Carnegie scaffolding.

The two photos above were taken by me on Thursday afternoon; they show the scaffolding being erected around the old Carnegie Library in Walnut Tree Road, Erith. Finally this outstanding, historic local building is being refurbished after years of being neglected by Bexley Council. I understand that work will begin in January, though details are somewhat sketchy at present.  More in future updates.

Well, the News Shopper have finally caught up with the scoop that I published last Sunday - the story about Bexley Council no longer supplying recycling hoppers for empty drinks cartons and plastic packaging at their recycling facilities around the borough. The News Shopper have finally reported the story, over a week after I broke it. Cabinet member for community safety, environment and leisure, Councillor Peter Craske said in a News Shopper interview that:- “We pride ourselves on being the top London borough for recycling waste and we urge all our residents to recycle their waste responsibly. Unfortunately, because of the minority spoiling these sites, it is no longer cost-effective to keep them running for the little recyclable plastics and cartons they produce. We hope that residents will continue to recycle as much as they can through their normal weekly collections". I would be not at all surprised if Craske and his council buddies have to backtrack on this decision in the not too distant future. It is almost certainly going to increase the amount of illegal fly tipping in the borough. I understand that Bexley Council spends something in the region of £300 per load of fly - tipped materials that they hire their waste contractor to collect. Bearing in mind that Bexley Council claim to have the highest rate of waste recycling in Greater London, this seems to be a very short - sighted and retrograde move, and one that I strongly feel that they will soon regret.

