The Bombe.

I took the two photos above (click on either for a larger view) on Tuesday afternoon in Walnut Tree Road, Erith. They show the freshly restored roof and iconic copper weather vane on top of the classic Carnegie Library building, which is currently being refurbished and repurposed before it opens to the public as The Exchange. The aim of The Exchange is to create a community centre and a focus for local arts, heritage and culture, and to create somewhere for local people to use as a base for learning and advancement. It will have meeting rooms, creator spaces and a cafe / bar area. There are many plans for activities to take place in the Carnegie Library building when it re - opens in the New Year, once the first phase of the refurbishment and reconstruction work is completed. Initially the lower ground floor of the building will be opened, with the ground and upper floors opening once the subsequent second refurbishment phase is completed in due course. The project is costing a considerable amount of money, which is coming from a number of funding sources, including the Mayor of London's Office and The National Lottery. In 2016, the London Borough of Bexley secured £926,600 from the Mayor’s London Regeneration Fund to repair and renew Erith’s Carnegie building. The council have also inputted over £900,000 to this first phase of works that will bring the lower ground floor of the building back into public use. The design has been led by Robin Lee Architects. The Exchange will be taking on a long-term lease for the building, and will be reopening the building in January 2019 with a host of arts, heritage and community activities and the Book Store café. More on The Exchange and the Carnegie Library restoration next week. 

Some news about Bexley Brewery; the very successful local business, which is based on the Manford Industrial Estate at the Eastern end of Manor Road, next door to Erith Yacht Club is temporarily closing its brewery shop. The reason for this is due to their increased demand for their superb quality real ales, they need to extend the ale conditioning room, which is air conditioned and temperature controlled. The expansion will take over the area at the front of the brewery which is used for the shop, bar and off sales area. For this reason the shop will be closed whilst the building work is undertaken, and an alternative location for the shop can be built. Whilst the shop is out of commission, you can still buy ale from their brewery tap - the exceptional Bird and Barrel micro pub in Barnehurst Road, Barnehurst, close to the railway station. 

Last Monday evening I watched the first episode of a new BBC TV series entitled "Monkman's and Seagull's genius guide to Britain" which is described as "University Challenge icons and real-life best friends Eric Monkman and Bobby Seagull are on a road trip with a difference. Feeding their insatiable appetite for knowledge, they visit Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales in search of hidden gems of British scientific and technological ingenuity". This is the sort of television programme that really interests me - two interesting and knowledgable presenters travelling around the UK highlighting less well known engineering and scientific landmarks. There was a definite local theme to the first episode - not that a casual viewer of the show would necessarily have realised. The BBC description of the first episode reads:- "Their genius guide through England showcases an assortment of remarkable inventions. It begins with a trip to Blackpool Pleasure Beach to experience Sir Hiram Maxim's 1904 Captive Flying Machines, the oldest amusement ride in Europe. These miniature rocket-shaped aeroplanes were designed by the eccentric inventor who created the first portable machine gun but whose ultimate goal was to achieve powered flight. A vertiginous spin on this historic ride gives Monkman the perfect opportunity to describe in detail the theory of centrifugal force". As regular readers will already be aware, I have written on several occasions in the past about Erith based local inventor and businessman Sir Hiram Maxim. The story of the captive flying machine amusement park ride is a little inaccurate. It is inferred during the programme that Maxim created the ride in 1904 in order to publicise and promote his Maxim Flyer flying machine. This is actually inaccurate - by 1904 the Wright Brothers had already performed a whole series of controlled, powered heavier than air flights. As I have previously written, Maxim's flyer predated the Wright Brothers efforts by launching his steam powered flyer in Baldwyn's Park in 1894 where it accidentally took off whilst taxying along rails. The Maxim Flyer predated the amusement park rides by some years; indeed, the first ride - the one now located on Blackpool Pleasure Beach is reputed to be constructed at least in part from materials reclaimed from The Maxim Flyer after it was scrapped.  The Maxim Flyer predated the Captive Flying Machines amusement ride by several years - something not picked up in the nonetheless excellent TV show. 

