Hanlon's razor.

Erith took on the appearance of a Mediterranean town over the Bank Holiday weekend; the skies were deep blue and the weather was unseasonably warm, as you can see from the photographs of the Riverside Gardens and the wooden jetty above - click on either for a larger view. I overheard one lady on the 99 bus, saying to the driver that it was "like being on holiday". The weather was a touch too hot for me - anything over around 22 degrees Celsius is more than I find comfortable - I know some ask me why I refuse to remove my tweed jacket in high temperatures; the main reason is as it offers an equivalent sun protection factor of somewhere around 1000. If exposed to strong sunlight, I do not tan, I just burn - and I hate being hot. If it is cold, you can add layers of clothing to compensate, but when it is hot, there is little you can do. If the hot weather shows signs of returning later, I may seriously consider the purchase of a Pith Helmet. One thing that warm weather brings to the local area is somewhat less welcome. I don't know if you have noticed, but for some obscure reason a certain sector of the local population takes the opportunity to shed their clothes. It seems to me that as soon as the ambient temperature exceeds the aforementioned 22 degrees, a large number of skinny blokes remove their tops and strut around bare chested. They seem to think that this in some ways makes themselves look attractive, yet it seems to have precisely the opposite effect. This strutting around minus a top only seems to last a day or so - mainly as the individuals who do it start off pasty white, and seem to not have any idea about using any form of sun block. Consequently very soon they resemble cooked lobsters, with sun burn which is only obscured by their inevitable tattoos. They seem to exhibit this behaviour year in, year out, and never seem to learn from their previous errors. Whilst you do see this behaviour elsewhere, for some reason it seems to be especially prevalent in Bexley - I wonder if it is something in the water?

You may recall that last week I wrote about the two brand new Bombardier Aventra class 345 trains that are currently based at Abbey Wood station whilst they are being tested, prior to them going into service on the Crossrail / Elizabeth Line at the end of the year. These multi million pound trains are a huge part of the investment made in the new cross London transport system that will do much to improve the transport links into our area. I must admit that when I found out that some local scrote had sprayed graffiti all over one carriage causing several thousand pounds worth of damage to the brand new train, I was extremely annoyed. What also concerned me was that the damage would have taken quite some considerable time to carry out. What if the graffiti vandal had been a terrorist? The time taken to carry out the extensive paint disfigurement of the carriage could have easily been used to plant a bomb, or to sabotage the trains' mechanisms. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. More on Crossrail later.

Something I have discovered, which until now has not been public knowledge; currently the Metropolitan Police currently have their main vehicle servicing and repair facility located in Vauxhall in Central London. Sources inform me that it will be relocating to Lower Belvedere in January 2019. I am not currently aware of the precise future location of the new workshop facility, but I am sure that information will become available soon. It is good news for the local area, as it will bring some much needed new jobs. Currently the Metropolitan Police are recruiting new Motor Vehicle Technicians - you can see the job advertisement by clicking here.

I am disappointed to say that several restaurants and takeaways in the local area that have previously achieved good results on the Scores on the Doors food hygiene rating system have now been re - tested with some appalling results. For example, the Alford Road, Erith based takeaway China Red has been demoted from a score of 4 out of 5 stars to a worrying 1 out of 5 score. Double Dragon in Gilbert Road, Lower Belvedere has also been reduced from 4 stars to 1. Fortune Star in Erith Road, Bexleyheath has gone from an excellent 5 star rating to a one star, and K's Cafe in Nuxley Road, Upper Belvedere has been rated as 1 star; what is also shocking is the former 4 star rated Radhuny Indian takeaway in Pickford Lane Bexleyheath has been reduced to a single star. The Radhuny has had an excellent reputation, and has published its four star hygiene status on its advertising materials. This is also true of the Root of Spice takeaway in Parsonage Manorway, Upper Belvedere, which also has been rated with 1 star - many locals have regarded the Root of Spice as one of the best Indian takeaways in the borough. This hygiene rating will be a shock to many regulars. A recent review on the Root of Spice dated the 8th of April this year stated:- "Recently moved and so happy to have a brilliant Indian takeaway that deliver! Best curry ever, and we have had many! Won't go anywhere else now. Speedy delivery and good portion size. 10/10". The poor old Belvedere Tandoori gets kicked whilst it is down yet again - the nowadays much unloved sit - in restaurant gets another 1 star rating. I don't know how it manages to struggle on - it has been up for sale for nearly two years, and after relinquishing its drinks licence. Rumours that it is to relaunch as a Turkish restaurant have thus far come to nothing. I really hope a buyer comes along soon to turn around this once much loved restaurant and put it back on a better footing.

There was a discussion in Parliament on Thursday regarding the proposal to extend Crossrail from Abbey Wood, where it currently terminates, down to Ebbsfleet - the short hand for the Crossrail to Ebbsfleet project is "C2E". Gareth Johnson, MP for Dartford, said Government should prioritise finishing the job of Crossrail. Calling it “absurd” that the two great achievements of HS1 and Crossrail are not connected, despite being so close - and despite their joining-up being part of the original vision for Crossrail. He said that the decision to not finish the job on Crossrail had created “ten miles of missed opportunity” between the two lines. Ten miles that will be transformed by C2E, and where the availability of brownfield land offers a unique opportunity to bring much-needed regeneration and housing. Local MP Teresa Pearce (Erith and Thamesmead), made it clear that Crossrail was integral to growth and regeneration strategies in South East London. David Evennett MP (Bexleyheath and Crayford), highlighted the huge support across the area for finishing the job - describing the case for extending beyond Abbey Wood as compelling, and warning that not pushing on risked missing major opportunities for residents and businesses. Responding for the Government, Jo Johnson MP paid tribute to the C2E campaign, local MPs and Council Leaders for their consistent championing of the C2E extension. Jo Johnson agreed that there had been considerable change in South East London and North Kent since the decision to not extend beyond Abbey Wood had been finalised in The 2008 Crossrail Act, and in light of this said Government would take a fresh look at the case for extending to Ebbsfleet. Now that the giant theme park that was due to be constructed near Swanscombe - formerly called the London Paramount theme park, has been delayed yet again, and the development is now looking to be very doubtful. What effect this will have following the statement by Jo Johnson is currently unknown. More in the weeks to come.

Further to my article last week in respect of possible potential problems with mobile phone usage. A senior British judge has highlighted the benefits of legislation that obliges people to carry their mobile phone at all times. Sir Geoffrey Vos QC, Chancellor of the High Court and former head of the Bar Council, raised the prospect of compulsory mobile phone carrying in a speech to the Law Society. Judge Vos drew attention to the advantages that a permanent record of an individual's movement could have on cutting crime. He did not personally advocate the compulsory carrying of location-aware technology, but speculated that public resistance to it may diminish in the future. "I think there will be far fewer contested criminal cases in the future, mainly because of the surveillance of which I have already spoken. We have recently seen the impact that digital disclosure of mobile phone records has had on rape prosecutions. One change in behaviour is already having a big impact on the eradication of contested criminal cases. Most people carry their smartphones on their person at all times with their GPS location switched on. They do this voluntarily, but if the legislators were, for example, to require citizens to carry phones at all times, it would be even more difficult to avoid detection. With or without such a rule, as the location of all persons is continuously uploaded to the cloud, there will be far fewer identity issues in criminal cases. As society seems to accept more and more surveillance, I wonder how radical the change I have mentioned will seem to the population in 10, 15 or 20 years' time". Digital mobile phones have always offered law enforcement the ability to obtain the location of devices via cell tower triangulation, but Silicon Valley's obsessive data hoarding has made the job easier. Google never throws anything away, and continues to collect (and store) location data even when GPS location services are disabled. Two years ago a US appeal court ruled that law enforcement requests to obtain the location history acquired and stored by Google Maps did not require a warrant, as the user had shared the data voluntarily. All this is somewhat moot; Judge Vos does not seem to have a very good handle on human behaviour. He does not seem to understand that quite a large number of people have more than one mobile phone, which may not all be in the same location. Conversely, according to The Office for National Statistics, seven percent of the UK population do not use, or indeed own a mobile phone. Unless Judge Vos has his comments picked up by one of the tabloid newspapers, I doubt we will hear very much more of this story. I believe that Hanlon's razor applies here:- "never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by incompetence."