The congestion situation at the Dartford River Crossing shows no signs of improving; the Woolwich Ferry has once again either been completely unavailable, or reduced to a single ship - the vessels currently in service are at the end of their service lives, and are repeatedly breaking down. New ships are on order, but until they arrive in the summer of next year - and go into service after new mooring berths are constructed - work which will begin next October, all things being equal. The ferry service will close completely during the construction work, so it is quite likely the upgraded ferry service will not actually start until early in 2019. The new ships will be called the 'Ben Woollacott', after a former deckhand on the ferry who died in an accident, and the 'Dame Vera Lynn', after the legendary singer who was born in Woolwich. As of now, we have nearly a further year of disruption and loss of service whilst the old and worn out ships have to continue to provide the much needed ferry service. As previously mentioned, many lorries are unable to use the Blackwall Tunnel, which was not designed for modern, lorry based, shipping container type traffic; consequently many lorries use the Woolwich Ferry - but if this is unavailable, as has regrettably been the case on many days over the last few weeks, the heavy lorries have to go massively out of their way and travel down to the Dartford River Crossing. Not only does this greatly add to the congestion, but it increases the level of air pollution in the area. Historically, the Dartford River Crossing has encountered challenges ever since it was first constructed, and over the course of the years, several interesting and creative approaches have been made. Back in December of 2013, I wrote about a short lived bus service that carried cyclists through the tunnel. Last week I was contacted quite out of the blue by a professional transport expert called John Burch; John and I have known each other for more years than I care to recall, although we had lost contact a long time ago. John had come across the piece I wrote on the specialist bus service, and agreed to write a guest article on the unusual bus service for cyclists using the Dartford River Crossing. John writes:- "The original Dartford - Purfleet tunnel was formally opened to traffic on 18th November 1963. The joint committee formed to operate the tunnel had decided on safety grounds, that cyclists needed to be transported through the tunnel and anticipated such a need for transport that a fleet of 5 lightweight specialised double deck buses were to be ordered. These would allow the service to operate daily every 6 minutes from 0600 – 2200. The Ministry of Transport drew up specifications for 5 vehicles and an invitations to tender was issued in August 1961. The tender was won by Strachans Coachbuilders. The chassis was a Ford Thames Trader with a Ford 6D diesel engine. London Transport had been ordering Thames Traders for its service vehicle fleet at the time which probably influenced the decision of the chassis. The cost of the whole fleet was a little over £12,000. They had 33 seats in the top deck which was reached by climbing two short stairways on each side. The vehicles also had 3 ladder like steps below the stairway to be used to board or alight away from the special platforms. The vehicles reversed into one of a pair of loading bays on each side of the tunnel. These had surrounding platforms for loading the bicycles and to allow ease of access to the top deck. The lower deck could carry 23 ordinary cycles and had a large rear accessed boot area for the carriage of tandems, perambulators, sidecars and tricycles. When they were first constructed the vehicles were found to fail the tilt test because of their strange construction. They had to be extensively modified. The frame height was lowered by using special springs and a non standard front axle, which also gave a wider track. The rear wheel track was also increased. Steel rebound straps having rubber buffers were provided for both axles and the rear springs were fitted with Metalastik rubber spring aids. They were 30’ long, 7’10” wide, 14’ 3” high, with a wheelbase of 17’ 8½” and track of 5’ 10”. Ford had to undertake various modifications to get the vehicles through the tilt test. Then as late as October 1963 the Tunnel Manager raised concerns about the safety of the vehicles. The driver could only see a very restricted view of the passenger compartment and he was worried that anyone moving around on the bus could easily fall from the open stairway. This may have been why the vehicles were fitted with special 9-00-20 (10-ply) tunnel type, with a special tread on the sidewalls to resist scuffing on the kerb. Similar tyres had been used on normal London buses operating through existing Thames tunnels for many years. This work was undertaken at the old Poplar LT garage. The decision was taken to get London Transport to operate the vehicles and the nearest garage was the Country Bus department garage at Dartford. This was my local country bus garage. The vehicles were all based here for maintenance and operational purposes. They were given LT fleet numbers TT1-5 (526-530FJJ). They carried London Transport’s green Country Bus livery, but were always actually owned by the Dartford Tunnel Joint Committee and bore the legend DARTFORD TUNNEL CYCLE SERVICE. Originally four vehicles were required for the service with one spare. I have a copy of the original timetable which allows for a 6 minute headway service, but it soon became apparent that this was far too ambitious. The service requirement was reduced and by April 1964 it was down to one bus. With costs running at £2,550 per month and revenue of only £45 per month the service was abandoned in October 1965. The TT class vehicles were replaced by an on demand Dartford Tunnel Land Rover towing a special bike carrying trailer. I used this later service several times myself at a cost of 6d per single journey! The TTs were stored first at Dartford and then at Northfleet garage before being disposed of. All five TT class vehicles were sold to Don Everall commercial vehicle sales in Wolverhampton in March 1966. Don Everall was a Ford dealership and was also a coach operator running, not surprisingly, a lot of Ford coaches. TT3 was known to have been used briefly by Don Everall as a mobile advertising hoarding for their coach our programme and then subsequently during 1968 as a campaign vehicle against potential nationalisation. This doesn’t seem to have saved their coach fleet from acquisition by the National Bus Company during the late 1970s. There was little interest in purchasing these specialised vehicles from Don Everall. Later in 1966 TT1 was used by Trucks and Palletts (Scotland) Limited based in East Kilbride where it was used in connection with experiments for a pedestrian controlled bus transporter. The battery-electric Bus Transporter was a piece of equipment designed to move buses. It had a lifting capacity of 5 tons and a towing capacity of 10 tons. It was claimed to be a safe, simple and efficient means of towing buses and other heavy vehicles under construction or during repair and maintenance operations. It featured a powered hydraulic lift. I believe that TT1 was acquired to demonstrate this lifting unit. I remember reading reports about this at the time as the vehicle was observed by enthusiasts at the East Kilbride location. I think it may later have returned to Don Everall, so perhaps it was only on loan or hire. Don Everall’s own driving school used two of the TT class vehicles for driver training. One at least was still being used for this purpose during 1967. All except TT4 were eventually scrapped. Their mechanical components were presumably recycled for further use. TT4 was the only other Dartford Tunnel cycle bus to find a new owner. It was sold to Shrewsbury Corporation for, I believe, conversion into a mobile library. Whether this ever actually happened I don’t know, but the vehicle certainly bore the Corporation coat of arms and carried a faded blue livery. Shrewsbury Corporation ceased to exist in 1974 following local government re-organisation, which suggests TT4 was sold by the corporation before then. Nothing more was heard of the vehicle for some years and it was assumed it had been scrapped. In February 1985 I joined a new company set up jointly by Leon Daniels, then MD of London Pride Sightseeing and Peter Newman, Chairman of Ensignbus. I found myself working with a whole bunch of transport enthusiasts and thus began one of the happiest periods in my career. A couple of months after starting there, Leon told me that he and some of the others were planning a few days away and asked if I’d like to come along? He told me that there was something that they were going to see that I might find interesting. So off we went late one afternoon driving to Shropshire. We booked into a B and B in the Marches that Leon had used before. The following day we headed off to a location that Leon wanted to keep secret. He took us to an old quarry where a dealer had stored lots and lots of old Land Rovers and other military vehicles. One of Leon’s colleagues had come across this place several years previously while looking for old Land Rover parts. It was when he had entered the quarry that he found something quite astonishing. Knowing Leon’s interest in buses he passed on the location and Leon later went there and found the vehicle that he had taken me to see. We headed into the old quarry passing derelict old vehicles until we found the vehicle which was parked up against a cliff face. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was a TT class vehicle...". Part two of John Burch's story of the Dartford Tunnel Cycle Service Bus will be told next week. Do look out for it; feel free to leave a comment below. or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

After many years of having a policy of closing down public lavatories, I am beginning to wonder if Bexley Council are now beginning to have some kind of rethink. I noticed that when I passed on Wednesday afternoon, the public toilets located on the corner of Heron Hill and Woolwich Road, opposite the Eardley Arms pub, and adjacent to the former Belvedere Splash Park; the toilets were open, and some workers were refurbishing them. The work seemed to be quite extensive, and whilst very much welcomed, it did get me wondering if the council will extend the work to other closed toilets? I know that the public lavatories in Erith Town Centre were not closed for the reasons the council stated - according to Bexley Council. they were closed due to vandalism, but in reality they were closed to save money on cleaning and maintenance. Instead a privately run automated loo was installed opposite the Health Centre. Not only dues this unit charge for use, whereas the previous lavatories were free to use, but it is also out of operation on occasion. Do you have any information on local public toilets, then please let me know by Emailing me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

