A 113th birthday.

Some great news to report this week; after a decade of what appeared to be fruitless campaigning, led by local MP Teresa Pearce, it has been announced in the last week that Erith Station is finally very likely to get step free access to the London bound platform, and other accessibility aids for the disabled and those with a child's buggy. The Department of Transport has announced a package worth around £300 million to upgrade a total of 73 stations around the UK in order to meet the requirements of the Government sponsored inclusive transport strategy. In an interview published in the News Shopper and also elsewhere, Transport Accessibility Minister Nusrat Ghani said:- "Transport is vital for connecting people with work, friends and family, but also to enable them to enjoy visiting some of the wonderful cultural, historical and natural sites across the UK. We want the 13.9 million disabled people in Britain to be empowered to travel independently, which is why I am delighted to announce this roll-out of upgrades across the rail network. Over the next five years these newly accessible stations will open up routes across the country, helping us move closer to a transport sector that is truly accessible." As long time readers will be aware, I have been banging on about the need for step - free access to all of Erith Station for many years. Erith is one of the stations that has been nominated for accessibility improvements, and just for once I think it is actually going to happen. If you have any information other than that which has already been published in the press, please let me know; Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

On a far less welcome note, last Wednesday the Commons Select Committee on Crossrail published a damning report on the state of The Crossrail Project, and the way in which the Government must explain exactly who is responsible for the huge time and cost overruns to the project. The Commons Select Committee chair has been quoted as saying of the project:- “Passengers were led to believe they would be able use new Crossrail services through central London from the end of last year. Instead, they have been badly let down by significant delays and cost overruns. It is clear that the delivery deadline of December 2018 had been unrealistic for some time. But the Department for Transport, Transport for London and Crossrail Limited continued to put a positive face on the programme long after mounting evidence should have prompted changes. Wishful thinking is no basis for spending public money and there remain serious risks to delivering this programme, with a revised schedule and costings for completing the work still to be agreed. Some £2.8 billion of extra funding has been provided for Crossrail but even that may not be enough. It is unacceptable that Parliament and the public still do not know the root causes of the failures that beset this project. Nor will we accept the Department and Crossrail Limited’s description of these serious problems as ‘systems failures’. Accountability in the use of public money is of fundamental importance. The Department should write to us urgently to explain what it, Transport for London and Crossrail Limited are responsible and accountable for on this programme, and set out clearly what consequences there have been for well-rewarded officials whose costly failures are paid for by taxpayers.” Quite. The whole project has been a series of unmitigated disasters. 

The Maggot Sandwich has now been online since July 2006; I have published the Blog every Sunday for nearly the last thirteen years without a single miss in all of that time. If you click on the drop down menu produced by the “Blog Archive” button to the lower right of this text, you will see a whole list of previous postings. There are a total of 660 individual blog updates; an average of one per week. I have been going through some of these old articles and have noticed that there are some missing images and broken links. Bearing in mind the age of the articles in question, it is not surprising there is a degree of “link rot”. Images I have embedded from links to other web sites, and links to articles posted online are now sometimes broken, or actually lead somewhere completely different to what I intended. The Blogger platform is not really equipped to monitor and prevent link rot, unlike Word Press, which is designed to always use canonical URL’s. Apologies if you surf around the history of the Maggot Sandwich and discover a faulty posting. To be honest it is now such a huge body of text that it has become practically unfeasible for me to police the content and stop things breaking. This is also one of the reasons that I have not updated the theme I use. If I update the theme, I will find every image on the website shifting to the left of centre. The reason for this is that the theme has a bug; when you embed an image, it appears to the right of centre by a few pixels. I have for ages manually edited the HTML script underlying the page to hack the image back to the centre – I have been doing this for so long that I now barely think about it. Any changes to the theme will correct the bug, and I will have nearly three thousand photos all appearing out of place. In theory I could edit the text an HTML editor, using a search and replace script, but I am certain I would end up breaking things – my HTML skills are pretty limited – I know just enough to get myself into trouble, and not enough to get out of it.

I quite often pass by the piece of overgrown wasteland behind the London South East College -  Bexley in Walnut Tree Road. Bexley Council undertook to clear the land once the final phase of construction of the college had been completed. This has still yet to happen, and the area is absolutely teeming with rats. They often come out of the undergrowth and run along the path to the underpass, and they seem unafraid of people. I realise that destroying their habitat next to the college will only move the vermin elsewhere, but if they are not dealt with, I could see a situation with the college getting rat infested, which would be awful. I was reading an article on the BBC News website some time ago, which got me thinking. People in Cambodia and Vietnam regularly catch rats to be eaten – indeed there is a thriving cottage industry to supply the demand for rat meat.  Bearing in mind the profusion of rats locally, could an ecologically sound solution to the problem be to trap and kill the rats and then sell the meat on to the various fast food places in the area? It is most definitely organic and free range, after all? People already eat Grey Squirrel, which is also defined as vermin, yet they are treated as a minor delicacy, and are available to order in a number of posh restaurants and gastro pubs – and what is a squirrel? A rat with better P.R. I reckon that once seasoned , battered and deep fried, most people would not realise what they were eating was anything other than poultry – Kentucky Fried Rat, anyone? Rat Vindaloo? Shish Rat kebab with chilli sauce, salad and a pitta bread? The options are endless. Bearing in mind that it is said that you are said to be never more than four metres away from a rat when you are in Greater London, it does seem that we could be on the verge of both a culinary and pest control revolution. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The uppermost photo above was sent to me by a regular reader and occasional contributor. It shows the infamous camper van that until recently was parked outside of the main entrance to Erith Hospital for many weeks; I reported last week that the van had finally been moved its owner, who left a pile of human waste on the road in the process. Unfortunately the van owner and his scruffy and untaxed (and thus by definition, uninsured) camper vehicle had not moved far. The van was then parked in Castleton Avenue in Barnehurst, and as you can see from the photograph, the van emitted a river of liquid excrement that was washed down the road. The photographer, along with several other local residents brought the situation to the notice of Bexley Council's Environmental Health Department. The photographer also mentioned in his communication to me that the stink coming from both the van and the gutter was absolutely dreadful. As of Wednesday morning the camper van was gone - and Council contractors Serco had been on the scene to clear up the noxious mess the irresponsible van owner had left behind. On Friday it was reported to me by another regular reader that the van had turned up illegally parked locally for yet another time. On the latest occasion the camper van was spotted (and photographed - see the lower of the three images above - click on any for a larger version) in a car park just off Alsike Road by Argali House in South Thamesmead. I am led to understand that the car park is owned by the Peabody Housing Association. 

The Association of Bexley Charities '78 is holding a Spring Fair at the United Reformed Church, Geddes Place, Bexleyheath DA6 7DJ (near the Broadway Shopping Centre) on Saturday 13th April 2019 from 9.45 am - 1.00 pm. Local charities will be selling, amongst other things, CDs, DVDs, Jewellery, Books, Cakes, Jams, Model Railway accessories, Collectables and Children's Games. Stallholders will include Alzheimer's Society, Bexley Branch; Bexley Downs Syndrome Group; Bexley Smile; Cats Protection, Bexley & District Branch; The Children's Society; Demelza Hospice Care for Children; Irish Community Services; Motor Neurone Disease Association; Dementia Carers Group, Greenwich and Bexley,

It has come to my attention that the planned Erith Fun Day 2019 has been cancelled by the organisers. Quite exactly why this has happened is currently unclear; if a reader has some insight into the unwelcome development, please let me know at the usual address - thanks!

