You may recall that back in July of last year, I wrote of Bexley Council's plans to rejuvenate and improve the gardens in Pier Square, next to Erith Pier. Now, revised plans have been submitted for planning approval; with luck the works will happen before the Erith Pier Festival 2020, which is to be held in September of this year. If plans are approved the newly renovated public space will also be used as a venue for community events and festivals with new landscaping, seating and lighting. The Council has worked closely with architects BDP and land owner Morrisons on the new draft design for Pier Square which will transform it to a more attractive space to spend time. The designs incorporate comments made by local people during a public consultation held in April 2019. The planning application also sets out plans to appoint an artist or designer to develop creative space or a series of artworks that will add to Pier Square. Students from The Cass School of Architecture at London Metropolitan University will help to develop the brief for this creative opportunity and will be part of the selection panel. The students studied Erith’s history and regeneration potential during 2018. Their work culminated in an exhibition at The Exchange in 2019. A decision on the plans for Pier Square is expected in the Spring.
The dismal service currently being provided by the Woolwich Ferry is not going to improve any time soon; listeners to the excellent Time 107.5 FM will know that the radio station gives regular, hourly traffic reports, including the status of the Woolwich Ferry, which recently has been out of service very much more than it has been working. As I have previously written, there have been a series of engineering problems with the electro magnetic docking system used by the new ferries. I have heard that the new so called "state of the art" system is actually far more complex and harder to operate than the old manual hydraulic system. It also does not latch if there is a swell or a strong cross - current, both of which are common on the River Thames at Woolwich. There has also been a long standing dispute over the pay for the ferry crew, which is about to lead to another couple of labour strikes. You can read the details on the excellent 853 website here.
The dismal service currently being provided by the Woolwich Ferry is not going to improve any time soon; listeners to the excellent Time 107.5 FM will know that the radio station gives regular, hourly traffic reports, including the status of the Woolwich Ferry, which recently has been out of service very much more than it has been working. As I have previously written, there have been a series of engineering problems with the electro magnetic docking system used by the new ferries. I have heard that the new so called "state of the art" system is actually far more complex and harder to operate than the old manual hydraulic system. It also does not latch if there is a swell or a strong cross - current, both of which are common on the River Thames at Woolwich. There has also been a long standing dispute over the pay for the ferry crew, which is about to lead to another couple of labour strikes. You can read the details on the excellent 853 website here.
I discovered an interesting historical fact quite recently. The huge, 219 metre (719 feet) tall antenna tower at Crystal Palace, that supplies TV and radio signals for a large part of London and the South East was designed and built by Erith based company British Insulated Callender's Construction Co Ltd (later known as BICC) with steelwork fabrication by Painter Brothers Ltd, Hereford, back in 1955. Much of the tower’s construction was prefabricated and test erected in sections in the Callender’s Erith works before it was pulled apart and transported to site for final erection. When completed in 1956, the tower was the tallest structure in Greater London, a title it held until the completion of the One Canada Square Tower in Canary Wharf back in 1991. The first transmission from Crystal Palace took place on 28 March 1956, when it succeeded the transmitter at Alexandra Palace where the BBC had started the world's first scheduled television service in November 1936. In November 1956 the first colour test transmissions began from Crystal Palace relaying live pictures from the studios at Alexandra Palace after BBC TV had closed down for the night. In May 1958 the first experimental Band V PAL 625-line transmissions started from Crystal Palace. The transmitter tower holds another record, one that cannot be beaten. On 18 July 1986, with the First Night of the Proms on BBC2, the transmitter became the first in the world to transmit stereophonic sound using the NICAM digital sound system. On 2 December 2009, the site entered service as one of the first DVB-T2 transmitters in the world, carrying a variant of the BBC's Multiplex B broadcasting high-definition TV services. All of the analogue television services transmitted from the Crystal Palace tower were discontinued back in 2012; all TV signals are now from a digital multiplex. The only analogue output of the tower is now FM radio (BBC radios 1,2,3,and 4) a couple of independent local stations, along with some legacy services on Medium Wave. The historical connection that Callender’s had with the BBC back in the day was wider than merely being the constructor of the Crystal Palace transmitter tower. Callender’s had an amateur band, called The Callender’s Cableworks Band, which was active between 1898 and 1961, of which all members were employees of Callender's at Erith. They rehearsed and performed in their leisure time, while the company in its role of patron lent its name and supplied uniforms and instruments. The band broadcast prolifically on BBC Radio in the 1920s and 1930s. The Band was started in the 1890s as a Salvation Army brass band, but because they felt limited as to the types of music which they were permitted to play, they formed their own temperance band. However this caused difficulties in purchasing their own uniforms and instruments, so their employer, Callender's, stepped in as patron. From then on they were Callender's Cableworks Band under various forms of that name. They were always an amateur band, rehearsing and performing in their leisure time. The Senior Band had a high reputation, and in 1932 were described as the finest in the south of England. In 1929 Jim Thompson joined the band; later in 1939 he was to found the Belvedere Male Voice Choir. In 1932 the band consisted of all brass instruments, plus four saxophones. At the time they were the only brass band with saxophones. In competitions over the years they had 25 wins, 11 second places and 3 third places. By the end of 1932 the band had performed on radio a total of eighty times – something unprecedented at the time. The band finally disbanded in 1961 as members retired and few young volunteers could be found.
