The 99.

Drivers who operate the 99 bus service between Bexleyheath and Woolwich, and back the other way are unhappy. In 2011, and then later in 2016 the very popular bus route was upgraded with brand new Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 double decker buses such as the example that you can see in the photograph above, which was taken by me last summer. These were modern, comfortable, well designed and had a flywheel based energy conservation system installed, which enabled the bus engine to shut off at bus stops, or when halted in traffic. The system is called Gyrodrive. When the bus comes to a halt, the engine cuts out completely. When the bus subsequently pulls away from the bus stop, it travels for a few seconds in complete silence, before the diesel engine cuts back in. This saves fuel and cuts exhaust emissions. The 99 bus route covers quite a large area, and has a couple of fairly steep hills on the way, the most challenging of which is Bostall Hill where the road passes though Bostall Heath. The Enviro 400 buses equipped with the Gyrodrive system were more than capable of managing this journey with relative ease. Recently the bus company Arriva - which operates many of the routes in South East London and North Kent, decided to replace the Enviro 400 buses with another model. These were sourced second hand from the Midlands (I have heard that Wolverhampton was the original location for the second hand fleet - but if you know better, please let me know). The "new" second had buses are Wright Gemini 2 bodied VDL DB300's, which do not feature Gyrodrive. They are an older design than the Enviro 400 models that they now replace. I have spoken to several drivers on the 99 bus route, and they are very unhappy with the Wright Gemini buses. They are slow and under powered when compared to the previous Enviro 400's, and they have absolutely terrible suspension, with almost no damping. They bang and crash over the slightest road imperfection, and have a very bumpy, unrefined and uncomfortable ride. One driver commented to me that the buses were so underpowered that he almost felt like asking the passengers to get out and push when coming up Bostall Hill. On top of this, the second hand buses are extremely unreliable. Last week I personally saw two broken down Wright Gemini route 99 buses, one of which had stopped right on the junction with Bexley Road and the Fish Roundabout in the centre of Erith. One driver told me that the rate of breakdowns was so bad that the bus garage in Plumstead had no spare buses - the reserves were already in use, covering for the units that had already broken down. It seems to me that Arriva may have been guilty of some false economy when purchasing these used buses. I have no idea where the Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 buses have gone - whether Arriva have deployed them onto another route, or sold them on to another operator. If you have any information, please get in contact with me by emailing me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

After the non - story fiasco last week that featured Erith's KFC Drive Through being featured in a number of national tabloid newspapers, including the Sun, this week The Sun have featured a further non - story in respect of Erith McDonald's Drive Through, which is located directly opposite the KFC. on the corner of Manor Road and James Watt Way. The News Shopper ran a story which they apparently sold on to the Sun, which concerned claims that a fourteen year old girl and her friend had been to buy food at the McDonald's outlet, and that they had been told that they would have to eat outside, as they were wearing school uniform, and the Erith restaurant policy is to only allow two school children in the building at any one time - and two school children were already in the place. The reasoning behind this is that the Erith McDonald's apparently has had some severe problems with anti social behaviour, mainly caused by local school kids. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the case - and on Monday when the incident is alleged to have taken place, it was indeed very cold outside, but the news report contains one significant error; as you will see in the screen capture above - click on it to see a larger version - The Sun article clearly claims that the staff at the Erith McDonald's "forced a teenage schoolgirl to eat her food in the snow outside". The only thing is - it was cold last Monday, but there was no snow whatsoever - that did not arrive until late on Tuesday. Once again the Sun is not letting the facts get in the way of a good story. I am not covering the snow we have had recently, as more than enough has been written about it elsewhere already.

It comes as no surprise to me that The London Borough of Bexley did not win, or even come close to winning the London Borough of Culture award for 2019. Twenty two boroughs, including Bexley entered the competition, with Waltham Forest coming first, and with Barking and Dagenham coming second. The London Borough of Brent will take the prize in 2022. A prize of £1.35 million has been awarded to Waltham Forest; among the projects which will now get funding are a laser-light installation in Epping Forest, a two-day film festival in Leytonstone in honour of Sir Alfred Hitchcock — the local boy-turned-Hollywood director, and a 50 square metre solar-powered light show on Walthamstow Marshes. The borough has built a reputation for the arts in recent years as artists priced out of inner London have moved in. The Waltham Forest council-owned Grade II listed William Morris Gallery, which was home to the designer for almost 10 years, was named Museum of the Year in 2013 and the borough is also home to a regular art trail where residents transform their homes into galleries and open them up to visitors. Its bid was supported by names including choreographer Sir Matthew Bourne, who grew up in Walthamstow, and Blur front man Damon Albarn, who lived in Leytonstone. Against such strong competition Bexley did not stand much of a chance, though this may well change in the future. Bexley and the arts have until recently not exactly been great bed fellows. The council does little to support the arts, and most art related enterprise is undertaken by local residents in a voluntary capacity - Erith Playhouse being a prime example. It is fortunate that local arts group The Exchange have now been formed, and since the early summer of last year have been working to promote the arts and local involvement. The Exchange were the people behind the Erith Lighthouse pop - up restaurant (which received much praise from the London Evening Standard at the time) and the associated artwork that was featured in Erith Pier. They have now taken on a truly massive project to refurbish and repurpose the historic Carnegie Library in Walnut Tree Road, and to convert it into an arts and community hub, with space for sole trader businesses to use. I am hopeful that in a few years, that The London Borough of Bexley will lead in creativity and the arts, and be in a position to win a future award.

