The Hainault.

Following on from last week's news article about the proposed redevelopment of the old Hainault maternity hospital site in Lesney Park Road - part of the area that I only half jokingly refer to as "The Beverly Hills of Erith". This week I have a response from a Lesney Park Road resident, who, due to the nature of the ongoing situation, needs to keep their identity concealed at this point. The anonymous contributor writes:- "Once again, it seems Bexley council have employed their usual arsenal of double speak, following "The letter of the law versus the spirit of the law". This I find incredibly frustrating particularly given how they handled the Homeleigh debacle (though in fairness that has improved ....somewhat, check the crime statistics). My primary gripe is the removal of effectively all of the mature trees that have grown on the site for decades, their literature explicitly states they intend to minimise the impact to the ecology of the site, yet even a cursory look at their plans vs. the existing site will tell you that is a complete lie. What I also found rather interesting is their statement of community engagement, supposedly I was explicitly consulted, along with the other properties in that part of Lesney Park Road - this is all rather odd as I only discovered this submission via the facebook community group. Neither I, not the neighbours I'd spoken to had any idea of the plans. Funnily enough I did a little research into the author of the post who was very pro-planning - turns out he had a part to play in the Erith Riverside Baths redevelopment. He wasn't terribly sympathetic to concern around the trees, but then again I don't pay his salary. Looking at the plans, I would also firmly bet it is a precursor to redeveloping the Homeleigh care home - it is no coincidence the road leads directly into that site. Oddly I'm not against the redevelopment of the two sites, but unfortunately as with most new-builds they are trying to cram as many people as possible into a small area irrespective of the character and ecology of the area or the residents themselves (see the size of the gardens they are proposing). This week has been particularly busy for me so I've not had time to deeply analyse the proposal, I've left a somewhat lacklustre counter-comment on the application essentially stating the above - I can't imagine it'll come to much given the work that's gone in to the application. My hope is they can scale it back sufficiently the estate retains the mature trees. If you read the Statement of Community Engagement they hosted a consultation with residents on the 18th July (Thursday) between 4pm-8pm - I work in central London and often don't finish to 6-6:30pm, for someone like myself this is a razor thin opportunity to offer key feedback to the application. Their literature even hints at the very fact people couldn't attend - mostly retirees at a guess. Reading further on in the document again the double-speak comes out to play using statistics and accurate, yet equally misleading comments such as "Figure 2 shows that the majority of residents (61 percent) support or strongly support the proposals for new high quality homes in Erith...". This is a complete mistruth, 37 people do not represent the entirely of residents in the immediate area (blimey, Homeleigh which backs directly on to the site must have more than 37 people residing in the property - speaking of which I wonder if they were consulted, if I read this document correctly - no). It all reads rather poorly and quite underhanded when otherwise it could have been a good idea. Given my personal experience with the planning team, hopefully they see through this nonsense. "If anyone wants to object, you still have a window. the planning permission reference is 19/02274/FULM | Demolition of the existing buildings and erection of 25 dwellings comprising 5 x 4 bed, 7 x 3 bed, 5 x 2 bed houses and 8 x 1 bed supported living apartments together with car parking and associated works. | Hainault 35 - 37 Lesney Park Road Erith Kent DA8 3DQ" And this can be done via https://pa.bexley.gov.uk/online-applications ". If you look at the graphic at the top of this article, you can clearly see that the current redevelopment plans for the Hainault site will be at the cost of a number of mature, healthy trees. I agree with the writer that this needs to be brought fully to both the proposed developer and the Council's attention as a matter of priority. We need more trees in the area, not less. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Did you know that there is a connection between a former Plumstead based manufacturing company and the world famous actor and director Clint Eastwood? No? Then read on. Thanks to a long time reader and occasional contributor with a strong interest in local industrial history, who wishes to remain anonymous, and who supplied the following information. Associated Motor Cycles Ltd were a large and successful manufacturing organisation which was based in Plumstead for many years. They owned three major motor bike brands, namely Matchless, AJS and (latterly) Norton, which were designed, manufactured and assembled in their large factory in Plumstead. The founder of the firm that was eventually to become Associated Motor Cycles Ltd was Henry Herbert Collier, an ex Woolwich Arsenal engineering supervisor, who started manufacturing bicycles under the Matchless name at his home in Herbert Road, Plumstead in 1878. Henry Collier had three sons; Henry Albert (known as Harry) and Charles Richard (Charlie) from his first marriage, and Herbert William (Bert) from his second. It was not long until petrol engines were added to the pedal cycles and, when the two eldest joined him in the business, it became H Collier and Sons. There was a most significant change for the company when production outgrew the converted stables that it occupied in Herbert Road at the end of 1912. Business had been good and a new factory was built in a much more suitable location away from the select housing near the common and within easy reach of the Woolwich Arsenal Railway Station. The factory building itself was in Burrage Grove at the junction with Maxey Road. Burrage Grove (the Eastern end of which is now renamed Walker Close) runs parallel to the main Plumstead Road. New offices with a showroom were built fronting Plumstead Road which thus backed onto the new factory premises. The move was made early in 1913 and it proved to be a wise one indeed for these same premises, progressively expanded over the years, were to serve as the home for motorcycle manufacture until the factory finally closed its doors in 1969. At the time of the move Henry was recorded as being the Managing Director while Harry was the Works Manager and Charlie the Manager of the Finishing Department (presumably the Assembly Shop) but it is clear that Harry was becoming the prime designer of the products. During the 1914-18 war, the Plumstead factory was occupied on munitions and aircraft parts, the latter to a degree of accuracy one would expect from a firm whose trade mark had, for so long, been two hands using a micrometer. H H Collier (Senior) died in 1926 and the company became Matchless Motor Cycles (Colliers) Ltd in 1928. In 1928 Matchless expanded their activities by relocating their manufacture of sidecars to a separate factory at Mast Pond Wharf near the Woolwich Ferry. This had once been part of the old Woolwich Dockyard where it had formerly been the prison building. It is believed that the sidecar manufacture was managed by George Alfred Walker, father of AJS and AMC designer Philip Walker. They also made a small number of the Matchless 'Hawk' bodies for the Austin Seven there. In early 1930s, the AJS concern passed into the control of the Matchless company, the models of the old Wolverhampton factory being henceforth produced at Plumstead Road. In 1938, following the acquisition of Sunbeam, the Matchless enterprise, together with its other concerns became Associated Motor Cycles Ltd and in subsequent years James (1952), Norton (1953), and Francis Barnett (1957) came into the AMC fold. Harry Collier, the elder of the brothers, died in 1944 and Bert (the youngest) had been killed in a road accident earlier in the war, leaving "Mr Charlie" as the last of the firm's founders, who was taken ill, whilst still working in the factory, in 1954 at the age of 70, and then taken to his office where he died. The foresight of the Collier family in planning this building was impressive. It was at one time a two storey structure and may have initially only been just a single floor, but by the 1940's it consisted of four floors with an extension on the roof as well. The base structure must have been planned with potential expansion in mind from its inception. In 1966 AMC went bankrupt and was taken over by Manganese Bronze Holdings (who already owned two-stroke engine manufacturer Villiers) and formed Norton-Villiers Ltd to oversee operations. This company then formed a sub-division called 'Norton Matchless Ltd' to market the remaining models. For a couple of years, work at the AMC factory was limited to the production of the few remaining Matchless models and the new Norton Commando, the engines and gearboxes for which were shipped down from Wolverhampton. Then, in late 1968 the Plumstead works at Burrage Grove, were presented with a Greater London Council compulsory purchase order for a major road widening scheme, finally closing in July 1969, with the land that it occupied given over to a housing development. If you were wondering where the connection with Clint Eastwood is in all of this local history, then I suggest that you read the article below - click in it for a larger and more legible image.

Nowadays Norton are a successful independent upmarket motorbike manufacturer. The brand was relaunched in Lichfield in 1988, and in 1989 Norton made an emphatic return to racing when Steve Spray won the British Super Bike Championship on the all-black JPS bike, a victory repeated in 1994 by Ian Simpson on the Duckhams Norton. Norton moved to its current home at Donington Park in 2008 and in 2009 CEO Stuart Garner set the World Speed Record for a Rotary Powered Motorcycle (recording 173mph for a timed mile). You can read more about the modern incarnation of the Norton brand by clicking here for the company website.

