A second incinerator.

Last June I featured an article about a proposal to construct a second waste incinerator in Lower Belvedere. London Mayor Sadiq Khan got involved with a project that has been condemned by both local MP's. Mr Khan had also come down against the plan that has been submitted by Cory Riverside Energy to build a waste incinerator on a site adjacent to the Crossness Nature Reserve, which is home to a number of very rare species of both birds and bats. The site would also be very close to the existing Cory waste incinerator pictured in the photo above - click on it for a larger version.  In an interview that has been published on the News Shopper and elsewhere, Mayor Khan said of the Cory proposal:- "London’s air is a toxic air health crisis and the last thing we need, in our modern green global city is another harmful waste-burning incinerator polluting our city. Emissions from incinerators are bad for our health, bad for our environment and bad for our planet. Instead of granting permission for an unnecessary new incinerator that will raise pollution levels in the boroughs of Bexley and Havering, the Government should focus on boosting recycling rates, reducing the scourge of plastic waste and tackling our lethal air. I am urging ministers to reject this proposal". Unfortunately - and as many had predicted, the second incinerator is now going ahead. The decision was made on 9th April by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, to approve the development of a second mass waste incinerator at Belvedere. Councillor Stefano Borella (Slade Green and Northend ward) said “These proposals don’t support increasing recycling rates and evidence shows local authorities that use these facilities have seen their recycling rates suppressed. In addition, the increased traffic and congestion as a result of cable laying to Littlebrook power station in Dartford will impact on air quality as a result of the disruption. It is bitterly disappointing that this announcement was released at the start of the Easter weekend during the current pandemic, when residents priorities will be on other issues.” Councillor Dave Putson (Belvedere ward) said “This plant will detrimentally impact on the immediately adjacent Crossness nature reserve and will have a lasting impact on wildlife and habitats carefully nurtured over many years. In addition, this incinerator will increase fine dust particulate emissions and detrimentally impact on health and air quality in the local area” Local MPs and the Mayor of London have raised objections at the building of a second incinerator. Several key local figures, including Erith and Thamesmead MP Abena Oppong-Asare, indicated they would challenge the decision, while a spokesperson for the Mayor of London said officers would now review details of the decision and would comment further once it has been fully assessed. “The Secretary of State’s decision to approve the application for the Cory Incinerator is extremely disappointing, The Mayor’s team provided evidence and representations through the examination process to demonstrate that this facility is not needed to manage London’s waste and will have a detrimental impact on recycling, climate change and air quality.” There is no statutory appeal process and the decision can now only be challenged by individuals or authorities via a judicial review process. What do you think? Email me in complete confidence at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

I don't normally comment on stories that make the national news, but I am making an exception this week, as I had a personal involvement with the individual involved. You may have seen news articles and obituaries for Ronan O'Rahilly, who died last week. I met him a number of times, and had several telephone calls from him in the late 1980's and early 1990's when I worked for his brainchild, Radio Caroline. Much has been written about this maverick and eccentric man, but I am just going to focus on my personal memories and experiences with Ronan (or "The Old Man" as Caroline staff tended to refer to him). I found Ronan to be a thoughtful and charismatic person who would come out with outrageous ideas seemingly from nowhere. He had the same kind of "reality distortion field" often attributed to the late Steve Jobs of Apple. Ronan O'Rahilly was the person who changed the face of British radio – before Caroline the BBC only played a few hours of music a week, and were loath to broadcast anything challenging or different. It is probable that many British bands from the 60’s and 70’s would not have had the success they did without the extensive air time Caroline gave them - certainly both The Rolling Stones and The Who credited their early success to exposure on Radio Caroline, and George Harrison of The Beatles donated a lot of money to the Caroline organisation over the years. Ronan was behind the tours of the UK that the Stax and Motown labels undertook – this was when other UK radio stations played no music of black origin. Ronan was one of life’s eccentrics; he would come up with some utterly crackpot idea, but such was the power of his warmth, charm and personality, he would have you believing him – at least until he left the room. Usually a couple of minutes later, you would get a “hang on a minute” thought, and you would realise how bonkers what you had just been told actually was. Ronan had a soft half Irish / half American accent, and it became a running joke amongst Radio Caroline staff that if you heard the “Old Man” start a sentence with “Hey, I’ve got this really great idea!” you knew what followed was going to be challenging, if impractical, dangerous, or downright contrary to the established laws of physics - nevertheless, it would always be interesting. I recall that during one phone call he made to me, Ronan suggested replacing the antenna system on the Ross Revenge with a fully grown tree(!) He thought it would signal the stations support for environmental issues - the idea of using a tree as a radio antenna was of course impossible, impractical and about as left field as one could imagine - typical Ronan then. In his later years he was crippled by Vascular Dementia, and was moved into a care home in Ireland, Having lost my own father to dementia (albeit of a different type) I know how challenging caring for someone with the condition can be. My thoughts are with his family in Ireland, who have now lost the great, inspirational man, and a truly lovely bloke who changed the face of the British media for ever.

Erith Pier is a popular destination when the weather is good; I took the photo above (click on it for a larger view) yesterday. Whilst not appearing in the photo, a number of people were strolling on the pier, but all were keeping suitably apart from each other, and nobody was fishing.

