Incinerator blues.

I took the photos above last week. Click on either for a larger view; they show the former Belvedere Police Station now surrounded by wooden fencing; demolition work has already begun. Inevitably a block of residential apartments is to be built on the site. In essence, Belvedere Police Station was shut and sold off to save the Metropolitan Police £91,000 a year - only a little more than is paid to employ a single Chief Superintendent. I am not sure how this is meant to represent good value for money, but the decision has been made, and the current situation is a "done deal". What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

As regular readers will be aware, I have in the past benchmarked the activities (or indeed lack thereof) of Bexley Council against our close neighbours on the opposite side of the River Thames in the London Borough of Havering. The two boroughs are remarkably similar in many ways; both have a broadly similar population demographic, geography and council tax budget, yet it seems to me that Havering seem to get much more out of their finances than Bexley do, and this is not just me thinking that "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence". As an example, the News Shopper have ran a story last year about the anniversary of the cancellation of the very popular Danson Festival. It is now six years since the council cancelled the annual festival, erroneously stating that this was a temporary cancellation due to problems with the geology of the park, and drainage issues. In an interview with the News Shopper, a spoke person for Bexley Council said:- "Unfortunately Danson mid-park is not currently suitable for large-scale events such as the Danson Festival. The council saves approximately £150,000 from not putting on the festival. Whilst the festival has not been held for a number of years, we have recently increased the number of community and cultural events we have hosted and supported – and we continue to look at new opportunities to bring the community together to share experiences and celebrate". In reality a festival has been held in Danson Park since - but it has been run by a commercial events company called Oakleigh Fairs, who charge for admission. The fair is running this weekend, and entrance fees are £7 per adult, and £4.50 per child. Attractions include arts, crafts, food, drink, gifts, and trade stands. On Sunday, a Companion Dog Show, and a children's entertainer. This all rather contradicts the statement that the park could not be used due to drainage issues. The real reason is that Bexley Council do not want to spend £150,000 on the very popular event. It is my understanding that the free, council run festival in the past actually operated at a modest profit. This all does look rather poor in comparison with Havering, who run a huge event in Harrow Lodge Park, Hornchurch during the month of August. The very popular event, which is having its 41st anniversary this year, which will be held on August Bank Holiday Weekend, Sunday 25th and Monday 26th August 2019. Acts appearing include:- Aswad, Toploader, Alison Limerick, Eban Brown, Mr Soul, Livin' Joy, Oye Santana, Exposé, Tina Turner Tribute, Robbie Williams Tribute. There will also be a large Fairground, Fairkytes Live Stage, a Community Performance Stage, Licensed Bars, Street Food and Children’s Attractions. All this at a cost of £3 per adult, and children under 10 go free. Value - wise, the Havering Show looks like it beats the Danson commercial festival hands down - better acts, more stages, a wider variety of attractions and all for less than half the price of the Danson Show. This is not the only way in which public arts are better catered for in Havering; It also plays host to an arts festival, the award winning Romford Film Festival and a Havering in Bloom competition, to name but a few. Bearing in mind that Havering Borough Council has very similar demands and constraints to its budget as Bexley does, it does beg the question, how is it that Havering can offer popular arts and cultural events to its residents, but Bexley Council are unable, or more likely unwilling to? Effectively the arts offering in Bexley is outsourced to third parties, such as the excellent Exchange - a not for profit group who run the former Carnegie Library in Walnut Tree Road, Erith. Other than that, Bexley's offering to its residents is very poor in comparison to neighbouring boroughs such as Greenwich, who run the excellent - if pricey - Blackheath Festival over the weekend of the 13th and 14th of July, and which will feature acts such as Ali Campbell and Astro, Aswad, Brand New Heavies, Grace Jones, Incognito, Jacob Collier, James Morrison, Jamiroquai, Morcheeba, Rag n Bone Man, SG Lewis, Soul II Soul, Swing Out Sister, and The Roots. What do you think? Please feel free to leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Former host of The Big Break and The Generation Game, stand up comedian and former Shooter's Hill resident Jim Davidson is a very familiar TV presenter for anyone in the UK. He has appeared on numerous programmes and advertising spots. His self-confessed bankruptcy woes before successfully bouncing back are why Jim Davidson has been swept up in the latest wave of BitCoin robot software scams. The advert above, which has been created to fraudulently look like it is on the entertainments section of the Daily Mirror website, has been linked to the News Shopper website, as one of their "click bait" articles. At least £41,000 on average was lost each day in the past year to Bitcoin scams, according to new figures. Consumer interest group Which? is renewing its warnings about the dangers of dodgy so-called cryptocurrency investment firms that use fake celebrity endorsements to lure victims. Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency which exists only online and doesn’t have a central bank or country of origin, so can be traded anonymously. Action Fraud figures given exclusively to Which? show in the year to 19 March 2019, more than 1,200 victims collectively lost £15,248,130 to scams involving Bitcoin. Some people found themselves the victims of a double scam after being tricked by bogus companies promising to get their money back, for a fee – only to realise they had been conned once again. To be clear, Jim Davidson never endorsed any of these products. The people behind them simply believe that the public will think he did. Unfortunately, Bitcoin robots are only of use to their owners, who make money from gullible people who trust obviously false advertising claims like this one. Be warned. If it sounds too good to be true, it normally is.

I was watching a documentary on Amazon Prime the other night; it featured an international convention of Beatles tribute bands – there were South Korean and Ghanaian Beatles covers groups, amongst a huge number of others. I did not realise that there is a shop in Liverpool that specialises in selling costumes, wigs and boots to Beatle tribute bands, it is that much of a lucrative market. The programme was light hearted and warm and followed a few of the bands as they visited the locations featured in so many Beatles songs. This got me thinking; The Beatles have spawned a huge tourist industry in Liverpool, with Beatles themed tours, events and shows all over the city, all eager to being in the cash from the tourists eager to explore the place that the band called home. Their major contemporaries have fared less well. When you mention The Beatles, you immediately form an association with Liverpool. When you mention The Rolling Stones, you don’t immediately think of Dartford, do you? Yet the band had their roots in Dartford, even though their music had more in common with the Mississippi Delta than the Thames Estuary.  Apart from the excellent Mick Jagger performing arts centre, there is almost nothing to commemorate the band in Dartford – which is ironic, as unlike the Beatles, The Rolling Stones are still a (just about) going concern. I wonder if a lot of this is because the band abandoned the town to move to a house in West London as soon as they started to find success? There was a campaign to get a blue plaque installed on platform four of Dartford railway station a few years ago – where Mick and Keith first met after both visiting the West End to buy rare American blues records, where they discovered they shared the same musical passion, and the seeds of the band that would become The Rolling Stones were sown. Unfortunately nothing came of the campaign, which I think epitomises the rather ambivalent attitude some locals have to the group. The local area has been instrumental (if you will excuse the pun) in being home to Kate Bush (Welling), John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin (Sidcup) and David Bowie (Bromley). The musical influence this part of South East London / North Kent has had worldwide has had is huge; we just seem to be exceptionally poor at celebrating its’ success.  Going back to The Rolling Stones, one thing which has been unclear for years is the actual origin of their name. Some think it comes from the Muddy Waters song of the same name, which may indeed be the case. The thing is, what exactly is a rolling stone? Well, according to a source I read, it is nothing to do with a stone rolling down a hill. The “rolling stone that gathers no moss” actually refers to a 16th Century carved stone garden lawn roller; so The Rolling Stones, with all of their “bad boy” image are actually named after something you would find in a garden shed...