The photos above were taken back in June 2016, when local builder Mr Kulvinder Singh illegally demolished the Leather Bottle, a pub said to date from 1643. In 1783, when this was acquired by Taskers of Dartford, it was described as the leather Bottle at Chalk-Stile. There is evidence for the building back to 1751 and the licences are recorded for the pub of this name back to 1726. Despite this great age, according to some sources, the building was not even locally listed - why this never happened is beyond me. Other sources say that it was Grade II listed. Back in 2016, The developers of the site misled and outright lied to local residents - they said that they were merely clearing the car park and a small patch of land next to the historical pub - and their builders were extremely rude, aggressive and abusive to anyone taking photographs of the demolition work. Finally, over three years later, justice has caught up with Kulvinder Singh and his construction company Balmonza Ltd. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched a prosecution agains both Mr Singh personally, and against his company, Balmonza Ltd, which was heard in Westminster Magistrates Court last Monday. The HSE found that no safe system of work existed at the time of the incident. There had been no asbestos survey done before the demolition work began, which meant any asbestos-containing materials present would, during the demolition, have caused asbestos fibres to be released and widely spread. The company had not arranged for gas and electricity supplies to be properly disconnected by the appropriate bodies, leading to a potential risk of explosion or of electrocution of people on site. There were no measures, such as hoarding or fencing, of the site to prevent access to the dangerous activity, or to prevent the ejection of materials from site. The building was on a busy road and pedestrians passing by, including primary school aged children going to and from a school 200 metres away, and traffic were all at risk. Mr Singh's company, Balmonza Ltd was fined £20,000 with £1000 costs for breaches to Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and Mr Singh was personally found guilty of serious breaches of Section 37(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £5000. He was ordered to pay court costs of £1000. Personally, knowing the facts behind this case, and other instances where Kulvinder Singh has ridden roughshod over planning laws and other regulations, such as how back in June of this year another development by the Balmonza Ltd was refused retrospective planning permission after a long fought battle with local residents. The development at the rear of 238 Woolwich Road, which backed onto Abbey Wood was finally rejected, after multiple complaints from local residents and a blatant attempt by Kulvinder Singh to yet again break planning law. Balmonza Ltd had built a huge concrete platform at the rear of the house, and it appeared that they were trying to build an illegal block of flats, actually inside the Abbey Wood. Fortunately after a prolonged and concerted campaign by local residents, led by Malcolm Knight of the excellent Bexley is Bonkers Blog - links above to his photos, this has now been stopped. What remediation work will be undertaken is unclear at this point. I feel that he will treat this prosecution and the subsequent fines as merely the cost of doing business, and I very much doubt that it will deter him from other crimes in the future. All I can say as a summary to this affair is do not deal with Kulvinder Singh, or his company Balmonza Ltd. He is now a convicted criminal and a nasty piece of work to boot. You have been warned.

On a far more positive note, and another construction related story. The first local apprentices have been hired to help regenerate the Park East site in Erith as Wates Residential supports a further seven people with its Building Futures training programme, also held last week in Erith. The first two apprentices are Sam, 25 from Welling, and Sarah, 21 from Bexley, who both join the project as apprentice demolition operatives with Wates Residential’s site subcontractor – Erith Group. Commenting on his new role, Sam said: “This apprenticeship has given me a sense of belonging in society. I feel like I’ve been given a second chance to get my career on track and that I am moving in the right direction now.” The £95 million Park East project, which is being delivered by Wates Residential and Orbit, in partnership with the London Borough of Bexley, will deliver 320 new homes in Erith of which 80 per cent will for affordable rent and shared ownership. As part of the project, the partners have pledged to kick start training opportunities in the area by hiring at least 31 apprentices and at least 25 people in full time employment from the local area. The first two apprentices, as previously mentioned, are Sam and Sarah, pictured above - click on the photo for a larger view, who both join the project as apprentice demolition operatives with Wates Residential’s site subcontractor – Erith Group. Their responsibilities include removing the internal fittings the buildings before they are demolished and ensuring the waste materials are properly sorted and recycled. Sam explained: “Before starting this role, I didn’t realise how much gets recycled during the demolition of a building!” Sam had previously studied a bricklaying course at Bromley College, but decided on a career change soon after finishing his studies. He was encouraged to apply for an apprenticeship by Bexley Mind, who supported him throughout the process. Commenting on his new role, Sam said: “This apprenticeship has given me a sense of belonging in society. I feel like I’ve been given a second chance to get my career on track and that I am moving in the right direction now.” He added: “I love the physical side of my role and the great team that I work with. Everyone at Erith and Wates Residential have been so supportive. The health and safety across the whole Wates site is outstanding and really shows that people care.” Thanks to his new position working with one of the largest demolition contractors in the world, Sam is now saving for his driving licence and aiming to move out of his parents’ home soon. “This is the best job I’ve ever had,” he added. “I am now excited for my future.” Describing her role, Sarah said: “I didn’t think I would progress as quickly as I have and feel truly grateful for the opportunity… Everyone on site has been great with me and it has really changed my perceptions as a woman working on a construction site.” Alongside her apprenticeship, Sarah was awarded her Certificate of Competence for Demolition Operatives and has received additional training in asbestos awareness, manual handling and abrasive wheel certificates. She plans to work her way up through the ranks and sees herself in demolition management in the future. In addition, another of the unique training and employment initiatives that Wates Residential has brought to Erith is its Building Futures programme, which helps unemployed adults gain valuable practical experience and employability coaching to reinvigorate their career prospects. On Friday 25th, seven students successfully graduated from the course. Their two-week training involved visits to both the West Street and Park East developments to gain hands on experience of a construction site. The graduation was celebrated with a certificate presentation ceremony attended by Managing Director of Wates Residential Developments Group David Brocklebank and Leader of the London Borough of Bexley, Cllr Teresa O’Neill. Paul Ellis took part in Building Futures in Erith last week. He described the experience: “I have really enjoyed my two weeks at the Building Futures programme. I have learnt new skills and the tutor from Ixion was so helpful. I would highly recommend that anyone considering a career in construction. I can’t believe how much Wates invests into this programme! I would like to thank them, as I now feel like I can kick start my career and am feeling positive for my future.” The redevelopment of Park East comes after partners Wates Residential and Orbit recently completed six years of work on the nearby Larner Road estate, transforming it into the award-winning Erith Park. Throughout Phase 1 and 2 of work, seven tower blocks were replaced with 587 medium-rise homes, including 329 homes for affordable rent, 114 for private sale and 144 for shared ownership.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly the report from Barnehurst ward:- "In the past week Barnehurst ward has suffered one burglary in Merewood Road. This occurred on Thursday 24/10/2019 between 11.00am and 02.00pm. It is believed suspects were specifically searching for vehicle keys as other valuable property had been left in the property untouched. Drawers were found left open in the property and a blue California Ocean Volkswagen (Motor caravan) registration number KV68FJJ was stolen from the driveway. Also taken were vehicle keys to a Mini. Suspects gained entry by jumping over the rear fence and smashing a rear window. Between Sunday 20/10/2019 at 05.00am and Monday 21/10/2019 midday a blue challenge Mountain bike was stolen from outside Barnehurst Train Station in Station Approach. On Sunday 27/10/2019 overnight in Parkside Avenue there was a theft from motor vehicle whereby a wallet containing bank card was stolen. The suspect has then gone on a shopping spree using the victim's bank card. Investigations are ongoing. On Tuesday 29/10/2019 again overnight in Parkside Avenue number plates X571JMW were removed from a vehicle by person's unknown. The next community contact session will be held at Barnehurst Golf Club on Tuesday 5th November at 11.00am".