Now that Spring is with us – incidentally my favourite time of the year. I love the lengthening hours of daylight and the way in which nature appears to wake up from the long winter sleep. Unfortunately it does bring problems with it. On Wednesday afternoon, whilst queuing outside of Morrison's in Erith, I watched two young foxes raiding the bins located outside of Wharfside Close. One resident came out of his townhouse and shouted and waved his arms at the two animals. They merely stared at him, then carried on their business as if he was not there. The problem of urban foxes not being scared of humans has been steadily getting worse for a number of years. Readers may recall my account from some time back; I was sitting in my living room reading one evening. I had the back door open. Suddenly I caught some movement out of the corner of my eye; when I looked up, there was a young adult fox, sitting in the middle of my living room less than ten feet from where I was sitting. I had to stand up and shout at it before it decided to move, and it calmly sauntered back across the living room, over the kitchen lobby, where it picked up one of my gardening boots in its’ mouth, before it tried to then make off with its’ plunder. Fortunately I managed to get it to drop the heavy boot. That was just one of several incidents I have experienced, and I see foxes on an almost daily basis. Some locals have taken to putting bricks on the lids of their recycling wheelie bins, but the intelligent and resourceful foxes soon learned to push the bricks off. 

The Coronavirus lock down has affected so many local businesses; some unfortunately may never recover, whilst others such as Bexley Brewery have introduced a door to door real ale delivery service, which I understand has been extremely successful. Many food outlets have been forced to close. One that has adopted a new business model is the long established Belvedere Tandoori. They recently published the following announcement:- "Dear customers, just an update as to where we are and where we might be going. As you all know we closed the restaurant 4 weeks ago completely, including takeaways. In the meantime, the staff have stayed productive by refreshing their food preparation skills with online courses as well as doing a Coronavirus course (yes there is one, £6.99 and tells you pretty much everything you knew anyway, like self distancing, PPE, sanitising and so on), although there was some interesting info on bacteria life cycles and it’s activeness on various surfaces amongst other things. We are looking at reopening the takeaway collection and delivery service. Deliveries can be contactless, meaning we would simply leave your food by your front door. Obviously for this to work, payments would need to be made over the phone using a credit/debit card. Delivery drivers will be wearing gloves and masks so you can use cash if you need to. All staff will be using masks and gloves at all times, maintaining a wash your hands every 15 minutes policy. Although, if you’ve worked in a restaurant kitchen you’ll know staff wash their hands pretty much every 2-3 minutes. Also all my staff drive so no one is using public transport either. Hope to see you guys soon. Belvedere Tandoori Management". 