Last Saturday the first Abbey Wood Village Food and Craft fair took place. Fellow local Blogger Malcolm Knight of "Bexley is Bonkers" attended the event and took a fine series of photos which you can see by clicking here. The event looks to have been a great success, and will hopefully become a regular event in the local social calendar.

In a classic example of the law of unintended consequences, Morrison's in Erith are now suffering financially after their decision to voluntarily discontinue their 5p carrier bags. As of Thursday this week all of the wire hand baskets in the shop have been fitted with wireless security tags. I understand from talking to staff that since the 5p carriers were dropped back in June, that the level of basket theft has sky rocketed; one staff member told me in confidence that at times up to forty percent of the hand baskets were missing from the supermarket. Whilst some baskets were returned to the store by the customers who had taken them home, a significant number disappeared forever. Bearing in mind the baskets cost around £15 each to replace, that is a significant loss. I am not aware as to the cost of adding RF security tags to each basket, but when hundreds of baskets for the one store are taken into account, the spend must be considerable. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

The Erith Pier Festival will be taking place next Saturday. It will be the final outing of the year for the successful Erith Kitchen gourmet food stalls pop - up village, which will be located on the pier, rather than in front of Morrison's car park, as in previous appearances. There will be live music and other entertainment, which will take place between 11am and 9pm on Erith Pier. I will be along during the day with my camera - do come over and say hello if you see me.

Families of Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani origin living locally are currently being targetted by thieves. The criminals are specifically looking to steal high purity gold jewellery from families of Asian origin. Chairman of Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association Dana Wiffen said:- "There is some concern that burglars are again targeting Bexley's residents with the aim of stealing Asian Gold which is known for its purity and high quality. Bexley NW can only urge all parts of the community to be alert for these slippery thieves. We know that many in areas that were affected by, or living in areas near to, where there were break-ins earlier this year have joined us and have purchased “Smart Water” security marking kits, using our member's only discount code which offers a reduced price. We can only urge you if you have not purchased this, to do so as soon as possible, and if you are aware of any friends and family that live in Bexley who were planning to join us but how have not yet, please encourage them to join us and mark their valuables. Our aim is to make it as difficult as possible to steal your valuables. Reported burglaries for the previous week were 7 with 3 attempted. We want to help keep these burglary figures low and with your help we can. Remember, anything you see that appears suspicious like cars with occupants hanging around, get the make, model, number of occupants, registration number and pass it to us with time and date and we will ensure the police get this information. If you think they are about to commit a crime phone 999". More from Neighbourhood Watch later in this update.

Just as Christmas seems to be advertised and promoted far too soon nowadays, I have already seen supermarkets and shops such as The Works running promotions for Halloween. Halloween seems to be taking over as the main winter festival from Guy Fawkes Night. Halloween was originally created in pretty much its’ current form by 18th century Irish people, the word is a corruption of All Hallow’s Eve. Irish immigrants to America took the tradition there, and it was exported back across the Atlantic in the early 1980’s. Although Halloween was celebrated before this time, it was a far lower key and less involved affair. I am convinced that the increase in popularity of the Americanised version of the festival can at least partly be laid at the feet of Steven Spielberg and his movie “ET – The Extra Terrestrial”. The film carries strong Halloween themes such as dressing up and “Trick or Treating” which prior to the opening of the film in 1982 had been relatively uncommon in the UK. The massive popularity of the film exposed may children of the time to take on the American aspects of the Halloween festival; many of those children now have children of their own, and the festival thus now has an amplified resonance not previously seen. Personally I am not struck with the whole thing, which basically encourages small children to demand goods with menaces, but I am probably in a minority.

