Erith Lighthouse closes.

The photo above shows a rather unusual view of the ADM Oils Thames - side edible oil refinery, along with a moored bulk freighter, which was offloading a cargo of oilseed rape seed for processing into vegetable oil and soft spread. ADM Oils is the largest producer of edible oils and vegetable fats in Europe, and one of the largest in the World.  The ADM Oils facility is located at the end of Church Manor Way, as you can see by clicking here. Answers on a postcard please - where was the photo above taken from? Prize is an air guitar last played at the 1988 Donnington Monsters of Rock festival, and has not been played since, so it is probably a bit out of tune by now. 

Fellow local Blogger, Darryl Chamberlain of the 853 Blog has done something very ambitious and quite daring; he's crowd funding the 853 Blog so that, with enough funding, he will be able to make his online journalism a full time career. Unlike myself, an amateur who writes the Maggot Sandwich as an unpaid hobby, albeit one that takes up a large amount of my free time, Darryl is a "proper" trained journalist who has worked for The Guardian and the BBC News website. Darryl has set up a Patreon account that you can see here. He's hoping to be able to earn enough money through donations and sponsorship to pay for him to work on the 853 news and current affairs blog full time. he writes:- "I started looking more closely at issues involving Greenwich Council because they weren't receiving much coverage in the local press. Now the situation's even worse. The Mercury, traditionally the Greenwich borough's campaigning paper, is a pale shadow of its former self while the News Shopper is in tatters thanks to its owners squeezing it for every last penny of profit. And a new entrant, Greenwich Weekender, has stopped covering news after being threatened by Greenwich Council with the loss of an advertising contract for the crime of publishing some dissenting views on what councillors are up to. I'd like to be able to keep producing 853, to keep telling stories that aren't being told and to dig deeper into issues that affect the area. Over 700 people subscribe to the site - if every one of those paid £3 per month, it'd become a full-time wage. I'm not expecting anything near that, but the more people are able to pay, the more I can do. Hopefully I can live up to the generosity of those who have already donated - all contributions are gratefully accepted, and let's help keep public interest journalism alive in south-east London". Darryl plans on covering the stories that the local papers can't, or won't cover in the Charlton, Greenwich and Lewisham areas - the area covered by the old British Telecom 853 dialling code, hence the name of Darryl's Blog. I am proud to say that I am one of Darryl's sponsors, and if you would like to become one as well, you can click here for more information. 

I know that many readers will be pleased by the news that as of last Monday, trains on the Bexleyheath, Greenwich and Sidcup rail lines will have their number of carriages increased. Those that previously have had six cars will be increased to eight, and those that have had eight cars will be increased to ten. Southeastern expects to create 5,000 additional seat for morning-peak commuters to London by adding the carriages. Ten is the maximum length of train that can be used on the Greenwich line; although most stations on the line were extended to accommodate twelve carriage trains, shortly before the 2012 Olympics, two factors prevented trains regularly employing twelve carriages. The first of these is insufficient traction current to run very many long trains, but the most significant factor is the restricted length of the platform at Woolwich Dockyard Station. It is the only station on the Greenwich line which is constrained by a tunnel at each end of the platform. The maximum length of train that can stop there is ten cars; unlike on the Docklands Light Railway, where certain stations can be shorter than the trains that visit them - Island Gardens being an example - the overland trains are not able to lock out the doors of the carriages still in the tunnel - this is known as Selective Door Operation. The only time twelve carriage trains operated on the Greenwich Line was during the 2012 Olympics and 2012 Paralympics; the work - around was that trains in either direction did not stop at Woolwich Dockyard Station  - thus avoiding the problems of the doors of the front and rear coaches potentially opening whilst still being in the tunnel. Some wags also suggested the motivation was that the Olympic organisers did not want visitors to the UK accidentally getting off the train at Woolwich Dockyard, and then finding out what a dump the area then was! There have been substantial improvements since 2012. In any case the issue is moot; the trains on the Greenwich line will be longer, but the limit will still be ten car trains. 