I have uncovered a strange link with Hall Place in Bexley to one of the largest and most successful counter – intelligence operations in British history. Some readers may have seen in the past, the excellent Ben Macintyre television documentary on the World War II German spies and double agents that were controlled by MI5 throughout the war. The Nazis were under the impression that they had a widespread and successful network of spies in the UK, when in fact every single agent was working for the British, to the point that MI5 were actually controlling German Military intelligence for much of the war. This was a vital part of Operation Fortitude – the plan to keep Nazi high command from discovering when and where the D-Day invasion of France would take place. As Winston Churchill said “The truth is so precious, it needs to be protected with a bodyguard of lies”. As well as the fake agents sending false information back to the Abwehr (German Military Intelligence) the plan constructed entire armies of fake vehicles, buildings and radio messages indicating troop build – ups where in reality there was nothing but empty fields. On top of all this, the planning to fool the Nazis took some rather surreal turns. It was anticipated that in addition to using portable radio transmitters, and sending letters written in invisible ink via neutral countries, that any German spies in the UK would also want to communicate via carrier pigeon; this was a very old, but virtually undetectable method of passing secret information. The use of animals in covert warfare was nothing new; the Special Operations Executive (SOE) stuffed dead rats with explosive to be used in sabotage operations. The American Navy trained dolphins to place explosive charges under enemy ships, but the most bizarre use of animals has to be a plan hatched by a Royal Air Force officer by the name of Flight Lieutenant Walker; his plan flourished in that grey area that exists between ingenuity and insanity. His idea was called the “Double Cross Pigeon Racket” - a plan designed to wipe out the Nazi carrier pigeon operation in a single stroke. Every German intelligence section in occupied France had a carrier pigeon section; on top of this, collaborators within the French civilian population were being recruited by the Abwehr (German Military Intelligence) to act as a “stay behind” group, who would harbour German carrier pigeons to be released with vital intelligence messages in the event of a successful allied invasion. Lieutenant Walker was aware that Nazi propaganda minister Heinrich Himmler was a keen pigeon fancier, and he began to wonder if Himmler’s interest could be manipulated to the Allied advantage. If the Nazis could be fooled into thinking that British spy pigeons had infiltrated their lofts, then it would throw suspicion on the entire Nazi carrier pigeon service; if the Nazis could no longer trust their own pigeons, they might well end up killing the lot to be on the safe side. In the winter of 1943, Flight Lieutenant Walker presented his plan to MI5 with a memo entitled “Pigeon Contamination Plan” – “A stray or lost pigeon will almost always find its way into some loft. If a number of British pigeons could be disguised as German pigeons by putting forged German identity rings on them, then releasing them on the continent (deliberately choosing second rate birds which would be unlikely to attempt the long flight back over the English Channel) they would eventually find their way into German controlled pigeon lofts. Sooner or later the Germans would discover that they were being fooled. They would find two pigeons with the same leg ring number, or a grey pigeon wearing a ring that was clearly assigned to a red pigeon. They would begin to wonder just how many of their pigeons were phoney, and the only thing they could do would be to call in all of their birds and check them. Until they had checked all of their birds in all of their lofts they would be unable to use any carrier pigeon services, and by the time they had gone through them all, I would have delivered more phonies”. MI5 were enthusiastic and gave the project the go – ahead. The Germans were braced for the invasion of Europe by the Allies, the discovery that their carrier pigeon lofts had been infiltrated by double – agent pigeons could throw them off balance at a critical psychological moment. The double agent pigeons were housed in lofts all over the South East of England, one of which was based at Hall Place in Bexley, which was also the home of an SOE training unit and a Y- Intercept station run by the U.S Army (a radio receiving unit that intercepted Nazi signals communications for onwards transmission via dedicated phone lines to Bletchley Park for decoding). The “Double Cross Pigeon Racket” was put into operation, and …. Nothing happened. After the war, captured Abwehr records showed that the forged identification leg rings on the double agent pigeons were so convincingly crafted that the Nazi pigeon handlers never actually realised that the birds they were receiving were phony. The plan was so well executed that the Germans never realised they had been duped, and so carried on sending messages to their “agents” – all of whom were already working for MI5 anyway. A bizarre, ironic, but true story. What do you think? Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The photo of old Erith above was taken in (I believe) 1901; it shows Pier Road looking up towards Cross Street. On the left is the bookshop owned by R.H Starkey, who also sold stationery. Next is Harry Palmer the Draper, and on the right is C.F Savage's Boot Warehouse. Nothing in the photo exists in Erith today, with the exception of the name Pier Road.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly the report from Barnehurst ward:- "Great News for Barnehurst Residents, we have had no crimes to report although the team have been busy on the ward patrolling and reminding members of the public about the Governments Guidelines around COVID-19. We have received reports of golfers continuing to play golf on Barnehurst Golf Course. A number of golfers have been advised, unfortunately we cannot patrol this area 24/7 but when on duty this is an area where we concentrate our foot patrols. The team conducted two stop and searches after officers smelt a strong smell of cannabis coming from the wooded area of the golf course. One male was dealt with for possession of cannabis. The team have also received reports from various residents with regards to vehicles driving dangerously in and around Parkside Avenue, Northall Road, Beverley Road and Manor Way. The team have been carrying out patrols and will be dealing with this matter. Any further sightings please let us know. Please stick to the guidelines and remember the social distancing measures of two metres. Stay Safe". Belvedere ward - no report received this week. Bexleyheath ward:- "Thursday 16/04/2020 0305 Burglary Russell Close -  entry gained by front door believed to have been after vehicle keys, nothing taken, suspects disturbed. Whilst our crimes do remain low at the moment there are still criminals about, please do ensure that doors are double locked with keys and do not keep valuables in your vehicles". Crayford ward:- "Criminal damage was caused to a silver Saab whilst parked outside Lyles Court in London Road between Sunday 15/03/2020 and Thursday 9/04/2020. Number plates EU63FPV stolen from a Silver Ford Kuga on Friday 10th April between 06.00 and 18.00 whilst parked in Heath Road close to the top end of Hillside Road. Garden tools were stolen from a greenhouse at the Crayford Way allotments between Thursday 9th and Friday 10th April. On Friday 17th April at approx. 03.50 police were alerted that 2 males had been seen trying to get in to the petrol station shop, they were apprehended whilst trying to break in to Hobbycraft a short time later. A sat nav was stolen from a silver Volkswagen whilst parked in Heathlee Avenue between 16.00 on Thursday 16th April and 13.05 on Friday 17th April, the front passenger window was smashed. A shed was broken in to at Crayford Way allotments on Saturday 18th April, the padlock was broken off and tools and plants were taken. A dashcam was stolen from a red Skoda whilst parked in Crayford High Street on Sunday 19th April at 23.12, the front passenger window was smashed. We are still in a period of lockdown, unless you are a keyworker, please don't go out unless it is necessary to purchase food/medicines or to take daily exercise with members of your own household. Please stay safe". Erith ward:- "This week we have been regularly visiting all the shops in Erith which I am pleased to add they have all been coping very well and people lining up have been extremely civilised. We will be carrying on visiting all the shops daily around Erith. Again this week crimes are lower than normal, we just need to not let any guards down, if you are going out please remember not to leave any items in you cars, even on lockdown items are still being removed from vehicles. If you go on bike rides and leave your bike for any amount of time for example to enter a shop to get a drink, Lock the bike up!. It takes less than a few seconds for an unlocked bike to be taken. After this lockdown I am hoping to acquire more bike marking kits and I will run a bike making event for local residents. I know this weather has been lovely but if you are sitting on a public bench watching the world go by enjoying the sunshine we will be asking you to go home, we are only doing this to keep everyone as safe as we can. This isn't something we are enjoying asking. Also Erith team have been patrolling Northumberland Heaths ward due to staffing numbers on that ward". Northumberland Heath ward:- "Another good week – Crime levels are down. A community Protection Notice Warning has been issued to a Landlord within Northumberland Park Road. This is aimed to prevent unreasonable behaviour that is having a negative impact on the local community. Hopefully this will prevent anti-social behaviour such as loud music .The residents have also been referred to ASB unit within Bexley Council. If you've having a problem with loud music, rowdy parties or barking dogs in your neighbourhood, your council can help https://mybexley.bexley.gov.uk/service/Noise_pollution. Officers completed stop and searches on two males seen loitering on Londonderry Parade, Stelling Road, Erith .One male was found to be in possession of cannabis. There has been a rise in domestic incidents within the Borough. If you are a victim of a domestic incident please see our twitter page for advice @MPSNorthHeath or speak to a member of the National Domestic Abuse Helpline team at any time, day or night 08082000247 or contact 999 if it's an emergency. We have had reports of Youth congregating and smoking drugs in Northumberland Heath Recreational Grounds and Streamway Erith. Officers have been completing patrols within these hots spot areas. If you see this happening please contact 101 and make us aware. Thank you to our NHS colleagues, those working within the ambulance service, all of the people that are helping to come together and make our communities as safe as they can be in this terrible crisis".