The photos above were taken by me last night at the 113th birthday party for the Carnegie Library in Walnut Tree Road, Erith. Both The Bookstore Cafe and the main hall on the ground floor were filled by visitors, and they were entertained by Don't Problem - a local jazz brass band who were absolutely excellent, very original, and also very loud! It was an amazing evening. You can see a full list of events that are to take place in the former library by clicking here. The Bookstore Cafe is open Wednesday - Friday 8am - 4.30pm; 6 - 10.30pm. Saturday 8.30am - 10.30pm. Sunday 9am - 4pm. It is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Many people may not realise that the cafe and bar is open in the evenings as well as in the daytime. If you fancy an evening socialising locally, I can heartily recommend the place. The Bookstore Cafe has a full drinks licence and serves a number of bottled beers from Bexley Brewery, as well as a range of wines, specialist gins and soft drinks. 

Some readers who have been following the Maggot Sandwich for a long time may recall my account of back in the mid 1980's, when I worked for Sidcup based computer retailer Silica Shop in their outlet in Lion House in Tottenham Court Road, London. I did not realise it at the time, but being involved in the then still relatively fledgeling home computer industry was to influence me to this day, but I digress. One day, I was chatting to two blokes in the Tottenham Court Road store when they invited me to come and visit them in their studio a couple of roads away; during my lunch break I visited the basement in a large and quite impressive stone building. The guys welcomed me into a darkened room filled with cigar smoke and all sorts of high end electronics that I could not identify. They then showed me a few clips – probably not more than thirty seconds of computer animated footage and asked my opinion. I was blown away – it was better than anything I had ever seen (to be truthful, at that point I don’t think I had seen much CGI – it was a very new field back then). After a few minutes chat and a horrid cup of gritty instant coffee I was shown out. I was impressed, but did not know what the footage was for. A few months later I was watching a music programme on TV (It may have been The Tube – I cannot recall) when I mentally stopped in my tracks – the CGI footage was being shown. It was the video for Dire Straits – Money for Nothing. I was gobsmacked – I had seen the making of one of the most famous music videos ever, from a band that were at the time pretty much the biggest on the planet. The video company was - and is called Framestore. They are still one of the market leaders in computer generated imagery for TV and film. The system I had seen being used to make the "Money for Nothing" video was called the Quantel Paintbox; the Quantel Paintbox and its pressure-sensitive stylus were groundbreaking pieces of technology when they were released in 1981, but they had their limitations. The huge 14-inch platter hard drive could store 160MB of data, enough for just over six seconds of video at 25 Frames Per Second. Longer pieces required playing out each frame to tape before wiping the hard drive, a risky process that resulted in staff working eight-hour shifts around the clock to minimise cockups. The Quantel Paintbox and its multi-frame follow up Harry—which could store up to 30 seconds of footage and manipulate multiple frames of animation at once—would come to dominate the TV industry throughout the 1980s and early '90s. Framestore, the company a chap called Mike McGee cofounded with Sir William Sargent in 1986, is the visual effects house behind Walking with Dinosaurs, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Gravity, to name but a few. Framestore's sizeable reputation has seen it expand to New York, Los Angeles, and Montreal, but its home in London remains surprisingly understated. In the 1990's Walking with Dinosaurs was commissioned by the BBC just three years after the 1993 release of Steven Spielberg's groundbreaking Jurassic Park, as part of an ambitious remit to raise the bar in science programming. Jurassic Park cost $63 million to make, and it featured just six minutes of CGI for its two-hour running time. The BBC needed three hours of back-to-back CGI at a fraction of the cost. After looking to the west coast of America to realise its vision, the BBC turned to Framestore and its head of computer graphics Mike Milne. Milne generated three shots showing how, with simple models and natural history filming techniques, the cost of the CGI per second could be brought down. At a total cost £6 million, Walking with Dinosaurs wasn't cheap—it remains the most expensive TV documentary ever produced at a cost of £37,654 per minute—but this was still more cost-effective than anything the US visual effects companies could offer. Following the release of Walking with Dinosaurs in 1999, the series won two BAFTA Awards, three Emmy Awards, and a Peabody Award. It also made Framestore one of the most sought-after visual effects companies in the world. Its work on the TV adaptation of Gulliver's Travels, in which actor Ted Danson was filmed against a blue screen to create a dramatic sense of scale, netted the company a Primetime Emmy award, the first awarded to a company outside of the US. Framestore went on to win an Emmy every year for the next six years for its work on shows like The 10th Kingdom, Walking with Beasts, and The Ballad of Big Al. Numerous BAFTA awards and, finally, an Oscar for "Achievement in Visual Effects" for The Golden Compass followed. Today there are over 18 different departments in a typical visual effects studio. Concept artists and sketchers create the drawings from which 3D artists and animators create digital renderings. A physics team works entirely on simulations that try to replicate the intricate movements of cloth, water, and hair—elements that are extremely time-consuming for animators to recreate. Others work on the fire, smoke, and mists of a digital explosion. A rigging team creates the skeletons for 3D models, giving them the digital muscles they need to move realistically. At the end of it all, sat in pitch-black rooms, are the lighting and digital compositing teams, which take green screen footage of actors and layer it on top of computer-generated backdrops, while lighting artists make sure that every pixel is precisely lit to the director's specifications. When I look back at the handful of scruffy blokes chain smoking and drinking dreadful instant coffee that I encountered when I visited Framestore, I would never have guessed that they would become one of the most important and respected visual effects houses in the world. Below is a short video documentary about the Quantel Paintbox and the machines that eventually succeeded it. Do give it a watch.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly a report from Barnehurst ward:- "Another week has passed on Barnehurst Ward with no burglaries reported. Unfortunately though we have experienced a number of Incidents where vehicles have been targeted. These incidents range from criminal damage to theft from motor vehicles. On Friday 29/03/2019 In Fairford Avenue overnight a window was found smashed and a door to the vehicle had been forced however nothing was taken. In Colyers Lane on Monday 01/04/2019 overnight personal items were stolen from a vehicle, there was no damage caused. There were two further separate Incidents In Northall Road on Monday 01/04/2019, personal items were taken from both vehicles. In Parkside Avenue oil had been thrown over a vehicle, this occurred overnight on Tuesday 02/04/2019. Most recently in Merewood Road, again overnight there was a theft from a motor vehicle with personal items taken. Can we ask Coordinators to spread the word to ensure residents are double checking their vehicles when locking them and not to be leaving valuable items in vehicles even if they are hidden and out of sight. The team have started distributing Smart Water to the residents in Beverley Road. Smart Water is a useful tool to deter burglars and reduce crime. Please join us for our next community contact session at Barnehurst Golf Course on Tuesday 09th April 2019 at 1pm where we are open to discussion and happy to offer crime prevention advice". Belvedere ward:- "There have been reports of ongoing anti - social behaviour (ASB) by a group of teenagers at Asda in Lower Belvedere. The group have been observed being verbally abusive to staff and security guards within the shop, throwing different items around inside the shop, being verbally abusive to customers and also throwing rocks at the front of the shop after being challenged by security staff. Certain members of the group have been overheard in conversation saying the one was in possession of a knife. SNT officers have since visited the store in order to view CCTV images in an attempt to identify those responsible. Over the course of the last week, there have also been reports of a similar nature (youths acting in an anti-social manner) from residents of Coleman Road, Essenden Road and Sainsburys in Nuxley Road. Each of these locations were visited by the team and CCTV viewed. We have ascertained that the same group has been responsible for ASB in each of these areas of the ward. Thus far, we have been able to identify 6 members of the group and are working toward identifying the remaining members – the group were stopped and spoken to by officers on Wednesday and all were searched with a negative outcome. There was a recent burglary in Eardley Road in which it is reported that a group of 5 males were seen to approach a property, gaining entry by forcing the front door open. A substantial amount of money and several items of Asian gold jewellery were then taken from the property before the males left the area in a grey coloured vehicle. Our next Community Contact Session is taking place on Wednesday 10th April at Starbucks, Clydesdale Way from 1pm". Bexleyheath ward:- "The team have been busy increasing Smart Water coverage on the ward. Wenvoe Road almost has full coverage as we are hopeful this will be complete this week. Once we have finished with Wenvoe Road we will be starting Swanbridge Road next, as well as completing street a week on the same road. There has been one Burglary within the last week as this took place at Eskdale Road and occurred in the early hours of Monday 1st April 2019. Unknown suspects have broken into the shed firstly and used a tool from the shed to break into the conservatory. Various items were taken including the occupants vehicle which was also stolen. The team are actively patrolling Drug and Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) areas as stop and searches were conducted at the Marriot hotel car park, as youths were smoking cannabis at the location. We will continue to patrol ASB hotspots as well as increasing our smart water coverage and street a week coverage". Crayford ward:- "Unfortunately we have had two burglaries in Crayford this week. It was noticed that a front door was open in Ridge Way on Sunday 31st March at 10.40 and became evident that the door had been forced open. The house is under renovation and at this time the owner does not know what may have been taken. The other burglary occurred in the early hours of Saturday 30th March in Heathview Avenue, the external lamp was damaged and a blunt instrument was used to force entry in to the property. The resident was away from home and at this time it has not been confirmed what has been stolen. There have been vehicles stolen in the last week. A white Ford Transit, number plate DV62CRK was stolen between 17.10 on Sunday 28th March and 6.30 on Monday 29th March from Bourne Road Trading Estate. A white Mercedes sprinter number plate RV65VXE was stolen from Crayford Way between 16.00 on Sunday 31st March and 07.00 on Monday 1st April. Between 22.00 on Sunday 31st March and 4.40 on Monday 1st April a white Mercedes Sprinter YG65KFF was stolen from Halcot Avenue. On Monday 18th March a Honda was broken in to whilst parked at Century Wharf at Crayford Creek, the lock was broken off the vehicle and a clear footprint could be seen within, items were stolen. On Saturday 30th March at 13.30 it was reported that two Males in a van drove down an alleyway in Eardmont Close and entered a rear garden and took tools and work equipment, this was captured on CCTV. On Sunday 31st March a silver Ford Galaxy Titanium was damaged whilst parked in Iron Mill Lane. Tool marks were seen on the window and the frame bent back, the handle had been forced off. A shed window was broken in Dale Close between Friday 29th March and Monday 1st April, there was no signs of forced entry. A silver Ford Focus was criminally damaged at 00.30 on Tuesday 19th March, it is believed the suspect is known to the victim. On Tuesday 26th March a resident found a large knife hidden in their front garden in Halcot Avenue and handed it in to police. The team have been busy patrolling and several people have been searched for drugs and weapons. Our ward panel meeting took place on Thursday 28th March, the ward promises were set for the next three months. We will continue to deal with Anti-Social behaviour at Town Hall Square and Town Centre and in addition will deal with anti-social behaviour (drugs and alcohol) in Waterside Gardens. We will continue with community engagements and regular patrols. By all means come and speak to us or contact us by telephone or email if you have any concerns that you would like to raise about your neighbourhood. Alternatively Crimestoppers can be contacted on 0800 555 111 should you wish to make police aware of criminal activity anonymously. We will be at Crayford Library on Friday 12th April between 11.00-12.00 for community contact to discuss any concerns you may have and give crime prevention advice". Erith ward:- "First of all Erith SNT has a new full time PC, that takes us up to 2 PCs and 2 PCSOs this is the most we have had this year, Also the brilliant HHW team have signed up another NHW member in Erith . No burglaries this week we are pleased to say due to having a couple over the last few weeks. We have been patrolling the hotspot areas in both uniform and plain clothing, hopefully this has been having an effect. It is not all good new however, we have had a 2 theft from and 2 theft of motor vehicles".

