Interesting times.

No more than a couple of minutes after last weeks Maggot Sandwich update was published, I got an Email giving me a scoop on a significant local story. As the Blog update had already been published, the story has had to be held over until this week. As some will by now already know, Simon Archer, Curate at Christ Church Erith will shortly be starting a new role. Simon has been chosen to serve as Priest-in-Charge (Vicar) of All Saints, Belvedere. Simon is a very popular local personality, and I am aware that the congregation at All Saints were very keen for him to get the job. I know that one All Saints parishioner who was asked to become involved in the selection of the final three candidates for the Vicar role refused, as she said she wanted Simon, and could not provide an objective opinion on the matter. In the time Simon and his wife Tasha (shown in the photo above - click on it for a larger view) have been at Christ Church Erith, they have made a large and very positive impact on the local community, church going and otherwise. Simon has a very down to Earth background, having previously worked for Apple, and also had a stint as a pub landlord. Simon’s final service at Christ Church Erith will be on the 31st March, before he, Tasha and the family move to Upper Belvedere in early April. Simon’s licensing at All Saints will be at 2pm on Saturday, 4th May. I am looking forward to buying him a congratulatory pint in the Royal Standard in Nuxley Road very soon.

A Turkish restaurant in Bexleyheath has been shortlisted as one of the best kebab shops in the whole of the UK. Hazine, which is located at 288-290 Bexleyheath Broadway is one of the finalists in the British Kebab Awards, which take place on the 19th March in London. You can read more about the awards by clicking here. incidentally Hazine has a five star "Scores on the Doors" food hygiene rating. 

As many local residents will have found to their cost, the recent 60 tonne landslide on the railway between Bexleyheath and Barnehurst stations has caused major disruption to commuters into London, and has also affected many businesses located near railway stations on the Bexleyheath line. One person whose business was adversely affected is Nick Hair, the landlord of the excellent micro pub, The Kentish Belle, which is located adjacent to Bexleyheath Station. Nick Emailed me recently to express how frustrated he felt over the ongoing problems experienced by rail travellers and businesses located near to the line. He writes:- " I sat down and decided the only way we can get passenger representation and make our line better is to form a community rail partnership. Therefore, on Monday, I got a constitution and a set of documents together that form the basis of the Lewisham & Bexleyheath Community Rail Partnership. It will focus on all stations from Lewisham - Barnehurst. Supporters so far include Councillor Charlie Davis (Con, Eltham), David Evennett MP and Councillor Brenda Dacres (Lab, Lewisham). We have invited all of the MPs on the route, all relevant ward councillors (well, the ones who sit on council transport committees) and a few other interested parties. The first meeting will be held on Monday, March 4th at 14:00 at the Kentish Belle where refreshments will be supplied. Those who are interested in the future of the line or who wish to volunteer for better stations should come along. Some of the local politicians etc will also be attending. Membership for passengers who wish to be involved in the AGM process etc will also be available for a nominal £1/year". This sounds like an excellent approach, and will hopefully mean that the rail service providers and those behind the rail infrastructure will become more accountable to members of the public that rely on their services. I have been aware of a few rumours about services and new trains from December 2022 since November 2017, but conflicting information has now finally been resolved, and a clearer picture has emerged from a trusted and very well informed local source, who has elected to remain anonymous. As many commuters into London will be aware, the train franchises for the Dartford to London Via Greenwich, and the Bexleyheath lines are both up for tender. My confidential source has inside information as to exactly what has been going on, and it will involve some pretty remarkable changes. The source writes:- "An announcement on the new Southeastern franchise will finally be made at the end of March. Originally, an announcement was to be made on Christmas Eve by the DfT and it was widely felt this was to be unpopular (hence doing it before Christmas where it would be suddenly forgotten). Sadly, all three bids (from Govia, Stagecoach / Alstom joint and Abellio / Japan Rail joint) were non-compliant. This was felt likely to be due to various other franchise issues such as First / MTR renegotiating the South Western franchise once they started as a result of Network Rail not providing infrastructure enhancements and the collapse of Virgin East Coast again due to Network Rail not improving infrastructure to allow more trains; the latter case resulting in less fare revenue against the requirement to still give the same premiums to a Government. Bidders should rightly feel protected against the likes of Network Rail not delivering especially as they are now a Government subsidiary (basically). The new franchise is expected to deliver a number of overall improvements including new direct services from Maidstone West to Cannon Street or Charing Cross via Abbey Wood and Woolwich Arsenal (a coup for Maidstone in getting a Crossrail connection); and also a new timetable meaning that instead of irregular departure times (example Charing Cross to Bexleyheath at 1700, 1721, 1743, 1808) everything will be uniform and in quarter-hourly increments. Services from Victoria to Lewisham will go up to quarter-hourly all day with these trains going to Hayes (half-hourly) and Dartford via Sidcup (also half-hourly). Whilst the idea of this was unpopular on the Bexleyheath line and got the big petition, it is sensible to stop trains pounding across the crossovers at Lewisham and ‘cutting each other up’ as they try and go from various London stations to various routes in the Metro area. Definitely the single biggest point of interest, however, is the rolling stock strategy. Due to expected continued growth, there will need to be either more high speed units purchased or some sort of better fleet utilisation. The Metro fleet, however, is expected to have the biggest ‘shake up’. I am reliably informed that the Class 707 trains currently operating on South Western