Although not exactly local, this story strikes me as of being of interest to many readers. One of the most famous landmarks on the River Thames marks its 80th birthday in the next couple of weeks. HMS Belfast, now a floating museum on the River Thames next to Tower Bridge, was originally launched back on March 17th 1938. She was launched by Mrs Neville Chamberlain to the cheers of hundreds of spectators. Since then she has served in the Arctic Convoys, fought in the Korean War, travelled the world and, famously, played a key role at the D-Day landings. one of ten Town-class cruisers, began in December 1936. She was launched on St Patrick's Day 1938. Commissioned in early August 1939 shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, Belfast was initially part of the British naval blockade against Germany. In November 1939, Belfast struck a German mine and spent more than two years undergoing extensive repairs. Belfast returned to action in November 1942 with improved firepower, radar equipment, and armour. Belfast saw action escorting Arctic convoys to the Soviet Union during 1943 and in December 1943 played an important role in the Battle of North Cape, assisting in the destruction of the German warship Scharnhorst. In June 1944, Belfast took part in Operation Overlord supporting the Normandy landings. In June 1945, Belfast was redeployed to the Far East to join the British Pacific Fleet, arriving shortly before the end of the Second World War. Belfast saw further combat action in 1950–52 during the Korean War and underwent an extensive modernisation between 1956 and 1959. A number of further overseas commissions followed before Belfast entered reserve in 1963. In 1967, efforts were initiated to avert Belfast's expected scrapping and to preserve her as a museum ship. A joint committee of The Imperial War Museum, The National Maritime Museum, and The Ministry of Defence were established and then reported in June 1968 that preservation was practical. In 1971, the government decided against preservation, prompting the formation of the private HMS Belfast Trust to campaign for her preservation. The efforts of the Trust were successful, and the government transferred the ship to the Trust in July 1971. Brought to London, she was moored on the River Thames near Tower Bridge in the Pool of London. Opened to the public in October 1971, Belfast became a branch of The Imperial War Museum in 1978. A popular tourist attraction, Belfast receives over a quarter of a million visitors per year. As a branch of a national museum and part of the National Historic Fleet, Belfast is supported by The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, admissions income, and the museum's commercial activities. On 17th March, you can meet veterans from across HMS Belfast’s 80 year history and learn about what it was like to live and work at sea. A number of free events on board include the return of Signals at Sea, where families can learn how lights, radios, codes and flags were used to pass messages from ship to ship. You can also learn how to send your own name in Morse Code, as well as a new signal created specifically for the occasion. Amateur Radio group The Royal Navy Amateur Radio Society uses HMS Belfast as its' base, and operates out of the original ship's radio room. They are operating under a special event licence over the 80th birthday period, and they can often be heard on the 2 metre VHF band, calling on 145.500 - S20. The special callsign is GB8ØGGCN. You can discover more about HMS Belfast and her 80th birthday celebrations by clicking here.

Some of the feedback that I get from regular readers is related to technical content on the Maggot Sandwich. Some readers are not keen on it, and tend to skip the occasional technical subject that I write about, but a majority seem to like the technical articles. I am conscious that I cannot please everyone all of the time, and I try and mix and match technical articles with those of a more general and widespread appeal. I have had some positive feedback in the past regarding the articles I have written on technology failures and why they happened. Examples of this include the VHS versus Betamax war of the early 1980's and the well intentioned but ultimately doomed Capacitance Electronic Disk (CED) analogue video disk system. Another technology that emerged in the late 90's and early 2000's that was expected to revolutionise the way people rented and bought movies in the years before streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video were created, but ultimately it failed at the first hurdle, and nowadays very few people are even aware that the system existed. Back in the day when VHS was still the market leading video format, and DVD was a relatively new invention. The film companies were getting very concerned that their long established business model could be in danger. The VHS market was a known, reliable money-spinner for studios. They knew that, around six months after the cinema release of a film, they could release it on video to rent, charging video hire shops up to £90 for a tape. Then, a few months on, they could charge £10 - £13 for a version to buy, the key difference being generally fewer adverts (save for an infamous VHS release of RoboCop from Virgin Video, with half an hour of adverts before the feature), and a smaller box. It all extended the financial life span of a film, and was a golden goose that many were wary of slaying. A US based electronics retailer and a law firm got together to come up with a new rival to the DVD format that would allow them to control how a rental disk was watched. That format was DIVX. Not the digital video codec – that was DivX – rather an alternative, disc-based video rental system that was launching at the same time as DVD. The idea of DIVX was that a disc would cost around $4.50 in the US, against the $25-30 retail price of a DVD. Then, once you played it in your DIVX player – you needed one of those too, and not a standard DVD deck – you had 48 hours to watch it. Ironically, it is the same kind of idea that sits behind digital video rental stores now, such as Sky Store and Google Play or Netflix. The DIVX disc would work for 48 hours, and you could extend this for an extra fee to get another two days of use from it. If you wanted to keep the film, and remove the restriction, you could pay again to upgrade it to a DVD Silver. Retailers were also set to release DIVX Gold discs (basically, bog standard DVDs), but none ever appeared, nor did the DIVX format ever leave the US. For starters, an assortment of retailers backed DIVX, thinking this would maintain the idea of getting two payments for a home format release from consumers (this was before they hatched on the idea of multiple special edition releases of the same film on DVD). Disney, Paramount, Universal and Fox all released titles on DIVX, with around 300 films ultimately made available onto the format. Most were pan and scan releases, lacking a widescreen option, with barely any of the special features that DVDs were being stuffed with. DIVX was clearly being aimed at casual movie watchers, rather than film fans - yet film fans set alarm bells ringing. Fan resistance was vehement against DIVX, and this was a very early example of an internet campaign