Other famous local residents have in the past included Sir Roger Moore - Wansunt Road in Old Bexley Village, Bernie Ecclestone (Bexleyheath), Lennox Lewis (Danson), Nevil Shute (Hatherley Road, Sidcup), Delia Smith (Bexleyheath), Michael Crawford (Bexleyheath), Roald Dahl, (Hurst Road, Bexley), Sheila Hancock (Erith), Boy George (Shooter's Hill), and Sir Edward Heath (Old Bexley), and Steve Davis (Danson) All of these well – known and illustrious people have contributed to both the local and the national well-being in one way or another. One other local person was the late and much lamented comedienne, Linda Smith, who lived in Erith for many years.

Here is the outcome of the recent second meeting of the Erith Think Tank, a new group who seek the betterment of the local area. You can see their website here. The meeting notes read as follow:- "Thank you to those who were able to attend our second meeting, where we discussed together 'Why are we here?' and 'How can we achieve our aims?' so as to find common ground on the purpose of this Group. Each attendee was asked to answer these two questions, and to discuss their answers in small groups. Then each group was asked to write down the key responses on larger paper, which was pinned to the wall, and presented to the other groups. There was LOTS of positivity in the room for Erith and its future, and it's been a pleasure to read the responses. We have documented all the responses, and attached them, should you wish to read through. Based on this information, I have drafted the following manifesto. I hope you'll agree, it covers the big-picture issues discussed, and will provide a 'mission' for the group going forward. I invite you to email me back with thoughts, comments, suggestions for edits etc. 

1. The Erith Think Tank is a place where members of the community can meet, get to know one                another, and discuss issues pertaining to Erith. 
2. We will meet regularly, and endeavour to understand each other. 
3. We are passionate about, and wish to celebrate Erith, our community and our members. 
4. We want to support positive change, and help Erith to realise its potential. 
5. We will use the groups expertise and work together to achieve our aims.
6. We will create a 'register of assets' that celebrates Erith, its community and it's businesses. 
7. We aim to give Erith a co-ordinated and strong voice that engages with and represents all aspects       of the community.
8. We aim to inform, in plain language, about plans for Erith's present and future.
9. We will engage with and nurture a dialogue with decision-makers and the Council.
10. We will gain an understanding of how the Council works, how decisions are made, and by who,          and translate/explain this to the group and wider community, with a view to influence these                  decisions. 
11. We aim to understand, participate in and influence any regeneration.
12. We will propose ideas that improve Erith. 
13. We will identify problems, and propose solutions.
14. We will create group Ambassadors, responsible for different topics (ie youth engagement,                     environment, planning). 
15. We will create a support structure for 'projects'.
16. We acknowledge that trust and respect need to be built between us, the community and the                   Council, to create better dialogue. 
17. We will develop a plan to attract and involve the community (including youth) through effective           networking on a variety of platforms. 
18. We will prove that the group is an asset to the community and the Council. 
19. We aim to challenge and provide alternatives to the current consultation process.
20. We will scrutinise decisions, and agitate when our demands are not met. 

We look forward to hearing from you.

Johnny / Team Think Tank - you can contact the think tank at:- eriththinktank@gmail.com.

The technical press have been following up a story that I featured a while back relating to the Metropolitan Police running a series of tests of facial recognition technology. The Metropolitan Police have been trialing facial-recognition systems for a while now. The technology was rolled out to monitor partygoers attending the Notting Hill Carnival in 2016 and 2017, as well as at the Port of Hull docks and Stratford Transport Hub. Last year, it was estimated the technology had a whopping 98 per cent false positive rate. In January this year, it emerged that the Met had blown more than £200,000 on facial-recognition trials with little or no arrests to show for it. Privacy organisations such as Big Brother Watch, a British nonprofit, have urged the Police to stop using the technology. The Information Commissioner, UK’s data protection watchdog, has launched an investigation into how the police are using face-scanning and biometric systems. Facial-recognition technology is a contentious issue. Experts have been critical of its inaccuracies and biases. Now, an independent report has been published which raises serious doubts about the use of the technology. Researchers from the Human Rights, Big Data and Technology Project, based at the University of Essex Human Rights Centre, identified significant flaws with the way live facial recognition (LFR) technology has been trialled in London by the Metropolitan Police Service. Facial recognition technology trialled by the Metropolitan Police is highly inaccurate and its deployment is likely to be found "unlawful" if challenged in court, according to the reports authors; Professor Fussey and Dr Murray were granted unprecedented access to the final six trials, running from June 2018 to February 2019. From those, the authors found that just eight correct matches were made out of 42 suggested in total. LFR technology allows for the real-time biometric processing of video imagery to identify particular individuals. The software processes the images in order to identify any faces, creates a digital signature of identified faces, and then analyses those digital signatures against a database referred to as the "watch list". An alert is then issued by the police control room and may be available on officers' portable devices. However, accuracy of the watch list data also remains a challenge. Legacy data-handling systems meant data relevant to watch lists was spread across different databases and each watch list entry needed to be assembled by manually extracting and merging records from each of these locations, the University researchers found. The report noted it is possible for LFR software to be integrated into police body-worn cameras. That could be used to create a database of individuals' movements within a city, which in turn could be automated to identify any unusual patterns. Professor Fussey and Dr Murray are calling for all live trials of LFR to be ceased until these concerns are addressed. They noted it is essential that human rights compliance is ensured before deployment, and there be an appropriate level of public scrutiny and debate on a national level. Murray said in a recent press interview that-: "This report raises significant concerns regarding the human rights law compliance of the trials. The legal basis for the trials was unclear and is unlikely to satisfy the 'in accordance with the law' test established by human rights law. Ultimately, the impression is that human rights compliance was not built into the Metropolitan Police's systems from the outset, and was not an integral part of the process". In January this year, it emerged that the Met had spent more than £200,000 on facial-recognition trials with little or no arrests to show for it.