I watched a live series of lectures and demonstrations which were broadcast on YouTube throughout most of Friday; as some of you will be aware, I have an interest in cryptography and code breaking, not only because of a familial connection; my late Great Uncle Horace is thought to have been one of the Post Office team led by Tommy Flowers that constructed the Colossus Mk1 and Mk2 computers which were used at Bletchley Park to establish the rotor settings for the Lorenz Cypher, which was used to encrypt messages sent from the Nazi High Command in the last few years of WWII. In the years prior to this, Bletchley Park were mainly engaged in breaking the Enigma Cipher. In a live video link-up with Poland on Friday, the reconstructed Turing-Welchman Bombe pictured above - (click for a larger view) at The National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park attempted to find the key of the day and break Enigma messages just as it did during the Second World War. Ruth Bourne, a wartime Bombe operator, was present to verify the process as the TNMOC (The National Museum Of Computing) Bombe Team attempt to find the key to decrypt messages that will be sent from Poland throughout the day. The challenge was part of a live video link-up with the World Computer Congress in the Poznan Supercomputing Centre, Poland. At the conference, the audience  also heard papers relating to cryptography, the Bombe and Alan Turing from presenters including Sir Dermot Turing, Dr Marek Grajek and Dr Roger Johnson. Based on the work of Polish mathematicians who first broke Enigma before war began, Alan Turing and Gordon Welchman created the Bombe - an electro mechanical analogue computer - to automate the decryption process to reveal enemy Enigma messages about their current operations. For security reasons, the Enigma key for each network in the field was changed by the enemy every day (at about midnight). Bletchley Park cryptographers and operators would try to discover that key as quickly as possible so that the day’s messages could be deciphered and invaluable intelligence obtained. The complete process including the interception of the Enigma-encrypted Morse messages from across the world, transmission to Bletchley Park, the attempt to discover each day’s wheel settings and the production of the plain text of the decrypted messages was demonstrated live to an audience both in Bletchley Park, in Poland and around the world via YouTube. The working reconstructed Bombe can be seen almost daily at The National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park. Thanks to private donors the Bombe moved to the Museum in spring 2018.

Now for the weekly safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association - firstly from Barnehurst ward:- "Another fantastic week across the ward with no crimes of note reported (up to 17/09/18) The team have had a busy week which has included assisting Crayford ward with a drugs warrant resulting in the discovery of a quantity of class A drugs namely cocaine and ketamine. The Safer neighbourhood teams work closely together and regularly assist each other to carry out warrants and tackle ASB issues. If you have any information regarding this or any other crime please give the team a call in strictest confidence or call Crime Stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 Please make sure that your home is secure. If you have a UPVC or multi locking door mechanism simply shutting the door will not prevent burglaries. Most use a system of hooks and latches but these only work if you lift up the handle and then turn and remove the key. Double lock the door every time you leave the house, even for a short period of time and before going to bed at night. It only takes a matter of seconds for a burglar to open a door that is not double locked. We are continuing our street a week campaign, a local initiative to visit at least one street a week and meet as many residents as possible across the ward. This week we have visited Defoe and Appledore Close Please join a member of the team at Barnehurst Golf Course on Thursday 27th September at 1pm for a chat about any local issues that may be of concern. If you cannot make our contact sessions the the team will be happy to pay you a home visit or at a location of your choice. We are always looking for additional venues to hold our meetings, if you have any suggestions please get in touch, ideally the venue will need to be on Barnehurst ward As always you can follow us on Twitter @MPSBarnehurst and Facebook Barnehurst Police for crime prevention advice and to find out what the team have been up to". Once again no report from the Belvedere ward, so we will move on to Bexleyheath ward:- "Unfortunately, we have had a report of an attempted burglary on the 17/09/2018 along Broom Mead Bexleyheath. The house alarm had been activated and neighbour discovered an attempted break in. The team are conducting daily weapon sweeps to keep offensive weapons off the streets to help reduce crime. No weapons have been found on our ward. We also assisted with a warrant on a neighbouring ward. Sunday 16/09/2018 – A criminal damage to motor vehicle was reported opposite the Meze restaurant. A side window was smashed and keys taken from within the vehicle; Saturday 15/09/2018 – Royal Oak Road Bexleyheath – Suspect was trying door handles on the street; Friday 14/09/2018 / Saturday 15/09/2018 – A theft of motor vehicle had been reported along Leysdown Avenue Bexleyheath; Sunday 16/09/2018 – Theft from motor vehicle reported at the Marriot Hotel – Number platers stolen from a motorcycle. Sunday 16/09/2018 – Victim had sold vehicle and suspect had given cash to victim and taking money out. The team are still targeting patrols around Martens Grove and Grove Road including the garages to reduce anti-social behaviour. If you do wish to pass on information to Police then please contact Crime stoppers on 0800 555111. Please do not hesitate to contact us via Twitter, Facebook, email and the ward phone. If you are after crime prevention advice, please look at the Met Police website which has lots of information that you may find useful. Remember in an emergency please dial 999 and 101 for non-urgent reporting".