The highly influential iMac range of computers from Apple had its twentieth birthday this week. The original - and some way the most revolutionary - version of the computer was launched in May 1998. You can see a photo of the "mark one" version above - click on the photo for a larger view. The original iMac was a product full of firsts. It was Apple’s first computer to be built for the internet era (that is where the i comes from.) It was the first to drop all legacy I/O such as serial and parallel ports in favour of the more modern USB standard. It was the first to show that computers could be cool. To design the iMac, Apple pushed its latent industrial design team, a group that had been underserved by previous company leaders. While the iMac wasn’t the first Apple product to use translucent plastic, it was decidedly more “Un-PC,” without a spot of beige to be found. At the time, all other desktop computers were inevitably beige in colour - whilst other manufacturers were aware that other colours were available, the beige option was the cheapest to produce, as being beige at the outset tended to hide the case discolouration over time due to the Bromine compounds introduced into the ABS plastic to act as a fire retardant. Incidentally old computer restorers have created a chemical cleaning product called Retrobright to restore discoloured computer cases, which I wrote about back in 2014, that you can read here. I digress; The iMac did not come with a bland beige case; quite the opposite. Then-Vice President of Industrial Design, Briton Sir Jony Ive asked “What computer would The Jetsons have had?” when designing the original iMac. Retro-futurism played a quietly important role in the computer’s appeal to customers, which was reminiscent of both the aesthetic used in the animated cartoon series and even vintage computer terminals. The iMac’s vibrant hues also embodied the spirit of 1960s Olivetti typewriters, which were notable for their use of colour in a market dominated by dull, corporate designs.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly an announcement regarding ward boundary changes:- "With the local elections last week came the Borough's ward changes. With the police SNT Teams not initially expected to have changed their wards until November, it was decided at short notice to implement the changes this week. Hence, our slight delay in sending this email. So you will see that the weekly ward updates below are listed under the new wards. If you are unsure which ward applies to your street, fear not! Visit https://www.met.police.uk/your-area/, enter your postcode and it should show. Even if your ward still shows below unchanged, your street may still have been allocated to another so it is well worth double-checking". Barnehurst ward:- "Good news again for Barnehurst as we did not have many crimes. Criminal Damage to Motor Vehicle- We had 4 motor vehicles on Mayplace Road East that had paint poured over them between the evening of 06/05/18 and the early hours of 07/05/18. We have continued to tackle anti social behaviour on the ward as 1 Section 59 warning was issued to a driver of an off road motor cycle, who was driving in an Anti- Social Manner". Belvedere ward:- "As you are hopefully all aware the ward boundaries have changed in Bexley. Belvedere has expanded, taking over part of Lesnes Abbey and Erith. Welcome to our new Neighbourhood Watch residents. To contact your team you can e-mail us on belvedere.snt@met.police.uk or call us on 0208 721 2050. We are still delivering recruitment letters to residents on our ward and will hopefully set up some new ones in our expanded area. If you know anyone that would like to join please contact the Neighbourhood Watch office [by replying to this email]. Thanks to Peabody housing, we have recovered a stolen moped and returned it to its owner. It was found by their staff on the Galleon Estate in some bushes. If you do see any abandoned vehicles which do not look quite right please let us know as they may be stolen. Last Friday the Belvedere team assisted the North Heath team with a drugs warrant where an amount of cannabis was seized. On Saturday we assisted the North End team with a drugs warrant on their patch. Nothing found on this occasion. If anyone suspects that one of their neighbours are dealing drugs then please tell us, we will act on the information and it will be kept confidential. We keep seeing a red moped with the index of YX07 EVN driving around Lower Belvedere. The rider is causing a nuisance by doing wheelies and driving on the pavements. We have tried to catch the rider but he has eluded us. The moped is not currently registered. If you see it parked up anywhere please let us know as we want to take this moped off the streets and have it crushed for causing anti-social behaviour". Bexleyheath ward:- "Apologies that we have very little today as the systems are all out of sync at the time of submitting this update due to the ward boundary changes. Welcome to parts of our new ward from the old Barnehurst and Brampton wards.  We have been assisting the rough sleepers finding suitable shelter rather than sleeping on the streets. We intervened in a rogue trader who was trying to extort more money from a local resident. We worked with partner agency, Trading Standards; Persons selling fake items on the Broadway have been dealt with. Good news - there have been no burglaries or attempted burglaries". Crayford ward:- "Crayford SNT met on site at the Braeburn Nature Reserve with Shaun Marriott of the London Wildlife Trust to discuss ways of preventing off road bike riders gaining access to the area. This is private land and it is not legal to ride off road motorcycles anywhere here. Volunteers are working hard to restore pathways, create fencing and encourage wildlife to the area. They hold regular events and walks - it’s lovely for family walks and dog walking so it is a pity if a few spoil it for others by their anti-social behaviour. We were given the details of a van that had brought three motorcycles to the Nature Reserve and have contacted the company to make them aware that their employee had done so. He will not have the authority to use this vehicle again. On Polling Day, members of our team paired up with Brampton and Barnehurst officers to ensure that regular checks were made on fifteen Polling Stations across our area for the opening times of 07.00-22.00. On Tuesday 08/05/2018 at 17.10 there was a violent shoplifter at Sainsbury's. Off duty police officers assisted in the arrest. Overnight between 15.00 on 6th May and 09.00 on 7th May a Ford Transit Camper Van was interfered with whilst parked on the driveway in Station Road. The driver’s lock was found on the ground, the passenger lock was tampered with, the ignition had been barrelled and wiring pulled out and the housing surrounding the steering column had been removed and taken. In this instance it would seem that the vehicle battery was flat. There have been a number of ABH, racial and public order offences and arrests have been made. Between 1st May and 5th May a smart car had number plates and wing mirror glass removed whilst parked in Wyatt Road. The London Fire Brigade called police on Sunday to Ridge Way after a sofa was set on fire outside a property, although no accelerants were found the fire was viewed as suspicious, some cosmetic damage was done to the house. This is not the first time recently, please be aware that it only takes a discarded cigarette and dry conditions for an accident to happen, please don’t let this happen to you. Boots reported a shoplifter on 30/05/2018 at 08.59 am. Hobbycraft were able to recover goods stolen from them on 01/05/2018. On 1st May it was discovered that the empty Duke of Wellington Public House at London Road had been broken in to. Entry was made by forcing the rear doors, security cameras were stolen as well as a copper cylinder, the alarm was smashed. We assisted Brampton SNT on Wednesday with a S23 Drugs Warrant. A lady was processed for using her mobile phone whilst driving in Crayford last week. Officers were alerted to a house alarm going off in Iron Mill Lane, thankfully no burglary, it had gone off in error". Erith ward:- "We have a little change of staff in Erith. PC Tom Brown is on an attachment to Lewisham for a few months, PC Charlie Moore is covering Erith as DWO in his place. Also, PCSO Maxine is back on Erith after being on an attachment in Sidcup. So currently your officers in Erith are as follows: PS Bryan Young, PC Gill Couzens, PC Charlie Moore, PCSO Adam Winch, PCSO Maxine Cypher. Ward changes for Erith - We are losing the area of Battle Road including all the side roads from Willis Road to Beltwood Rd, Franks Park and most of Carlton Road. Most of this area is going to Belvedere Ward. We are taking the areas of Larner Road, including Erith Park". Longlands ward:- "Attempted Burglary reported in Carlton Road between 05/05/18/ - 07/05/18. Victim states that she left her house in the morning to go away for a couple of days making sure that everywhere was locked and secured. Unknown Suspect have attempted to break into the garden shed out the rear of the property. Victim states that the suspect/s have attempted to gain entry to the bike shed and have also tried to enter the main shed and have damaged the roof. Entry was not gained. Nothing has been stolen. There have been no reports of Vehicle Crime in Longlands over the last week. On the 4th of May 2018 team arrested a male juvenile for the offence of Possession with intend to supply where after a search he was found in possession of several bags of cannabis". Northumberland Heath ward:- "On Friday 04/05/2018 the team executed a search warrant in Brook Street following intelligence that drugs were being dealt from an address. A number of drugs exhibits were seized and a full investigation will follow. We will continue to tackle all forms of anti-social behaviour including drug delated crime. Please contact us if you have any information that would assist us in tackling these issues. We are pleased that we have had no burglaries reported to us over the last week. One criminal damage to a motor vehicle in Sussex Road. Following the recent ward boundary changes that came in last Thursday following the local council elections, we have gained a number of roads from the Colyers ward. If you have any concerns about which Policing team cover your road, please contact us and we will do our best to help you". Slade Green and North End ward:- "In the last week there have been 4 vehicle crimes, all of which took place overnight. Number plates were stolen from a car in Alderney Road and a reflector light taken from the roof of a council work truck in Wallhouse Road. Both of these happened on the evening of the 4th/5th May. A Sat Nav was taken from a car in Rainbow Road on the evening of 7th/8th May. On the evening of 8/9 May a vehicle had all its windows smashed in Raleigh Close, Frobisher Road. Enquiries are ongoing to ascertain why the victim was targeted. PC’s Mark and James carried out several stop and searches this past week. A vehicle and 2 occupants were searched in Manor Road close to Appold Street after a strong smell of cannabis was detected coming from the car. Drugs paraphernalia was found but no actual drugs. Last Thursday was Polling day and all 3 officers from the team spent the day patrolling the ward and visiting the various polling stations. During these patrols 2 stop and searches were carried out, one in Shermanbury Close leading to a cannabis warning being issued and the second one ended up with the male being arrested for Possession with Intent to Supply (PWITS). A search warrant was executed at Frobisher Road last week with help from our colleagues from North Heath and Colyers Ward and we reciprocated the favour by assisting them with a warrant in Brook Street on North Heath ward. Drugs were seized at both warrants. PCSO Mark has this week attended the Slade Green Big Local Stakeholders Conference where he has made several good new contacts to work in partnership alongside in looking at ways for everyone to improve the local community". Thamesmead East ward:- "Burglaries - Over the bank holiday week-end a burglary occurred at The Link in Bazalgette Way. Motor Vehicle Crimes - Between the hours of 06:00 pm and 08:00 on Friday 04/05/18 both the front and rear number plates were taken from a vehicle parked in Dalberg Way. On Friday 04/05/18 between the hours of 08:00pm and 02:00pm on Saturday 05/05/18 a number plate was taken from another vehicle parked in Dalberg Way. Following the recent Local Elections Thamesmead East has acquired another 7 streets and 6 tower blocks to patrol, as the Lesnes Abbey ward is no longer".