Back when flat screen televisions were first made available around twenty years ago, they had a finite life. The early plasma screens were normally good for around 30,000 hours of service, the problem was that whilst the screens were bright and had a very good viewing angle, they used a lot of power, even when in standby, and when on they got very hot. When LED screens came along, their life was substantially longer, and again the limiting factor was the life of the backlight – a common issue. Newer screen technology now available is OLED, and Samsung's proprietary QLED. An OLED display works without a backlight; thus, it can display deep black levels and can be thinner and lighter than an LED screen. In low ambient light conditions (such as a dark room), an OLED screen can achieve a higher contrast ratio than an LED, regardless of whether the LED uses cold cathode fluorescent lamps or an LED backlight. The trouble is, the screens are very expensive, and they are difficult to manufacture in the large sizes that a lot of customers want nowadays; on top of this, as the OLED screens generate their own light, the screens “burn out” relatively quickly, and the colour rendition fading – blues especially “wash out” quite early on in the life cycle of the TV screen. QLED is similar to LED, but with more of the visual characteristics of OLED. All this in actual use may be relatively unimportant, as other factors are far more likely to affect the length of life of a modern flat screen television. Most TV’s on sale nowadays have so called “smart” functionality built in – the ability to stream media from companies such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, for example, and access to the web and sites such as YouTube is now something many people take for granted. In my opinion, the limiting factor in the real – life durability of a modern smart TV is not actually the display technology hardware, but is rather how long the TV remains in software support from the manufacturer. How long updates, patches and software downloads are available for the TV. For example, I have a Samsung TV from 2012; many of the applications installed on it will no longer run, as they went out of support in 2016. The TV itself still works fine, but if you want watch BBC iPlayer, for instance, you are stuffed. The issue here is that most smart TV’s use a version of the Android operating system – which is constantly being updated and modified by its creator, Google. The problem is that the TV manufacturers usually stop providing Android updates to TV’s after a couple of years, and sooner or later versions of apps for TV’s stop working on older versions of the Android operating system. It seems from my research that a TV will cease getting OS updates at around the fourth year from the point of purchase. It seems to me that TV’s are going the way of the computer and the motor car – they are now seen as time limited, disposable devices. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.
A short piece by local transport enthusiast Dana Wiffen:- "It seems ironic that from the 1900's to the 1960's we had two forms of Transport that did not pollute the air, both running from electric overhead wires. In London Trams ran from 1860 (as horse drawn up until the 1900's) then until 1952 as electric with the last one running from Woolwich to New Cross in that year, although some were sold to Leeds and continued to run until 1959. Trolleybuses ran in London from 1931-1962 on 68 routes around London with the 696 Woolwich to Dartford, and the 698 Woolwich to Bexleyheath were the two main routes locally. Both trams and trolleybuses were replaced by diesel motor buses which in the most have been withdrawn today with newer electric or semi-electric buses replacing current stock as the emission zone is extended further into the outer London Boroughs. Some areas such as Croydon reintroduced trams in 2000 as have other Cities in the UK, while Blackpool has continued and still run Trams, with their heritage stock being a major tourist attraction".
After an Email conversation earlier this week, I was reminded of something. There was a period in the 1980's when British Rail ran a series of fast food outlets called Casey Jones Burgers. The restaurants were located at the major rail stations such as London Bridge and Charing Cross. The burgers were quite indescribably vile; they certainly bore absolutely no resemblance to the paragon of great burger - ness featured in the advert above. They were actually composed of greasy, gristly, zombie flesh - like cold grey meat on the outside, and lava hot in the middle so that molten cheese scalded the roof of your mouth like dairy based napalm (I think they microwaved the burgers). Rumours abounded when the Casey Jones opened at Charing Cross, all of the feral pigeons that plagued the station concourse suddenly disappeared. It was all very coincidental. Fortunately Casey Jones did not last too long, and eventually Burger King took over their station locations. they are now nothing other than a distant memory. If you have any recollections of Casey Jones Burgers, please get in contact and let me know. Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.
