The decision.

On Wednesday I attended the Bexley Council Licensing Sub-Committee in the civic offices in Bexleyheath; the reason for the visit was to witness their deliberations in the case of the application for The White Hart African restaurant and bar in Erith High Street to open from 10am until 5am the next morning. What I encountered turned out to be the longest licensing sub committee session in the history of Bexley Council. The meeting started at 10am, and the decision was finally announced at a little after 3pm. It cannot be said that the committee did not take into account every consideration before coming to their conclusion. I have not attended a meeting at the civic offices before, and I was surprised at the number of local residents who attended the public part of the meeting - I was told that normally very few if any people turn up to watch the Licensing Sub Committee - but the level of concern and indeed anger in respect of the outrageous licence variation application by the operator of the White Hart led to a record turn - out. I have to say that Councillor Nicola Taylor did an excellent job of representing Erith residents and their serious concerns in respect of noise, disturbance, increased crime and associated issues to the sub committee. In her representation to the sub committee, Councillor Taylor said:- "Erith does welcome this restaurant to the area and the opening is much anticipated. We have followed the restoration of the historic building closely. However, this establishment is close to residential homes. Behind it there are two retirement developments, and there are family properties close. All of these residents would be impacted. All of the residents have expressed concerns over the increase of public nuisance. The town centre is quiet in the evening. Residents have a fear the area will become an area known for excessive drinking, possibly worse. It seems mad to have an establishment open for these hours. We have got to consider the community as a whole". Unfortunately the Police officers who attended to submit evidence on behalf of the Met were not the officers who had previously been involved with the case, and they were poorly briefed - and to be honest did not do a particularly impressive job. Nevertheless, other council staff including Mrs Eley and Bike Aideh, community safety co-ordinator presented compelling evidence to counter the claims made by the licensing consultant hired by Mr Ojuanu Sodunke, the licensee of The White Hart. Petitions had been submitted prior to the meeting by residents of Waters Edge Court retirement apartments and the Stone Court sheltered housing scheme, both of which are situated in very close proximity to The White Hart. Residents from both locations unanimously opposed the increase in opening hours. What was very noticeable was that apart from Ojuanu Sodunke and his legal advisor, nobody had anything at all positive to say about the application for increased opening hours. Indeed, during the consultation session it emerged that the use of the former beer cellar in the White Hart, which has been converted into a lounge / bar area could not be permitted, as it only has one staircase in and out of it, which contravenes fire regulations. Once all of the representations had been made, the Licensing Sub Committee then met to consider their decision - and the public were then asked to leave the room. I had arranged to meet up with News Shopper reporter Tom Bull prior to the event, and I sat and chatted with him in the atrium outside of the committee rooms whilst we waited for a decision to be reached. Tom is a extremely nice bloke, and very interesting to chat to. My respect for the work of local news reporters has increased substantially since talking to him - I just play at local journalism - it is his profession - and he writes fluently in shorthand - a skill I had thought long gone. Many of the local residents who attended the consultation session did not stay for the decision - something of a wise choice, as I discovered in retrospect. We waited, and waited until 3pm before the remaining attendees were finally re-admitted to the committee room, a full three hours had passed whilst the committee debated their decision. The committee chair read out a prepared statement which in essence said that they could not approve the requested extension in licensing hours and that the request was therefore not granted. I don't think that either the licensee Mr. Ojuanu Sodunke or his legal advisor were in any way surprised by the decision made by the sub committee; the fact remains that the White Hart already has what is termed as a "Luxury" licence, which enables it to open until 1am on Friday and Saturday - more than enough time to operate as a restaurant and bar. Quite why Mr. Sodunke wanted to open until 5am still seems unclear. He offered to block any entrance to the venue after 11pm, and to employ door staff, but even so, it does not take six hours to have a few drinks, a chat and to eat dinner. The feeling amongst many attendees was that despite his insistence that The White Hart was to be a restaurant and bar only, it was actually trying to become a night club - "by the back door". You can read Tom Bull's take on the story on the News Shopper website here. The council decision has set a precedent for the borough, and it has shown that Bexley will not grant very late night drinks and entertainment licences in residential areas - a decision that I and many other people can only applaud. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

An announcement from The Association of Bexley Charities '78:- "We are holding our Autumn Fair at the United Reformed Church, Geddes Place, Bexleyheath DA6 7DJ (near the Broadway Shopping Centre) on Saturday 27th October 2018 from 9.45 am  - 1.00 pm. There will be a variety of charity stalls selling Christmas gifts and cards, CDs and DVDs, collectables, jewellery, chutneys, jams, cakes, books, children’s toys and games and model railways. Refreshments will be available and the entrance fee is 50p (accompanied children FREE)". 