Railway will he heading our way as their 10 coaches are perfect (especially with their low-density seating and plenty of standing room) for the Woolwich line. Woolwich Dockyard is also 10 coach only due to short platforms between the tunnels. I am also told that the Class 376 trains, deeply unpopular on Southeastern from Day 1, will be going to Southern and their rolling stock owner is planning to fit them with battery technology (!) and re-fit then so that they can be used in 5 or 10 car formation between London Bridge and Uckfield. If this is the case, this is an incredible use of battery technology in Britain as trials with the Class 379 (Anglia) and old District Line stock (VivaRail) is proving the technology very solid and the Class 350 trains are likely to be converted similarly when they come off lease from London North Western Railway out of Euston. The Class 465 and Class 466 fleet used on Southeastern Metro is likely to head for the scrap pile which, in some ways, is a shame because whilst they don’t look too smart around 97 of the 4 car units (built at York) are in sound technical condition and just need a good interior refurbishment to make them like new. That said, politically new trains are the way to go. We are likely to also see a wider fleet cascade with other trains coming into the region to bolster capacity on routes from Charing Cross and Victoria to Ashford, Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells and Faversham: watch this space as I have two conflicting reports here. The Bexleyheath line looks set to re-open on Monday morning after a devastating week-long closure where many local businesses, and at other stations en route report huge trading losses. For many independent businesses, avoidable events such as these are terrible and threaten many.  I can think of 2 for which this has caused serious issue. Network Rail must, without any doubt, work to fix the embankments and cuttings on the Bexleyheath line once and for all especially as their own videos show their Geo-Technical Engineer saying they know it’s a problem area! A three month closure might be needed to fully excavate, stabilise and weather-proof / landslide-proof the Barnehurst to Bexleyheath corridor; but most importantly what this event has shown is how a lack of turn back facilities on the Bexleyheath line is so incredibly ludicrous and needs to be addressed. To give an example of this, on the Woolwich line trains can start or terminate at Charlton, Plumstead or Slade Green. During the Crossrail works, many weekends have seen trains from London finishing at Plumstead and then going back - meaning Woolwich and Greenwich among others at least keep a solid service. On the Sidcup line, peak extras terminate at Sidcup and trains can also reverse at Lee if needed. During engineering work at Lewisham one weekend they even operated trains from Dartford to Bromley North (!) and Orpington via Sidcup and Grove Park so Sidcup line passengers had a plethora of journey options. The Bexleyheath line previously had turnback facilities at Falconwood and Kidbrooke but these have both been taken away! This week it would have been a mammoth benefit to even operate trains between London and Falconwood to relieve pressure on Erith and Sidcup line diversions for people in Welling, Bexleyheath and Barnehurst. I am extremely disappointed. What this proves, more than anything, is that a London-facing crossover at Bexleyheath which could be installed for minimal cost could have saved various people time and money by allowing trains to get down to Bexleyheath, turn around, avoid the Landslip area and get back to London. All the stations on the way would have had a near-full service and with some intelligent planning they could have maximised the number of 12 carriage trains going along that route. Instead, we got nothing. Crossovers such as these are not only extremely useful in times of service disruption (fatalities, emergency engineering work, weekend engineering work, train failures) but also could be used for other purposes such as the Sidcup peak turn-arounds". I know a number of transport enthusiasts are regular readers of the Maggot Sandwich; please feel free to comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The Bookstore Cafe in the former Carnegie Library in Walnut Tree Road, Erith has had a very busy first week of operation. The new cafe and bar is open on the following days and times:- Wednesday - Friday 8am - 4.30pm; 6 - 10.30pm. Saturday 8.30am - 10.30pm. Sunday 9am - 4pm. The Bookstore Cafe is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. I was in the cafe on Wednesday afternoon, when local Councillor Danny Hackett (Labour - Thamesmead East) popped in for something to eat and drink. We had a very good chat (he's a Maggot Sandwich reader) and I happened to mention in passing the state of disarray in current national politics. He agreed, and the conversation was left at that. I now discover from fellow local Blogger Malcolm Knight that subsequent to my conversation with him, Danny Hackett has now resigned from the Labour Party. You can read Malcolm's article on the Hackett resignation case, including a copy of his letter of resignation by clicking here. We are definitely living in interesting times.

Following the Cambridge Analytica fiasco and the subsequent government investigations, it would be expected Facebook would be more mindful about the information it compiles on its users. A new report suggests otherwise, accusing Facebook of acquiring information that users would not typically expect to share with the company willingly. According to tests performed by the Wall Street Journal, Facebook's software collects data from numerous apps within seconds of it being entered by the user, without any sign of a prominent or specific disclosure by the app. In these cases, it was also found the data was transmitted to Facebook if the user didn't log into Facebook for authentication, or even if the user didn't have a Facebook account in the first place.  At least 11 popular apps across both iOS and Android mobile ecosystems were found to report data back to Facebook, with the apps downloaded tens of millions of times in total. Facebook is currently in negotiations with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission over a privacy violations fine relating to the Cambridge Analytica scandal and its subsequent fallout. The talks, aimed at avoiding legal action, could result in a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission that extends to billions of dollars, far exceeding the current FTC settlement record holder Google's $22.5 million payment. 