The following very atmospheric photograph was taken recently by Ian, the webmaster of The Belvedere Splash Facebook group. It shows the view from Woolwich Road in Upper Belvedere towards the recreation park. The housing in this part of Upper Belvedere has changed little in 150 years; indeed, many of the houses are in part of a conservation area. If you are a member of The Belvedere Splash, and have seen this photo on that site, I have not stolen the image - Ian actually sent it to me for use, before he published it himself.
After an Email conversation earlier this week, I was reminded of something. There was a period in the 1980's when British Rail ran a series of fast food outlets called Casey Jones Burgers. The restaurants were located at the major rail stations such as London Bridge and Charing Cross. The burgers were quite indescribably vile; they certainly bore absolutely no resemblance to the paragon of great burger - ness featured in the advert above. They were actually composed of greasy, gristly, zombie flesh - like cold grey meat on the outside, and lava hot in the middle so that molten cheese scalded the roof of your mouth like dairy based napalm (I think they microwaved the burgers). Rumours abounded when the Casey Jones opened at Charing Cross, all of the feral pigeons that plagued the station concourse suddenly disappeared. It was all very coincidental. Fortunately Casey Jones did not last too long, and eventually Burger King took over their station locations. they are now nothing other than a distant memory. If you have any recollections of Casey Jones Burgers, please get in contact and let me know. Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.
The following very atmospheric photograph was taken recently by Ian, the webmaster of The Belvedere Splash Facebook group. It shows the view from Woolwich Road in Upper Belvedere towards the recreation park. The housing in this part of Upper Belvedere has changed little in 150 years; indeed, many of the houses are in part of a conservation area. If you are a member of The Belvedere Splash, and have seen this photo on that site, I have not stolen the image - Ian actually sent it to me for use, before he published it himself.
It has been brought to my attention that the long dead brewing name Watneys is now back in business. It is now a trendy new craft beer range. You can see their website here. Back in the 1960's and 1970's Watneys was a mass producer of keg ales, their most popular and well known was called Red Barrel. Red Barrel was originally developed as an export beer that could be transported for long distances by sea. Red Barrel, like all keg bitter, was filtered, to remove the yeast. It was then pasteurised and carbon dioxide was added. The "keg" was linked to a tank of carbon dioxide which effectively forced the beer up from the cellar. There was no need for the traditional long-handled beer pump. Keg was usually served chilled and was fizzy, with froth on the top. Red Barrel was tentatively trialled at the Sheen Lawn Tennis Club where Watneys' Master Brewer, Bert Hussey, was a member. He was convinced that once sampled it would be instantly popular. By the early sixties, Watneys were able to claim that it was the country's most popular keg bitter. It was also the first. Red Barrel today is regarded with distain; in the 60s it was a premium product. Watneys negotiated a contract with BEA for Red Barrel to be supplied to passengers. Given that air travel, especially on scheduled flights, was still a privilege of the few, this must have been quite an achievement for Watneys and must say something about the quality image that the brand then had. Watneys were also able to sell Red Barrel at all bars on the new luxury liner, the QE2. As well as supplying to non-traditional outlets, Watneys also had a fair share of the Free Trade market, selling over one million barrels of beer, mainly Red Barrel and Watneys Pale Ale. So their products must have had some sort of following outside Watney Mann pubs where it might have been the only choice. Against this, however, "Which" reported on 1972 on keg bitters and their view was that there was little to choose between one keg and another. All were bland tasting and fizzy. There was also little reason for preferring keg over traditional beers such as Watneys own Special Bitter, which was somewhat cheaper. Keg, though, had the image and at the time, people preferred its consistent quality. More traditional brews were considered downmarket. Part of that image was a strong advertising campaign and Watneys were very astute at linking their products with the pop world. The Liverpool group, The Scaffold, famous for drinking to "Lily the Pink" drank to Watneys Pale Ale. Watneys Red Barrel was promoted with a television campaign and a slogan "Roll out the barrel". The campaign was supposed to suggest that drinking Red Barrel would promote "good fellowship, friendliness and happiness associated with beer drinking". Red Barrel was by no means Watneys only product. Watneys Special Bitter had been available in London for many years. In 1969 they took the decision to market it nationally in all Watney Mann houses. It was a traditional draught bitter, cheaper than Red Barrel. The late sixties was a time of rapid change in the brewing industry. New trends seemed to come and go quickly. Draught stout was quickly gaining a following. Watneys tried to compete head to head with Guinness for a time with a trial of Colonel Murphy's Stout. It did not prove successful. They had to accept that Guinness had cornered the market and sell draught Guinness in their houses. An agreement with Carlsberg Lager in 1969 was, however, more successful. Watneys were surprising latecomers to the lager market. Carling Black Label had been on sale in the UK at Bass Charrington houses for several years and Whitbread linked up with Heineken as long ago as 1961. However, Watneys jumped at the right time and joined the lager market before it really took off in the 70s. Another feature of drinking in the late sixties and early seventies were strong ales available in small bottles. The most well known is Whitbread's Gold Label - "Strong as a double scotch, less than half the price". Watneys produced two beers in this category "Export Gold" and "Stingo" barley wine. The new owners of the brand seem to be aiming their products up - market; I feel their use of the name is somewhat ironic, considering the bland and anodyne beers that the original Watneys used to sell.
Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly the report from Barnehurst ward:- "Good news first, there has been no Incidents of vehicle crime in the past week. We have however suffered a burglary in Erith Road on Thursday 23/01/2020 between 10.25am -10.35am where the victim returned home to find the front door open and the lock damaged. Various items were taken from within the property. We ask residents to stay alert as a male was captured on CCTV in Hillingdon Road approaching a front door to peer through a window. In the background was a vehicle with lights on parked in the road. The driver's side door was seen to open therefore it is believed there were at least two suspects. Fortunately no attempt was made to force entry however it shows they were in the area! Our next community contact session will be at Barnehurst Golf Course on Wednesday 5th February 2020 at 11.00am". Belvedere ward:- "There have been several garage break-ins across the ward in what appear to be secluded areas (stand-alone garage blocks rather than garages attached to residential properties). Having visited victims of these crimes in Upper Park Road, Essenden Road and Lesness Park recently, the team have been informed that these incidents involve two males who appear to be using a light grey / light metallic silver BMW car. The driver remains in the vehicle whilst the passenger attempts to forcibly open garages by cutting the padlocks. There were also residential burglaries in Regent Square and Ashburnham Road in the past week. Entry was gained to both properties via the rear of the property by smashing glass in the rear doors to enter. The team visited a resident of Kentish Road who had contacted us for advice as he had been visited at his home by an unknown male claiming that he would require roofing repairs to his house. The male then made efforts to obtain a substantial amount of money from the resident whilst no work had been done. Thankfully, the resident refused to pay the money and contacted police to report". Bexleyheath ward:- From Neighbourhood Watch Member - in Hawthorn Road:- "A neighbour has reported that she and several other neighbours saw 3 white males 'strutting' down the middle of Hawthorn Road at about 4pm on Saturday 25th Jan. They walked down the road (away from The Broadway) and then walked back up. They were pointing and gesticulating at various features of the houses and garages and at one point walked down the shared drive of 14 Hawthorn Road. They didn't knock at the door of the owner. Later the same afternoon, her husband opened the door to a couple who told him about gangs leaving marks for potential burglaries. I said that burglars would be more likely to text or take a photo rather than leaving any possible evidence. I said that I would pass on this information as there may have been other sightings. It could be something or nothing. She was also concerned about the drug dealing she has seen/ heard about on the corner by the Memorial on Methuen Road". From Neighbourhood Watch Member - in Rochester Drive:- "There was an incident reported this morning for an attempted burglary in Rochester Drive on 26 Jan 2020 at 22:40. Two men drove up in the car what looked like a Mercedes A-Class. Both men exited the vehicle and one of them went to the property to try and forcibly enter while the other man stood near the car. The occupants were upstairs trying to put their 2 year old to sleep. The lady who is also now 8 months pregnant is distraught at the thought that she could've been face-to face with the buglers if she hadn't locked her front door earlier than usual. Thankfully they left quickly. There are video footages from the ring door camera as well as the CCTV. The car registration isn't obvious but we are not sure if the police are able to extract the number plate details". From Neighbourhood Watch Member - in Belvedere Road:-"We had a very suspicious occurrence on 20th Jan 2020 at 10.30pm. 2 young men black hoodies with black masks knocked at a neighbours door. They left apologising when the door was answered and walked out on the drive. They said looking for the next door neighbour. They got in a silver ish colour small car Y555 SPY. We checked with neighbour and they were not expecting anyone and no one knocked on there door after. The description of people matches with another post on FaceBook where two males tried to force entry to a house when a child answered the door. I believe they were put off by a male answering or were expecting the house to be empty. Police report filed and Neighbourhood police informed as car reg seems legit". Crayford ward:- "One residential burglary and one attempted burglary to report over the last week. The burglary occurred in Glebelands between 3pm and 7:30pm on Thursday 23rd January. Entry was gained via the unlocked back door. An untidy search was conducted with a laptop, a hoover and various other household items taken. An attempted burglary occurred in Clive Avenue on Sunday 26th January. The Ring doorbell motion sensor was activated at 11:07pm and showed a male approach the door with his hood up and