After the recent revelations that the Crossrail project opening was going to be delayed by a year, or possibly significantly longer, further developments have taken place recently. Discussions about the potential extension of the services from its current terminus in Abbey Wood, and extending it down to Ebbsfleet have been going on and off for years. Crossrail’s original route went to Ebbsfleet but was cut to Abbey Wood to save cash. London City Airport has offered to fund a station as part of its £480 million expansion. Crossrail, renamed the Elizabeth line when it eventually opens, passes within 170m of its runway. The opening of Crossrail’s central section has overrun by £590 million and been delayed at least until to next autumn amid a failure to get the new British Rail class 345 trains to work with signalling systems. Now senior politicians, business leaders and other persons of influence are calling for the service to be extended as was originally planned. Local MP Sir David Evennett said in a recent interview with the London Evening Standard :- "This is a crucial opportunity for the Government to create a boom of jobs, opportunities and homes in an area that needs investment to unlock its potential. It will join up our transport network, bring Kent and south-east London properly into the fold". The potential extension would add an extra ten miles of line, which would see trains call at eight additional local stations: Belvedere, Erith, Slade Green, Dartford, Stone Crossing, Greenhithe, Swanscombe and Ebbsfleet, linking with HS1 and Eurostar. Back in May, Jo Johnson agreed that there had been considerable change in South East London and North Kent since the decision to not extend beyond Abbey Wood had been finalised in The 2008 Crossrail Act, and in light of this said Government would take a fresh look at the case for extending to Ebbsfleet. Now that the giant theme park that was due to be constructed near Swanscombe - formerly called the London Paramount theme park, has been delayed yet again, and the development is now looking to be very doubtful. Bearing in mind one of the contributing factors into the Crossrail to Ebbsfleet extension was to provide increased public transport access to the massive theme park - the fact that the park is now looking increasingly unlikely does not seem to be influencing the calls to extend Crossrail. There are many other very good reasons the line should be extended - in fact many are questioning why the line did not run all the way to Ebbsfleet in the first place, as the cost savings in terminating it at Abbey Wood were actually not that large in the greater scheme of things. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

This week marks the 31st anniversary of the Great Storm of 1987. I doubt that many locals will be happy to commemorate the event, as the storm hit the London Borough of Bexley particularly hard. Something approaching twenty percent of the mature trees in the borough were uprooted or seriously damaged by the exceptionally high winds. I recall walking along the Woolwich Road in Upper Belvedere the morning after, and seeing a number of the large trees in the recreation park down across the road – the fire brigade were cutting them up with chainsaws requisitioned from the plant hire shop in Nuxley Road. One of the very impressive Georgian houses opposite the Eardley Arms was seriously damaged – the whole third floor and roof were crushed by a mature sycamore tree that had fallen directly onto it. I recall reading in the local paper that the insurance claim to rebuild the historic house was greater than if they had demolished it and built afresh. Just as well the listed building was lovingly rebuilt, as it is one of the nicest residential properties in the whole of Upper Belvedere. My most vivid memory of the Great Storm was looking out of my bedroom window at the fury of the weather outside; some workmen had been laying a new paved pathway directly outside of my parents house. A pile of large concrete paving slabs had been made ready for the workers to continue laying them the next morning – these I saw flying through the air as if they were pieces of paper. Very worrying, as my parents house was right at the highest point in the area, leaving an unrestricted avenue for the hurricane to attack. The garden shed ended up in a neighbours’ back garden – very much like one of the opening scenes from “The Wizard of Oz”.

