The chimney.

The photos above - click on any one for a larger view, were taken by me on Friday, just as the Christ Church Erith annual Christmas Tree Festival got under way. The event, which features eighty individually decorated and lit Christmas trees is held every year; it raises money for the church, and also for Greenwich and Bexley Community Hospice. Several thousand visitors attend the event, which has become a cornerstone in the local social calendar. I was there on both Friday and Saturday in my capacity as a committee member of the Friends of Christ Church Erith. I was holding a donation bucket and handing out event programmes to the constant stream of visitors. Not just local people came to view the Christmas trees - a couple who had heard about the event on social media told me that they had come all of the way from Hounslow, and another woman said she had come from just outside of Southend! The high winds experienced on both Friday and Saturday did present some challenges; especially to the handful of trees in the West lobby - some got blown over several times, but did not seem to be worse for the wear after being uprighted. On the Saturday of the festival the Bexleyheath Rock Choir performed to a packed house. Tonight is the annual Christmas Carol concert, which is also always a standing room only event. If you are intending visiting the carol service, I highly recommend that you get to Christ Church by 6pm at the latest, if you want to get a seat. The carol concert is exceedingly popular. 

Over the last two editions of the Maggot Sandwich, I have outlined how Ring smart doorbells are a really bad idea, and have a very low level of security; last week Ring owner and local software developer Miles wrote a piece confirming my own observations; now another company who make smart door locks has come under scrutiny, when it turns out their own supposedly groundbreaking product is subject to very straightforward security exploits. On Wednesday, Finnish security house F-Secure revealed a vulnerability in the KeyWe Smart Lock that could let a sticky-fingered miscreant easily bypass it. To add insult to injury, the device's firmware cannot be upgraded either locally or remotely. This means the only way to conclusively remediate this problem is to remove the smart locks from your door and replace them with a standard mechanical lock. The KeyWe Smart Lock is primarily used in private dwellings, and retails for circa £155 on Amazon. It allows users to unlock their doors through a traditional metal key, via a mobile app, or with Amazon Alexa. Its Achilles' heel is what F-Secure describes as "improperly designed communications protocols". These allowed the firm to intercept the secret passphrase as it transmitted from the smartphone to the lock, using just a cheap wireless sniffer and Wireshark - a common free and open source program for intercepting and analysing computer network traffic. The KeyWe Smart Lock uses AES-128 encryption to communicate with the mobile app. However, the communication channel uses only two factors to generate that encrypted channel: a common key and a separate key calculation process. Both of these are trivial to overcome. The KeyWe Smart Lock uses BlueTooth Low Energy, which is based on the concept of advertisements. These contain information about device capabilities, the device name, and the device [MAC] address. It is from this address the common key is generated. Security analysts at F-Secure also figured out how to isolate and replicate the key-calculation process from the mobile application, rendering the second factor redundant. With the KeyWe's encryption rendered null and void, an attacker would merely have to identify a property using the lock, then wait for someone to come and unlock the door. They would then be able to intercept the passcode in transit and use it to break into the property. Smart devices are inherently insecure, and often the first vector a hacker will use when attacking a location, as the devices tend to have rudimentary security, and are connected to the location's data network, making them an ideal portal into your network, and thus all of your information. You have been warned. Comments to hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Some time ago I featured a short article on The Priory Club on the corner of Woolwich Road and Picardy Road in Upper Belvedere, directly opposite the site of the former Belvedere Police Station. Tony from The Priory Club has written the following piece about the establishment; he writes:- "The Priory Club occupies one of the few outwardly untouched Victorian Villas in Belvedere (See picture). The Club, previously known as the Conservative Club occupied the building in 1912, buying the site from Flaxman Spurrell who in his day was a well-known archaeologist and photographer. (see Wikipedia). The Priory, possibly the oldest club in Bexley originally was exclusively for “Gentlemen only” ladies only admitted on special occasions and New Years Eve. About thirty years back a concession was made, and ladies attended as guests; but on Saturday evening only. In recent years the ethos changed, and they were permitted to become members, which led two years ago to a female becoming a committee member; Now the committee has both Lady Chair and Secretary. During the recent economic recession, The Priory like many clubs went through a period of decline as membership fell back, but in the last year things have picked up as numbers increase, now joint membership with a partner is offered at a discounted fee. Singers and guest speakers regularly entertain members and quiz nights are ever popular. The well- stocked bar offers a range of wines, spirits and ales at reasonable prices. Arguably the club has three of the best snooker tables in the borough and snooker is one of the major facilities available. A development programme is being enacted where funds raised will be ploughed back into improving the décor and facilities for members. Further information can be found on the priory Club website by clicking here".



For many locals, the Littlebrook Power Station chimney will have been a familiar landmark on the horizon. Early this morning it came down in an explosive demolition. I stood in my front garden waiting for it to come down, but nothing. I came home from shopping a little earlier, and it has now gone from the horizon. No explosion heard. I gather that several videos are available on social media, and that the News Shopper have featured the story - click here for the details. A video of the demolition can be seen above. Did you witness the demolition?

Earlier this year a film was released to what turned out to be very little fanfare or publicity. About the only real notice anyone gave it was from the advertising posters that adorned local double decker buses at the time. The film in question was called Red Joan, and bearing in mind it starred Dame Judi Dench, and was directed by Sir Trevor Nunn, it pretty much sank without a trace. The film made a little over $10.5 million worldwide, barely recovering its production costs. The strap line for the film read thus:- "Joan Stanley is a widow living out a quiet retirement in the suburbs when, shockingly, the British Secret Service places her under arrest. The charge: providing classified scientific information - including details on the building of the atomic bomb - to the Soviet government for decades. As the interrogation gets underway, Joan relives the dramatic events that shaped her life and her beliefs". Does this sound vaguely familiar? It is, because Red Joan was a rather badly fictionalised and tediously dull version of the true story of former Bexleyheath resident, and infamous Soviet spy Melita Norwood. Back in August of 2016, I wrote that much of the evidence in respect of her giving the Russians details of the British atom bomb project was contradictory and unclear. Subsequent research I have carried out now lends a stronger argument that she did indeed betray British atomic secrets, and this was the reason that she was awarded the Order of the Red Banner – the Soviet approximate equivalent to the British George Medal. Melita Norwood worked as a secretary at the Tube Alloys project; ostensibly this was a group of Anglo – Canadian scientists, engineers and metallurgists carrying on research into materials which could better resist heat and corrosion for use in both defence and civilian industry. Actually most of this was a cover for what the project was actually dedicated to, which was the creation of Britain’s first atomic bomb, and a few years later with the creation of a British thermonuclear weapon. Contrary to much of received opinion, Britain was not privy to much of the nuclear research the Americans carried out after the end of World War II. The Tube Alloys project actually began in 1942, before the Americans began the much more widely known Manhattan Project. Many Tube Alloys staff did join their American counterparts at Los Alamos and Oak Ridge during the war, and contributed much to the creation of Fat Man and Little Boy – the weapons used to destroy Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively. Once the war had been won, politics took over and the non – US teams were repatriated, and the sharing of atomic information all but ceased under the terms of the McMahon Act of August 1946. (Ironically the Soviet Union got more British nuclear bomb design and construction information from Tube Alloys via the spying of Melita Norwood, than the Americans did by conventional means. The specific project to create a British nuclear weapon began in 1947 and was code named “HER” – which stood for High Explosive Research. After then Prime Minister Clement Attlee's government decided that Britain required the atomic bomb to maintain its position in world politics. In the words of Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin, "That won't do at all ... we've got to have this ... I don't mind for myself, but I don't want any other Foreign Secretary of this country to be talked to or at by a Secretary of State in the United States as I have just had in my discussions with Mr Byrnes. We've got to have this thing over here whatever it costs ... We've got to have the bloody Union Jack on top of it." Initially the British atom bomb project was housed as Fort Halstead, near Sevenoaks in Kent, and also at the Royal Arsenal site in Woolwich (just imagine if there had been a serious accident – we might be calling Woolwich the South East London crater now). Later the entire production facility was relocated to Aldermaston, where it continues to this day. Britain’s early nuclear weapons were more than a little crude and shambolic; they lacked basic safety and security features, and potentially could go off on their own if the conditions were right. The main early post war bomb was called the Violet Club; it was a large implosion type un-boosted fission weapon that used a very large amount of Uranium 235 (which was less expensive and hard to enrich than the more efficient and powerful Plutonium 239 that the Americans and Russians used). Because of the very large weight – over 70 kilos of fissile material were used, the bomb was actually greater than critical mass (the amount of weapons grade fissile material needed to create a nuclear explosion) and could theoretically go off with very little provocation. The safety features on the weapon would have been laughable had the subject not been so serious. The arming switch of the bomb was secured with a bicycle padlock and an Allen key. The hollow sphere of Uranium 235 that made up the warhead was filled up with 133,000 steel ball bearings, so that if the weapon did have its’ conventional explosive trigger accidentally go off, the sphere could not be crushed and go supercritical, causing a massive nuclear explosion. The ball bearings had to be removed before the weapon was ready to use. The trouble was, during routine maintenance, the bombs needed to be rotated to access various panels (including those that contained the bombs’ internal power supplies – a couple of six volt lead / acid motorbike batteries – I told you these bombs were built on the cheap). There are several documented occasions when the rubber bung holding the ball bearings in place fell out when the bomb was turned upside down, and all the ball bearings fell out over the floor. This left a very live and unpredictable weapon that could have gone off spontaneously. Now you see why I only half jokingly referred to the South East London crater. Melita Norwood was not exactly secretive about her communist beliefs either to her employers or her friends and neighbours. The fact that she spied so extensively and so long for the KGB might lead one to wonder if other people knew her secret, and sympathised with her cause. Several books have been written on the subject of Melita Norwood and her long career as Russia’s top female spy; the best account is in my opinion “The Spy That Came In From The Co-Op” by Andrew Pierce. He conducted a series of interviews with Norwood in her house in Nursery Avenue, Bexleyheath from the day the spying story publicly broke in the spring of 1999 (he had been travelling to interview her on another subject, but the news story meant that he had a whole more important book to write than that he had intended).  Over the course of a few months and many cups of weak and milky Co-Op 99 brand tea – purchased from the Long Lane branch, she told him her complete story, whilst sipping from her Che Guevara mug. Like many traitors, Melita Norwood had a very selective memory, and her politics remained those of the extreme left until her death in 2005. The fact that MI5 and Special Branch used the excuse that she was too old to prosecute is surprising – although the real reason is that she would have probably spilled the beans on other spies that the authorities had also failed to detect for decades. Intelligence historian and writer Nigel West (the pen name of Rupert Allason) has given the opinion that Melita Norwood did more damage to British interests than the far more well – known Cambridge five group of KGB spies. Perhaps to protect their own already shaky reputations, the security services thought it better to let sleeping dogs lie. After the treachery story came out, and Melita Norwood gained a degree of infamy, my Mother saw her on a local bus on a couple of occasions, and felt sorry for the old lady who was often the target of loudly whispered gossip by fellow travellers. Much of the shock surrounding Norwood's exposure was due to the fact that she seemed so ordinary. Her neighbours in Bexleyheath knew she was a life-long Communist who still took The Morning Star - she would buy 32 copies of each issue and hand them out to friends - but she never appeared other than a mildly harmless eccentric, the only evidence of radicalism being the CND posters in her window. She remained until the end a true believer in the myth of the Soviet peasant worker state that had first inspired her treachery. She hated all reforms of the Soviet Union's genocidal dictatorship. Norwood remained convinced that Communism could work and that capitalism was ultimately doomed to collapse under the weight of its own contradictions. she was a quite unique and dedicated traitor. 

