Better than bins.

The photos above - click on any one for a larger view, were taken by me yesterday at the private viewing of a large photographic exhibition in the main hall of the old Carnegie Library in Walnut Tree Road, Erith. The exhibition, which runs until the 27th of October features images from three distinct sources. The opening hours of The Bookstore Cafe, downstairs in the old Library building are:- Mondays and Tuesdays - Closed; Wednesday - 8am - 8.30pm; Thursday and Friday - 8am - 10.30pm; Saturday - 8.30am - 10.30pm; Sunday - 9am - 4pm. The photographic exhibition brings together three exhibitions in one, Erith: In Review presents a fascinating sideways look at Erith through the photographic lens. The photography group at local mental health charity Centrepieces led by Terry Longley have worked with Bexley Archives throughout the summer, searching the collection for historic views of the town. The group returned to the locations of archive images to retake the views today - these stunning black and white photographs document how the town has changed over the last hundred years. Photography students at London South East Colleges have turned their cameras on contemporary Erith, providing a sometimes surprising insight into the town as seen by a new generation of photographers. Local artist Stuart Smith has taken some striking photographs of the River Thames, and printed them onto sheets of brushed aluminium, creating images that change with the light and the viewing angle. Visitors are able to purchase these unusual artworks, which are of a very limited print run. More on the photographic exhibition later in this update.

Following my account of an attempted fly tipping in the car park of Christ Church Erith last week, the authorities have been very active in investigating the incident. I am led to understand that the perpetrators have been identified, and CCTV footage located of the attempted tipping, and the subsequent actual fly tipping, which happened in Avenue Road, after I and others saw what the criminals were trying to do, and successfully saw them off. I will say no more at this point, but I am quietly hopeful that charges will soon follow, and the perpetrators brought to justice. 

As regular readers will be aware, I monitor events across the River Thames in the London Borough of Havering. The reason for this is that the borough is of a similar size, geography, residential demographic and council budget, but it often appears that Havering has a very different way of managing its affairs. The same thing also is true of the Borough of Barking and Dagenham, and I feel that there are occasions when Bexley Council could learn much from our neighbours across the water. As you may be aware, the London Borough of Bexley is about to release new waste bins to the residents of the borough, in an attempt to make the collection and recycling of household waste more efficient. I feel that they are looking at the problem in what could be described as a very traditional and linear manner, and that they could do with taking a hard look at the innovative approaches to waste management, as is being done in the North of the River Thames. Barking Riverside is a large new housing development. It is being built on land formerly occupied by Barking Power Station, adjacent to the River Thames. The brownfield site has planning permission for 10,800 homes. The area was initially to be served by an extension of the Docklands Light Railway, but it was announced as part of the 2014 United Kingdom budget that the London Overground Gospel Oak to Barking Line would be extended to Barking Riverside to allow the development to be completed as planned. The new station is expected to open by 2021. Between 1995 and 2000 Bellway Homes built 900 homes and since 2004 the development has been managed by Barking Riverside Ltd, a partnership between GLA Land and Property and Bellway. Building work under this partnership commenced in 2010 and the first homes were occupied in 2012. In 2016, housing association L and Q bought out Bellway's stake in Barking Riverside Ltd, entering into a joint venture with the GLA to deliver the remaining new homes. There will be three neighbourhood centres and, when complete, the development as a whole will have a population of approximately 26,000. What relevance has this to Bexley you may wonder? Well, it is in the way that Barking Riverside has managed their waste and recycling processes, which I feel that other local authorities could do well to learn from. An underground pipe network has been developed in Barking Riverside to provide a new way of waste disposal. The system, built by Swedish company Envac, sees household and recycled waste transported to a centre on the edge of the 10,800 home site. The concept means residents no longer have to wait for weekly collections and can dispose of waste whenever required via fob accessed ‘inlets’. Waste is shot through the pipes at 40mph to the outside area. Managing Director of Envac, Dave Buckley, said in an interview with Romford based radio station Time 107.5 FM:- "The waste is collected into separate fractions, pneumatically moved to a central storage point, and then collected. They’ll have two inlets outside their house; one for recycling and one for general waste. The furthest anyone will have to walk is 30 metres from their front door.” A pneumatic waste collection system not only reduces on-street litter, smells and the noise from waste collection trucks, but also frees up space by reducing the amount of space required for waste storage areas. Once the user has placed a bag in the Envac inlet, the waste is sucked through an underground pipe network to a waste collection terminal. The pipes are either hidden underground, similar to telecommunications, gas and electricity infrastructure, or situated within the very core of a building. By using Envac, space traditionally designated for bin storage is no longer required, manual handling of waste is minimised and waste no longer needs to be transported through the streets using heavily polluting waste collection vehicles. I know that an Envac system installed throughout the London Borough of Bexley would be prohibitively expensive, but I cannot see why an installation in somewhere like Bexleyheath, and in the Quarry housing development in Erith could not be run as a pilot project. Pneumatic waste collection systems can be installed in existing town centres and integrated into the town's architecture. More and more cities and towns are becoming aware of the costs associated with traffic jams, littering, noise and emissions. These create health risks, lower the living standard for residents and weaken the area's image and brand. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

Now for a bit of fun to mark the opening of the new photographic exhibition Erith: In Review - a photography exhibition exploring new and old views of the town. This is a partnership project with Centrepieces, London South East Colleges and local artist Stuart Smith, as mentioned earlier in this Blog update. The photo above - click on it for a larger version - was taken some years ago somewhere in Erith. Since the photo was taken, the location has been subject to renovation, and the vintage 1950's mock marble formica interior no longer exists. Can you name the location? Answers on a postcard please, or better still, send me an Email to hugh.neal@gmail.com. The winner and as many friends and family as they wish to accompany them will get a personal guided tour around the old Carnegie Library by me, at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon of their choice, subject to any major events taking place.

The weather over the last couple of weeks has been extremely mixed - we have had excellent late summer sunshine and heat during the Erith Pier Festival, followed by days of torrential rain. Much has already been written about the subject, and I don't want to repeat what has already been said. One thing that it has highlighted is something I have mentioned in the past, but I feel that needs to be restated. People who put their feet on the seats on public transport is something that winds me up no end; not only is it antisocial, but it is extremely unhygienic. Even if the culprit has not directly stood in a dog turd, the harmful bacteria from excrement is washed all over every pavement when it rains and everybody gets faecal bacteria on their footwear, whether they know it or not. It is only after a period of bright sunshine that the Ultraviolet light from the sun kills the micro organisms, but for much of the time in winter the footpaths and streets of Britain are literally awash with harmful bacteria, mainly from dog droppings. When someone puts their feet onto a bus or train seat, they transfer some of this bacteria onto the fabric of the seat, where it can live quite happily for several days. In that time, multiple bottoms will have sat on the invisible bacteria colony, transferring some of them for another ride on an unwitting hosts' clothes. The person has only to touch the invisibly infected area to pass harmful bugs onto their hands, and from there, virtually anywhere. This is one of the main reasons that when you visit a hospital or nursing care home, you are strongly encouraged to use antibacterial hand gel, which is normally supplied in a dispenser by the entrance. A good wash with soap and hot water will do pretty much the same, if like me you are sensitive to the gel. I have been told by a couple of medical professionals that about a third of infections blamed on MRSA in hospitals and nursing homes are actually caused by canine faecal bacteria transferred from visitors' clothing. Think on this next time you see someone putting their feet on a seat.