This weekend has marked the successful conclusion of the Pier Commission and the Erith Lighthouse Project, which I have covered in detail over the past weeks. The pioneering art installation, community interactivity events and the pop - up restaurant which took place initially in Erith Riverside Gardens, and subsequently on Erith Pier have attracted much attention, and not only from local residents - people from farther afield have been attracted to Erith, in many cases for the first time. Sarah Batten, one of the Directors of arts commissioning group The Exchange writes:- " Back in March 2017, we approached Orbit and Wates Residential with an outline idea of sponsoring a contemporary arts project based on Erith Pier, with a view to drawing attention to it, and redefining or enhancing its purpose as a public space. With the sponsors the idea for ‘The Pier Commission’ – an annual arts project that would support emerging artists and contribute to community life in Erith – developed. An open call out resulted in over 70 proposals from all over the world, each reimagining the space in different ways – some bonkers, some magical, some impressive. The judging panel – consisting of The Exchange, Orbit, Wates Residential, local artists Gary Drostle and Guy Tarrant, Totally Thames and The Decorators (the group responsible for the Erith Lighthouse project) – had a difficult challenge to whittle this long list down to a shortlist of four, which were then presented to the public for the final vote. Julia Snowdin’s proposal was by far the most popular with local and wider audiences. Snowdin’s artwork, which has hung on Erith Pier for the last few weeks, has had overwhelming support from the public. From the fishermen who shelter under the sails, to the people who live in the flats opposite who watch them lit up in the evening, to the 65 people who contributed to the designing of the work (the youngest was 4 months old, the oldest 92!), to the children from local schools who made paper boats and helped us to imagine a new creative future for the town. In total over 3,000 people visited the pier over the course of the installation. We would like to thank the Port of London Authority, Morrisons and in particular Orbit, Wates Residential and Bexley Council - without their support this project would not have happened. There were of course challenges, and things that we would do differently in the future. The principal thing would be to allow ourselves more time to develop the project, and give the artist more time and resource to develop their work in close collaboration with the Erith community. We want also to explore how the programme could be extended, to other sites in Erith, and by reaching out to different groups developing close and meaningful partnerships. Probably the best thing about The Pier Commission, and the Erith Lighthouse project, has been the conversations we have been able to have with Erith residents of all ages, groups and persuasions. There is some sadness about what has happened in Erith in the past, but this is coupled with incredible positivity about the future of the town. It is this positivity, and the community spirit that we have witnessed, that will make the success of any future projects – we look forward to being a part of it." 

  

Recently I wrote at some length about the problems with Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBT) in betting shops on our high streets. Whilst I highlighted the problems these present to people on low incomes, and to those who have problems with gambling, one area that I neglected is that surrounding organised crime, and how crooks use FOBT’s as part of their own business model, astonishing as that might seem. The Gambling Commission - the industry regulator also publicly admitted what has long been privately acknowledged: FOBTs present a "high inherent money-laundering risk". In a letter to the industry trade association, the commission warned about "a retail betting model that includes high volumes of cash transactions, particularly where this includes low individual spend and a high level of anonymity, especially where that model also offers (FOBTs). What the machines provide is the chance for criminals to quickly and easily convert large sums of money from the real world into virtual cash that can later be converted back into the real thing. There is little official research into the scale and extent of such operations. The 2005 Gambling Act, which regulates the terminals, says one of its primary objectives is "preventing gambling from being a source of crime or disorder, being associated with crime or disorder or being used to support crime". It has long been obvious to the public that criminals can convert their loot into a clean win on an electronic roulette table. Surveys for the commission show that 40 percent of the public regularly identify gambling with criminal activity. The industry regulator found one in 14 respondents associated money laundering with gambling. Dealers feed their drug money through the machines, losing a little and then cashing out with the vast majority of their stake. They can then collect a printed ticket from the bookmaker showing they have gambled that day – meaning that if stopped by police, they can answer questions about why an apparently unemployed young man carries hundreds of pounds in rolled-up cash. The Fixed Odds Betting Terminals arrived in Britain back in 2001, and were lightly regulated from the outset. Gamblers in bookmakers found that they could bet £100 every 20 seconds on roulette. The temptation of high-speed, high-stake casino games in the high street proved irresistible: there are now over 33,345 FOBTs in the UK. The drug dealer who wants to launder his pile if ill – gotten cash has a very straightforward strategy, which is embarrassingly simple – they bet : £20 on black, £20 on red and £2 on zero. A press of a button and the wheel spins before the ball lands on red. That's a loss of £2. The money placed on the zero is the only risk the drug dealer is taking with his cash. If the ball does land on zero, he wins £72. With no horses to run or dealer to shuffle and just the 20 second spin of an electronic roulette wheel to wait for, it takes a little over a minute for the drug dealer to cash out. Many experienced money launderers know that unless they gamble at least 40 percent of the float money they have put in the machine, an alert will pop up on the staff computer warning them of suspicious activity. So they methodically place the same bet to make sure that they have been seen to have wagered enough. The economics of drug dealing make it cost-effective to pay 5 percent to 10 percent to betting shops to launder the illicit profits. I have it on good authority that it not just proceeds of illegal  drug sales that are being laundered through the FOBT machines, but that of robberies as well; Did you know that security dyed bank notes from bank robberies can be submitted to The Bank of England and the book maker company gets reimbursed? This whole process seems to have been overlooked by the Police.