Belvedere ward:- "Today officers from across South East BCU lead by officers from #Bexley Safer Neighbourhoods conducted a disruption operation at #Belvedere BR Station with officers from the British Transport Police. Officers have used knife arches and stop and search and have made 4 arrests. • A 24 year old male has been arrested for possession of an offensive weapon (knife) • A 16 year old male has been arrested for possession of an offensive weapon (Police Style extendable baton) • A 36 year old male wanted for non payment of fines at Camberwell Green Magistrates Court • A 25 year old male wanted to failing to appear at Ealing Magistrates Court after an offence at Heathrow Airport. These operations are conducted at random and without warning across South East London". Bexleyheath ward:- "Wednesday 23/10/19 1515 Purse stolen from handbag in Dorothy Perkins. Sunday 27/10/19 1530 – 28/10/19 1430 Glass taken from wing mirror Martens Avenue Monday 28/10/19 – 2100 Theft From Motor Vehicle Goals Car Park.  Monday 28/10/19 – 1530 Purse stolen from handbag Greggs Broadway. Tuesday 29/10/19 – 1225 Purse stolen from handbag Cancer Research Shop Bexleyheath Broadway. Tuesday 29/10/19 – 1200 Purse stolen from bag inside New Look. Ensure that doors and windows to properties are locked and secured with keys where applicable – revisit home security and lighting now the dark lights are coming.  Please be careful with purse/wallets whilst out shopping, make sure they are secured inside your bags with a zip type handbag. Wednesday 16/10/19 2050 – 2120 Long Lane Co Op – loop device found on cash machine, removed and reported. Thursday 17/10/19 2015 – 2150 Goals Graham Road. Theft From Motor Vehicle. Thursday 17/10/19 1215 The Card Factory – Elderly female has purse taken from handbag – CCTV now in store and images with police. Saturday 19/10/19 1415 – 1420 Broadway rear of shops – Vehicle parked and went shopping, it was blocked in by another vehicle and driver damaged vehicle – arrested at scene. Saturday 19/10/19 overnight – Theft of Number Plates Broadway near Trinity Church. Sunday 20/10/19 2020 hours Males attempting to steal motorbike from drive Park Grove. Sunday 20/10/19 2040 hours Males interrupted whilst opening car doors Sevenoaks Close. Wednesday 23/10/19 1215 Theft of wallet from 93 year old male Broadway Bexleyheath. There has been several businesses targeted over this week for takings left on the premises. Front glass windows have been smashed but CCTV has picked the offender up in one shop and police are tracing suspect. Ensure that doors and windows to properties are locked and secured with keys where applicable – revisit home security and lighting now the dark lights are coming". Crayford ward:- "On Saturday 19th October between 18.45-18.50 a tall IC1 male stole two bottles of Smirnoff Vodka from Crayford Wine in Crayford High Street. The male walked around the counter and reached over the shopkeeper to do so before leaving the shop. At 3.09am on Friday 25th October two males attempted to burgle a home in Buckley Close. The door was opened causing some damage but the residents were alerted by their dog and chased after the suspects who are described as being IC1, both very tall with their faces half covered, they ran off towards Wyatt Road. A silver Vauxhall Vectra was found nearby with the door open, enquiries are ongoing. On Thursday 24th October at 21.00 a man returned to his blue Ford Fiesta parked in Crayford Arrows car park after playing football to find that it had had the rear passenger window smashed, nothing was stolen. Similarly, on Monday 28th October between 19.00-20.00 an I-phone 6 was stolen from a locked glove compartment in a locked Peugeot 307 parked in Perry Street, the driver's door had been forced. A silver Toyota number plate SC06YJD was stolen from Maiden Lane between 16.30 on Thursday 24th October and 6.10 am on Saturday 26th October. A catalytic convertor was stolen from a black Landrover at 1.06am from Optima Park at Thames Road. The suspects were driving a white Ford Fiesta, the incident was captured on CCTV. Number plates were stolen from a silver Nissan Micra between 17.15-19.15 whilst parked in Mount Pleasant Walk, number plates not given on report at this time. Between 16.30 on Friday 25th October and 7.30 on Monday 28th October, suspect(s) have climbed over hoardings and broken in to an electrical cupboard on a building site in Crayford Way. They stole 2 Powerfactor 0.93 Elite Transformers. (1 x 5KVA and 1 x 3 KVA) A Portakabin was broken in to overnight between 18.30 on Monday 28th October and 08.30 on Tuesday 29th October in the Lok'n'store car park at Optima Park, Thames Road, the window was broken and there was an untidy search. Property was stolen from a Mercedes whilst parked in Crayford Road at 15.00 on Sunday 27th October. Three bicycles were stolen from Crayford Retail Park on Tuesday 29th October. The first one was a Red Carerra and was locked up by Sports Direct and stolen at about 14.05. The other two had been left outside Smythes and unfortunately not been chained up, they were stolen by two IC1 suspects who rode them away past Nando's towards Crayford Road. The bikes stolen were a black Carrera Vengeance and a Halford's black B'Twin.  Please note that authorisation for Dispersal has been given between 10.00 on Thursday 31st October and 10.00 on Friday 1st November to deter anti-social behaviour on Halloween and officers will be patrolling the town centre, Town Hall Square and Waterside Gardens area of Crayford. Please call 101 if there is anything we should be aware of. Our next community contact session will take place on Friday 8th November at Crayford Library between 10.00-11.00am, please come along and say hello if you are in the area". Northumberland Heath ward:- "The team continue to patrol in and around Sussex Road to tackle anti-social behaviour. A set of number plates has been taken from a parked and unattended vehicle in Brook Street. If you happen to see registration number WU07BXA please contact police so further enquiries can be made. Should you wish to protect your vehicle from this type of offence drop us a line and we may be able to provide appropriate anti-theft devices. Thanks go out to everyone who attended the ward panel meeting on Tuesday".

Slade Green and Northend ward:- "A burglary took place at around 4am on Friday 25/10 in Chesworth Close. The suspect was disturbed by the resident and ran off. 2 cupboards were left open but nothing was taken. It is unclear how access was gained as no tool marks were left at the scene but the front door was open. If you have a UPVC door please ensure to lock it by making sure that the handle is turned up AND the key is turned. Our police officers have been working with neighbouring wards covering as many areas as possible in Autumn Nights patrols. Several groups have been moved on in the Forest Road and Rainbow Road areas of our ward. These patrols will continue for the next week or so and extra officers are out and about across the borough during Halloween. Our next CCS (community contact session) is not until Saturday 09/11/2019 from 6pm at our SNT Base in Pier Road. At the Ward Panel meeting on Weds evening the promises chosen by the panel were ASB (anti-social behaviour) Rainbow Road, Drugs and Vehicle Crime. These will be in place for three months". Thamesmead East ward:- "Between the 19/10/19 and 27/10/19 , a pedal cycle chained up ,had the frame ,wheel taken and another wheel taken from another bicycle .Suspect/s believed to have climbed over the back gate. Bexley Crime Survey - The Bexley Community Safety Partnership includes the Council, Police, Fire Brigade, Health and Probation who work together to reduce problems of crime, anti-social behaviour and drug and alcohol misuse. To help us decide what should be the partnership's priorities for the next year please tell us what crime and disorder issues cause you most concern in the area you live or work in Bexley by completing the online survey at www.bexley.gov.uk/crimesurvey. it will only take two minutes to complete and is completely anonymous. GOOD NEWS -  While out on routine patrol ,PC Pruden found a stolen Audi A3 was discovered abandoned in Walsham Close, SE28. Checks revealed that it had been stolen, July 2019, Lewisham. The Audi was on false plates, the true identity was established via a Vehicle Identity Number check. The vehicle was recovered to Charlton Car Pound, victim updated. Report crime by calling 101 or in an emergency call 999. Remember, you can also report crime online on our website: https://www.met.police.uk/ To find out more information about our updated privacy practises and how we process your data in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 please visit our Privacy Notice on the Met Police website https://www.met.police.uk/privacy-notice". West Heath ward:- "Unfortunately we have had a burglary in Gipsy Road this week. The victim was away between Saturday October 19th and returned on Friday October 25th just before midnight when they discovered damage to the conservatory door and sliding doors. Thankfully entry not made inside the property and nothing was taken. One attempted burglary in Bedonwell Road on Tuesday October 29th at 04.20am. The occupants were asleep when they were disturbed by the burglar alarm going off. A male was seen on the driveway by the occupant before running to a silver Vauxhall Vectra and making off at speed. One theft of a white transit van on Monday October 28th from a driveway at the Quadrant. The victim was still in possession of the keys. One report of criminal damage to the windscreen of a motor vehicle in Amberley Road on Monday October 28th at 2.30pm. A group of youths threw something at the vehicle which caused chips to the windscreen. This week we teamed up with our neighbouring ward officers to visit shops that sell knives of any description, kitchen knives Stanley knives etc and asked them to sign a responsible retailer agreement in relation to the storage and sale of these items. The team made two arrests this week. One for harassment, and one failure to appear for court attendance".