Northumberland Heath ward:- "Another good week with no burglaries reported to us. One theft of a green/silver Kawasaki motorcycle from Parsonage Manorway on Saturday March 30th between 2.15 – 2.30pm. The lock was cut and the remnants of it were left on the victim's drive. Theft of a handbag in Frinsted Road on Monday April 1st between 0925 – 0940am. The passenger window was smashed in order to steal the bag which contained a purse and a mobile phone. Please remember to leave nothing on show when you leave your vehicle unattended and lock any valuables away, better still take them with you. One report of criminal damage to a residential property in Avenue Road on Monday April 1st at 4pm. A group of youths were seen trying to pull a “for sale” sign down, one of the group threw a brick at the window causing damage to brickwork under the front window. One theft of number plates in Avenue Road which took place overnight between Monday April 1st 6pm to Tuesday April 2nd at 09. 30 am when the owner returned to their vehicle to find them missing. We recommend using anti- tamper proof number plate screws, we have a number of kits in our office and are happy to provide them to anyone who would like a pack. One arrest on the team this week for a male in breach of a court order". Slade Green and Northend ward:- "Slade Green Football Club located just off Moat Lane suffered a break in between Tuesday 26th - Thursday 28 March. Entry was forced into the changing rooms but nothing was taken. The football club no longer exists but board members still attend the venue to carry out regular checks. In a similar incident, the changing hut in the park at Hollywood Way had signs of an attempted break in at some time during Saturday 30 - Sunday 31 March. Entry wasn't gained but the team are doing regular patrols of these locations and others where there are similar buildings. An intruder has been gaining access to Bushey Court Sheltered scheme in Hazel Road at very odd hours. It is usually after 3am where he stays in the lounge area for a few hours before leaving. He gets in using a fire drop key but last week forced a door to get in. It isn't happening daily but we have good CCTV images of the male. Nothing is taken or damaged while he is there but reassurance visits and patrols are being made in the scheme. 1 positive stop and search this week. In Rainbow Road a male was found to be in possession of cannabis and is due back very soon for interview". Thamesmead East ward:- "Good News - A suspect who left behind property which was used to cause criminal has had said property sent for forensic examination - suspect awaits interview. A male currently in prison for motor vehicle crimes will be attending court whilst serving sentence - for similar offences to be taken into consideration". West Heath ward:- "West Heath have had 7 motor vehicle crime between 27th March and 4th April. Three vehicles were damaged, a vehicles windscreen and passenger window were smashed in Hythe Avenue on Wednesday 27th March, another vehicle's tyres were damaged overnight on Saturday 30th March in Axminster Crescent and another vehicles' passenger window was smashed in Chessington Avenue in the early hours of Friday 29th - Saturday 30th March. A vehicle was stolen from Shakespeare Rd overnight 29th - 30th March between 6.30pm and 7.30am and a Motability vehicle was stolen from Abbots Walk overnight Saturday 30th - Sunday 31st March without use of the key. In Amberley Road some aftershave and small change was stolen from a vehicle whilst on the driveway on Saturday 31st March between half past midnight and 1150am. There was also a theft in a dwelling in Stapleton Road where a watch was taken on Wednesday 27th March. Our last Street briefing held on Friday 29th March in the Hurst Estate raised several issues of suspicious activities for ward officers to address including a male sleeping in a Van".