a scarf covering his face. No entry was gained. There were four incidents of motor vehicle crime reported over the last week. There was an attempted theft from motor vehicle in Samas Way on Tuesday January 21st at 10:30pm. The suspect was wearing a hoodie and tried to break into the vehicle but ran off when the alarm went off. Criminal Damage to motor vehicle occurred in Ridge Way when a wing mirror was smashed. Nothing was taken. The incident occurred between Monday 20th and Wednesday 23rd January. A white ford transit company van was broken into in Ridge Avenue overnight of Tuesday 21st January. It appears nothing was taken. Between Friday 24th January and Sunday 26th January a black Vauxhall Vivaro was broken into in Tanners Close. The driver's side window had been smashed and it appears the airbag had been taken". Erith ward:- From Neighbourhood Watch Member - in Vickers Road:- "At 04:15 hrs on Friday 24th January what appears to be a male with a push bike was trying all the car doors. He was successful in one car as the owner had left the car unlocked". From Police SNT Team:- "This last week we carried out a warrant in Erith which involved Northumberland heath SNT and North End SNT a number of knives where recovered and 3 stolen mopeds, arrests were made. This was a good team effort from everyone involved – check out Erith SNT Twitter page for some images ( @MPSErith )On the Saturday 4th of February it is the Ward panel meeting in Erith invites will be sent out, if you are interested in attending and live in Erith please email us. We have been having ASB issues in Erith Park, we posted out letters (over 500) to all residents in the area, we are also working with Orbit housing and Bexley ASB team on ways to tackle this". Northumberland Heath ward:- "Attempted burglaries - Attempted garage burglary at Becton Place. Suspects were seen entering the garage and had stolen a bicycle . Between 1945 and 2025hrs on Tuesday 28th JAN an unknown suspect ripped off the side gate and gained access as a trespasser to a garden of Frinstead Road, Erith. From there, the suspect broke into the garden shed and may have used a tool taken from there to try and wrench open the back door to the house. Entry to the house was not gained but the door was scuffed. Tesco's on Bexley Road have also reported low level shoplifting. The suspect is known to police. Theft from motor vehicle on Detling Road. The CCTV camera has now been installed at Northumberland Heath Recreation Ground . The Local Policing have already received positive feedback from local residents. S.59 Warning has been issued to a driver of a moped witnessed by a member of the public driving dangerously along Sussex Road / Northumberland Heath. The next contact point will be on Wednesday Sunday 5th February at 4.30pm at Mill Road Library. Residents will be able to obtain a smart water kit".
Slade Green and Northend ward:- "Between Friday 24/01 and Sunday 26/01 we had 4 overnight Theft from motor vehicles. They were in Hazel Drive, Cornwallis Close, Jenningtree Road and Appold Street. Not only were all 4 crimes committed during night time hours but all 4 also had valuables and personal belongings on show (sat navs, phones, expensive jacket etc). This reiterates our regular warning of not leaving any items in your vehicles at any time. Last week PC James assisted Erith SNT in executing a warrant on their ward. 3 stolen mopeds were found along with drugs resulting 2 arrests made at the scene. PCSO Mark along with other PCSO colleagues from North Heath, Erith and across the borough carried out high vis patrols of the Broadway last week after recent reports of several knife crimes in the area". Thamesmead East ward:- "Motor vehicle crimes - Mangold Way Sat 18/01/20 between 7pm – Mon 20/01/20 9am windscreen wipers completely snapped off by unknown suspect/s from victim's vehicle. Yarnton Way Monday 27/2/20 between 2:30 – 3:30pm Victim reports vehicle front passenger window smashed, glove box ripped open containing a pencil case with bank cards and house keys inside, removed by suspect/s unknown. Southmere Drive Monday 27/1/20 between 2pm – 7:30pm Victim reports vehicle broken into Dash Cam and loose change removed by suspect/s unknown. Pointer Close Monday 27/1/20 between midday – Tuesday 28/1/20 3pm victim reports front and rear registration plates removed by suspect/s unknown. It has since come to light the plates have been use on another vehicle which made off from a petrol station without paying for fuel. Criminal Damage - Glimpsing Green Monday 27/01/20 between 05:56 – 05:58 am Victim was in bed and was woken by the sound of banging coming from the living room. Victim went into the living room and saw suspect had broken the glass door and had their hand inside trying to reach for the door handle. Victim shouted “what are you doing”? and the suspect ran off towards the park. Theft - Sydney Road Friday 10/1/20 between 11pm – 11:10pm a property which is undergoing building works has had materials stolen from the drive. Good News - After complaints by residents in Glimpsing Green of youths causing antisocial