I wrote last week on the subject of moped criminals, and how it seemed to be that their local activities seem to have been curtailed of late; I gave the opinion that it could at least partially be attributed to the cold and wet weather keeping them indoors. I have since discovered that the Police, both locally and over other parts of Greater London have been very active in combatting these criminals. A new squad has been set up in Central London to deal with the threat from the extremely mobile crooks. Undercover police snatch squads are dragging suspected moped thugs off their bikes in a radical new tactic to combat thieves and smash and grab raiders. Teams of plain clothes officers are mounting ambushes on criminals using mopeds or scooters while they are caught in slow moving traffic as they ride into the West End. They are deploying the snatch squads at traffic “pinch points” and strike when the moped riders are forced to come to a halt. Four thieves on two mopeds robbed people of mobiles in Islington and Camden before police deployed a ‘stinger’ to trap one of the bikes in Islington.  Earlier the same day seven men on mopeds raided a luxury watch store in Fleet Street while brandishing a Samurai sword, bars and knives. The “snatch and grab” tactic is being deployed by officers in Westminster as an alternative to the more risky policy of pursuing moped robbers at speed through the streets. Whilst these crimes are being carried out in central London, there is intelligence that some of the crooks involved are coming from other parts of the capital, including South East London and North Kent. So far, two moped riders have been dragged off their machines by police. One has been jailed for three years for robbery offences and another youth, aged just 14, has been charged with a series of moped enabled crimes. A third youth was also tracked down later and arrested and charged. The tactic is one of several new innovative methods being pursued by the Met to combat the scourge of moped robbers in London. Police are using the “stinger” devices to deflate tyres and a forensic Smart Water spray to mark individuals committing offences so they can be identified later. The spray has been used more than eight times across London in recent weeks. Detectives have been forced to adapt their tactics because of the risks of pursuing scooters at high speed through London’s crowded streets. This new "Get Tough" policy has also started to produce results locally; a well - known local repeat offender called Luke Jervis, aged 28, of Darenth Road, Welling was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on Wednesday, 29 November after pleading guilty to dangerous driving. Jervis was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment for driving his off-road motorcycle dangerously, without insurance and whilst already disqualified. In addition to the prison sentence, Jervis received a further five-year driving disqualification and the motorcycle he was in possession of when arrested will be destroyed. The criminal idiot had been illegally riding on Sunday, October 1 between 1pm and 5pm, Jervis had been caught red handed, performing high-speed stunts in Norman Road, Lower Belvedere, on an illegal, unlicenced and uninsured motorcycle whilst being cheered on by a group of around ten young children, aged between approximately 10 and 14 years old. Now the scumbag has been sent down, and the bike scrapped - a great result all around.