Maggot Sandwich readers of long standing may recall that quite some time ago I explained why I refused to take advertising on the blog. One of the reasons I cited was that I did not want to be at the thrall of an advertiser or sponsor, and thus be muzzled as to what content I wrote. It would seem that my feelings on the subject were crystallised in a report from The Advertising Standards Authority specifically targeting Vloggers (video bloggers) who have been promoting commercial products and using product placement in their videos, for which advertising agencies and public relations firms have been financially rewarding them for. The ASA are pointing Vloggers at a report that they actually published back in 2015, and which has not been updated since. Whether The Advertising Standards Authority actually have any power over Vloggers is debatable; many are based outside of the UK, and other may be based in the UK, but use platforms that are hosted outside of the UK. I suspect that the ASA are having a bit of a “fishing trip” to see who they can scare into submission. I think that in many cases their words may prove to be an empty threat. I get the feeling that the ASA don’t really have much of a clue as to exactly how video services such as YouTube actually operate. Whilst a file may be uploaded from an I.P address in the UK, it may end up being hosted on a server in the USA, Japan or a host of other locations, from which it is then “broadcast” to viewers via the World Wide Web. Which country is legally responsible for video content? The country from whence it was uploaded, or the country that hosts the video files? Users may upload files using a proxy, mirroring the upload to a third location anywhere in the world – The Advertising Standards Authority would need the resources of GCHQ to track activity of this nature, and I cannot see it ever happening. I think some clueless Whitehall Mandarin is blowing off steam over something that they really don't have a handle on. Let’s see what happens.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly the report from Barnehurst ward:- From a Neighbourhood Watch Member - in Beechcroft Avenue. "Just wanted to let you know what took place this morning at 7.15am (2/10/19) I saw a young man approaching my front door as I was about to leave for work. He was dressed very scruffy and had a bandage on one of his hands which was very dirty. I opened my door to see what he want and at the same time my friend who I walk to the station with was already questioning him. At the same time there was another young man opposite to my house dressed in dark clothes with a black bobble hat on looking extremely suspicious. The young man on my drive asked if my car was for sale and I replied no. He said it was old and tyres were flat so thought it would be for sale, I replied the tyres are not flat and no it's not for sale, the 2 guys went to the bottom of Beechcroft Avenue and got into a small silver VW and drove off. My friend said the other man opposite my house was up the drive of number 2 looking at that car also as she was walking towards them". PCSO Cathy Nolan - "Good news for Barnehurst residents, we have had no burglaries in the past week. We have had one Incident of vehicle crime whereby number plates were stolen from a vehicle overnight in Birling Road. Please continue to secure vehicles and do not leave any items anywhere in the vehicle for thieves to help themselves. In recent incidents items such as bank cards, cash and electrical goods have been taken from vehicles, these sort of items should never be left in a vehicle even if left out of sight. We have been experiencing an increase of youths on pushbikes riding in an anti-social manner in and around Manor Way. These youths are also cycling in the playground at the bottom of Northall Road where signs in the playground clearly state no cycling. If you are or have been affected by this group please contact us. The next community contact session will be held on Tuesday 8th October 2019 in Barnehurst Golf Club at 04.00pm. We are here to offer crime prevention advice and answer any questions you may have". Belvedere ward - no report received this week. Bexleyheath ward:- "On Saturday 26/9/19 an elderly lady had her purse stolen from her bag in Savers Broadway, resulting in the purse being dumped in a rubbish bin and a member of the public finding it and handing it into the Police Station. However cash was taken from within £15.00.  Monday 28/9/19 overnight a Transit van parked in Banks Lane had the rear door damaged nothing taken from within. On Wednesday 30/9/19 an 80 year old female had withdrawn cash from Santander Broadway and it was placed in an envelope in her handbag. However after shopping and chatting to people it was noticed missing when she arrived home.  Please be vigilant as the dark nights start to draw in, making sure you have security at your property including adequate lighting, also be aware of your surroundings whilst shopping. If you do have to withdraw large amounts of cash please go directly home and have a bag which can be zipped up nice and safe.  Stops and searches continue across the ward with several arrests for possession of cannabis, including the war memorial, car parks, Braeside garages and other hotspots. If you are aware of any issues in your local area please do get in contact with the team". Crayford ward - From Neighbourhood Watch Member - in Stanham Place. "On Monday, 23rd September 2019 between the hours 11:30 – 13:30 my catalyst converter was stolen from my car whilst I was at St Paulinus School. It was parked outside the school field on Iron Mill lane 1 car down from the field gate. When I started up the car it sounded like a motorbike and noticed the exhaust was dragging on the floor. It was only when the garage called me today they told me the catalyst converter had been stolen on my 2001 old, Green, Toyota Yaris. I am in shock as I didn't realise it would be worth much being so old and small. I have made an online police report but I am concerned to be at the school now just in case the new one is stolen". Ward report:- "Number plates were stolen from a vehicle whilst parked at St Paulinus Court between 20.00 on Tuesday 24th September and 09.00 on 25th September, no further details known. It has been reported that on Saturday 10th August a bag containing baby items and an iPhone 7 was taken from close to Cray Newsagents in Crayford Way. There is no indication why it has only just been reported to police. On Sunday 15th September between 23.00-23.35 a Rotavator, petrol lawnmower and other equipment, all heavy duty and difficult to remove, were stolen from a garage in Station Road. Criminal damage was caused to a vehicle parked in Wolsey Close on Thursday 26th September between 12.50-12.59. Two Females and one Male were arguing and their car door hit the victim's car causing a dent and transferring paint.  Store security at Sainsbury's stopped a shoplifter who had filled their trolley, gone to self-service tills and paid for some items and then tried to leave without paying for the rest. On Monday 23rd September between 11.30-13.30 a green Toyota Yaris had its catalytic convertor removed whilst parked outside St Paulinus School. A robbery took place inside a shop in Princess Parade, the suspect snatched the victim's cash and was arrested nearby by police. On Thursday 26th September at 12.15 there was a theft of mail from an external post box to a property in Heath Road. A black Ford Fiesta RA165XE was stolen from Wyatt Road between Monday 12th August and 13th August without keys and reported to police on 27th September. Criminal damage was caused to a Peugeot GC15XCG by having the rear window smashed whilst parked in Crayford Way on Saturday 28th September, it is believed it occurred at around 12.15. It was reported that a male with tools was seen jacking up a Mazda RX8 in Chapel Hill on Saturday 28th September at 14.40. The male and his accomplice who was driving a blue panel van were challenged by a neighbour and left the scene, it was later discovered that the catalytic convertor had been stolen. Between 17.30 on Saturday 28th September and Sunday 29th September at 10.30am a Citroen was broken in to in London Road and the centre display screen was smashed, the vehicle smelt of cannabis. A silver Ford Tourneo had number plates stolen (WN15NZK) whilst parked on the driveway on Tuesday 1st October between 10.00-16.00. Between Tuesday 1st and 2nd October a car was broken in to at Shearwood Crescent, no other details were given about the vehicle or what was taken. Number plates were stolen from a vehicle whilst parked in Chapel Hill on Tuesday 1st October between 00.00-01.00. LX56SVL should be on a Renault Megane. A garage was broken in to in Glebelands between Sunday 22nd and Sunday 29th September. The heavy duty padlock was broken off and removed, no damage caused to the door. Four bicycles, two male, one female and one child's) an industrial style vacuum cleaner, SDS Hammer drill, and heavy duty jump leads were stolen. Our team have been very busy, not just on Crayford ward but by assisting other teams in Erith and Bexleyheath with larger scale warrants and enquiries to apprehend suspects who are likely to cause or have caused crime on Crayford ward. There have been arrest enquiries conducted for outstanding suspects. As you will see from above we have had two garages broken in to recently with high value items requiring a van to remove them, please consider your garage security if you have one, please see met.police.uk/burglary for further details on home security especially with the autumn nights drawing in. If you have an external post box, please consider removing it and using the letter box on your front door, removing your post could lead to identity theft and could be costly in terms of time and stress as well as financially. Our ward panel meeting is to be held at Vintage Lindy Lou's on Tuesday 8th October from 7pm". Erith ward:- "We had an attempted burglary in Tower Road where a male tried to gain entry to a property but failed and ran off this was captured on CCTV, however there was no facial image. We are having a street briefing with the residents of Erith Park next week, this week we had a street briefing in Bramble Croft of which we signed up 2 new NW members. On Saturday 5th October officers from Erith SNT will be attending Erith Town FC who play their home games at Erith Leisure Centre we will be there to support the local team, if you wish to attend more info is here https://www.erithtown.co.uk we would like to make this a regular visit for us. Crimes of note for last week. Theft from MV 14/09/2019 Erith high Street. Theft from MV 23/09/2019 Lesney Park Road. Theft from MV 25/09/2019 James Watt Way. Theft from MV 27/09/2019 Pembroke Road, Theft of MV 27/09/2019 Riverdale Road, Theft from MV 27/09/2019 Upper Holly Hill Road,Attempted Burglary Residential 30/09/2019 19:45:00 Tower Road". Northumberland Heath ward:- "Unfortunately this week there has been a theft of motor vehicle – Ford Transit stolen from Broadoak Road. Attempted Theft of a motorbike. Two suspects on a green motorbike wearing helmets have attempted to steal a motorbike from address on Bexley Road. Theft of number plates from a motor vehicle on Parsonage Manorway. A Community Protection Notice Warning has been issued to a Local resident. Officers have completed positive stop and searches on Becton Place, where one male was found in possession of cannabis. The team have also arrested a male for being wanted for failing to appear at Medway Magistrates Court for the offence of Theft – shoplifting. Community contact point was completed on Monday 10am at Mill Road Library. Good News -Officers successfully arrest a male wanted in connection to a Burglary Non dwelling. The male was then charged for the Offences and remanded in Police custody".