Following my article last week concerning the MBNA Thames Clipper service running experimental ferry trips from Gravesend Town Pier to London, it would seem that Bexley Council are now putting out a somewhat different line to their original rather dismissive press statement that they had no knowledge of the trial ferry service expansion, or any reference to the ferry company having aspirations to run from Erith Pier; now they are back pedalling somewhat. In a follow up statement to the one I reported last week, a spokesperson for Bexley Council has since been quoted as saying:- "We would welcome a clipper type service if it offers another option for people travelling to and from the City and central London. We don’t own the pier and, while we understand it does not currently have the facilities to allow vessels to dock, we would hope they can be provided if the service is extended along the Thames. We support greater use of the river, particularly for leisure and tourism, and we await the results of this week’s trial with interest.” Sean Collins, CEO and co-founder, MBNA Thames Clippers said in a News Shopper interview that:- “Our Gravesend trial service was a complete success. Bookings completely sold out, and we have had incredibly positive feedback from passengers, many asking us when it will become a permanent extension to our current network. The purpose of the trial sailings was to provide us with the required information to enable us to evaluate the potential of such services for the future. The infrastructure and vessels required to operate such service would need to be built, as well as evaluating other potential stops for the route to support the routes viability.”  It was also announced last week that The company behind the long-promised theme park to be constructed in Swanscombe has reached an agreement to ferry tourists to the resort. London Resort Company Holdings hope the agreement with MBNA Thames Clippers will carry about ten per cent of visitors to the theme park from central London into Kent to visit the proposed resort. It is planned that the clippers will link the resort with Tilbury and Grays in Essex, and potentially Erith Pier, as well as to central London. Sean Collins also said:- “We want to transport as many visitors to the London Resort as possible to realise the huge benefits in terms of speed, comfort and frequency of travelling by river. Having recently agreed to run free test trials from Gravesend to offer journeys direct to central London in cooperation with Gravesham Council and seen overwhelming interest, we are delighted to play a crucial role in one of the biggest Global Entertainment Resort projects in the world, where the commuter and leisure market can be served by a first class ferry service.” It would seem that the momentum to get a ferry service running along an extended River Thames route is increasing; if the theme park does actually go ahead - it has been delayed several times - mainly due to the departure of Paramount and all of their intellectual property from the deal some time ago, then improved communications to the Swanscombe Peninsula site will be imperative. As mentioned last week, there are considerable barriers to setting up a MBNA ferry terminal on Erith Pier; the problems can be divided into two specific types. Firstly there are the engineering and physical challenges to enabling a ferry to dock at the pier. A free floating pontoon extension to the existing pier structure would be needed; this would project out into the deep water channel closer to the middle of the river. This would, however create problems of its own. Whilst the floating pontoon would enable ferries to dock at the the pier whatever the state of the tide was, it would also create a hazard to other shipping that uses the river. Commercial vessels, including cargo ships and bulk freighters, such as vessels like that featured in the photo above - click on it for a larger version - use the deep water channel, and if a jetty was protruding into the channel, this might create a hazard to navigation, especially at night and at times of reduced visibility. There are several ways to manage this, the most obvious one being to make the floating jetty movable - to swing it out into the deep water channel only when a ferry was approaching the pier. Unfortunately this would add complexity, and therefore cost to the design, and for safety reasons would almost certainly require a supervising operator to be located on site. The jetty, whether movable or fixed, would require hazard warning lights, a fog horn, and a radar reflector. The pier itself would also require some shelters for waiting commuters to occupy in inclement weather - the wind coming off the Thames at Erith in winter can be absolutely bitter, not to mention the freezing rain. Who would foot the bill for all of the alterations and upgrades is uncertain - at this point it has not been debated. The second barrier to using Erith Pier as a landing place for MBNA Clipper Ferries is actually by far the more difficult one - the bureaucracy and vested interests of the likes of The Port of London Authority, Morrison's Supermarket (who own the pier) and Bexley Council. I know from personal experience that dealing with these organisations, when any mention of Erith Pier is made, it tends to provoke the response of "The answer is no, now what is the question?" Long term readers may recall that I had a small involvement some years ago with an abortive project to bring the Ross Revenge - the Radio Caroline ship to Erith Pier to open it as a public attraction for the Summer season. The objections and bureaucratic barriers that were put up to block the temporary project were simply staggering, and even the involvement of Teresa Pearce, MP for Erith and Thamesmead was not enough to get the project the green light, and it ended up being abandoned. The transformation of Erith Pier into a ferry terminal is of a completely different scale, as it would require permanent changes to the pier structure and thus its functionality, which has since it was refurbished and repurposed in 1999 been exclusively for leisure use. If London Mayor Sadiq Khan does put his weight behind the project, I can see it getting enough momentum to actually come to fruition, but to be honest, I still am of the opinion that it is unlikely to happen. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