There are widespread rumours circulating locally that the Nuxley Navigator private bus service is struggling to find passengers. The inaccurately titled Nuxley Navigator bus service operates on weekdays only, and runs between Harrow Manorway outside of Abbey Wood Station, and Carlton Road in Northumberland Heath. The roads that the new private bus service covers are as follows:- Towards Abbey Wood Station (mornings only) - Carlton Road, Brook Street, Parsonage Manorway, Swaylands Road, Matfield Road, Stream Way, Bedonwell Road, Orchard Avenue, Bedonwell Road, Glenview, West Heath Road, Brampton Road, Knee Hill, Harrow Manorway. Towards Erith (afternoons only) - Harrow Manorway, Knee Hill, Brampton Road, West Heath Road, Glenview, Bedonwell Road, Orchard Avenue, Bedonwell Road, Stream Way Matfield Road, Swaylands Road, Parsonage Manorway, Brook Street, and Carlton Road. The Crossrail service was due to open at Abbey Wood Station at the end of this year - although as we now know, this has now been significantly delayed, and many of the roads covered by The Nuxley Navigator are currently not covered by any existing bus service. The Nuxley Navigator features a reserved seat and, in London, standard rides are £2.40. A standard bus fare is £1.50. Chariot works by being pre-bookable but with predetermined stops, similar to a bus route. The real reason for the service is to connect the Erith Quarry housing development with Abbey Wood Station. The developers of Erith Quarry are aiming the new development primarily at second or third time buyers who want larger, family sized houses - for people who intend to live in the area permanently. In order to attract middle class professional people into the local area, they need so show that there are good commuting connections into London - something that The London Borough of Bexley has lacked up until now. The fact that we have no DLR or Tube services in the Borough has been a factor that has discouraged some people from moving into the area. Providing a purpose built mini bus link between the Erith Quarry site and Abbey Wood Station was designed to convince people that they should move into the area, as housing is significantly cheaper than in other parts of London. The problem has been that 1) Crossrail has been significantly delayed, 2) Erith Quarry has not yet opened, and 3) there is very little local awareness of the private bus service. On top of this, it is a bookable service, not a "hop on, hop off" service as per a normal bus ride. Lastly the service can only be booked via a mobile phone app, and one cannot use Oyster cards. The lack of passengers on the Nuxley Navigator is, I am led to believe, causing the operator, Chariot, and their sponsor, Ford to consider closing the service. If you have any information on this issue, please Email me in confidence - you can contact me privately at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly from Barnehurst ward:- "Unfortunately, Barnehurst ward has suffered two burglaries in the past week. The first occurred on Sunday 14th October 2018 between 05.00pm and 0740pm in Selkirk Drive at a residential care home. Staff found damage to a window lock and an empty large red handbag was taken from an unattended room. On Tuesday 16th October 2018 a burglary took place in Hampton House Erith Road. Suspects entered the property after forcing open the front door, taking a large flat screen TV and cash from the property. Two suspects were seen walking down the rear of Hampton House by railway heading towards Barnehurst Road struggling to carry the TV. If anyone has any Information with regards these burglaries please let us know. We cannot stress enough with the lead up to Christmas burglaries tend to increase. You can prevent and deter burglars away from your property's by taking appropriate security measures. We as your local Policing team will be happy to advise on crime prevention so feel free to join us at our next community contact session at Barnehurst Golf Club on Tuesday 23rd October 2018 at 11.00am". Belvedere ward:- "We have been conducting burglary and ASB patrols into the early hours of the morning this week. Two officers have been patrolling in plain clothes looking for offenders. We have stopped several groups of people to disrupt and dissuade anti – social behaviour. One male was searched by PC Green and was found to be in possession of cannabis bear Belvedere train station. Another male was searched by PC Holmes and found to be in possession of cannabis in the Nuxley Road car park. We have also been making enquiries into outstanding wanted offenders. Through these plain clothed patrols we have been able to gather various intelligence about a range of issues on the ward. To make you aware, there has been an attempted burglary in Gideon Close and also a residential burglary in Bedwell Road this week. The team's next Community Contact session is set to take place on Friday 26th October 2018 from 12pm at the Belvedere Community Centre". Bexleyheath ward:- "Sunday 14/10/2018 - We had a report of a theft that was reported on a bus, bag was left on bus along the Broadway; Monday 15th & Tuesday 16th October 2018 – There was a criminal damage to motor vehicle that was reported along Braemar Avenue Bexleyheath; Tuesday 16/10/2018 – A theft of motor vehicle was reported along Martens Avenue Bexleyheath. Also, just to make yourselves aware, a NHW member had received a voicemail allegedly from the HM Revenue. It had stated that they were tax evading and if they do not call the number provided that there would be a warrant for their arrest. If anyone does get anything similar to this, could they please not respond and report it. In relation to Martens Grove – BMX Bike Park Proposal was attended by members from the SNT to see how this would impact on the local community and how the bike track would work in the area. Our next contact session shall take place on Wednesday 24th October between 10am and 11am at the Central Library Bexleyheath. Feel free to pop in and have a chat and spread the word. The team are in the process of trying to resolve issues that are being raised by residents within the ASDA car park area. Patrols are also still continuing around Martens Grove and Grove Road including the garages to reduce anti-social behaviour. As Halloween is approaching the team shall be conducting patrols around this period around the ward. We shall be visiting the shops to advise not to sell eggs to youngsters for obvious reasons. We do have posters that people can put up in windows for No Trick or Treating. We have enclosed an attachment which you may find useful. 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. If you are after crime prevention advice, please look at the Met Police website which has lots of information that you may find useful. Remember in an emergency please dial 999 and 101 for non-urgent reporting". Crayford ward:- "Thankfully, another week with not too many crimes of note. On 9th October at 00.15 there was a theft from motor vehicle in Green Walk. Two portable DVD Players and a Sat Nav were stolen. There was no damage caused to the vehicle. The incident was captured on CCTV locally and the Male was seen to tamper with another vehicle, he was wearing a silver puffa jacket. On 9th October three parcels awaiting collection by courier were taken from a front garden in Crayford Way, the parcels contained a locket and 2 vintage cameras and other photographic equipment was taken. There was a theft from motor vehicle at Medway Road on 10th October at 22.20, three white Males stole power tools, this was captured on CCTV. It has been reported that a mobile phone and bank card were stolen by distraction from a business at Midfield Parade on 9th October at approx. 15.00. A Ford Transit, number plate PY56 GOP was stolen from Iron Mill Lane on 10th October. A window on the vehicle had been smashed a few days before. An elderly gentleman reported that his wallet was taken from his pocket whilst he was shopping in Sainsbury's on 12th October between 14.00-15.00. It was later found that his contactless card had been used locally. Please consider using a chain to attach wallets and purses to bags or clothing making it much more difficult to take, also consider keeping purses /wallets and other valuables inside a zipped bag or an inside coat pocket. In the lead up to Halloween, not everyone likes to take part in trick or treat, we have leaflets that we can deliver or email to residents, alternatively we have delivered some to Crayford Library for you to collect at your convenience. It wasn't possible to get to the Ellenor Shop as advertised on Wednesday 17th October, instead we will be at Crayford Library on Wednesday 24th October between 2-3pm. Due to the types of crimes being reported in the last week, please ensure expensive items are not left in vehicles and double check they are locked and secured when you leave them".