A new campaigning group has just been set up locally; the group's spokes person writes:- "The proposed second Cory incinerator in Lower Belvedere project has prompted the formation of a new group Greenwich-Bexley Environment Alliance. With encouragement from among others: The Crossness Nature Reserve, BNEF, Belvedere Ward Councillor Dave Putson, and Mark Alexander-Smale Head of St Augustine’s School we have formulated a petition and web site. The web site (NOT ANOTHER INCINERATOR IN BEXLEY) can be found at www.naiib.org and the petition initiated by Jenni White. I am sure your readers will be interested to know that The Cory Incinerator project is already opposed by among others: The Mayor of London, GLA members, the MPs for Thamesmead, Bexleyheath and Rainham. However as influential as their opposition may be, it may not be enough, as you may know HM Government will make the final decision. Today, schools in Bexley, Greenwich and Havering have been appraised by us of the petition etc. but in order to achieve success we need a wider audience. Time unfortunately is pressing, and the Planning Inspector is expected to make his decision on the project later this month". Jenni White, of Slade Green set up the petition partly due to living off the A206 main road, where pollution levels and traffic jams are already a daily problem; she reports that "One day I counted 8 lorries passing before I could turn onto the main road this was at 11.30 a.m!" Jon Cruddas MP for Dagenham and Rainham has launched a petition against the plans which will undoubtedly have a severe impact on air quality in his constituency, particularly Rainham and the Beam Park development area. On his website, Jon writes:- "Incineration is the least environmentally friendly form of waste disposal after landfill, and the energy produced by this scheme if approved is not enough to justify the negative impact it would have on the London Riverside Opportunity areas. Over the last five years recycling rates have stalled across the UK whilst government approved waste incineration has doubled. The Tories seem to have a complete disregard for our environment and the quality of air we breathe. Thermal Energy from Waste (EfW) plants do deliver large energy generation benefits however, they do this by destroying waste materials in a harmful way which releases air pollutants and greenhouse gases on an industrial scale. The use of EfW plants will also have an impact on recycling rates in London with much recyclable waste being redirected and incinerated. I am in complete opposition to the proposal and next year when these plans open up I hope that both local authorities in my constituency will join me in opposing the development. I will also be writing to the Thames Estuary Commission raising my concerns. The application fails to meet the Mayor of London’s key environmental and air quality policies included in the London Plan and draft London Plan, and as such the Riverside Energy Park is not supported by the Mayor of London. It is expected that in early 2019 local authorities will be able to respond to the proposals in the pre-examination period". What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly a report from Barnehurst ward:- "Once again there has been no reported burglaries during the past week however in Colyers Lane on Friday 28/06/2019 between 04.30pm and 06.35pm a small brick wall to a flower bed had been damaged in a rear garden and footprints were see near the rear window of the property, there was no sign of any attempt to enter the property. In Grassmere Road on Saturday 29/06/2019 at 05.50pm officers stopped two males after they were seen in Colyers Lane driving with hazard lights on. One male was found in possession with a substantial amount of cash. Drugs were found following a search of the vehicle which led to both males being arrested. The investigation is ongoing. The team continue to be proactive around the ward concentrating on areas that have recently been targeted for vehicle crime. Our next community contact session will be held on Thursday 18th July 2019 at 11.00am in Barnehurst Golf Club". Belvedere ward:- "There has been an increase in thefts from motor vehicles in the Belvedere Park Estate recently. It appears that cars have been targeted with a device that unlocks the car without using the key. Please be on the lookout for anyone acting suspiciously or out of place. If you see a crime being committed call 999 immediately, or if you suspect anyone please contact Police via 101 or our website. The team recovered a stolen motorbike on Monday in the alleyway next to St Augustines School. It was battered but in one piece. Stolen in May from Crayford. We will be conducting forensic examinations to see if a suspect can be linked. We also arrested a wanted burglar on Monday. They had recently moved to the area from central London, however an address was found and they have been brought in for questioning. PCSO Jay gave a personal safety and home security talk to the Evergreen Care Group. They are a charity that care for the elderly and will pass on the advice given to their clients, as well as taking on board what was advised. Jay also gave a crime prevention talk to the Asian Ladies Group, who meet weekly at the Community Centre. The group found the talk helpful, so much so that Jay has been invited back! If any other groups would like an input (formal or otherwise) from the team please get in touch. Garage burglaries have also increased recently. Latest is Mossdown Close sometime over the past week whereby several thousands of pounds worth of items were taken. A white van was involved in this theft and CCTV enquiries are continuing. Same advice as above, if anything suspicious seen call Police". Bexleyheath ward:- "Sunday 30/06/19 - There was a report of a theft of push bike along the Broadway, bike was locked up but still taken; Friday 28/06/19 – Report of a Theft of motor vehicle along Ennerdale Road Bexleyheath; Thursday 27/06/19 overnight into Friday 28/06/19 – Report of a theft from motor vehicle along Meadow Close Bexleyheath; Friday 28/06/2019 – Report of a theft of motor vehicle along Oakhouse Road Bexleyheath; On Wednesday 26/06/19 – A purse was reported stolen along the Broadway Bexleyheath at about 1230 midday. The team regularly conduct patrols along drug hot spot areas and ASB areas on the ward and conduct regular stops & searches where necessary. On Thursday 11th July – The team shall be holding a contact session between 10am and 11am at the Central Library Bexleyheath". Crayford ward:- "There has been three reports of theft from motor vehicles on the ward, brief details below: Wednesday 26/06/2019 – Bourne Road; Friday 28/06/2019 – Green Place Dartford – Number plates stolen; Tuesday 02/07/2019 – Outside Nando's Crayford Rd Tower Retail Park; Also there has been two reports of theft of motor vehicles reported: Monday 01/07/2019 – Alcock Crescent Crayford; Tuesday 02/07/2019 – Thames Road Crayford. There is a contact session that has been arrange for anyone that wishes to speak to the team at Crayford Library on Wednesday 17th July 2019 between 10am and 11am".

Erith ward:- "Theft from motor vehicles is increasing. Please see my crime prevention advice in the top half of this email to help reduce this. Theft of Motor Vehicle Monday 24/06/2019 14:40:00 Compton Place; Burg - Bus / Com Friday 28/06/2019 Bexley College - Walnut Tree Road – Window broken to the café food items stolen; Burg Res Saturday 29/06/2019 17:00:00 Bexley Road – entered via window; Theft from Motor Vehicle Sunday 30/06/2019 Lower Road; Theft of Motor Vehicle Monday 01/07/2019, Lower Road; Burglary Residential Monday 01/07/2019 Cricketers Close – Entered via rear door; Theft from MV Monday 01/07/2019 15:30:00 Parkspring Court, Erith High Street; Theft from MV Monday 01/07/2019 17:00:00, Hawthorn Place; Theft of MV Sunday 30/06/2019 07:00:00 Carlton Road; Theft from Motor Vehicle Tuesday 02/07/2019 Callender Road Theft of MV Sunday 30/06/2019 05:00:00 Fire Station, Erith Road; Theft from Motor Vehicle Sunday 30/06/2019 16:30:00 Queen Street Baptist Church, Queens Road. The next Community Contact Session in Erith is on Friday 12/07/19 at Costa Coffee Erith at 1pm". Northumberland Heath ward:- "This week the team say goodbye to PC Tom Smith who will now be joining the Barnehurst Team. We look forward to meeting our new PC - PC Lucy Butler when she joins the team in a couple of weeks. The team continue to target ASB on Bexley Road and surrounding Alleyways, working together with the schools and local authority. Very pleased to say, there have been no burglaries, and no Motor vehicle crime on the ward this week. Our next community contact session is on Friday 12th July at 4pm in the Mill Road Library. Please do come along and meet a member of the team and discuss any issues or concerns you have, or just pop in and say hello". Slade Green and Northend ward:- "One burglary to report between Thursday June 20th and Thursday 27th - jewellery was stolen from a house in Manor Road while the owners were on holiday. Entry was forced through the back door with no neighbours reporting seeing anything during the time frame. PC's Mark and James assisted our sergeant who had caught a male in Erith causing criminal damage to a vehicle and James arrested the male. After a short chase on Saturday, Mark and James caught a male in Appold Street who was found in possession of drugs. As he was a minor, he is due back for interview next week. PCSO Mark  attended Peareswood school (Friday 5th July) and Monday 8th. Friday is for a year 6 personal safety talk before they move on to secondary school and Monday is to assist them at Erith Sports Centre as the whole school takes part in their Race For Life event. Our next Community Contact Session is from 1130 on Tuesday July 9th at St Augustine Church to make up part of their Welcome café which starts at 11am".  Thamesmead East ward:- "Burglary: Sydney Road Tuesday 2/7/19 between 2pm – 11pm Victim's room in a house of multiple occupancy was broken into causing damage to the door. An untidy search was conducted by suspect/s unknown, nothing reported removed at this time; Lensbury Way Wednesday 3/7/19 at 9am victim had been alerted by a resident that a suspicious male was seen in his garage and had got into a vehicle and driven off. When victim went to the garage both padlocks had been removed and a petrol lawn mower had been removed. Theft from Motor Vehicle: Grange Crescent Wednesday 26/6/19 between 11:30pm - 9:10am Thursday 27/06/19 victims vehicle was broken into by suspect/s unknown various items stolen from within; Hartslock Drive Friday 28/6/19 at 11:50am victim walked away from the vehicle for 5 minutes leaving a handbag and mobile phone in full view. When victim returned to vehicle a male suspect was seen smashing the vehicle window both items had been removed without victims consent; Sydney Road Friday 28/6/19 between 4pm – 11am Saturday 27/6/19 victim's vehicle was parked on victims drive an untidy search was carried out by suspect/s unknown nothing reported stolen; Kale Road Tuesday 20/6/19 – 2/7/19 Victims vehicle has been broken into while victim was on holiday; Landridge Road Tuesday 2/7/19 at 1245pm Victims vehicle windscreen smashed and mobile phone removed from vehicle without victims consent by suspect/s unknown. Theft of Motor vehicle: Southmere Drive between 16/3/19 – 29/6/19 victim's motor bike was removed without consent. Criminal Damage: St Andrews Close Saturday 29/6/19 at 11:12PM a brick was thrown through the living room window of the victim's property. No suspects seen or heard running away; Mangold Way Monday 1/7/19 between 9pm – 10pm Victim stated his neighbour had caused damage to his fence resulting in several glass jars to smash. Good News. An area which was reported to us for drug taking was patrolled routinely. 3 males were stopped by PC's Nana and Pruden they were searched, cannabis was found. One male was given a warning in the form of Community Resolution. There will be a street a week on Tuesday 9/7/19 at 7pm in Sydney Road.  A social network called Nextdoor has been launched which aims to encourage social interaction between neighbours and make people aware of crime in their area. The social network has already been trialled in 500 neighbourhoods across the UK. Thamesmead East will be putting crime updates on Nextdoor weekly". West Heath ward:- "One reported shed burglary in Longleigh Lane on Sunday June 30th between 1.30am and 07.30am. It was believed to have been committed by a family member. A number of tools were stolen. We have had a number of motor vehicle crimes reported to us again this week; On Saturday June 22nd between midnight and 7am, a handbag containing credit cards and personal items was stolen from a vehicle parked on a driveway in Lansdowne Avenue; Vehicle number plates were ripped off a vehicle parked in New Road On Thursday June 27th between 7.45am and 6.15pm. The victim left the vehicle to travel by train to London, when she returned to her vehicle she noticed that they had been placed underneath her car; A handbag containing a mobile phone, passport, driving licence and other items were stolen from a vehicle in Oakhampton Crescent on Friday June 28th at 11.50am. The victim left her car briefly for a few minutes before returning to the vehicle to discover a window had been smashed and her bag stolen. The suspect was believed to be a white male wearing a black top and riding a bicycle; A number of equestrian equipment was stolen from a vehicle parked in Pembury Road between Monday July 1st at 2am and 3pm the following day. The victim had left the car locked and secure but discovered the boot and the vehicle open. There was so sign of forced entry. PC Gill Couzens arrested a male on Saturday June 29th for the possession of a large quantity of drugs which is a great result for the team!"