against a planned format. The quality of DIVX releases was questioned, whilst there were fears that having more than one disc format would lead to consumer confusion. Furthermore, the DIVX system technically had the ability to feed back information over your telephone line as to what you were watching, and some questioned the Big Brother nature of that. That said, Netflix, Amazon etc do that by default now, and barely anyone bats an eyelid. Times have changed. DIVX ultimately failed in 1999, with the ability to view DIVX discs switched off in the summer of 2001. DVD had won the battle. With DVD victorious, so the rental window system ended in the US pretty much on the spot. Stores still offered DVD rentals, but of discs you could buy at an affordable price. More and more people opted to simply buy a film outright on day one, especially as the advent of internet shopping had brought with it some hefty discounts on discs. In the UK, the move away from rentals was slightly slower, held back by one or two video hire companies such as Blockbuster, and some of the film distributors still keen to hold onto some form of window. But then there was a cultural difference. Whereas the American market had regularly seen big titles, even on VHS, go straight to sell-through, in Britain, it was a novelty. It is ironic that, in its own way, rental has made a comeback, albeit through online, on-demand services that let you instantly ‘rent’ a film for a two-day period. But the catalyst there too has been a format change. If video to DVD brought an end to traditional rental and a move to us buying more physical copies of films, the hard disk and broadband-driven era is taking things back a little the other way. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Now for this weeks local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly a report from Barnehurst ward:- "Barnehurst Ward have suffered a burglary and an attempted burglary in the past week. The burglary took place in Holmesdale Grove on Friday 23rd February. At 05.31pm the victim received a notification from the door bell system informing the victim there was a male at the front door. The male is seen to walk away to join another male at the front of the drive. Both males proceed to walk down the side alley. Moments later at 05.37 a grey Mercedes with blacked out windows appears from the alley and parks in front of the property for a few minutes, it reverses into alley and drives off at speed. The rear door to the property was found damaged and the window had been smashed. Entry was gained and an untidy search was found in the bedroom with items of jewellery of little value strewn across the bed. Nothing had been taken. One male was described to be white, wearing a black baseball cap, black coat, blue jeans and a red scarf was worn across the face. The second male was also white, wearing a black coat with the hood up, black jeans and trainers with a white sole. Also on the 23rd February at 02.00pm victim was at home when a loud noise was heard coming from the rear of the property. As the victim entered the kitchen, an Asian male was seen crouched down holding a crow bar in the rear garden. On seeing the victim he fled with another person exiting through a side gate onto the drive, direction from there is unknown. The Asian male was described as wearing a dark blue jacket and a dark blue woolly hat and was about 30 years old. It is believed both suspects were male. There has also been one theft of a motor vehicle which occurred on Tuesday 27th February whereby a grey Volkswagon Golf, Registration number VX 15 DZB was stolen from Hall Place Crescent. Our next coffee with cops will be held on Wednesday 7th March at 11.00pm in Barnehurst Golf Club. Please come along for a chat with the team. In the meantime stay safe, keep warm and look out for your elderly neighbours who may feel stranded due to the dangerous icy conditions outside. I’m sure some would appreciate a helping hand". Belvedere ward:- "Over the last week, A/PS Green and PC Holmes have been involved in three arrests. The first was in relation to a wanted male who we were alerted to in Erith Town Centre. This male was wanted for 2 separate offences and was further arrested for possession of cannabis which was in his possession at the time of his initial arrest. The second male was arrested in Ambrooke Road as he was wanted for several offences. Subsequently, Daniel Mills, aged 33 of Picardy Street, Belvedere was found guilty at Bromley magistrates Court on 26th February 2018 of making off without payment x 2, motor vehicle interference, possession of cannabis and failing to attend a drugs intervention programme. He was sentenced to 42 days imprisonment, 14 days on license, fined £415.00 and further costs to be paid to victims within the next six months. The third was in relation to a male who had failed to appear at court for environmental offences. He was arrested at his home address in Lower Belvedere. Whilst on patrol in Lower Road, A/PS Green and PCSO Worrall observed a blue quad bike parked on the pavement. Checks were carried out on the vehicle, and the owner of the bike was spoken to at length. Details have been recorded by the team, should this vehicle come to notice in the future. PCSO Worrall assisted Northumberland Heath ward officers in visiting victims of burglary and attempted burglary in Parsonage Manor Way and Matfield Road respectively. Neighbouring addresses at both locations were also visited in order to raise awareness of both incidents within the community. Finally, the team – assisted by officers from Northumberland Heath SNT, Colyers SNT and North End SNT conducted a drugs warrant in Brigstock Road. There were a quantity of drugs seized from the address and also other items discovered within the property. This investigation is currently ongoing". Christchurch ward:- "We are pleased to mention that their have not been any burglaries over the past week . We believe this is as a result of a number of great arrests. But unfortunately we have had one report of an attempted burglary along Broomfield Road on the 16/02/2018. Suspects had walked along the front drive and tried to gain entry to the property. In relation to motor vehicle crime. On the 22/02/2018, we have had one report of a theft of motor vehicle that was taken from the driveway along Freta Road. Also a report of a theft from motor vehicle on the 19/02/2018 along Rochester Drive, number plates were removed from the vehicle. Two reports have been received over the last week where wallets have been stolen from the victims and we have one victim of pick pocketing, below is a brief summary of them: 26/02/2018 – Wallet was stolen from victim whilst they were shopping in TKMaxx 24/02/2018 – Wallet stolen along the Broadway area; 22/02/2018 – Victim was pick pocketed whilst shopping in Pound Land. There was also a report of property that was stolen from outside McDonalds on the 21/02/2018. The team has been conducted some outstanding work whilst also proactively patrolling on a regular basis. We have noticed youths are starting to congregate outside the Bowling Alley and around Methuen Road & Oakland’s Road, the team is engaging with them to reduce ASB. We have been receiving reports of youths on push bikes riding dangerously on busy main