The photo above (click on it for a larger view) shows fly tipped compost and plant bedding material that was illegally dumped in Appold Street, Erith late on Friday night by persons unknown. If you witnessed this criminal act, please contact me in confidence, and I will pass the information on to the Police and Bexley Council. Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. Slade Green and Northend ward:- "No notable crimes reported in the last week. 9 stop and searches have been made and one male found in possession of drugs near Grange House. A Community Resolution (official warning letter) was issued. Several groups have been moved on from a few places in the ward (Rainbow Road, Hollywood Way park, Frobisher Road) but as a general rule it seems that most people seem to be sticking to the rules and staying in so a big thanks from us. While we are giving out thanks, we would like to say a huge thanks to Mel, Sonya and everyone else helping Slade Green Big Local who, everyday, have a foodbank running from the hall of St Augustines and have been delivering food and activity packs to many residents and not just locally. Leaflets are being delivered where possible and anyone who wishes to help or contribute can pop along to the church to find out more or look up Slade Green Big Local on social media. If you do visit they are following social distancing guidelines. But a fantastic effort by a brllliant local group must be applauded and we wish them all the very best. St Augustines services are broadcasting live on Facebook and Zoom every Sunday from 1030am, anyone can watch, we will be this Sunday. There are prayer services too each day at 9am and 9pm. Lastly, please remember to stay indoors and save lives. Stay safe everyone". Thamesmead East ward:- "On Friday 17/04/20 at 6:15pm an attempted theft of a motorcycle occurred in Wolvercote Road.Sunday 19/04/20 between the hours of 9:15am and 3:30pm a Ford transit vehicle was stolen from Leatherbottle Green. There has been an increase in theft of vehicle number plates. Consider purchasing a set of Anti - Theft screws or bolts for number plates Between Saturday 18/04/20 at 11:00pm and 8:00am on Sunday 19/4/20 the outer pane of a double glazed window was smashed to a property in Maran Way. Sunday 19/04/20 whilst on cycle patrol on Manorway Green, a member of the public spoke to PC Pruden regarding a motor scooter, found parked in an alleyway in Goldcrest Close. Vehicle checks carried out by PC Pruden, came back to an address in Bledlow Close, where the scooter was stolen between the hours 4;00pm and 11:pm on Saturday 18/04/20. Monday 20/04/20 Felixstowe Road, a stolen motorcycle found. PC Pruden attended the motorcycle was recovered. A set of number plates were found in Crossway Park by a local resident, stolen from a vehicle in Bexley, were collected by the team and PC Pruden delivered the plates to the rightful owner". West Heath ward:- "One attempted burglary in Abbotts Walk on Friday 17/04/20 at approximately 4am. The occupant was woken by the sound of the inner porch door being tampered with. The occupant came downstairs and saw a male dressed in a grey tracksuit at the door. The occupant shouted at the male and he ran away in the direction of Brampton Road. A black Ford Fiesta was stolen by means of a burglary in Cumberland Drive overnight on Thursday 16/04/20 20.00 – Friday 17/04/20 10.00. Entry was gained via an implement used to pop the lock on the front door. Keys to the vehicle and house keys were also stolen. Theft from motor vehicle in Gipsy Road between Tuesday 21/04/20 – Wednesday 22/04/20 06.15. It is not clear at this stage if anything has been stolen as the car was rifled through. Theft of rear lights from a Mini Cooper parked in Gipsy Road on Monday 20/04/20 between Midnight and 10am. The team have made one arrest for theft this week. The team have continued to engage and advise members of the public during the Coronavirus and moving people on if necessary".

The end video this week features local stage school Theatre Box, who before the lock down were based in The Old Library in Walnut Tree Road, run by charitable community benefit society The Exchange. Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

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. 

Local elections.