As you may have read back in December, several swans were killed and mutilated in Thamesmead; it was thought that the perpetrator was the so called "Croydon Cat Killer" - a bit of a misnomer in reality, as the person has killed all sorts of domestic animals as well as hundreds of cats in the last few years, and the killings have been spread over a very wide geographic area. Charity workers trailing the so-called Croydon cat killer linked to more than 400 brutal animal murders nationwide have said in a recent interview that “everything points to one person” carrying out the attacks. Boudicca Rising and her partner Tony Jenkins, the two members of South Norwood Animal Rescue and Liberty (SNARL), have detailed the tell-tale signs of the murderer in a new documentary. The pair have been investigating since 2015, when they began noticing reports of cat mutilations in and around Croydon. They have since launched a UK-wide hunt for what is thought to be the country’s first serial animal killer, with reports of murders as far as Manchester, Brighton and the Isle of Wight. “We are not sure if we are talking about one person or a group. Everything we have learnt so far points to one person. Unless he is working with someone very closely, he is by himself because of the way he is working.” Mr Jenkins added: “We have not had any killings on the same day very far away from each other, which could indicate one person.” Rescue organisation SNARL was launched in 2014 to rehabilitate and re-home poorly treated animals. Now, a sometimes harrowing documentary has been made on SNARL's investigations into the pet killer. In 2015, Tony Jenkins, one half of South Norwood Animal Rescue and Liberty (SNARL) began noticing reports of cat mutilations in and around Croydon, London. Following the scent, he and his partner Boudicca Rising unearthed a shocking history of animals deaths which would lead to a nationwide hunt for what it thought to be the UK’s first serial animal killer. Now with over 350 victims, the killer has been given many names:- the Croydon Cat Killer, the M25 Animal Killer, the UK Animal Killer. The brutal “signature” display of the dismembered pets around the homes of their owners is a chilling indication of the killer’s intention to do harm to people as much as the animals. In an unlikely union between two renegade animal rights activists and the establishment, Tony and Boudicca are joined in following the trail of bodies by the RSPCA and the Metropolitan Police. Together they balance the emotional demands of the case with the need for a clear minded approach to a bewildering and unrelenting string of attacks. With unprecedented access to the action as it unravels, “Catching a Cat Killer” goes to the heart of of a strange and chilling quest to end the killing spree. The documentary runs for just under half an hour, and can make harrowing watching. Let me know what you think by either leaving a comment below, or by Emailing me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

Before and after.

After many false starts, delays and confusion, development work is finally to begin on the old Tram Depot site in Walnut Tree Road, Erith. You can see the brown field site in the photo above - click on it for a larger version. Part of the original depot site was built on a few years ago when Bexley College, (now renamed London South East Colleges: Bexley, which is somewhat of a mouthful at the best of times) was relocated from Tower Road to the new build campus next to Bronze Age Way and Erith Station. The other half of the site was left as wasteland; a plan had been hatched to build a hotel on the brownfield land, but that came to nothing, and the plot has been empty and unused for around the last forty years since the tram depot was demolished. Now a housing development is to be built as part of the planned redevelopment of Erith Town Centre. As previously mentioned, the redevelopment will mean the end of the much disliked underground pedestrian footway that links Erith Station with the town centre - which is better known as "The Tunnel of Doom" by locals. It has always been a magnet for graffiti and anti social behaviour, and I don't think that many locals will mourn its passing. The details of the new residential development are still very sketchy at present, but it is anticipated that it will consist of one or more blocks of flats. The architects for the project are a well known partnership called Ash Sakula, who have a very good reputation for both public and private building design; they have won a total of ten RIBA awards for previous designs. Ash Sakula is currently working on mixed-use projects in Hackney Wick, Southwark, Deptford and Newcastle, a car free development in Banbury, and a leisure scheme in Hangzhou, China. Their studio and office is based in a former 1930s workshop in the heart of London’s jewellery quarter. Cany Ash - Before setting up Ash Sakula in 1994, Cany Ash worked for the GLC Architect’s department and Burrell Foley Fischer as well as in New York and Berlin. She has taught at a number of architectural schools as a critic and studio tutor and is an External Examiner at Cambridge University. She is an experienced co-designer, leading design workshops with young people and many community groups. She has served on the RIBA Awards Group, as a CABE Enabler, a Client Design Advisor and a Civic Trust Awards Assessor. Currently she is member of the South East Design Review Panel. Robert Sakula - Prior to setting up Ash Sakula in 1994, Robert Sakula worked with Clough Williams-Ellis, David Lea, and DEGW. Robert is a Civic Trust Awards Judge, a RIBA Competitions Advisor and a RIBA Awards Jury Chair. He has taught and lectured at many schools in Britain as well as in Berlin, Stockholm, Oslo, Milan, Portland and Chongqing. He is a member of four design review panels. It would seem that the pedigree of the architects is above reproach; I am hopeful that whatever buildings they design for Erith will be worthy of the area, and not along the lines of the recent tower block built adjacent to Abbey Wood Station. It is too early to determine; I do understand that their preliminary designs will be open to public consultation later in the year, much in the way the development of the old Erith Riverside Swimming Baths site was a couple of years ago, though that development is completely unrelated to this newer one. This new project has been widely reported in the local media; both the Bexley Times and the News Shopper have covered the story, with varying degrees of accuracy. The News Shopper has not exactly covered itself in glory, unfortunately - once again the papers lack of local reporters has shown through. Walnut Tree Road is referred to as "Walnut Street Road" - when even a simple check on Google Maps would have corrected this fundamental error. I do not entirely blame the reporters - they are not locally based, and their knowledge of the area is limited at best. The big giveaway that the News Shopper reporters are remote from the area they write about is that many of the photos used in the paper and on their website are either stock images, or they are taken from Google. I understand that they often ask witnesses to events to submit photographs to the paper, as they no longer have a staff photographer. I fear that the paper is in a downward spiral. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Regular readers will be aware of my opposition to Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBT) as deployed in betting shops around the country. FOBT's have been described as "The crack cocaine of gambling" due to their extremely addictive nature, and the ability for them to take bets of up to £100 every twenty seconds - meaning that problem gamblers can lose fortunes extremely rapidly. There have been calls for the gambling machines to have strong limitations placed, upon them, or for them to be banned outright. A government consultation which began in October last year has been investigating the effects of FOBT usage on gamblers, and also feedback from the gambling industry, which provides a huge amount of revenue to the government in the form of taxes. The government review of fixed-odds betting terminals, could see the maximum bet reduced to between £2 and £50, with many finding the machines addictive because bets of up to £100 can be played every twenty seconds. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, reportedly in favour of the most severe restriction - a cut to £2, said it believes current regulation is “inappropriate” and that changes to the maximum stake would help reduce “the potentially harmful impact on the player and their wider communities”. The proposals include encouraging the industry to take greater social responsibility. Betting shops are able to have four FOBTs in each outlet but there is concern the machines are clustered in poorer areas where there is more unemployment. Though the government has admitted being unaware of how many problem gamblers are receiving treatment on the NHS, the Gambling Commission warns that more than 2 million people in the UK are either problem gamblers or at risk of addiction. Certainly the number of betting shops in the North of Bexley is a worry. It has been said that FOBT machines are so profitable, they actually subsidise other forms of betting such as on horses or football. I understand that the proliferation of betting shops in the area and elsewhere is due to the legal limitation of only allowing four FOBT machines per shop; the law apparently says nothing about the number of shops allowed in any high street, leaving the decision to cash strapped local councils, who need the business rate income - and who are thus likely to permit additional shops despite the damage these can cause to local communities. Hopefully a change in the law will put a permanent stop to this.