This week’s incident reports from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association; firstly from Belvedere ward:- “This week, we have managed to identify further children / youths that have been involved in anti-social behaviour both in and around the car park in Nuxley Road. We will be making efforts to visit those we are aware of in order to speak with the subjects and their parents, to advise against the type of behaviour that has been taking place. We are hopeful that this action will have the desired effect. PC Holmes has been busy dealing with various CCTV enquiries on the ward, most of which originate from shoplifting offences taking place in both Upper and Lower Belvedere. Images of those believed to be involved are being circulated on social media websites such as Twitter and Facebook, in the hope that they can be identified. The team have very recently dealt with a female shoplifter from B and Q in Lower Belvedere who is being interviewed in relation to the offence in the very near future.” Brampton ward:- “There have been 6 crimes over the past week. 1 x computer risk to human welfare in Cyril Road 1 x Criminal damage to a motor vehicle in Birchington Close, victim has seen a puncture mark in their tyre that has gone flat , NHW coordinator spoken to regarding the incident which is an ongoing problem in the road. 1 x Attempted theft of a cycle outside The Bakery Pickford Lane, the victim was riding home on the pavement when the suspect attempted to stop the victim who then fell off the bike, members of the public attempted to stop the suspect leaving the scene, it is unknown if the offence was an attempted theft or something else. 1 x Theft shoplifting in Long Lane, suspect stole washing powder 1 x Possession of cannabis in Albury Avenue, suspect stopped whilst walking along smoking 1 x Burglary Shakespeare Avenue , suspect smashed rear kitchen window and gained access.” Colyers ward:- “There are no reported burglaries on Colyers Ward between 13/09/17 to 19/09/17. There was one reported theft of motor vehicle and one criminal damage to motor vehicle during the same period. On 16th September 2017 the victim parked his vehicle outside his house address in Elmstead Road Erith at 7pm. The vehicle was locked and secured. At about 9pm when the victim came out, he discovered that his vehicle was gone. No suspect was seen but there is possible CCTV. On Monday 12th September 2017 in Larner Road the victim had her vehicle damaged by a male on a motor bike, VRM R251XBW(?) in Larner Road, Erith. The victim indicated that the male riding the motor bike came close to her on the driver’s side and punched her wing mirror and damaged it. She had no clue why it happened and she was very shaken by the experience. The victim managed to get a picture of the VRM of the motorbike on her phone.” Crayford ward:- “Two mobile phones were stolen, one from McDonalds and one from Sainsbury's. Each victim recalls having their phones at these locations. Counterfeit notes have also been reported as being used in a Crayford shop. There have been three bicycles stolen and two mopeds stolen in this last week. The mopeds have both been located nearby. With the assistance of officers from Christchurch and Barnehurst SNT, our team completed a successful Section 23 Drugs warrant at an address close to Crayford Way. Several items were seized and enquiries will be ongoing that should lead to prosecution of offenders.” North End ward:- “2 motor vehicle crimes in the last week, 1 vehicle damaged by 3 guys on mopeds kicking the wing mirror as they rode past in Bridge Road. Please let us know any descriptions or number plates if you see any groups of motorbikes and mopeds riding around. All information we get is being used to build an intelligence plan in to trying to identify anyone involved so a red coat, orange bike etc, any of this information could prove useful in future. The other vehicle crime was a theft of number plates in Frobisher Road, no trace of the plates as yet.” Northumberland Heath ward:- “This week we have had no residential burglaries reported on the ward however an attempted burglary took place on Monday September 18th at the Natwest bank which closed earlier this year. Entry to the premises was not gained but a window was smashed and the entry door was damaged. The suspect has been arrested. Theft of a Lefan motorbike in Streamway on Thursday September 14th between 0800 – 1530 hours. The bike was stolen from the front of the property. Criminal damage to a white transit van parked in Eastry Road this week. An attempt was made to access the vehicle and tool marks and scratches were discovered around the lock. Also a theft of a box containing personal effects from a vehicle parked in Bexley Road Between Saturday September 16th 0800 and Monday 18th at 08:00. The box contained receipts, bills and other paperwork. Please be vigilant and make sure all personal belongings are out of sight where possible. An apple iPhone was stolen from a male walking in Brook Street on Wednesday September 13th at 12:45pm. The suspects made off in a Black Vauxhall Corsa. A handbag containing cash, credit cards and other belongings was stolen from an elderly lady in Bexley Road on Thursday September 14th at 10:30am. The suspects made off on a moped. The lady was unharmed but sustained wrist pain following the incident.” Thamesmead East ward:- “Good news, no Burglary / vehicle crime reported on the ward during the past week. The team attended the Southmere Park summer fete over the weekend, good fun was had by all. A spectacular firework display over the lake ended the day’s events on Saturday evening. Four youths were stopped by PCSO Buckley and Hobbs on Saturday evening after reports of Anti-Social Behaviour around the Staplehurst Court car park, Southmere Drive. Good Intelligence gained. It’s Operation Sceptre this week. The team have / will be conducting weapon sweeps on the ward and making residents aware in an attempt to reduce knife crime across the whole of the MPS.”

The ending video this week is courtesy of Reverend Simon Archer of Christ Church Erith. He's appealing for more donations to Erith Food Bank, as you can see from the short video below. Do donate what you can; it is an extremely worthy cause. 

The Pilgrim's Ferry.