With the local council elections now looming, the local political parties are jockeying for position on numerous issues which are of particular concern to residents. From the feedback that I get, the number one local concern is related to law and order, and especially in respect of the motorbike and moped criminals that I have written about extensively in the past, and no doubt will do so again in the near future. A second area of concern is to do with the large number of Homes of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) which are in the area. Data shows a big increase in rented property in Bexley, with a 103 per cent increase in the number of private rented households between 2001-2011; more recent figures are currently unavailable, but it is thought that the number of privately rented properties in the borough will have increased yet further. To monitor and control this, Bexley Council have announced that they are introducing a licencing scheme for private landlords. The scheme will target specific areas in the borough; those initially listed include North Thamesmead, Abbey Wood and Erith - specifically the area in and around Manor Road. These areas are said by the council to be the worst for complaints about rogue landlords. Speaking at a cabinet meeting on April 10, councillor Brad Smith said: “The intention is to address the impact of poorly managed rented properties to improve housing conditions. It requires landlords to come forward and be licensed, rather than being reliant on complaints. This will help improve conditions for our most vulnerable residents by providing additional regulatory control of the sector in problem areas.” The scheme will mean landlords will be monitored and rogue landlords renting poorly managed properties would be targeted and prosecuted if they are not licensed. I applaud the sentiment of the scheme, and the proposals to roll it out to the whole borough, and not just the trouble spots listed earlier; I do however see problems. The kind of landlords the licencing scheme is designed to highlight and control are the very ones who won't register, not just because of the considerable fee involved - but also because the unscrupulous landlords operate "under the radar" and don't want to be noticed by the relevant authorities.  It will be a real challenge for Bexley Council to identify and bring the unscrupulous landlords to heel. I get the feeling that this story will develop further over the next few months.

Further to the forthcoming local government elections, which take place on Thursday the 3rd of May, some important news if you are a resident of the Slade Green and North End ward of the London Borough of Bexley. As you may be aware, some changes have been made to the electoral wards recently, which is reflected in the overall reduction of the numbers of local councillors. For many years the polling station in the Slade Green and North End ward was located in a temporary Portakabin  in Frobisher Road, adjacent to the Frobisher Road housing estate. The council announced a few weeks ago that due to the boundary changes, the location of the polling station was being moved to Aveley Close, off Crescent Road, and very close to Morrison's car park. I understand that some local residents objected to this, and subsequently the location of the polling station has been moved again. It will now be located in Reddy Road, off Alexandra Road. Personally I think this is a bad move for any local resident with mobility problems, as it is a lot further away than either of the other locations. The local elections normally have a fairly low turnout, and these polling station changes will do little to remedy this; I would hazard a guess that a significant number of voters will turn up at the old location in Frobisher Road, not having read the letter that has been posted to residents in the Slade Green and North End ward (a copy of which is featured above - click on it for a larger version).  I hope that a sign redirecting them to the new location in Reddy Road will be set up. As much as possible needs to be done to encourage people to vote in local elections; key issues such as recycling, bin emptying, street lighting and funding for the less advantaged in local society are all decided at a local level, and your vote, whoever it is for, can and does make a difference. 