Slade Green and Northend ward:- "Only crime of note this week is the theft of a number plate from a vehicle overnight on Sun/Mon 29/30 outside The Sidings in Moat Lane. PC James was alerted by a member of the public on Monday about a vehicle that was seemingly dumped in Hilden Drive. Upon checking, it turned out to be stolen and was recovered and sent to Charlton car pound.  Our next CCS is from 6pm on Saturday October 5th at our SNT base in Pier Road. PCSO Mark will be at St Augustines' church this coming Sunday afternoon where he is honoured to be invited to take part in Rev. Jim Bennetts' Installation Ceremony". Thamesmead East ward:- "Sunday 22/09/19 between the hours of 2:00am and 6:00pm a vehicle parked outside of Shire Court had the driver's side window smashed the vehicle was rummaged through, nothing taken. On Wednesday 25/09/19 at 05:51am a vehicle parked in Maran Way had the front driver's window smashed ,no items taken. A dash cam and a private hire taxi badge was stolen from a vehicle parked in Wolvercote Road, the passenger side window was smashed ,the theft happened overnight of the 24/09/19 to 25/09/19. Over night of the 25/09/19 to 26/09/19 a vehicle parked in Ponter Close had the driver's window smashed ,a wallet containing bank cards was taken. On Thursday 26/09/19 at 9:00am a vehicle parked in Lensbury Way was broken into, a mobile phone, bankcards were taken. Between the times 4:00pm of the 19/09/19 and 12;00pm of the 21/09/19 the catalytic converter was stolen from a vehicle parked in Lensbury Way. Between the time of 10:00pm of the 26/09/19 and 12:00pm of the 27/09/19,a vehicle parked in Glimpsing Green had the rear driver's side passenger window smashed ,entry gained ,loose change, black ray ban sunglasses and the vehicles log book were taken. On Thursday 26/09/19 between the hours of 2:30pm and 3:40 pm the catalytic converter was stolen from a Honda vehicle parked near Argali House Kale Road". West Heath ward:- "We have had a significant reduction in motor vehicle crime this week, with just one crime reported to us. Theft of motor vehicle in Gypsy Road overnight on Monday September between 08.30pm and 16.00am on Tuesday October 1st. Unfortunately, we have had a residential burglary in Chessington Avenue between 11pm on Tuesday October 1st and 7am on Wednesday October 2nd 2019. Keys to a Ford Focus and a Ford Fiesta were stolen along with the two vehicles. Method of entry to the property is not known at this time. One attempted burglary in Winchelsea Avenue 0n Wednesday October 2nd at 06.45am. A male was seen attempting to force the front door before making off in a silver coloured vehicle. The team are continuing to focus on arrest enquiries and stop and searches. A male was arrested by officers from the team last Friday for a recall to prison".

The end video this week features Erith Yacht Club, located at the Eastern end of Manor Road adjacent to the Bexley Brewery in the Manford Industrial Estate. The yacht club has been on the site for a considerable time, but its current clubhouse is a relatively recent addition. See what you think, and either leave a comment below, or alternatively email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The Street Kitchen.