The end video this week is a bit of local social history. It shows a series of interviews with local people in and around Bexleyheath in 1984. You might even see someone that you recognise. Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The Tap.

The photos above were taken by me on Wednesday afternoon in the Riverside Gardens in Erith. A couple of workers were digging a trench using a mini excavator. I went over to have a chat with the two blokes, who were very open and friendly. They explained that they were laying a water pipe to connect with the mains supply in the road; it was going to run into the Riverside Gardens and would terminate in a tap for watering the plants in the garden. I think they were a little surprised and taken aback when I gave my hearty thanks and appreciation for the work they were carrying out. They were not aware of the strength of local feeling regarding the gardens, and did not know that something in the region of ninety percent of the bushes planted in the gardens last year had died through a lack of water. FORGE - the Friends of Riverside Gardens Erith - of which I am a member, had volunteered to water the newly planted bushes, but there was no tap or water source located in the gardens. It seems that someone in Bexley Council has just for once listened, and water will now be available. I just hope that the council's gardening contractor replaces the dead bushes as they are legally obliged to do. Once this has been done, and we get into the Spring, the Riverside Gardens will once again be one of the nicest places to visit in Erith. 

Regular readers may recall that back in my Christmas Eve update, I wrote extensively about Jennings Musical Industries and their Vox line of products, which were made in factories in both Dartford and Erith in the 1960's. Well another very well known manufacturing company in the field of music also has local roots, and it has arguably had an even greater influence on modern music that Vox. Yet very few people will have ever heard of the company, even though their products are widely used around the world. The company is called RotoSound, and until fairly recently they were based in Bexleyheath. RotoSound are the largest manufacturer and distributor of musical instrument strings in the world. The company has been existence since 1952; it was established by an engineer and amateur inventor called James Howe. Howe had seen the spy thriller "The Third Man"and had been impressed by the evocative music in the film, which was played on a Zither by a master musician by the name of Anton Karas. So impressed was James Howe by this that he determined to learn how to play the zither, and ended up studying for two years to perfect his playing technique. Zithers are not exactly common in the UK nowadays, and back in the early 1950's they were almost unheard of. James, over the two years he spent learning the instrument, had amassed a collection of something like three hundred zithers of varying designs. His greatest challenge was getting strings for the instruments, which were totally unavailable in austerity Britain. James tried violin and cut down piano strings on his collection of zithers, but they just did not sound authentic. James Howe at last ran out of Zither strings and using his ingenuity as an engineer and musician quickly designed a winding machine and invaded the South East area of Singer Sewing Machine Shops for vast quantities of nylon yarn, and electrical stores for vast quantities of fuse wires. James Howe developed the technique and took over three years before he completed a 10 foot long machine of extraordinary proportions. This machine was made lovingly from stainless steel, black ebony, with ivory fittings, and would produce any string from violin, viola, cello, double bass, clavichord, harpsichord, piano strings, cymbalum, hurdy-gurdy, zither strings from Prim zithers, concert zithers, Elege zithers, Lyon zithers, Mandolin zithers and the many many ranges of zithers. This machine would make strings quickly and furthering his interest was to become the instrument by which over a period of the next 10 years, the various original and authentic designs was to be formulated based upon James Howe’s knowledge of the workings of a music string which took into consideration the pitch strain, breaking strain, amplitude, nodal sequence, harmonic frequency, and the harmonic sequence. These are some of the features that are included in making good strings. James soon diversified into making strings for pianos and clavichords, and not too long after, they started making electric guitar strings. In 1959 he started up in business employing some six people, including his brother Ronald and sister Joan. Among the first clients were The Shadows, Beatles, Rolling Stones, London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, all strings for the famous JMI / Vox Company, and all of the strings for the famous Burns Guitar Company. John Entwistle of The Who (considered by many rock music critics as the greatest bass player of all time) became both a technical consultant and a product promoter for RotoSound in 1966. In an interview some years later, John Entwistle said:-"It was in 1966 and I was looking for that Danelectro sound again. I tried everybody’s strings but the E and the A’s just didn’t work. It was the same with Rotosound but there was something about them that was almost there but not quite. To solve the problem I got in touch with James How and told him his D and G strings were great but the E and A didn’t vibrate properly. He told me to take my bass along to Rotosound and have some strings made until they got it right. After a couple of hours, we realised that the problem wasn’t in the wire winding, but in the core of the string. You could see that the strings vibrated in a big circle and that was wrong; the core needed to be thicker. We also made the overall gauges a bit heavier and they sent me away with 12 sets to use. A couple of days later they called and asked if I objected to them putting my name to the strings and selling them commercially. I told them I didn’t mind as long as they kept me supplied with free strings! But then we had to do the same with medium and short scale strings because I had loads of different basses by then. Those strings, the RS66 sets, were the first that vibrated properly.”As more and more professional people sought the use of these strings the James Howe Company which had then grown to some 40 people with a production area of some 3,000 sq. ft., started to expand the company still further but on more professional lines. They created the brand name of RotoSound, which is still in use today. The company also diversified into the manufacture of sterile, stainless steel wire for use in medical procedures such as certain types of catheterisation. These wires were very similar to the banjo strings, and the samples that James How supplied were to be the first of over 20,000 wires in different types to be produced for this medical operation. These wires were distributed by Portex of Smith Industries. The company was formed and a brand image selected for the new medical company and it was called the Selflex Company Limited. It was to provide guide wires for many famous surgeons and doctors throughout the world for heart surgery, cardiac installation and lung procedures. By the late 1970's RotoSound strings were being used by The Damned, The Sex Pistols, The Stranglers, Sham 69, Siouxsie and the the Banshees, The Buzzcocks and The Jam. The American market had by this time opened up, and The UK factory based in Bexleyheath at this time was working night shifts to keep up with demand. Some time later in 1994, James Howe died, and the company was taken over by James’s two sons Martyn and Jason How. In 2010 a connection between Vox and RotoSound that had been dormant since the late 1960's was revived. An email from a gentleman in Arizona, USA sparked off interest in a dormant product that James How had only sold as prototypes back in the late 1960’s. The RotoSound fuzz pedal was originally manufactured to James How’s specifications back in 1967. As James was good friends with Dick Denny (who he was in the RAF with during the war) and Tom Jennings, who was the Managing Director of JMI / Vox at that time. James had Vox build the original prototypes, today only a few still exist, probably no more than a dozen. Some of these early pedals got into some famous hands – Jimmy Page for one was captured on film in France with Led Zeppelin using one in the early 1970’s. This heritage caused quite a stir  within the company, and also amongst musicians. so it was decided that upon close inspection RotoSound would ‘copy’ the original pedal with only a few small mods to bring it up to date along with a more usable specification. The first unit came off the production line in September 2012. The production run was limited to 2000 units which have all been sold. RotoSound outgrew their Bexleyheath factory, and have now relocated to a bigger factory in Sevenoaks, and the company is still the premier supplier of musical instrument strings for the world, six and a half decades after they first set up shop in Bexleyheath. It would be nearly impossible to name all of the musicians who have used, and continue to use RotoSound strings, but you can see a list by clicking here. Please feel free to leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.