Another property related story is being reported in the local press, but in this case I feel that there has been a degree of misunderstanding which needs to be clarified. As regular readers will be aware, I have covered the planning and evolution of the Erith Quarry housing development in some detail over the last couple of years, from when it was a long unused brown field site, to where it is today, with the first houses about to go on sale to the public. The Bexley Times published an article last week which said:- "As the first of batch of a 600-home development go up for sale this weekend, concerns have been raised over the price tags currently on offer. The Erith Quarry development will bring 470 houses and 130 apartments to the town, with the first 27 going on sale this weekend. Each of the homes on sale from September 2 will be available under the shared ownership scheme, with a 50 per cent share of a two-bed maisonette costing residents £165,000 and the same share of a three-bed house costing £220,000. From September 16, would-be homeowners will have to pay £400,000 for a three-bed home and four-bed homes will be going for £525,000. An online search revealed a three-bed semi-detached house elsewhere in the town was taking offers upwards of £250,000". The claim that a three bedroomed semi detached house can be found in Erith for £250,000 is stretching things a bit, to say the least. Whilst the town is the second most affordable place to purchase property in Greater London after Dagenham, just across the River Thames, to get a three bed semi for quarter of a million would mean that it would need considerable renovation. Secondly I know that several local councillors, including Danny Hackett have expressed concern regarding the lack of affordable housing in the new Quarry development. Whilst I completely agree with the sentiment, from the previous discussions I have had with the developers, the whole aim of the Quarry site is not to aim to sell to existing local residents, but rather to attract people from outside the area to move into Erith. This is one of the reasons the houses on the site are predominantly three and four bedroomed; they are not aimed at first time buyers, rather at people who already have, or are planning on starting a family. I understand that a typical buyer profile at the Quarry would be a young professional couple who currently own a one bed flat in somewhere like Brockley, and are thinking of having children. They cannot afford a large house in somewhere like Brockley or Penge, and instead look further out into South East London - to somewhere which will shortly be close to the Crossrail / Elizabeth Line. This is where The Quarry comes in - whilst the houses on the development are relatively expensive in the local market, they are relatively affordable compared to areas closer to the centre of London. This is one of the reasons that virtually all of the advertising for The Quarry has been done in papers like The London Evening Standard - the developers are not  trying to appeal to local residents, rather they are looking to attract comparatively wealthy middle class people into the area, the thinking being that if wealth moves into the area, it will "trickle down" when the new residents start using local services, and take part in the local economy. The danger for the developers, London and Quadrant, is if people new to the area start to look around at the existing housing market and discover that they can get better value for money in the existing housing market in Erith, Northumberland Heath and Barnehurst. As always, the market will decide. It is without doubt that a greater amount of affordable housing is required in the local area - something that is true for most if not all of the South East. The problem is there is little incentive for developers to create affordable properties when they can still easily build full price housing for those with the ready money - even if these are absentee owners from China or Russia, investing / laundering their money in a "safe" country where the government is extremely unlikely to confiscate it. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Last Tuesday marked a historic moment in computing history; it was the fortieth anniversary of the release of the ground breaking Apple II Computer. It debuted on the 17th April 1977, at the West Coast Computer Faire, positioning Apple at the forefront of the looming personal computer revolution. The company’s first mass-market computer, the Apple II boasted an attractively machined case designed by Jerry Manock (who later went on to design the first Macintosh). It also packed a keyboard, BASIC compatibility and, most importantly, colour graphics. Fuelled by some marketing savvy from Steve Jobs, the Apple II made quite a splash at the San Francisco Bay Area’s first personal computer convention. Right from the start of his career, Steve Jobs realised the importance of a good product introduction. With no special media event to introduce the Apple II, he used the West Coast Computer Faire to perform the same function. Apple occupied the four booths directly facing the building’s front entrance. The strategic positioning made Apple the first of 175 companies at the Faire that customers saw when they arrived. At a time when money was short, Apple splashed out on a backlit Plexiglass display featuring the new logo of a rainbow hued apple with a single bite taken out of it. The eye-catching setup showcased a dozen Apple II computers for visitors’ inspection. Unbeknownst to customers, these were unfinished prototypes, since the actual computers would not be ready until June of 1977. The Apple II, the company’s second computer, and its first mainstream model, became an enormously important product line. The year it debuted, it brought in $770,000 in revenue. That figure increased to $7.9 million the following year and a massive $49 million the year after that. Apple continued producing some version of the Apple II until the early 1990s. Long term readers may recall that the Apple II was the subject of the very first ever "killer app" in the form of the first electronic spreadsheet, called VisiCalc. I wrote at some length about it here. 

Now that the excellent local micro pub has opened, it is now settling into a routine. Several readers have asked me about its opening hours - hence the poster above. I have visited it on a couple of evenings in the last week, and it has been consistently busy with a wide variety of customers, all of whom seem to enjoy the superbly kept and served real ale and convivial company. The Bird and Barrel has yet to be awarded a "Scores on the Doors" hygiene rating, but I predict it will get a 5 star rating. Bexley Council seem to have done a pretty creditable job of getting the restaurants and takeaways in the borough to improve their health ratings over the last couple of years; there was a point when Bexley came the bottom of "Scores on the Doors" ratings for the entire country, and Erith came bottom in the borough. I am pleased that this has now very much changed for the better. Overall the ratings are improved beyond the expectations of many - there are however a few exceptions to this, which show there is still scope for improvement. Two of the worst offenders are located in Nuxley Road, Upper Belvedere - not a place one would readily associate with poor quality catering or low hygiene standards. Both K's Cafe and the Belvedere Tandoori have been awarded one out of five star hygiene ratings in the council's most recent round of health checks - a rating which I strongly feel should mean that they should be closed with immediate effect until substantial remedial works are carried out.  I don't know about K's Cafe, but the Belvedere Tandoori has been struggling for several years, and has been up for sale for some considerable time. It voluntarily surrendered its drinks licence some while back - something which has further hurt its trade considerably. I have heard rumours (unsubstantiated at this point) that it may become a Turkish restaurant. If you have any information regarding this, please drop me a line in complete confidence to hugh.neal@gmail.com.

It is not yet widely known, but British Telecom are planning to replace all existing old fashioned copper line telephones with VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) over the next handful of years. The closure of the public switched telephone network (PSTN) is part of plans by BT toward internet-based voice calls via a fibre network. As such it will be looking to close a chunk of exchanges. The telecoms giant would prefer to provide only internet services, and let customers use them for voice calls. The Telegraph reported that BT wants to move "all domestic and business customers to internet-based voice calls within a decade," but is prevented from doing so by Ofcom, which requires it to offer basic PSTN/POTS voice connections alongside internet ones. Expecting customers to eventually migrate to a portfolio of "all IP" services, including broadband, television, and voice, BT is upping the pressure on Ofcom in anticipation of its once-a-decade review, due later this year. "BT believes all IP services will be used nationwide by 2025 and we think Ofcom's review is an opportunity to roll back obsolete rules in this area to create a level playing field," a BT spokesperson told journalists recently.  Regulation has not kept up with the massive growth in competition and rapid pace of technology change over the last decade, whilst there are many overlaps between British and European laws which could be removed and simplified. Such measures would improve efficiency, stimulate competition, and encourage investment in the UK's connected future.

