was completed (this is a first instance warning to the person to cease their behaviour which will result in harsher penalisation should they come to notice for similar offences in the future). We recently received several different reports of a large group of youths causing ASB in Nuxley Road, Lower Road, Coleman Road and Essenden Road. Members of this group were committing various offences. PCSO Worrall and PC Holmes were able to view CCTV from these locations and ascertained that the same group were causing issues across the ward. We were able to identify six youths from the group and over last weekend visited each of the youths at their homes, where they were spoken to in the presence of their parents to make it clear that their behaviour was unacceptable. The youths were handed banning letters from both Asda (Lower Road) and Sainsburys (Nuxley Road) and have all been referred to Bexley Councils ASB team – further action is currently being considered by Bexley Council (the team will work alongside Bexley Council should further action be taken). The team were present at a vehicle collision that occurred in Heron Hill at the junction of Lessness Park shortly before 9pm on Saturday 6th April 2019. Two vehicles were involved however the driver of one of the vehicles failed to stop at the scene of this accident. If anyone was witness to this collision, or has any information in relation to this please contact the team. Our next drop in surgery is due to take place on Thursday 18th April 2019 from 11am at Belvedere Community Centre in Mitchell Close". A report from a Belvedere resident:- "At approx. 16.10 on Wednesday 10th April a group of youths aged approx. 14/15 years old in Kentish Road were picking up rocks from peoples front gardens when three more youths came running down the road after them with very long knifes shouting that they were going to ‘cut' them. The group of youths with rocks ran down Kentish Road and turned left into Abbey Crescent. The three youths with knifes ran back up Kentish towards Picardy Road. The Police arrived and were driving round looking for what we assumed were the youths. One of the knife wielding youths had a olive coloured tracksuit with what we would describe as a mop-top haircut - short at the sides with a ‘mop' on top while another was wearing a black top". Bexleheath ward:- "We have had no reported residential burglaries this week which is good news. There was a report of theft from motor vehicle between Wed 03/04/2019 & Thur 04/04/2019. The times were between 2200hrs and 0640hrs along Rochester Drive Bexleyheath. Laptop was stolen from the boot of the vehicle; On Sunday 07/04/2019 at 0100hrs headlights were stolen from a vehicle along Oaklands Close Bexleyheath; Monday 08/04/2019 between the hours of 1030hrs and 1815hrs – Catalytic Converter was stolen from a vehicle parked in the Marriot Hotel car park; Saturday 06/04/2019 between the hours of 2000hrs and 0800hrs Indicator lights were stolen from a vehicle along Meadow Close Bexleyheath; On Friday 05/04/2019 from about 1700hrs - Four stops inside the stairwell inside the Marriott Car Park which resulted in a community resolution and a fine (PND). Patrols have been and still will be conducted in and around the Premiere Inn car park and including the cinema car park to help tackle anti-social behaviour. The team have had reports of youths riding motorbikes at Bursted Woods. As a result the team shall be continuing to patrol this area. Along Haskenere Road Bexleyheath – There has been reports of scooters causing anti-social behaviour and drug use, area is being targeted with patrols. If you do wish to pass on information to Police then please contact Crime Stoppers on 0800 555111. Please do not hesitate to contact us via Twitter, Facebook, email and the ward phone. Remember in an emergency please dial 999 and 101 for non-urgent reporting". Crayford ward:- "Firstly, we are really pleased to be able to say there have been no burglaries on our ward this week. A padlock was stolen from a gated access to a building site at St Paulinus School overnight Sunday 7th April to Monday 8th April. Number plates were stolen from Woodside Road overnight on Saturday 6th April, number plates AV12BWZ should be on a black Vauxhall Zafira. Two company vehicles were significantly damaged between 21.00 and 22.00 on Thursday 4th April whilst parked to the rear of The Parade, Crayford Way. A male was arrested for assaulting a female member of staff at Tower Retail Park on Thursday 4th April. Between 18.00 on Saturday 23rd March and 06.50 Sunday 24th March a silver Kia had the front number plate (GU58HFW) removed whilst parked in Crayford High Street. A wallet, driving licence, cash and perfume were stolen from a black Mercedes YA17 *** whilst parked overnight at Alcock Crescent, the suspect was seen running to a white Ford Fiesta. At 1am on Monday 8th April a resident in Barnes Cray Road was woken up and realised that their Blue Yamaha XJ6, registration EA60 SOH was being stolen and loaded in to a van. Unable to get any description of