Erith ward:- "We hope you are all having a good week so far. This week we are having our Ward Panel meeting, I will send an update on this next week. The team have been actively stopping people in and around Erith for cannabis. 3 people were stopped in Bosworth house and searched. Thanks to the information that you provided to us. Again, theft from motor vehicles is on the rise, Please make sure nothing is on show when you leave your car / van. Crimes of note from the last week: Criminal damage Tuesday 09/10/2018 Riverdale Road - By unknown person damaging the victim's front door by hitting it with a stone. Their intentions were unknown; Possession Cannabis Saturday 13/10/2018 Bosworth House youth stopped in stairway. Theft Person Thursday 11/10/2018 Bexley Road - victim having had his mobile phone stolen out of his jacket pocket; Other theft Saturday 13/10/2018 - Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc, James Watt way; Criminal Damage Under £500 13/10/2018 South Road – Lock on door damaged; Burglary Residential Monday 08/10/2018 West Street - Damage caused after break in via window Theft from MV Sunday 14/10/2018 St Fidelis Road - theft of front number plate. Theft from motor vehicle Friday 12/10/2018 Carrack House, Saltford Road - theft of front and rear car number plates". Northumberland Heath ward:- "Unfortunately over the past week we have had several burglaries reported to us. On Thursday October 11th between 1.45pm – 2300 hours entry was gained to a property in Belmont Road. The victim arrived home to see the external security panel flashing, the internal panel making a beeping noise and flashing repeatedly. The victim then went upstairs to find the bathroom damaged and a plant pot from the window ledge had fallen in to the bath leaving footprints behind. The victim left the property and reported the incident to Police. It is believed the address may have been targeted for theft of Asian gold, however it is not clear at this stage if anything has been taken. The second burglary took place in Hurst Road on Sunday October 14th between 7.30pm – 8.55pm. The suspect entered the property via a second floor window by climbing up the conservatory and forcing the window. It is unclear exactly what if anything was taken but an untidy search upstairs took place. One commercial business burglary this week in Bexley Road also on Sunday October 14th overnight into Monday October 15th. A rear door to the premises was forced open and it is believed a camera has been stolen. Several cars and a bus were damaged on Sunday evening October 14th near Elm Road by a group of youths throwing stones. One theft from a motor vehicle parked in Frinsted Road overnight between Monday October 15th and Tuesday 16th. The owner of the vehicle is an Uber driver and discovered a number of usb cables, an iPhone and his Uber licence missing from the vehicle. Our Ward Panel meeting took place Thursday last week. It was an opportunity for local residents to put forward their concerns to the team and the local Councillor who kindly attended. We will be continuing to focus on anti-social behaviour in Bexley Road and the surrounding area as well as increasing our presence in the Walsingham Walk and Streamway area following ongoing reports of drug dealing and taking in the area. Plain clothes patrols were conducted over last weekend on our late shift to try to identify and deter those responsible in these areas". Slade Green and Northend ward:- "Unfortunately, we have had a few crimes of note this week on the ward. On Thursday 11/10/2018 number plates were stolen from a car on Hazel Road. This is sadly becoming quite common across the borough. We do have a number of ‘anti-theft' screws at the office so please send us an email if you are interested and I will make sure you get some. This offer only extends to residents of our ward! Also in the early hours of Sunday 14/10/2018 a taxi driver was the victim of a nasty robbery on Sun Court (off Lincoln Road) where he was assaulted and had money and his mobile phone stolen. Enquiries are ongoing with a view to identifying suspects. In more positive news we have continued to make progress in identifying a group of juveniles causing anti-social behaviour primarily on Rainbow Road and Forest Road. A number of the group have received visits at home this week. Their parents have been informed of their behaviour and in all cases, parents were supportive of the local police. We have referred some of the group over to our dedicated anti-social behaviour team and consideration is being given to drawing up voluntary behaviour contracts. We still have further work to do in the run up to Halloween but we are making positive progress. We have had number of stop and searches across the ward this week with PC Mark-Brookes Smith seizing a small quantity of herbal cannabis on Appold Street earlier on today (Tuesday 16/10/18) and issuing the male in question with a £90 fine". Thamesmead East ward:- "Motor Vehicle Crimes - During the day of Thursday 11/10/18 a motorcycle parked and locked was stolen from outside the Lakeside Medical Centre ,Yarnton Way. A set of number plates were stolen from a vehicle parked in Seacourt Road between 12:00pm on the Saturday 13/10/18 and 07:00pm on the Monday 15/10/18. The next Community Contact Session is Wednesday 24th October between the hours of 2:00pm and 3:00pm at The Link, Bazalgette Way. It is an opportunity for members of the community who prefer face- to – face contact to speak with a Dedicated Ward Officer".

The end video this week is a driver's eye view of the route used by driving test examiners at the Belvedere Driving Test Centre. As is quite well known, the failure rate of students at the Belvedere centre is the highest in the UK - and it is regarded as the hardest place in the country at which to pass your driving test. The video below shows the very demanding examination course - and it makes for quite absorbing viewing. Let me know what you think. 

Bexley CAMRA.