I took the photographs above on Friday evening - click on any one for a larger view. The event was the first Erith Street Kitchen Food Fair. I arrived not long after the event started, and people were beginning to turn up. There were a number of stalls selling a variety of foods and drinks, along with a chap with an acoustic guitar who was singing. I spoke to a number of the people who visited the event - they were pleasantly surprised by it, as they had been walking past and stumbled on it. There were a number of stalls selling everything from alcoholic ice cream, Italian Gnocchi, African food and even a candy floss stall, which proved very popular, especially with children. I have to admit that my only criticism of the food fair was the lack of publicity prior to the event. If I only just knew about it shortly before it took place, how would most local people get to find out? There was very little promotion or publicity, which was a shame. Fortunately the location of the event meant that it attracted a lot of passing attention, and also meant that people returning home after work, who had got the train from London would come across the fair on their way home, or on their way to Morrison's supermarket. I spoke to a lady from Bexley Council who was involved with the organisation of the event, and she told me that they had been leafletting commuters at Erith Station (more on the station shortly) for three days prior to the event, but it would have been nice to see a few posters in and around the town centre. She also told me that they plan to make a Street Kitchen Food Fair a regular occurrence - maybe once a month. I would heartily welcome such a move, as long as the council give the events the appropriate level of publicity and support. I was also told that the re - relaunch of Erith Market is now not likely to happen; the previous half hearted attempt only lasted a few weeks. Last September local arts, heritage and education group The Exchange carried out a public consultation regarding the future of Erith Market; the feedback that they gathered was summarised as:- "The Market needs to be on a weekend to ensure enough people are able to attend it; it needs a better location than the unsuccessful attempt in Morrisons car park; it should have a variety of stalls as it can’t compete with cheap shops in Erith on price alone; it should offer more than just shopping – e.g. music, workshops, activities for children, street food – a real day out. The Market could include opportunities/subsidised stalls for non established traders e.g. teenage market, free stalls for local entrepreneurs, car-boot stalls – maybe we trial it with a Christmas market. To compete with other markets it would be great to become a destination market – need something unique to do this". It would appear from what I was told that the council have now abandoned any attempt to restart the market, which, if it is true, is a real shame. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Bexley Police have started a crackdown on the users of Nitrous Oxide. The gas, which is inhaled, has become a popular recreational drug over the past few years. According to the latest Global Drug Survey, Nitrous Oxide – or laughing gas – is now the seventh most popular drug in the 50 countries surveyed. Just over half the UK respondents said they had tried the drug at some point, and 38 per cent said they had used it in the last year, making it more popular in the UK than any other country. Nitrous Oxide is a colourless, sweet tasting gas that has been used recreationally since the late 18th century, most notably by Sir Humphry Davy, former president of the Royal Society. Medical use was established in the early 20th century and Nitrous Oxide remains an important anaesthetic, tranquilliser and painkiller, used by dentists, obstetricians and sports doctors. Indeed, many members of the public will have experienced the effects of Nitrous Oxide themselves without realising it. The popularity of recreational use of Nitrous Oxide is unsurprising. It is legal in many parts of the world, it is cheap and it reliably produces a short-lasting euphoria as well as heightened senses and a slight feeling of disconnect from the body and is often used as a drug at concerts, nightclubs and festivals. As one can see, the desired effects would be a quick little “pick me up” but continued usage causes major damage. Physically, Nitrous Oxide is not considered an addictive drug; psychologically it is because it mimics other narcotics. It is a very quick high which usually causes intense repetitive behaviours in its users. Users of this drug will continue to try to get more and more high, which again, in turn, creates major issues. Purposely making the human body pass out or by cutting circulation of to the brain does not only kills brain cells but can creates numbness in extremities, vitamin B12 deficiencies, suffocation, and it can even lead to death. If a person is to stop breathing, even for a short period of time, it also affects the central nervous system which includes the brain, brain stem and spinal cord. Death typically occurs in people who highly abuse Nitrous Oxide. They continue to chase their first high and try to inhale more and more gas. If death does not occur from doing this, it can cause severe brain damage due to asphyxia. There have been statements made about how the effects on the body after going on a Nitrous Oxide binge and then not doing it for a while, can be similar to the withdrawals that someone may experience if they have not smoked marijuana in a while. There may be bouts of nausea, impulse to want to do Nitrous Oxide again, headaches accompanied by lethargy, and just an overall feeling of achy joints and weakness. Nitrous Oxide can be combined with other drugs to alter the effects. Availability is affected by national laws but, generally, where the drug is available it is either dispensed from large canisters or small bulbs (“whippets”), into balloons, which is then used to inhale. Because Nitrous Oxide has legitimate uses in the food industry (to make whipped cream, for example), it can easily be bought from online retailers such as catering companies. However, according to the Global Drug Survey, people are increasingly using the dark net to buy it. Long-term and heavy-use of Nitrous Oxide can lead to vitamin deficiency, amnesia and anaemia as a result of the inactivation of vitamin B12 in the body, although the incidence of this is unknown. Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause tingling and extended periods of numbness in the fingers, toes and extremities which can last for hours or days. More severe cases can lead to numbness and difficulty walking, and the risks are heightened in people who are already vitamin B12 deficient. The misuse of Nitrous Oxide in and around the London Borough of Bexley is widespread - empty canisters and balloons can be seen strewn in the gutters of many local roads - as you can see in the photo above - click on it for a larger version. 

Work is about to begin to improve Erith Station, which until now has been largely overlooked in the refurbishment work to the stations on the North Kent Line. Whilst the work is welcomed, it still will not include a passenger lift for the London bound platform - something that has been requested and campaigned for nearly a decade, with no result. The announcement from Bexley Council says:- "Works to improve access to Erith station and to enhance the forecourt and building will begin on 23 July and last until early autumn. The improvement work will not affect passenger train use, and has been timed to coincide with the school summer holidays, to minimise inconvenience to residents. The majority of the work will take place in the station forecourt area with the public space opened up to increase pedestrian and vehicle access.  There will be new seating, trees and shrubbery plus more bicycle racks which will be more secure. The existing heritage lights which are a key feature on the station building, which is locally listed, will be restored and brought back into full use. Traffic and pedestrian access may at times need to be restricted to enable the works to take place.  Diversions will be fully signposted. The improvements at Erith station are being funded by London Borough of Bexley and the Mayor of London. The aim is to create an active town centre that can make the most of Erith’s unique setting by the River Thames". So when are we getting a lift? Bexleyheath Station has a lift which is not needed, as there is already step - free access to both the London and Kent bound platforms, something that is not available at Erith Station. 

You may recall that last week I published part one of an article by guest writer Miles on the subject of electric vehicles, their practicality, and the the proposed creation of an electric vehicle charging infrastructure within the London Borough of Bexley. Here is part two of the article, and it makes for fascinating and thought provoking reading. Miles writes:- "The media have performed an excellent job casting the electric vehicle as nothing more than an inconvenience yet this couldn't be further from the truth, modern EVs are almost indistinguishable from normal cars bar several key differences, torque, charging, maintenance and finally, Silence (with a capital S). There’s nothing comparable to an EV accelerating off the line, unlike internal combustion cars (ICE) torque is immediately available at all rev ranges, this translates into show stopping, almost supercar like acceleration, overtaking manoeuvres become far safer and is always guaranteed to put a smile on your face. With no gears you can creep along in traffic, stop and start with no noisy engine ignitions, and when it is time to put the pedal to the metal, pure and constant acceleration is delivered thanks to the gearless drivetrain. Let's look at charging, as that's always a hot topic. If you own an EV you've got to know your ABCs - Always Be Charging. When you have an opportunity to charge, whether that be at home, work, shopping etc - plug in. Depending on your car, and charger type you'll get anywhere from 100-350 miles off range in an hour.  What's more, a significant number are free to use - I write to you now sitting in the Lidl parking lot in Bexleyheath not having paid a penny…. OK, ok I had to buy a pint of milk. One huge benefit of EVs is you can leave your car charging overnight meaning you wake up to a full tank of petrol, well electricity, but you get my meaning; In fact there’s a significant population of EV drivers who simply never use public chargers. Statistically speaking in the US the average daily distance driven is less than 30 Miles. If your battery range is 2-300 miles, it’ll only be on rare occasions you need to use the public charge network. Whilst this may not suite the travelling salesmen of old, for the majority of us it's ideal. Now it's not all sunshine and roses, whilst there are tens of thousands of chargers around the country we will need vastly more - it's not much fun waiting for a charger to free up! EV owners can even be their own worst enemy by overstaying at a charge bay despite a fully battery; Thankfully the community have come up with two solutions, charge sharing by allowing other drivers to unplug your car, and at more disputed locations, an idle charge to encourage a prompt return for the car. It's also becoming increasingly common to see drivers prioritise the cars with the least range to charge first which is great to see in action. Another frustrating aspect of charging is the sheer number of different providers, each with their own phone apps, cards and subscriptions. Thankfully the tide is quickly changing as the government are pushing for simple contactless payments - already offered at many stations. Faulty chargers and ICEing bring this section to a neat close. Unfortunately it is not uncommon to find a faulty charger - thankfully the excellent EV community built ZapMap, a crowd-sourced website & mobile app that gives you the real-time status of all EV charges throughout the UK. With a bit of forethought you can generally avoid wasting time at faulty or busy chargers. ICEing - the deliberate action of parking in an EV charger by a normal car - is a particularly irritating event, akin to parking your car at a petrol pump and going off to do the weekly shop.  Often this appears to be out of malice, or some sort of entitlement but thankfully it is reasonable rare. Most chargers tend to be placed with ANPR systems which will automatically issue a ticket if the vehicle is not parked in the correct location. With that out of the way, let’s talk maintenance or more precisely, there lack of! An EV has vastly less moving parts than a typically car which drastically reduces the number of components that need maintenance or can fail. Your yearly service involves topping up the washer fluid, wiper blades, maybe a coolant check if you’re a high miler and a quick check of the 12v battery - annual service intervals become almost pointless. Brake pads tend to last significantly longer as regenerative braking - braking that is provided by the motor and simultaneously recharges the battery - means it’s entirely possible to drive without using the brake at all! Simply put, the majority of service requirements can be carried out at home saving you a small fortune each year". Some very thought provoking issues covered by Miles; part three of his essay on electric vehicles and the practicality of using them will be published next week; please feel free to leave any comments or other feedback below. Alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The photo above was sent to me by a reader a couple of weeks ago; due to pressure from other content it is only now that I have been able to publish it. The photo (click on it for a larger version) shows a large freighter ship coming in to moor at Erith Pier. It was apparently taken in around 1968. As I have written in the past, one of the most underused and overlooked assets that Erith has is the pier. Erith Pier is the longest pier on the River Thames. It was originally constructed for commercial use for the unloading of goods from cargo ships that used to moor at the pier. Most of the cargo were large reels of blank newsprint from Scandinavian paper mills for what was then Fleet Street and the newspaper printers. Erith Deep Water Wharf provided many local jobs for years, but as container ports such as Tilbury took over, the wharf became less popular with shipping companies, and it was closed down – it remained empty for a number of years. Back in 1998 work started to convert the former wharf into what is now Morrison’s supermarket and the aforementioned pleasure pier, which opened to the public in 1999. Nowadays it is a pleasure pier, and somewhere well worth a visit in the warm weather. In my opinion it is one of the little known gems of the River Thames. 