I have a very disappointing story to tell; On Wednesday morning last week it was reported that food donated to the Bexley Food Bank at Erith had been stolen from Christ Church Erith. I contacted Reverend Simon Archer, Curate of Christ Church, who told me:- "We have a Food Bank collection box in the west porch. It was full and in fact overflowing yesterday (22nd August) so as the Erith Food bank is open Wednesdays I thought I would take it in. When I opened up the church this morning i noticed that most of the food had been taken. This has clearly happened in the few hours we leave the church open during the day on the 22nd, usually up until lunchtime. It may well have been someone in need themselves, and I will be praying for them, but by going through the Food bank we can distribute fairly to those who are referred to us. It means we can make sure we stretch the limited resources as far as possible and feed those who are genuinely struggling". This is the latest in a spate of thefts from the church, and in my opinion the lowest of them - stealing from those most in need. Previous thefts have included that of the church public address amplifier and sound mixer, and the theft of a bicycle from outside the West Porch (seen on the right hand side of the photograph above - click on the photo for a larger view). If you saw anything, or have any information regarding the theft of food that was destined to be given to the most needy of people, please feel free to contact me in complete confidentiality. Drop a line to me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Next week is going to be hard work for anyone living in the local area who works in London and commutes by train. From Tuesday the 29th August (the day after the Bank Holiday Monday), passengers using trains to get into London face major headaches as engineering work causes disruption to services across the bank holiday weekend and into the following week. For commuters using Cannon Street via the Dartford via Greenwich or the Bexleyheath lines, it means the introduction of rush-hour queue systems just to get into the station - expected to hold passengers up by 30 minutes, according to the official announcement, but according to sources I have contacted, they are actually expecting the delays to be far worse - possibly around an hour. Railway managers are urging people not to travel during rush hour through the station if possible, or even to work from home. Network Rail, which handles the rail infrastructure, and Southeastern which run the trains, are advising passengers that between Tuesday August 29th and Friday September 1st, there will be queuing systems in place at Cannon Street station during the busiest times, as Network Rail continues to rebuild London Bridge and the surrounding railway, as part of the Thameslink programme. I am aware that not all users of the Bexleyheath and Greenwich lines are aware of this forthcoming work, despite regular announcements on the P.A systems of stations that will be affected by the outages - many commuters are using earbuds and listening to music, and are unaware of the announcements.

The two new Thames Clipper ships are now in service on The River Thames as I originally covered a while back. Ferry Jupiter began service on Thursday August the 17th after completing the two hundred mile journey from the Wight Shipyard Co Ltd on the Isle of Wight to Clippers HQ at Trinity Buoy Wharf. She has joined sister ship Mercury, which was put to work on the Thames in June. In an interview with The Wharf newspaper, MBNA Thames Clippers’ co-founder and CEO Sean Collins said: “Being able to welcome our newest fleet member is a great milestone for MBNA Thames Clippers as well as the capital itself.  Having increased our capacity along the River Thames by 30% in the last two years through the continued introduction of new boats we’re proud to be playing a key role in opening up this London lifeline to even more commuters and visitors.” Apart from a few experimental runs to Gravesend, there is no indication that any consideration has been given to expanding the service to include Erith Pier - due mainly to the reasons I outlined in a previous update.

Following the comments from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association last week in respect of some planned voluntary litter picking taking place in the local area. One regular reader and occasional contributor commented on the news:- "It's a shame that we need to rely on the kind volunteer litter pickers.  I take a walk around the Park Crescent / Lesney Park triangle most days with the dog, and often see litter on the grass verges, and pick it up when possible. My feeling is that the vast majority of this litter isn't dropped by pedestrians but mostly blown around the area because some local residents insist on leaving their recycling boxes and bins permanently in their front gardens (as ugly garden ornaments), usually without lids on the boxes, even though they have a side entrance and could store them out of sight. If they really, really, have to leave them in their front gardens all week, then it would be polite to make sure the lids are firmly on the boxes.  So let's put the lid on litter. Having said that, I filled two carrier bags up one day last week, with KFC empty cartons/plastic bottles/sweet wrappers/paper napkins, strewn on the grass verge outside an elderly neighbour's house.  I suspect that in this case the contents were flung out of a car window". In another Email related to litter, and in this case the "Butt Police" - the local litter patrols run by commercial company Kingdom Environmental Ltd, were the subject of a recent undercover investigation by the BBC Panorama team, and exposed a range of extremely dubious practices. My comments last week that the patrols operated by Kingdom concentrated mainly in Bexleyheath Broadway may have been somewhat premature. A long time reader who chooses to remain anonymous wrote:- "I have been reading Maggot Sandwich for years - do keep up the good work. I saw Sunday's blog on litter patrols and thought I'd pass on the attached. An unidentified yet lionhearted employee at Erith station posted this note on the station's window at the end of July. Not all heroes wear capes. I have seen these litter patrols outside Erith station in the mornings, so certainly useful to know. This note was removed with two days, by the way". You can see the poster that was displayed in the window of Erith Station above - click on the image for a larger view. Personally, I am not opposed in any way  to the use of private companies to enforce the litter laws, I just feel that Kingdom have been operating in a very high - handed manner, and also concentrating on the "easy wins" rather than on dealing with the endemic problems of commercial fly tipping which blight the local area. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