It has been long known that the outer London boroughs of Bexley and Havering are the two least expensive places to buy a house or flat in Greater London. A recent report by estate agency Rightmove has confirmed this; Erith came second in terms of property popularity after Sidcup, which saw the biggest growth in Greater London property prices in the past year, with prices rising 8.3 per cent to an average selling price of £443,000 in January this year. The average asking price for a house in Erith is now said to be £321,000 is almost half of the London average. The average is a bit misleading, however, as most of Erith has house prices which are below three hundred thousand; the figures are skewed by the relatively small number of very high end houses located around Park Crescent, Victoria Road and Avenue Road - the "Beverly Hills" of Erith. There are some absolutely lovely houses in that area, and they do add to the average price in the town by quite a margin. Bexley consistently records positive house price growth, and zone six has seen the biggest rises of 2.3 per cent, compared to zone four which only rose by 0.8 per cent. The forthcoming opening of Crossrail and the Erith Quarry housing development will no doubt increase the attractiveness of the area to potential outside buyers.

The photos above show the "before and after" look of the completed refurbishment of the fascia of the White Hart pub in Erith High Street. The pub fascia has been restored with a replica of the original frontage now in place; the original historic front had been illegally ripped out and replaced by plate glass by the criminal owners of Potion - the cocktail bar / drugs den that you can see in the upper "before" photo, which was housed in the building for a number of years until they lost their licence after repeated Police raids and complaints from the public regarding fights and drug dealing in the place. Now the new owners, The Wellington Pub Company have responsibly carried out the instructions of the Council and recreated as close as to the original Victorian frontage as was possible, which you can see in the lower "after" photo. It is not one hundred percent accurate, but it is very close.  Rumours still abound as to what business will occupy the ground floor, former bar area of the building; previously I had heard that it might become a Gelato shop, then yesterday someone mentioned to me that they had heard that it was to become a Meze Parlour. To be honest, I don't have any reliable information, and at this stage I am merely reporting conjecture. If anyone has some hard information, please let me know.

I can finally say that I told you so - a subject that I wrote in some length about, back in March of 2016, I wrote:- "When Sky launched their original analogue satellite based service back in February 1989, there was no broadband infrastructure in the UK (or anywhere for that matter), as the World Wide Web had yet to be invented by Tim Berners – Lee. Satellites were the only economic method of broadcasting to large areas of the planet. Now the use of satellites for broadcasting is soon to go the way of using hot air balloons for air travel – yes you can still do it, but why would you bother? Fibre optic broadband is the way forward. Mark my words, the age of Sky using hugely expensive satellites to broadcast will soon be at an end; they will either change their operating model and switch to online, or they will slowly die". Well, on Thursday of last week, Sky announced that they plan to make all their channels and content available online, meaning customers will no longer need a satellite dish on their property. Italy will be its first market to get all Sky channels online, followed by Austria, with the UK expected to follow in 2019. The story became one of the most widely read on the BBC News website. You heard it first from the Maggot Sandwich, nearly two years ago.