Some residents of Avenue Road and Lesney Park Road in Erith have been in contact with me, as they have discovered that some of the mature trees in the aforementioned roads are scheduled for removal by the council. After some research, it would appear that the fears can be confirmed - a number of trees are indeed scheduled to be cut down, but it has to be said, not without good reason. It seems that following a survey carried out last year, some of the trees in the two roads have become infected with disease; In an Email from Bexley's Tree and Woodland Officer, it is stated that several of the trees are infected with Ganoderma, a fungal condition that causes root and branch decay; others are suffering from Phellinus, whilst others are infected with Cambium Disease. All three conditions cause what is known as Canker in trees - which is generally untreatable. All conditions are very infectious. The only way to preserve the uninfected trees in Avenue Road and Lesney Park Road is to destroy the infected trees and replace them with healthy ones. When questioned about the replacement plans, the council representative wrote that:- "The removal of trees is not something we do lightly, but in all these cases the structural integrity of the tree can no longer be guaranteed and hence their removal. With regards to planting you may be aware due to budgetary constraints the Council has not had a street tree replanting programme for 4 years now, but the good news is that we have fought our cause and managed to get some money back to start re-planting trees. Even with this new budget, it was impossible for us to replant this winter every tree that has been lost in the last four years as well as those we have lost this year, many of these will have to be staggered into future years. But owing to utilities and services as well as other factors we are not always able to re-plant in the same location. I will add these locations onto our resident request list which are locations we will look to prioritise if we can next year but we may not be able to re-plant at all these locations and will have to drip feed them into the coming years". What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly from Barnehurst ward:- "Barnehurst Ward has suffered one burglary in Halcot Avenue. This incident occurred sometime over a two week period between 20th December to the 3rd January. Unknown suspects have gained access through a side window that had been left open. Army medals and a frame mounted veterans badge was taken from within the property. Please ensure all windows are locked securely and doors are double locked this means turning the key whilst lifting the handle up. Leaving windows open or partly open is an invite for burglars and doors not being double locked make it very easy for burglars to open. Also this week five people were interviewed regarding drug offences and money laundering after the team carried out a misuse of drugs warrant to an address on the ward just before Christmas. Drugs and a large amount of cash were seized. Enquiries are ongoing with regards to this. Patrols to Martens avenue and to the alley ways that lead to Braeside Crescent have been carried out at various times throughout the shifts. The team have received positive feedback from a local resident who feels the issue with youths loitering has improved over the last few weeks. The next pop in surgery will be held in Barnehurst Golf Club on Tuesday 16th January 2018 at 11.00am, Please join us for a chat or to discuss any burning issues you would like to raise with us". Belvedere ward:- "Whilst on foot patrol on both Erith ward and Belvedere ward, PCSO Worrall dealt with two separate incidents involving dogs that had been seen running loose in Bramblecroft and also Picardy Road. With assistance from concerned residents, both family pets were shortly reunited with their owners. Many thanks to those residents that assisted! PCSO Worrall also visited elderly residents of Lyndon Road that had unfortunately been victims of burglary for the second time in 6 months. Two males entered their home on the evening of Wednesday 3rd January 2018 using the alleyway to the rear of the property from Ambrook Road. Other family members have also been spoken to and offered support and also home security advice. If anyone witnessed this or has any information in relation to this, please contact the team on 0208 721 2050. PCSO Worrall paid a visit to Lessness Heath primary school on Friday 5th January to speak to year 3, 4, and 5 pupils in relation to personal safety and internet/ online safety. The talk was very well received and we are planning to arrange further talks on various subjects at all primary schools within Belvedere in the near future. The team have also been carrying out CCTV enquiries throughout the ward in relation to various offences including shoplifting, burglary and theft. All enquiries are ongoing at this stage. One of these enquiries was in relation to a male that was seen by a resident of Thornton Road carrying two power tools. The male was observed knocking on doors in the street as he was in the process of attempting to remove security tags from the items – it transpired that he had taken the items from B&Q in Lower Road minutes earlier, having made no attempt to pay for them. Again, if there is anyone that has any information they can provide in relation to this offence, please do contact us. A burglary occurred in Abbey Road on 05/01/2017. At around 18:30 4 white males were seen to get into a white Mercedes with a partial index KW??JUN who had just burgled the address. The males were possibly wearing balaclavas. If anyone has information about this crime or the males please either contact us on 0208 721 2050 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. The team worked closely with officers from other departments, including Roads and Traffic Policing Command regarding reports of motor-vehicle anti-social behaviour in Norman Road, Belvedere. This behaviour was causing issues for many residents and businesses in Belvedere. Several operations were held through Autumn 2017 resulting in numerous people being arrested and vehicles being seized. The investigation remains on-going with many offenders due to appear in court over the coming months, however some participants have been sentenced as a result of the operation. We are keen to act on groups or individuals partaking in such behaviour and will be working with partner agencies and businesses to prevent anti-social behaviour in the future. One male was sentenced to 9 months imprisonment, 5 year driving disqualification and a vehicle destruction order. Another male was sentenced to a £195 fine. A third male was sentenced to 6 penalty points on his license and £220 fine. A fourth male was sentenced to 8 penalty points on his licence and £435. A fifth male was sentenced to 30 day community order, disqualified from driving for 18 months and until extended test passed. Other members of the group are pending court dates. Our next surgery is the 13/01/2018 at Asda 11:00. The second will be at the CO-OP, Nuxley Road at 15:00. We are also pleased to tell you that we are now on Facebook as Belvedere Police. Our page can be found by searching @MPSBelvedere and will be used to give advice in relation to staying safe and crime prevention as well as stories and updates from the Met". Brampton ward:- "Residential Burglary in Bedonwell Road , rear patio window was smashed and entry gained. This occurred on 5th January between 1720 and 1730 hours , a neighbour alerted police that they had seen movement in the home and knew the occupants were away on holiday , on police arrival the suspects had fled but the owner had set off the alarm and saw 4 unknown persons in the house on their mobile phone app, investigation ongoing. We had 2 shoplifters in the Co-Op in Pickford Lane and Long Lane Criminal damage to a wall and front door in Fairfield Road a suspect has been named. The team have this week been looking for a wanted male who failed to appear at court for a criminal damage charge who resides on the ward , we have attending numerous addresses and informed owners we would be returning until the matter has been resolved , the male handed himself into police and at court was informed he had to pay £126.96 pence costs and fined £100, a good result and work from the Brampton team. We have been dealing with 2 neighbour disputes and liaising with all parties as well as working with other agencies, the issues are ongoing. Please contact us with your email addresses and follow us on Twitter @MPSBrampton and Facebook : Brampton Police". Christchurch ward - From Neighbourhood Watch Member - Andrew Davis:- "I returned to my car in Albion Road car park, Bexleyheath on Wednesday at around 2.40pm. I got in and put my bag on the passenger seat. Immediately I did, the passenger door opened and the bag was snatched in a flash. I got out of the car to see a blacked-out black Audi disappearing out of the car park. I just managed to catch the VRM before it went out of sight. Whilst I was trying to borrow a pen from a passerby so I could jot it down, I heard shouts and beeping of a car horn on the adjacent Albion Road and turned to see the same car with a male in the back holding my bag out of the window, shouting, "mate, you can have your bag back - it's mistaken identity, sorry". Obviously I was in two minds as I had visions of two fingers being stuck up and the car making off, however, the car remained there and the traffic behind it was being held up. I shot across and grabbed my bag, asking the driver to pull over, which he did. There were 3 or 4 males in the car. They were profusely apologetic and explained that it was, "mistaken identity and that they expected it to contain a bag of weed." The bag was intact with all items - including laptop and tablet - still in there. Having gone back to the car park, a workman explained that he was sure he had seen that car before and there had been a spate of thefts from the car park recently. A bizarre incident! Details reported with VRM to police. Note to self (and others) - Lock doors IMMEDIATELY car's entered - I was lucky! Also in Christchurch ward:- "A pedal cycle was stolen from outside McDonalds on the 3rd January. This has happened previously so if you, or if you know anyone who frequently visits the Broadway with a pushbike, make sure they are well secured when you are not using the bike. The team is in the process of organising