The end video this week features the Erith Playhouse - the largest theatre in the London Borough of Bexley, and home to many amateur productions.

Anchor Bay.

I took the photos above last Sunday afternoon on Erith Pier, after last weeks' blog update had already gone to press. The event was the closure of The Erith Lighthouse Project and the end of The Erith Pier Commission. A lunch for some of the key people involved in the whole series of events was held, along with a prize presentation for some of the children who had created artworks at a series of workshops held over the duration of The Lighthouse Project. The culture, art and pop up restaurant events held over the last few weeks have attracted well over three thousand people, with ages ranging from two to ninety two. Hopefully The Erith Lighthouse Project will become an annual event; it certainly deserves to, after the very positive feedback that it has received from visitors to the various events. 

I must admit that when Cory Environmental announced the fifth birthday of the waste burner plant that they operate in Norman Road, Lower Belvedere, I was surprised - I thought that it had been open for far longer than that. I know that the original proposal for a waste combustion facility had been initially proposed in the early to mid 90's, and that there was a very strong level of local opposition to the construction of the waste burner, which ended up with two public enquiries taking place. In an interview with The Bexley Times, Nick Pollard, the CEO of Cory Riverside Energy was quoted as saying:- "I think we’ve proven ourselves to be good neighbours, we’re part of the Belvedere Forum, we work closely both with local schools and the Neighbourhood Watch, and we contributed £150,000 to the Belvedere Beach project via the Cory Environmental Trust. There’s no smell, and in terms of pollution, the air quality is better here than going for a run in Hyde Park and we produce a third of what a landfill site produces in carbon emissions. The recent widening of the M25 used our material, we’ve produced around 200,000 tonnes of construction aggregate since opening, that’s 200,000 tonnes that doesn’t need to be dug up from the English countryside. The process to produce electricity at the plant does leave left over heat, we’d like to see a neighbour move in next door to put that heat to good use.Whether it’s a commercial or residential property, we could help heat a building, we can even use the heat to help run a cool-storage unit. Because of the delay in building this facility, the UK was somewhat behind some European countries, I’d put this facility up there with any other in the world, and the UK is now starting to catch up, we hear about projects popping up all over the country, there’s one in Southwark and I believe one in Croydon is being developed, Some boroughs are still sending waste to landfill or shipping their waste abroad, it’s strange to think of local rubbish going out to power homes in the Netherlands and Germany when it could be used here. All of the power we generate goes into the national grid, we generate enough power for 160,000 homes a year, that’s roughly the population of Croydon". I must admit that I was somewhat sceptical regarding the Belvedere waste burner, but overall it seems to work quite well; the reduction in carbon emissions compared with sending waste to landfill, and the resultant material being used for construction are two points I had not been aware of. As many will be aware, I am a very keen recycler, and am keen to see less material being used only once. The waste burner is a step away from just jumping rubbish into holes in the ground, but we really need to be reusing / repurposing far more than we currently do. What do you think? Leave a message below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

I have not mentioned any technology stories for quite some time. I am going to make up for that now. I don't know what web browser you are using to read this, but I would hazard a guess that you are probably using the Google Chrome web browser, which is now the most commonly used web browser in the world. For many years in the past, Microsoft were the dominant player in the web browser market, with the much derided and extremely insecure Internet Explorer 6 being almost the sole browser available, and the one that many web sites were coded to work with. Now a whole range of web browsers are available, depending on your computer operating system and personal preferences. Back in 2015, Microsoft launched an new browser that it called Edge, but thus far it has had little uptake, with only something in the region of three and a half percent of Windows users reporting that they use it as their web browser of choice. Bearing in mind that Edge only works on Windows 10, and not on earlier versions of Windows, or indeed other computer operating systems like Mac OS, Linux, Solaris, or any of the BSD Unix variants such as FreeBSD or NetBSD, this is indeed a vanishingly small proportion. Edge was equally notable for what it omitted as for what it added. Features not supported include ActiveX components, Browser Helper Objects, ActiveX Documents, Visual Basic Script, Java and Silverlight. In fact, Edge launched without support for any kind of plug-in, putting it at an immediate disadvantage to competitors such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, and even Internet Explorer 11, which is also included in Windows 10 for compatibility reasons. The one concession to legacy code in Edge was support for Adobe Flash, though this is in the process of being phased out and will be gone completely by the end of 2020, according to current plans. Microsoft had several goals with Edge. One was to achieve a clean break from IE. The company’s mantra used to be “don’t break the web”, as a result of which IE has a complex set of compatibility modes, such as IE9 Standards mode, EmulateIE7 mode, IE5 “quirks” mode and more. The problem is not so much rendering websites that nobody has bothered to update, but more to do with applications, many of them built with Microsoft’s own tools, which rely on features of IE. Such applications can continue performing useful business functions for years after the tools which created them have been abandoned. With the release of Edge, Microsoft no longer worries about IE compatibility; if you need it, just continue to use it. Why do only a minority of users persevere with Edge? One factor was that the first release of Edge was almost unusable. The rendering engine was good, but the surrounding application was poor. Frustrations included no extensions, limited tab management, no choice about where to download files, and crude "Favourites" management. More seriously, some websites did not work properly, despite the company’s efforts. Users who liked or needed IE tended to revert to using IE as much as they could, while those on Chrome or other browsers had little reason to switch. Another factor is that Google exploits its search dominance to promote its browser. Every time you visit Google with Edge, you see an advert for Google Chrome. Edge today is certainly a viable web browser, but Microsoft’s problem is coming up with reasons for contented users of other browsers to switch. The company’s retreat from mobile devices also works against it, since Chrome in particular can exploit mobile/desktop integration. I think that Microsoft face an increasingly uphill battle to get users to switch, when so many other great web browsers are now available.