Now for the weekly local safety and security reports from the Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly from Barnehurst ward:- "Sadly we have had two burglaries on the ward since our last update. One being in Watling Street and the other in Halcot Avenue We believe that the offences are linked, the properties back onto one another and the method of entry is identical Both occurred on the 1st December between 2PM and 6PM Entry gained by suspect smashing a window in the rear UPVC door and reaching through, opening the door with the keys that had been left internally in the locks. Properties have been searched and electrical and jewellery items removed Please make sure any UPVC doors are securely locked and the keys removed when nobody is at home Unbelievably over the weekend from the 1st December, mindless vandals have entered Mayplace Primary School grounds and have damaged benches, play equipment and toys, if you have any information of theses or any other crimes please contact police or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Join a member of your local team on the Tuesday 12th December,11am at Barnehurst Golf Course to discuss any local issues that you may have or just pop along for a chat We are having a few issues with our Facebook account and the page has not been updated in a while, we are hopeful that the issues will be resolved shortly, we will keep you updated, in the meantime please follow us on twitter @MPSBarnehurst for updates as to what your local team are up to and crime prevention advice". Belvedere ward:- "A busy week for the team this week. We held our quarterly ward panel meeting on Thursday 30th November where it was decided that through December and into the New Year, we will be our focussing on Burglary and Robbery offences and also Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) on the ward. Our next ward panel meeting will take place in February 2018 (the date of which is as yet not confirmed). A member of public recently reported a machete had been found in the upper part of Lesness Abbey woods near to Nelson Road/ Walden Close, which she discovered whilst walking her dogs. PC Green and PCSO Worrall attended the area and located the item which has now been collected and has been requested to be destroyed. After a great deal of work by PC Holmes due to reported crimes taking place, the team were joined by officers from neighbouring wards (Thamesmead SNT, Colyers SNT, North End SNT) and a warrant was executed on the Belvedere Park estate in Lower Belvedere. From this, 3 males were arrested for various offences and there is a great deal of investigatory work to follow. Also, we have also recently been contacted by Councillor Francis who informed us that residents of Ruskin Road have raised concerns around various issues. We have arranged a ‘street briefing’ which will be taking place on Saturday 9th December at 12pm. This will be an opportunity for residents to speak to the team and discuss any issues that they would like to bring to our attention. Finally, our next crime prevention surgery has been arranged for Monday 11th December 2017 at the Belvedere Library on Woolwich Road. The team will be in attendance from 10.30am". Brampton ward:- "Quite an uneventful start to the month. Since Dec 1st we have had 2 shop liftings from the Co-op in Pickford Lane. One residential burglary in Percy Road, where the garage was broken into but nothing was taken. A shoplifting from Wells pharmacy in Brampton Road where cosmetic gift sets were taken. And finally criminal damage to a motor vehicle in Normanhurst Avenue where victim had her tyres slashed". Christchurch ward:-  From a Neighbourhood Watch Member in Gravel Hill - "My neighbour's husband has just called in. His wife was driving her car and turned right into Gravel Hill (from Gravel Hill Close). She saw two youths smashing up the bus stop on the Broadway bound side of the road and she called out to them to stop. They used foul and abusive language and started to run towards her car but they couldn't get across the road and she was lucky to be able to drive away as she was frightened she was going to be attacked. That is all the information we have. It all happened so quickly that it is unlikely that she would have any description of them but it is worth mentioning to the Watch to be on the lookout for this happening elsewhere. It is terrible that people can vandalise things in that way and behave threateningly towards others". Colyers ward:- "Another week has passed and I am delighted to say that for the second week running, Colyers Ward has a zero in the motor vehicle column, in relation to thefts of any type. This is great news. In regards to burglary, there has been just the one in Venners Close overnight from the 2nd to the 3rd December. The porch doors had been left unlocked and so entry was gained into the porch. An attempt was made on the inner door, but access not gained and some damage caused. Cigarettes were taken from a jacket pocket in the porch. We are also aware of a burglary on Northend Ward in Eversley Avenue. I mention it because it is literally one house off our border, so please be aware. It is very important that all doors are locked. Leaving porch doors open is very common and it gives a burglar a chance. Two locked doors is far more of a deterrent than one. Remember, Santa is the only person you want gaining access to your home this Christmas". Erith ward:- "Our issues from the last few months of Theft from motor vehicles has started to decline, so well done to everyone who has followed our crime prevention advice. Burglary has risen a little this week. This is going to be due to xmas being around the corner, Once again please make sure your doors are locked and widows are closed. Do not leave piles of presents under the tree which could be seen from the street outside". Lesnes Abbey ward:- "Good news - PC Moore has joined the team. Burglaries - a burglary occurred on Thursday 30/11/17 in Knowle Avenue. Home crime prevention - When the nights get longer keep the burglars guessing. Make your home look occupied by using timer lights. Motor vehicle crime - Overnight between Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th in Holcote Close, a motor vehicle was broken into and items taken. Incident reported on 2nd December. Check your car security - Have you locked your doors and windows? Did you know that 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. Don't give thieves a happy Christmas! Out Shopping - Beware of pickpockets. Stay alert and keep your bags close to you. At home - Note frame numbers of bicycles/colour/make. Note serial numbers/make and model of electrical goods. Register your property for FREE and improve your chances of getting it back if it is lost or stolen and help reduce property crime, register at: www.immobilise.com". North End ward:- "A busy time this past week. Masked men entered McColls in Forest Road last Friday lunchtime while the cash machine was being repaired and took away thousands in cash boxes. Fortunately nobody was hurt during the incident. We had a burglary in Eversley Avenue overnight Saturday, whereby the UPVC door was forced and both cars stolen after the keys were taken from inside the property. 1 car has been recovered. Please ensure if you have a UPVC door to lift the handle AND turn the key and the handle along is not enough to lock the door. 1 theft of motor vehicle in Maynard Close and 2 x Criminal damage to vehicles 1 in Howbury Lane and 1 in Ely Close. A public order type incident occurred on Monday evening at Britannia Close involving several males, reassurance patrols are ongoing and team contact details have been delivered. We assisted our Belvedere colleagues in executing a warrant this past week with 3 arrests made for various offences. The ward officer pulse bus has resulted in several cannabis warnings issued along with a few stop and searches and moving on a group with 2 off road bikes down by Erith Yacht Club. This weekend we are hoping to attend the St Augustines Church Christmas fete from 11am Saturday and from 5pm on Sunday is the annual Carol Service at the same location where we will be hoping our singing skills will be noted! We also welcome back PC James Telfer to our Northend Team giving us 2 PC DWO’s and one PCSO DWO. Please say hi if you see any of us around. The next police surgery is at on Friday 15th December at 1800hrs at the Pier Road Safer Neighbourhoods team base. Please feel free to attend". Northumberland Heath ward:- "We have had a shed burglary in Becton Place on Thursday November 30th. The suspect stole some children's winter coats, a Christmas tree and sentimental tree decorations which cannot be replaced. On Tuesday November 5th between 5pm and 8pm a house in Bexley Road was burgled. Entry was gained was attempting to force a rear window by smashing it and gaining entry using the key. £600 in cash was stolen from the address. Please take extra care during the run up to Christmas. Make your property look occupied when you are out by leaving lights on or investing in some timer switches which you can plug the TV, Radio or lamps in to. Crime prevention advice can be found on the Met Police website. https://www.met.police.uk/crime-prevention/residential-burglary/ Sadly, in the last week we have had a report of an elderly resident in Penhurst Road being the victim of a scam. A male knocked at their door stating they were doing repairs to a neighbour’s house and that the guttering on the victim’s property could be cleaned for a one off special rate. The Male took £150 from the victim before leaving and stating that he would return in twenty minutes and did not return. We have received two further reports of this taking in Mill Road and Bedonwell Road, luckily the residents did not part with any cash and the male went away empty handed. The team are continuing to focus on anti-social behaviour in and around Dickens Close and are conducting regular patrols and stopping youths loitering in the area. The next drop in Police surgery will be held at the Library in Mill Road Erith on Friday December 15th between 4pm – 5pm". Thamesmead East ward:- "Burglary - Binsey Walk Thursday 28th November 2017 between 10pm - 8am the vacant property in a block due for demolition, pipes, wire and a boiler stolen; Baylis Avenue, Saturday 2nd December 2017 was at Thamesmead Town Football Club between 1230 - 1252pm 1 mobile phone and a watch was stolen from an unlocked changing room. Theft Of Motor Vehicle Southmere Drive on Monday 4/12/17 between 5-7pm by suspect unknown removing victims motor cycle without keys. Thamesmead East and Lesnes Abbey assisted colleagues from Belvedere in the execution of a warrant on Mon 4/12/17 after reports of theft of post on the Belvedere Park Estate. The warrant was successful with 3 males arrested and a large amount of property seized for investigation; The team attended Parkway Primary School on 6/12/17 to give a talk to year 5 about Criminal responsibility, a question and answer from pupils was taken afterwards.  The Thamesmead East Police Surgery will be held on Tuesday 12th December 2017 between 2.30-3.15pm at Thamesmead Library (temporary premises) Binsey Walk SE2 9TR. Shop safe – keep your purse or wallet secure. Always lock your car when unattended, even for a few moments. Never leave items in view in your car or home. Tell your neighbours if you are going away and ask them to keep an eye on your house. Always report anything suspicious".