You may recall that last week I wrote about my own philosophy / policy on Christmas present wrapping, and how I employ reusable gift bags rather than using single use gift wrap which in nearly all instances cannot be recycled. I also don't send Christmas cards, as these too are absolutely terrible for the environment. Coincidentally the results of a detailed survey have just been published into issues which people have with packaging and wrapping in general. It makes for interesting reading. The report reads:- "A study of 2,000 UK adults found they spend 19 minutes a week trying to get into tricky packaging which is secured with too much tape, cable ties or even items which are screwed into place. A sixth of Brits will spend more than half an hour of Christmas day trying to free their gifts of their annoying containers. Vacuum-packed plastic wrap and stuck jars are also among the encasements many find themselves struggling to open. But a sixth have even broken scissors or knives from being unable to get into difficult packaging, while as many as two-fifths have hurt themselves in their bid to unwrap something. The study also found taped boxes, toys screwed into plastic, ring pulls and medicine bottles cause frequent annoyances for Brits. As a result, 84 per cent feel frustrated when unable to break into packaging, with one in three getting riled up when stuck opening a product or packet. A fifth will even feel defeated by the containers they can’t get into. These annoyances are caused by several challenging factors, with three in 10 complaining too much tape was used which made it hard to get into a packet. A fifth of those polled get annoyed because they needed a screwdriver to free a product from its packaging, and a third have grown frustrated simply because it took too long to get something from its container. Nearly a quarter have also ended up damaging or breaking the product itself. This has led to one in four having an argument due to struggles to get into a product, with nearly two-thirds having a fallout with their partners. A further three in 10 have bickered with their children, according to the research. The same number have even been put off specific brands because of the frustrations they’ve experienced with the packaging encasing the products they’ve bought. It also emerged businesses could be missing out on £1.5billion, as a fifth of adults have avoided ordering a particular product online over concerns about being able to open it. More than two-fifths would be more likely to buy again from a brand which had packaging that was easy to get into, with the average Brit finding issues with one in every six products. Nearly half have had to ask for help after failed attempts to relieve a product of its packaging confinement, giving up after just eight minutes of struggle. This has left one in 10 feeling embarrassed and an equal percentage getting fed up, with a fifth frustrated after turning to others for assistance". What do you think? Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

One of my regular sources of local information, who prefers to remain nameless alerted me earlier this week to a development that I had thought abandoned, but it turns out the project is still going ahead. The image above shows the elevations and floor plan for the building located at 28-40 Pier Road Erith. This is the building that currently has the discount supermarket Farm Foods on the ground floor, along with the adjacent Police office. The upper floor - which years ago used to be the home of a nightclub, is to be repurposed as an African church and function centre. If this sounds somewhat familiar to the existing P2 Events Centre a little further along Pier Road, then it is. I find it strange that another church group are planning on duplicating an existing facility that is less than one hundred metres away - and as I have covered in the past, the P2 Events Centre has had a brief, and very troubled history. The beleaguered owners of the P2 Events Centre and the former children's nursery in Electricity House located at 33A Bexley Road, Erith have put both spaces up for rent. As I recently wrote, the temporary planning permission for the two areas of the building has been withdrawn by Bexley Council. The P2 Events Centre is on offer, details of which can be seen by clicking here. The proposed rent for this shabby space is a staggering amount for what was formerly the Erith Snooker Centre - an incredible £95,000 a year - that is £7,916 a month. They will never get anything like this amount, especially as the future of the entire Electricity House is in some doubt, with the individual leases of the occupiers being progressively bought out by Bexley Council. This does make one wonder if the developers of 28-40 Pier Road are flogging a dead horse. It is always good to learn from the mistakes of others; something the current evidence does not seem to support. The organisation who have successfully won planning permission to redevelop the former nightclub space in 28-40 Pier Road are called The Household Of Faith Ministry, who currently meet in the Erith Leisure Centre. 