roads. We have been told that they slow traffic down by riding in the middle of the streets doing wheelies and also being verbally abusive towards motorists. We have stopped youths on the ward along Iris Road to advise them to be cautious whilst on their bikes and to think about their safety as well as for other members of public. Parental letters have been sent to some Parents. Following residents’ concerns of youth disorder on the Broadway, Police took positive action in implementing dispersal zones in which a number of people were arrested and subsequently we have had positive results at Court. Schools have been fully engaged and are committing in working in partnership with us. We have received complaints of drug dealing taking place along Hawthorn Road and Methuen Road. These streets are regularly patrolled to help tackle this problem. The team is conducting extensive enquiries with regards to the theft of purse from the 97 year old female outside the Conservative Club". Colyers ward:- "We are pleased to say another low crime week for Colyers Ward this week with no reported burglaries and just one theft from motor vehicle. A car window was smashed and a Satnav and purse were stolen from a car in Badlow Close overnight on Monday 26th Feb sometime between 7.30pm and 10am the following morning. Please remember to take everything with you, leaving nothing on view, before leaving and locking your car. Colyers and North End SNT held a joint Crime Prevention event in the Shell garage on North End road on Saturday 24th February. The ward officers have been busy assisting with patrols for the knife point robberies and yesterday (Wednesday 28th) Colyers SNT assisted Belvedere team with a drugs warrant on their ward. Cannabis , cash and other items were seized". Crayford ward:- "Not too many crimes of note this week. A secured moped was stolen from the driveway of a property in Mayplace Avenue sometime between 20.00 on the 25/02/18 and 11.00 on 26/02/18. On 22/02/18 at approx. 22.00, police received a call about suspicious behaviour near a vehicle in Dale Road. On arrival the main group had left leaving one male standing near some bushes. Police were made aware that items had been placed in those bushes. The male was searched and arrested for having drugs and intending to supply and having a police baton. He was further arrested as the motorcycle he had was not road legal as it had no MOT or insurance. We have been dealing with anti-social behaviour near the Europa Gym and Town Hall Square and have now identified some of the youths concerned in this behaviour. We will now liaise with other agencies to deal with them appropriately". Lesnes Abbey ward:- "Burglary - On Monday 26/02/18 between the hours of 03 :10 pm and 06:55 pm a burglary occurred in Wyfold house, Wolvercote Road. Entry was made via the front door. Nothing was taken. Between Friday 23/02/18 and Saturday 24/02/18 a burglary occurred in Manorside Close, the UPVC outer door had been kicked open. Attempted burglary occurred in Glenview between Thursday 22/02/18 and Saturday 24/02/18.Damge to the woodwork and the padlock hasps. Attempted burglary in Brampton Road occurred on Saturday 24/02/18 between the hours of 01 :00 pm and 07 :00 pm, no entry was gained but the outer front porch door had been bent by suspect/s using an implement. Motor Vehicle Crimes - During the early hours of Friday 23/02/18 a motor vehicle parked in Manorside Close was broken into and music sound systems stolen. Between 00:12 am and 00 :30 on Saturday 24/02/18 a motor vehicle parked in Coralline Walk was damaged resulting in the number plate hanging off. A set of anti tamper screws were supplied to the victim for carrying out the repair. On Saturday 24/02/18 a motor vehicle was stolen from outside of a property in Burchabro Road. Good news on the stolen vehicle, it was later found and is now in the police car pound. The owner has been informed. Date for your diary - Have a say day. Any motorists using the BP Connect petrol station on Harrow Manor Way, SE2 9TA on Wednesday 07/03/18 between the hours of 11:00 am and 12:00 midday, pick up some Motor Vehicle Crime prevention information from the Lesnes Abbey team". North End ward:- "Unfortunately 4 vehicle crimes have occurred in the last week. 2 were overnight on Sunday / Monday near each other. Both were Theft from Motor Vehicle, one in Betsham Road, window smashed, items taken from within and the same scenario in Frobisher Road. Paintball guns were the items taken from the vehicle in Betsham Road and ongoing enquiries are being made. On Sunday afternoon number plates were stolen from a car in Betsham Road although the rear one snapped as it was being removed. A motorbike was taken in the early hours Friday 23rd Feb from Hazel Drive, the padlock was cut off the BMW bike which has yet to be recovered. There was also and attempted burglary at Cobham House at some point during the last week, no exact day or time as the victim wasn’t there for a few days but on his return he noticed damage to his door frame. Neighbours have been spoken to but nobody has seen or heard anything at this time. PC James Telfer was working with the Belvedere team on Saturday and spotted a male he knew was wanted for numerous offences, he was promptly arrested by PC Telfer, remanded in custody and given a 42 day sentence on Monday. Excellent work by James. On Saturday evening PC Mark Brookes-Smith and PCSO Mark Pigott had a crime prevention table at the Shell Garage on Northend Road. This was a joint effort carried out with our Colyers SNT colleagues. There was a lot of interest from the garage customers and Crime Prevention advice and leaflets were given out to over 50 people. If you would like any crime prevention information, please let us know and we can arrange to get you leaflets, property marking pens etc and even have a one to one advice session with you if you require one. We have a Community Contact session on Tuesday March 6th from 1pm at Slade Green Library in Chrome Road, please come along and say hi if you are free". Thamesmead East ward:- "One burglary to report this week which occurred on Monday 26th Feb during the early hours of the morning (Harrow Manor Way). The front door was forced open, and electrical items were stolen, including laptops, and mobile phones. During the early hours of Friday 23 Feb, two motor vehicles were broken into, a bag and a wallet were stolen, Southmere Drive and Seacourt Road. Please don’t leave any valuable items on show in your vehicles, even for a short amount of time. A motor vehicle was stolen between 0100 and 0800 hours, at Thamesbank Place. On Monday 26th Feb, the team were out conducting arrest enquiries in relation to suspects wanted who live on our ward. Despite being unsuccessful, word quickly must have got round, because no more than an hour later, the suspect attended his local Police station, and handed himself in. He was subsequently arrested and sent to Court the following morning. If at first you don’t succeed, etc etc. Our base at Limestone Walk, opposite The Taris shop will be open this Saturday 3rd March. Any issues, please feel free to come along and let us know. On the 8th March, the team will be at the Link, Bazalgette Way, SE2 9BS, between 1630 and 1730 hours, again please come and say hello to us".