Now for the weekly safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association; beginning this week with Barnehurst ward:- "Barnehurst Ward has suffered four burglaries in the past week, one of these was a non-dwelling burglary. On 16th January at 09.25pm in Dorothy Evans Close a loud noise was heard by the residents. Suspects fled due to being disturbed by the occupants turning an upstairs light on. A rear window was found smashed and the locking mechanism to a side gate had been broken. Barnehurst Local Policing Team provided the victims with window alarms, personal attack alarms and a TV simulator for added security. On the same date 16th January a burglary took place in Mayplace Road East between the hours of 09.00pm and 10.15. On this occasion the lights were seen on by a neighbour who in turn called Police. Entry was gained through a rear door whereby a wooden panel had been forced. No items were taken from the property. Also on the 16th January a non-dwelling burglary took place in Mayplace Road East very close the burglary mentioned previously. At 07.00pm resident returned home and found the side gate open, on further inspection the victim noticed the shed door open and the padlock removed however nothing was taken. Barnehurst Local Policing Team provided the victim with a shed alarm. On 19th January a burglary took place between 07.50am and 07.55pm in Hall Place Crescent. The resident returned home to find lights on and an untidy search was found within the property. Entry was gained through a ground floor kitchen window, this had been forced open leaving tool marks on the window frame. In the early hours of the 20th January in Sevenoaks Close there was an incident of Arson. A garden bench was found burned out and due to the heat from the flames, damage was caused to the windows of the property. It is unknown how the fire started or how it was put out. Barnehurst Officers have been carrying out plain clothes patrols in an attempt to combat the increase of burglaries on the ward, please be vigilant and ensure door are double locked. If you have porches be aware of what you leave in the porch. Wheelchairs, walking sticks tell burglars this may be the home of someone vulnerable. The team have successfully applied for a warrant under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and will be visiting an address on the ward today with the RSPCA Inspectors and vet. We will update you next week as to what we find and any offences. If you can’t wait til next week to see what’s going on please follow our Twitter and Facebook for updates. A reminder that Coffee with cops will be held at Barnehurst Golf Club on Tuesday 20th February. Feel free to join us for a chat". Belvedere ward:- "This week the team have been making enquires with Bexley Council in relation to CCTV in the Nuxley Road car park as occupants of a nearby property reported anti - social behaviour by youths, with eggs being thrown at houses. We are hoping to visit any person involved in the near future once they are identified. PC Green and PCSO Worrall also visited all primary schools to arrange upcoming talks to pupils and parents on various subjects. There was also a recent attempted burglary in Regent Square – in response to this, the team provided crime prevention tips and literature to resident. During patrols of Clive Road, a group of 4 people were stopped and searched. Subsequently, one person was issued with a cannabis warning and a second was issued with a PND for possession of cannabis. In a separate incident, the team assisted with the arrest of a male for ABH and also have recently conducted a weapons sweep, involving several stops and searches in the Picardy Street area". Brampton ward:- "Brampton team have completed liaising with ward panel members (21st Feb) and almost every NHW coordinators (16th Mar) regarding upcoming meetings this will be completed this weekend . Please send me in your email address and confirmation that you are attending for our records and so we can contact more easily (thanks to those that have already replied) . Both meetings will be at St Peters Church Pickford Lane small hall which is to the side of the large hall, Thanks to rev Jim for the loan of the hall A school talk was completed at St Thomas more , pupils were shown what Police do and what kit we use along with a talk on Stranger danger . Crimes over the week were very low with a residential Burglary in Heversham Road, a rear ground floor window had been forced open , the victim had a jewellery box taken. The team completed a reassurance visit and gave out some security items. 2 x Harassment in Bristow Road, by the same person to the same victim on separate days , investigation ongoing to obtain an Harassment warning . We conducted our first Community Contact Session at St Peters this week , this will be an ongoing feature to the ward .At present we only have the one venue, so if anyone knows of a small hall that we can use for an hour please get in touch. NHW coordinator in Dunwich road has asked the team to give out some security advice to residents in the road , this will be held in their home on February 8th , if anyone else would like us to attend to give a small talk or anything, also please get in touch. We will be attempting to recruit more NHW coordinators in those roads that do not have any over the next few weeks Please follow us on Twitter @MPSBrampton and Facebook : Brampton Police and on the met police website www.met.police.uk , place in your area , put in your road and you will go to the Brampton page". Christchurch ward:- "A vigilant neighbour called the police on Saturday 20 January at approximately 11.45pm. He had observed 2 cars park at the end of Sandford Road, occupants get out and dress with jackets, hoods and balaclavas and set off down Sandford Road. An occupant remained in each car. When the police arrived, they arrested one of the occupants and impounded both cars. The belief is that the arrest was for ‘being equipped’". Colyers ward:- "A busy week for Colyers again with 2 attempted burglaries, 1 aggravated burglary, 2 theft of motor vehicles and 1 theft from motor vehicles. The attempted burglaries were in Barnehurst Avenue on Friday 19th January at around 1am where a male attempted entry via an open ground floor window light but made off when disturbed by the home owner and the other was in Windermere Road on Thursday 18th at around 8pm where a rear window was smashed but entry not gained. On Friday 19th January at around 8-8.30pm in Hornbeam Lane an aggravated burglary took place where 2 armed males smashed the front panel and threatened the occupant in an attempted to steal goods within but made off on realising the next door neighbour had called police. In the early hours of Wednesday 17th January an Orange Duke motorbike was stolen from outside an address in Colyers Lane. Another car was stolen on Monday 22nd January at around 2.30pm in Frinsted Road. Unfortunately the victim had left their car door open and keys in the ignition with the engine running whilst they loaded their car. Please do not leave your car vulnerable in this way. We also had 2 persons stopped for possession of Cannabis, one in Colyers Lane and the other in Bexley Road". Crayford ward:- "Sadly, last week was too good to be true and we have had four burglaries in this last week. Between 22.00 on 17/01/2018 and 06.00 on 18/01/2018 entry was made via the front door of a property in Heath Road. A handbag on the stairs was stolen containing cash, cards and keys. The UVPC locking system was faulty and had not been securely locked, this has now been repaired. The resident there was concerned that the burglar had intended to steal the car keys to steal the car, the bag including cards was found locally. On 20/01/2018 between 17.30-23.55 entry was made via the front door of a property in Crayford Road. All the rooms were searched and English and American currency was stolen. On 19/01/2018 between 17.00-21.00 burglars smashed the glass panel of a door to the rear of a property in Valley Road, an untidy search took place but nothing was stolen, the resident believes that the burglar may have been disturbed. On 20/01/2018 between 20.00-23.00 burglars (captured on nearby CCTV) entered a property in Crayford High Street, by forcing a rear door after smashing a security light. There was an extremely untidy search of the property (furniture overturned, bath panel removed) resulting in a high value of Asian gold being stolen. One thing that all these properties have in common is that there is no Neighbourhood Watch. If you have friends / relatives in these areas perhaps they could be encouraged to establish a watch in their road? A number plate was stolen from a vehicle parked outside an address in Woolbrook Road between 05.00-18.30 on 19/01/2018, it is always best to report a number plate being stolen. On 22/01/2018 at 23.25 a motorcycle was stolen from Tanners Close. On 19/01/2018 between 19.00-22.45 a vehicle was reported stolen from Mayplace Avenue. The vehicle was involved in a fail to stop accident in Crayford town centre that same evening and the vehicle was seized. On 23/01/2018 thieves on mopeds attempted to steal a vehicle parked in Barnes Cray Road, as it had additional security they managed to move it a short distance before abandoning it. A robbery took place in Kennett Road on 23/01/2018 at 19.35. Several males with tools chased after two victims and then stole their vehicle which was located later, the victims were taken to a place of safety by a local business and unfortunately there are no details known about the victims or why this robbery occurred. Our team attended Walker Close on 23/01/2018 as we were made aware that a motorcycle stolen from Midhurst Hill in Bexleyheath on 14/01/2018 was parked and covered up in the car park there. The registered keeper came to collect it, damage amounted to £200 but the gentleman was delighted to get it back. We have visited most of the above victims, completed door to door enquiries and delivered crime prevention advice to the areas close to the burglaries. We have been able to provide more foot patrols for reassurance in the recently affected areas as well as utilising the Pulse Patrol bus for mobile patrols. On Thursday 25/01/2018 we will be holding a crime prevention/drop in for a chat event at the Ellenor shop in Crayford Road between 11.00-13.00, it would be lovely to see you. Our quarterly Ward Panel meeting will be held on Tuesday 30/01/2018 from 19.00 at the Europa Gym, Vimm Way (just off Maiden Lane). If you would like to come along, or know anyone who would like to represent their local community, we would be delighted if you would join us". Erith ward:- "Thank you to all that attended the Erith Ward Panel meeting last week. That was one of our biggest attended. Dates for your diary – Next Ward Panels for 2018 - Thursday 26/04/18, Monday 23/07/18 and Wednesday 17/10/18. At the moment these are all at 7pm Erith Pier Road. Street briefing in Christchurch Avenue. 25 residents attended and we recruited NHW coordinators in the street. Weapon sweep in Compton Place which resulting in a lot of finds you can see images of these on our Twitter @MPSErith. Some Crimes on the ward: Theft of MV (Motor Vehicle) 17/01/2018 Maximfeldt Road; C/Dam (Criminal Damage) 16/01/2018 22:00:00 Compton Place; C/Dam Vehicle 17/01/2018 Car park, St Fidelis Road; Theft from MV 19/01/2018 St Fidelis Road; Shoplift <£200 21/01/2018 Riverside Shopping Centre; Burg Res (Residential Burglary) 21/01/2018 Christchurch Road; Making off 23/01/2018 13:45:00 Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc, James Watt Way. Burg Res 23/01/2018 18:00:00 Chandlers Drive; Theft from MV 23/01/2018 Avenue Road". Lesnes Abbey ward:- "Attempted burglary occurred in Harvel Crescent, between the 22/12/17 and 04/01/18, damage to wooden back door and UPVC window. On Friday 19/01/18 between the hours of 3 : 00pm and 11:00pm a burglary occurred in Lensbury Way, no sign of forced entry to the UPVC door. Between Sunday 21/01/18 at 5 :20 pm and Monday 22/01/18 at 01:00 am a burglary occurred in Woolwich Road, entry was gained through the rear garden window which was smashed. Update from recent burglaries - Encouraging turn out regarding a burglary street briefing that took place on Sunday 21st Jan, Woodland Way. Despite the persistent rain approximately fifteen residents attended and voiced their concerns. Excellent work by Bexleyheath Officers where due to joint teamwork, a male has been charged and remanded in custody in relation to two burglaries at Abbots Walk and Woodland Way. While on routine patrol, PC Pruden identified a vehicle abandoned. Checks revealed that the vehicle was stolen by means of a burglary on the 12th January, and was subsequently used in further burglaries in the Bexleyheath area. The vehicle is currently at Charlton car pound where it will be forensically examined. Burglaries which have occurred on Lesnes Abbey, jewellery has been taken. Crime Prevention (Jewellery) - You can help to protect yourself from losing your valuable heirlooms by photographing your jewellery and keep copies of the images somewhere safe - with your insurance documents in case you are unfortunate to suffer a burglary. Make sure the jewellery is included on your insurance forms, in case you ever need to make a claim. Invest in a good quality home safe - consider the value of the items you want to protect when buying a safe. Speak to your bank to see if they provide safety deposit boxes. If anyone has friends or family in the Ward that is interested in being a NW Coordinator, please contact us". North End ward:- "It has been brought to our attention that an email has been received by several residents in our ward claiming to be from the Inland Revenue stating that there is an outstanding tax refund in your name awaiting a claim. It then asks to click the link to make the claim. This email is a SCAM and should be deleted. Please do NOT click the link as it will ask for all of your banking details etc. Please mention to friends and family. You can email us and ask any further questions if you have them. No burglaries this last week which is good. One crime of note was Criminal Damage to Motor vehicle in Howbury Lane last Thursday evening around 9pm. A bit of road rage escalated into an incident and lead to wing mirrors being kicked off the drivers car. Investigations are ongoing to find the suspects. PC’s Mark and James have had a busy week. 6 stop and searches were made in Grange House leading to a cannabis warning and all of the suspects removed from the communal stairwell after recent reports of drug issues inside the block. A stop and search was carried out in Boundary Street, again leading to a cannabis warning for the individual. They also made an arrest for a Domestic ABH, found a stolen motorbike in Lincoln Close which was reunited with the very happy owner, and extra patrols of The Nursery are ongoing after the recent knife point robberies at Erith Food and Wine shop at the location. Added to this they have been out with colleagues from other SNT’s on the patrol bus which included a weapon sweep in Compton Place whereby a Samurai style sword was found in some bushes. Finally, we have a surgery on Monday 29 Jan from 11am at Forest Road café. Hope to see you there for a coffee and a fry up!" Northumberland Heath ward:- "We have had some good results this week. We were conducting proactive plain clothed patrolling in Mill Road, when a disqualified driver pulled up in a car, who we recognised as being wanted for a burglary. We ran over to the male and after a three minute struggle were able to safely detain him. We arrested the male for suspicion of burglary, disqualified driving and possession of cannabis. The vehicle being driven was seized by police and permanently taken off the streets. We have also conducted a number of stop and searches throughout the ward and a further cannabis warning has been issued. We continue to stop and advice youths seen cycling in a careless manner, which is a ward panel priority. This has resulted in a parental home visit on one occasion and several youths having been given words of advice in the streets. On another positive note, having conducted three parental home visits at the start of the year and having delivered letter’s to local residents in Dickens Close and Byron Drive, we are pleased to report we have had no further incidents of anti-social behaviour in this area. Unfortunately in the last week we have had three burglaries on the ward and one garage burglary. The first burglary took place overnight Last Wednesday January 17th in Colindale Avenue. Thankfully the elderly resident was asleep throughout the incident, but is understandably very shaken and distressed by what happened. Tool marks were found on the front door and an untidy search took place, the resident had £55 stolen from her handbag. The second burglary was in Belmont Road on Saturday January 20th at approximately 5.45pm. The occupant returned home and was unable to enter the property by the inner door. He saw several people running down the stairs and they exited by the rear sliding patio door. It is unclear exactly what, if anything was taken at this stage but it is believed the victim may have been targeted for theft of Asian gold. The third burglary was in Nurstead Road and took place between Saturday and Sunday of last weekend. The occupant was away on holiday and the property was being checked daily by a family member who discovered footprints on the hall carpet when entering the property. The rear double glazed UPVC door was forced and the locking mechanism was damaged. The suspect stole an IPad and a Rotary watch. Power tools were stolen from a garage in Winchelsea Avenue on Monday evening this week. The occupant was in the lounge at approximately 9.45pm when she heard a noise coming from the garage. The resident is currently having building work done to the property and the builders put a Yale lock on the garage which had been removed. He tools were over £400 in value. One criminal damage to motor vehicle this week in Sussex Road. On Sunday 21st January the victim was woken up at 01.20 by the sound of a car horn going off. The victim went outside and discovered the offside middle window to her car had been smashed. Nothing was taken but it is believed that an attempt was made to steal the vehicle as plastic casing around the steering wheel was damaged". Thamesmead East ward:- "One burglary to report this week that occurred at Kingfisher Close, on Wednesday 17th January at 1900 hours. Kitchen window smashed, entry gained and expensive watches stolen. As a result the team have been patrolling the location and surrounding streets. A vehicle was stolen from Kale Road, on Thursday 18th January, however it had been notified off road. During the early hours of Monday 22nd January a motor vehicle was broken into (smashed passenger window) and a handbag was stolen. Just after midnight on Tuesday 23rd January, local officers stopped a male who was acting suspicious in Glendale. A search revealed 14 wraps of white powder, which is believed to be cocaine. The male was arrested, enquiries ongoing. The team have been busy over the past couple of days, attempting to recruit new Neighbourhood members by posting leaflets in various streets around the ward. Register your property for FREE and improve your chances of getting it back if it is lost or stolen and help reduce property crime, register at: https://www.immobilise.com . We are always interested in recruiting new Neighbourhood watch co-ordinators for the ward. Please ask your family and friends if they would like to set up a Neighbourhood watch in their road. Please spread the word to any family and friends in the Borough - they can contact us on 020 8721 2049 or Thamesmead.SNT@met.police.uk for more information".