behaviour and smoking cannabis, the team made several patrols of the area and found a suspect smoking in possession of cannabis. The suspect was subsequently interviewed and processed. The team are investigating a recent theft from Taris shop in Yarnton Way, involving a number of young people who have been identified via CCTV. All to be interviewed at a later date. Just to reiterate all crime will be investigated and taken seriously by the team". West Heath ward:- "One attempted garage burglary in Milford Close between Wednesday 20/01/20 09.00 – Tuesday 21/01/20 09.00. The padlock to the shed was broken off but nothing was taken. An attempted burglary took place in Bedonwell Road on Monday 27/1/20 at 00.40. A pane of glass was smashed on the inner front door, entry was not gained. A dark coloured BMV was seen making off towards King Harolds Way. One residential burglary in Brampton Road on Tuesday January 28/01/20 between the hours of 11.45 – 18.45. Entry was gained via the back door. A safe was stolen from the property. Theft on number plates from a vehicle parked in Woolwich between Thursday 23/01/20 19.30 – Friday 24/01/20 at 07.00 .Theft of a catalytic converter in Amberley Road on Tuesday 21/01/20 between the hours of 10.00 – 1500. Theft of catalytic converter in Gipsy Road also on Tuesday 21st January between 10.30 – 6.30. A number of personal items were stolen from a vehicle that was broken in to in Brabourne Crescent between 21.00 0n Tuesday 28/01/20 and Wednesday 29/01/20 at 07.45 when the victim discovered the car had been broken in to. One criminal to a van in Selsey Crescent between Sunday 26/01/20 0800 – Monday 27/01/20 at 07.30 when the owner discovered the vehicle had been covered in graffiti. The team have been busy conducting proactive patrols in and around the ward. Two arrests for domestic criminal damage and Domestic ABH. Following information received, three positive stop and searches were made in Powys Close and a male was issued with a penalty notice for the possession of cannabis".
The end video this week is some unique aerial footage taken over Barnehurst - it gives a very unusual perspective on the area. Please feel free to send comments / stories to me via Email; my address is hugh.neal@gmail.com.
Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly the report from Barnehurst ward:- "Good news first, there has been no Incidents of vehicle crime in the past week. We have however suffered a burglary in Erith Road on Thursday 23/01/2020 between 10.25am -10.35am where the victim returned home to find the front door open and the lock damaged. Various items were taken from within the property. We ask residents to stay alert as a male was captured on CCTV in Hillingdon Road approaching a front door to peer through a window. In the background was a vehicle with lights on parked in the road. The driver's side door was seen to open therefore it is believed there were at least two suspects. Fortunately no attempt was made to force entry however it shows they were in the area! Our next community contact session will be at Barnehurst Golf Course on Wednesday 5th February 2020 at 11.00am". Belvedere ward:- "There have been several garage break-ins across the ward in what appear to be secluded areas (stand-alone garage blocks rather than garages attached to residential properties). Having visited victims of these crimes in Upper Park Road, Essenden Road and Lesness Park recently, the team have been informed that these incidents involve two males who appear to be using a light grey / light metallic silver BMW car. The driver remains in the vehicle whilst the passenger attempts to forcibly open garages by cutting the padlocks. There were also residential burglaries in Regent Square and Ashburnham Road in the past week. Entry was gained to both properties via the rear of the property by smashing glass in the rear doors to enter. The team visited a resident of Kentish Road who had contacted us for advice as he had been visited at his home by an unknown male claiming that he would require roofing repairs to his house. The male then made efforts to obtain a substantial amount of money from the resident whilst no work had been done. Thankfully, the resident refused to pay the money and contacted police to report". Bexleyheath ward:- From Neighbourhood Watch Member - in Hawthorn Road:- "A neighbour has reported that she and several other neighbours saw 3 white males 'strutting' down the middle of Hawthorn Road at about 4pm on Saturday 25th Jan. They walked down the road (away from The Broadway) and then walked back up. They were pointing and gesticulating at various features of the houses and garages and at one point walked down the shared drive of 14 Hawthorn Road. They didn't knock at the door of the owner. Later the same afternoon, her husband opened the door to a couple who told him about gangs leaving marks for potential burglaries. I said that burglars would be more likely to text or take a photo rather than leaving any possible evidence. I said that I would pass on this information as there may have been other sightings. It could be something