The Neater Neighbourhoods project is a new Bexley Council  initiative to encourage residents to take pride in their neighbourhoods, improve neighbourly relationships and take action on eyesore gardens. The Bexley Tidy Garden Standard considers gardens untidy if any of the following applies:- If the garden is overgrown and creates an eyesore. If there is accumulated household waste, including but not limited to bags of rubbish, broken toys, broken garden furniture. If there are bulky household items, including but not limited to white goods, sofa, mattresses, fences, gates, sheds are in disrepair. If there are scrap cars or car parts in the garden. If there is accumulated building waste. Gardens which fall outside this standard will be visited by the Neater Neighbourhoods team; they will then discuss with the property resident the steps that need to be taken to make the necessary improvements. The Neater Neighbourhoods team will be working closely with other agencies, community groups and charities to offer assistance to residents where there are clear barriers to keeping their gardens within the Tidy Garden Standard. I am fully behind the concept of encouraging local residents to take pride in their environment and to keep their properties neat and tidy, but I do have concerns about the scheme. Elderly and / or infirm people, or residents with physical or mental disabilities may find clearing their gardens a real challenge, and a visit by the Neater Neighbourhoods team may be regarded as intimidating and threatening - I suppose it all depends on how sensitively the matter is handled by those involved. Conversely I have  concerns for the members of the Neater Neighbourhoods team when dealing with the small number of "problem" households in the area; I can foresee physical threats being made to the team by known criminal households. It will be instructive to see how the scheme pans out; I will be keeping an eye on it.

I have a rule on the Maggot Sandwich; I don't comment on stories that have been featured on the national news. The reason for this is that normally there is little point - readers will already be aware of the story, and it would be pointless in me re - telling a story that had already been covered by a "proper" journalist. Just for once I am breaking this rule, as I think the story has passed quite a few people by. Earlier in the week, the BBC News website carried an item on a nightclub in Bexleyheath that is holding monthly nights for people with learning disabilities and their carers. You can see the video the BBC released on the story by clicking here. Nyne Lounge, which is located at 267 Broadway, Bexleyheath has been hosting these special events for a couple of years now. The night club is situated inside the former Bexleyheath Snooker Club building. You can see photos of the place by clicking here. Nyne’s Shine event is on the second Tuesday of every month from 7pm to 10.30pm. The venue is wheelchair accessible and carers get free entry. So many organisations talk a good talk about diversity and inclusion, but actually do little in practice; it is good to see a local company really "putting their money where their mouth is" and actually taking positive action. I would imagine that the next Shine event at the Nyne Lounge will be even better attended than before, following the national exposure by the BBC.

The People's Question Time is coming to the London Borough of Bexley. Join Mayor, Sadiq Khan, and members of the London Assembly who will be talking to Londoners about their plans and priorities for the city. Gareth Bacon, Assembly Member for Bexley and Bromley will chair the event. Topics up for discussion will include: - Transport, Safety, Air quality and environment, Housing, Growing London's economy, Other (culture, education). The event is free to attend, but visitors need to book tickets in advance. You can book your place online by clicking here.

Now for the weekly safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly from Barnehurst ward:- "Fantastic news this week with no crimes of note reported. The team have continued to work some later shifts in response to the recent increase in motor vehicle crime, patrolling the ward in both uniform and plain clothes. We believe this has had a positive effect on crime figures with no burglaries or motor vehicle offences being reported during the week. These patrols will continue. We are always looking for intelligence around crimes and those who commit them. If you have any information or suspicions of criminal activity please let the team know and we will look into it. If you feel uncomfortable talking to the police consider calling CRIMESTOPPERS on 0800 555 111 this is completely anonymous and you do not have to give any personal detail. The team also attended Woodside School, Colyers Lane and gave a presentation to both the primary and secondary pupils about what we do, Stranger Danger and how to keep safe, both personally and online. The talk was very well received and we enjoyed meeting the children and joining them in the playground before the assembly. A member of the team will be at Barnehurst Golf course on Friday 8th March at 1pm. Please come along for an informal chat about any concerns or issues that you may have or just pop in to say hello. A big thank you to all our Twitter followers we have passed the 700 mark with 709 followers. We can be found on Twitter @MPSBarnehurst and also on Facebook at Barnehurst Police". Belvedere ward:- "The team are continuing our Street-a-Week initiative, and since our last update, we have visited both Stanmore Road and Kentish Road. There are many more streets to visit over the coming weeks, please keep an eye on Twitter or our website to find out where these will be taking place. On Thursday 14/02/2019, Valentine's Day, the new Lidl opened on the Belvedere Park Estate, on Clydesdale Way. It had only been open for a few hours when security guards at the store detained a shoplifter! The offender was dealt with by a banning order. Big on quality, Lidl on shoplifters. The team have also recovered two stolen vehicles from around the Battle Road area, both on Wednesday 13th of February (at different locations). More drug use is being reported to us by people congregating along Parkside Road, near to Stanmore Road and Gordon Road. Please contact us if you see anything suspicious with time, date and any descriptions. There was a burglary on Gordon Road on Monday 18/02/2019. The suspects entered via the rear door by smashing the glass. Please be on the lookout and report anything suspicious". Bexleyheath ward:- "There has been six reports of