The end video this week is a bit of a departure; it is a US History Channel documentary from some years ago which features the story of seafarer and explorer Alexander Selkirk. April 2019 marks the 300th anniversary of the publication of Daniel Defoe’s world-famous story of Robinson Crusoe. The real life inspiration for this tale was Alexander Selkirk and, after years of being cast away on a remote desert island, he first set foot back on home soil at Erith. 

Erith Fun Day 2017.

The photos above were taken by me yesterday at the 2017 Erith Fun Day, which took place on the large field that is located behind Erith Leisure Centre. The event was bigger than last year; I would estimate that it was approximately one third larger in terms of both the number of stalls and the number of attendees. The weather was overcast, and there were occasional showers of rain, but overall not too bad for a British Summer. Some people say that Erith has no sense of community; I would beg to differ - the Fun Day shows just how much a sense of community that the local area has. The event grows bigger by the year, and the number of voluntary groups represented carries on increasing, which can only be a good thing.

Following the recent problems with illegal bikers in the area, it is interesting to see that a precedent may now have been set in the way that criminal bikers and scooterists are dealt with under the law; On Tuesday you may have  seen that the BBC News website covered a story about a large group of over 100 illegal bikers, who on the 31st October last year, rode through Leeds town centre on pavements and through pedestrianised areas, causing alarm amongst local pedestrians. The organiser of the huge event was a scumbag called David Armitage, who was actually not one of the participants, but nevertheless due to his setting up of the event on social media and promoting the whole illegal enterprise, was sentenced to two years in jail for the offence. Another twelve riders who took place in the large scale disturbance were sentenced to between twelve and fourteen months in jail. The judge said their actions on 31 October could "not be tolerated". Armitage, 26, had been filmed on 31 October telling riders to "shut down" the city centre. Jailing him for two years, Judge Geoffrey Marson QC said: "This is a case which calls for a deterrent sentence. Behaviour of this sort, having serious effects on this city, cannot be tolerated.". This kind of robust policing and subsequent sentencing is precisely what The London Borough of Bexley and other London boroughs really require. At present the “softly softly” approach has proved ineffective, and from the dialogue I had with the Borough Commander of Dagenham and Redbridge Police during the radio discussion programme I was a contributor to last week, it is clear that stronger measures are to be taken to combat illegal riders in and around London in future; it may well be where Leeds leads, London will follow. More on this issue in the weeks to come.

The leaflet shown above was distributed around parts of Slade Green and Erith at the beginning of last week; As you can see, it contains some very alarming and serious claims. Many people who were in receipt of the leaflet have been extremely worried about its contents. I have been in discussion with fellow local blogger Malcolm Knight of the excellent Bexley is Bonkers about the situation, and he posted his thoughts on Wednesday after I forwarded him scans of the leaflet. Malcolm has the freedom to post multiple times in the week, whereas the Maggot Sandwich has a set publication date of early on Sunday afternoons. Malcolm and I have both investigated the lurid claims made in the leaflet, and have jointly come to the conclusion that they are for the most part pretty far – fetched. I have had private words with a number of people involved with the Bexley Regeneration Consultation Project, and off the record it has been said that it is pretty much a “sticking a finger in the air” exercise at present, and that a lot of the suggestions included in the report will never see the light of day. The much touted extension to the Crossrail development that Bexley Council seem to regard as almost a done deal is actually very far from it. An extension would require a new Act of Parliament, and a very substantial fresh investment; since the whole Paramount London Theme Park is now very much in doubt due to the withdrawal of Paramount from the project in the last couple of weeks, the motivation to extend the line from Abbey Wood as far as the Swanscombe Peninsula is now no done deal. More on this issue below. The London Borough of Bexley does have ambitious and far reaching aspirations regarding their thirty year plan for the development of the borough, but the classic impediments of lack of money and inertia from local stakeholders usually mean that few long term projects ever seem to amount to anything. I note that a number of aspirational projects have been outlined, not least the proposed tram / trolley bus system which would purportedly run through Erith to Dartford via James Watt Way / Crescent Road and then on  through what was the historic industrial railway route which ran under the Appold Street Bridge, and then Eastwards, following the River Thames towards Dartford. If this was run using zero emissions transportation technology, it could be an interesting new travel system – and one of particular appeal to me, as it would run past the bottom of my garden. Having said that, I really would not hold your breath, as the chances of it actually happening are in my opinion vanishingly small. The situation regarding the development of the planned £3.2 billion entertainment resort on the Swanscombe Peninsula has taken an unexpected turn after Paramount recently pulled out of the development; it was anticipated by many observers that the development would be put on hold for a period whilst a new brand partner was sourced, but on Wednesday of last week, London Resort Company Holdings has announced a “Memorandum of Understanding” with Port of Tilbury London Limited to use the port and its facilities as a main location for storing and barge operations in the construction phase of the park. This signals that the development is to go ahead as originally planned, just without the involvement of Paramount. This may be for one of two specific reasons; either London Resort Company Holdings have as I suggested recently, already found a new theme partner in another studio, or, more worryingly they are now gambling on another partner coming along during the build phase, or they are now planning on “going it alone” without a theme partner at all. I feel that if the third option turns out to be the case, then it would be a recipe for disaster, as I have previously written. Nevertheless the developers seem to be optimistic; in an interview with the News Shopper, Charles Hammond, Group Chief Executive from Forth Ports, owners of the Port of Tilbury, said: “The Port of Tilbury is ideally located as a hub for LRCH’s proposed major construction project in Kent. At Tilbury we are committed to encouraging the increased use of the River Thames for major construction projects. By using the River Thames, there is not only a reduction in the road miles impact but it also helps to reduce congestion on the road network. At Tilbury, LRCH will benefit from our expertise in warehouse consolidation, handling services as well as water-borne transportation.” The £3.2 billion park is aiming to open doors in 2022 and submit for planning permission later this year. If planning is granted the project will create 33,000 jobs during construction and operation. The park expects to receive approximately 15 million visitors per year. Time will tell.

I took the photo above yesterday afternoon in Manor Road; it shows one of the newest Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 Series 2 double deck bus that operates on the 99 route between Woolwich and Bexleyheath. The bus in question had recently broken down; you can see the driver on his mobile phone, calling the depot for a repair engineer. The passengers had been picked up by a following 99 bus. I understand that some of these new buses have problems with their zero emission Stop / Start systems, which use a large flywheel to store energy whilst stationary. Whether this was the problem with the bus photographed, I really don't know. More on local buses a bit later on.