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. The update is somewhat shorter than normal this week, due to several ward reports not having been filed for various reasons. Firstly the update from Barnehurst ward:- "Good news for Barnehurst residents there have been no burglaries on the ward since the 15/11/2019. We have suffered a theft of a Jet Ski. This was taken from a trailer in Eversley Avenue. The Incident was captured on camera and shows two males at 03.06pm on Tuesday 10th December 2019 at the location removing the Jet Ski from the trailer. Please continue to ensure doors are double locked and your vehicles are left safe and secure". Belvedere ward:- "We have visited Court Lodge in Erith Road to speak to residents in relation to crime prevention and home security in the run up to Christmas. We were able to supply residents with various items and literature in relation to several topics. PC Holmes spoke to the residents about Smartwater, and there are several residents that we are hoping to supply this to in the coming days. As previously mentioned – Smartwater is now more widely available for the ward, and if anyone is interested please contact the team.There was a burglary in Milton Road on Thursday 5th December in which entry was gained via the rear door of the property (forcibly). Small items of jewellery were taken. The house is currently under renovation meaning there were minimal personal items within. There was also a burglary in Elmbourne Drive over the last weekend. Entry was gained via the rear of the property – the occupants of the property are currently away from their home but we will be speaking to them upon their return. There have been several instances of graffiti throughout the ward, which have been removed by Bexley Council. Should anyone see any of these, please report them to the team". Bexleyheath ward:- "4/12/19 overnight Theft From motor Vehicle Heathfield Road Glass from two wing mirrors stolen off of van 5/12/19 1730 – 6/12/19 1200 Theft From Motor Vehicle whilst parked at Goals Bexleyheath Wallet stolen whilst vehicle left parked up unlocked. 7/12/19 1615 – 1700 Asda Bexleyheath Purse stolen from handbag after withdrawing cash from cash machine located at Asda 8/12/19 0020 – 0050 Nyne Bar Bexleyheath Theft of Handbag whilst left on seat in nightclub 8/12/19 1130 – 1300 Purse and Phone Stolen from handbag whilst shopping at Bexleyheath Broadway 9/12/19 1200 – 1300 Purse Stolen from handbag near The Fragrance Shop, Bexleyheath Mall. Please ensure that doors and windows to properties are locked and secured with keys (lift the handle and turn the key in the lock) where applicable – revisit home security and lighting now the dark lights are coming. Please be careful with purse/wallets whilst out shopping, make sure they are secured inside your bags with a zip type handbag. If there is anything you wish for us to be aware of in your area please do email or phone". Crayford ward - no report received this week. Erith ward:- "No burglaries in Erith this week -Have a crime-free Christmas. We're working hard over Christmas to keep you and your family safe, but there are steps you can take to help us. When you're out shopping • Stay alert and be aware of what's going on around you, especially in busy shops and crowded streets where thieves and pickpockets may well be operating • Keep valuables in inside pockets of clothing or bags. Keep a close watch on them, and try not to keep them all in one place • Only carry the cash and cards that you need. Always shield the PIN pad when entering your PIN • Be careful where you park your car, especially if you will be returning to it after dark. If parking in a multi-storey car park, choose a well-lit space as close to the exit as possible and away from pillars. Reverse into position. Visit www.parkmark.co.uk for details of approved car parks • Avoid going back to your car to leave your shopping part-way through your trip. If you have to keep presents in the car, make sure they are out of view in the boot, the car is locked, and keep the receipts with you • Deter pickpockets and muggers. Don't overburden yourself with bags/packages. Be extra careful with purses and wallets. Always carry a purse close to your body and not dangling by the straps. Put a wallet in an inside coat or front trouser pocket, likewise with your phone and keys • Try and avoid taking young children into busy shopping areas. If it is unavoidable make sure they know what to do if they lose you e.g. tell the nearest counter assistant that they are lost and never leave a shop without you. Agree a meeting point with older children, in case you get separated • Never leave your bag unattended on your trolley whilst shopping and don't leave it in your vehicle when returning your trolley • Don't get loaded down with too many bags. Try to keep one hand free • Keep car doors locked whilst driving in built-up areas, especially if you've got bags or presents in the car". Northumberland Heath ward - no report received this week. Slade Green and Northend ward:- "No Burglaries to report this week, two vehicles were broken into and property taken over night on Saturday 7th or 8th December. Both vehicles were on the Frobisher Road estate. Items taken were a lap top and a phone. Please do not leave any belongings in your vehicles when unattended. Even if it is only for a minute and even if they are hidden in the boot etc. PCSO Mark read the 6th Lesson at the St Augustines Carols by Candlelight service last Sunday which was very well attended. This coming weekend from Friday 13th until Sunday 15th December is the Erith Christmas Tree Festival at ChristChurch Erith. We will be attending at various times with our colleagues from Erith SNT, culminating in the carol service at 6.30pm on Sunday evening.  Our next Community Contact Session is on Tuesday 17/12/2019 at the St Augustines Welcome café from 1pm. Please come along and say hello, there is a surprise Santa expected". Thamesmead East ward - no report received this week. West Heath ward:- "Two burglaries across the ward over the last week. On Wednesday December 4th between the hours of 6.10pm – 8.05pm the rear doors to a property in Bedonwell Road were forced, the alarm ripped from the wall and an untidy search was conducted within the property. It is believed the address was targeted for family gold but at this stage of the enquiry it is not known if any items were stolen. Residential burglary in Elmstead Crescent on Thursday December 5th between 3pm – 6pm. The middle part of the UPVC door was removed in order to gain entry. The suspect removed the bulb from the security light before searching several upstairs rooms and stealing cash and three CCTV cameras. No vehicle crimes have been reported to us this week which is good news. The team are continuing to focus on high visibility patrols across the ward to detect and deter crime in the lead up to Christmas".

The historic end video this week comes courtesy of Pathe News, and coverage of the granting of the charter for Bexley back in 1937. It is fascinating to see just how many local people turned up for the event. Please feel free to send observations and comments to hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Locally listed.

In a move that surprised some locals, Bexley Council have given Erith Town Hall locally listed status. Councillor Louie French signed the listing approval document, which states: - "Erith Town hall meets the criteria for inclusion on the Local List. The structure has historical and architectural significance and contribute to the townscape, for the reasons set out in this report. The inclusion of the properties on the list would make their preservation and enhancement as heritage assets a material consideration when determining relevant planning applications". Bexley maintains a Local List of buildings and structures that have been identified as positive elements within the local environment due to their local historic or architectural significance. Locally listed buildings are of local significance, as opposed to national significance. They are heritage assets that contribute to the understanding of the borough’s past and inform its present character. They add to the quality of the local environment. Buildings on the Local List are not subject to additional statutory controls, but their conservation and enhancement is an objective of national, London-wide, and local planning policy, and therefore is a material consideration when determining planning applications. Erith Town Hall opened on 2 June 1932 and is of historic importance locally in that it provided services for the locality as part of the Erith Borough Council (and formerly Erith Urban District Council). Erith Town Hall remains an attractive and prominent landmark building located within Erith Town Centre and retains the original Council Chamber. The design of the Town Hall building borrows features from the adjacent Carnegie library. ‘Italian Renaissance’ is quoted within the Erith Observer (published 10th June 1932) as the style in which the building has been constructed. The external surfaces feature red brick of attractive proportions and decorative stone features including window casements. The protruding front pediment exhibits the Coat of Arms of the Erith Urban District Council and is inscribed with the motto ‘labour overcomes all things’ (Erith Urban District Council was granted their own coat of arms by the College of Arms On 27 February 1906). There have been some unsympathetic alterations, namely the replacement of approximately 50 percent of the original metal-framed windows with that of UPVC. The metal railings to the perimeter walls (located to the front of the building) are also missing in places. The side access to the Council building (located along Bexley Road) has also been blocked-up and replaced with a UPVC window. The scale and ambition of the Erith Urban District Council was realised in the construction of the Town Hall as we know it today, which was part of a government scheme of public works to enable jobs (particularly for military veterans and the unemployed). The Town Hall was constructed almost entirely with local manpower and ninety per cent of the materials used for the construction were purchased in Erith. The building housed the Council’s administrative functions and thereby was an important point of contact for local people for a number of decades, until the formation of the London Borough of Bexley on 1st April 1965. To the present day, the building continues to operate some of the functions of the London Borough of Bexley, namely council tax and benefits, which were outsourced to Capita in 2011. The building is the only remaining purpose-built Town Hall within the borough. It is currently utilised for some of the statutory functions which are provided by Bexley Council. Personally I find it somewhat surprising that the building has been included in a local listing, as it is my understanding that one of the prime conditions for local listing is that the building in question should be substantially unchanged since it was constructed; this cannot be said of Erith Town Hall, which had an additional storey added (the raised roof level) in the early 1990's. I also am aware that the Council are looking to dispose of the building, now that its main function - as the centre for council tax and housing benefits has been merged with Bromley. Erith Town Hall is nowadays somewhat underused. It also makes me wonder that the cost of converting if for another use - for example as a hotel, might be greater than the cost of demolishing it and replacing it with an entirely new structure. As mentioned earlier, Electricity House, which is directly opposite, is of a similar vintage, and is already being targetted by Bexley Council in an attempt to buy out the leases prior to an expected compulsory purchase order being sought. What does the future hold for Erith Town Hall, now that it is covered by a local listing? Only time will tell. 

After a recent survey, more than half of Britons believe fireworks should be restricted to official and professionally managed displays only, and that the private use of fireworks should be banned. Since 2003, under 18’s have been prohibited from buying or using fireworks. The measures come under the Fireworks Act 2003, which also bars any member of the public from possessing high-powered "category four" fireworks of the kind used in professional displays. Now many activists, animal lovers and others have been campaigning for a further strengthening of the law, and as a result Police have been getting tougher with people using fireworks illegally. The clampdown is intended to tackle the problem of anti-social behaviour involving fireworks, Further hard line enforcement is due to come into force next year, including curfews on the setting off of fireworks, recognised training for display operators and the introduction of a tougher licensing system for suppliers. In a surprise move, giant supermarket brand Sainsbury's announced that they were no longer going to stock firework products as a result of negative feedback from pet owners, and also as a result of information from the Police about the use of fireworks in anti - social behaviour. I have since discovered that Canada, South Africa and Australia have limitations or bans on private firework displays, and the UK needs to seriously consider if it needs to follow suit. I was also made aware by a reader that an organised campaign to get heavy restrictions on the sale and use of fireworks is already under way. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The Association of Bexley Charities '78 - Autumn Fair 26 October 2019. An announcement from the group:- "We are holding our Autumn Fair at the United Reformed Church, Geddes Place, Bexleyheath DA6 7DJ (near the Broadway Shopping Centre) on Saturday 26th October 2019 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 railway accessories. Refreshments will be available and the entrance fee is 50p (accompanied children FREE)".  