I have commented on several occasions as to how the feedback function on the News Shopper website seems to be either somewhat broken, or more likely, unmoderated. The sheer number of facile, ill considered and downright rude comments that appear under many of the news items is of concern to me. Not only do the authors of some of the comments seem to leave their opinions on most if not all of the stories that have comments enabled, but it appears that they try to appear "funny" when in reality all they do is annoy the reader. Regular comment contributors include "Gypo Joe" and "I think you will find I am correct" - all they do is grandstand and try and annoy other contributors in a completely pointless way. There is also a strong subtext of racism in some of the comments - one regular contributor repeatedly writes "hit them with a stick, then deport them" about any issue he or she comments upon. I fully realise that the News Shopper has very limited resources nowadays, and that the reporting staff do not know the area well, as they are not locally based. You may notice that screen captures from Google Street View are widely used to illustrate stories, as the paper no longer has a staff photographer. 

Now for the weekly safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly from Barnehurst ward:- "Good news again for Barnehurst as we did not have many crimes. Due to a local resident being in possession of cannabis they were issued with a Penalty Notice for £90. The Barnehurst ward officers did a ward patrol with Mayor Bishop and Councillor Jackson, which was very successful as local issues were discussed. Please join us for our community contact day on Wednesday 25th July at 11am at Barnehurst Golf Course. We will discuss any ward issues that you have and we will also provide residents with crime prevention advice". Belvedere ward:- "There was a report that a gun was discharged on 03/07/2018 in Victoria Street and then subsequently in Grosvenor Road, around 23:00. No one was hurt as far as we know. However, we are conducting a fresh appeal for any witnesses. The immediate surrounding area was canvassed with leaflets but if anyone has any information please can you contact the Crime Team on 0208 247 4602. Alternatively you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 anonymously. We have received reports of youths hanging around the undercover area of The Chestnuts, Bedwell Road. They are reportedly being noisy, leaving litter and using cannabis. We have patrolled this area more, searched some of them and moved the youths out. We will continue to patrol. If they do not take heed of the warnings other actions will be looked into to curb this nuisance. There is a persistent beggar in Nuxley Road, white male, white hair, white beard, 50-55 years old. He is causing a nuisance with his behaviour. We have spoken to this male and moved him off. We will continue to do so and, same as the youths above, will look to a long term solution if he doesn’t leave off. There was a burglary at the new builds on Caldy Road, 13th into the 14th July. Building materials including copper piping were stolen. If anyone has any information please contact the team on 0208 721 2050 or belvedere.snt@met.police.uk. Or Crimestoppers as above. Our next drop in surgery will be on 27th July between 11:00 and 12:00 at Asda Café". A member of the public in Upper Belvedere made the following rather disturbing report:- "I wanted to make people aware of a group of beggars that are targeting the area of Nuxley Road primarily from the bench outside the Co-Op, and occasionally although less often from the bench outside Sainsbury's, or the bench across the road from there, outside the Estate Agents. This has been going on for approximately two weeks, with usually (until yesterday) one person present, being one of two individuals who appear to work in 'shifts' from between three or four o'clock in the afternoon until 11 o'clock when the shop closes. One is very well turned out, with white hair and a white beard, approximate age mid-fifties to early sixties, slim-ish build, the other bald and more scruffy-looking, although not exceptionally scruffy, sometimes having a black or dark-blue haversack with him. Last night however, it was all a bit more sinister than usual. The white-haired man was there and as I approached the door of the Co-Op he directly moved to block my way and asked 'for a spare few pounds'. There were also three others with him, younger men, whom I had not seen before, and who moved to form a semi-circle behind me. I found this highly intimidating and changed direction to pass the white-haired man and hurry toward Sainsbury's intending to enter and ask for help if they followed. When I looked back they were all looking at me but not following, so I hurried up Albert Road and returned home via a long route avoiding Nuxley Road. I did not do my intended shopping as I could not have emerged from either shop without being seen by these men and I was concerned about them approaching me when I was encumbered by shopping bags". Bexleyheath ward:-"14/07/2018 - Criminal damage to motor vehicle reported at Gravel Hill Bexleyheath. Car window smashed; 13/07/18 – 15/07/18 – Criminal damage to motor vehicle along Palmer Crescent Bexleyheath. Drilled hole in lock to gain access, but access not gained; 15/07/2018 – Theft of mobile phone at ASDA Bexleyheath; 16/07/2018 – Theft of motor vehicle by means unknown at Albion Road Bexleyheath; 14/07/2017 – Criminal Damage to motor vehicle at Watling Street; 14/07/2018 – Theft from person at Broadway Bexleyheath. We are holding our next contact session on the 25th July between 10 & 11am at Café Nero along The Broadway Bexleyheath. We have had a theft of moped, however it was fitted with a tracker and because it had been reported so promptly to police it was found and returned to its owner. Please be careful of your property when out and about in public, do not leave phones, purses, wallets on tables as these are easy for thieves to take. Be aware of bogus callers and people dropping cards/leaflets through the door, if you need gardening/building work doing please do seek references from neighbours or friends. Yesterday 18/07/2018 – The team had helped with a knife arch operation by McDonalds Bexleyheath. This was to target knife crime and also as part of the stay safe during summer campaign. If you do want to pass on information to Police then please feel free to contact Crime stoppers on 0800 555111. Other means of contacting us are Twitter, Facebook, email and the ward phone as per above. For crime prevention advice, please look at the Met Police website which has the information that you may find useful. Remember, in an emergency please dial 999 and 101 for non-urgent reporting". Crayford ward:- "We are pleased to report that there have been no burglaries during the last week. The team have conducted several mini traffic operations around Crayford at different sites during which the following offences were dealt with: 1/One vehicles for no insurance (which was seized and taken to our police pound); 2/Driving without a test certificate; 3/Driving not in accordance with a licence; 4/Driving whilst using a mobile phone; 5/The team discovered a suspicious vehicle yesterday that had been parked in a residential parking space in Buckley Close, it later transpired that had been stolen locally three days before. The happy owner was contacted at the scene and will be able to collected it from our car pound shortly. We have also carried out foot patrols covering the open space areas of our ward (Biggs Hill), this has resulted in a lot of drug paraphernalia being found, many stop and accounts and one male being searched under section 23 Misuse of Drugs Act after trying to avoid police officers in this area". Erith ward:- "Erith has a new DWO added to the ward being PC Kidson. Pleased to announce that no burglaries have been reported. Most crimes reported are those involving motor vehicles/bikes: Theft of motor vehicle – Alford Road on the 11th July 2018 – Black Yamaha stolen from outside home address; Theft of motor vehicle – Lowry Close on the 11th July 2018 AJS Sorvio Stolen overnight outside home address; Vehicle interference – Larner Road – on the 12th July 2018 – Citroen C4 Car broken into and searched no damage caused to motor vehicle – Chandler Drive – on the 14th July 2018 – Merc. Chevrolet – Young boys in street damaging vehicle; Theft of motor vehicle – Alford Road – On the 16th July 2018. Overnight outside home address; Theft of Motor vehicle – Lower Road – On the 18th July 2018 – Direct Bikes – 3 boys stole bike from front garden; Theft of motor vehicle – West Street – On the 18th July 2018 – Honda – Stolen outside home address overnight . All those were Moped/ Motor bikes. All shifts for the week have been changed to late shift to battle ASB in St Fidelis and West Street. Coffee with cops shall be taking place on the 25th July at Costa Coffee at 12pm – come alone for a chat and crime prevention advice". Northumberland Heath ward:- "The team are delighted to report that over the last week no burglaries have taken place on our ward. Sadly, one report of motor vehicle theft in Parsonage Manorway which took place on The evening of Thursday July 12th. The vehicle sustained damage to the driver’s side and the barrel lock was damaged. A Sat Nav and a number of high value electrical power tools were stolen. PC Dan Young conducted a school talk regarding violent crime to year five and Six pupils at Northumberland Heath Primary School . Following a stop and search conducted by PC Tom Smith a male is to be issued with a £90 fine for possession of cannabis. The next Coffee With Cops event will be held at Noon on Tuesday July 24th at the Sunshine Café in Parsonage Manorway. All are welcome to attend". Slade Green and North End ward:- "We have unfortunately had 3 reported theft of motor vehicles in the last week within 2 day. On Weds 11 July at 11pm a car was stolen from outside Grange House, on Thursday 12 July in the afternoon vehicles were stolen from Canada Road and Duriun Way. No broken glass was found at any of the thefts but please be aware that although this is unusual to be so close together, we cannot be complacent. If you would like any vehicle crime prevention leaflet, please let us know. On Wednesday last week 2 positive stop and searches were made by Mark and James with cannabis found, confiscated and warnings given. PC Mark and PCSO Mark attended the Slade Green Big Local community fun day in Whitehall Lane on Saturday. Although it was very hot we had a good time speaking with many residents and speaking with stall holders etc. Dana from Neighbourhood Watch managed to get quite a few people signed up for new watches and Hound Watch. He basically used dog biscuits to bribe anyone he saw with a dog and got them signed up that way, a great way to do it! Towards the end of the event, Mark and Mark delivered letters to residents of Whitehall Lane as their new watch is now all set up and running. We have a CCS (Community Contact Session) on Weds July 25th from 11am at Slade Green Library. PLEASE NOTE that this weeks CCS on Thursday is at Forest Road café NOT the library as stated in last week’s update although you may see this too late. Apologies in advance if you go to the library and we aren't there". Thamesmead East ward:- "Burglaries - No burglaries this week. Motor Vehicle Crimes - 10/07/18 A motor vehicle parked outside of Oakenholt House, Hartslock Drive, was damaged between 630pm-1pm Thursday 12/07/18; 12/07/18 A motor cycle parked on a driveway Redbourne Drive was stolen between 3pm-4pm. The motor cycle which had a tracker fitted had been activated; 12/07/18 Number plates were stolen from two vehicles which belonged to the same owner in Fleming Way between 11am-2pm on Friday 13/07/18; 14/07/18 Vehicle parked in Leatherbottle Green between 10pm-11am damage caused by scratches made to driver and rear passenger door by persons unknown; 15/07/18 Theft from Motor vehicle Maran Way between 4pm-830am vehicle broken into wallet stolen from inside. Good News - The team attended two events over the week-end, celebrating the 50th Birthday of Thamesmead which took place in Southmere Park and Emmanuel Baptist Church, Yarnton Way hosted a family funday, which included a BBQ. PC Pruden assisted Belvedere DWO officers when he was called to a female who was self-harming in Picardy Road, on arrival the female was seen running in and out of traffic screaming she wanted to harm herself while making cuts to both her arms with a broken bottle. Eventually the female was calmed down and taken to QE Hospital for her injuries and left in the care of doctors". West Heath ward:- "There was 1 reported burglary on West Heath between 11/07/18 and 18/07/18. On 12/07/18 the victim on Cumberland Avenue Welling left the porch door opened and coats were taken from inside the porch door. The coats were then discarded at a nearby location and reunited with the victim. There were no reported motor vehicle crimes during the same period. There was however a reported robbery in Elmstead Crescent Welling where the victim's necklace was taken by a known suspect. Investigation is ongoing. West Heath Ward had their first ward panel meeting and we continue to recruit Ward Panel members as well as Neighbourhood Watch Coordinators".