Local concern is mounting regarding the illegal moped and motor bike riders that have been infesting the local area seem to be getting even more bold in their criminal activities. As I have previously mentioned, that  just on the other side of the River Thames, Dagenham and Redbridge Police are dropping the Met - wide non engagement rule, following a radio debate I took part in on Time 107.5 FM on the 3rd of July, where the Borough Commander of Dagenham and Redbridge Police stated that they were about to trial a new policy of engagement, that, if successful would very likely be expanded to cover all Metropolitan Police areas. Up until now, unless there are very exceptional circumstances, the police will not chase yobs on mopeds, especially if they are not wearing crash helmets. At a motorcycle-related crime forum earlier this month, Government ministers heard there is a perception among the public and some police officers that the police will not pursue suspected offenders riding vehicles at high speeds. In addition, there is anecdotal evidence that criminals are deliberately removing - or not wearing - helmets because it is wrongly believed that police will not continue a pursuit if that happens. The current official Police policy, called the Authorised Professional Practice (APP) states:- "It is in the public interest to protect life, prevent or detect crime, or to apprehend an offender. Staff must discontinue a pursuit as soon as the risk becomes disproportionate to the reasons for undertaking it. Motorcycle and quad bike pursuits clearly present higher risks for suspects than conventional vehicle pursuit. Where such vehicles are used to facilitate serious crime or used repeatedly as the mode of transport for organised crime groups then, to minimise risk to the public from criminality and to secure public confidence in policing, a pursuit may be justified." Feedback that I have received from a number of respected local residents is that if some robust action is not taken by the authorities in the very near future, there are fears that individuals may resort to vigilante action. The news that the Metropolitan Police are at the very least reviewing the current situation is welcomed, though I feel that they will not only need to do more, but that they will need to be seen to be doing more. Following on from this story, it has a happy ending - for one case this time. It is so nice to be able to report something really good in respect of local law and order issues for a change. After so much trouble from the local illegal moped and quad bike riders in the last few months, I am pleased to note that just for once one of the criminal scumbags had actually got his just deserts. Billy Amos, aged 20 from Frobisher Road in Erith (See his photo above - click on it for a larger image of the criminal scumbag) has been sent to prison for illegally riding a quad bike whilst he was already disqualified from driving, and when he had no tax or vehicle insurance. He was sentenced at Bexley Magistrates' Court on Monday, September 25th to one month behind bars, and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £115 and ordered to pay costs of £625. He was also given 6 penalty points on the licence he does not have. It is not the first time the career criminal has been in trouble with the law; in March 2016 he was charged with a total of 12 offences - four counts of theft of motorbikes, one count of burglary, one count of attempted burglary, two counts of driving without a licence, two counts of driving without insurance, and two counts of riding a bike without protective headgear. I am hopeful that this will be the first of many prosecutions and imprisonments to hit the large group of illegal bikers that infest and menace the local area. It has been noted that some of the criminal bikers have developed a kind of uniform, which has been seen over the last few weeks. The “uniform” seems to consist of a matt black full – face helmet, along with a matt black boiler suit. The ride orange and white painted moto cross bikes, mostly around Erith, Slade Green and Crayford. This apparent gang of riders have been reported to local Police. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

I took the photo above a couple of weeks ago - it shows the view looking East from Erith with Anchor Bay, the Slade Green Marshes and the Erith Yacht Club in clear view - click on the photo to see a larger version. It was taken from the same mystery location as the competition photograph from last week; I had one person get very close to the actual location that the shot was taken from, but the competition is now still running.

One of the problems that comes with only being in a position to publish once a week on a Sunday is that if a good story breaks earlier in the preceding week, it can mean that the Maggot Sandwich looks like it is "coming late to the table", when in fact in many cases I was aware of the story well before it broke in the local mainstream press. The following story is a case in point. I was forwarded a press release by one of my occasional confidential sources on Monday, and the story was published by the News Shopper on Tuesday, but I have only been in a position to publish it today. Never mind; I am sure that some people will not be aware of the really good news. National consumer organisation ‘Which?’ has praised Bexley’s food hygiene enforcement record, naming it the best performing London Borough and the most improved authority in the country, after it came at the bottom back in 2015, as I wrote extensively about at the time, with West Street in Erith coming out as the bottom road in the bottom borough in the "Scores on the Doors" food hygiene ratings. The announcement of the drastic and much welcomed improvement since then follows:- "In 2015 Bexley made major changes to the way food safety is investigated in the borough. This included increasing staffing levels coupled with significantly increased inspection, advice and enforcement action to raise standards by lower rated businesses. Bexley food businesses are now among the highest rated for food hygiene in London. Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Environment and Leisure, Cllr Peter Craske said; “Residents across Bexley can eat out with confidence because of the hard work of our food inspection team. This Which? report rightly recognises the importance of this issue. To be number one in London is testament both to our staff and the restaurants and cafes across Bexley who work to maintain very high standards.” Council officers visit around 1,000 food establishments every year to make sure people are safe eating their food. Those that don't meet the standard and have a score below three face formal enforcement action including statutory enforcement notices, closure and fines. Restaurants and takeaways should display their food hygiene score in their window. If they don't, remember to ask what it is before you book, visit www.food.gov.uk or download the Food Hygiene Rating App for Android or Apple". Personally I think that is should be a legal requirement that food outlets should have to display an accurate and up to date "Scores on the Door" hygiene rating sticker in their window - currently, whilst the inspections are compulsory, the display of the rating is only voluntary - this has to change.