News reaches me that the beleaguered owners of the P2 Events Centre and the former children's nursery in the aforementioned Electricity House located at 33A Bexley Road, Erith have put both spaces up for rent. As I recently wrote, the temporary planning permission for the two areas of the building has been withdrawn by Bexley Council. Details of the former children's nursery space can be seen by clicking here. The proposed annual rent of £39,000 per year is in my opinion frankly eye watering. That is nothing in comparison to the P2 Events Centre, details of which can be seen by clicking here. The proposed rent for this shabby space is a staggering amount for what was formerly the Erith Snooker Centre - an incredible £95,000 a year - that is £7,916 a month. They will never get anything like this amount, especially as the future of the entire Electricity House is in some doubt. This is all under a background of Bexley Council negotiating with the individual leaseholders in order to buy out the leases in Electricity House prior to what I and many others believe to be a compulsory purchase order and then site redevelopment.

Erith is rightly known for its many engineering contributions to the world, and to the great inventions that have come from the small riverside town. The fire sprinkler, the sprung mousetrap and the first automatic machine gun were invented by Sir Hiram Maxim at his works in Fraser Road, and the first heavier than air flying machine - the Maxim Flyer. Maxim began his aerial experiments at Baldwyns Park, England, in the late 1880's, leading to the construction in 1893 of his enormous biplane Test-Rig, which weighed about 7,000 pounds. The machine's two steam engines each produced 180 h.p. and turned two pusher propellers each 17-1/2 feet in diameter. Since the device was intended to be a test vehicle it was held to a track, preventing it from rising more than a couple of feet. The Maxim Flyer took briefly to the air on its third test run, on July 31, 1894, with Maxim and a crew of three aboard, it lifted with such force that it broke the reinforced restraining track and careened for some 200 yards, at times reaching an altitude of 2 or 3 feet above the damaged track. It was believed that a lifting force of some 10,000 pounds had likely been generated. Maxim never took to the air again, and the flyer became a fairground ride, which to this day is still in use in Blackpool. You can read more about the Maxim Flyer by clicking here. Other local inventors of note include Edward Butler - who invented the Butler Petrol Cycle, which he tested along Manor Road in Erith in 1884 - two full years before Karl Benz built his first vehicle in Germany. Butler gave up on his invention, hence why Mercedes Benz are now credited with the invention of the car. I wrote at some length about this in the past, which you can read by clicking here. Apart from these big local engineering organisations, there have also been numerous smaller and less well - known enterprises, one of which I am featuring this week. The following information should be of particular interest to the significant number of my readers who are Radio Amateurs, but it should also be interesting to a general audience - or so I hope.  This is the story of a important, specialist electronic component supplier that for many years was based in a small industrial unit in Pier Road, Erith, opposite the spiral entrance to the old multi storey car park that used to be above the hideous brutalist concrete shopping centre. Thanks to local resident, regular reader and occasional contributor Miles, who brought this bit of local history to my attention, and who also sent me the price list scan above - click on it for a larger view. The company was called Quartslab, and it imported, manufactured and sold quartz oscillator crystals for the communications industry. A crystal oscillator is an electronic oscillator circuit that uses the mechanical resonance of a vibrating crystal of piezoelectric material to create an electrical signal with a precise frequency. This frequency is often used to keep track of time, as in quartz wristwatches, to provide a stable clock signal for digital integrated circuits, and to stabilise frequencies for radio transmitters and receivers. The most common type of piezoelectric resonator used is the quartz crystal, so oscillator circuits incorporating them became known as crystal oscillators. You can read more about crystal oscillators by clicking here. Quartslab became the largest supplier of crystal oscillators for use in electronic devices. Their story started in the 1970's. Quatrslab founder Dave Court, G3SDL received a significant quantity of commercial land mobile radio equipment for conversion to the 144 MHz amateur radio band. Finding a supplier of the necessary crystals at a reasonable price proved rather difficult. This was in the pre-Internet age but nevertheless a new quartz crystal factory in Singapore with good prices and a reasonable delivery time was identified and the crystals duly arrived. During a discussion with Dave Collings, G8EOK the idea of importing crystals for commercial mobile radio equipment on popular 144 MHz channels was discussed and Quartslab's predecessor company C and C Electronics was born. This enterprise was started with £200 capital and operated from rental accommodation in South East London. C and C expanded rapidly, and moved into the supply of crystals for professional as well as hobby radio applications and imported quartz crystal from suppliers in Canada, Denmark, India and Japan as well as Singapore. In 1978 the two Dave Cs decided to form a limited company and QSL or Quartslab Marketing Limited was established. In 1979 a change of address was triggered when the two QSL directors embarked on married life. This was the period when Quartslab traded from PO Box 73, Summit House. In the early 1980s Dave Court resigned his position as Director of Quartslab Marketing Ltd, due to increasing responsibilities in his full time occupation. Thus the most successful period of Quartslab’s existence commenced with the company trading from Pier Road in Erith under the sole stewardship of Dave Collings (now G4YIB). Quartslab went from strength to strength and started to manufacture small quantities of crystals itself to meet the demand for very fast delivery times. A good friend of mine, Bob Mersh G8JNZ who unfortunately is now deceased, was very close to the two Daves, and also told me that Quartslab manufactured the transmitter crystals for a large number of London's AM and FM pirate radio stations - something that they understandably kept quiet about. The situation carried on in much the same way for two decades and into the 21st century. At Christmas 2006,  the two Daves met again; the conversation turned to crystals and the next phase of the story was decided. Dave Court (now EI3IO) had started a telecommunications consultancy, Connogue Limited as well as a number of other initiatives, following his career in radio communications and had settled in Ireland after living in Denmark during the 1990s. It was agreed that Quartslab should move to the Emerald Isle and become part of the Connogue group of companies. In 2009 some major changes took place in respect of Dave Court’s business activities, which involved a move to Bahrain. Luckily another Dave (G4AKY) agreed to take over the reins of one of the British Isles’ most successful crystal companies and QuartSLab has returned to South East England, where it started over 35 years ago. The company is still very much active, and is now based in Sevenoaks, Kent. The Quartslab industrial unit in Pier Road was located where the currently empty units at 66 - 68 Pier Road are - right next to the Energie Gym. The old industrial units were demolished during the redevelopment of Erith Riverside Shopping Centre.

Recently I wrote that I did not want to describe Erith as one large building site; I am now of the opinion that to all intents and purposes it is. The entire town is undergoing a degree of regeneration not seen in a couple of generations. Not since the old and beloved Victorian town centre was demolished to make way for the brutalist concrete monstrosity that was the 1970’s era shopping centre (of which my enduring memory as a small child was the ever present smell of stale wee). Whatever issues or subjects Erith residents of a certain age disagree with, the unifying subject is that the heart of the town was ruined when the shopping centre was constructed. Only really in the last few years have things started improving, firstly by the fundamental re- engineering of the old shopping centre to form the current Erith Riverside Shopping Centre, which is a very pleasant place to be, and light years away from the gloomy and threatening old structure. Morrison’s have added a lot to Erith; in fact the Erith store was the first the then Northern based supermarket chain opened in the south, back in 1999. I recall being served by Sir Ken Morrison on the first day of opening (though I had to be told who he was, as I was clueless). Morrison’s employ well over five hundred local people, and put a lot of money back into the local economy. I would estimate that they are second to, or equal with ADM Oils as being the largest employer in the town. A new primary school will be opening next year on the Erith Quarry residential development, and the Riverside Baths development has now been fully occupied. On top of this, the Post Office building in Erith High Street is currently up for sale and possible redevelopment. If you have any information about other developments in the local area, please feel free to drop me a line to hugh.neal@gmail.com in complete confidence.