In a very interesting development, Secretary of State for international trade, and president of the board of trade, MP Liam Fox met with Bexley councillors on the 18th of January to discuss the need for the extension of Crossrail from Abbey Wood to Ebbsfleet. Bexley Council leader, and controversial figure Teresa O'Neill said in an interview with the News Shopper that:- "Given the scale of investment in Crossrail to date, C2E represents a fairly modest investment that can release valuable housing land and connect growth areas along the Thames with fast, reliable metro-style services. It is inconceivable that Bexley and West Kent will not be served by Crossrail services in the way that Essex and Berkshire will be – particularly given the region’s critical role as the country’s gateway to Europe". The Councillor makes one assumption in her opinion regarding an extension to Crossrail from Abbey Wood, down into rural Kent, and that is that the former London Paramount Theme Park development will still go ahead, despite Paramount having pulled out of the deal last year, and to date no new intellectual property partner being appointed. One of the primary justifications of any Crossrail extension into Kent was to provide a fast rail link to and from the proposed theme park and into London. Now that the whole project is in some doubt, the same must be said of the proposed rail extension. Secondly, Teresa O'Neill says that the rail extension is vital given Kent's role s the gateway into Europe. This may well be true, but there are doubts as to how that may or may not change once Britain leaves the EU - nobody knows for sure, as this kind of thing has never happened before. I think that Teresa O'Neill is confusing what she would like to happen with what actually may happen - in my opinion the whole situation is in such doubt and flux that it is impossible to make any accurate prediction at this point. I know that many of the proposals outlined in the Bexley Growth Strategy document rely on the assumption that the extension of Crossrail from Abbey Wood to Ebbsfleet will go ahead. I have always said that this was the single biggest flaw in the strategy document, amongst many smaller ones. Time will no doubt tell. Who says that I don't plan these things? The end video this week explains how the Crossrail system will open, and it is not as straightforward as you might think; not only is the whole new railway going to be renamed as The Elizabeth Line when it opens, but the opening is being done in phases over the course of a year - not as many had assumed all at once. The video below explains exactly what will happen, and when. Please feel free to leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The petition.

A story that I featured some time ago looks like it will be coming to fruition. Regular readers may well recall that I wrote about the potential sale of the old Erith Council Offices a while back. The offices have been little used since Bexley Council merged several outsourced administrative functions such as housing benefits and council tax with Bromley Council, and these have been relocated away from the Erith site. Now there is very little activity on the historic Erith office location, and I have it on good authority that Bexley Council are now looking for a buyer for the site for redevelopment. Whether this would mean demolishing the 1930's building (the upper of the two photos above - click on it for a larger view), or possibly converting it for another use - highly likely to be apartments, is not yet known. Money allocated to the redevelopment of Erith by the London Regeneration Fund would almost certainly be used to aid this. It is also distinctly likely that any developer looking at the Council Offices site would also be interested in the Electricity House site, directly opposite (the lower of the two photos above - click on it for a larger version). As I have reported previously, most of the building work that has been recently carried out on the building by The Redeemed Christian Church of God has been done illegally, without any form of planning permission. Last July I reported that the Snooker Centre that had been located on the upper floor of Electricity House had been sold to an unknown buyer for £305,000. The snooker club was the single biggest occupant of Electricity House, and paid £28,000 a year in rent for the premises. with the existing lease with the snooker club lasting until 2047. It turned out that the church had bought out the snooker club, evicted them from the premises, and then proceeded to illegally convert the snooker hall into a convention centre. Complaints were made to the Council about the illegal changes being made, and the amount of noise and disruption that were being caused. It seems to me that The Redeemed Christian Church of God are going ahead with the works with the opinion that by the time that Bexley Council Planning Department get around to taking out any form of enforcement work, it will be a "done deal" and they will be allowed to keep the illegal changes to the building. I think there may also be rather more to this than meets the eye. The people behind the Erith branch of The Redeemed Christian Church of God are not stupid; I am pretty certain that they are fully aware that the whole of the Electricity House building has got to the end of its useful life, and that it is only a matter of time before Bexley Council slap a compulsory purchase order on the place, then sell it for redevelopment in the same was as the old Council Office site on the opposite side of the road. By carrying out the modifications and a improvement works - illegal or not, they are adding value to the decrepit building, and thus securing for themselves more money when it is sold. Incidentally, there may be more devious works going on in Electricity House than I had originally thought; a very well placed and reliable informant tells me that The Redeemed Christian Church of God - Praise Embassy Limited, based in Electricity House, Bexley Road, Erith, was officially dissolved and struck off the Companies Register on Tuesday of last week. Instead a new church group, called The KingsGen Foundation has now taken over. The original leader, Pastor Ogedengbe - is still advertising on Facebook and Eventbrite, and a huge church conference is scheduled at the former snooker club on the eleventh of November. It would seem that the church have done what many dodgy businesses have done in the past - closed down and opened up again under a different name in order to try and avoid the numerous legal cases that are stacked against them. I know that a group of local residents, other interested parties, and the former snooker club manager have at least two court cases currently in action over the activities of the church group - whatever name it tries to hide under. Bexley Council also have concerns over the building work which has been going on without any form of building control or planning permission. I get the feeling that this whole situation is going to come to a head in the very near future; it could prove to be interesting to observe. My source tells me that the court cases are almost certainly going to go against the church group, but as to what kind of action will happen if this does happen is currently unknown. More on this story in the weeks to come.

The Association of Bexley Charities '78 is holding an Autumn Fair at the United Reformed Church, Geddes Place, Bexleyheath DA6 7DJ (near the Broadway Shopping Centre) on Saturday 28th October 2017 from 9.45 am  - 1.00 pm. Thanks to John Salt for the information.