As many regular readers will already be aware, I, along with several other local Bloggers have been very concerned about the state of what is left of our local newspapers. This is especially true of the News Shopper, which made a majority of its reporting staff redundant around this time last year. I have been in communication with fellow local Blogger Daryl Chamberlain of the excellent 853 Blog, which covers Charlton, Greenwich and Lewisham (the name of the blog comes from the old area telephone dialling code). Darryl - who is a "proper" journalist, unlike me, has been investigating the situation with the troubled newspaper for a couple of years now. As Darryl says:- "it's basically run together with the South London Guardian / Surrey Comet series as one newspaper series for an area from Weybridge to Gravesend. The distribution further into London is pretty much non-existent and has been for some time".  I can also add that the only real difference nowadays between the individual area versions of the newspaper seem to be the front page; when you get past it, the internal contents appear to be identical. The other problem of no longer employing journalists with local knowledge is that the accuracy of the stories posted goes out of the window. I have contacted them on a number of occasions when they have run a story with serious factual inaccuracies, and I know that I am not alone in this respect. One piece of feedback that the Maggot Sandwich constantly gets from readers is that they come to the Blog to get an idea of what is going on in the local area, as the News Shopper is as likely to be running a story about an event in Richmond as it is about one in Northumberland Heath. It ceased to be a local paper some time ago, and can now be considered a regional publication. The Maggot Sandwich attempts to fill this gap, and to provide news, current affairs and stories which I think would be of interest to the readership. I am just an enthusiastic hobbyist, not a professional reporter, and this all gets put together every week as something I do in my spare time. As many will be aware, I refuse to accept advertising (despite my host, Google, trying to persuade me to on a semi regular basis) and also accept no sponsorship or "freebies" from any organisation mentioned in the Blog. I try to remain completely independent, impartial and unbiased in my reporting.

I don't normally comment on news stories that hit the national press - as an amateur journalist I feel that the professionals usually have a better handle on things than I could ever hope to have; however in this instance I think exactly the opposite. You may well have read about the very unusual situation that has occurred at the McDonald's restaurant at Crayford, where the staff have launched a large industrial dispute with the owners of the franchise, and have now threatened to go on strike. The workers in the dispute are being represented by the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union. The union’s national president, Ian Hodson said recently:- “In Crayford, people have been having their hours cut in favour of others preferred by the managers, while staff have also complained of bullying and sexual harassment. We’ve had complaints that one former employee is now living in his car because he couldn’t afford to pay the rent due to lost hours. McDonald’s has had countless opportunities to resolve grievances by offering workers a fair wage and acceptable working conditions. This is a call for change.” I know that the workers involved in the dispute have a number of issues, some related to pay, others related to how many hours they are being allowed to work, but the thing that most concerns me is the claim of bullying, favouritism and even sexual harassment in the workplace. I get the feeling that there is a lot more to this story than that which has been published by the press. Bearing in mind the local nature of this story, I would not be at all surprised if a reader might have background knowledge of the events that have led up to this threat of a strike. If you know what has really been going on, and would like to let me know in complete confidence, then please drop me a line to hugh.neal@gmail.com - you can be anonymous if you so wish.

I have been in communication with pub chain J D Wetherspoons over the last week, as a follow - up to discussions I had with them last year, concerning plans they have to open a pub in the local area. I had originally been quite optimistic that they might have put in a bid to take over and refurbish the failing Running Horses, overlooking the Erith Riverside Gardens, which you can see in the photo above - click on it for a larger version. The once great pub has been staggering on for a number of years, but it is sadly a shadow of what it used to be in the late 1980's / early 1990's when it was an incredibly popular venue with an amazing carvery restaurant on the upper floor. Back in the day you had to book in advance to secure a table in the carvery, and at weekends the place would be heaving with family groups. Food portions were large and well - cooked, and all three bars (two downstairs, and a smaller one upstairs) in the pub would be busy. Nowadays this is sadly very far from the case. I had suggested to Wetherspoons that they might wish to buy the place and refurbish it, as it would make an excellent Wetherspoons outlet. I got a response from their property acquisitions team on last Monday morning which read:- "Thank you very so much for your email regarding The Running Horses in Erith. J D Wetherspoon is interested in being represented in the town, but would rather a site closer to the shopping area.  If you know of any other sites of potential we would love to hear about them. Once again, thank you for taking the time and trouble to contact us". So much for that idea then; I don't think the property team actually realise just how close the Running Horses is to the Erith Riverside Shopping Centre, and I responded accordingly. They were also not aware that the shopping centre gates are closed at 6pm in the evening, and that the retail area is closed off from public access. My opinion is that it is looking less likely that we will get a Wetherspoons in Erith than I had originally anticipated, but it may be that an accommodation at another site closer to the town centre can be made.