a burglary along Wenvoe Road Bexleyheath on the Friday 15/02/2019, sheds and garage broken into by breaking locks. Door to door knocking Burglary leaflets posted through letter boxes advised on crime prevention and enquiries made. The team also called as part of our street a week campaign a local initiative to visit at least one street a week and meet as many residents as possible across the ward. Between Wednesday and Thursday13/02/ - 14/-02/2019 between 2100hrs – 1500hrs - Rydal Drive garage broken into by cutting hole in roof items taken. Two males stopped Premier Inn car park Bexleyheath for possession of cannabis. On Wednesday 13/02/2019 – 0630hrs along Erith Road theft from motor vehicle. On Sunday the team door knocked on ST AUDREY and presented Met Trace a smart water to deter burglary. The officer who delivers your Met Trace pack will talk you through how to register your details and use smart water to mark your property. A theft of purse was report on the Wednesday 13/02/2019 – 1400hrs along the Broadway Bexleyheath The team has received reports of males on bikes causing ASB in the carpark area at the Premiere Inn, patrols are conducted daily. If you do wish to pass on information to Police then please contact Crime Stoppers on 0800 555111. Please do not hesitate to contact us via Twitter, Facebook, email and the ward phone. If you are after crime prevention advice, please look at the Met Police website which has lots of information that you may find useful. Remember in an emergency please dial 999 or 101 for non-urgent reporting". Crayford ward:- "Our apologies for a very brief message. We are pleased to say that there have been no residential burglaries in Crayford in the last week. We carried out a 'street a week' in London Road on Wednesday the 20th. We attended a meeting at Town Hall Square Community Hall with our partners from Peabody Trust, local Councillors and residents from Town Hall Square to discuss issues including anti-social behaviour. We will be visiting many addresses around Bourne Road in the coming days to ask residents their thoughts on their local area".

Erith ward;- "This week our patrol and community engagement took us via the Bookstore Café (see photo above). It looks very nice inside and well worth checking out. Other activity - Weapons sweeps have been carried out in west Street, Compton Place and Erith High Street Team have had a meeting with Bexley Council at the civic offices and with MOAT housing officers, which resulted in 2 joint visits to residential addresses with the housing officers. Theft of MV (Motor Vehicle) Thursday14/02/2019 Avenue Road - Victim left engine running on driveway when he popped in to get his coat and when he returned the car was gone; Theft of MV Thursday 14/02/2019 Erith High Street - unknown suspect has stolen the vehicle from the location; Shoplift <£200 Friday 15/02/2019 Farm Foods - suspect entered store and placed legs of lamb in his jacket and left without paying; Theft from MV Friday 15/02/2019, Erith High Street - By suspect taking victim's car keys, entering the vehicle, starting the car before being disturbed and making off with the keys; Shoplift <£200 Monday 18/02/2019 Farm Foods - Shoplifting by suspect unknown at location on said time and date shown; Making off Monday 18/02/2019 Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc, James Watt Way - drives off the forecourt making no attempts to pay; Burg Res Monday 18/02/2019 Tower Road - Residential Burglary gained entry through the front door but didn't take anything untidy search of the house; Criminal Damage Sunday 17/02/2019 at a newsagent in Pier Road - By suspect attempting to shoplift before causing damage to door. Community Contact Session for this upcoming week:- Friday 29th February at the Library - 1pm". Thamesmead East ward - no report this week. West Heath ward:- "The ward has had no burglaries this week. We have however suffered six motor vehicle crimes. A motorbike was stolen from outside a house in Denton Road overnight on Friday 15th - Saturday 16th February. Number plates were taken from a car in The Pantiles in the early hours of the Sunday 17th February and in Preston Drive three cars were broken into overnight Sunday 17th - Monday 18th February and various sundry items such as sunglasses, small change tobacco and a dashcam were taken. There was no damage caused to any of the vehicles and it is not known how entry was gained. Lastly, number plates were taken from a vehicle in Glenview overnight Monday 18th - Tuesday 19th February. The team held a street briefing in The Pantiles on Friday 15th February which was very well attended. Issues raised were the ASB and drug activity in the alleyway behind the shops and lighting. The team have been concentrating our patrols in The Pantiles and will be contacting the landlords to discuss the issues. Our next street briefing is in Brampton Road at the junction with Shakespeare Road at 1pm on Tuesday 26th February".

Regular readers may recall that not long ago I featured a short piece and video about the pedestrian crossing across the Angerstein Wharf Branch Line which is located between Charlton and Westcombe Park Stations. The freight trains one sees on a fairly regular basis travelling on the North Kent line almost exclusively transport sand and gravel to various sites in the region. They load up at Angerstein Wharf. There is a branch line which connects to the main line just outside of Charlton station on the London bound side. This branch line is believed to be the oldest privately owned standard gauge siding in the world. Angerstein Wharf was built and opened by Russian born Charlton landowner John Angerstein in 1852 in order to get rail access to the to Angerstein Wharf on the River Thames; it also ran deep into the old East Greenwich gas works. Nowadays it is purely used for freight. Many of the ballast and gravel trains one sees passing along the North Kent line divert onto the Angerstein Wharf Branch Line. Gravel and sand that has been dredged from the sea is collected by the freight trains for use in the construction industry. No passenger trains run on the branch line, with the notable exception of the very rare special trains run by railway enthusiasts. When I previously featured a video of the pedestrian crossing over the single rail line, I got a lot of very positive feedback from readers. Today I feature a brand new video of the same location, which was created by well known broadcaster and transport enthusiast Geoff Marshall. Give the video a watch, and feel free to either leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The waiting room.