Now for the weekly safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association:- Firstly a report from Barnehurst ward:- "An excellent week for Barnehurst Ward with no burglaries to report. On the morning of Friday 13th Police acted quickly following reports on social media of a bike that had been stolen in Martens Grove Park. The victim was contacted and a detailed description was given of the bike. Whilst on patrol Barnehurst Officers spotted the bike being ridden not far from Martens Grove Park. The bike was seized, youth detained and the bike returned to a very happy and grateful owner. On 14th April 2018 a robbery took place in Pelham Road between 06.30am - 07.00am. Victim was walking home after visiting a friend and was approached by 5 to 6 black males. An Armani bag containing a mobile phone and travel card was grabbed from the victim. Unfortunately the victim was too shocked at the time to get a detailed description of the males involved. Good news after a lot of door knocking this week Barnehurst Officers have nearly achieved 100% Neighbourhood Watch coverage with only two more roads to go. We aim to achieve this by next week, update to follow. Join a member of the team at Barnehurst Golf Club on Wednesday 25th April 2018 at 11.00am to discuss any local issues that may be concerning you or simply come along and say hello". Belvedere ward:- "We are continuing to receive reports of anti-social behaviour in Draper Close. Youths are reportedly causing a nuisance to residents, shouting swearing etc. if anyone has suffered or has any information please get in contact. There is a particular off road motorbike, red and white, being ridden by a white male wearing a balaclava. He is normally spotted around the Picardy Street area. If anyone knows who this person is please let us know as he is committing several road traffic offences as well as driving dangerously. On the subject of off road bikes the team have issued another Section 59 warning to a male riding in Franks Park. We have not taken over this area yet but we are trying to make an early dent in this biking trend to at least ease it for the upcoming summer months. There was an attempted burglary on 17/04/2018 around 1030 hours on Barnfield Road. A male was reportedly pulling on the door handle of an address. The owner returned and the male ran off towards Nuxley Road. Our upcoming surgeries: 25/04/2018 – ASDA car park, from 1600 hours until 1700 hours. We will be giving out anti-theft number plate screws with the assistance form the AA and 04/05/2018 – ASDA Café, 1400 hours until 1500 hours". Brampton ward:- "Yet another good week on Brampton Ward with only a handful of crimes reported, and only two of those of interest to our residents. Unfortunately, we had a burglary reported in Long Lane where entry was gained by breaking the living room window. An untidy search was conducted and an amount of jewellery was taken. This burglary occurred whilst the residents were away on holiday so now would be a good time to remind our residents to take extra care while away with holiday season approaching. There is plenty of crime prevention advice on the Met Police website. There was also a shoplifting from Sainsbury’s in Brampton Road. Brampton officers are continually patrolling ASB hotspots with vandalism being reported in the Bursted wood surgery area and our off road motor cycle team are also patrolling the woods in an attempt to deter anti-social motor cycling which seems to increase as the weather improves. Only two weeks now until the Ward boundaries change". Christchurch ward:- "Below are some of the things that we have been up to over the last week. We are pleased to say we have no reports of any burglaries on the ward over the last week as well as any motor vehicle related crimes. On the 15/04/2018 - A bag was reported stolen whilst victim was out with friends at Frankie and Benny’s on the Broadway. Also another theft from person was reported on the 14/04/2018. A shoulder bag was taken from an elderly female that was on the back of a trolley. Another report of a purse was taken on the 12/04/2018 from the victims hand bag whilst shopping in Primark. On the 11/04/2018 - There was a report of a bag taken from an elderly female whilst on the Broadway, bag was taken from victims trolley. A shop windows was smashed along the Broadway on the 11/04/2018 with an unknown object. Also fire alarm set off in the Marriot Hotel as youths had smashed the glass to set it off. The team have been recently conducting plain clothes patrols in unmarked vehicles as well as the usual high visibility patrols the team conducts daily, we also recently held our contact point yesterday at the Central Library. If you do speak to anyone who lives on the ward who does not have NHW set up on their street. Please put them through to us if they are interested in maybe joining. If you would like to contact us, please feel free to make contact via email, twitter or over the phone. For crime prevention advice, please look at the Met Police website which does have information that you may find useful". Colyers ward:- "On Wednesday 4th April at 8.40 pm a woman knocked on my door saying that she was trying to raise sponsorship money for a charity football match in aid of a boy who had been knocked down in a nearby road. She was well spoken, smartly dressed with long dark hair, slim, quite short and aged around 30 years. The Colyers Safer Neighbourhoods Policing Team confirmed that there had been no reports of any child having been run over in the area. Over the last week we are happy to say there have been no reported burglaries on the ward. Unfortunately we have had two motor vehicle crimes. One was in Frinsted Road on the 14th April where a car was taken from the driveway but returned the following day. A car was broken into on the 16th April in Mortimer Road, unfortunately we have no further details than that. The team stopped a male with cannabis yesterday in Hornbeam Lane near Barnehurst Train Station. The cannabis was seized and a cannabis warning issued. For our ASB hotspot in Hampton House the team have completed several recorded home visits and ABC’s to individuals we recently stopped there with more to follow next week. Unfortunately our police surgeries in Cupacakes Bakery on Colyers Lane have had to be cancelled as the shop has closed. The team are busily looking for a new venue but until then subsequent surgeries will be held in the Blackberry Patch Community Centre on Badlow Close. The next session will be on Saturday 28th April at 4pm. On a sad note the team held the last ever Colyers Ward Panel meeting last night before the ward boundary changes come into effect on the 4th May. The team would like to wish all our co-ordinators well on their new wards". Crayford ward:- "Some tools were stolen overnight from a van in Festival Close on Thursday 12th April. A moped was stolen overnight from Britannia Close on Sunday 15th April. Fortunately the bike was found the next day in Erith. PC Mark and PC James arrested a suspect involved in a Domestic incident on Monday, this investigation is ongoing. 