It would seem that the Erith Lighthouse project has attracted more attention that some would have imagined. The London Evening Standard has written a very interesting piece on the project. They give the pop – up restaurant a very favourable review, though I do think that they unintentionally damn it with faint praise – they say that the Erith Riverside Gardens, where the Lighthouse Project is based are located “on a flood defence wall” – which I suppose in essence it is, but the gardens are so much more than that. It is good to see a paper like the Standard, which tends to be very North of the river centric, giving exposure to a part of the city that normally gets somewhat overlooked. I am hopeful that the Erith Lighthouse project will not be a one – off event, but in time will become an annual celebration of the local area. For far too long Erith and the surrounding areas have been regarded as a cultural and social backwater by the trendies in central and West London – perhaps that is now starting to change for the better. Time will tell.

The recently opened pie and mash shop in Erith town centre seems to be doing well; the outlet is located in the ground floor of the Nemesis Thai Boxing Gym. I can understand why the business would want to share a space with another organisation. The pie and mash shop is a bit of an experiment for the owners; Rather than commit large amounts of capital into leasing a full retail unit in Erith Riverside Shopping Centre, they have wisely chosen to test the market by instead subletting space in an existing business. If things take off, they can expand – if they don’t – their financial exposure will be limited. Any new food outlet in the town centre is to be welcomed, especially one that concentrates on traditional fare – there are already sufficient burger and kebab outlets as it is.