The end video this week is an excerpt from the popular Canadian documentary series "How It's Made" - which can be seen on several channels in the UK, including Quest. The video shows how the low volume, hand built Caterham Seven sports cars are assembled in the Caterham Cars factory in Kennet Road, Crayford (not Dartford, as the narrator says, but cut him some slack - he's Canadian and not likely to know the subtleties of local geography). Give it a watch, and leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The petition.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Pom Pom.

The photos above were taken by me on Friday, when I was the guest of Maggot Sandwich reader Manjinder, when he showed me around the building and conservation work that is currently being undertaken on the former Royal Alfred pub in Manor Road, Erith. Manjinder writes:- "A little about our story, in 2002 we bought a shop on Manor Road from a local chap called John Webb, 6 years later in 2008 we purchased a pub on the same Road called The Royal Alfred.  The shop was very small and we saw the opportunity of buying the pub to expand the business to bigger premises. The pub was previously run by Steven Taylor who was part of a family that ran some local pubs, Lord Raglan and Cross Keys were two of those pubs.  Although a steady trade it’s fair to say that from a business view point of view it was neglected and in decline. In addition to the opportunity of expanding our shop, the pub was also large enough to build some living accommodation on top, so we started plans to build flats above the pub. Major challenge the building work has been, but has definitely put a spring in our days learning new things and meeting all trades once you are involved you can't get enough! the challenge has been to make the flats above as much in touch with building as possible the open space , large windows, high ceilings etc, There was much concern locally that we would knock down the pub and also our planner suggested it as an option, but it was never entertained by us as we view the building as a landmark of the town and now the fact that when it is turned into a shop more people will share this with us. The local community will still be coming in for their drinks, but this time the drinks will be consumed off the premises! 'New Light' is the name most locals in Erith knew the Royal Alfred as, this name I am led to believe was given by local fishermen, as it was one of the first places in Erith to have electricity hence the light of the pub was visible from the Thames when the fishermen returned home.  After a chat with planning at Bexley Council we mutually agreed that the name above the door, The Royal Alfred will stay permanently! Thank you to all of the local community who have been supportive of the project and we look forward to seeing you all at the new shop." This is excellent news - the upstairs of the former pub will be large, light and airy apartments that reflect the history of the former pub, whilst the downstairs will be a larger version of the popular and long standing Londis corner shop that so many local people rely on daily. I think Manjinder and his family are onto a winner. I have already been invited back for another viewing when the conversion work nears completion. 