I have been trying to find out what has happened to local eel fisherman Dave Pearce, who used to operate his eel fishing business out of a small boat which used to be moored on a buoy off Erith Jetty; I have heard nothing from him since his last posting online, which was in November 2013. It is been silent since then. I wonder if the last eel fisherman on the River Thames has now retired? Back in 1981 there were around thirty eel fishermen, over half of whom made a living from fishing in the river Thames off Erith. The irony is that eels have become rarer, and their price has subsequently risen to the point that nowadays very few traditional pie and mash shops sell jellied or stewed eels, as they have become too expensive for their main customers, who often are retired people on a budget. Several recent TV cooking shows have given the impression that eating eels is moving upmarket, and that smoking and barbecuing the fish is becoming increasingly popular. Bearing in mind how eel fishing has formed part of the historical culture of Erith, it is remarkable just how little the humble eel is celebrated locally. Perhaps something roughly analogous to the Whitstable Oyster Festival could be set up in Erith? After all, the Oyster Festival has been tremendously successful and brings visitors and business to Whitstable, to the point where it is now the commercial and social highlight of the year. Perhaps something like it could be established for an "Erith Eel Extravaganza" could be set up? What do you think? Over a decade ago, we had an Erith Multicultural Festival, which involved lots of food stalls along the high Street, and dragon boat races on the river, along with a big firework display in the evening. Perhaps an "Erith Eel Extravaganza" could be organised along similar lines? I concede that we might have a bit of an image problem; you think of oysters and you think of James Bond, whereas when you think of eels, you think of Alf Garnett. Eels have been a working class staple food since Roman times, and ironically until relatively recently, so were oysters, but overfishing of oysters caused them to become rare, and consequently they went up market – exactly the same thing is happening to the humble eel nowadays. Is the time right for an eel revival and a new image? Should Erith be nailing eels to the mast (poor analogy, but you see where this is going). Should we be celebrating the Erith eel, or is it just a sad footnote in history? What do you think? Do give me your feedback; you can comment below, or Email me to hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association have published the following reports on local crime and community safety issues this week:- “Please be advised that the RSPCA will be going door to door within Bexley borough fundraising until 30th July. Always check charity collectors identification before passing on your contact details. If in doubt, contact the RSPCA directly rather than relying on a contact number that the collector may give you. Thanks to Senior Engineer Graham Wood at London Borough of Bexley for the advance notice of upcoming re-surfacing works on the North Cray Road starting 20th July. With the increase in motorbike and scooter theft in the Borough, the following link to the Met's website highlights the 'Be Safe' initiative to help combat such crime and help owners reduce the chance of becoming the next victim. From the Barnehurst Safer Neighbourhoods Police Team:- “Sadly we have had a burglary reported in Westfield Road, Barnehurst. Entry was gained to a house via the front UPVC door which was NOT double locked. Please make sure that you lift the handle to engage the locking system and lock with the key. If it’s not double locked then it’s NOT locked and will take a burglar just seconds to open the door. We welcomed the Barnehurst Beavers to the police station on Wednesday evening, they learnt about what the police do and got to examine some of our equipment as well as having a tour around our custody suite. The evening finished with the taking of fingerprints and an interesting question and answer session. A big Thank you to East Wickham and St Michaels SNT for their assistance. We now have 235 followers on our twitter account, thank you for your support, we would like more, please follow us @MPSBarnehurst for updates regarding what the team are up to and crime prevention advice”. From the Belvedere team:- “This week the team held a meeting at the Recycling Centre, Norman Road with representatives from Bexley Council Roads, ASB Team, local Councillor and the Roads Traffic Policing team. The issue of nuisance motorbikes using the road as a race track is causing major issues for the recycling centre. They gather en-masse and basically block the road. The purpose of the meeting was to try and come up with plans on how to deal with this issue jointly with Bexley Council, the Police and the Recycling Centre. Overall it was a productive meeting and we will be implementing the ideas in the coming weeks to try and put a stop to this problem. The team also had a meeting with the Bexley Council ASB officers with regards to the issue of street drinking on Picardy Street. As with the Norman Road issue, we will be working with the local council to try and curb the nuisance this is causing. We have recently received several neighbour dispute reports in various places on the ward. All we ask is that, if neighbours don’t like each other, just ignore and move on. A lot of people are becoming fixated with each other which is making the issues worse. Mediation is a good way forward, or just simply sitting down together and talking things through calmly. Unfortunately the latter is becoming a thing of the past. Our next Police surgery will be at ASDA, Lower Road on 18/07/17 at 17:00.” From the Erith Safer Neighbourhood Team:- "A female was arrested and charged for shoplifting goods worth £288.00 from Matalan Store, Riverside shopping Centre. A male was stopped and searched in Avenue Road and found to be in possession of Cannabis. Prolific shoplifter has been arrested, charged and sentenced to four months for stealing goods to the value of £100.00 from Argos, Riverside shopping Centre. PC Brown arrested a male wanted for failing to appear at court for Theft of a Motor Vehicle. The team have recruited four Ward Panel members and eleven potential Neighbourhood Watch Coordinators. Talks have been given by PC Couzens to the students at Christchurch School and the Rainbows. PCSO Winch has attended the summer fete at St Augustine Church along with Northend Ward. PC’s Brown and  Couzens have been conducting arrest enquiries at various addresses to trace wanted offenders. A female suffered a cardiac arrest while at the Riverside Shopping Centre. She was promptly and fortunately treated by an off duty nurse and cardiologist before PC Couzens assisted in transporting the patient to hospital where we understand that she is currently recovering. There have been two theft of number plates from motor vehicles, one in Bexley Road the other in Francis Road". The Thamesmead East Team report:- “Our Ward Panel meeting was held on Wednesday 5th July, Priorities agreed by the members are, Drug Abuse, Motor Vehicle are Anti- Social Behaviour. Promises agreed by the members are, Fly- Tipping, Engagement with youth/elderly and recruiting Neighbourhood Watch members. Local Ward Officers attended the Atrium Community Centre, Middle Way for the reopening of the Over 50s Hub. While on routine patrol, PC Nana and PC Pruden discovered a stolen motor vehicle parked up in Thamesbank Place. It had been reported stolen in March 2017 from the Lewisham area. The victim was updated, and the vehicle was recovered to Charlton Car Pound re forensics. Male arrested for a number of theft offences was sentenced to prison for 16 weeks. After the team conducted extensive CCTV enquiries regarding an assaulted that occurred in May 2017, a male has been charged with Actual Bodily Harm, and will appear at Court next month".

I have been sitting on a particular story for a while, as I was unable to get it properly verified by an independent source. It turns out that the story was true, and has now broken on several local news outlets. Extreme right wing group Britain First has been holding martial arts training sessions in the Erith Leisure Centre in Avenue Road. The racist, anti-pretty much everything group – who aspire to many of the same hateful ideologies as the jailed Joshua Bonehill (of whom I have written extensively in the past) have been using Erith Leisure Centre for “training” sessions for a while now. I am led to believe that the members of Britain First masqueraded as employees of a security company on a series of training days. The former leader of Britain First, a very unsavoury sounding chap called Paul Golding was jailed last year after he contravened a court order forbidding him from approaching every Mosque in England and Wales, when he organised a mass invasion of a mosque. As well as being banned from all mosques himself he was also prohibited from encouraging others to do so under the terms of the court order.  Nine days after the injunction - which prohibited entering any mosque in England and Wales without prior invitation – and was imposed in August last year, Golding drove four Britain First members to the Al-Manar Centre in Cardiff for a "mosque invasion". He ended up being sent to prison for a month as a result. The same group of bigoted individuals have been learning hand to hand combat locally in the sports centre; their publicity material states that disciplines taught include “Martial Arts, Krav Maga, close protection, knife defence and much more.” It was accompanied by fifteen  images showing mostly middle aged men, learning techniques as well as one posed shot with eight men standing arms crossed and looking at the camera.  Mr Golding, who was a Swanley town councillor for the British National Party from 2009 to 2011, appears to be among the men in the pictures. I understand that a member of the public alerted Parkwood Leisure, the company that operates Erith Leisure Centre on behalf of Bexley Council, and they then took action to prevent Britain First using the facility. I am not surprised that this ultra – right wing hate party chose to operate under the radar in the local area; I am sure that many would not wish Erith to be associated with such individuals.