This week we have ward reports from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association:- "BEXLEYHEATH POLICE STATION / FRONT OFFICE CLOSURE - HAVE YOUR SAY. As covered in previous weeks, the London Mayor's consultation period for proposed changes that affect Bexleyheath police station runs until 6th October 2017 and Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch are keen that as many NW Coordinators and residents in the Borough have their say as possible to ensure that one of our vital services remains intact. These are the key ways that you can have your say: 1) Email the London Mayor’s Office directly giving your name and address. Please email the London Mayor’s office directly at consultation@mopac.london.gov.uk using the following as your pointer-guide:`“I call on the Mayor for London Mr Sadiq Khan to - a) Keep Bexleyheath Police station open with a 24 hour front office counter facility. b) Keep Bexleyheath Police station open. c) Recognise that the Police Station plays an important role allowing residents to report crime and anti-social behaviour in the area as well as seek advice and assistance from officers. Bexleyheath is and must remain an operational base for local officers which means they can respond swiftly to problems and calls. d) To recognise that Bexley, the borough, covers a large geographic area and that the principal police station must be at the centre of the borough bus transport hub and main ‘shopping area’ which is The Broadway Bexleyheath.” 2) Fill out the on-line petition at: http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/bexleyheath-police-station-front-office-closure-1 . 3) We have a hard copy petition that we can send you as a document (or download here) to print out and for you to gather Name / Signature / Postcode / Tel no. (optional) from your residents. Alternatively we can supply you with a couple of forms or more to collect these details. We have over 1,000 coordinators; if each just collected 10 signatures we would have 10,000 signatures and we should be able to exceed this figure because many will collect more. In addition to the 3 options being offered above to protest against the planned closure, why not come along to this meeting: SNB Board Meeting in the Civic Chamber / Civic Offices at the top of Gravel Hill (Old Woolwich B.S. Building) on Thursday 7th September at 6.30pm. The main item on the agenda is the proposed closure of the front desk and then the police station itself. The Chamber is booked from 6.30pm. Please come along and bring any residents from your street who want to show their support for keeping the station / front desk and NW Office open. A representative from The London Mayor's Office (MOPAC) will be attending. Barnehurst Ward:- "Barnehurst Ward has suffered two burglaries in the past week. Both burglaries happened on Friday 18th August. The first one occurred in Lyndhurst Road at 21.30 hours. Suspects had ripped an alarm off the wall however the alarm continued to sound. A pane of glass to a rear patio door had also been smashed. On speaking to local residents Police were on scene very quickly and nothing has been reported stolen from the property. The second Burglary occurred on the same night in Pinnacle Hill at 22.20. The resident heard a loud noise and found the rear door glass pane had been smashed. The door to the garage was also found open. Entry is believed to be via the garage to the rear of the property. Again, nothing was taken from the venue. It’s easy to think house alarms go off in error and can be annoying but please bear in mind when house alarms are sounding it may not just be a fault with the alarm. Please contact Police so the property can be checked and secured and suspects, if still on scene or in the vicinity can be caught. Patrols continue to parks and open spaces. Weapon sweeps were carried out in Martens Grove Park on Monday 21st August and to Russell Park on Wednesday 23rd August as part of a Met wide operation to combat knife crime. Our next coffee with cops will be on Tuesday 29th August at Barnehurst Golf Club at 11am so please feel free to join us should you wish to discuss any issues you may have. Don’t forget to follow us on twitter @MPSBarnehurst to find out what we’ve been up to, crime prevention advice and details of our drop in surgeries". Belvedere Ward:- "The team have continued to visit residents across the ward in order to create new Neighbourhood Watches. We have also been busy after reports of Anti Social Behaviour by youths in the Nuxley Road area – in particular the car park adjacent to Albert Road and surrounding streets. Through subsequent patrols of the area in question, we have stopped and spoken to a large number of youths to offer advice on cycling safely". Erith Ward:- "There are a number of youths on mopeds regularly riding around illegally with faces covered, coming and going from Erith / Abbey Wood. Not only is the constant noise a nuisance every evening but I have witnessed them dealing drugs. They chase around on roads and paths to escape police and it is known by all that they steal bikes but no one can prove this. They are a danger to other car and bike drivers as well as children that play on local streets. They have also been seen going tooled up with baseball bats and other things. It starts about 6pm till 11pm every night. [NW Office: We have forwarded on this information to the relevant police SNT team and would ask that other residents that witness ASB locally let us know and we will forward on. Please consider also reporting on 101 or 999 if an emergency]". North End Ward:- "We’ve received a number of reports about Bike related Anti Social Behaviour in and around the Eversley Avenue and Eversley Cross area. We’ve stepped up patrols in these areas during the peak times identified to us. We’ve also been working closely with residents on the road, and via social media. If you have any further information on this issue please contact us. We’ve also been building up our intelligence picture in relation to motor bikes concerned in ASB traffic offences on the ward. We’ve been viewing CCTV, completing door to door enquiries and putting out social media appeals. We’ve also received some good intelligence from the community". Northumberland Heath Ward:- "The team are pleased to report very little crime reported to us in the last week with no burglaries. There were a large number of tools stolen from a work van on Thursday August 17th between 0800 – 1000am in Little Heath Road. The residents in and around Bexley Road have not reported any anti-social behaviour to us, although youths continue to do wheelies up and down the high street causing a nuisance to pedestrians and drivers. On Tuesday of this week we conducted a Community Litter Pick with the members of the council, councillors and local residents giving up their valuable time to help. The North Heath Family Church opened their door to us and provided refreshments and the use of their facilities to us all. We managed to clear a number of alleyways and the car park in Mill Road. Thank you to everyone who took part so willingly". Thamesmead East Ward;- "The team have been busy over the past week, because as well as dealing with every day aspects of the ward, we have also been on aid, (Operation Sceptre) completing weapon sweeps across the ward, in an attempt to find any disused weapons they may have been used in crime. As part of the operation, we have also assisted neighbouring wards in executing search warrants (23rd August). Two males were arrested at different locations, and drugs seized. A burglary occurred Chadwick Way on Monday 21st August, between 0900- 1645 hours. No damage to door, however victim discovered door wide. Cash and jewellery stolen. Another offence occurred in Chadwick Way, overnight Thursday 10th August, when a vehicle was stolen from the rear car park. There have been further reports of male’s action suspicious in the area. Please let us know if anyone sees any more suspicious activity in the area. During the early hours of Monday 21st August a male was disturbed trying to break into a vehicle in Grange Crescent. No damage caused, nothing taken. Between Sunday 20th August 10am and Monday 21st August 2pm, attempts were made to steal from a motor vehicle parked up in Manor Close. The victim discovered the glove box open, paperwork thrown on floor. No items of value taken. On Tuesday 29th August, the team will be at The Thamesmead Library from 2.15 – 3.15pm. Any issues come and see us".

I have had several people mention to me in the last few weeks that the local area is definitely feeling nicer than of yore; the redevelopment of so many areas, and the soon to be forthcoming large cash investment into Erith are already making a big improvement in an area that has been sadly overlooked for many decades. Things definitely feel like they are looking up. If you have any stories about the town and how it is changing, please get into contact with me, as I would love to hear them.

The plaque shown in the photo above (click on it for a larger view) is one of the least known artefacts in Erith - very few locals are even aware that it exists. The plaque, which marks the eight hundredth anniversary of the start of the Rainham to Erith Pilgrim's Ferry, which began in the year 1199. The plaque was erected on the wall next to the wooden jetty adjacent to Erith Riverside Gardens back in 1999. The Pilgrim's Ferry was used to allow travellers to cross the River Thames between Erith and Coldharbour Point in Rainham. There was an unsuccessful campaign back in 2010 / 2011 to try and get the ferry service restarted, as part of the "London Loop". The ferry last ran on a regular daily basis back in 1854.

The end video this week is from a group of people who create YouTube videos on the subject of exploring Britain's industrial archaeology; In the video below, they visit the Crossness pumping station to view the largest working rotative beam engine in the world. Give it a watch and see what you think.