Now for the weekly local safety and security reports from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly the report from Barnehurst ward:- "Obviously this week's updates are overshadowed by the tragic incident that occurred on Sunday afternoon at Barnehurst Avenue junction with Merewood Road. At the moment enquiries are ongoing but residents can be reassured that this was a one off incident and there is absolutely no reason for residents to be concerned. Apart from this I am pleased to report no burglaries since the last update. However there have been sporadic incidents of vehicle crime. In Normandy Way at 5:45am a male was seen running away from a vehicle which he had tried to break into. There was visible damage left on the car door. In Birling Road on Sunday 13th October at 8:20pm there was a theft of a moped. Local cctv shows two males of medium build wearing black helmets and dark clothing taking the moped off the victim, driveway. The suspects arrived at the scene on their own motor bike. Overnight of Sunday 13th October in a residential parking bay of Badlow Close there was an incident where the victim's vehicle has had its front driver's side window smashed. An untidy search of the vehicle has then occurred. It appears nothing was taken. On Saturday12th October at 11pm in Beechcroft Avenue a vehicle parked on the roadside has had its windscreen and driver's side window smashed. All four tyres have also been slashed. Local cctv shows a blue BMW 3 series pull up. Two males leave the car and approach the victim's vehicle. One male is seen walking around the vehicle slashing the tyres while the other throws a brick through the windscreen. The male that slashed the tyres then throws a brick through the side window. The victim has no idea why this has happened. The next community contact session will be coffee with cops at Barnehurst Golf Course at 11am on 23rd October". Belvedere ward:- "On Friday 11th throughout the early hours of the morning, there was a brick thrown at the front window of number 51 Ripley Road. Damage was caused to the double glazed window as the first pane of glass smashed completely. Also on Friday 11th and into Saturday 12th there was a further burglary at 38 Elmbourne Drive in which the rear patio doors were damaged (glass smashed) in order to gain entry. On Sunday 13th there was a further attempt to gain entry to the stand alone garage at 14 Lower Park Road. Once again, this proved to be an unsuccessful attempt. There was a burglary at 16 Halifield Drive this week, on Monday 14th between midnight and 3:45 pm. It appears that a hall way window had been left slightly open allowing possible entry to the property. On Thursday 10th October, PCSO Worrall and PC Holmes discovered a silver Audi A5 after we were alerted by Councillor Hinkley to its whereabouts in Lower Road. The vehicle was taken to the Police car pound for further examination. PC Holmes then recovered a second stolen vehicle from Picardy Manorway an hour later. On Wednesday 16th , PCSO Worrall was also alerted to a motorcycle that was in St. Thomas Road. Subsequent checks showed that it had been stolen a few days earlier from a nearby street. The owner was then contacted and has been reunited with his vehicle". Bexleyheath ward:- "There was an attempted shed burglary in Heathfield Avenue overnight on the Saturday the 12th of October. No entry was gained to the shed and nothing was taken. Between Sunday the 13th and Monday the 14th of October there has been a residential burglary in Parkhill Road. Rear patio doors were smashed to gain entry to the property. Cash and jewellery was stolen. Between Thursday the 10th and Friday the 11th of October a white Audi, registration GK13DPZ was stolen from Dale Road. It's unknown how the vehicle was taken as the owner has the keys. Stops and searches continue across the ward, including the war memorial, car parks for possession of cannabis. The team will be working several more late shifts than usual from now into November for Operation Autumn Nights, to tackle ASB that tends to increase at this time of the year. If you are aware of any issues in your local area please do get in contact with the team". Crayford ward:- "I am really pleased to say that there have been absolutely no catalytic convertor thefts this week. In fact, motor crime has been very much reduced this week other than one theft of motor vehicle which occurred between 22.00 on 10th October and 13.00 on 11th October when a white Audi Q5 S Line, number plate GK13 DPZ was stolen off a driveway in Dale Road without keys. There was an attempted burglary at Aldi on Monday 14th October at 4.15 am. Seen on CCTV, two male suspects aged between 15-18 years and on bicycles broke through a door and realising they could not continue in to the store then left. Four worn tyres were stolen from a business in Crayford Way surrounded by a six foot fence on Monday 7th October. There have been two distraction thefts this week in Crayford, please be very aware of this sort of crime. A blue I Phone XR was stolen from a shop in Crayford High St at 10.50am on 9th October, the suspect is seen on CCTV and is described as IC2, possibly Algerian. The other theft occurred at the Post Office on 12th October at 16.30. The suspect and his accomplice kept changing their minds about how they wanted their money resulting in a loss to the Post office. The main suspect is described as IC2, about 5'4”, medium build and was wearing a hat. (colour not given on report) His accomplice was described as having a beard, greasy hair and thin. Our next community contact session will be on Wednesday 23rd October at Crayford Library between 2-3pm". Erith ward:- "For residents that attend our ward panel meeting we have had to have a change of location this month, we are having it on the same day Wednesday 30th Oct, but the location has been moved to Erith Pier Road Police Station, Feel free to email me if you would like more info. We are having a free bike marking event outside Erith Pier Road Police Station on the Saturday 2nd November between 11am and 1pm this will be FREE so pop along with your bikes. Also we are carrying out a crime survey and are looking at getting 1000 of these completed in Erith, these are for you are residents to complete, Any of my NHW members across Erith who would like to deliver and collect these to the area they cover PLEASE get in contact with me. Crimes of note from the week, Theft from MV Wednesday 09/10/2019 11:00:00 14/10/2019 Friday Road, Theft from MV Monday 14/10/2019 09:00:00 Avenue Road, Theft of MV Wednesday 16/10/2019 18:40:00 James Watt Way, Theft Wednesday 16/10/2019 19:17:00 Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc, in James Watt Way". Northumberland Heath ward:- "There was an attempted burglary of the garage area opposite Thorne Close around 10pm on Thursday 10/10/2019. Suspects in 2 vehicles (a white van and a grey mini) were disturbed by a passer by. No garages were broken in to. Bolt cutters were left behind by the suspects and have been taken for forensic examination. There has been an increased amount of shop lifting reported in the last week at BP on Bexley Road. CCTV images are being looked at by the team to identify who may be involved. ASB has been reported in recent days outside BNN shop in Brook Street. The team will be patrolling the location to try and prevent this becoming a bigger issue. A dangerous dog warrant was executed by the team in Beechfield Road on Saturday 12/10/2019. A dog was removed from the premises after it had recently attacked another dog. One fine was issued to a male who was found with cannabis on him during a stop and search last week".

Slade Green and Northend ward:- "Six vehicle crimes have been reported in the last week. All of them took place overnight. 2 of them were thefts of number plates. The other 4 were Catalytic converter thefts. They all took place between the Monday 14th and Wednesday 16th of October. The number plates were stolen from Bilton Road and Alexandra Road. The Catalytic converters were taken from Boundary Street X2, Frobisher Road and Manor Road (these were both taken overnight between Monday 14 – Tuesday 15th). All of the catalytic converters were taken from Japanese made cars, Honda, Toyota etc. Please be aware that if you are the owner of one of these vehicles to try and park your vehicle in a well lit place or garage if possible. On Wednesday 16/10/2019 PCSO Mark attended the Slade Green Big Local Stakeholders conference where the last few years of The Local Plan were discussed as well as an update on activities in the last 6 months. Our next CCS is on Tuesday 22/10/2019 from 12 Midday at the Welcome Café in St Augustines Church. Please come along and say hello". Thamesmead East ward:- "No Burglaries this week. Haldane Road Wednesday 9/10/19 at 10;22pm a witness stated that they had seen someone pull up to the house and smash windows. On police arrival smashed windows were seen, the house appeared empty as there was no furniture to suggesting anyone lived there. Kale Road Thursday 10/10/19 between 10am - 2 pm passenger window smashed and vehicle broken into nothing taken. Yarnton Way Thursday 10/10/19 between 7:30pm – 9pm victims front number plate removed by suspect/s unknown an attempt to remove the rear plate was unsuccessful. Wolvercote Road between Thursday 10/10/19 11pm – 8am 11/10/19 side window smashed glasses and perfume taken by suspect unknown. Wolvercote Road Friday 11/10/19 at 4:30am Victim went down to his car, noticed that the car window had been smashed. In the distance a male in dark clothing was seen smashing the window of another vehicle. The victim chased the male down Wolvercote Road, towards Yartnton Way but lost sight of the suspect. Kale Road Friday 11/10/19 at 8:30pm victim could hear shouting and looking out of his flat window could see a group of males and females possibly arguing. One of the male suspects was seen by the victim to kick his car. Victim shouted out his window and the suspects ran off but not before kicking both wing mirrors off. Damage to rear nearside light also seen. Templar Drive Friday 11/10/19 between 3pm – 8:30am Sat 12/10/19 Victim has noticed the glove compartment was open and the driver door was unlocked. £25 in Euros and car key to work lorry taken. Templar Drive Friday 11/10/19 between 4pm – 1:45pm Sat 12/10/19 victim noticed that suspect/s had been in his vehicle and removed personal items as well as a brown pouch containing £50 without his permission. Yarnton Way Saturday 12/10/19 between 7pm – 7:30pm Victim reports the theft of his mobility scooter after leaving it unattended when it ran out of charge. Victim returned an hour later and it had been stolen". West Heath ward:- "We returned from rest days this week to find out we had one attempted burglary in Elmstead Crescent on Tuesday October 8th. At 11.15am the occupant was sitting in the lounge of their property when they heard the back door handle being tried. The suspect was disturbed and ran away slamming the outer door behind them. On Tuesday October 8th between 7am and 11.15am police were driving in Long Lane when they heard an alarm going off in Nicola Terrace. A side door to a property was smashed in and an untidy search of the property conducted but at this stage it is not known if anything was taken. In relation to motor vehicle crime, one theft of a BMW in Little Heath Road between Sunday October 13th 10.30pm – Monday October 14th 6.45am. Criminal damage to a vehicle in Preston Drive on Tuesday October 15th between 8.30am – 6.10pm. Last week we held our quarterly ward panel meeting which was well attended. Our promises for the next quarter remain unchanged focusing on Motor Vehicle crime, Burglary and ASB/Drugs. The next drop in police surgery will be held at the Bostall Library in King Harolds Way on Friday October 25th at 1pm".