Crayford ward:- "This week your team have been very busy. On Saturday 15th September we successfully executed a drugs warrant in Ridge Way. We were advised that youths were riding motorcycles off road on the Braeburn Park Wildlife Reserve, officers stopped them and they were issued with Section 59 warnings. This means that if they or their vehicles are causing anti-social behaviour in this manner again, the bikes can be seized and they will have to pay a fine to get them back or they will be destroyed, usually a lesson well learnt! Four people were processed for using their mobile phones while driving. Open spaces have been patrolled as there have continued to be calls about drug use and dealing, there have been other visible patrols around the ward too. On Wednesday 12th September at approx. 12.20 a grey Vivaro van, VO65 UNP was stolen in Crayford Way. The driver had just made a delivery and was walking back to the van, the key to the vehicle was attached to a keychain on the driver's trousers. A male described as white, aged 35-40 years snatched the key, pushing the victim to the ground with the intention of stealing the van. On Thursday 13th September at about 14.45 a lady was walking along by Next in Tower Retail Park, her handbag was on her shopping trolley when she tripped over, realising then that a stocky man had run off with her handbag containing keys, purse, currency and medication. Police were called to an aggravated burglary on Friday 14th September between 21.45 and 22.15 in Ridge Way. The suspects broke in to the property, the occupants were elsewhere and came to no harm. The suspect has been named and he will be arrested for a number of offences. Our next surgery will be held on Thursday 27th September at Crayford Library between 2-3pm. We will also be attending the Age Concern coffee morning on Friday 28th September between 11.30-12.30. Would you like to join our ward panel? We meet every three months to discuss ward issues, you can help make a positive difference in your local community. Please contact us via email: Crayford.SNT@met.police.uk if you are interested". Erith ward:- "Over the last few evenings we have focused our patrols on the West Street area we have been carrying out stop and searches and late night patrols in the area over this time the tasking team and A/PS Pete Rose and PC Marc Smith have also helped us out patrolling this area – Big thanks to them. We have also been doing daily weapon sweeps in the area on one sweep we found 3 knives in a bush, 2 of them 12inch in size. You can see images of these on our twitter page @MPSErith . Also we have joined Moat housing and carrying out home visits in James Watt Way. Other theft - 13/09/2018, Barclays Bank Plc, TOWN SQUARE; Shoplift <£200 - 13/09/2018, Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc,JAMES WATT WAY; Criminal Damage U£500 - 11/09/2018, RIVERDALE ROAD; Theft from motor vehicle - 13/09/2018, TOWER ROAD; Theft from motor vehicle -14/09/2018, MORRIS DRIVE; Theft from motor vehicle - 13/09/2018, CORRAL HEIGHTS, CHICHESTER WHARF; Shoplift £200 - 14/09/2018 Iceland Foods Plc TOWN SQUARE. Feel free to pop along and meet us for a chat at Costa Coffee Erith - Wednesday 3rd October, 12 midday". Northumberland Heath ward:- "It has been a relatively peaceful week on North Heath since our last update. There has only been one reported burglary which happened within a house of multiple occupancy. Pc Smith and PCSO Reid were busy patrolling the ward and stopped a male with cannabis in Limewood Road which resulted in the male being dealt with by way of a Community Resolution. We have been patrolling widely across the ward responding to issues raised by resident, including Walsingham Walk where the residents have reported groups of youths gathering and causing a nuisance. One group of youths that are known to us were stopped there, given advice and moved on. We have a drop-in surgery at North Heath Library on Wednesday 26th October 2018 at 2pm so please come along".  