I took the two photos above (click on either for a larger view) at around 9pm on last Monday evening. They show fly - tipped waste that was illegally dumped at the Council recycling facility behind Morrison's in Erith, at the end of James Watt Way. The site is a favourite location for local criminals to dump waste, as it is quickly accessible by van, it is relatively out of the way and unobserved, and it can look like they are genuinely depositing materials for recycling. As you will see from the lower of the two photographs, not only was domestic waste dumped, but a large amount of industrial electrical cable waste; it would appear that the criminals had stolen some high voltage electrical cable, then stripped off the outer insulation material, and then the steel armour strips that surrounded the valuable copper core. They have dumped the insulation and the steel armour, which can be clearly seen above. The waste has now been cleared from the site. Bexley Council have recently announced that they have purchased a number of stand alone CCTV units which they intend to use to target fly tippers. I am already aware that the Erith Morrison's recycling site is one of, if not the worst site in the borough in relation to environmental crime; it would seem to me that a permanent camera mounted on one of the street light columns close to the site would be a very good way of catching those criminal tippers. One issue that has been highlighted is that many of the vans doing the illegal tipping are themselves either stolen, or have false or stolen number plates attached to them. Commercial operators (basically any person not in a private car) taking waste to be legally disposed of at a council run recycling centre such as the one at Thames Road in Crayford  get charged heavily for legal tipping. A single Transit – type van full of waste can be charged over £100 for a single tipping visit at a licenced waste disposal site. I have spoken to the Council about this. I understand that when illegally tipped waste, such as that dropped at the Morrisons site is cleared up, it is done by a council subcontractor, who charges the council over £300 for the work. Basic arithmetic would dictate that it would be cheaper for the council to allow waste dumping to be carried out by traders for free, rather than to have to clear up the illegally tipped waste at a later stage. I would propose a six month trial period where commercial waste tippers were not charged for using the Crayford dump; in all other ways they would still have to comply with the existing waste disposal rules, and the content of their loads, the company name and vehicle registration number would still be recorded, but no money would change hands. If at the end of the trial, the amount of fly tipped waste had substantially reduced around the borough, then the scheme would be judged a success. I think a pragmatic approach may be worth trialling, as the current system does seem to be failing, and the amount of council tax payers money spent on clearing up after the illegal tippers could be far better spent elsewhere. Don’t think I am opting for a soft approach to criminal activity – I am still strongly of the opinion that catching and prosecuting fly tippers should be a high priority, but a mixture of both carrot and stick, rather than stick alone may deliver better results for both the environment and the council taxpayer. This issue comes at a time when Bexley Council is having severe problems with its refuse collecting contractor, Serco. The contractor has been complaining of staff shortages, meaning bins in certain parts of The London Borough of Bexley have in certain instances not been emptied when they were scheduled to be. It is ironic that bin services are suffering at a time when councillors in Bexley have just voted themselves a substantial pay rise. I somehow doubt that anyone familiar with the main local characters in control of Bexley Council will be surprised by this move.

Did you know that in the very early 1980's several radio stations, including BBC Radio 4 transmitted programs for popular 8 - bit home computers over the airwaves, to be recorded onto audio tape by the receivers before being loaded into their home computers? It later turned out that instead of being a pioneer, the British actually came quite late to this party. The idea was simply to find out if disseminating computer data over radio bands set aside for talk and music would even be feasible. This was a couple of decades before WiFi was available to the general public, and using the ordinary AM and FM radio broadcast bands, rather than anything specifically set up to transmit computer data. One of the British pioneers of this technology was a chap called Simon N. Goodwin who was also experimenting in transmitting computer programs over the airwaves. Simon had been writing games and articles for home computing magazines since 1979, and in 1983 his ZX Spectrum game Gold Mine had just gone into the All Formats Top 20. He was also the co-presenter of the Computer Club show on Radio Wyvern, and in December 1983 he programmed an animated ‘Christmas card’ in BASIC to be sent out to the listeners. The card was sent out in two versions, one for the Sinclair Spectrum and one for the Tandy TRS-80, both complete with music and prancing reindeer. But could the listeners download it? “It worked for some people, but not everyone who tried was successful, especially the TRS-80 version, which was a relatively error-prone format (though a third of the speed of the ZX version). One person managed to read the TRS-80 version on a Nascom, a very different (British, bare board) system which was popular in the UK at the end of the 1970s, but that took some quite ingenious machine-code programming.” Simon found that, as would be expected from the higher bandwidth, listeners were more successful at downloading on FM rather than AM. Simon came up with the idea for transmitting his Christmas card after reading an article in Personal Computer World magazine earlier that year about a Dutch station broadcasting the ASCII text of programs. However, it turns out that the Dutch were transmitting computer programs a lot earlier than 1983: the domestic radio show Hobbyscope (or Hobbyscoop to give it its Dutch name) was sending code over the airwaves as far back as 1980. Indeed, Hobbyscoop transmitted programs throughout the 1980s, and the makers of the show even came up with a way to avoid broadcasting a program multiple times in different versions for each different home computer. The solution was the BASICODE format, which could be downloaded onto any home computer running BASIC, as long as the user ran a translation program first. The UK and the Netherlands were not the only countries enjoying the excitement of downloading programs from the radio: in fact, the craze took off all over Europe. In Finland, Kai R. Lehtonen was inspired by the Dutch broadcasts and attempted to do something similar on the YLE public radio station, and in 1985 his team succeeded in broadcasting a program that was downloaded 600 km away from the station. Perhaps some of the most enthusiastic early downloaders were to be found in Serbia, then a part of Yugoslavia. Zoran Modli, who hosted the Ventilator 202 show on Radio Belgrade, was approached by the editor of the Galaksija computer magazine with idea of sending a ZX Spectrum program over the airwaves. Zoran remembers broadcasting for the first time: “Both me and my radio team were very excited. I had to inform the Radio Belgrade technicians who were on duty at remote radio transmitters that for the next few minutes only hissing and growling would be heard. Lay people were confused and wondered, ‘What is this lunatic doing?’ But those who listened and understood excitedly contacted us by telephone to say they had successfully loaded the program onto their computers!" The death knell of these over the air computer program transmissions was quite simple - as the price of floppy disk drives for the major home computer brands fell, the popularity of using audio cassette tapes for program storage and retrieval declined rapidly. Technology moved on, and the slow transmission rate and relatively small file sizes supported by over the broadcast radio spectrum transmissions became too much of a hindrance, and the whole thing was quietly dropped. 