This week’s safety and security reports from Bexley Neighbourhood Watch Association, which begins with some special advice concerning garden sheds:- “With winter fast approaching, be sure to secure your shed to avoid a nasty surprise come the Spring: 1) Check that your insurance covers the contents of your shed or outbuildings from theft. 2) Take a look at your shed and consider how you would break in. It’s worth having a good padlock on the door with no exposed screws. Pay attention to hinges, as these are sometimes easily removable. If you have windows then these could be vulnerable unless they’re secured with wire mesh or grills. And keep it locked at all times. 3) Alarm it - consider a battery-operated shed alarm. They look low key but they respond to movement or door contact with an extremely loud siren. It is also important to lock, hide and mark the contents. Visit https://www.met.police.uk/crime-prevention/non-residential-burglary/secure-shed-garage for details of how best to do this". Barnehurst ward:-“Good news for Barnehurst Ward!! Yet again there has been no reports of any burglaries. There has also been no reports of any vehicle crime within the last week. On 25th September at 06.00pm a member of the public reported criminal damage to a bench in Russell Park. Police attended and spoke to a group of youths present however there was no evidence to say who or how the damage was caused. Officers paid a visit to Barnehurst Methodist Church on Wednesday to engage with the local residents. On Monday 25th September a visit was made to the Barnehurst Rainbows at Parkside Cross. The rainbows were given a talk on Stranger Danger and were invited to try various parts of Police uniform, this included a chance to sit in a Police car followed by getting their finger prints taken. The visit was enjoyed by all. Midfield Avenue, Westfield Road, Bourne Mead and Mount Pleasant Walk have all been leafleted in the hope of launching a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme. It is hoped residents from these roads will come forward to act as a point of contact for the Barnehurst Policing Team. Please continue to be vigilant in keeping your home safe. Look out for your vulnerable neighbours and always report something or someone you feel is suspicious, best to be safe than sorry. We will be at Barnehurst Golf Club on Tuesday 03rd October at 11.00 so please feel free to join us over a coffee and a chat. If you’re a resident on Barnehurst wishing to know a little bit more about Neighbourhood Watch and what it entails, come along to the golf club and we will be more than happy to elaborate further. Please forward details to anyone you know that maybe interested”. Belvedere ward:-“The team have continued to patrol Nuxley Road and surrounding areas including the car park in relation to ongoing issues with ASB by youths. We are aware that there appears to be an issue stemming from the recycling refuse bins within the car park, in as much as the youths have taken to using items dumped here to throw into nearby streets, causing damage to vehicles. We are in the process of contacting Bexley Council to assist with this issue and will monitor the situation over the coming weeks. We have also been receiving information of drug dealing in and around Upper Belvedere and have been carrying out patrols of areas said to be affected by this issue. Lastly, a female has been charged by PC Holmes in relation to a shoplifting offence that took place at B and Q in Lower Road, Belvedere”. Brampton ward:-“Brampton ward have had a lively week with numerous crimes: Shoplifting at Pickford Lane £100 worth of goods stolen and Shoplifting in Brampton Road 4 cans of beer stolen. 3 Burglaries where suspects have broken into the rear upvc door on 2 occasions and completed an untidy search of the property , the other at present it is unknown how entry was gained. Theft from motor vehicle in Rydal drive and Belvedere Road, number plates were taken from the vehicles. Sending letters with intent to cause distress in Silecroft Road; Criminal damage in Preston Drive and Bowford Avenue; Possession of cannabis in Long Lane - officers stopped a person who was smoking it. Robbery to a person in Heversham Road, mobile phone stolen. We are currently investigating a female for breach of Criminal behaviour order and a pickpocketing that happened in Long Lane. On investigation, the CCTV in the shop has shown the offence - images of the suspects will be circulated . Please go to www.met.police.uk and choose your area , place in your road name or postcode and it will take you to Brampton ward , from there you can look up all crimes on the ward and advice on all crimes. Also look out for us on Twitter Brampton police”. Colyers ward:-“There were no reported burglaries between 20/09/17 and 25/09/17 and no reported motor vehicle crimes during the same period. On 14 September a scrape lorry helped himself to items in the front garden of Windermere Road Barnehurst. On 13 September a male was arrested for handling stolen goods following a stop of a vehicle near Hampton House on Erith Road and a quantity of cash and bank cards seized. There were also arrests for Possession with intent to supply in Colyers Lane on the 12 September and possession of Cannabis in Frinsted Road on the 15th September. Colyers next Surgery will be Friday 6th October in the Blackberry Patch Community Centre, Badlow Close at 7pm”. Crayford ward:-“Unfortunately there has been an increase in crime in Crayford this week. Of note there have been two residential burglaries. One on the 25/09/2017 during the day, jewellery and watches were stolen. Another on 26/09/2017 at approx 19.40, whereby the house alarm was set off, a neighbour entered the house and disturbed the burglar, in this instance a lady had her jewellery and watches stolen. On 23/09/2017 there was an attempted burglary but nothing was stolen. Crime prevention advice has been given. The darker nights are drawing in and we would suggest that our residents consider their home security. Please see the websites http://www.met.police.uk/crimeprevention, http://www.immobilise.com and http://www.securedbydesign.com for further information. Of course, we are available should you require a visit. There have also been non-residential burglaries to shops and business premises during closed hours. A moped has also been stolen. The Crayford Ward Panel meeting will be held on Thursday 05/10/2017 at 19.00, the venue is Sainsbury Café. We will always welcome new members”. Lesnes Abbey ward:-“Good news - No Burglaries (Dwelling). 1 Burglary Non Dwelling (Garage) Amberley Road; 1 Attempted Burglary non Dwelling ( shed ). There were person/s using metal detector/s in the Lesnes Abbey ruins. It is an offence to use a metal detector on a scheduled monument  or in an area of archaeological importance without a licence from Historic England. This is regardless of whether the user does any damage to the monument or area. It is also an offence to remove an object of archaeological or historic interest from a scheduled monument or area of archaeological importance that has been discovered using a metal detector”. North End ward:-“In the last week we have had 5 vehicle crimes reported. This includes 3 x criminal damage to vehicles and 2 x theft of number plates. One of the criminal damage was caused by a rider on a motorbike with no helmet kicking the wing mirror off of a vehicle as he rode down Manor Road making no attempt to stop. This sort of crime seems to be increasing. Any information you may have regarding any off road bikes or motorbikes and mopeds being ridden in a dangerous or ASB way, please pass on to us. In better news, a male was stopped and detained by PC Mark Brookes-Smith after we saw him riding down the cinder alley. He tried to get away but Mark was able to stop him. The bike checked out to all be legal but he still received a Section 59 warning for riding on the path and is being interviewed this week for the offences of Failing to stop for a police officer and riding where he shouldn’t be riding. We carried out a weapons sweep in Rainbow Road last Sunday and thankfully nothing was found. Surgery dates for October are set to be sent out in next week's update”. Northumberland Heath ward:-“This week we visited the Muller Dairy on Brook Street to give crime prevention advice. In the very early hours of the morning some delivery drivers have been randomly attacked by youths whilst out on the rounds delivering milk in surrounding areas to Bexley. This was very well received and a follow up visit is being planned. We have been low on crimes reported this week with only one residential burglary in Cranbrook Road. The suspect broke in via the rear kitchen window and made an untidy search of the house. The burglary happened between 1.30pm and 10.30pm on 25/09/2017. There was a fight reported between two school pupils that was quickly stopped in Byron Drive. Thankfully this appears to have been a one off incident and not linked to the previous ASB issues in the area. Officers from the team also patrolled in plain clothes on Saturday night checking The Pantiles, Parsonage Manor Way, North Heath Recreation Ground through to Bexley Road. The ward was thankfully free of any groups of youths gathering or causing ASB and no criminal incidents were seen. Groups of youths on bicycles have been spoken to throughout the week in relation to recent reports of ASB. It turned out that none of the youths spoken to had any involvement in any previously reported issues”. Some general personal safety advice from Bexley Police:- “Police were called to Natwest Bank at Bexleyheath on 21/09/2017 regarding concerns of an elderly male who was trying to withdraw a large amount of money in order to pay garden clearance workers. The elderly male stated that a man had knocked at his door offering to do maintenance work. He has attended the bank whilst the male was carrying out work at the address and tried to withdraw the cash. Officers attended the home address with Trading Standards and stopped the male conducting the work. No money was handed over. As Police we always advise don’t do business on your doorstep. If you are unsure if the company is genuine you can always check reputable traders under Bexley’s trading standards website https://www.traderregister.org.uk/bexley/index.php or you can give them a call during office hours via 020 8303 7777 asking for Trading Standards. If you feel you are being pressured into handing money over or the person becomes abusive, please do not hesitate to call 999. Bogus callers We also received a report of a young male knocking at an address in St Marys Road at 9pm on 21/9/17. It is not known what he was doing. We are looking to hear from any other residents nearby to see if anyone else came across him".

It has not been given much publicity, but the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is celebrating its 30th birthday. The railway continues to deliver a vital transport link for millions of Londoners and to mark the anniversary a '30 things to do by DLR' travel guide and an easier to read line map have been released - the the image above - click on it to see a larger version. Officially opened by Her Majesty the Queen in summer 1987, the DLR initially began with just 11 single-carriage trains that served 15 stations. It has continued to grow, being extended six times to help meet east London's growing population, and now serves Bank DLR station in The City, Beckton, Lewisham, London City Airport, Woolwich Arsenal and Stratford International. Today, the entirely step-free railway carries 122 million passengers, up from 6.7 million in its first year, and encompasses 45 stations with 56 mainly three carriage trains on 38 kilometres of track. DLR customers will benefit from new trains in 2022, helping boost capacity on the DLR by 30 per cent. The new trains are part of the Mayor of London's draft Transport Strategy, which plans to create a fairer, greener, healthier and more prosperous city by improving public transport and encouraging active travel. The trains will help improve reliability and will feature onboard real time information, air-conditioning and mobile device charging points for the first time. They will also bring increased capacity and will help the DLR continue to support growth in South East London. See a short film on the 30th birthday of the DLR below.