Changes are being proposed to the bus services in parts of The London Borough of Bexley; Transport for London (TfL) have made the following announcement:- "The Elizabeth line serves Abbey Wood and Woolwich from December 2018. We have reviewed bus routes serving Abbey Wood and Woolwich, looking at how the introduction of the Elizabeth line will impact travel habits, the overall bus demand in the area as well as and other factors such as new developments. As a result, we are proposing to introduce a new bus route – numbered route 301 – and make some changes to routes 129, 161, 178, 180, 244, 291, 469, 472 and B11. Our proposals range in scale depending on the route to help us better match future demand with space available on the bus.  Our review of bus services in Abbey Wood, Woolwich and the surrounding areas has identified places where demand is likely to change following the introduction of the Elizabeth line, as well as areas that have no direct bus link to the new Elizabeth line stations at present. We are proposing to make the changes outlined above in response to this. The current bus links between Bexleyheath and Abbey Wood on routes B11 and 229 follow an indirect routing. The introduction of route 301 would provide a high frequency, direct route, saving 10 minutes journey time compared to route 229 and seven minutes compared to route B11. In addition, it would create new bus links from the south-eastern section of Long Lane where there is currently no direct bus service to Abbey Wood – an estimated 1200 households would gain a direct connection. Although we would be reducing the frequency of route B11, by introducing route 301 there would be an extra 4 buses an hour to the south of Abbey Wood on Brampton Road and Long Lane, while maintaining sufficient capacity elsewhere on route B11 such as the Hillsgrove Estate. With extra capacity between Abbey Wood and Thamesmead via Bentham Road provided by route 301 and the conversion of route 244 to double deck buses, it would no longer be necessary for route B11 to serve Thamesmead town centre. Shortening route B11 so that it terminates at Yarnton Way should help to improve the reliability of the route over the remaining section. However this change would mean that customers who use route B11 to travel from Harrow Manor Way and Thamesmead to areas to the south and east of Abbey Wood would need to change buses to complete their journey. Route 472 currently provides the main connection between Thamesmead, Woolwich and North Greenwich. Once the Elizabeth line is running, we expect less people to travel by bus across Woolwich from Thamesmead to North Greenwich. The proposed frequency reduction of the 472 reflects this. Even with this reduction of frequency, the introduction of route 301 would mean that the number of buses between Thamesmead and Woolwich would stay about the same as they are now. Similarly, the proposed diversion of route 180 to North Greenwich would mean that the total number of buses travelling between Woolwich and North Greenwich would remain broadly the same. Diverting route 472 to run via Western Way would shorten journey times between Thamesmead and Woolwich by around two minutes compared to the current routing via Nathan Way, which would served by route 301 instead. Extending route 472 to Abbey Wood station would create new links to North Greenwich from Abbey Wood and South Thamesmead. It would also provide an increase in capacity between the eastern side of Thamesmead and Abbey Wood, which would help to relieve crowding on route 229. South east of Abbey Wood on the Woolwich Road corridor, route 99 would provide a link to the Elizabeth line at Woolwich. Diverting route 469 so that it serves Woolwich Road would create a more convenient connection to the Elizabeth line at Abbey Wood station, and at the same time free up capacity on route 99. Customers who currently use the 469 to travel from Abbey Road to areas west of Abbey Wood each day would need to use route 229 instead and change at Abbey Wood. Extending route 180 to The Quarry, Erith would mean there are three bus routes running on the Erith, West Street – Abbey Wood corridor which would help to ensure there would be no capacity issues on Abbey Road or Woolwich Road. It would provide new links from the industrial areas on Church Manor Way and the new Quarry development to the Elizabeth line. These changes would mean that route 180 would no longer serve Fisher’s Way. At the other end of route 180, diverting the route to North Greenwich would mean that some passengers would have to change buses to complete their current journey. Most of these journeys are travelling to and from Lewisham and Greenwich town centres, where there are interchange options with other high frequency bus services". What do you think of the proposed changes? Do they affect you in a positive or negative way? Leave your comments below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The Riverside Fish and Steak restaurant in the Erith Riverside Shopping Centre continues to get rave reviews from diners; Comments left on review site Trip Advisor include:- “This must have been the fifth or sixth time we have eaten in this restaurant since it opened. The restaurant and toilets are always spotless and the service which may not be the fastest is always good and attentive. The menu is varied, tasty and good value for money. This restaurant is just consistently good with the standards set across the board in the beginning never wavering or faltering”. Another satisfied customer wrote:- “Visited this great little eatery with my wife. Had rib eye with rice and the missus had the same with cheesy chips. Great menu choices for fish, meat and other options. Very well priced. Very attentive young lady who happily would pour your drinks at the table or leave you to your own if wished. Really diverse choice of drinks for the size of establishment and reasonably priced. Food quality was outstanding. Thoroughly recommend and will be back. Long overdue in the area. Well done”. A third commented:- “A much needed local eatery. New and very clean. This unit is both a restaurant and a takeaway, but don't be misled, the restaurant is not just a few tables in a takeaway. The menu is not extensive but is very focus see on simple whether you order fried fish, grilled fish or grilled steaks they are always good. Just like the food there is a simple wine list. Since opening in late in 2016 we now go there at least once a fortnight. Whilst I have the superb grilled fish my wife often has the lunchtime menu in the evening (nothing seems to be too much trouble)”. It is great to see a new and innovative restaurant making such a favourable impression on local diners. For too many years, Erith has been a “ dormitory town” – local residents have had to travel to Upper Belvedere, Northumberland Heath or Bexleyheath if they wanted to go out for an evening meal that did not involve McDonald’s or KFC. The team behind Erith Riverside Fish and Steak have certainly made a destination venue; we just need several more such eateries and a decent pub in the town (I don’t count The Running Horses, as it is a sad shadow of its former self, and desperately needs to be taken over by a new owner with money to invest in the place). What would you like to see in the area and why? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The end video this week shows further work on the Crossrail development, specifically the final journey of the Plumstead based tunnel concreting machine, now that it has completed its work. Do give the short video a watch and let me know what you think.

Fly grazing.