the thief or vehicle. There have been a series of thefts of commercial high value recycling bins in Crayford. An eagle-eyed security guard recognised the van involved and called police and a male has now been arrested for these offences". Erith ward:- "Another week in Erith with zero burglaries. We have been talking to shop keepers and asking them to fill out ASB questionnaires so we can get an over view of any issues they may be having. Helped out with a warrant on Northend ward, arranging ward panel dates. If you would like to attend the Erith Ward panel we are looking for new members at the moment please email the Erith team for more information. Crimes of the week of note: Theft of MV Tuesday 02/04/2019, Pier Road; Theft from MV Saturday 06/04/2019, Bramble Croft; Shoplift <£200 Sunday 07/04/2019 supersaver, West Street; Shoplift <£200 Monday 08/04/2019 16:20:00 Screwfix, Fraser Road'. Northumberland Heath ward:- "We have very little to report this week. A couple of motor vehicle crimes reported to us over the last week. Between Friday evening of April 5th and Saturday afternoon of April 6th a number plate was stolen from a motorbike parked in Valence Road. The owner discovered that the chain and lock had been tampered with in an attempt to steal the bike. A Mercedes car was stolen near Carlton Road at 7.40pm on Sunday April 7th. The victim was in the process of selling the vehicle and took a prospective buyer out for a test drive ,along with another male who was with him, with as the victim got out of the vehicle, one of the males drove off in the car towards Bexleyheath. The first male was described as white, approximately twenty years old chubby build wearing jeans and a blue top. The second male was described as white, approximately thirty years old and slim. Another week with no reported burglaries".
The photo above shows a (possibly stolen) Honda scooter found hidden amongst the glass recycling bins in the Council recycling centre behind Erith Morrisons in James Watt Way on Friday evening. Both Erith and Slade Green and Northend Safer Neighbourhood Teams have been informed.
Slade Green and Northend ward:- "On Saturday 06/04/2019 the team (along with help from Erith and North Heath SNT) executed a drugs warrant on the Frobisher Road estate. Unfortunately the suspect we believed to be involved in drug dealing was not present at the time. A thorough search was completed but this time sadly we left empty handed. On Sunday 07/04/2019 between 3pm and 5pm an attempted burglary was reported in Frobisher Road. Entry wasn't gained. Reassurance visits have been carried out to the victims. A possible suspect has been linked to male who has been seen entering Bushey Court sheltered scheme late at night several times in recent weeks. Enquiries are ongoing to try and establish a positive ID. It seems that Catalytic converters being stolen is becoming a growing trend. 2 have been reported in the last few weeks on our ward (Frobisher Road, Howbury Lane) and there have been others reported in neighbouring wards. Although this is a hard one to prevent, if you do become a victim, please ensure it is reported via 101 or online so we can see where patrols may be needed. Our next CCS is on Thursday 18/04/2019 from 3.30pm in Slade Green Library". Thamesmead East ward:- "Motor Vehicle crimes - Between Sunday 5:00pm on Sunday 31/03/19 and Monday 5:30am on Monday 01/04/19 a vehicle parked in Overton Road had a window smashed and money taken .On Tuesday 02/04/19 between the hours of 7:00am and 8:00pm a vehicle parked outside of Dutton House, Southmere Drive had the passenger side wing mirror damaged .Between the hours of 10:00pm on Friday and 5:10am a vehicle parked in Northwood Place had both wing mirrors smashed. Overnight between the hours of 4:00pm of Sunday 07/04/19 and 11:10 am on Monday 08/04/19 a vehicle parked in Holstein Way had the front passenger window smashed, nothing taken. Damage to Property - On Thursday 04/04/19 between the hours of 8:30pm and 8:40pm a property in Overton Road, had a ground floor front window smashed, unknown person/s seen". West Heath ward:- "This week on West Heath Ward some scrap metal was stolen from a shed in Sidmouth Rd on Wednesday 3/4/19 at 4.30pm and there was an attempted burglary in Berkeley Rd where a male was seen on a video doorbell trying cars and front doors at 2.25am on Saturday 6/4/19 (see photo in Borough-wide news above). There was a burglary in Cranbrook Rd on the Monday 8/4/19 between 5.20pm and 9.40pm. Entry was gained by smashing the rear patio doors where an untidy search was carried out and cash and jewellery taken. We have also had an attempted theft of a motorbike in New Rd on the Saturday 6/4/19 at just after midnight, several male were seen trying to cut the security chain. The rear window of a car was smashed in Lenham Rd overnight Tues 3 - Wed 4th April and a male was seen on camera stealing change from an unlocked vehicle in Woolwich Rd in the early hours of Tuesday 9/4/19. Next week's street briefing is in Exmouth Road at 7pm on Saturday 20/4/19".