The end video is a very nice piece of high definition aerial drone footage taken over Erith Yacht Club - do give it a watch - leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

St. Anne's nursery.

The News Shopper are currently featuring a story about the enforced closure of St. Anne’s Nursery on the Erith Park Estate (what used to be known as the Larner Road Estate before it was redeveloped). Their article can be seen here.  I have done some investigation into the story, and have found out that it is far more complex and nuanced that the News Shopper have described. In the story, reporter Josie Griffiths makes several key errors – principally in believing everything that the nursery owners have said, and printing it as fact. I have done some digging, and found a far different state of affairs, and far from the “black and white – Nursery good / Orbit bad” situation as described in the News Shopper. The reporter writes “St Anne's Nursery is a not-for-profit business run by Liam Connolly and owned by Silon 7”. This is factually incorrect. A simple check with Companies House confirms that Silon7 is  a ‘private company limited by shares’ with one shareholder – Liam Connolly. So it is definitely not a not-for-profit organisation as the News Shopper incorrectly states. Reliable sources have told me that Liam Connolly has run the nursery as a profitable business for some years. A couple of years ago Orbit Housing Association (the landlords)  instigated a conversation to suggest that the nursery might want to switch to a not-for-profit model such as a charity or social enterprise. Liam Connolly said no, it was a profitable company, he planned to grow it and he expected to have a commercial relationship with Orbit. Liam and his company Silon7 own the nursery and control the finances, but are not involved in the day to day running or the childcare which is all delegated to the (excellent) staff. At the time the nursery moved to the current premises, Orbit knew that rent was owing on the previous location.  Orbit therefore gave the nursery a licence (rather than the security of a lease) with a clear message that the nursery were required to enter into an agreement to pay off the arrears as a condition of the Orbit partnership continuing.  No proposal has been made by Liam.  Rent has been paid on the current property but only after Orbit involved lawyers. Silon7 have not responded to any of Orbit’s attempts to open up a conversation about moving this forward – if they were to do so, they could still consider it reopening as a not-for-profit business with transparent accounts and reinvesting profit in the business. I also understand that the statement about nursery staff not being admitted to the building when the locks were changed is also untrue. My informant tells me that  on the morning Orbit changed the  locks, one of the staff asked if she could go in and get the records, and Orbit representatives let her take as long as she liked to find what she needed and she confirmed that she had found what she was looking for.  Since Orbit changed the locks,  they have had no contact from Silon7 to request  access. The big shame in all this is the effect it is having on all the children – by all accounts the nursery was excellent, with dedicated and caring staff. My understanding is that the nursery staff had little if anything to do with the business side of the enterprise, which was solely administered by Liam Connolly. It would appear that through some kind of failure on his part, the staff and children are now suffering. The News Shopper have also deleted two comments made by readers – which, knowing the history the local paper’s website has with online trolls, may not be that surprising. One of the comments alleged that Liam Connolly had a history of criminality, and that he should not be allowed to run a nursery for that reason. I have absolutely no idea whether this is true or not, but the allegation was made – and the News Shopper webmaster made the (wise in my opinion) decision to remove the post from the website.  The bottom line would seem to be: 1) Liam Connolly has reneged on an agreement with Orbit Housing Association; 2) As a result of this, Orbit have closed down the nursery, as they are legally unable to subsidise a commercial organisation with their tenants rent money, and 3) All this has left the hardworking and dedicated staff, and the children who used the nursery with nowhere to go.  It is a pity that the News Shopper have only published half of the real story.  What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