The end video this week is a short film about Bexleyheath; it is well worth a watch. See what you think and feel free to leave a comment below; alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Informer.

Why the photo of a lady on a mobility scooter painting a picture of a church, in a church? I hear you wonder; well there is definitely a method in the apparent madness. The lady in the photo above was photographed by me last May during the Friends of Christ Church Erith "Our Erith" local art exhibition. One of the most popular exhibitors was a local artist called Jay Leffew, who you can see in the photo above, which was taken in Christ Church, Erith. Jay is a multi talented artist who works in a number of different forms. She paints, and she sculpts, both in "found" materials such as old copper electrical wiring, and in Papier Mache, and most famously in wood - namely dead old tree stumps. She has been carving animals and birds into old stumps in Bursted Wood in Barnehurst for some considerable time, to much local approval. Her nature inspired sculptures have appeared over the last couple of years on pieces of dead wood scattered throughout the wood, which is popular with walkers. Finally the News Shopper has picked up on the story, where you can see a selection of photos of Jay's wood carvings. This is precisely the kind of thing the local area needs, and it is a strong piece of evidence as to exactly why The London Borough of Bexley should be considered for the award of "London Borough of Culture" which is currently being debated. I have to add that this consideration would be despite the actions (or in many cases the inactions) of Bexley Council, not because of them. The London Borough of Culture project was announced recently by London Mayor, Sadiq Khan. The announcement reads:- "This an initiative to bring culture to all Londoners, local authorities will have five months to prepare applications before a decision is made on where to allocate the £2.8 million pot of funding for the two winning bids. The great thing about culture is not only the economic boom it brings to London... but it enriches our lives, it nourishes the soul, it brings communities together, it heals division. Good culture is for the rich and poor, old and young, no matter your ethnicity or faith. The funding will commit boroughs to introducing artistic initiatives and make culture an integral part of their future. They will be tasked with bringing new opportunities to their area as well as shining a spotlight on existing treasures. An extra £600,000 will be made available for other boroughs who put forward impressive projects". Bexley does little if anything to bring art or culture to the local area - witness the cancellation of council funding for "Bexley in Bloom", and the permanent cancellation of the council funded Danson Festival, citing drainage problems in Danson Park, which mysteriously disappeared when the event was taken over by a commercial company a year later. The event is now held, but it is no longer free - an adult is charged £7 admission on the door. There are just a couple of examples of how Bexley grabs every penny it can from rate payers, yet returns little of worth - another prime example is the much protested closure of the Belvedere Splash Park, which controversially was converted into the Belvedere Beach - at no expense to the council, as it was all funded by Cory Environmental. Despite this, the residents of Bexley continue to be creative and productive - Jay Leffew being a prime example of this - she just quietly carries on enriching the local environment with little thought of money or fame. What is a shame is how the talkback functionality of the News Shopper website gets misused by people who submit factually incorrect and downright harmful comments, which can be read by people who may think they are indeed correct. What annoys me even more is that the writer of the hurtful comment has not even bothered to check the facts before they posted their misleading prose. The malicious and misleading poster wrote:- "I wonder if this legal and healthy to carve this shxxt into a healthy tree!" The poster is obviously a flame baiter - trying to provoke an argument for their own twisted pleasure. The photos of the carvings clearly show that they are all done on dead wood - stumps of trees that have not been alive for some considerable period of time - a fact that is conveniently ignored (or they are too stupid to have taken the time to look at the photos in any detail). This is precisely the kind of activity the News Shopper needs to crack down on, but from my understanding they are so understaffed that website comments apparently go largely unmoderated. You can see another couple of Jay's creations below - miniature models of two local landmarks - the infamous Erith Fish Sculpture, and the far nicer Lower Belvedere Cob Pony Sculpture. The fish sculpture model is constructed out of papier mache, and the cob pony out of old copper electrical wiring that Jay recovered when her house was in the process of being rewired. She stripped the plastic insulation material from the wiring, then wove it into a reconstruction of the pony sculpture that is located on the roundabout at the Lower Belvedere end of Bronze Age Way. 