I was a passenger on a 99 bus heading up Fraser Road and into Bexley Road on Monday afternoon; even by the standards of the normally congested junction, which feeds into the narrow bridge across the railway adjacent to Erith Station, the traffic was at an uncharacteristic crawl. I debated getting off the bus at the stop opposite Christ Church Erith, but on a whim decided to wait out the delay, as I was in no special hurry at the time. When the bus eventually reached the railway bridge, it became apparent that there was a reason for the congestion and delay. Five fire engines, six Police cars, including an unmarked Citroen Cactus and a couple of ambulances were crowded around the Eastern side of the De Luci fish roundabout, where it appeared that a metallic green Ford Ranger sports utility vehicle had been hit by a heavy goods vehicle. As I went past on the bus, I could see that the firefighters had cut the roof from the Ford Ranger, and appeared to have once person on a stretcher, whilst a group of other firefighters were crowding around the back seat of the wrecked vehicle; I could not see what they are doing, and to be honest I was quite thankful for this. The situation looked grave, but the emergency services were working quickly and efficiently to rescue the people involved in the distressing incident. What did surprise and to be honest, annoy me, was the number of civilian bystanders who were taking photos of the Police, ambulance and fire crews whilst they were working to save the unfortunate victims of the crash. Nobody seemed to think that it was inappropriate or distasteful to record video or take still images of what could have been at least one potential fatality. Suffice to say that even though it would have made a very news worthy item, I did not take any images. The accident highlights how dangerous the De Luci fish roundabout really is. One of the main problems is the number of foreign lorries who enter the roundabout quite fast, and with limited room to manoeuvre - usually after having come along Bronze Age Way; because the lorries are left hand drive, they have great difficulty in seeing vehicles that are already on the roundabout and are looking to use the third exit. It is easy to see how a foreign driver could fail to see a vehicle under such circumstances. The onlookers appeared to be treating the tragic situation as some kind of sideshow, which I felt was in very poor taste. There have been a number of projects suggested to widen the road bridge which crosses the railway next to Christ Church in Bexley Road, as this acts as a bottle neck, being only a single lane wide, whilst the other roads connecting to the De Luci fish roundabout are all dual carriageways. To date, apart from some temporary remedial brick work carried out on the bridge a couple of years ago, nothing has actually come to pass. What do you think? Did you see the accident, or the aftermath? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Earlier this week, the RSPCA declared that Erith, Thamesmead, Sidcup, Abbey Wood and Lower Belvedere as crisis sites for unauthorised free, or fly grazing areas for unwanted horses and ponies. Free, or fly grazing sees animals tethered and left on areas of open ground, waste land and even on football pitches or other areas intended for leisure use. in an interview with The News Shopper, RSPCA Inspector Nicholas Wheelhouse said:- "We find some people who have horses and have just kept them on undeveloped land, but as the developers are now snapping up these sites, the horses are being moved on. The knock-on effect is that with a shortage of green land we are finding that the owners are then tethering their horses on the side of the roads or keeping them in very poor makeshift enclosures, not even fields. It’s an issue that I as an inspector am seeing on the increase, as sadly, if the horses are not attended to well enough, welfare problems can start and that's when we become involved. I’ve seen horses in places you wouldn’t ever expect them to be and many in really built-up areas," he said. The practice of “fly-grazing” has become increasingly common both in the local area, and also around the country. Thousands of horses and ponies are being abandoned by their erstwhile owners as irresponsible breeding, spiralling bills and sale prices which have reached rock bottom take their toll. A pony can fetch as little as £5 at auction – if it sells at all, whilst stable costs, feed and vets bills can amount to around £100 per week per animal. The six main horse welfare charities have come together to compile a report on the situation; it would also appear that the European appetite for horse meat may be fuelling the situation – a £5 pony can turn into a £230 carcass on the European meat market. It may be that ponies are actually being farmed for live export to France, Belgium and Italy. The RSPCA have called for legislation that will enable them to more quickly identify owners and punish them with fines and the seizure of animals for fly-grazing. They also want a review of agreements allowing the free movement of horses not intended for slaughter between Britain, Ireland and France. The British horse population is thought to be just under one million animals in size. The vast majority are owned privately for leisure – a sector which, unlike the horse racing industry, has not historically been tightly regulated.  A new bill was brought into law a couple of years ago which hopefully may go far to changing this situation, thought to date implementations seems to have been patchy. The Control of Horses Act 2015 made changes to the law to deter people from illegally grazing or simply abandoning horses on public and private land, which, as mentioned earlier, is known as ‘fly-grazing’. As many as 3,000 horses are thought to be illegally fly-grazing across the country. The changes mean horse owners who fly-graze their animals without permission can now be dealt with more quickly and effectively. These changes to the law will give rural communities greater powers to deal with thousands of horses that are left to graze illegally without the land owners’ permission. Horses that are left to fly-graze can now potentially be re-homed much more quickly and effectively, improving the welfare of these animals and preventing disruption to communities. By allowing abandoned horses to be re-homed much more quickly, this act should encourage owners to pay proper attention to their animals’ welfare and ensure communities are no longer blighted by the illegal practice of fly-grazing, although in reality this is often not the outcome. Under the previous Animals Act 1971 an abandoned horse could only be disposed of after 14 days through sale at market or public auction. The 2015 Act means fly-grazing horses have to be reported to police within 24 hours, and owners now have four days to claim their animals. Previously, an abandoned horse could only be disposed of through sale at market or public auction. The 2015 law extends the options for dealing with abandoned horses, which now include private sale, gifting and rehoming. Hopefully this will go some way into resolving the long standing problem, although with the announcement of the local fly grazing crisis areas by the RSPCA on Tuesday, this in actuality does not seem to be the case. Actually determining the owners of the fly grazed animals is often very difficult, as the animals have no registration or other ownership documents. The owners are now resorting in some cases to leaving sick animals to die, rather than having them properly treated by a vet. Only last week the corpse of a pony was discovered in a small field in Sidcup. It would seem that no amount of legislation will stop the misuse of ponies and horses if the authorities are not prepared to enforce it properly.