a bike marking event. Once a date is confirmed we will publish it. In the meantime, please have a look at the below websites for additional advice. We have had a few reports of purses being stolen from handbags whilst shopping within the Broadway. I am please to say we have seen a reduction in this but can we be mindful of securing them. Their are a number of products to assist with this, i.e. Purse bells, lanyards etc. For further advice please speak to your NHW team or contact us directly. We are very pleased to announce that we are starting to deliver ' Drop in Surgeries'. The first being held on the 31st January – This will be at the Library Townley Road. The times are between 10am and midday, you are all welcome to attend. We are very keen to expand this across the entire ward giving all the community the opportunity to speak to us so you a different location, time, etc then please let us know and we will do our best to make it happen. Over the past 2 months you should have seen an increase Hi Visibility patrols within the ward". Colyers ward:- "Sadly, in the last week, Colyers has gone from no burglaries in the previous week to 3 burglaries this week. The first was in Hurstwood Road overnight Saturday 5th - Sunday 6th January. Victim went to bed around 10.45pm lifting the front door handle but not locking with the key and woke up around 2am to notice the front door open. Suspect had entered through the front door and stolen cash and clothing. There were also two distraction burglaries in Brendon Close on Sunday 7th January between 8 - 8.30pm. Two males have gained entry via an upstairs window of a maisonette. One of the males claimed he was a police officer investigating burglaries and took the elderly occupier to the downstairs flat to speak to that elderly occupier. The male kept all three occupiers in one room while the other male searched both premises stealing cash and jewellery. First male described as IC1, slim to average build wearing a brown woollen hat and an anorak with a badge on. We advise to always check ID of unexpected callers. A motorcycle’s handlebars were damaged in Grasmere Road overnight Wednesday 3rd- Thursday 4th possibly in an attempt to steal it and a vehicles was keyed in Buxton Road Friday 5th into Saturday 6th January. A resident in Courtleet Drive car tyre was stabbed sometime between 1pm Tuesday 2nd – 1030am Wednesday 3rd January whilst on their drive. In other news Colyers and Northend Teams arrested a male from an HMO in Elmgrove this on 9th January for Failing to appear, theft and common assault. And lastly, our next Police surgery will be at CupaCakes in Colyers Lane on Thursday 18th January at 1pm". Crayford ward:- "It has been a very busy week for Crayford Ward this week. Officers including our own PC Murphy and Sgt Glenn Turner attended an address in Iron Mill Lane on 2 January 2018 to ensure the welfare of a vulnerable person believed to be living at the address. Police had reason to enter the premises under section 17 PACE. Once inside it became apparent that the person wasn’t living there and that drugs were being used within the premises and a further search resulted in the arrest of two Males for possession with intent to supply, Class A, Cannabis and Ketamine. This was an excellent result for the Pulse Patrol officers and takes a significant amount of drugs off the streets of Crayford. We’re sorry to say that Crayford has seen a big increase in burglary this week. On 3 January between 14.00-20.30 in Claremont Crescent, burglars forced entry to an upstairs window that had been left on the catch and entered the property. There was an untidy search and a safe was located and broken open. The burglars left by the same window which was above a flat roof. On 5th January between 10.00-12.00 a vehicle parked in the underground car park at Tanners Close was stolen, it was taken away on the back of a tow truck. In Gable Close, number plates on a vehicle were replaced with a similar number plate, one digit different, neither number plate has been used for the purpose of crime and there is no other explanation of how this has occurred. It may just be worth casting an eye over your vehicle to ensure that your number plate is correct according to all your vehicle’s documents. A motorcycle was stolen from an address in Hillside Road between the 5th and 7th of January, it had not been locked to a stationery point. It was recovered burnt out on Sunday 7th January close to Thames Road, the owner has been notified".Sadly there was a distraction burglary at St Paulinus Court in Manor Road on 4th January. A Male called at the address saying that he needed to check for a leak in the kitchen, he was there for about five minutes before leaving. It later became apparent that £300 had been taken from the property. Please, please, please, ask and check ID closely if anyone comes to your door before letting them in. A genuine person will not mind at all. If you have an elderly family member, neighbour or friend please reaffirm that they do this. Between 22 December 2017 and 2 January 2018 tools were stolen from a locked container on a building site in Crayford Road. There was an attempted burglary in Green Walk in the early hours of 9th January at approx. 3am. Thankfully the night latch was on and the burglar did not gain entry, this was an extremely distressing incident for the young lady living there with her Mother. In the early hours of 9th January 2018 there was a burglary and attempted burglary in School Crescent. The burglary occurred overnight, time not known and entry was made via the front door which was forced. A work bag was stolen. The resident has changed locks on their home and vehicle. The attempted burglary was at 3.12, the dog raised the alarm and the occupants banged on the upstairs window scaring the burglar away". North End ward:- "Unfortunately we have had another robbery at one of our shops. It happened at 1850 hours on Monday 08/01 in the TK Best One Shop in Lincoln Road. This is the 4th similar offence in as many weeks in our ward. We have visited all our shopkeepers and given lots of crime prevention advice. We will be carrying out more visits to our shops and patrolling the surrounding roads at it is very likely this is all being carried out by the same person. In better news, both our police officers have carried out arrests this past week. James arrested a male for threatening behaviour in Frobisher Road and Mark arrested a male for common assault, theft and failing to appear, this was on Colyers ward but after Mark was stopped by a female in Erith after the assault and he attended the location where it happened. One other crime to make you aware of was criminal damage in Fairview which is just off of Boundary Street. The family there had been away for 3 weeks over the Christmas period and came home to find the outer pane of their front room window with big crack marks in it. Our vehicle crime numbers have dropped considerably over the last week and both PCs will continue to be proactive in their patrolling as well as the borough Pulse bus patrolling our crime and ASB hotspots where necessary. We have a surgery this coming Sunday 14 Jan from 6pm in our office at Pier Road, Erith". Northumberland Heath ward:- "A fairly quiet start to the New Year on the ward with one burglary reported to us in Plaxtol Road. Unfortunately the victim is currently in hospital, l and a member of the family discovered the rear double glazed door to the property had been smashed between Tuesday January 2nd and Thursday January 4th. An untidy search was conducted by the suspect but it is not clear at this stage exactly what was stolen. A garage was set fire to deliberately this week in Collindale Avenue. The incident took place on Sunday January 7th just before 5pm. The victim discovered a vent had been removed and something was pushed inside it to start a fire. It is not known an accelerant was used. The victim had a number of power tools, leisure and camping equipment damaged by the fire. The victim saw several youths running away after the incident. One theft of a car stolen in Northumberland Park overnight on Wednesday January 10th. The team are continuing to focus on anti-social behaviour on the ward and another home visit has been conducting to a youth riding his pushbike recklessly and doing wheelies in Bexley Road. We are also beginning our school talks again this term and are visiting St. Fidelis Primary School this week to talk about keeping safe and the role of a Police Officer". Thamesmead East ward:- "A big warm welcome to our new Supervisor, PS Young. Unfortunately the ward was hit with three burglaries during the early hours of Thursday 4th January at the following locations, Walsham Close, victim woke up to discover her UPVC front door open, no signs of damage. Bank cards stolen. Manordene Road, Victim discovered UPVC porch door open, no signs of damage, however entry not gained to house. Coats from porch area taken. Fleming Way, Suspect appear to have been disturbed by family dog at around 1am. Entry not gained to property, despite damage to lock of UPVC front door. CCTV enquires conducted showed three figures, no better description, walking nearby the victims address. Enquiries on going. High Visibility patrols have been conducted by the team. Please get in touch, if you have seen any suspicious activity recently, especially around the roads mentioned above. Also make sure you lock UPVC doors from inside, and not just pull the handle up. On Wednesday 3rd January, a motor vehicle was damaged, (Four tyres punctured) Templar Drive. PC Moore arrested a male who was wanted by Medway Magistrates Court, for a number of theft offences. He will be sentenced in March. On the 8th January, PC Pruden issued a male with a warning, after being seen in possession of cannabis, Lime Row. PC Nana has recently been investigating a neighbour dispute, which will be resulted in harassment warning letters being served. Register your property for free and improve your chances of getting it back if it is lost or stolen and help reduce property crime, register at: https://www.immobilise.com. We are always interested in recruiting new Neighbourhood watch co-ordinators for the ward. Please ask your family and friends if they would like to set up a Neighbourhood watch in their road. Please spread the word to any family and friends in the Borough - they can contact us on 020 8721 2049 or Thamesmead.SNT@met.police.uk for more information".