The end video this week features highlights of local football team Erith Town FC, playing in a match with Welling Town for the Buildbase VA Vase.

The Auction.

The photos above (click on either to see a larger version) were taken yesterday at the very first event to be held in the former Carnegie Library in Walnut Tree Road, Erith since it was taken over by local arts, heritage and community group The Exchange. As covered in the last update, the former library has been open every day for the last week to allow viewing of the 230 art works on display. The works had been created by members of the Centrepieces mental health arts charity. Founded in 1999, Centrepieces is a registered charity which helps adults in their mental health recovery through art. The organisation’s work centres on an effort to improve the confidence, well-being and self-esteem of people suffering with mental illness, while offering an opportunity to build a social community and promote a better understanding of mental health to the wider public. Centrepieces provides the resources for people to participate in art workshops and activities, and to exhibit and sell their artwork. Running regular workshops, which encompass art practices from sculpture and painting to mask making and photography, they are committed to providing their artists with the tools and the environment for creative expression. Yesterday the exhibited artworks were put up for public auction to raise money both for the artists themselves, and also for Centrepieces. I was in attendance, as were a large number of people, some of whom had travelled from as far away as Colchester in order to attend and bid for items. The former library restoration is very much a "work in progress" with most of the first phase refurbishment efforts being focused on the lower ground floor, and on the (now completed) replacement of the roof of the building. Phase two of the restoration will concentrate on the main library space on the ground floor - where the exhibition and auction took place - and on the upper floor which used to contain the Erith Museum, and the private apartment that once housed the Chief Librarian and his family. I don't currently have the total amount of money raised by the event, but I think it will be substantial, as many works were sold, and some even became the subject of a bidding war. A very successful event, especially considering the absolutely foul weather on the day. 

The whole situation in regard of Electricity House and the two major occupants of the 80 year old building has taken a new and intriguing twist. Extremely reliable information has been passed onto me from a regular anonymous local source. The former Bright Steps children's nursery - forcibly closed after it lost its Ofsted licence to operate after a child was smacked by a member of staff, and the owner of the nursery covered this up by deleting CCTV recordings in a subsequent Police and Ofsted investigation - is now up for commercial rent, as can be seen on the estate agents website. As well as this, the contentious P2 Events Centre - located in the former Erith Snooker Centre in the upper floor of the same block, is also up for rent, after efforts to market the venue for social and business meetings seem to have fallen flat. The P2 Events Centre has attracted unfavourable attention due mainly to the misleading photographs and information presented on their slick website. If you look at the middle of the three photographs above - click on any of them for a larger version - you will see the image of the main hall portrayed of the P2 Centre from their website. The lower of the three images is the actual hall - image taken from the estate agents' website that are trying to rent out the facility. As you can see, reality is markedly different from the image portrayed on the P2 Events Centre website. I get the feeling that many potential customers were attracted by the glossy (but entirely false and very misleading) images on the website, but when they came for a viewing, their hopes were brought crashing to the ground when they saw the dismal reality of the run down and scruffy venue. As I have said on more than one occasion in the past, I am strongly of the opinion that the owners of both facilities in Electricity House are playing a very clever game. I do not believe for one instant that either the nursery or the events centre were ever intended to be viable business propositions; instead I feel that their owners have been carrying out a sophisticated "land grab" on the now end of life 1930's building, so that when it becomes the target of a compulsory purchase order by Bexley Council, the owners can claim that due to the investment that have put into the old building, their compensation should be considerably greater that the norm for such a building. Basically they have spent pennies on making the P2 Events Centre look like a viable business, but in reality is it nothing but "smoke and mirrors" to try and deceive Bexley Council when it comes to deciding compulsory purchase remuneration. Incidentally, information has recently come to my notice that Bexley Council are indeed quietly approaching the various lease holders in Electricity House with regard to buying out their leases prior to compulsory purchase of the old building, which is a prime site for redevelopment. If the owners of the nursery and the events centre can get sitting tenants into the building prior to any compulsory purchase negotiations, this will undoubtedly strengthen their bargaining position with the council.

A press release from local organisation The Exchange:- "The Exchange are pleased to present a three week Pop up Cinema and Grotto Bar in the former Carnegie Library in Walnut Tree Road, Erith. They will be sifting through the library bookshelves for cinematic inspiration; poetry, classic literature, short stories, comics and graphic novels will get the big screen treatment. Films include Black Panther, O Brother Where Art Thou, Beauty and the Beast, Persepolis, Pulp Fiction, The Muppet Christmas Carol and Its a Wonderful Life.  Tickets are £4 for Adults; £2 for under-16s.  The accompanying Grotto Bar is being created using decorations donated by local company James Glancy Design; the menu includes a tasty selection of festive drinks and snacks including mulled cider, mulled apple juice and spiced nuts. For more information and to book tickets, visit: www.theexchangeerith.com/events"

Two weeks ago I wrote at some extent about the problems with the deployment of smart energy meters in the UK, and how the project was in danger of failure. Since I wrote that piece, additional information has come to light, which means a follow - up article. Parliamentarians are set to haul civil servants in for a grilling after the National Audit Office (NAO) confirmed the UK will miss its 2020 smart meter rollout target, piling an extra £500m onto the cost of the £11bn project. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) underestimated how long it would take to implement the infrastructure and technical standards for the second generation of Smart Meters (SMETS2).  Smart meters come in two forms at the moment, SMETS1 and SMETS2. SMETS1 is the get-it-up-and-running basic specification. Most of these meters are operator-specific, a bit like having your mobile phone handset locked to a particular network, and, as the NAO noted, nearly 950,000 of these have already lost their smart features as a result of customers changing supplier - if you change your energy supplier, a vast majority of SMETS1 meters become dumb meters, just like the one it replaced. Full functionality came with the SMETS2 standard, which supported all of the data-broadcasting features that were supposed to make smart meters a viable economic prospect in the first place. The audit office's report stated:- “Significant technical delays resulted in the first SMETS2 meters only being installed in July 2017, over three years later than first planned. In their absence, energy suppliers have installed 12.5 million SMETS1 meters, 7.1 million more than the Department’s planned 5.4 million. Pressing on at full speed to get SMETS2 units installed by 2020 “is putting increasing timetable pressure on the programme” according to the NAO, risking “cost escalation and/or technology being rolled out before defects have been addressed". The NAO calculated that savings to consumers will now be less than £18 per year. Ten years ago, when the Cabinet Office was pondering whether to commit the country to the £11bn project, that per-household benefit was supposed to be £23 by 2020. A meeting is scheduled to be held on the 9th January where a Parliamentary committee will question senior civil servants as to whether the 2020 completion date for the smart meter project will have to be extended due to the failure of take up of the meters by the general public. I get the feeling that this story has plenty of time left to run. 