The photo above shows the traveller pony that has been resident on the small parcel of land that occupies the area between the end of James Watt Way and the Thames riverside pathway behind Morrison’s in Erith. One or more ponies have been kept on this piece of land for a number of years now. The owner of the land seems to be happy with the arrangement, and no laws have been broken. That is, until recently. Over the last two weeks the pony has escaped from the enclosure twice, causing a Police incident in both instances. On the most recent occasion it ran up Appold Street and had to be headed off before it got into the very busy Manor Road, with fast moving heavy vehicles and regular double decker 99 buses. The problem seems to be that the fence surrounding part of the pony’s enclosure is in a very poor state of repair, and it has been relatively easy for the animal to escape. The police are eager to speak to the owners of the pony, but as far as I am aware, they are having trouble locating or contacting them. The practice of “fly-grazing” has become increasingly common both in the local area, and also around the country. Thousands of horses and ponies are being abandoned by their erstwhile owners as irresponsible breeding, spiralling bills and sale prices which have reached rock bottom take their toll. A pony can fetch as little as £5 at auction – if it sells at all, whilst stable costs, feed and vets bills can amount to around £100 per week per animal. The six main horse welfare charities have come together to compile a report on the situation; it would also appear that the European appetite for horse meat may be fuelling the situation – a £5 pony can turn into a £230 carcass on the European meat market. It may be that ponies are actually being farmed for live export to France, Belgium and Italy. The RSPCA have called for legislation that will enable them to more quickly identify owners and punish them with fines and the seizure of animals for fly-grazing. They also want a review of agreements allowing the free movement of horses not intended for slaughter between Britain, Ireland and France. The British horse population is thought to be just under one million animals in size. The vast majority are owned privately for leisure – a sector which, unlike the horse racing industry, is not tightly regulated. I know that whenever travellers put one or more ponies on the waste land, the ponies become an attraction for parents and childminders looking after small children – the animals end up getting fat, as they have a seemingly non ending series of treats given to them by their small visitors.

Back in 1939, Burton’s opened a bespoke tailors shop at 82 - 84 Erith High Street, where you could get a custom made suit for 45 shillings (£2.50 equivalent). Local Historian Ken Chamberlain has memories of the place being extremely impressive, and sent me the advert a while back, with the very dashing looking chap in the photo above - click on the image for a larger view. I notice that the sharp styling is heavily influenced by American fashions of the time – wide shoulders and a narrow waist – a look that featured in many period gangster movies which were very popular then. Montague Burton was the head of what became the biggest bespoke tailoring business in the world. He was born Meshe David Osinky in the pogrom-ravaged Russian province of Kovno (now part of Lithuania) in 1885, to turn up alone in Yorkshire with only a few words of English at the age of 15. In Tsarist Russia, where Jews had been largely confined to the zone known as the Pale of Settlement and restricted there to making a hard living from trades such as tailoring, cobbling and cabinet making. Of the 150,000 to 200,000 Jews who fled to Britain between 1881 and 1914, many simply transferred their skills to the sweatshops of London; others, however, settled near the Yorkshire wool industry, where a Methodist tailor, Joseph Hepworth, had begun to sell his wares directly from his Leeds factory to the public through a chain of ready-made clothes shops. Osinky/Burton wasn’t the only trader to take the idea an important stage further by adding a bespoke alternative to the suit on the hanger. Nor was he the cheapest; by the 1920s plenty of tailors were offering suits priced in shillings – “the 30-bob suit” – and not guineas. But no rival had his dedication to organisation, salesmanship and publicity. He transformed the look of the nation. In 1960, the peak year of Burton's output, the company turned out 1,739,397 made-to-measure garments that, when jackets and trousers were put together, and omitting a few waistcoats from the picture, became roughly equivalent to 850,000 men’s suits. In terms of employment, it was among Britain’s six biggest companies. No other business in the world had a bigger chain of textile shops – Burton’s had around 600 – and few shops of any kind were as distinct in their appearance. Ranked by facades that descended in importance from Portland stone through polished granite to white terracotta, they stood out among the jumbled Victorian architecture of industrial Britain like beacons of modernity. Many are now listed buildings. One or two still house the billiard halls that the teetotal Montague Burton liked to house above his shops, in the belief that they kept young men from drinking. Burton was knighted in 1933, and his empire survived for another two or three decades after his death in 1952 and then, after diversifications into women’s wear and the merciless assault of jeans, it began to crumble. Today, the Topman chain is the Burton family’s last significant legacy in retail.

You may have seen a few mentions in the business press recently of rumours that the Daily Mail is in talks to buy veteran Internet company Yahoo! I was intrigued by this, and have been doing some digging. The potential link up between the mid-market tabloid newspaper and the former search and web content giant does not seem an obvious one. The Daily Mail wants to break into the North American market, and needs a means of doing so, though one analyst has likened the potential purchase of Yahoo! To the tying of two bricks together to see if they will now help each other float. Having said that, in the context of the UK, the Mail does better than all the other newspapers, at this, but not as well as Yahoo – so it is no rescue. This is more a case of buying Yahoo to get a foot in the US and some help with online content, when in fact Yahoo in the US is considered weak in these respects. It is a shadow of its former self – back in the early days of the World Wide Web, the Yahoo! Search engine and content portal was a world leader. The smart money is that Yahoo! Will not exist in name form by the end of this year, but instead will be subsumed into either the Daily Mail, or another media organisation. If this does happen, it is quite likely that Yahoo! Mail and Flickr may be sold off to a third party, which might cause worry for long – time users of those services.

In a related story, web researchers have been investigating some statistics regarding the average memory size of modern web pages; their results are astonishing. The average web page is now roughly the same size as the full install image for the pioneering first person shoot - em - up DOS game Doom from back in 1993, which weighed in at roughly 2.3Mb. Most of the web page bloat is due to images, which take up on average 1,463KB of data. Next is script code, which occupies 360KB, followed by video, averaging 200KB per page. If you are familiar with the classic video game Doom, you may recall that Doom is a multi-level first person shooter that ships with an advanced 3D rendering engine and multiple levels, each comprised of maps, sprites and sound effects. By comparison, 2016's web struggles to deliver a page of web content in the same size. If that doesn't give you pause for thought, then you are missing something. I suppose that one also needs to factor in that we are no longer living in a world of PCs with 4MB of RAM, 33MHz processors, text-only bulletin boards, and 33 kbps modems – everything is scaled up, including the complexity and size of internet downloads. The world has moved on, and technology with it. More information has been created and stored in the last twenty years than in the whole of human history before it. Information technology has changed the world far more than we are really aware of.

Pewty Acres is currently undergoing a substantial refit; the front bedroom is currently in the process of being gutted; I had a manky old white melamine wardrobe which has been slowly disintegrating over the last few years. It has now been dismantled (though “demolished” would be a more accurate description). The bedroom is now going to be repainted, a new fitted wardrobe installed, along with a new bed and mattress. I have managed to source all of the labour and bedroom goods from independent local companies at little more cost had I gone to one of the large chain stores usually located on retail parks and that advertise heavily on TV. On top of this, the quality of the mass produced stuff (usually made in Chinese sweatshops) is not a patch on the local stuff, and you get a far superior level of customer service. I have a policy of always using local independent suppliers whenever possible. It does not usually mean more expense, and it keeps the money in the local economy rather than going to some faceless private equity company or investment bank.