Slade Green and North End ward:- "We will start with the bad news this week, a burglary occurred in Lincoln Close between 8 and 10am last Thursday (13th Sept). Entry though the garden and a window, family gold jewellery stolen. There was also an attempted burglary in Moat Lane whereby tool marks were seen by a front window that wouldn't close properly. The incident was reported on Saturday 15th Sept but there is no actual time frame as to when this may have occurred. All victims have been spoken to by SNT officers and reassurance given along with crime prevention advice. There is good news however. PC Mark and PC James have been busy, they have had 3 positive drug stop and searches with all the necessary warnings given, 2 Section 59 warnings issued to 2 males riding off road bikes, one in Rainbow Road and one in Bridge Road (pics above) and a female was stopped after being seen selling toys from a carrier bag in Daleview. Enquiries are being made into if the toys are stolen and she is due in for an interview very soon to explain what she was up to".  Thamesmead East ward:- "On Tuesday 11/09/18 at 07:45 am a vehicle parked outside one of the local shops in YARNTON WAY,DA18 had the driver's side window smashed and various items taken ,all this happened while the driver was carrying out a delivery. Between the dates of 01/10/17 and 15/09/18 a vehicle which had been notified off road and was to be sold was stolen from THAMESBANK PLACE, SE28. Local Event - There is a new community event every Wednesday for the over 50s between 12noon – 3:00pm at THE ATRIUM, TEESWATER COURT MIDDLE WAY, THAMESMEAD, DA18 4DG. iPhone launch - With the launch of Apple's new phone ,you may see an increase in crime ,as criminals try to obtain the latest phones. Don't text while you're walking you won't notice potential thieves approaching Keep away from road-sides if your mobile is in your hand. Use the security features on your phone, such as keyboard locks and remote data wiping . Make sure they are all activated to stop thieves accessing your phone and personal data. Know how to identify your phone if its stolen. Find your IMEI number by dialling *#06# from your phone and keep a written note of it. If the phone is stolen, report it to the police and your mobile provider to stop it being used. Register your phone on www.immobilise.com. Police recover more than 2,500 items registered to the website on average every month. GOOD NEWS - Good partnership working with Peabody Housing Association resulted in a stolen motor bike being found, the owner contacted, who stated that his insurance company were now the owners. They in turn contacted to collect the motor cycle from the housing association premises. PCSO Buckley came across a 27 year old female ,who stated that she was homeless and had slept in a stairwell for a couple of nights. The female was taken into the Thamesmead East police base in limestone walk, made comfortable with hot food and tea. After making further enquiries, PC Pruden was able to make contact with a relative, who confirmed the female's details which amounted to the female having mental health issues. The female was accompanied to Queen Elizabeth hospital with PC Pruden and the relative to be assessed. Police Surgery - Friday 28/09/18 between the hours of 1:00 pm and 2:00pm at THE LAKESIDE MEDICAL CENTRE YARNTON WAY. An opportunity for members of the community who prefer face- to – face contact to speak with a Dedicated Ward Officer". West Heath ward:- "There was one reported burglary and two attempted burglary on West Heath Ward between Wednesday 12/09/18 and Tuesday 18/09/18. There was also one reported theft from motor vehicle during the same period. The property was last secured about 1800 on Thursday 13/09/2018. On Friday 14/09/2018 a member of public has called police after he noticed that the front door was open. Police have attended, and the front door was indeed open. It is suspected that the door was kicked open. Entry was gained and untidy search took place. The victim stated that there was some loose change missing. The venue is a dog grooming salon in the Pantiles. There was an attempted burglary in Selsey Crescent Welling on Wednesday 12/09/2018 at 12:37pm. Two males in a van and on pushbikes were taking scrap metal out of a skip and a person was seen leaving a house. Nothing was taken. There was an attempted burglary on Pembury Road Welling at about 14:20 pm on Tuesday 18/09/2018. Two young black males seen running at the door trying to kick the door open. The door was damaged. There was a theft from motor vehicle in New Road London SE2 0PN between 0830am on 10/09/18 and 0115 am on 11/09/18. The vehicle was parked in the street and suspect unknown smashing drivers window entering vehicle taking the vehicle battery then decamping by means of a vehicle and in direction unknown".