Singer / songwriter Si Cranstoun has been in the press quite a lot lately; he is shortly to go on tour, and his records have been getting a lot of radio airplay. Industry pundits seem pretty unanimous that he is going to be a major, mainstream star. What is less known is that he and his brother used to busk in Bexleyheath Broadway as "The Dualers". Below is a video from Christmas 2011 which shows Si Cranstoun performing to passing shoppers in Bexleyheath. Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.
Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly the report from Barnehurst ward:- "Barnehurst ward has yet another week with no residential burglaries to report however there has been an Incident in Eversley Avenue overnight on Monday 08/04/2019 whereby a garden shed was broken into and tools stolen from within. Vehicle crime on Barnehurst continues to be a concern following a further three Incidents over the past week. On Friday 05/04/2019 between 06.45pm – 11.15pm in Selkirk Drive both number plates were stolen from a vehicle. In Parkside Avenue on Monday 08/04/2019 overnight a spare tyre was stolen from a brand new Ford Transit van. Tool marks were seen on the van where it is believed the suspect went under the van to remove the tyre cutting the cables that held the tyre in place. Most recently on Tuesday 09/04/2019 overnight in Hillingdon Road a vehicle was entered and a Superdry jacket stolen. There was no damage found on the vehicle. We are asking residents to remove items from vehicles and once you have locked your vehicle please take a second to double check that the vehicle locked. There are opportunists out there that will stroll around and try door handles. On a good note Barnehurst Officers stopped a vehicle in Stephens Road and following checks it was established this vehicle was being driven with no Insurance held and the driver had also been disqualified from driving. The vehicle was subsequently seized. Our next Community Contact Session is on Tuesday 16th April 2019 at 04.00pm at Barnehurst Golf Club. Please come along and join us for a chat". Belvedere ward:- "PC Holmes and PC Smith took part in plain clothed patrols throughout the ward last weekend after reports of anti-social behaviour (ASB) in Nuxley Road/ Lower Road and drug use/ dealing in and around Picardy Street. During this, five stop and searches took place in relation to drug possession (cannabis). A community resolution was completed (this is a first instance warning to the person to cease their behaviour which will result in harsher penalisation should they come to notice for similar offences in the future). We recently received several different reports of a large group of youths causing ASB in Nuxley Road, Lower Road, Coleman Road and Essenden Road. Members of this group were committing various offences. PCSO Worrall and PC Holmes were able to view CCTV from these locations and ascertained that the same group were causing issues across the ward. We were able to identify six youths from the group and over last weekend visited each of the youths at their homes, where they were spoken to in the presence of their parents to make it clear that their behaviour was unacceptable. The youths were handed banning letters from both Asda (Lower Road) and Sainsburys (Nuxley Road) and have all been referred to Bexley Councils ASB team – further action is currently being considered by Bexley Council (the team will work alongside Bexley Council should further action be taken). The team were present at a vehicle collision that occurred in Heron Hill at the junction of Lessness Park shortly before 9pm on Saturday 6th April 2019. Two vehicles were involved however the driver of one of the vehicles failed to stop at the scene of this accident. If anyone was witness to this collision, or has any information in relation to this please contact the team. Our next drop in surgery is due to take place on Thursday 18th April 2019 from 11am at Belvedere Community Centre in Mitchell Close". A report from a Belvedere resident:- "At approx. 16.10 on Wednesday 10th April a group of youths aged approx. 