Some readers are surprised at the amount of time I spend working on each weekly update of the Maggot Sandwich; on average each update takes around ten hours of work to research, write, edit, create web links and metadata for. Much of the time is spent in research – I try to ensure that I report on facts, not suppositions, and bearing in mind I am both reporter and editor this can on occasions be extremely difficult.

In the last week a major row has broken out between the owners of The Kentish Belle Micro Pub in Pickford Lane, Bexleyheath, next door to Bexleyheath Station, and certain members of the volunteer team that run the Bexley branch of CAMRA - The Campaign for Real Ale. The two sides are at odds with each other regarding some of the policies the CAMRA as a national body has put in place. The landlord of The Kentish Belle recently wrote on the micro pub's website:- "When we opened our humble Micro Pub in March 2018, it was a day of great fanfare. We have, quite incredibly, hit our 'big target' of 1,000 pints sold per week which is something that we are extremely proud of. We are also continuing to buy cask ales that are more expensive than 'average' as part of our commitment to the fair price for cask ales and also supporting breweries that produce the very best beer. Our key problem, however, has been CAMRA's complete lack of desire to fight against one of their key stakeholders (?), Wetherspoon. It is hardly right that CAMRA should try to court a relationship with Drinkers' Voice to fight against the anti-alcohol lobby and promote responsible drinking when they also 'promote' pints at £1.79 instead of the already cheap £2.29, as an example. This doesn't seem at all a promotion of responsible drinking to us. We have therefore decided that whilst we will consider continuing to advertise in CAMRA London Region's 'London Drinker' magazine, as well as other CAMRA publications and beer festival materials locally, this is not going to be out of duty to CAMRA. We're also going to withdraw the CAMRA discount scheme we operate at the Kentish Belle as we don't feel it right to offer a discount to people who rarely come when our regular customers are paying full price. Moreover, we would hope CAMRA members would come for the fantastic beer we offer instead of for discounts - and they have vouchers to aid them in this regard. The Landlord has also resolved not to be on the Branch Committee in Bexley at the upcoming AGM which all Bexley members are encouraged to take part in. The Landlord supports the current Chairman, Roland, and hope he runs again despite not having received the best of support. In Medway, for example, their Chairman has also stood down because of bitter in-fighting and we feel more comfortable as a small business representing itself and knowing it serves fantastic beer without needing the validation of CAMRA which, locally and nationally, is looking weaker by the day. We hope CAMRA members will understand what it is that we have done, and we aren't ruling out bringing the discount scheme back in future if positive and real change is made to CAMRA with better diversity and with real local support". Phil Elston - a CAMRA member - though apparently not on the committee, wrote the opinion piece that you can see in the screen capture above. It is all getting rather childish and silly in my opinion. I understand that Bexley CAMRA may well be imploding over this and a number of other rather trivial issues. Personally I feel that this is a very sad position for them to have found themselves in; I have spoken to a number of people from differing viewpoints on the current situation, and it seems to me that it may well be time for Bexley CAMRA to undergo a drastic reorganisation, and for an influx of new people with new ideas to come forward. It is very easy for a long standing group of people in any enterprise to become stale and stuck in their ways, and it is always a challenge in such a situation to know when it is time to let someone else take the reins. Bexley CAMRA have done a lot of good in the last couple of decades - not least in the establishment of Bexley Beer Festival, an annual event that has continually grown, and is now a high point in the social calendar for many people. Unfortunately, in-fighting and some very undignified back - biting and nastiness among what is only a very small handful of individuals would seem to have soured things for the rest. If you have any deeper insight into the current local situation, please get in contact - your identity can be kept completely anonymous, should you so wish.

What characteristic do you suppose that I share with the following celebrities? Elton John, Simon Cowell, Tyra Banks, Tom Cruise and Sarah Jessica Parker? In the last week, the tabloid press have picked up on the story that Simon Cowell had ceased using his mobile phone as he found constantly checking it increasingly stressful. The other celebrities listed do not use mobile phones, though I would expect that most of them would have staff who use mobile phones on their behalf. As previously stated, I don't have a problem with people who want and enjoy using mobile phones; what I do find irritating is the widely held expectation that everyone should have one. It is now widely accepted that over - use of a mobile device - especially during the hours of darkness can lead to sleep disturbances and changes in brain chemistry, which in turn can affect mood and levels of stress. If you want to use a mobile phone, absolutely fine. If you decide that they are not for you, I see no reason whatsoever why this should not also be regarded as just as fine. My old saying of "If it works for you" seems to fit this description well. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