With all of the debate going on at present about improving road and rail connections across the River Thames, It is interesting to see enterprises that instead of viewing the river as a barrier, they use it as a means of transport in itself. Back in 1963, a unique experiment was carried out. A hovercraft ferry service on the Thames was set up. The Denny D2 Hovercraft could carry seventy passengers at speeds of up to 21 knots, and the service was launched in early July 1963. It was operated by Thames Launches, who planned to operate a service every day until that October with a schedule of three trips per hour. The fare was £1 for adults and 10 shillings for children – a very substantial amount by the standards of the time. Built in Dumbarton by Denny Hovercraft, the hovercraft travelled under its own power along the east-coast, which was at the time the longest trip ever made by a hovercraft. The hovercraft also required a permit to fly along the Thames, as they were officially classed as aircraft, under the Air Navigation Order 1960. As such, a Times newspaper report into the new service was written by the Aeronautical correspondent, not their shipping one. The first passenger carrying “flight” took place on 1st July, with some five hundred customers on the first day. Initially the hovercraft service was limited to running three trips per hour between Tower Bridge and Westminster, but a series of experimental flights were also made down river, at least one of which was to Anchor Bay, Erith, to the area that is now the site of Erith Construction Ltd’s six and a half acre logistics and materials treatment facility. A key advantage of the hovercraft over conventional ships was that it would race along the Thames at much higher speeds as it caused minimal disturbance to the river as it passed over the water, a problem which limits speeds on the Thames to this day. Sadly, the experiment was a failure, and the builders were forced into bankruptcy the following year. The hovercraft was eventually sold in 1970 to begin life on a new route in the Caribbean linking Kingston, Jamaica, with the island’s Palisadoes Airport. If things had turned out differently, it could have been that Erith residents took the hovercraft to work in the morning. It would have certainly been a somewhat more interesting commute that using Southeastern trains!

Some great news. The Kent Chilli Farm have moved their artisanal chilli sauce and jam production facility into Erith. I will be running a special feature on this independent local business shortly. You can find out more about the Kent Chilli Farm by checking out their website and online shop here. 

The two photos above are a "then and now" photo showing the Erith end of Manor Road at the junction with James Watt Way and Erith High Street. The upper photo was taken in July 1966, and shows the old Co-Op store, not very long before it was demolished. The lower photo shows what the site looks like recently. The KFC drive through and the new block of affordable apartments for rent, which replace the old Erith Trades and Social Club that used to be on the same site in James Watt Way. As you can see, the area has changed beyond all recognition in the last fifty years; many would say not for the better. Further East along Manor Road, the houses are little changed - many of which date back to the 1860's, so there is still a lot of history in the area. 

Bexley Police have just issued the following updates on matters of concern to local residents in relation to safety and security matters:- 

Erith Safer Neighbourhood Team.

The team has received reports of drug activity in different locations across the ward. A different approach has been taken to tackle the issues where letters have been posted to each address in the affected areas providing the teams contact details and requesting residents to report matters directly and anonymously. The idea behind this will be to provide the team with more regular intelligence / information with a view to catching those responsible. In crime news, a high value vehicle, stolen from during a burglary from an address in Greenwich, was recovered on the ward.  A prolific shoplifter was caught in the process of stealing items from Morrison’s supermarket and arrested and sent to court. The team has arrested 7 people during January for numerous offences such as criminal damage, theft and motoring offences.  The team is now on twitter! Follow the team at @MPSErith. The team has some upcoming surgery dates and encourages residents to come along and meet the team and have a chat about problems on the ward. The next 3 surgery dates are as follows:-

29 February 2016 - Erith Library 2pm-3pm

29 March 2016 - Erith Library 2pm-3pm

22 June 2016 - Erith Library 2pm-3pm

Northend Safer Neighbourhood Team.

During January the team has continued to focus on their ward promises which are Anti-Social behaviour in Forest Road, increased visible foot patrols across the ward and Drug use.  Anti-Social behaviour patrols in and around the Forest Road area and tower blocks have seen positive results and a reduction in ASB related calls. Several searches have taken place in stairwells of some of the tower blocks after males were found at locations believed to be involved in drugs offences.  The team have recently acted on information in relation to people involved in drugs supply on the ward and executed 2 search warrants. One of these warrants led to the seizure of a quantity of drugs and 2 arrests made for drugs offences. They also continue to work closely with the local housing authorities and will actively target residents engaged in anti-social behaviour who cause issues for their neighbours and the local community. The team are committed to tackling anti-social behaviour and will explore utilising enforcement powers for breaching housing / tenancy agreements. They are currently working closely with L&Q housing and Orbit housing in two such cases. A number of arrests have been made over the past month for a variety of offences such as drug possession, criminal damage and public order. On 1st February the ward panel meeting took place. After listening to panel members who raised some local issues the following new priorities for the ward were set. Traffic Issues due to the upcoming major roadworks on Northend road and the knock on effect this will have on the surrounding streets. Block Patrols. Continued reports of youths loitering and drug misuse in communal areas of several of the wards tower blocks. General increased visible patrols of the ward which will include Erith marshes and other key locations on the ward known for Anti Social Behaviour, as well as any identified crime hotspots. Please find below a list of Northend’s upcoming events. Please come and speak to members of your local team about any issues you have.

Drop-in Surgery 

Date - Sun 14th February 2016

Time - 6pm - 7pm

Venue - Pier Road Safer Neighbourhood Office

Drop-in Surgery 

Date - Sat 23rd February 2016

Time - 10am - 11am

Venue - Forest Road Cafe

Street Briefing 

Date - Wed 24th February 2016

Time - 8.30am - 9am

Venue - Peareswood School.

I see that TGINO (Top Gear In Name Only) announced their full presenter line – up this week. I wonder how much the BBC will be spending on the re-launched  show? Having seven presenters is going to make a big dent in the BBC wage budget.  As I have mentioned previously, I don’t think the new version is going to work, especially not with Chris Evans at the helm. I have heard a story that when TGINO comes back, it will be at a prime spot at peak viewing time on BBC1, instead of at 8pm on a Sunday evening on BBC 2 as it used to be.  The thinking behind this seems to be fairly straightforward; the change in channel and time will ensure that the viewing figures look good in comparison with the old show. Such “massaging” techniques are fairly common by TV producers. Personally I won’t be watching the show, as I cannot stand Chris Evans. I have however taken out an Amazon Prime subscription – which for me at least seems like pretty good value. Some Amazon Prime only shows have proved to be very good viewing indeed. The bonus that Clarkson, May and Hammond’s new ultra high budget motoring show will be aired on Prime is also welcome. I would expect that I won’t be the only person attracted to the online channel because of this.