14/15 years old in Kentish Road were picking up rocks from peoples front gardens when three more youths came running down the road after them with very long knifes shouting that they were going to ‘cut' them. The group of youths with rocks ran down Kentish Road and turned left into Abbey Crescent. The three youths with knifes ran back up Kentish towards Picardy Road. The Police arrived and were driving round looking for what we assumed were the youths. One of the knife wielding youths had a olive coloured tracksuit with what we would describe as a mop-top haircut - short at the sides with a ‘mop' on top while another was wearing a black top". Bexleheath ward:- "We have had no reported residential burglaries this week which is good news. There was a report of theft from motor vehicle between Wed 03/04/2019 & Thur 04/04/2019. The times were between 2200hrs and 0640hrs along Rochester Drive Bexleyheath. Laptop was stolen from the boot of the vehicle; On Sunday 07/04/2019 at 0100hrs headlights were stolen from a vehicle along Oaklands Close Bexleyheath; Monday 08/04/2019 between the hours of 1030hrs and 1815hrs – Catalytic Converter was stolen from a vehicle parked in the Marriot Hotel car park; Saturday 06/04/2019 between the hours of 2000hrs and 0800hrs Indicator lights were stolen from a vehicle along Meadow Close Bexleyheath; On Friday 05/04/2019 from about 1700hrs - Four stops inside the stairwell inside the Marriott Car Park which resulted in a community resolution and a fine (PND). Patrols have been and still will be conducted in and around the Premiere Inn car park and including the cinema car park to help tackle anti-social behaviour. The team have had reports of youths riding motorbikes at Bursted Woods. As a result the team shall be continuing to patrol this area. Along Haskenere Road Bexleyheath – There has been reports of scooters causing anti-social behaviour and drug use, area is being targeted with patrols. If you do wish to pass on information to Police then please contact Crime Stoppers on 0800 555111. Please do not hesitate to contact us via Twitter, Facebook, email and the ward phone. Remember in an emergency please dial 999 and 101 for non-urgent reporting". Crayford ward:- "Firstly, we are really pleased to be able to say there have been no burglaries on our ward this week. A padlock was stolen from a gated access to a building site at St Paulinus School overnight Sunday 7th April to Monday 8th April. Number plates were stolen from Woodside Road overnight on Saturday 6th April, number plates AV12BWZ should be on a black Vauxhall Zafira. Two company vehicles were significantly damaged between 21.00 and 22.00 on Thursday 4th April whilst parked to the rear of The Parade, Crayford Way. A male was arrested for assaulting a female member of staff at Tower Retail Park on Thursday 4th April. Between 18.00 on Saturday 23rd March and 06.50 Sunday 24th March a silver Kia had the front number plate (GU58HFW) removed whilst parked in Crayford High Street. A wallet, driving licence, cash and perfume were stolen from a black Mercedes YA17 *** whilst parked overnight at Alcock Crescent, the suspect was seen running to a white Ford Fiesta. At 1am on Monday 8th April a resident in Barnes Cray Road was woken up and realised that their Blue Yamaha XJ6, registration EA60 SOH was being stolen and loaded in to a van. Unable to get any description of the thief or vehicle. There have been a series of thefts of commercial high value recycling bins in Crayford. An eagle-eyed security guard recognised the van involved and called police and a male has now been arrested for these offences". Erith ward:- "Another week in Erith with zero burglaries. We have been talking to shop keepers and asking them to fill out ASB questionnaires so we can get an over view of any issues they may be having. Helped out with a warrant on Northend ward, arranging ward panel dates. If you would like to attend the Erith Ward panel we are looking for new members at the moment please email the Erith team for more information. Crimes of the week of note: Theft of MV Tuesday 02/04/2019, Pier Road; Theft from MV Saturday 06/04/2019, Bramble Croft; Shoplift <£200 Sunday 07/04/2019 supersaver, West Street; Shoplift <£200 Monday 08/04/2019 16:20:00 Screwfix, Fraser Road'. Northumberland Heath ward:- "We have very little to report this week. A couple of motor vehicle crimes reported to us over the last week. Between Friday evening of April 5th and Saturday afternoon of April 6th a number plate was stolen from a motorbike parked in Valence Road. The owner discovered that the chain and lock had been tampered with in an attempt to steal the bike. A Mercedes car was stolen near Carlton Road at 7.40pm on Sunday April 7th. The victim was in the process of selling the vehicle and took a prospective buyer out for a test drive ,along with another male who was with him, with as the victim got out of the vehicle, one of the males drove off in the car towards Bexleyheath. The first male was described as white, approximately twenty years old chubby build wearing jeans and a blue top. The second male was described as white, approximately thirty years old and slim. Another week with no reported burglaries".