Now for an article from guest contributor Dave Collings:- "I thought that you and your readers might be interested to know about the closures of the Pop In Parlours in the Borough. (Now called Well Being Centres). There have been several of these providing a valuable service to our older population for many years. The number of parlours have sadly dwindled and the last 3 are being closed this week. Age UK Bexley used to run these parlours in property owned by Bexley Council. The people attending the parlours only discovered this month that the closures were imminent. Meetings were arranged by Age Uk Bexley and well attended by the consumers. The decision had already been made prior to these meetings and there was no flexibility regarding the closure date. As well as providing a much needed resource for the  older community, the closure has had a serious effect on the clubs that hired rooms in the parlours. Age UK Bexley assured one of the clubs that this would not affect the room hire and we would be invoiced as usual in the new year. Fortunately we checked this with Bexley Council to find that in fact the buildings will be closed and no longer available for hire after the end of December 2018. They stated that they had only recently been told that Age UK were withdrawing from the buildings. Clubs that have been running for many years may be forced to close as it is not easy finding alternative venues for evening and weekend activities. This will have serious repercussions for the North Kent Radio Society who have met at the Graham Road, Bexleyheath facility for over 30 years". A fascinating insight into the local situation; it would seem that Bexley Council have taken a very narrow - minded view on closing these community assets. Whilst I understand that the Age UK centres have not been getting the amount of use that would justify them continuing as dedicated meeting places for retired people, it does seem that the needs of other community groups that have historically shared the buildings has been overlooked. There is a solution, which to date has not yet been communicated to the clubs and community groups in the borough. That is, why not transfer your meeting place to the former Carnegie Library in Erith? The Exchange welcome community groups and clubs to use the newly refurbished building as their meeting place. In many ways it has much more to offer than the old well being centres - subject to discussion in individual cases, of course. A declaration of interest here; I am a trustee of The Exchange, so I do have a direct involvement in the matter. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Following my article last week on the response to the Bexley Council Growth Strategy document by residents of Slade Green, I have had the following response, which I publish in full. "Re your article about the Bexley Growth Strategy draft consultation (you say 'the proposed Bexley regeneration consultation project') ... you talk about more 'lurid' claims not having come to pass, but omit to say that quite a lot of residents in Slade Green wrote in to respond to the consultation on the draft and that Bexley toned down what was in the draft when they published the actual Strategy. You also fail to mention the role played by Bexley's officers, who contradicted each other at the various public consultation events (some within my own hearing at the consultation event in Slade Green) with some telling Slade Green residents that there would be compulsory purchases and some saying there wouldn't be. (Despite local residents groups asking several times, I still haven't seen a straight answer to that, perhaps you might be able to extract an answer from someone?) Despite the toning down the Strategy still calls for 8000 new homes in Slade Green with a high street (strategy states 'of similar size and function to existing centres such as Northumberland Heath and Bexley Village'), offices and mansion block housing close to Slade Green station in areas where there is currently low rise housing (see page 30, pages 110-112). The area around Crescent Road still falls in the 400m radius area for 'Urban High Density' mansion blocks in Erith (see pages 107 and 108). (Here I must note some bias on my part - my mid-terrace house in Slade Green sits well within the area the strategy says will be mansion blocks). The Strategy doesn't go into much detail on Crossrail, you have to realise just what is implied by the 'dedicated infrastructure' referred to (page 86) and dig around to understand that that is new tracks alongside the existing tracks. I think it will be difficult to have two extra tracks between Abbey Wood and Dartford and avoid an impact on housing. (I participated in several weeks of the Public Inquiry into the proposed Strategic Rail Freight Interchange this summer and note that no-one from the GLA or Dartford disputed claims by the appellant that their freight trains would not interfere with the running of the proposed Crossrail extension because Crossrail would be on dedicated tracks)". Some interesting and enlightening information; if any other reader has a view on the Growth Strategy, then please contact me via Email in confidence - hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Proposals have recently been published relating to the possible local listing of Erith Town Hall - pictured above - click on the image for a larger view. Bexley maintains a Local List of buildings and structures that have been identified as positive elements within the local environment due to their local historic or architectural significance. Locally listed buildings are of local significance, as opposed to national significance. They are heritage assets that contribute to our understanding of the borough’s past and inform its present character. They add to the quality of the local environment. Buildings on the Local List are not subject to additional statutory controls, but their conservation and enhancement is an objective of national, London-wide, and local planning policy, and therefore is a material consideration when determining planning applications. Erith Town Hall opened on 2 June 1932 and is of historic importance locally in that it provided services for the locality as part of the Erith Borough Council (and formerly Erith Urban District Council). Erith Town Hall remains an attractive and prominent landmark building located within Erith Town Centre and retains the original Council Chamber. The building is the only remaining purpose-built Town Hall within the borough. It is currently utilised for some of the statutory functions which are provided by The London Borough of Bexley. Personally I find it somewhat surprising that the building has been proposed for a local listing, as it is my understanding that one of the prime conditions for local listing is that the building in question should be substantially unchanged since it was constructed; this cannot be said of Erith Town Hall, which had an additional storey added (the raised roof level) in the early 1990's. I also am aware that the Council are looking to dispose of the building, now that its main function - as the centre for council tax and housing benefits has been merged with Bromley, Erith Town Hall is now somewhat underused. It also makes me wonder that the cost of converting if for another use - for example as a hotel, might be greater than the cost of demolishing it and replacing it with an entirely new structure. As mentioned earlier, Electricity House, which is directly opposite, is of a similar vintage, and is already being targetted by Bexley Council in an attempt to buy out the leases prior to an expected compulsory purchase order being sought. I would not be at all surprised if the council refuses the local listing application in order to make the old town hall as attractive as possible to a developer. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

At long last, it may finally come to pass that Erith Station gets step - free access to the London bound platform. Local MP Teresa Pearce has been campaigning for years on the issue. The fact remains that if you are a wheelchair user, or a parent with a heavy pram or buggy, it is not possible to take a train towards London from Erith. You have to go on the Kent bound platform to Dartford Station, then change there to pick up a London bound train. This means you go three stops in the opposite direction, only to then come back on yourself. Apart from the inconvenience this brings, there is the added expense of what should really be an unnecessary journey. You can see Teresa's campaign website for step free access to Erith Station by clicking here. As you can gather, the campaign has been running for seven years now, and only in the last couple of days has anything positive come of it - better late than never I suppose.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly a report from Barnehurst ward:- "Barnehurst has suffered one burglary in the last week. This burglary occurred in Edendale Road on Tuesday 27th November 2018 between midnight and 06.00am. Entry was gained via the front UPVC door which had not been double locked. Coats were taken off the bannister on ground floor and items taken. It is believed suspects were looking for keys to a high value vehicle that was parked on the drive way. We cannot stress enough the importance of double locking your front door and if you have an alarm please set it every morning / night. The Barnehurst team posted six hundred letters to property's inviting residents to a street briefing in Westfield Road. Approximately one hundred residents attended and crime prevention advice was given with regards home security. Our next community contact session has been cancelled due to change of shifts, please see next week's alert for updates". Belvedere ward, From a Neighbourhood Watch Member - Abbey Road:- "Around 10 am a neighbour who lives on an elevation saw from her front bedroom window a man walking slowly down the alleyway (leads to Laymarsh). ‘He was looking from left to right and then peered over the fence into the garden of the 1st house. Then he walked back along Abbey Rd, turned into Shortlands Close and returned with 3 other men. They all walked back into the alley and started peering over the fence, at which point I opened the bedroom window and shouted 'Oi!' and they all immediately pulled their hoods over their faces and walked back to Shortlands Close - making obscene gestures at me. Shortly after they'd disappeared from sight they reappeared in a white unmarked Transit van and drove off towards Abbey Wood. The 1st man to appear yesterday was tall, red haired and wearing black tracksuit bottoms with a white stripe down each leg, a sweater and something with a grey hood and a yellow hi viz jacket. The other 3 who appeared later all looked much the same as each other I'm afraid and I can't recall anything distinctive other than that one of them seemed to be all in grey. The van was parked out of sight, not on the main road, but when it appeared after they'd all rushed off with their hoods pulled up. A family member was fairly sure that he could see them inside. It was a scruffy unmarked white Transit van with a ladder on the roof and although it was almost out of sight by the time he took the photo the reg no looks like either ND59 XGM or NO59 XGM or even XGN'. We have had no other reports of any other suspicious activity however as it is darker earlier we are all being vigilant". Bexleyheath ward:- "We have had two reports of burglary on the ward. One was reported along Lynsted Close Bexleyheath. Entry was gained via the front door of the property. The other was reported along Latham Road Bexleyheath, entry was via the rear kitchen door window. Regular burglary patrols are conducted by the team. There has been three reports of mobile phones being stolen along the Broadway on the Monday 26/11/2018 & Tuesday 27/11/2018. Two were stolen from pockets and one from a handbag that was placed on a pushchair. The team conduct regular hi-visibility patrols. Also patrols are conducted in the car park areas and the Broadway to reduce anti-social behaviour including Martens Grove Park. As a result a group was stopped in the cinema car park. One was arrested for possession with the intent to supply. Also another male was arrested for possession of drugs. Regular patrols are conducted by the team along Gravel Hill because of children running out on the road causing a danger. Team is liaising with school officers on the borough. Our next drop-in surgery is on Friday 7th December between 2pm and 3pm at Café Nero on the Broadway. Please feel free to drop by. 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". From a Pinnacle Hill, Bexleyheath, Neighbourhood Watch Member:- "I have had a report from one of my watch members. Earlier this month while a mother and her adult daughter (the ladies) were in a shop in Bexleyheath, they were subjected to a 'bag dipping' by two Eastern European looking women in their thirties (the women). One of the women dropped an item on the floor next to one of the ladies. While that lady helped the woman pick up the dropped item, the second woman took the lady's mobile phone from her bag. Luckily, she had felt a tug on her bag, and soon became aware that her mobile phone was missing. When the women were challenged, they remonstrated saying that the missing phone must be in the ladies bags. A call was made immediately to the missing phone and it rang from where it had been placed on a shelf in the shop. At this the two women made off running from the shop. The phone was recovered. These events bear the hallmarks of professional 'bag dipping' style pickpockets. The purpose of placing the phone on the shelf was to ensure that no one had seen or noticed what they were doing. Only finally to have taken it when sure no one had. Everyone should remember, not only when shops are busy and crowded, but at all times that pickpockets work together and do more than just bump and distract to steal people's belongings". Crayford ward:- "Here is our news for this week. Just to let you know, I'm away next week, it may be an idea to email John Cullingham, Scott Gardiner or Chris Murphy directly to remind them to do the update!! Sadly, another week where burglars have been out and about. On Wednesday 21st November between 02.00 - 6.30 a house in Wyatt Road was entered through the front door. It was believed the door had been locked and secure. Keys to a Citroen Relay van were stolen and used to steal the van parked outside, other items stolen included cash, driving licence, mobile phone, power tools and credit card. On Monday 26th November between 00.20 and 06.00 a house was entered through the porch door and internal front door of a property in Barnes Cray Road. After a messy search, keys, a watch and handbag were stolen as was the grey Audi Q7, number plate LX15 NBY that was parked outside. It is believed the vehicle has since been involved in a local incident in Welling. The cards have been used but now cancelled and some items from the vehicle have now been recovered. There was an attempted burglary in Shearwood Crescent between 02.00 - 03.00 on Tuesday 27th November. The owner heard a noise near the door and opened it and scared off the prospective burglar. On 13th November the front and rear number plates were stolen from a red Hyundai Sovereign V8 auto whilst parked in Barnes Cray Road. On a more positive note, a prolific shop lifter who frequents Crayford was arrested, charged and taken to court this week and sentenced to four months in prison. Two dangerous dog warrants were executed this week, one dog was seized pending further investigation. Please don't be a needless victim of burglary, lock your doors and windows are locked when you go out and ensure your home is secure when you retire to bed". Erith ward:- "Good news - no Burglaries this week in Erith, bad news we have been hit hard with theft from motor vehicles. Please make sure you fully remove any items from your car when you lock it up at night. Don't leave anything on show. Date for you to note Friday 30th November - This Friday we will be in the Blackberry Patch Orbit office from 7pm. Feel free to pop in if you need to speak to us about anything. Theft of MV 21/11/2018, Thanet Road - By suspects by taking the vehicle without the consent of the owner; Shoplift <£200 21/11/2018 Matalan Retail Ltd; Theft from MV 22/11/2018, Neptune Walk - vehicle entered via unknown means and searched; Theft from MV 24/11/2018 James Watt Way - By suspects forcing entry to van and stealing equipment; Theft from MV 23/11/2018 Morrison's, Pier Road – no more details at this time; Theft from MV 24/11/2018 St Johns Road - Unknown suspect has unscrewed both front and rear VRM plates; Theft from MV 24/11/2018 James Watt Way - By suspect by using an unknown object to smash a window then taking the property from within; Shoplift <£200 08/11/2018 Farmfoods Ltd, Pier Road; Theft of MV 26/11/2018, Avenue Road – car taken; Theft from MV 27/11/2018 Windrush Court, Erith, – Car broken into smashed window and messy search". Northumberland Heath ward:- "The team have been conducting patrols through Northumberland Heath's current ASB and crime hotspot areas. In all of the areas patrolled, all appeared well. PC Smith from the North Heath team conducted an arrest enquiry in Frinstead Road, one male was arrested for shoplifting offences. We have unfortunately had one incident of note reported this last week: Residential burglary overnight between 26th-27th November in Frinstead Road. Entry was gained through a side entrance into the property, car keys stolen from inside the property and then the vehicle was stolen from outside. If you have any information in relation to any of these incidents please report this to the police and continue to be vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour or activity you see".