The end video this week harks back to the warm days of last summer; it is a time lapse video showing the construction of the temporary Erith Lighthouse structure in the Riverside Gardens over a period of four days. If you attended the Christ Church Erith Christmas Tree Festival, you would have also seen the Lighthouse erected in the grounds of the church. I am sure we will see more of this unique construction over the year to come. Please feel free to leave a comment below, or alternatively you can Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Nitrous Oxide.

It has been reported to me by a long time Maggot Sandwich reader that there is a serious drugs problem in the area in and around the former Bexley Mencap site in Lesney Park Road, Erith. The site, and the old house adjacent to it are shortly to be redeveloped for additional housing, with eighteen terraced houses and the third of the land  that the Council is retaining will have twelve supported living units for adults with learning difficulties built on it. In the meantime the old buildings are occupied by property guardians - individuals who get to live in the property at a very reduced rent, in return for caring for the building until such time as it is readied for redevelopment. The idea is not new, but it does have attractions - the building owner avoids their property being vandalised or squatted, with the attendant costs that this would involve, and people get the chance to legally live somewhere at a rent that is far below the norm for the area; the system should be a win / win for all involved. In this case it would appear to not be the outcome that had been anticipated. It is strongly suspected by local residents that one or more of the guardians occupying the old Mencap unit and the house next door to it are involved in the sale and consumption of illegal drugs, including Nitrous Oxide, as you can see in the photograph above - click on it for a larger version - the photo was taken by another concerned local resident. The situation was initially reported back in April, but it would appear that little has happened in the meantime to resolve it. The purchase, sale, storage or consumption of Nitrous Oxide as a stimulant has been a criminal offence since the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 came into effect on the 27th May 2016. One worried local resident initially wrote to the Council and said:- "There were dozens of the little silver capsules in the gutter, which I am told are in connection with drug taking.  This is not the first time there have been dozens of these capsules littered outside the premises.   A neighbour in Lesney Park Road has even seen a car parked nearby, and he watched the driver put on blue surgical gloves, sorted through some boxes (drugs presumably) and then drove a few yards up Lesney Park Road to the old Bexley Mencap site and carried on some business with the occupants.  I have also seen people coming out of the premises, late morning, in clothes similar to pyjamas and going to their car for something and then going back in.  So they are obviously being used as residential premises. Who owns these premises? Are the occupants being housed there at local rate payers' expense? This is totally unacceptable. These premises are just a few yards across the road from Christ Church Primary School. The children are surely at risk. Apart from the drug paraphernalia, there is often other debris outside, broken glass, old furniture etc.  The whole frontage is an absolute eye-sore.  The occupants are showing no respect at all for the surroundings, and are taking advantage. Lesney Park Road used to be one of the nicest roads in Erith. It is in a conservation area. What is happening now is a disgrace and very unfair on the local rate-paying residents.  Can the Council and the local Police please look into the goings on at the site and take control of the situation?" I hope to make further reports on this issue in the weeks to come; if you have any information to add, please contact me at the usual address.

As a follow-up on the broad daylight plant theft from The Cross Keys Centre reported on the Maggot Sandwich update published on the 4th of June,  thefts of more potted plants have come to light in the centre of Erith, including one splendid ornamental basket hanging from the Stone Court retirement home, an act also caught on CCTV.  Neighbours have reported seeing people not known to live in the immediate area looking at some of these items on display, but in every case except one it has been simply to admire these lovely additions to the streetscape, not to walk off with them. One person the plant owners would like to trace is shown in the pictures above - the upper one from CCTV recorded from The Cross Keys Centre, and the lower photo which was taken covertly in the Erith Riverside Shopping Centre, when the suspect was seen walking through it some time after the theft took place. His description matches that of a person seen carrying a large stolen oleander along the High Street on May 26th. The witness was struck by the odd behaviour of someone of strong stocky build, in a very distinctive polo shirt, walking very quickly along the street carrying an oversized plant. If you can identify the individual above, please contact me so that even if he is entirely innocent, he can be eliminated from Police enquiries. Email me in complete confidence at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

I don't normally comment on stories that have been covered by the mainstream press, but I am making a notable exception in this case, as the popular press have in general only reported on about half of the real story. Google has said it will no longer scan the content of Gmail messages to sell targeted adverts to users of the free service. Google made the announcement in a blog post on Friday touting the success of its G Suite, the cloud applications service for business. G Suite is advertising free and does not scan content – for the obvious reason that businesses wouldn't be very keen on that – and now Google says it will make the free Gmail service scanning-free too. In an interview in the Register website, a Google representative said:- "G Suite's Gmail is already not used as input for ads personalisation, and Google has decided to follow suit later this year in our free consumer Gmail service,  Consumer Gmail content will not be used or scanned for any ads personalisation after this change. This decision brings Gmail ads in line with how we personalise ads for other Google products. Ads shown are based on users' settings. Users can change those settings at any time, including disabling ads personalisation." The Gmail scanning system was highly controversial ever since it was introduced in 2004, but the advantages of the service were clear. At the time, most webmail accounts offered pitiful amounts of storage – 2MB for Hotmail, for example – while Google was offering a gigabyte and promised to increase that later. While people weren't particularly enamoured with the idea of having their emails automatically scanned, they certainly liked the storage enough to continue using it. Nevertheless, Microsoft's advertising department used the practice as a stick to beat Google with – albeit to very limited effect. Many Gmail users do not receive targetted advertising anyway; if you have any kind of paid relationship with Google, such as having extended paid for cloud cased storage, you do not get adverts in Gmail, also, if like me, you were one of the first 500 people in the UK to set up a Gmail account, then you too see no targetted adverts. Google are very conscious that of the 3 billion people on Earth who have access to a computer or mobile phone, around 1.2 billion of them have a Gmail account. Whilst not all of those accounts will be in active use, that is still an absolutely staggering figure, and Google are acutely aware that they are in a contest with Microsoft in respect of cloud based office computing - Microsoft have Office 365, and Google have G Suite. If a large number of users are familiar with the Gmail user interface, they will find the G Suite very easy to use, as it is based on a very similar look and feel. Ironically this is how Microsoft locked users into Microsoft Office for years; once a user had become comfortable with MS Office they were strongly disinclined to switch to another product which would require a fresh learning curve. Microsoft came quite late to the cloud, and it is now playing catch up with Google, who are now kings of that particular hill. Nowadays for a vast majority of computer users, their web browser is by far the most used and most important piece of software on their computer or mobile device.

Local convicted multiple murderer Arthur Simpson - Kent lost his appeal against his whole life tariff when he appeared in court on Tuesday last week. Arthur Kent’s lawyers failed to persuade Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas and two other leading judges at the Court of Appeal in London that the term should be reduced. He killed his partner, the former EastEnders actress Sian Blake, 43, and their sons, Zachary, eight, and four-year-old Amon, after the actress, who was terminally-ill with motor neurone disease, planned to leave him and take the boys with her. Once he had killed the three, he buried their bodies in the garden of their rented bungalow in Pembroke Road, Erith. The bodies were not discovered by the Police for three weeks. They had been repeatedly beaten and stabbed in a series of frenzied attacks. Simpson-Kent, who admitted three counts of murder, was sentenced at the Old Bailey last October by a judge who said he had been left in "no doubt'' he should receive the most severe punishment available for his ''truly horrific'' crimes. He was thus awarded the very rare sentence of a Whole Life Tariff – which means the only way he will ever be let out of prison is on the written orders of the Home Secretary, something that has rarely if ever happened. In his case, life really does mean life in prison, with no chance of parole. I used to see Sian Blake with her children occasionally walking around Erith Riverside Shopping Centre, and every so often in Morrison’s. I did not know she was an actress, or had been in EastEnders at one time (I am not a soap watcher).  I had not seen them for some considerable time before their untimely demise, I guess as her Motor Neurone Disease got worse, and she was forced to limit her mobility; the whole case is tragic. As far as I am aware their former bungalow in Pembroke Road is still empty – see the photo above. When the case first broke, I used Google Maps / Google Street View to locate the property; when I did, the image that the Google Street View camera car had captured of the house showed one of the little boys standing in the left hand window, looking out into the street. It had obviously been taken some time prior to the tragic events. I immediately decided that I would not publish or make reference to the image out of respect to the deceased and their surviving family and friends. I might have well not have bothered, as a couple of days later, the Sun newspaper published the image of the “ghostly” child in the window. I felt that this was in the very poorest of taste, but then the Sun is not exactly known for letting propriety or good taste get in the way of a good story.

Riverdale Road, Erith based country and Western singer songwriter Wayne Jacobs has been nominated for another three music gongs in the 2017 UK Country Music Awards. One of the nominations is for Best UK Country Artist of the year. I also understand that Wayne Jacobs has also written a song dedicated to Donald Trump. Personally I think this is pretty unnecessary, as President Trump already has an ideal signature song - "If I only had a brain" from the Wizard of Oz.