I am firmly of the opinion that Erith is heading for a renaissance. For the first time in several decades the town is growing in a positive manner. Not only are nearly two thousand new homes being built in the immediate vicinity, but many new enterprises are starting up. We have the new steak and fish restaurant shortly to be opened in the retail unit opposite Argos in Erith Riverside Shopping Centre, which will be the first proper “sit down” restaurant in the town centre. Fit4less – the new gym is opening at the end of October in the long empty units opposite Erith Health Centre (one observer commented that it could not be located in a more suitable location – should a gym user put their back out, they only need to go across the road to see a doctor). The old betting shop in Pier Road has been repurposed as a tutorial centre for children, and the old Blockbuster video hire shop has been turned into a soft play centre for small children. Erith is slowly becoming a much nicer place to live and work. I was told by someone in a strong position to know that they felt that in five years’ time Erith would be more akin to somewhere like Hoxton – a very desirable place to live that also formerly had been a fairly challenging environment in the past.

In a move that I don't think many could have seen coming, Bexley Council have announced that they are now back tracking on their plan to  privatise the borough’s libraries under a joint outsourcing exercise with Bromley Council. Proposals to outsource the borough’s libraries were revealed last October, but the council has decided to continue running the library service in-house following the receipt of tenders. Bexley and Bromley already share back office operations in many areas as a way to save costs. Some Bexley libraries have been handed over to local volunteers to run, but this has proved to be difficult - getting enough voluntary staff to ensure that the libraries are open for their usual hours is a challenge. What Bexley will cut in replacement for the libraries is unclear at this stage, but you can rest assured that cut further services they will. 

The Friends of Christ Church Erith are holding a fundraising quiz night on the evening of Saturday the 22nd October from 7pm until 10pm in the Church Hall, which is located behind the church in Victoria Road, Erith. Tickets are £5 each. I will be there - do feel free to come along. You can get tickets either by Emailing me at hugh.neal@gmail.com or by contacting focce1874@aol.com. You can read more about the Friends of Christ Church Erith by clicking here. 

UK residents have little faith in the government's ability to securely handle their private data - according to a wide-ranging survey which echoes findings by the National Audit Office last week. Just 22 per cent believed that the government has appropriate means to stop cyber-attacks and identity breaches, according to 1,500 people polled by YouGov on behalf of security consultants Covata. Only 37 per cent said they were confident that the government would keep their personal data secure; while 32 per cent believed departments would not be able to share information securely between public sector bodies. The findings come as the government intends to increase the ease with which the public sector can access citizen data via the Digital Economy Bill. However, 51 per cent said it would be easier to use online government services if departments could share more information. A recent report by the National Audit Office slammed Whitehall for its poor information security practices. It found the Cabinet Office is failing to coordinate the UK's government departments' efforts to protect information. It reported 9,000 data breaches in the seventeen largest government departments in 2014/15. Some 54 per cent named security as the number one priority for moving more government services online. In an open letter to the government, Covata wrote:- "At the very least, all sensitive information should be encrypted by default. Strict controls must be in place to guarantee that only authorised personnel can access this information. Who attempts to access which files should be constantly monitored to ensure no breaches of protocol. Departments should make it impossible for files to be shared by unauthorised channels, such as consumer-grade file sharing or cloud-based platforms". A little self interested coming from a security consultant perhaps, but nevertheless a fair comment. If government departments are concerned about data security, then the banks are even more worried - and some are taking some serious moves to deter fraud. I have explained in some detail in the past regarding the problems with banking, and the various methods criminals use to defraud the law abiding public. Nowadays there is little point in carrying out an armed robbery on a bank branch – the risks are great, the rewards limited, and the sentencing harsh in the very likely event that the perpetrators are caught. Conversely online fraud offers potentially unlimited gains, small risk of detection and comparatively lenient sentencing in the unlikely event of capture and conviction. It seems logical that cyber-crime is on the ascendant – however much we all detest it. Last week I explained how vulnerable “tap and pay” debit cards are to data interception and exploitation. This week I have some rather more encouraging news.  Today both Société Générale and Groupe BPCE, two of France’s largest banking groups, are preparing to roll out a new form of bank card that is substantially more secure than those currently in service.  The new cards use a patented technology called Motioncode. The cards initially look pretty much similar to bank cards that we are all familiar with, but on the back, where the signature strip is located, there is a small LCD screen which displays three additional digits, which change every hour for up to three years when the card is replaced. The additional digits are synchronised with the banks systems so that even if your bank card gets cloned by fraudsters, the verification code will only be valid for an hour, after which it will change. This is a similar security approach to that used by a number of large companies that use SecureID to verify remote access to their IT systems. Using an hourly changing additional verification number on a credit / debit card makes it exponentially more secure – but of course still vulnerable to physical theft. Motioncode technology is still in a relatively early stage of development, but it is hoped that it will be available in the UK within a year – here’s hoping the UK banks adopt it sooner rather than later.