House prices are increasing all round London and the South East. I do get to wonder how much longer that they can continue to spiral upwards. The housing charity Shelter has been carrying out research on the subject; it found that house prices in Greater London are currently rising at a rate fifteen times greater than wage rises. Normally this would be called a housing bubble, and it would burst fairly quickly as property became unaffordable and the market stabilised itself. This looks unlikely in the present environment, as much of the property purchasing being undertaken is not by local people, but by foreign investors. London is a great place for foreign investors to stash their cash in the form of real estate. Whatever else we may be, the country is stable, has the rule of law, and a rock solid banking system. Wealthy people can invest in the certain knowledge that their cash will not go missing courtesy of a bent banker, or a despotic politician. In a way this has made the situation for local people worse. Money is flowing out of restrictive regimes such as China and Russia and into UK banks via property developers. It may be good for the balance of payments of the country, but it is terrible news for the average person trying to get on the property ladder. Because the money is mainly coming from abroad, the housing bubble is far less likely to burst in the near future. Property is being purchased by wealthy foreign investors in an effort to get their money out of their own country and converted into a resource which they deem likely to be a better investment than stocks and shares, and is a lot less heavily regulated. The imminent arrival of Crossrail and the opening of the Paramount London theme park will only make this situation worse for any local person looking to buy a property to live in. The number of high – end houses and flats that have been bought by vacant owners and left standing empty as an investment is huge. It does nothing to alleviate the housing crisis and in reality causes heartache for many.

Several of the tabloid newspapers got themselves very worked up earlier in the week with something that to be honest in my opinion they made out of pretty much nothing, in what appears to be a classic case of "never let the facts get in the way of a good story". On Tuesday the Daily Star published a story about how a UFO had been spotted on a live video feed from the International Space Station, and that when NASA official realised, they cut the video feed to the public.  The Star wrote "Shocking footage – broadcast live by NASA – shows a blurry, apparently diamond-shaped object near the space station in orbit above Earth. But as the object appears to be coming closer and into focus the live feed is cut. The bombshell video has sent conspiracy theorists and UFO hunters into meltdown. Though far off, the object looks huge and appears to be flying high over the rotating Earth below. It seems to be getting larger and larger as the video continues – until the screen suddenly turns blue. When the feed restarts it is of a different angle, showing the space station – where British astronaut Tim Peake is right now. But if the change of shot was supposed to hush up the “alien spacecraft” it failed – as the object is still visible in the background". So NASA are part of a global conspiracy and cover up? - NASA has enough money to pay someone to watch the feed, their hand hovering over a giant "SHUT IT ALL DOWN" button. They don't. NASA knows they might have something to hide, so DOESN'T delay the live stream by one minute in case "Hey, aliens wandered into the frame, let's just static out those seconds and go oops, technical difficulties". The aliens are intelligent enough to travel between worlds but aren't smart enough to hide from a camera that NASA could have told them, in advance, that they were pointing in this one place - after all space is very big. None of the other observation devices pointed randomly at the sky (including people observing the ISS through their amateur telescopes and remote cameras, as people are want to do) saw this. The EU, Russians, Chinese and Indians with all their hardware and observation technology (none of whom save possibly the EU have any incentive to cooperate with the US and would, in fact, leap at the chance to discredit and shame them) didn't see it either. The "UFO" is almost certainly an internal reflection on the porthole that the camera was looking through. The "object is blurry, and would appear to be outside of the camera's depth of field setting, which seems to be set at infinity, as the Earth is in good focus. Logically that would mean that the object was small, and very close to the camera. Either way it is extremely unlikely to be anything of any consequence. Also the "NASA cut - off" was nothing of the sort. The International Space Station uses a series of communication satellites to beam its transmissions back to Earth, every few minutes it "hands over" from one satellite to another as the ISS orbits the Earth - in the same way as a mobile phone switches between cells as it moves around. This causes the signal from the ISS to drop for a couple of seconds, it is certainly not anything in any way suspicious. It merely shows an example of ill - informed and poorly researched journalism. Still, the Daily Mail not long ago featured a "story" about a "ghost child" climbing on a parked car outside of someone's house. The "chilling video" which was shown was taken from the house owners CCTV system. What it actually showed was a spider weaving a web over the camera lens. As anyone who has a domestic CCTV system will know, spiders are attracted to the infra red LED lights that typical CCTV cameras use at night. Nothing supernatural, just a straightforward spider looking for a home. As I mentioned earlier, certain newspapers don't let the facts get in the way of a good story.

Erith Fun Day is set for a new venue this year. For the last couple of years the well - supported local event has been held in Erith Riverside Gardens, but this year it is moving to the recreation ground at Erith Sports Centre. I understand the reason for this is they expect a larger number of stall holders, and the ground offers a larger amount of space. I am in two minds about this - the new venue will be closer to the large number of residents of the Erith Park development, which is virtually next door, but it is a less central venue that the much loved Erith Riverside Gardens. I think we will just have to wait and see how it turns out. I always look forward to the Fun Day. It is taking place on Saturday the 9th of July. You can see further details by clicking here. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below, or by Emailing hugh.neal@gmail.com.

I have read quite widely that Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife are quite partial to a curry. It has been reported in the press that the prime minister even pledged to protect the struggling £4.2bn curry industry, which employs 100,000 people, at the British Curry awards in 2013. He said he would “get the skilled Asian chefs you need” to the UK, while the home secretary, Theresa May, has admitted that curry chefs are a shortage occupation. This shortage has been caused by increasingly tough immigration rules, so that restaurants are unable to hire the skilled chefs they need. This makes it difficult for these businesses to grow, while restaurants are unable to provide adequate customer service levels or fulfil orders. If the problem was acute when Cameron made that pledge, it is now a full-blown crisis. Around six hundred curry restaurants have closed in the past eighteen months, while there are fears that a further four thousand – about a third of the industry – could shut. Current immigration rules stipulate that a chef from outside the UK must be paid £29,570, after deductions for accommodation and meals, which is too expensive for most curry restaurants. Moreover, the jobs cannot be in a restaurant with a takeaway service, which most curry houses rely upon. Several schemes have been set up to teach people unfamiliar with Indian food how to cook and serve it in a restaurant setting; it would seem that these schemes have not been as successful as had been anticipated. Personally I think the problem is somewhat more complex and nuanced than is currently being reported. I cannot believe that restaurants need to recruit from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. As the older head chefs retire, why are the existing junior chefs not being promoted? On top of this, there are many British people of UK origin who can cook excellent British Indian Restaurant style curries - you only have to take a look at the number of YouTube videos showing how to cook various recipes. One excellent example is the very popular series - "Al's Kitchen" - Al shows how to cook all sorts of very authentic restaurant style curries, and I believe he's never been anywhere near the Indian subcontinent. I cannot see the need for importing chefs from abroad - there are many UK based chefs who could do the job just as well. I think the real reason the restaurants have to import chefs is that working in a restaurant kitchen is not the job of choice for many - the first generation of Asian immigrants often did not have much English, and set up doing something they knew, which was cooking. Their sons and daughters have been brought up in the UK, and for them running a restaurant is not an aspirational career for many - they would rather be a doctor, lawyer or accountant. Many Indian restaurants struggle to keep the business within the family for this reason. Their overheads are steadily increasing, but they are reluctant to increase their prices as they feel that the market is already weak, and their customers may end up voting with their feet. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The end video this week is a time lapse film showing the construction work that was carried out on the Crossrail development between Abbey Wood and Plumstead over the course of the Easter bank holiday weekend. It is certainly impressive. Give it a watch and see what you think.