The above photo shows the Chairman of Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association Dana Wiffen (left), Joyce Sutherland (right) and Gareth Bacon, London Assembly member (centre).  The photo was taken yesterday as a petition was handed to the London Assembly protesting at the proposed closure of Bexleyheath Police Station. Upon receiving the petition, Gareth Bacon said:- "This petition shows a growing concern from Bexley residents, particularly among elderly and vulnerable groups, about the Mayor’s plans to close this vital community asset. Residents are right to question the logic of moving police services away from the centre of the borough, further from the reach of many for reporting crime. It will also result in the loss of other community and crime prevention benefits that a permanent police presence brings. We need to consider how this change will impact local communities in Bexley, as well as seeking assurances on how it will affect response times in the borough. I fully support this petition and will be handing it to the Mayor.”

Local specialist sports car maker Caterham Cars have got two very good reasons to celebrate. The company, which has its factory in Kennett Road, Crayford, is celebrating its 60th anniversary this week, and is also celebrating its highest number of car sales this year. Although it has not yet released the final numbers, it has announced that its sales this year have exceeded six hundred of their high performance, hand built sports cars, more than the previous record which has stood since 1996.

I don't get to report good news as often as I would like. This week it is great to be able to confirm that the former Barclays Bank on the corner of Plumstead High Street and White Hart Road in Plumstead, which, due to some incompetence on the part of Greenwich Council, was due to be converted into yet another unwanted betting shop, has now had a reprieve. Betting company William Hill’s plans for a new betting shop were rejected by Greenwich Council on February 17, but approved on appeal by the Planning Inspectorate. In its report on the decision in July, the Planning Inspectorate said that the council’s “abject and repeated failures” in its reasoning behind rejecting the application led to the decision being overturned. There was a concerted and very active campaign against the creation of another betting shop in an area already infested with them, and a very large petition was drawn up. It looked like the betting shop was a "done deal,", but in a surprise announcement last week, William Hill announced that they were pulling out - for now. In an interview with the News Shopper, a spokesperson from William Hill said:- "We were granted a license on appeal but the decision was taken not to take it up and that’s a basis taken in the UK as a whole. There isn’t an appetite for betting shops all of the UK now. Our expansion has slowed. There is all kinds of legislation and things coming, which means we are cutting back on the amount of betting shops.” The rather impressive Gothic building had been refurbished less than a decade ago, and from what I understand it is in pretty good condition both inside and out. I would not be at all surprised if William Hill put the former bank on the market for some developer to turn into flats. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Did you know that we have a major engineering company that holds a Royal Warrant that is based locally? I certainly did not. In fact, whilst I had heard of the company, I had no clue that it was based in Bexleyheath, just off the Broadway. The prominent office HQ of the prestigious company is hidden down a little used side road called Banks Lane, next to the former Bexleyheath Job Centre and Pradas bar and grill. Not the kind of place you would necessarily expect a widely respected organisation such as Apex Lifts to be based. Apex Lifts have their head office in Bexleyheath, and their manufacturing, repair and training facility in Sidcup, so they are most definitely local. They describe themselves thus:- “Founded by Arthur Jenchner over four decades ago, the Apex vision is to create a positive impact on the lift industry; offering lift maintenance, servicing, manufacturing, modernisation and training services throughout London, Greater London and the South East. Current MD Warren Jenchner continues to lead the company into the future, combining the latest technology with British craftsmanship to construct and maintain the top lifts and escalators in London. With Apex, you’ll receive a customer-tailored, proactive service, 24/7. Our manufacturing and training facilities in Sidcup, South East London, are fully fitted with state-of-the art machinery, so we can manufacture and repair lift parts to the highest degree of tolerance, and ensure excellence and quality assurance in everything we do. We don’t just manufacture and repair lifts – the Apex Training Academy was established in 2011 to train the next generation of highly skilled engineers”. Apex Lifts hold a Royal Warrant from H.M The Queen as Manufacturers and Suppliers of Passenger Lifts. A Royal Warrant of Appointment is a mark of recognition of those who have supplied goods or services to the Households of HM The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh or HRH The Prince of Wales for at least five years, and who have an ongoing trading arrangement. The Monarch decides who may grant Royal Warrants. These are known as the Grantors: HM The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and HRH The Prince of Wales. The Royal Warrant is the document that appoints the company in its trading capacity, and is granted to a named individual, known as the Grantee. The Warrant gives the Grantee permission, and responsibility, for the display of the relevant Royal Arms in connection with the business. Today there are around 800 Royal Warrant holders representing a huge cross-section of trade and industry, from individual craftspeople to global multi-nationals. They are united by a commitment to the highest standards of service, quality and excellence. Almost all Warrant holders are members of the Association.

It would seem that the official opening of the new Abbey Wood Crossrail station has been delayed for a month, according to Malcolm Knight of the excellent "Bexley is Bonkers" blog. Malcolm lives very close to Abbey Wood Station, and is able to keep a close watch on proceedings there. Malcolm has recently observed that the official station opening was set for 23rd October, but by mid September it had become clear that this deadline was not going to be met. It is now unclear exactly when the official opening is actually going to take place, though for most users of the station it will actually make little difference - on a functional basis, the station will continue to operate as it has done throughout the reconstruction process. You can read more about the current programme overrun situation on the Bexley is Bonkers blog here. 

Sarah Batten of Erith based arts commissioning group The Exchange has made the following announcement:- "Join representatives from Bexley Council, The Exchange and Robin Lee Architects for a drop-in event to discuss the future plans for Erith’s Carnegie Library on Thursday 26 October. The event will take place at the Carnegie, and attendees will have the opportunity to discuss the phased repair and renewal project that is due to start this year, and the future use of the building. We look forward to seeing you there! Event details:- Location: Erith's Carnegie Library, Walnut Tree Road, DA8 1RS. Date:- Thursday 26 October. Times:- 12 - 7.30pm". I will be visiting after 4pm, so do come over to say hello if you see me.