Every few months, the IT press publishes a story along the lines of "this will mark the death of Email" highlighting some product or application which they think will end the dominance of Email, yet it never actually happens. Despite social networking (which many will know I personally despise) and other communication tools, venerable Email continues to the the tool of choice for very many people. This week Google, as the single largest web based Email provider in the world, announced what appeared to be a serious hack to their Email service. The truth was something rather more mundane. Gmail users in both the USA and Europe reported last Monday that that someone has indeed created and sent spam with forged email headers. These not only override the send address, so that it appears a legitimate Gmail user sent the message, but it also mysteriously shows up in that person's sent box as if they had typed it and emitted themselves. In turn, the messages would also appear in their inboxes as sent mail. Users have been noticing and reporting the problem for a few days on Google's Gmail help forum. In each case, users said that messages they never wrote were showing up in their folders. While using fake headers to disguise the source of spam emails is nothing new, it is very unusual for a copy of those messages to appear as sent mail. This, understandably, led Gmail users to worry their accounts had been hijacked. Google says there has been no breach in this case. Rather, someone has been spoofing email headers. "We have actively taken measures to protect against a spam campaign that impacted a small subset of Gmail users. This attempt involved forged email headers that made it appear as if users were receiving emails from themselves, which also led to those messages erroneously appearing in the Sent folder," a Google representative said in a recent interview on The Register website. "We have identified and reclassified all offending emails as spam, and have no reason to believe any accounts were compromised as part of this incident. If you happen to notice a suspicious email, we encourage you to report it as spam." How exactly the spammer was able to not only spoof the headers but also make the messages appear in mail boxes of the faked sender is still a mystery. According to experts, there isn't anything too serious to worry about here, and Google was not in any way hacked or compromised. Rather, this is one of the basic functions of Gmail that, in this case, is being abused by annoying scumbags. A technical staff member at IT Security company Spamhaus, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Register website that messages fall into the sent box when the person being spoofed is BCC'ed with the spam. Gmail notices that the BCC'd user was also listed as the sender, thanks to the spoofed header, and in an attempt to tidy things up, puts the message into the sent pile. In a legitimate context, this is a nice way to avoid inbox clutter – in this case, however, it tricks folks into thinking they have been hacked. The bottom line is that your Gmail account is actually secure.

I had occasion on Wednesday to travel on the Bexleyheath railway line to Denmark Hill. I have visited Bexleyheath Station a couple of times in the last few years, but I am not that familiar with the place. I discovered shortly after reaching the station that I had just missed a Victoria bound train - the one I needed to catch to reach Denmark Hill; the Victoria trains only run twice an hour, so I had something like a 25 minute wait for the next one. Somewhat miffed, I pondered what to do with the time. It was then pointed out to me that the London bound platform at Bexleyheath Station has something one scarcely sees nowadays - a properly appointed waiting room for the use of passengers. As you can see in the two photos above - click on either for a larger view - the waiting room is light and airy, and immaculately clean. There is a small library of books available under an honesty service - if you take a book, you are asked to replace it with another for someone else to read. Pot plants are on the window sill, and the centre table even has a visitor's book - which has been signed by hundreds of people leaving compliments about the unexpectedly well - looked after and hospitable waiting space. Whilst I was there, a member of station staff came in to check that everything was as it should be in the waiting room - she even made sure all of the books in the two book cases were standing up straight. I understand that future plans for the waiting room include a gallery of paintings by local artists - apparently the final arrangements are being put into place for this over the next few weeks. The 1920's vintage parquet floor adds much character to the place. I had been entirely unaware of the waiting room until this week. I am pleasantly surprised by such local "hidden gems". If you know of any similar places in the local area that most residents are entirely unaware of, then please let me know, either by leaving a comment below, or by Emailing me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Now for the weekly local safety and security news from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. First an update from Barnehurst ward:- "Sadly we have had a Robbery reported on the ward this week. On Saturday 21st April at 9.30 PM the victim a male aged 14 years old was in the play park in Manor Way / Northall Road with a group of friends when five black males allegedly entered the park, surrounded him and using force stole his bag containing his mobile phone. If you have any information regarding this or any other crime please call 101 or report online, alternatively call crime stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. The team have been busy this week robustly dealing with reported motor bike Anti Social Behaviour across the ward. On 24th April we seized an off ride motor bike from a local youth after he continued to ride anti socially after having received a Section 59 police reform act 2002 warning only 5 days previously. We have also identified another youth using an off road dirt bike, he was issued with a section 59 warning this week, we will see if he learns his lesson. Of note the seized bike was insured and the rider had a relevant licence, legal or