Some interesting information has recently come to light in respect of a new BBC TV drama series, which is to be filmed on location in Thamesmead in October and December.  The thriller programme is to be called "Informer" and it is being directed by Jonny Campbell, who has previously worked on Westworld, Spooks, Ashes to Ashes, and Doctor Who. The new show is set on a fictional central London housing estate called Bridgewater, and the story is about a young second-generation Pakistani man forced by a counter-terrorism officer to go undercover and inform for him. The BBC will be filming for one week in mid-October and one week in December, and are calling for local residents to act as extras. These will be paid opportunities. If you are interested in becoming an extra in the show, or merely want to learn more about the BBC production, then an open evening event is being held on Tuesday the 5th of September at the The Link Thamesmead, Bazalgette Way, off Harrow Manor Way, SE2 9BS. It starts at 6.30pm and ends at 8pm. The BBC will be bringing a street casting specialist (who runs an extras agency) to the meeting. Anyone that wants to be involved will be asked to give the BBC their details and will have a headshot photo taken. You will then be added to the agency database and will be offered work on days/scenes that you are considered suitable for. This wouldn’t necessarily be limited to filming in the Thamesmead, you could also be asked to work with the BBC on other days in other locations. Signing up won’t automatically guarantee work being offered, but the BBC will do their best to give everyone the opportunity to be involved.

You may recall that two weeks ago I publicised the Danson Dashes - a rowing regatta held at Danson Park; well, now that the event has taken place, A lady called Alison, who is instrumental in running Erith Rowing Club sent me the photograph above, and the text below for your information:- "Some readers may remember the days when Erith Rowing Club ran an annual regatta in Danson Park, Bexleyheath, which was called the Danson Dashes.  The last one was held in 1999; the following year’s regatta had to be cancelled due to a weed problem at the lake.  This, along with other factors, meant it was no longer a viable proposition for the Club to run it. As this meant there were no regattas in the area for nearly 20 years, Gravesend Rowing Club approached Erith Rowing Club with a view to resurrecting the regatta.  On Saturday, 19 August 2017, Erith Rowing Club and Gravesend Rowing Club jointly hosted the first Danson Dashes Regatta for 18 years.  It was held on a private match basis (a limited number of local clubs were invited to compete).  The races included fours, quads, doubles and singles – and there was even time for a lunch break!  Naomi Riches, rowing champion at the London 2012 Paralympics, presented the prizes.  All the competing crews enjoyed the event and many said they wanted to come back next year.  As a result, Erith Rowing Club and Gravesend Rowing Club will run the Danson Dashes Regatta as a full regatta every year going forward, so any rowing club in the country may compete.  Next year’s event will be on Saturday, 18th August 2018".

The photo above shows the now pretty well known Erith Lighthouse structure, located in the Erith Riverside Gardens - click on the photo for a larger view. The schedule of events which took place over the last couple of weeks at this location has now come to a conclusion; the Lighthouse structure has now been dismantled and has now already been moved to its new location on Erith Pier, where it will re - open for a further series of public events on the 7th to the 24th of September. The official announcement reads thus:- "Save the date: Erith Lighthouse returns 7 September. Join us for another three weeks at the Erith Lighthouse starting on Thursday 7th September at its new location, the Erith Pier. Come along to the Pier Party for a double celebration as we reopen the Erith Lighthouse for our September Programme and mark the inaugural Pier Commission featuring Julia Snowdin's temporary art installation. Across September, 6 different chefs will host 8 dinners at the Erith Lighthouse creating distinct menus inspired by Erith’s unique riverside location on the border of London and Kent. Each dinner will be a celebration and fusion of London’s exciting food culture and this area’s agricultural heritage. Alongside the dinners, a three-week programme of family-friendly events in partnership with Erith's residents will explore and celebrate Erith and this part of the Thames Estuary". Following the earlier story concerning the competition to become the "London Borough of Culture", this kind of enterprise should surely count towards any local submission - what do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The image above shows a suspected burglar who was caught on CCTV whilst robbing a house in Lesley Close, Bexley Village on the 16th August at around 4pm. He was one of a total of four criminals who broke into the house whilst the elderly owners were away on holiday. A spokesman for Bexley Police said: "Three of the suspects are wearing distinctive clothing but have their faces covered, although the fourth male isn't. He can been seen using crutches and appears to have an injury to his left foot." this is the crook featured in the photo above. If you have any information as to the identity of this total scumbag, then please ring Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111. This leads quite neatly onto a closely related subject. Unsurprisingly, the announcement that Bexleyheath Police Station was being considered for closure has brought widespread opposition from local residents - ninety two percent voted in an online poll to retain the police station in the centre of the borough. I presume that the eight percent who voted against the retention of the Police station were actually criminals. In an interview with the Bexley Times, MP for Bexleyheath and Crayford, David Evennett said:- "A move of the front counter services and the police headquarters to Sidcup would be highly inconvenient and I also believe response times in areas of my constituency would be negatively affected, including Bexleyheath, Crayford, Erith, Slade Green and Welling, I urge residents to respond to the consultation and oppose the reckless and unacceptable proposals put forward by the Labour Mayor of London.” Dana Wiffen, Chair of Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association said of the proposed closure:- "We’re currently based at Bexleyheath, if they’re going to move all of the police over to there, then what happens if there’s no room for us? Obviously we will need to see what happens, but it is concerning as we won’t be able to operate as well if we are based at home, we depend on having a good relationship with the police. Also, if you’re trying to keep police in the job, making them have longer travel journeys to another office seems a bit daft.”  On another subject of great local concern, Dana also said:- "The expansion of Biker Gang Crime and nuisance is not just a Bexley problem in London, many of the culprits are under age and the police are not allowed to chase them for fear of injury. We all know this is frustrating but there needs to be changes in the law so that police officers can clamp down on these youths knowing that they are supported by the law courts until this is done these trouble makers know that in most cases they can get away with it. I suggest writing to your MP asking that they support new laws that will help police tackle this growing problem" This is a real problem which Dana has repeatedly highlighted.