or nothing. She was also concerned about the drug dealing she has seen/ heard about on the corner by the Memorial on Methuen Road". From Neighbourhood Watch Member - in Rochester Drive:- "There was an incident reported this morning for an attempted burglary in Rochester Drive on 26 Jan 2020 at 22:40. Two men drove up in the car what looked like a Mercedes A-Class. Both men exited the vehicle and one of them went to the property to try and forcibly enter while the other man stood near the car. The occupants were upstairs trying to put their 2 year old to sleep. The lady who is also now 8 months pregnant is distraught at the thought that she could've been face-to face with the buglers if she hadn't locked her front door earlier than usual. Thankfully they left quickly. There are video footages from the ring door camera as well as the CCTV. The car registration isn't obvious but we are not sure if the police are able to extract the number plate details". From Neighbourhood Watch Member - in Belvedere Road:-"We had a very suspicious occurrence on 20th Jan 2020 at 10.30pm. 2 young men black hoodies with black masks knocked at a neighbours door. They left apologising when the door was answered and walked out on the drive. They said looking for the next door neighbour. They got in a silver ish colour small car Y555 SPY. We checked with neighbour and they were not expecting anyone and no one knocked on there door after. The description of people matches with another post on FaceBook where two males tried to force entry to a house when a child answered the door. I believe they were put off by a male answering or were expecting the house to be empty. Police report filed and Neighbourhood police informed as car reg seems legit". Crayford ward:- "One residential burglary and one attempted burglary to report over the last week. The burglary occurred in Glebelands between 3pm and 7:30pm on Thursday 23rd January. Entry was gained via the unlocked back door. An untidy search was conducted with a laptop, a hoover and various other household items taken. An attempted burglary occurred in Clive Avenue on Sunday 26th January. The Ring doorbell motion sensor was activated at 11:07pm and showed a male approach the door with his hood up and a scarf covering his face. No entry was gained. There were four incidents of motor vehicle crime reported over the last week. There was an attempted theft from motor vehicle in Samas Way on Tuesday January 21st at 10:30pm. The suspect was wearing a hoodie and tried to break into the vehicle but ran off when the alarm went off. Criminal Damage to motor vehicle occurred in Ridge Way when a wing mirror was smashed. Nothing was taken. The incident occurred between Monday 20th and Wednesday 23rd January. A white ford transit company van was broken into in Ridge Avenue overnight of Tuesday 21st January. It appears nothing was taken. Between Friday 24th January and Sunday 26th January a black Vauxhall Vivaro was broken into in Tanners Close. The driver's side window had been smashed and it appears the airbag had been taken". Erith ward:- From Neighbourhood Watch Member - in Vickers Road:- "At 04:15 hrs on Friday 24th January what appears to be a male with a push bike was trying all the car doors. He was successful in one car as the owner had left the car unlocked". From Police SNT Team:- "This last week we carried out a warrant in Erith which involved Northumberland heath SNT and North End SNT a number of knives where recovered and 3 stolen mopeds, arrests were made. This was a good team effort from everyone involved – check out Erith SNT Twitter page for some images ( @MPSErith )On the Saturday 4th of February it is the Ward panel meeting in Erith invites will be sent out, if you are interested in attending and live in Erith please email us. We have been having ASB issues in Erith Park, we posted out letters (over 500) to all residents in the area, we are also working with Orbit housing and Bexley ASB team on ways to tackle this". Northumberland Heath ward:- "Attempted burglaries - Attempted garage burglary at Becton Place. Suspects were seen entering the garage and had stolen a bicycle . Between 1945 and 2025hrs on Tuesday 28th JAN an unknown suspect ripped off the side gate and gained access as a trespasser to a garden of Frinstead Road, Erith. From there, the suspect broke into the garden shed and may have used a tool taken from there to try and wrench open the back door to the house. Entry to the house was not gained but the door was scuffed. Tesco's on Bexley Road have also reported low level shoplifting. The suspect is known to police. Theft from motor vehicle on Detling Road. The CCTV camera has now been installed at Northumberland Heath Recreation Ground . The Local Policing have already received positive feedback from local residents. S.59 Warning has been issued to a driver of a moped witnessed by a member of the public driving dangerously along Sussex Road / Northumberland Heath. The next contact point will be on Wednesday Sunday 5th February at 4.30pm at Mill Road Library. Residents will be able to obtain a smart water kit".