Proper Top Gear.

The photos above (thanks Ian) were taken last night at The Mick Jagger Centre in Dartford. They show Genesis tribute band Los Endos performing the whole of the Genesis "A Trick of the Tail" concert set from the 1976 world tour, to commemorate its 40th anniversary this year. The gig was a sell - out, and The Mick Jagger Centre was packed. The venue has had a refurbishment since my last visit, and it is much improved - the toilets especially have been greatly enlarged - so no queues when going for a leak in the interval. If you have not visited the local performing arts centre, I can highly recommend it. There are events to satisfy all musical and theatrical tastes, and it is also conveniently nearby.

I rarely comment on items in the national press; the main reason for this is that they will have already been covered in detail by "proper" journalists, leaving very little for me to bring to the table. I am making a notable exception this week. As regular readers may recall, I refused to watch the Chris Evans and Matt Le Blanc relaunched version of Top Gear earlier this year. I am of the opinion that almost any television programme is far greater than the sum of its parts, and that presenters can come and go - if the show is sufficiently strong, it can survive all sorts of changes in cast, crew, director and producer - a couple of prime examples of this are Coronation Street and Doctor Who. There is one exception to this rule, which the BBC have now found out to their great cost. Top Gear was Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. The BBC somehow got the erroneous impression that Top Gear was a car show with presenters who could be replaced at will. In fact it was a show about the three presenters acting like eight year old boys, larking about, bickering and falling over. The car element was entirely incidental. Now the trinity of presenters have moved to Amazon Prime and an (ostensibly) new show called The Grand Tour - which is basically Top Gear touring the world on an astronomical budget. The Producer is still Andy Wilman, and the technical crew are largely defectors from the BBC who worked on the original show. The Chris Evans / Matt LeBlanc BBC version has already catastrophically crashed and burned, with microscopic viewing figures - to the point where Chris Evans left the show after one series. After the launch this week of the rival The Grand Tour, I would imagine that BBC executives are wondering whether to throw good money after bad - The Grand Tour (already termed "Proper Top Gear") is so much better that is is in an entirely different league. Critical reception of The Grand Tour has been almost universally positive, only the BBC review being somewhat cool - but sour grapes are to be expected, I suppose. The BBC Top Gear reboot has been likened to the Director's cut of "Star Wars - The Phantom Menace" with extra scenes of Jar Jar Binks - whereas The Grand Tour has been likened to "Star Wars - The Force Awakens". Make of that what you will. I took out an Amazon Prime membership purely to watch The Grand Tour - all of the other benefits are welcome, but entirely incidental. Off the soap box now, and normal service is resumed. 

Last week I opened the debate about the right of the public to buy and use for private use. Since 2003, under 18’s have been prohibited from buying or using fireworks. The measures come under the Fireworks Act 2003, which also bars any member of the public from possessing high-powered "category four" fireworks of the kind used in professional displays. Now many activists, animal lovers and others have been campaigning for a further strengthening of the law, and as a result Police have been getting tougher with people using fireworks illegally. The clampdown is intended to tackle the problem of anti-social behaviour involving fireworks, Further hard line enforcement is due to come into force next year, including curfews on the setting off of fireworks, recognised training for display operators and the introduction of a tougher licensing system for suppliers. Since the article I wrote last week about the problem use of fireworks, which runs from mid-October until mid-January nowadays, I have had a considerable amount of feedback, almost all of it supporting the concept of a complete ban on members of the public buying or using fireworks at all. I have since discovered that Canada, South Africa and Australia have limitations or bans on private firework displays and the UK needs to seriously consider if it needs to follow suit. I was also made aware by a reader that an organised campaign to get heavy restrictions on the sale and use of fireworks is already under way.  A UK Government petition has been started, which describes itself thus:- “Ban the sale of fireworks to the public and only approve organised displays. Every year 1000's of people are hurt, burnt, maimed and even lose their lives through accidents involving fireworks.  Every year people are terrorised by the misuse of fireworks. Every year animals are hurt and traumatised by fireworks.  Ban them please”. You can see the petition by clicking here. 

It would seem that the waste incinerator in Lower Belvedere (see the photo above - click for a larger view) is going have its input ramped up by a very significant degree in the near future. Reports in the local press – both the Bexley Times and the News Shopper are featuring the story – say that the number of lorries carrying waste from other London boroughs to be incinerated at the Cory plant in Lower Belvedere. The owners of the Norman Road plant are already bringing in 660,000 tonnes of waste per year by river but want to boost its share by road up to 195,000 tonnes - a 129 percent increase. It was discussed recently at a council meeting that the energy waste company, Cory, which oversees the operators Riverside Resource Recovery Limited (RRRL), wants an additional 56 trucks - or an average of 4 vehicle trips an hour - brought to North Bexley’s roads. The motion was put forward chiefly to mitigate the possible loss of its contract at Northumberland Wharf in Tower Hamlets. Cory currently processes 100,000 tonnes of waste per annum onto the river via Northumberland Wharf. It is worried that it may lose access to its Northumberland site if its owners, the council of Tower Hamlets, decides to operate its own waste contract.  The News Shopper reported that Bexley Councillor David Leaf said "I have some quite grave reservations about this application. The contingency was for emergency only in terms of being able to use the road network. What concerns me is in relation to issue about the Northumberland Wharf being out, now clearly if you are a big business making a huge investment, we’re talking hundreds of millions of pounds, you would do your risk analysis and you would calculate what would happen if one of our main wharfs go out? Clearly there hasn’t been any contingency planning and Bexley residents are going to end up feeling the brunt of that. I’m very concerned and apprehensive about that.” What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Another new block of flats is planned close to the site of Abbey Wood Station – and the news has not pleased many local people. The new block (if the planning application is approved – and I suspect that it will be) will be 29 storeys high, and will contain 208 apartments and a 90 bed hotel. The scheme has been drawn up by developers HUB in partnership with Bridges Ventures. Pending planning approval the developers aim to start work on the site in the summer of 2017. I already have the feeling that these apartments will be mainly bought up by absentee owners, many from abroad who will look to "land bank" them as investments. They are certainly not the kind of properties that many local residents will be able to afford, more is the shame. 