The News Shopper have picked up on a subject that I have been banging on about since January 2014, that of betting shops and Fixed Odds Betting Terminals - a real bugbear of mine. Statistics just released by The Campaign for Fairer Gambling, based on the Gambling Commission’s Industry Statistics from November 2016, showed that in 2016 alone gamblers in South East London and North Kent alone lost more than £53m to these machines.  The main reason that the large betting companies want to open more outlets - such as the former Barclays Bank site on the corner of White Hart Road and Plumstead High Street, is that the law limits the number of FOBT’s in any specific betting shop, but it says nothing about the number of betting shops in any location. To increase the number of very lucrative FOBT units in a town, the bookmakers just open additional shops. Many local councils have been reluctant to block this, due to the fact that during the recession, many shop units have stood empty, and the betting shops offer a steady council tax income, which the council otherwise would not get. A recent report makes for extremely troubling reading; it reveals that in the 55 most deprived boroughs in the UK – overwhelmingly located in Northern cities and urban Greater London have a total of 2,691 bookmakers shops, in which £13 billion was gambled on FOBT machines, and £470 million lost by gamblers in the last year alone. In the same time period, there were 1,258 bookmakers shops in the 115 wealthiest areas, adjusted to cover the same volume of population, within which players gambled a total of £6.5 billion, losing £231 million. A hundred pounds can be lost in no more than thirty seconds. Nick Small, of Liverpool City Council said of the situation “millions of pounds that should be used for paying for food and rent was being sucked into the FOBT machines; Bookies are arriving all the time into prime retail locations. This is all driven for FOBTs. I have no doubt of it. We are seeing horrific reports of family breakdown caused by gambling debts, problems with loan sharks. We are pretty sure organised crime is using the machines to launder money. It's out of control in a city like ours, where there are a lot of poorer people”.  The same situation exists all around the UK, with poorer areas – just like Erith, being hit far harder than wealthier regions. Industry observers have commented that one way to reduce the problem specific to FOBT machines would be to limit the maximum stake gambled to £2 – like ordinary one armed bandit machines, and to limit the maximum payout to £100. The gambling industry is not keen on this approach, for obvious reasons. To add to this, the Government are now showing an interest, as the subject is gaining column inches in the press now. The government have taken a very weak stance, saying that they will wait for the findings of the (gambling industry sponsored) research before any decision will be taken; at the rate things are progressing. At the time of writing, no reductions in the maximum amount gambled have been put into place, and they are looking increasingly likely to be left unchanged. The main power house behind the lack of change in the law to prevent problem gamblers losing thousands of pounds in a FOBT gambling session is an organisation called The Association of British Bookmakers (ABB) - which sounds a bit like a trade guild or a charity, but is actually a commercial limited company. The ABB are the PR mouthpiece and propaganda ministry for the UK gambling industry, and who exist to prevent as many crackdowns on the gambling laws as possible. The public relations manager for this organisation is a chap called Peter Craske. You may well find the name familiar, and he is frequently mentioned both in the Maggot Sandwich, and also rather more robustly by Malcolm Knight in "Bexley is Bonkers". Peter Craske is also a local Conservative Councillor with some rather strident views on a number of subjects. Let's just say that it would appear that he is partial to not letting the facts get in the way of a good story. Sounds pretty similar to his day job then. It is not that surprising that in an announcement this week, Sports and betting companies top the list of donors treating MPs to gifts and hospitality. The Ladbrokes Coral group appeared 15 times in the register of members' interests, more than any other donor. Out of 187 donations from UK sources registered by MPs, 58 were from the world of sport. A further 19 were from betting companies. Ladbrokes Coral said it wanted MPs to take decisions "from a position of knowledge", but campaigners for tighter rules on gambling said companies could use hospitality to lobby MPs not to change rules on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals.

This week, Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association have published the following report on local crime fighting activities. Barnehurst Ward:- "On a good note for Barnehurst ward there have been no burglaries on the ward during the past week and only one reported Incident of criminal damage to a motor vehicle in Parkside Avenue. This Incident occurred on 22nd August between midnight and 07.45pm. The vehicle was parked in a footway bay and was found to have been scratched along the side of the vehicle. There are no witnesses or CCTV for further evidence. Unfortunately Barnehurst Golf Course suffered theft and criminal damage on 25th August between 07.30pm and 08.00pm. This Incident was reported by staff who witnessed five youths throwing golf balls and being abusive to staff. The youths also entered the driving range and stole baskets, golf balls and flags from the course. The group have been seen in this area on previous occasions and are normally riding bicycles. There is CCTV at the location however staff stated the youths had covered their faces with their t-shirts. The next coffee with cops will be held at Barnehurst Golf Club on Thursday 7th September at 11.00am. Please come along if you have and issues you wish to discuss with us". Belvedere Ward:- "22/08/2017 – PCSO Worrall was out patrolling the ward hotspots and visiting the local residents in relation to local concerns. PC Holmes was knocking on the doors of wanted offenders on the ward. PC Green assisted with a vehicle seizure for no insurance as well as a female arrested for failing to appear at court. 23/08/2017 – PCSO Worrall was out patrolling the ward again, while PC Green and PC Holmes were assisting with warrants across the borough followed by further arrest enquiries. PC Green arrested a male for domestic actual bodily harm and shoplifting. 