The photo above shows a piece of Erith's history which is shortly to go for auction in the USA. The rather impressive looking Victorian naval gun is a Maxim 37mm heavy machine gun / light cannon built in 1890 in Erith. The reserve guide price for the weapon is $150,000 to $250,000. The video below was published recently on YouTube by a historical weapons expert called Ian. He tells the history of obscure and obsolete guns and the stories around them. In this video he recounts the history of the 37mm Maxim heavy machine gun / light cannon. It was popularly known as the "Pom Pom" gun, due to the noise it made when firing. Some locals will see where this story is going; The Maxim factory in Fraser Road, Erith (what is now the BATT Cables factory and warehouse) was where the guns were made in the 1890's, back then there was a test range to the rear of the factory where the guns were test fired before being shipped to their customers. To this day the Eastern end of Fraser Road and the houses in the surrounding area are still referred to as the "Pom Pom", although very few local residents will actually know why. Anyway, you can find out more about the locally made historical weapon in the video below.

Some news reaches me this week that is more than a little timely. Last week I mentioned that it would be nice to see a Micro Pub in Northumberland Heath. This week I got news that a planning application has been submitted to Bexley Council for a Micro Pub at 100 Barnehurst Road, in the shop unit previously occupied by the Aquacadabra the aquarium retailer. I think that Barnehurst would be an ideal location for a Micro Pub – it is close to bus and train public transport, there is only one pub in Barnehurst – and that is The Red Barn, next to Barnehurst station – which is a sports bar, mainly serving lager. This would offer no competition for a Micro pub serving hand drawn real ales in civilised company. It will be interesting to see what happens next – I cannot imagine that anyone would object to a Micro Pub in the area? Many thanks to Andy of The Broken Drum for bringing the story to my attention.

Whilst the mystery behind the continued closure of Moat House may have been solved (see the last edition for details), there are still many unanswered questions relating to the former Potion Bar / White Hart. The steel shuttering that has been fixed to the frontage of the building has recently been taken down, and some workers have been seen in the building. The place is just a shell now, and will need extensive refurbishment and reconstruction. The relatively short lived Potion bar was a hive of scum and villainy; it was Erith's drug supermarket and home to every criminal low life and lager drinker in the area. Both the Police and the Council had serious objections to the place almost from the day it opened - not just from the activities of the knuckle dragging, pond life clientele, but from the way the owners of the bar criminally disfigured the grade II listed building, when they ripped out the original salt glazed tile and acid etched glass frontage and replaced it with the plate glass frontage, contrary to the explicit instructions of the Council. I don't think that Potion Bar has ever turned a profit, despite the owners saving money by employing an unqualified and un - Police registered manager. I understand that the new owners will be obligated to install a replica of the original Victorian façade – the building is located in the Erith High Street conservation area. I am trying to find out what is going to be done with the rest of the building; a planning application was submitted to construct a low rise apartment block in what is currently the former pub’s garden, but I have not seen if this has been granted or not. I understand that the metal shuttering which until recently surrounded the building was installed at the insistence of the building insurers – empty buildings are rather likely to be gutted by metal thieves after copper water piping and electrical cabling. It would be good to see the open plan bar area of the former pub put back into use – though I doubt that it would be licenced premises again. If you have any information on the future of the building, please feel to email me with the information – hugh.neal@gmail.com.

It would seem that Transport for London’s plans for new river crossings to the East of London across the Thames are somewhat confused. Recent announcements by both TfL and the Mayor of London’s Office have promoted a new bridge for pedestrians and cyclists between Rotherhithe and Canary Wharf, a greener Silvertown Tunnel, and a new extension of the DLR to Thamesmead. Other ideas being examined are:- a new river bus between Canary Wharf and North Greenwich, and a new river crossing from Barking Riverside towards South East London. What seems to be missing from all of this is the proposed river crossing between Rainham in Essex and Lower Belvedere, which has been much discussed in the past. As I have previously written, the Rainham to Belvedere link would be best suited to a prefabricated sunken tunnel, using broadly similar construction technology to that employed in the Gillingham Tunnel. All of a sudden this road and rail link seems to have been dropped and forgotten. I am uncertain as to why this would be the case, as potentially a tunnel at Lower Belvedere could really take the pressure off the Dartford River Crossing – which has been suffering with severe congestion problems for a long time. Quite why the Rainham / Belvedere tunnel is now out of favour is not clear, and I know that other local bloggers are equally perplexed. On top if this, the congestion at the Dartford Tunnel / Bridge is now worse than ever – the transition from the toll booths to online toll payment was meant to speed up traffic flow, but in reality the reverse appears to the case. The design of the revised traffic flow actually seems to cause greater congestion. A letter written to the News Shopper last week really outlines this problem – which you can read here. The writer contends that the congestion problems with the river crossing are now reflecting badly on the whole town of Dartford. If you have any insight into the matter, then please drop me a line (which can be in complete confidence) to hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Crayford based specialist sports car manufacturer Caterham Cars have gone what appears to be a bit bonkers - they have launched a Harrods themed model of their sports car. Caterham Seven cars are stripped to the bone, raw track day and weekend racers - luxury in a Caterham Seven is fitting the (optional) heater. A spokesperson from Harrods was quoted as saying:- "Caterham is one of Great Britain's most famous and instantly recognisable motoring brands and it has been a pleasure to partner with the team there to create this Harrods special edition of the legendary Seven." Clearly someone who works there is a fan also! Based around a 420S model, the Harrods Caterham costs - brace yourself - £59,995 and is on display in-store right now. For that you get a gold-painted chassis, Harrods green paint with gold pinstriping, butterscotch leather and embroidered logos on the seats and a similar one on the gearknob. The intention of the car is to show the range and scope of personalisation options open to Seven buyers under the new Signature scheme. The result is a slightly odd mix of trademark Caterham Seven rawness and well-appointed Harrods luxury but, given the idea is you build it to your own specification, the world is your oyster. I can see wealthy people purchasing customised Caterham Sevens from Harrods as a weekend toy. You do sometimes see Caterham Sevens being test driven along Thames Road in Crayford, and along University Way, which leads to Junction One of the M25 and the Dartford River Crossing. This is because the Caterham Cars factory is located in Kennet Road, Crayford, just off the Thames Road.