For years a debate has been bubbling away between psychologists, child welfare experts and video game players about the effect that playing video games has on adolescent behaviour. Now a large study conducted over a considerable period of time has been published. A fair number of studies suggest that there is a link, but those can be contrasted with other research that says there isn’t. The problem is that there are so many different factors to take into account, along with a swiftly-changing medium and difficulty in obtaining high-quality data—we'd need an avalanche of research to answer the question definitively. While it's not an avalanche, a group of researchers, led by biological psychologist and video game violence sceptic Peter Etchells, has published an analysis suggesting that players of violent games might face a very small increase in risk for behavioural problems. They’re the kinds of small results that would be met with disappointment by authors who were hoping to find an effect, but they’re there. And yet, as always, this analysis isn’t the final word. This field is so tricky to navigate partly because of the wealth of potential confounding factors and difficulty finding causation among the correlations. It’s conceivable that substantial exposure to on-screen violence could cause a change in behaviour, but it’s also conceivable that people with behavioural problems would seek out violent media. And many studies have looked at “games” in general, which encompasses a wide range of media. Even if we manage to focus on just violent games, there’s the problem that games that are violent are also other things as well: challenging, competitive, fast-paced, and so on. If players of these games show higher levels of violence, it’s difficult to say for certain that it’s the violence that's causing the problem. For instance, games that are highly competitive have been found to increase aggression in the short term, even if they're non-violent. Games are also a modern and evolving phenomenon, which means that the best data is still in production. Ideally, to see whether a long-term habit has long-term effects, you need longitudinal studies that takes measurements from people over years of their lives, but that data takes decades to collect. Peter Etchells and his team were lucky enough to be able to use an existing study, but it came hand-in-hand with the weakness that the games in question were all from the '90s. To see the effects of modern games, we'd need to wait even longer. The study which had started with more than 14,000 pregnant women in 1991 and 1992. Around 2,400 of the children in the study had answered a questionnaire on their gaming habits when they were eight or nine years old, and around 5,000 had completed an interview called the Development and Well-Being Assessment (“DAWBA”) at the age of fifteen. Approximately 1,800 children fell into both categories. The researchers focused on two outcomes of the DAWBA: risk for depression, and risk for “conduct disorder,” which is a term describing antisocial behaviours in children. Then, they tried to eliminate or control for as many confounding factors as possible. They looked for children who had been rated as high-risk for conduct disorder by their parents when they were seven years old and removed them from the study. The researchers included family history of mental health, maternal education and socio-economic status, religious beliefs, family structure, gender, bullying victimhood, IQ, and social and emotional problems in their model as well. What they found was that children who had reported playing shoot-em-up games (a stand-in category for violent games) at the age of eight or nine had a slightly increased chance of conduct disorder, even after controlling for all the confounding factors. The effect was weak, though; just on the border of statistical significance. The initial risk for conduct disorder is small, too, so any additional risk above that is going to be even smaller. There didn’t seem to be an association between the number of games the children reported owning and an increase in risk for conduct disorder. When examining depression among shoot-em-up players, there was evidence for increased risk before the researchers controlled for all the confounding factors, but not afterwards. There are some obvious weaknesses in this study. They couldn’t control for the question of whether the children who played shoot-em-ups were already predisposed to problems but didn't yet display them at age seven. They also had to rely on self-reported data from eight-year-old children, who might not have known what a “shoot-em-up” game was when they answered the questionnaire. Even more problematic is the question of what games eight-year-olds are likely to play. Maybe children generally only really start with violent games when they’re a little older, which is why this study didn’t find much. A more detailed look at gaming habits in later childhood and adolescence could find a stronger link. In any case, '90s games are not today’s games, which have changed drastically, and often don’t fit in clear genres that are clearly violent or non-violent. We need to move away from a generalized discussion of “video game use,” the authors argue, and look rather at the content of particular games. This research sits squarely in a middle ground: it found an effect that ties in with other, more alarming research, but the effect sizes were so small that they don’t really provide much support for the idea that video games are a major concern. “Some have claimed that the magnitude of this effect is larger than the effect of exposure to smoke at work on lung cancer rates,” they write. “Our findings do not support such claims.” This rather leaves us back at the beginning – and provides more fuel for those on both sides of the argument.

Housing association Peabody is seeking responses from local people to its proposals to regenerate south Thamesmead over the next decade, which includes the building of fifteen hundred new homes on the estate on Wolvercote Road. Peabody plans to rehouse the nearly six hundred residents currently living in the Wolvercote Road area to its housing zone on Harrow Manor Way, which recently received a £1m funding boost from London Mayor Boris Johnson. The six towers and housing blocks on the site would be demolished under the proposals and replaced by better designed, better quality homes with improved public spaces. Peabody intends to start a planning application in 2017, with residents being rehoused over three phases, and demolition planned to begin in 2020. In addition to this, it proposes refurbishing existing homes in Southmere and Parkview that are in need of repair and regularly suffer from cold and damp, with high heating bills. My concern is that as this will happen shortly after the full opening of Crossrail, with its South East terminus at nearby Abbey Wood, there will be a great temptation for the developers to market the new estate at higher wage earners, and to "gentrify" the area (I detest the word "gentrify").  Peabody plan on spending £440 million on the regeneration of the South Thamesmead estate, and will want to see a decent return on their investment. Another improvement will be the demolition of the unsightly concrete wall facing Yarnton Way. The boss of the Peabody Trust, Stephen Howlett, said in a recent interview with the Bexley Times that "We are passionate about Thamesmead – the people, the place and its future potential. Our proposals take into consideration the wants and needs of the thousands of residents we have consulted over the past two years. Our proposals are ambitious but they are based on what we believe we can realistically do. Residents are vital to the future of Thamesmead and we want to encourage as many of them as possible to share their views.”

The surprise news that popular Dartford pub the Paper Moon is closing for good today came as a shock to many local (and not so local) residents. An online petition was set up, and after reading the comments on the site, it is clear that feelings are running high. I understand that the reason given for the closure of the Paper Moon is that there is another Wetherspoon’s pub only a couple of minutes walk away in Spital Street. The Flying Boat was converted from a Beadles car showroom and generally caters for a younger client base, who at the weekends use the giant pub before heading to the night club. The Paper Moon seems to have a mixed set of regulars, but primarily those who are slightly older. I am certain that no amount of campaigning will get Wetherspoon’s to change their mind. It may well be that there is more to the closure than has been publicised  - the lease may have expired on the building, which prior to being used as a pub, was a branch of Lloyd’s Bank. If Wetherspoon’s no longer want to operate the Paper Moon, I cannot see why another brewer or pub chain could not take it over, if indeed there are sufficient loyal customers to make such an enterprise viable. Personally I would love to see a Fuller’s pub in the area, though I am not holding my breath. I am quite surprised at the extent of the support for the preservation of the Paper Moon – it is OK, but just another corporate Wetherspoon’s operation. One can take a walk for a minute or two up East Hill and take the first left into Darenth Road and visit the absolutely superb Malt Shovel pub – a fifteenth century hostelry that offers a wide range of Young’s real ales and superb, home cooked food. I definitely rate The Malt Shovel as the best pub in Dartford, and it is only pipped to the post as my favourite pub of all time by the stunningly brilliant Robin Hood and Little John, in Lion Road Bexleyheath. Both highly recommended. Do you have a favourite pub in the local area that you would like to tell people about? Drop me a line to hugh.neal@gmail.com and let me know.

The end video this week is an aerial film of Erith Yacht Club. The impressive clubhouse building and workshops are not known to many people, as the club is situated at the far East end of Manor Road, out on the Crayford Marshes, well away from most people. The area around the club is stunningly beautiful, and I would highly recommend it for a walk on a sunny day. Back in 2012 the Olympic torch was landed at Erith Yacht Club as part of its tour round the UK.