Slade Green and Northend ward:- "Three vehicle crimes to report in the last week. On Thursday 22/11 at around 10pm, a van was deliberately set on fire in Frobisher Road, CCTV footage from a phone has so far been inconclusive in identifying anyone involved. Overnight on Saturday 24/11 a car window was smashed in Jenningtree Road and a similar incident happened overnight on Sunday 25/11 in Whitehall Lane. Nothing taken in either incident and enquiries are ongoing. An empty flat in Frobisher Road was broken into sometime last Thursday 22/11 and the water tank was taken along with taps and other fixtures and fittings. The relevant Housing Association are aware and have secured the property. Last Friday there was a large fire at a tyre place out on the Industrial Estate of the marshes. We assisted LFB for over 5 hours with the road being closed at Ray Lamb way which caused a standstill for traffic all the way back to Erith town centre for the whole time. This was due to LFB discovering gas canisters inside a shipping container at the location and all safety measures had to be taken. The road re-opened at around 4.45pm and it took around an hour to get all the traffic back down onto the estate. We attended the St Augustines Christmas Fair last Saturday and gave crime prevention advice to everyone that attended. On Sunday, we assisted Belvedere SNT with the annual Guru Nanak Sikh parade through parts of Erith and Belvedere. The event went without any issues except the usual disruption to traffic for several minutes as the parade passed. This coming week PCSO Mark is attending Peareswood Primary School to do some reading with the pupils. On Saturday it is the Slade Green Big Local Christmas Fair at St Augustines church hall starting at 11am and we will be in attendance with Mark doing a stint as Santa from 1pm". Thamesmead East ward:- "No Burglaries this week but the Thamesmead East Ward has been subject to a rise in car crime. Criminal Damage to Motor Vehicle - Grange Crescent on Saturday 24/11/18 between 3pm – 26/11/18 8am Tyre slashed/stabbed and punctured by persons unknown; Leatherbottle Green Sunday 25/11/19 between 5:50pm-7pm Both wing mirrors smashed; Glimpsing Green Sunday 25/11/18 between 5-6:30pm Concrete block thrown onto bonnet of car causing damage; Wolvercote Road been cut open, nothing taken from vehicle; Wolvercote Road Monday 26/11/18 between 6:30pm -28/11/186:30am Window smashed money taken unknown quantity; Parkway Monday 26/11/18 between 8:25am-5pm Brick thrown through window by unknown person; Fieldfare Road Monday 26/11/18 between 7:50pm-8pm Suspect unknown smashed passenger window of victims vehicle. Theft From Motor Vehicle - Southmere Drive Saturday 24/11/18 between 6pm-10am Indicator cover stolen; Lensbury Way Sunday 25/11/18 8:30pm-8am Window smashed car manual stolen; Hartslock Drive Saturday 25/11/19 9:30am-12:30 Various documents stolen from vehicle including victims Passport; King Fisher Close Wednesday 28/11/18 between 6:30am-6:50am Sat Nav, phone and wallet taken from victims vehicle. The next meeting will be Tuesday 11th December at Lakeside Medical Centre in Yarnton Way between 1-2pm". West Heath ward:- "Over the last week on Wednesday 21/11/18 a car's wing mirrors were damaged in New Road SE2. There was a residential burglary in Brampton Road in the early hours of Monday 19/11/18, resident woke to find their back door had been forced open but nothing taken. Sometime between 0945-1450 hours on Monday 19/11/18 there was a second burglary in Brampton Road, the rear patio doors were smashed and an untidy search conducted and jewellery and vehicle stolen. There was another burglary in King Harold's Way sometime between Sunday 18th - Tuesday 20th November. While the occupants were away, entry was gained via the dog flap and items taken. In the early evening around 1745-1800hrs on Sunday 18th November there was an attempted burglary in Abbotts Walk. The occupant heard a loud bang and on investigation found a male in their doorway and the glass panel of the door smashed. The male ran off on seeing resident and 3 males were seen running off. On Tuesday 20th November a vehicle was stolen in Gipsy Road without the keys being taken and in Lansdowne Road on Friday 23rd November between 10pm and midnight items were stolen from a car. We have been made aware there may be a possible scammer in the King Harold's Way area. Two males, claiming to be builders working nearby, and noticing damage to residents roofs and offering to look in the loft. Once in the property the males spray a wall while the occupant is distracted then offer to repair the roof for an exorbitant fee. Due to the recent rise in burglaries on the ward the team have increased our high visibility burglary patrols both on foot and mobile CCTV patrols. We now have keys to the alley gates in target areas and have been patrolling the rear alleys and are stop and searching any suspicious persons".

The end video this week shows one of the two new Woolwich ferries before it was delivered to the UK. You can see the vessel on trial in Poland prior to its journey to Woolwich. Both ferries are now in place, and undergoing further end user acceptance testing on the River Thames before they go into service early in the New Year.