Slade Green and Northend ward:- "Between Friday 24/01 and Sunday 26/01 we had 4 overnight Theft from motor vehicles. They were in Hazel Drive, Cornwallis Close, Jenningtree Road and Appold Street. Not only were all 4 crimes committed during night time hours but all 4 also had valuables and personal belongings on show (sat navs, phones, expensive jacket etc). This reiterates our regular warning of not leaving any items in your vehicles at any time. Last week PC James assisted Erith SNT in executing a warrant on their ward. 3 stolen mopeds were found along with drugs resulting 2 arrests made at the scene. PCSO Mark along with other PCSO colleagues from North Heath, Erith and across the borough carried out high vis patrols of the Broadway last week after recent reports of several knife crimes in the area". Thamesmead East ward:- "Motor vehicle crimes - Mangold Way Sat 18/01/20 between 7pm – Mon 20/01/20 9am windscreen wipers completely snapped off by unknown suspect/s from victim's vehicle. Yarnton Way Monday 27/2/20 between 2:30 – 3:30pm Victim reports vehicle front passenger window smashed, glove box ripped open containing a pencil case with bank cards and house keys inside, removed by suspect/s unknown. Southmere Drive Monday 27/1/20 between 2pm – 7:30pm Victim reports vehicle broken into Dash Cam and loose change removed by suspect/s unknown. Pointer Close Monday 27/1/20 between midday – Tuesday 28/1/20 3pm victim reports front and rear registration plates removed by suspect/s unknown. It has since come to light the plates have been use on another vehicle which made off from a petrol station without paying for fuel. Criminal Damage - Glimpsing Green Monday 27/01/20 between 05:56 – 05:58 am Victim was in bed and was woken by the sound of banging coming from the living room. Victim went into the living room and saw suspect had broken the glass door and had their hand inside trying to reach for the door handle. Victim shouted “what are you doing”? and the suspect ran off towards the park. Theft - Sydney Road Friday 10/1/20 between 11pm – 11:10pm a property which is undergoing building works has had materials stolen from the drive. Good News - After complaints by residents in Glimpsing Green of youths causing antisocial behaviour and smoking cannabis, the team made several patrols of the area and found a suspect smoking in possession of cannabis. The suspect was subsequently interviewed and processed. The team are investigating a recent theft from Taris shop in Yarnton Way, involving a number of young people who have been identified via CCTV. All to be interviewed at a later date. Just to reiterate all crime will be investigated and taken seriously by the team". West Heath ward:- "One attempted garage burglary in Milford Close between Wednesday 20/01/20 09.00 – Tuesday 21/01/20 09.00. The padlock to the shed was broken off but nothing was taken. An attempted burglary took place in Bedonwell Road on Monday 27/1/20 at 00.40. A pane of glass was smashed on the inner front door, entry was not gained. A dark coloured BMV was seen making off towards King Harolds Way. One residential burglary in Brampton Road on Tuesday January 28/01/20 between the hours of 11.45 – 18.45. Entry was gained via the back door. A safe was stolen from the property. Theft on number plates from a vehicle parked in Woolwich between Thursday 23/01/20 19.30 – Friday 24/01/20 at 07.00 .Theft of a catalytic converter in Amberley Road on Tuesday 21/01/20 between the hours of 10.00 – 1500. Theft of catalytic converter in Gipsy Road also on Tuesday 21st January between 10.30 – 6.30. A number of personal items were stolen from a vehicle that was broken in to in Brabourne Crescent between 21.00 0n Tuesday 28/01/20 and Wednesday 29/01/20 at 07.45 when the victim discovered the car had been broken in to. One criminal to a van in Selsey Crescent between Sunday 26/01/20 0800 – Monday 27/01/20 at 07.30 when the owner discovered the vehicle had been covered in graffiti. The team have been busy conducting proactive patrols in and around the ward. Two arrests for domestic criminal damage and Domestic ABH. Following information received, three positive stop and searches were made in Powys Close and a male was issued with a penalty notice for the possession of cannabis".
The end video this week is some unique aerial footage taken over Barnehurst - it gives a very unusual perspective on the area. Please feel free to send comments / stories to me via Email; my address is hugh.neal@gmail.com.