not if you ride anti socially we will take your bike. Section 59 is an excellent tool that we can use in addition to reporting the rider/s for road traffic offences, once a warning is given if a similar offence is committed within 12 months then we can seize the bike. The warning is issued to the rider so if he changes or uses a different bike then we will seize that as well, there is no limit to the number of times that a bike can be seized after the first warning is given. On a lighter note the team were invited into Mayplace Primary School as mystery readers, a fantastic idea where surprise guests read to the year one children, they certainly were not expecting the police to turn up. Our book of choice was ‘Hairy Maclary ‘. Finally please join us for a chat about any local issues that may be concerning you. A member of the team will be at Barnehurst Golf course at 1pm on Friday 4th May. Please spread the word. We are on twitter @MPSBarnehurst and Facebook just search Barnehurst Police". Belvedere ward:- "The AA came to assist the team at ASDA this week fitting anti-theft number plate screws to vehicles in a bid to reduce vehicle crime in the area. 28 vehicles had screws fitted. 11 people also showed an interest in Neighbourhood Watch in a bid to reduce other crime such as burglary. We will be holding more similar events soon! PCSO Worrall has been delivering letters to hundreds of houses to further increase Neighbourhood Watch coverage. PCSO Worrall has also be patrolling and visiting the new streets we are due to be gaining on May 3rd to introduce ourselves to the new community. PC Holmes will be issuing a rider with a Section 59 warning for using a vehicle in an Anti-Social manner, meaning if done again their vehicle can be seized. That is the 5th section 59 we have issued this Spring. We conducted enquiries regarding a potential welfare concern of a resident, however all was well. PC Holmes and PC Green dealt with a vulnerable female who was lost from a Belvedere home and was unable to speak. The team managed to ascertain who she was and get her home safely. We have had 1 burglary and 1 attempted burglary this week, so please look out for your neighbours and report suspicious activity". Brampton ward:- "Brampton Ward continues to be relatively crime free with only two crimes of note reported between the 19th and 26th of April. Both were shop liftings with meat stolen from Sainsbury's in Brampton Road on Tuesday 24th, and a basket of wine taken from the Co-op in Pickford Lane on Monday 23rd. CCTV is being checked and investigation ongoing. Targeted high visibility patrols are continually in operation in the battle against anti-social behaviour and burglaries. A battle we appear to be on top at the moment. Please stay vigilant and remember it’s local elections on Thursday 3rd May, with all new ward boundaries coming into force". Christchurch ward:- "We are happy to mention that we have no reported burglaries on the ward over the last week. We have had one attempted burglary reported on the 19/04/2018 at Upland Road Bexleyheath. The suspect had tried to gain access to the property via the front door. We have had a report of a theft from motor vehicle that was reported on the 18/04/2018. A window was left slightly open and items was taken from within the vehicle, vehicle was parked up along West Street; A theft of mobile phone was reported on the 21/04/2018. The victims phone was taken from the shop counter in the Foot Asylum store. We also had another one reported on the 18/04/2018, a phone was taken when it was unattended along Rochester Drive; Also a theft of a purse was reported on the 21/04/2018 along the Broadway Shopping Centre. Recently we have been having issues with vehicles causing anti-social behaviour in the ASDA car park. The team have strategies in place to deal with the issue. Just to remind you all, on the 26th April we have our contact point which will be held at the Central Library Bexleyheath at 4pm. We will be there for one hour, if you are around please feel free to come and speak to us. We are keen to set up more Neighbourhood Watches on our ward. 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". Colyers ward:- "Unfortunately this week there was a nasty distraction burglary to an elderly resident in Eversley Avenue. The resident employed gardeners after receiving a leaflet through the door for ‘Kent Tree Surgeons’. Whilst others worked in the garden one asked to use the facilities after which they all went to lunch but did not return. A short while after the resident discovered a large amount of cash was missing. There appears to be a series of similar burglaries linked to these ‘Tree Surgeons’. A window was criminally damaged to a property in Birling Road by persons unknown. A hire car was stolen from an address in Merewood Road Barnehurst sometime between Saturday 14th and Thursday 19th April". Crayford ward:- "We are pleased to report that there have been no burglaries during the last week. The team have conducted several mini traffic operations around Crayford at different sites during which the following offences were dealt with; 1/ Obviously speeding; 2/ Two vehicles for no insurance (which were seized and taken to our police pound); 3/ Driving without due care an attention; 4/ Driving without a test certificate; 5/ Driving not in accordance with a licence; 6/ Section 59 issued to a moped rider who was riding erratically causing ASB; 7/Driving whilst using a mobile phone. We have also carried out two plain clothed operations in an attempt to deal with the drivers of two vehicles that have apparently been seen dealing and smoking drugs in Heatherbank Close. Four weapon sweeps have also been conducted around the ward this week". Erith ward:- "On Wednesday night we had our Ward Panel meeting I will provide an update from the meeting next week when I have had a chance to process it all. We had a meeting with residents in Park Spring court about ASB from youths in the area. A housing officer also attended and an action plan was put in place. Weapons sweeps have been carried out across the ward as well as arrest enquires. Seized drugs on Erith Pier - Class A and B drugs have been found in a vehicle in Cricketers Close Erith after plain clothes patrols in the area". Lesnes Abbey ward:- "Burglaries: Garage burglary