It would seem that the riot in Northumberland Heath last September has resulted in a long term legacy of fear and intimidation. A large number of local residents met with representatives from Bexley Police last Thursday in the Northumberland Heath Social Club. An officer has been assigned as overall lead for keeping the peace in Northumberland Heath; his name is Inspector Darren Murphy; he is leading a crackdown on anti-social behaviour, which is now regarded as the priority policing issue in the area. It seems that a majority of the youths / school children that engaged in the riot and subsequent fights and anti-social behaviour in Northumberland Heath are not from the area at all – they have mostly come from Woolwich and Plumstead. During an interview with the Bexley Times, Inspector Murphy said:- "I want to develop the use of Section 60 stop and searches, so if we hear of any problems our officers can stop and search anyone in the area without grounds, we’ve come away from that recently but following an increase in violence and knife crime it’s come to a point where we need to do it. We’ve identified a number of the youths and have established most of them aren’t from here, for whatever reason there coming in from surrounding areas such as Woolwich and are doing what they do, we’ve upped resources here, you can imagine how difficult that’s been during the events in London, but we still manage to have a safer neighbourhood team as well as the two officers working later in the night. We’re working with businesses such as Tesco to cut down on theft and loitering as well as with TfL to get Oyster cards taken away so these youths can’t make their way into the area. Our intelligence is improving, three months ago I couldn’t have told residents when there were going to be problems, but now we’re getting calls from parents, neighbours and schools telling us what is going on, Once we know what’s happening we can put dispersal orders in place to stop it, and we need that support to continue by ensuring that concerned residents contact their local safer neighbourhood police team NorthumberlandHeath.snt@met.pnn.police.uk.” It seems that what seems like a quiet and friendly place is actually blighted by a culture of violence and intimidation mostly led by school children from outside of the area. Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association recently published the following report on the public meeting and the outcome from it:-"The Northumberland Heath Safer Neighbourhood Team along with Acting Chief Inspector Peter Bodley, Inspector Darren Murphy, The Bexley Council Neighbourhood Services and local Councillors held a meeting at the Social Club in Mill Road last Thursday. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the ongoing anti-social behaviour in and around Northumberland Heath. Although it was a sweltering evening, the meeting was well attended with approximately seventy local residents and business owners in attendance. Each attendee was asked to fill in a questionnaire and a question and answer session took place. The senior Management Team from Bexleyheath Police Station explained the locations of where the main issues are and what we are trying to do to resolve them. Several individuals have been issued with a Community Protection Warning Letter with conditions asking them not to congregate in groups in and around Northumberland Heath or act in a manner which local residents may find intimidating. The Warning Letter if not adhered to will then result in a Community Protection Notice issue and court proceedings to follow. One youth has already broken his agreement and has been spoken to along with his parents to highlight the seriousness of his actions. The Team have been working very hard to collate evidence against individuals who are choosing to break these agreements. Street Pastors conducted trial patrols last week to try to engage with local youths, we are hoping that we will receive positive feedback from this experiment with a view to further patrols and engagement. A cannabis Warning form was issued to a male found in possession of cannabis behind an alleyway in Bexley Road. On a happier note, there has been very little in the way of crime reported to us this week, with no burglaries or vehicle crime. The next drop in Surgery will be held in the Library at Mill Road on Friday July 7th at 2pm". If you have experienced any issues in Northumberland Heath relating to anti-social behaviour, please get in touch with me in complete confidence; you can Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

There has been another incident of a person in the River Thames off Erith; on Sunday evening last week, emergency services were notified that a man was in the river next to a couple of moored tugs. He was reported clinging to the side of a tug, but unable to get out of the water at approximately half past seven in the evening. The inshore lifeboat came from Gravesend to rescue the individual, but by the time it had arrived the man had been in the water for nearly an hour; if this had happened in the winter, the man would have died from exposure in that time. I once again call for the creation of an RNLI sub station at Erith to serve the area of the Thames between Woolwich and Dartford, plugging what appears to be a gap in the current lifeboat coverage. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Some worrying news has emerged over the last week or so; the main encryption system used in online banking, web based shops like eBay and Amazon, “Smart” payment cards and a host of other vital services has been cracked – in the laboratory at least. The crack is currently only experimental, and to the best of current knowledge it has not been employed in the real world, but as with any of these things, it is only a matter of time before crooks find a way to “weaponise” the discovery. The most common, and indeed until now the most effective form of data encryption is a system known as AES 256. AES stands for Advanced Encryption System. This advanced encryption algorithm is unclassified and is "capable of protecting sensitive government information well into the next century," according to an announcement by the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) and is the most trusted process the for development of an advanced encryption standard algorithm. It  is easy to implement in hardware and software, as well as in restricted environments (for example, in a smart card) and offer good defences against various attack techniques. In June 2003, the U.S. government announced that AES could be used to protect classified information, and it soon became the default encryption algorithm for protecting classified information as well as the first publicly accessible and open cipher approved by the NSA for top-secret information. The NSA chose AES as one of the cryptographic algorithms to be used by its Information Assurance Directorate to protect U.S national security systems. Its successful use by the U.S. government led to widespread use in the private sector, leading AES to become the most popular algorithm used in symmetric key cryptography internationally. The transparent selection process helped create a high level of confidence in AES among security and cryptography experts. AES is more secure than its predecessors - DES and 3DES - as the algorithm is stronger and uses longer key lengths. Until very recently AES encryption was considered to be pretty much bullet proof; that is, until information leaked online about a rather unusual method of trying to break it. Researchers at Fox‑IT have managed to wirelessly extract secret AES-256 encryption keys from a distance of one metre – using £200 worth of parts obtained from a standard electronics store – just by measuring electromagnetic radiation. At that distance sniffing the keys over the air took five minutes, but if an attacker got within 30 centimetres of a device, the extraction time is cut down to just 50 seconds. The research team used a simple loop antenna, attached it to an external amplifier and bandpass filters bought online, and then plugged it into a software defined radio USB stick they bought for £20. The entire cost of the setup was less than £200 and the device could be hidden in a jacket or laptop case. The researchers used this kit to record the radio signals generated by the power consumption of the target system running an ARM powered chip. By measuring the leakage between the processor and the data bus, the data showed the peaks and troughs of consumption as the encryption process was carried out. By running a different encryption run on a test rig, the researchers mapped out how the power consumption related to individual bytes of information. That allowed them to take guesses at the 256 possible values of a single byte and the correct choice showed the highest power spike. "Using this approach only requires us to spend a few seconds guessing the correct value for each byte in turn (256 options per byte, for 32 bytes – so a total of 8,192 guesses), In contrast, a direct brute-force attack on AES‑256 would require 2256 guesses and would not complete before the end of the universe." The electromagnetic signals drop off rapidly the farther away you are from the target, but the researchers still managed the extraction from a distance of one metre, even though it took much longer to do so. Spending more on the equipment, however, would increase the range and speed of the attack. There are, of course, some caveats. The tests took place under laboratory conditions, rather than in a busy office or server room where other signals might interfere with the data collection. Nevertheless it is an interesting example of how an attack previously thought of as unfeasible due to cost and distance has been made easier by smarter and cheaper technology.

A road tanker dropped a large volume of Rapeseed Oil on the roads of Erith on the evening of the 26th June. The oil spill closed Lower Road, Bronze Age Way, Queens Road, South Road and North End Road from around 6.30pm. The Fire Brigade put sand on the large spill, which trailed all of the way back to the ADM Oil processing facility in Church Manor Way, which employs nearly 1,200 local people. The company originally started up in 1908, when it was known as Erith Oil Works – the business then was similar to now; they crush and process all kinds of seeds, to extract their natural oils, which are used in foodstuffs, cooking oils and animal feeds. The seeds, then as now are brought upriver in large bulk freighter ships. The distinctive huge concrete silos that are still present on the ADM Oil site were constructed in 1916, where they were some of the earliest surviving examples of reinforced concrete construction in the UK. They were constructed by Danish structural engineering company Christiani and Nielsen, who invented reinforced concrete construction techniques. ADM oils have in the past been guilty of causing the terrible smells that we have experienced in the local area. The reason for this was that the filters on the oil seed boiler chimneys used to not be changed as often as they were supposed to be. Lately ADM's plant engineers seem to have been a lot more conscientious in this respect, and the sickly smell has now been largely absent, thankfully.

The end video this week shows a factory that has been very important to many people in the area over the last seventy years or so, but over the last couple of decades has seemingly gone very quiet. It is the huge Ford vehicle plant at Dagenham, just across the River Thames. Due to automation the plant does not employ nearly as many people as it did in the past, and it no longer produces complete vehicles; instead it produces a vast number of engines and transmissions for both private and commercial use throughout Ford production facilities in and around Europe.  Do give the short video a watch, and please feel free to comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.