2 males were stopped and searched close to Erith Town Centre last Thursday and cannabis was found on both resulting in 2 cannabis warnings issued. Last Wednesday we held a multi-agency meeting with Bexley Council, Erith Yacht Club and various companies from the Darent Industrial estate in regards fly tipping issues in Ray Lamb Way as well as off road bike issues out on the Thames Path. The meeting was successful in the fact that all parties are now in full contact with each other plus various means of enforcement and prevention were discussed including CCTV. There are various agencies responsible for various areas of the land and all have agreed to be more responsible in their reporting, prevention and reporting it to the council. Patrols will be continued by officers in regards off road bikes at the location and moves are already underway to secure the main access points to the Thames Path. We have a Community Contact Session on Monday 23rd April from 11am at the café in Forest Road, please come and say hi if you are around". Lesnes Abbey ward:- "Burglaries - Good News - No burglaries this week. However with this glorious weather we’re experiencing at the moment. Remember to close and lock all windows and doors even if you are only going out for a short period. UPVC front doors - Lift it  and Lock it. Motor Vehicle Crimes - Between the hours 10:00pm on Tuesday 10/04/11 and 07:15 am Wednesday 11/04/18 a vehicle locked and secure was taken from Canberra Road. During the early hours of Tuesday 10/04/18 a vehicle parked locked and secure in Wolvercote Road had the rear passenger window smashed and loose change was taken. Between the hours of 07:00pm Sunday 08/04/18 and 09:00am Monday 09/04/18 a vehicle parked in West Heath Road had both door mirror glasses taken. Crime prevention - Did you know your vehicle is like a shop window? If you can see ANY property left on view then so can a thief. Take it with you or put it out of sight. Other News - After the local council elections on 3rd May, The ward boundaries will then be split up, Lesnes Abbey will go and you will be with different wards. Once these have been decided we will let you know". Northumberland Heath ward:- "The team held a crime prevention event at the BP garage in Bexley Road on Saturday April 14th. With assistance from the AA we handed out anti-theft number plate screws. Some were fitted by the AA mechanic and those who were in a hurry took them home to fit themselves. A cannabis warning form was issued to a male following the stop of a vehicle in Becton Place over the weekend. One attempted commercial premises burglary in the Tesco Store in Bexley Road late on Monday April 16th. CCTV shows four males pull up in a vehicle with their faces covered. The four males tried to cut the padlocks from the outer gate and entry was attempted via the fire exit by using a long pole to break the handle on the door. A sledgehammer was then used to try to gain entry but as the alarm went off the males left empty handed. No residential burglaries this week. Two motor vehicle crimes reported to us over the last week. The first incident took place at the Pantiles were the victim has had several vans broken in to previously. The van was left overnight locked and secured on Friday April 13th and was found on Saturday morning when the rear door was open, the lock on the door had been forced but nothing was taken from the vehicle. The second motor vehicle crime reported to us was in Limewood Road, again on the evening of Friday April 13th. The lock was tampered with but entry was not gained. The next drop in Police Surgery will be held on Wednesday 25th April at 11am". Thamesmead East ward:- "One burglary to make you aware of that occurred on Tuesday 17th April between 1700 and 2200 hours, Dexter House, Kale Road. The victim returned home to discover their front door open/damaged and all lights to the flat were on. Not believed that anything was actually stolen. During the early hours of Saturday 14th April, number plates were stolen from a motor vehicle that was parked outside Timothy House, Kale Road. On Wednesday 18th April, during the afternoon, a motor vehicle was stolen from Eastgate Close. The team have recently received reports of two males smoking cannabis, in an alleyway, St Michaels Close. On Saturday 14th April, two males were searched after they were seen to be loitering in the alleyway. No cannabis found, but intelligence gained. Patrols around the area will continue. On Friday 13th April, PC Nana arrested a female for fraud offences. PC Nana interviewed the female who fully admitted that she had done wrong. Due to the female’s previous good character, she received an adult caution. On Thursday 12th April, the team worked with Sam from the AA in fixing anti-theft screws to members of the public car number plates. Although we was only at the BP petrol garage for a hour and half, Sam was kept very busy, with 15 vehicles having new screws fitted. Hugely enjoyable and successful event, which we plan to arrange again in the future".

The end video this week is a bit of a flash back to last year, when local arts commissioning group The Exchange ran The Erith Lighthouse - promoting local artists and social activities in the daytime, and turning into a pop - up restaurant in the evenings. The Erith Lighthouse was planned to be a "one off" event, but I have heard rumours that more may well be seen of this unique, landmark structure in the future, though the details are still somewhat vague.