Now the weekly safety and security reports from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association:- Barnehurst ward:- "Unfortunately we have had two burglaries reported this week, the first on the 12th October in Long Lane, Bexleyheath where at 5.30 pm two males described as being white, 6’ tall, large build, short hair wearing long sleeved shirts forced entry through the front door of a detached bungalow, they were confronted by the elderly occupier and walked out of the venue, thankfully no property was taken and the occupier is safe and well. The second is a non-residential burglary which occurred overnight on the 14th October at the Mini Market in Parkside Parade. Entry was gained to the rear storage area by suspects forcing open two doors, one being a substantial metal door, a crow bar was left at the scene. £6000 worth of alcohol was stolen as well as £2000 in chocolates and sweets. The alcohol included Bottles of Grey Goose and Smirnoff Vodka and bottles of Jack Daniels. If you are offered any cheap alcohol especially those listed, then they could be and are probably stolen, If it’s too good to be true then it normally is. Remember there is an offence of handling stolen goods and you may commit this offence should you purchase any goods offered. If you have any information or are offered any items then please get in touch or if you prefer contact Crime Stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. There has been an increase in theft and attempted theft of mopeds and motorbikes, please make sure that your bike is properly secured, ideally using a ground anchor, good quality chain and an alarmed padlock, for up to date crime prevention advice please visit the Metropolitans police main web page.  In the run up to Halloween and fireworks we are be increasing ASB patrols in the ward and across the borough, if you have any information about who is causing issues in your area please e mail us in confidence at Barnehurst.snt.@met.police.uk As always we are on Twitter. Follow us @MPSBarnehurst to find out what your team are up to". Belvedere ward:- "The team were in and working late over the weekend. On Friday PCSO Worrall located 2 males known to the local team who were in a car in the back of Victoria Street; PC Holmes and PC Green joined PCSO Worrall and considering recent reports of males using the area to use drugs searched the males and the vehicle. Some cannabis and numerous nitrous oxide canisters were found and one male was issued with a Cannabis Warning. On Saturday evening the team were out again searching for people committing crime in all the hotspots and lesser used areas of the ward. The team spotted 3 males trespassing in Woodside School and as such detained the males and searched them looking for items they may have been using to break in or do damage to the school. No such items were found, however cannabis was again found on one of the males and he was issued with as Cannabis Warning also. On Wednesday the team attended Little Lambs nursery, Albert Road and met with staff and the children to introduce ourselves and engage with the children. The visit was thoroughly successful and we have been invited to attend some of their upcoming events. PC Holmes has been investigating thefts of post in the Belvedere Park Estate after recent reports. If you have any information that may assist with the investigation then please contact the team – if you would like to remain anonymous you can pass any information to CrimestoppersUK. PC Green has also referred a family on Elstree Gardens to the ASB prevention team and will be working with the council to reduce the issue of ASB in the area. Upcoming Surgeries: The next crime surgery will be at the Library, Upper Belvedere on 27/10/2017 at 2pm”. Christchurch ward – message from a Neighbourhood Watch member:- “I've just been informed of an incident in my parents road Woolwich Road/Nursery Avenue. On Tuesday night a lone man was seen to pick up bricks from the drive of a house, then randomly (it would seem) smash car windscreens, this is the school end to the corner of Nursery Ave. The same man was seen again 11pm Wednesday evening, this time with another man, also attacked random cars. The description is vague, a white man with beard possibly aged between 25-35 and wearing hoodie top”.  From the Safer Neighbourhood Police team:- "There has been a burglary in Standard Road entry gained via forcing back window and jewellery taken from property. This happened on 16/10/17 between 1715 and 1835 this is just as it is starting to get dark. Please ensure that there are lights on in your properties and it appears as if someone is home. Please visit the Met Police website for additional crime prevention advice on burglaries. There was a motorbike stolen from the alleyway next to Primark on the Broadway on 14/10/17 at approximately 1500 hours, if anyone saw this please contact police to give descriptions of suspects.  There has been several incidents of items thrown at cars over the past week including a firework, please be vigilant when driving as these incidents have occurred on smaller roads off of the Broadway. Most of them have happened late in the evening or overnight on driveways. Unfortunately this time of year sees an increase in anti-social behaviour leading up to Halloween. Please speak to any young people in your family and discuss the implications of such behaviour to get the message out to everyone. As you can appreciate it is very distressing for persons to have their property damaged unprovoked and this impacts on their daily lives for example not being able to get into work. This can also include eggs thrown at vehicles and people, if an egg does hit your windscreen please do not use your wipers as they will smear it preventing you from seeing through the windscreen at all. Continue onto a safe place if you can do so and wash the eggs off. There was a fight outside McDonalds on 13/10/17 at 1735 hours involving school children, no-one was hurt and my colleagues were very quickly on scene. If you have any concerns then please raise these with the council under the Public Space Protection Order which covers the Broadway. We have seen a few dippings of purses, phones and handbags this week and given the lead up to Christmas thieves will be looking out for easy targets. Please, Please make sure that your bag is safe and your purse is safely tucked away. I still see many members of the public with open handbags and bags on the back of buggies, and I always speak to them and advise them to close the bag. Be aware of your surroundings and who is near to you. An over the body bag which is in front of you is the safest type with a zip or clasp entry, ensure your money/purse is safely stored away before leaving any shop too". Colyers ward:- "There were no reported burglaries on Colyers Ward between 12th October 2017 to 18th October 2017. There were 2 reported thefts of motor vehicles during the same period. The victim left his vehicle outside his address in Northumberland Way Erith between 9th October and 13th October 2017 and unknown suspects have stolen the vehicle a blue Yamaha registration K607 HEV. The victim still has keys to the motorcycle. The victim indicated that his vehicle was stolen from outside Becton Place, Erith. He left the vehicle at the location on 17th September 2017 and on his return from holiday on 18th October 2017 discovered that the vehicle, a red Honda Accord registration L146 HKM, was gone”. Crayford ward:- “The crimes of note this week have been attempted burglary, burglaries, robbery of a mobile phone and arson of a motor vehicle. On Tuesday 17 October at approx. 21.00 in Green Walk, a resident noticed males looking at the cars on his drive, shortly after they attempted to gain entry by kicking the front door. The resident chased after about six males aged about 16-18 years but they got away while he was calling 999. On Thursday 12 October at approx. 12.05-12.20 there were two distraction burglaries at Claston Close within a block of flats. In each instance the male said that there was a water leak and asked that items be removed from under the sink. In the meantime he and possibly an accomplice took small items and cash from each elderly lady’s home. On Friday 13 October at approx. 15.45-16.00 a twelve year old child was robbed of his mobile phone whilst near to the allotments in Crayford Way. He was robbed by school children in school uniform and the phone was smashed and left at the scene. Officers from our team worked closely with Christchurch team and Kent officers in a traffic operation on Wednesday 18 October, many vehicles were stopped and drivers spoken to/given words of advice. Anti-Social behaviour continues to be an issue, five children have been identified from incidents at Smyths Toy Store and two have now had home visits to discuss their behaviour with them and their parents”. Erith ward:- "Erith Safer Neighbourhoods are pleased to report that over the last week there has been no reported burglaries across the ward, however this time of year does traditionally see a rise in Burglary offences so we ask that you always close windows and lock your doors when leaving your house. If you have a multi-point locking system always lift the handle and then key lock which engages the locks securely making it extremely hard to force open. Across the ward 3 motor scooters have been stolen in addition to 1 car and 1 van. If you own a scooter or motorbike secure it using strong chains or approved bike locks and try to lock your bike to a fixed object. Also consider using motion activated lights to cover the area where the bike is parked as thieves would prefer to stay in the dark and not risk being seen. This week we have responded to complaints from shopkeepers in the Town centre regarding young people causing Anti-social Behaviour. We worked in plain clothes and uniform and have successfully identified the individuals involved, so far there has been no further problems. Further action is being taken against those involved and we are working closely with the town Centre security and management to prevent future issues. We have also completed talks at Trinity School speaking to students studying Public services. There was a large number of questions asked by the students about not only the role of a police officer but some good questions about how we engage with the community and how we work with partner agencies.  We have a drop in surgery at Starburger at 2pm on the 27th October 2017 so if you would like to speak to us then please pop along. We also have a free bike security marking event outside the front of our office in Erith town centre on the 28th October also at 2pm. if you have a bike bring it along, we can mark it so should you be unfortunate enough to have it stolen, if we find it we can then restore the bike back to you”. Lesnes Abbey ward – report from a Neighbourhood Watch member:- “Please be aware, at about 17-30 this evening my wife saw 2 young boys of about 11 and 12 years old enter the front garden of a house in Fossington Rd and stole a children's bike from the front garden. When she shouted after them they ran off with the bike. My wife has informed the residents of the theft. One boy appeared to be of mixed race with swarthy skin, the other was white with fair wispy hair. Please make sure that bikes, toys or any other items are not left in yours, or your neighbours front gardens. Please do not leave tools or ladders out in your back gardens as the can be used to gain entry your house or garden sheds”. North End ward:- "Starting with good news, 2 arrests have been made made after some good Intel received. No further details at this time due to ongoing investigation. We attended Slade Green Big Local Stakeholders conference where good links were made with many other partner agencies, plus another resident has agreed to help out with N.Watch in Rainbow Road. 5 Vehicle crimes have been reported in the last week, 3 Theft of Motor Vehicle and 2 Theft from Motor Vehicle. One of the vehicles stolen was recovered soon after it was taken thanks to an installed tracker. A dumped moped has been recovered by us in Whitehall Lane which was being ridden around the field by a group causing ASB. Reports of dangerous parking outside of our schools has led to extra gate patrols but with no further incidents to report at this time. Extra patrols in Daleview after increased reports of ASB in the stairwells”. Northumberland Heath ward:- "There was a burglary in Horsa Road last Thursday October 12th at approximately 6.50pm. A tool was used to access the property via the front door. The suspect was disturbed and left without taking any property. Please ensure your UPV doors are locked securely. We have had reports of Motorbikes in and around Bexley Road riding dangerously, and a youth was seen laying over the bonnet of a car in Hurst Road on Saturday afternoon when it drove away at speed. One report of Criminal Damage to a Motor Vehicle last week in Brook Street. The driver was approached by a group of several motorbikes who proceeded to kick the driver door and kicked the wing mirrors off the vehicle”. Thamesmead East ward:- “No burglaries to report this week, Vehicle crime reports see below, During the early hours of Thursday 12th October a vehicle was stolen from Kinder Close, and a vehicle was interfered with, Courtland Grove. A male was arrested for Handling stolen goods, after being seen trying car door handles in the Fieldfare area. When searched a Satellite Navigation unit was found on him, enquiries continue. PC Pruden has been at court this week, where a male has found guilty of Actual Bodily Harm. (A result of extensive CCTV enquiries)”.

The end video this week is the first of an occasional series featuring videos shot in and around Erith by a company called Shootmedia, who have been commisisoned by London and Quadrant Housing Association to highlight some of the notable features of the local area; this week the spotlight falls on Erith Playhouse - the largest - and entirely volunteer run - theatre in the Borough. Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.