occurred on Thursday 20/04/18 on Abbey Road between the hours of 08:45 and 09.15. The unlocked side door to the garage was wide open. The victim went down the garden to investigate and found that one of the two ‘up and over’ garage doors leading to an alleyway which runs the entire length of the road, was also wide open. 3 children’s pedal cycles taken; Attempted garage burglary on Thursday 20/04/18 between the hours of 03:05am and 03:24am on Abbey Road. The padlock was broken, nothing was taken as the alarm was activated. Apparently the suspect walked off; A distraction burglary occurred in Bedonwell Road on Thursday 20/04/18 between the hours of 13:45 and 13:50 hours. The two elderly residents had let in 2 males ,who stated that they were doing work on another resident’s property at the bottom of the victim’s garden and that they needed to inspect the fencing. A jewellery box was taken. A burglary occurred in Bedonwell Road on Friday 21/04/18 between the hours of 11:30 am and 07:30 pm. The front door was locked and secured however the outdoor was shut but not locked. Upon returning later that day ,the victim’s discovered the inner main front door, which is made up of safety glass, has been smashed and entry has been gained - an untidy search has taken place within the majority of rooms within. The victim’s did not note anything missing at the time other than a small yellow wristwatch which was taken from a jewellery box in the main front bedroom". North End ward:- "Two theft from motor vehicle offences in the last week. On Weds 17th April around 11am, a resident left their car unlocked in Manor Road and returned a few minutes later to find their handbag had been stolen. On Friday 19th April at 4pm, in Northend Road, a resident left their car keys in the ignition (engine was off) then a few moments later saw a male take the keys from the car and run off along Northend Road. Both crime reports have been generated by not securing the vehicle. No matter how long you are away from your car, always lock it as you never know who is around. PC James arrested then de-arrested a male on Saturday morning in Appold Street Erith. The suspect was stopped as he was smoking cannabis but would not give any details as to who he was. Upon arrest, the correct identification was given and documents to prove it. He was de-arrested but given a cannabis warning for being in possession of cannabis and smoking it in the street. At last weeks ward panel meeting the three promises chosen for us to keep a closer eye on over the next few months were ASB in Daleview, Frobisher Road Crime prevention patrols and Boundary Street – Keeping an eye on the blocks as they are slowly emptied of residents before re-development". Northumberland Heath ward:- "One residential burglary in Hythe Avenue this week which took place on Saturday April 21st between 11am and 9.45pm. Entry was gained via an open kitchen window, an untidy search as conducted but thankfully nothing was taken. The victims believe they may have been targeted for Asian Gold; One commercial business burglary in Bexley Road early on Sunday morning April 22nd. Entry was gained by lifting a fence panel in a garden at the rear of the shop premises, two rear doors were forced to gain entry. Cash was taken from the till along with cigarettes and goods to the value of £2,000; One criminal damage to a vehicle parked in Collindale Road on Monday April 23rd. Youths were seen throwing objects in the street which resulted in a windscreen of a vehicle being smashed. The Northumberland Heath Ward Panel meeting was held at St. Paul’s Church in Mill Road last Thursday April 19th. This was well attended and it was decided that the team would continue to focus on anti- social behaviour and community engagement in the coming three months. The next Coffee with Cops event will take place at the Sunshine Café in Parsonage Manorway on Friday May 4th between noon – 1pm". Thamesmead East ward:- "No Burglaries to report on Thamesmead East this week. Thursday 18th April. Criminal Damage, Kale Road - By persons unknown writing and scratching offensive words on front door of victims property; Criminal Damage, Seacourt Road - The victim reports damaged by persons unknown etching the letter “X” into the wooden gate causing damage; Criminal Damage, Cherbury Close - Suspect caused damage to glass on patio door at the rear of the property, however the victim stated that this is the second time in 1 year that damage has been caused to her property. She does not believe she is being targeted, just that it is down to the fact her house is on the end of the row, where some children play. She believes that damage has been caused on this occasion by the children; Saturday 21st April - Attempted Theft of Cycle, Manor Close - At approximately 7.45pm the victim went outside his house to ride his bike when he saw a group of young males. After a few minutes one male suspect approached the victim and asked if he can ride the bike. When refused the suspect said “Give me your bike!”. The suspect then attempted but failed to grab the handle bar of the bike. The victim rode towards his house being chased by the suspect. When the suspect reach the front door he was met by the victims dog on the doorstep. PC Pruden dealt with a neighbour dispute by Community Resolution whereby the views of the victim had been considered and the suspect had accepted responsibility, apologised and agreed to have no further contact with the victim. While on patrol on Tuesday 24th April in Harrow Manor Eay PC’s Pruden and Nana responded promptly to a call where a member of the public found a knife near a building site. The knife possibly left by a workman was recovered before getting into the wrong hands and safely disposed of. PC Nana Arrested a male who was in breach of a court order. This week saw the last joint Ward panel meeting between Thamesmead East and Lesnes Abbey. Anyone wishing to join the Thamesmead East Ward panel please contact a member of the Thamesmead East Team on the details above. There will be a police contact session at the police base in Kale Road on Saturday 5th May between 2-3pm. Please come along".

The end video this week is a bit of a curiosity; it features clips of vintage cine film from around the London Borough of Bexley. Do give it a watch, and see what you think.