Google launched a number of new products and services this week, which were widely reported in the popular press, and I won’t repeat here. One thing that did somewhat surprise me was that with all of the new gadgetry launched by Google, and the rumoured launch (that did not actually happen) of their new hybrid computer operating system called Andromeda, which – when it appears – is intended to merge Android and Chrome OS into a single monolithic product designed to be a rival to Windows, OS X and Linux. This was not what I found surprising; instead what I noticed was that Google seems to have given up on tablet computers.  It has been widely known for some time that tablet sales are declining. The most recent tablet sales data has the market at about 150 million units a year. Apple has a quarter of the market and Samsung has about 15 per cent. Vendors in third through fifth place – Lenovo, Huawei and Amazon – won't sell ten million units a year. The tablet market is sliding even faster than the PC market – by about 12 per cent a year compared to five per cent for PCs. It can also be seen that it takes more and more effort to get a tablet off the shelf: Apple has teamed with Deloitte to point out how an iPad might make sense at work, having already allied itself with IBM. Microsoft, meanwhile, has bundled training with its Surface-as-a-service pay-by-the-month plan for its hybrid laptop / tablet Surface products. Those hybrids, by the way, are considered the sole bright spot in the PC market, despite their relatively high price.  It would seem now Google's act of omission shows us that the company's assault on our personal space does not include a frontline role for a tablet computer. This  is not to say that tablets are doomed. They are clearly very handy devices in many applications. Personally I have found tablet devices to be a solution in need of a problem, but I know that many disagree.

Last weekend I carried out a full clear out of the loft here at Pewty Acres. I had not been into the loft for at least ten years, possibly quite a bit longer. To give you an idea as to how long stuff has been stored up there, I found a Sharp video tape recorder – and it was a Betamax model! I managed to clear out everything in the loft, most of which went to recycling. Understandably it was very dusty and I was covered. I did come across something that I don’t even ever recall coming into the possession of. Inside a well – sellotaped  cardboard box was a radio wrapped in a plastic bag. When I took it downstairs and opened it up, I found a mint, almost unmarked portable radio made by British firm Hacker. Back in the 60’s and 70’s Hacker were considered the “Rolls – Royce” of portable radios, and considered superior even to the well-known and widely respected Roberts brand. Hacker Radio primarily marketed its products to the UK domestic market, and were priced towards the top of the market. This, plus the relatively short period of operation (only nineteen years from start to finish) results in a lower brand awareness today compared to other household names such as Roberts Radio. However, Hacker products have a strong following among vintage radio enthusiasts and collectors, and in good condition they are worth serious money. The stated Hacker philosophy was to focus on technical performance rather than cost, and words to this effect are frequently found in printed material from the time. Many examples of their products survive today, and it is widely accepted among vintage radio enthusiasts that the build quality is higher than most similar sets from the same era. The model I have is the Sovereign – the top of the range model, and the version I have is the most highly desirable mark one version, often termed the RP18. This was Hacker's premium portable model, featuring AM and FM reception, and the name was used for four generations of the receiver. - The first generation, the RP18 Sovereign, was released in 1964, and was slightly larger than the contemporary Herald, which was the entry level model. The case was leather cloth-covered wood with padding for the front and rear panels, and was only available in charcoal black. The same large loudspeaker was used. The FM front end was bought in from German company Görler, and the rest of the tuner sections used Mullard AF11x-series transistors. User-adjustable station markers were provided to indicate the position of three favourite stations - but as these could only be moved over the lower half of the FM band (which only extended to 101 MHz), they were intended to locate the three national BBC services available at the time. The reason Hacker went out of business was that they would not lower their build quality, or technical standards in the presence of cheaper competitors from the Far East, principally Japan. Unfortunately my Sovereign is currently inoperative. I have installed two new PP9 batteries in it (the radio requires 18 Volts DC to operate), but it is dead. Fortunately I have located a specialist repairer of classic radios who can fix my Hacker and bring it back to life. I will be investing a few quid in getting the prestigious vintage radio back in full working order.

The end video this week comes from a young chap called Jamie Moreland; he runs a YouTube channel call Update News. He covers local news and current affairs stories with video reports like those of a broadcast TV news channel. He's very good, and I can see a bright future for him if he went on to become a professional news reporter. Have a watch, and see what you think.