I am somewhat surprised at Bexley Council’s recent announcement of a pre – Christmas pop – up cinema to be held on the Erith Riverside Gardens on Saturday the 26th November from 4.30pm. The announcement on the Bexley Council website says:- “Riverside Gardens is hosting a fantastic, free pop-up cinema screening for the community. The fun starts with Home Alone (PG) at 4.30pm followed by Gremlins (12A) at 6:30pm, with a short break in between. Bring along chairs and blankets to keep warm and comfortable. Hot food and drink will be available to buy from local chefs and businesses.” Admission to the event is free. As I mentioned last week, I had hoped that the event would be held in a large marquee or other temporary structure on the site; the wording of the council piece does not fill me with confidence in this respect. The venue is ideal in many ways, but it is very exposed, and is one of, if not the coldest place in the whole of the town, with the wind coming straight off the River Thames. I am also concerned that it is now only a week before the event, and very little if any publicity has been noticeable – I would have expected far more advertising and promotion of what could be an excellent community event. I do have some suspicions that once again Erith is being “set up to fail” – as happened with the recent unsuccessful relaunch of Erith Market. On that occasion, the relaunch of the market was done with a little bit of publicity (some of which came from me) but the market was only held on Wednesdays, not on Saturdays, something that a regular reader pointed out:- “I hear are giving Erith Market a trial go. When they know it will fail before they start. They only seem to be catering for the unemployed and the elderly. Because they are the only one that can go to the market. The market should have been bigger and on Wednesdays and Saturdays like it used to be. Saturdays for the people that go to work all week”. My anonymous reader’s comments turned out to be prophetic; the first week there were eight stall holders on the piece of land adjacent to Morrison’s car park; the next week six, and it petered out until no stalls appeared by the end of the first month. As I have previously written, plans are afoot to relaunch the market on a far more ambitious scale, although it will be some time in the new year before this comes to pass. I get the feeling that the pop – up cinema is similarly being set up to fail – with only a week to go, very few local residents – especially those with children – appear to be aware of the existence of the event. I can only hope that the council pull out the stops at the last minute – otherwise the pop – up cinema could show to a handful of hardy people only. It would certainly enable to council to not carry out any further community events in Erith, citing a lack of interest from local people. I really want the event to be a great success, but the track record of Bexley Council in regard of public events in and around Erith does not inspire me with confidence. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The recent road resurfacing works in and around Erith Town Centre caused considerable confusion and disruption to motorists; in an email to members of Erith Town Forum. Local councillors Joe Ferreira, Abena Oppong – Asare and Edward Boateng wrote “There was much disruption last week with road works taking place at Queens Road Roundabout. These works had started at 7pm and ended each night at 2am. Disruption included long tail backs, drivers driving the wrong way up and down the one-way Erith High Street and drivers cutting through Erith Town Centre car park as a shortcut only to then go against the flow of the diversion route. Each night we raised these matters with the relevant officers overseeing the work, and although the disruption continued, some of the issues improved with additional signage put out including No Through Road signs to the car parks and the congestion clearing quicker. Thankfully the works have since completed”. I must admit that I did not realise just how much disruption that the roadworks caused. I don’t live in the town centre, but on the outskirts – it does sound like the resurfacing could have been planned with more care and less disruption.

I came across the advert above in an old map of Erith that I have had for absolutely ages. It was old when I was given it. Hedley Mitchell was the largest and by far the most important shop in the old Victorian Erith town centre. It was the towns' department store, and as large and grand as Hides in Bexleyheath. Many older local residents recall Hedley Mitchell with great affection. The store had a very high reputation for formal service. It was the first building to be demolished when work began to create the new (and subsequently much hated) brutalist concrete shopping centre in 1966. In fact the first act of demolition was carried out by the then Deputy Mayor, Councillor Mrs M Barron, ceremoniously smashed the window of Hedley Mitchell's store to mark the commencement of the demolition of Erith Town Centre to make way for redevelopment. As a consequence, all the existing Victorian buildings were lost. With hindsight, this was a terrible mistake - the existing town centre should have been sympathetically restored. I gather that this was considered, but would have cost too much money; instead they built a relatively cheap but undeniably ugly replacement out of bare concrete. I don't know anyone who had a good word to say about it. Consequently a lot of businesses upped sticks and moved to Bexleyheath or Northumberland Heath, and it is only now, nearly fifty years later that much of the social and economic damage is being put right. The current Erith Riverside Shopping Centre is actually a very clever redesign of the much hated sixties structure, rather than a ground up new build, but it has been done with taste and sensitivity - something entirely missing in the original, which was a smelly and soulless concrete monstrosity, detested by all.

Interestingly, in the same message to members of the Erith Town Forum, the councillors state that the old Carnegie Library building in Walnut Tree Road is under consideration for a change of use:-  “The Council are looking to find a suitable operator for the Carnegie Building to bring it back into use as a high quality skills and training centre, and are actively pursuing potential operators. More will obviously follow on this as we get it. In addition, some works to maintain the building’s fabric and general upkeep will be carried out between November 2016 and January 2017”. It is not clear at present what Wetherspoon’s are planning – when I spoke to them a couple of months ago, they were very cagey – which is understandable, as they are a commercial operation where advance information of their intentions could be potentially damaging to their business. I made a few educated guesses as to potential locations for a Wetherspoon’s outlet in Erith – after all, the one thing that they did confess to me was that they were indeed looking at the town as a potential site for a new pub. My guesses settled on the Carnegie Library and The Running Horses in Erith High Street, overlooking the Riverside Gardens. As far as I am aware, no decision has been made at this point, though I will be asking more questions of them in the future. 

One of the once common features of Erith has largely disappeared - mostly for the better. Up until June of 2014 mobile scrap collecting vans were one of the commonest sights on the roads of the town. I mentioned this to a friend, and he commented on how the once very familiar scrap collecting vans had all but disappeared, almost overnight. He was entirely correct; before the start of June 2014, the roads of Erith were flooded with “Scrappies” – small vans, usually based on a Ford Transit chassis that were crewed by a wide variety of people – but always men. I have never seen a female scrap van driver. If you walked down Manor Road at around 7am on a weekday morning, you would see whole convoys of these vehicles as they left their depot on the Wallhouse Industrial Estate on the Slade Green Marshes. The biggest local scrap company by far was City Scrap; I would have said that prior to June 2014, around eighty five percent of scrap vehicles in the area were theirs. As you may recall I wrote at the time, Police and Revenue and Customs officials raided the offices and yard of City Scrap after finding strong evidence of a series of frauds and tax evasion, including an insurance fraud worth around £30,000. On top of the list of forty five offences the owners were charged with were making a false statement to obtain insurance, perverting the course of justice, and making a false statement to obtain  a scrap metal licence. I also understand that many of the scrap lorry driver / operators were claiming benefits whilst working, as well as other offences. All in all the closure of City Scrap was a necessity; they were operating well outside of the law. What surprises me in the two and a half years since City Scrap were officially wound up as a company, no other scrap dealer has emerged to occupy the void left by the once dominant, if corrupt firm. OK, scrap recycling giant Scrapco have moved into a depot in Landau Way, in the Darent Business Park, but they seem to mainly be involved in commercial and industrial scrap from large organisations - they don't get involved with domestic scrap collection, s they are not a direct replacement for the defunct City Scrap. Metal recycling is a vital part both of the local economy, and it also has great environmental benefits, so a new company taking over the business makes sense in a number of ways. Before June 2014, if you left a scrap of metal anywhere in Erith it would disappear in moments. I recall that back in 2009 I had a new central heating boiler installed. Part of the process involved flushing the existing radiators of accumulated sludge and treating them with a rust inhibitor; a special pump had to be fitted to the lowest point in the heating circuit – in my case, one of the radiators in the living room. This was carefully removed and taken outside by the heating engineers. Despite the radiator being laid on a tarpaulin and two heating company vans being parked outside, in the space of the two hour flushing period I had a total of seven scrappies trying to take the radiator, even though it was obvious it had only been temporarily removed whilst work was carried out. One even accused me of taking food from his children’s mouths when I caught him trying to steal the radiator. He soon shut up and ran off when I told him that he was being recorded on CCTV! Nowadays it has all changed – a friend had a dead fridge freezer and left it in their front garden for four days before a scrap dealer removed it. The local scrap market seems to have dried up - which is not good news for those wishing to recycle old appliances and the like, and is not good for the environment.

The end video this week features the 2016 Erith Model Railway Society exhibition. Another event that you might possible like to add to your calendar is the forthcoming Bexley Model Railway Show, which will be held at Bexleyheath Academy, Graham Road Entrance, Bexleyheath, Kent, DA6 7EG on Sunday the 11th December between 10am and 4pm. There will be a number of layouts and traders at the exhibition. Refreshments, free parking and disabled access are available. Admission: £6 (£4.95 pre booked) £5 (£3.95 pre booked) and Family £15 (£12 pre booked). Contact telephone number is:- 020 8694 1888.