The photo above shows a (possibly stolen) Honda scooter found hidden amongst the glass recycling bins in the Council recycling centre behind Erith Morrisons in James Watt Way on Friday evening. Both Erith and Slade Green and Northend Safer Neighbourhood Teams have been informed.
Slade Green and Northend ward:- "On Saturday 06/04/2019 the team (along with help from Erith and North Heath SNT) executed a drugs warrant on the Frobisher Road estate. Unfortunately the suspect we believed to be involved in drug dealing was not present at the time. A thorough search was completed but this time sadly we left empty handed. On Sunday 07/04/2019 between 3pm and 5pm an attempted burglary was reported in Frobisher Road. Entry wasn't gained. Reassurance visits have been carried out to the victims. A possible suspect has been linked to male who has been seen entering Bushey Court sheltered scheme late at night several times in recent weeks. Enquiries are ongoing to try and establish a positive ID. It seems that Catalytic converters being stolen is becoming a growing trend. 2 have been reported in the last few weeks on our ward (Frobisher Road, Howbury Lane) and there have been others reported in neighbouring wards. Although this is a hard one to prevent, if you do become a victim, please ensure it is reported via 101 or online so we can see where patrols may be needed. Our next CCS is on Thursday 18/04/2019 from 3.30pm in Slade Green Library". Thamesmead East ward:- "Motor Vehicle crimes - Between Sunday 5:00pm on Sunday 31/03/19 and Monday 5:30am on Monday 01/04/19 a vehicle parked in Overton Road had a window smashed and money taken .On Tuesday 02/04/19 between the hours of 7:00am and 8:00pm a vehicle parked outside of Dutton House, Southmere Drive had the passenger side wing mirror damaged .Between the hours of 10:00pm on Friday and 5:10am a vehicle parked in Northwood Place had both wing mirrors smashed. Overnight between the hours of 4:00pm of Sunday 07/04/19 and 11:10 am on Monday 08/04/19 a vehicle parked in Holstein Way had the front passenger window smashed, nothing taken. Damage to Property - On Thursday 04/04/19 between the hours of 8:30pm and 8:40pm a property in Overton Road, had a ground floor front window smashed, unknown person/s seen". West Heath ward:- "This week on West Heath Ward some scrap metal was stolen from a shed in Sidmouth Rd on Wednesday 3/4/19 at 4.30pm and there was an attempted burglary in Berkeley Rd where a male was seen on a video doorbell trying cars and front doors at 2.25am on Saturday 6/4/19 (see photo in Borough-wide news above). There was a burglary in Cranbrook Rd on the Monday 8/4/19 between 5.20pm and 9.40pm. Entry was gained by smashing the rear patio doors where an untidy search was carried out and cash and jewellery taken. We have also had an attempted theft of a motorbike in New Rd on the Saturday 6/4/19 at just after midnight, several male were seen trying to cut the security chain. The rear window of a car was smashed in Lenham Rd overnight Tues 3 - Wed 4th April and a male was seen on camera stealing change from an unlocked vehicle in Woolwich Rd in the early hours of Tuesday 9/4/19. Next week's street briefing is in Exmouth Road at 7pm on Saturday 20/4/19".
Singer / songwriter Si Cranstoun has been in the press quite a lot lately; he is shortly to go on tour, and his records have been getting a lot of radio airplay. Industry pundits seem pretty unanimous that he is going to be a major, mainstream star. What is less known is that he and his brother used to busk in Bexleyheath Broadway as "The Dualers". Below is a video from Christmas 2011 which shows Si Cranstoun performing to passing shoppers in Bexleyheath. Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.
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