26/08/2017 – PC Holmes was assisting with the investigation into several shop liftings. PCSO Worrall visited residents in Picardy Street in relation to street drinking and ASB in the local vicinity. If anyone has further information regarding street drinkers or concerns, please contact us. An elderly couple on Lyndon Road were the victims of a burglary by means of distraction where money was taken, the suspects were a white males aged 50 years and 17 years, both with ginger hair – if anybody has any information please contact ourselves or crime stoppers. 29/08/2017 – The team were out again speaking with residents meeting with a vulnerable male as well as talking to residents about flytipping on Morvale Close. Images of the fly tipping have been shared on our Twitter: @MPSBelvedere".  Colyers Ward:- "There are no reported burglaries on Colyers Ward between 23rd August 2017 to 29th August 2017. Motor vehicle wise there was one theft of a motor vehicle and one theft from a motor vehicle during the same period. A vehicle was taken without authorisation from Hemsted Road on the evening of Friday 25th August. No CCTV or witness and the car was found abandoned in Cumbrian Avenue Bexleyheath later the same evening. On Sunday 27th August 2017 the victim had been at work all night as a cab driver and went to visit his friend at her home address on Birling Road. The victim parked his vehicle on Birling Road at the junction of Chipstead Road at about 2am The victim left his vehicle locked and secured and went into his friend property at approximately 2am. The victim was inside the address for less than 10 minutes and when he returned to his vehicle, the front drivers’ side window had been smashed and the glove box had been opened and a search completed. There were several items left on the passenger seat. Inside the vehicle the victim had £ 70 in cash and an LG mobile phone was also taken. There was no CCTV but a potential witness approached the victim and stated that he had heard a loud bang and saw a person in a grey tracksuit running away from the vehicle up Birling Road towards Frinsted Road. The witness was unable to give a full description of the suspect".  Erith Ward:- "Our coordinator from Galleons Close Erith, DA8 1AP has reported these issues many times and is frustrated that nothing appears to be being done about this constant crime and nuisance. There are a number of youths on mopeds regularly riding around illegally and faces covered, coming and going from Abbey Wood are and also 82 Galleon Close, Erith. Hyde housing, and local police have been informed. My husband is coordinator but too ill to do this at present and im also disabled. Not only is the constant noise a nuisance every evening but I have witnessed them dealing drugs out of their man bags they carry. They chase around on roads, paths to escape police and known by all they steal bikes, but no one can prove this. They are a danger to other car and bike drivers as well as children that play on street in Galleon close. They have also been seen going tooled up with baseball bats and other things. It starts about 6pm till 11pm every night. Also there are many dogs being allowed to run loose on Galleon close, some have chased and attacked other dogs and children. Chairman's comment-The expansion of Biker Gang Crime and nuisance is not just a Bexley problem in London, many of the culprits are under age and the police are not allowed to chase them for fear of injury. We all know this is frustrating but there needs to be changes in the law so that police officers can clamp down on these youths knowing that they are supported by the law courts until this is done these trouble makers know that in most cases they can get away with it". North End Ward:- "Over the past few weekends (particularly Sunday's) North End Road has been plagued with between 30 and 40 trial bikes and quads, racing up and down the dual carriageway doing wheelies even standing on their saddles and going through red traffic lights. This Sunday they were actually being filmed by a car in the midst of the bikes, out of the sun roof!! Apart from the tremendous noise of this amount of bikes hurtling up and down the road there is going to be a serious accident and probably some innocent person will get hurt". The response from PCSO Mark Piggott of North End Safer Neighbourhood Police Team regarding this issue is as follows:- "We were at work Sunday, and are aware of the issues. I think it all stems from Bike UK group and social media making it easy for them to arrange their meet ups. Please can you note though that this isn’t solely a North End Ward issue. The group use all of Thames Road, North End Road etc all the way to Thamesmead as it is a long stretch of dual carriage way with many turnings for them to drive around annoying anyone they can so it is a borough issue, not just one ward. But we will be keeping an eye out".  He then went on to say that:- "Over the weekend a group of youths unfortunately got into Slade Green Primary School and caused a lot of damage. Kitchens were flooded along with lots of items thrown around the staff room and other areas of the school. There is very good CCTV of the suspects and we will be doing what we can in the hope of identifying those involved. At our surgery in Forest Road café last Saturday, some good intel was received around some drug issues in the park at Hollywood Way. Our surgeries are a good way for residents to speak with us in confidence about local issues and the dates for our surgeries will be sent out in the next 24hours. A theft from the till occurred at Erith Food and Wine store in The Nursery but again, the CCTV footage will hopefully lead to a positive ID of the suspect".  Northumberland Heath Ward:- "Approximately 800 leaflets were delivered to residents and businesses this week to update them as to what the team have been doing since April of this year. We still are receiving reports of youths riding their pushbikes erratically in Bexley Road causing a danger and nuisance to drivers. A black Piaggio Typhoon Moped was stolen on Monday August 28th at the top of Brook Street towards Belvedere between 15.45pm – 1815pm. A white transit van was broken in to overnight on Saturday August 29th where a power tool was stolen. The lock was tampered with to gain access to the vehicle. On Thursday August 24th at approximately 6.45pm there was a report of males drug dealing in Swaylands Road, the vehicle was then stopped in Luddesdon Road and a male was found to be in possession of several bags of white powder. Five drug warrants were executed in relation to the anti-social behaviour problems on the ward which resulted in two males being arrested for Possession With Intent to Supply Cannabis".

The end video this week is a time lapse film showing the construction of the £250 million Ocado / Waitrose warehouse in Church Manor Way, Lower Belvedere, which is currently the largest automated goods warehouse in the world. Not long after it opened for business, it was invaded by a group of travellers, who effectively closed the business for nearly two days back in June. Please leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.