Work on the African restaurant located in what used to be the bar area of The White Hart in Erith High Street continues apace; at the rate of work, it will not be very long before the place is ready to open. I sincerely hope that the owners ensure that the restaurant appeals to all sectors of the local community, rather than exclusively to locals of African or Afro - Caribbean descent. As I have previously mentioned, a mistake that I feel that many African restaurants make is to "preach to the converted" and only reach out to within the Nigerian / West African parts of the community, rather than promoting their restaurants to one and all regardless - something that Bangladeshi and Pakistani people did in the 50's and 60's when they set up "Indian" restaurants around the UK - and subsequently made an absolute fortune in the process. I would like to see the owners of the new restaurant in The White Hart reach out to the wider community of Erith and the surrounding areas. One of my readers is a lady called Judith, who is part of the African and Caribbean community; she forwarded my thoughts on the lack of general inclusivity in Afro - Caribbean restaurants to one of her colleagues, who commented:- "I agree with Hugh….. African restaurants tend to only cater for the  Afro Caribbean community". Perhaps now is an opportunity for the owners of The White Hart restaurant to open it to include all local people, not just one specific group. If handled well, this could be an opportunity for true inclusivity - something surely to be welcomed now that the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush at Tilbury port in 1948 is about to be celebrated. To not do this would not only be a shame, it would mean that the owners of the African restaurant were shutting off a large part of a potential revenue stream. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Events seem to be gathering some momentum in respect of the Crossrail to Ebbsfleet (C2E) proposed extension. The Thames Estuary Commission is reportedly poised to recommend to Government that Crossrail should indeed be extended to Ebbsfleet. The Crossrail to Ebbsfleet (C2E) campaign seeks to extend Crossrail 1 (the Elizabeth line) to Ebbsfleet International along the route of the existing North Kent Line, which would create a major new interchange with London. The programme was submitted to The Thames Estuary Growth Commission, which considers options for enhancing opportunities in the Thames Estuary, in March this year. The Bexley Times have reported in an interview with Bexley Council Leader Teresa O'Neill in which she said of the decision:- "It is encouraging to see support for the extension growing so strongly and swiftly – with the government, businesses and the engineering community independently recognising the potential to transform this part of London and Kent. If the Thames Estuary Commission recommends the C2E extension, it will add a powerful and respected voice to those in Government and across the region calling for us to finish the job on Crossrail.” Councillor O'Neill's comments are not unexpected, as she has already "bet the farm" on the C2E project going ahead; many of the proposed future infrastructure projects outlined in the recent Bexley Growth Strategy Document rely on Crossrail to Ebbsfleet going ahead. Without this development, many of the other proposed changes to the borough simply would not be able to happen. The Thames Estuary Commission is expected to publish its report on June 25th.

The weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association.  Firstly from Barnehurst ward:- "Another good week to report back to our residents on Barnehurst Ward. There have been no reported Burglary’s and no incidents of vehicle crime. We have had an incident whereby a resident has paid in full for garden work to be carried out however following a payment being made the workmen failed to return to complete the job. Please be careful when taking on gardeners or builders, look for reputable company’s and check out the company before work commences. Please join the team at 01.00pm on Thursday 14th June 2018 at Barnehurst Golf Club for any crime prevention advice. We are happy to take on board any burning issues you may have or if you would like to come along just for a friendly chat your more than welcome". Belvedere ward:- "Hello all, apologies for a missed update last week – we have had a busy few shifts. We have managed to locate a couple of stolen vehicles. A positive stop and search resulted in a known male being issued with a warning for drugs possession. In line with our priority on drugs we seized 15 bags of cannabis and 3 bags of a white powder believed to be cocaine. A warrant we conducted earlier in the year has gone to crown court meaning the drug dealer concerned potentially faces as substantial custodial sentence. We have worked hard to put together a comprehensive case file to support the CPS to secure the sentence. We have been investigating a burglary and have identified 1 suspect with 1 remaining outstanding. Following an ongoing ASB issue in Draper Close one male has been issued with an Community Protection Notice warning, we are due to issue more Acceptable Behaviour Contracts m the near future. We have also been conducting numerous arrest enquiries ensuring wanted offenders are being chased regularly. The team have adjusted our shifts this weekend so we will be working later to tackle ASB issues in Belvedere. Vehicle ASB calls in Belvedere are substantially lower so far in 2018 compared to 2017 – 83 percent lower in fact! ASB calls are also down. We are keen to stay on top of issues, particularly through the summer months and want to hear from NW Coordinators about any recurring or emerging issues. Please contact us on 020 8721 2050 or email Belvedere.SNT@met.police.uk if you would like to alert us to any such issues. Thanks all!" Bexleyheath ward:- "The team are patrolling areas of ASB on the ward which includes park areas as we have had several reports of gatherings and graffiti being found. Reports have also been reported to us in relation to anti-social behaviour in Brayside Crescent Bexleyheath. Patrols are being conducted as much as possible to resolve the issue. We have had four stopped in the cinema car park with cannabis and all four have been dealt with accordingly. Car parks areas are also incorporated within our patrols hence why we had come across this particular group. Recently we had one arrested for a theft of a watch from Earnest Jones with a value of £4850. A purse was reported as stolen from within Primark on the 05/06/2018. A vehicle was reported stolen along Belvedere Road Bexleyheath between the 4th June and the 5thJune 2018. Another report had also come through as number plates had been stolen from a vehicle along Gravel Hill Close. Any NHW members that now come under our team because of the new ward boundaries, please feel free to make contact with us so we are aware to help aid communication. If you want to pass on information to Police then please feel free to contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111". Crayford ward:- "On Monday 28th May between 15.00-22.00 a front lounge window was smashed in Thames Road, on the same day French doors were smashed at an address in Wyatt Road at about 17.00, no one was identified and they appear to be random criminal damage. On Saturday 26th May, it is believed that an attempted burglary took place at Shearwood Crescent, the inner porch door was unlocked and it was believed the outer door was locked. The owner was upstairs and heard a sound, on coming downstairs the inner porch door was open, nothing was disturbed or believed to be stolen. On Tuesday 29th May between 18.30-19.30 a Blue Hyundai saloon had the driver’s window smashed outside Crayside Leisure Centre whilst the owner was shopping. It was reported that a Green Kawasaki, number plate DS07DEC was stolen in Alcock Crescent between 14th and 29th May. It had been chained and anchored in a secure building. From the same building between 09.00 on 28th May and 06.00 on 29th May two pedal cycles that were locked and chained were also stolen, it is unclear if these crimes are linked at this time. On Thursday 31st May between 07.05 and 21.55 the front and rear number plates were stolen from a Kia parked at Crayford BR Station, this crime has been passed to British Transport Police for further investigation. On Monday 4th June two males were arrested for drugs offences whilst parked up in a vehicle at Crayford Industrial Estate. On Wednesday 30th May, a Male reported that on that day, between 12.15 and 12.45 he had been hit over the head with a stick and his wallet had been stolen, this happened near to McDonalds. Between 16.00 on 29th May and 18.00 on Wednesday 30th May front and rear number plates were stolen off a Vauxhall Corsa, it is believed this happened whilst the vehicle was parked at Crayford BR Station. Between 17.00 on Friday 1st June and 06.00 On Saturday 2nd June, a welder, Argo gas shield bottle and Karcher pressure washer were stolen from a locked cage at Serco at Thames Road. On Monday 4th June between 09.00-12.32 a black Toyota Yaris was stolen from Green Walk, it had been left locked and secured. It activated the ANPR camera near Bluewater and was stopped and arrest made. On Tuesday 3rd June at 11.00 a white Ford Transit work van which was parked in Iron Mill Lane was found to have its front and rear offside tyres slashed by an unknown person and unknown tool. On Tuesday 5th June during the early hours in Halcott Avenue, three IC3 males were seen trying handles on cars, they were disturbed and ran off, it was believed they were trying to steal a car. On Tuesday 5th June between 12.45-13.05 a resident at Carr House, Wolsley Close had their bank card removed from their flat and it was later used to withdraw cash. The victim who is partially sighted had been befriended by the two people believed to have taken the card. Please be sure not to keep your pin number with your card or let the pin number be known to anyone else. A red Honda 125, number plate GF62FYZ that had been involved in a road traffic collision in Iron Mill Lane recently has now been reported as stolen, it had been left at the scene and was badly damaged, it would have had to be lifted to be removed". Northumberland Heath ward:- "It’s been a really good week for crime detection with many positive results. The team have been focussing on drug crime and Anti Social Behaviour using stop and search and plain clothed patrols alongside normal patrols. We have conducted up to 20 stop and searches over the last week resulting in us finding a large quantity of personal cannabis and a large knife in Erith. We are currently investigating the possession of the knife, which is to be forensically examined. We have some recent reports of ASB in the areas of Bexley Road, Northumberland Heath Recreation Ground and Walsingham Walk. We are currently working on all of these issues and focussing patrols in these areas. Yesterday we stop and searched a group of five teenagers off Bexley Road and reported two teenagers for possession of cannabis. Our colleagues form Belvedere have also recovered two stolen vehicles and a quantity of drugs from Walsingham Walk a few days ago. Apart from the ASB, which is not linked to any of the youths from last year, we have a low level of reported crime on the ward. If you are aware of any issues we have not raised here please get in contact with the team". Slade Green and North End ward:- "Unfortunately again we have had 3 overnight theft from motor vehicles in the last week and one attempted theft of a vehicle. On June 1st number plates were stolen from a vehicle in Garnet Road (Rainbow Road estate) and an attempted theft was made in Crescent Road but the suspect was disturbed. Then on June 3rd tools were stolen from a van in Peareswood Road, suspects were seen and good descriptions given. On June 4th at 10pm 2 males tried to distract a driver in Alexandra Road and steal his car. Fortunately he managed to lock the vehicle and the suspects ran away. On Tuesday PCSO Mark attended the launch of the Slade Green Seniors Cinema Club at the Community Centre. This has been funded by Orbit Housing and organised by 3 retired residents. The event was a success with attendance from local councillors, the deputy mayor and around 30 retired residents who all enjoyed tea, cakes and then popcorn during a showing of Carousel. The next film club has already been arranged and all attendees get to suggest films for future events. Our next Community Contact session is on Thursday 14th of June from 1030am in the Forest Road Café". Thamesmead East ward:- "Big welcome to PCSO Lorraine O’Hara, who has very recently joined the team. No burglaries to report this week, however there have been several reports of vehicle crime. A moped was stolen from outside an address in Howden Close, during the early hours of Tuesday 5th. Also around this time, attempts were made to break into two motor vehicles, Kale Road. On Sunday 3rd June a car was stolen from Thamesbank Place. On Friday 1st June, PC Pruden arrested for a male who was wanted for failing to appear at court. He remained in custody overnight, and was sent to court the following morning. Also on the 1st June, PC Nana and PCSO Hobbs in partnership with Peabody Housing, identified a stolen motor bike in a disused garage, Hartslock Drive. The bike was taken to Charlton car pound to be forensically examined. Good piece of proactive work by PCSO Hobbs and O’Hara, on Monday 4th June. While out on routine foot patrol, they discovered a male in possession of two cannabis joints and grinders. All items seized, and the male will be interviewed by the team later this week. The next Contact Session is Tuesday 12th June at the Link, between 11-12pm. Feel free to drop in".

A little bit of history by way of the ending video this week. A news clip from ITV Thames News from back in May 1985. It shows what would appear to be fallout from the then May and Baker chemical works in Lower Belvedere causing breathing difficulties and malformed plants in local gardens. The man interviewed in the video clip with the Irish accent is the late Councillor Joe Delaney, who was a long - time local representative, and a very nice man by all accounts. Please feel free to leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.