The end video this week features a chap exploring the former Soviet Foxtrot class submarine that has been moored off Strood Pier on the River Medway for many years. The boat, (not ship - submarines are always referred to as boats) was thought to be abandoned, but this would appear to be incorrect - restoration work is now being undertaken on the cold war relic. The chap in the video is very enthusiastic, but pretty clueless; nevertheless it makes for entertaining and instructional viewing. I would very much like to visit the submarine when and if it re - opens to the general public. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The shop opens.

The new mystery shop opened this Wednesday. As some readers had correctly guessed, it is located in the ground floor of the former Royal Alfred pub in Manor Road, on the corner of Appold Street. The new shop is the successor to the old Londis store which is located on the opposite corner of Appold Street. The Bains family purchased the former pub some years ago, and have converted the upper floors into some stunning high end apartments for private rent, and the ground floor into a new supermarket. Their old building was very cramped and to be honest, it was pretty much worn out in the last couple of years. They have invested heavily in the new building, which will offer all of the benefits that the old one did, plus a whole lot of additional new services. The photos above (click on any for a larger view) were taken by me on Tuesday evening, the day before the shop opened. Last minute work was still being carried out to ensure that the shop was ready to open on Wednesday morning. You can see a temporary sign being fitted in the exterior photo above - this banner is only going to be in place for around a month, until the permanent shop sign is ready to be installed. The old shop opposite is now closed and shuttered, with a large red and white vinyl sign redirecting people across the road to the new store. On the opening day the store staff were giving away home cooked complimentary samosas to customers - and they were delicious. I think they would do well to add the samosas to the other freshly cooked food that they sell on a daily basis.

Local residents who use the Dartford Crossing are in for a shock if they don't already know about it - the charges for a standard car to cross The River Thames are being increased by twenty percent. Under the current system, Dartford drivers who often use the crossing pay a discounted rate of £1.67 to get across if they drive a 'standard' sized car. On Monday of last week, these account holders were told the price will increase to £2 per journey. This 33p increase works out to about 20 per cent more than they pay now. Account holders in Dartford have reacted angrily to the changes, which are due to be brought into effect from October the first. Some users have reacted on FaceBook, saying that they will close their payment accounts and use the crossing illegally (sounds to me like people blowing off steam, rather than an actual campaign of civil disobedience). A resident of Rochester has also set up an online petition campaigning for the Dart Charge to be completely abolished. Jayne Phillips started the online petition on 38 Degrees after she heard the news. Less than two days later, the petition has almost 300 signatures. The aim of the petition is to protest against the "exorbitant charges" and price increases put onto drivers. In an interview in the News Shopper, Mrs Phillips said she was "really angry" when she heard about the plans to increase prices for regular users. "Every time I try and use the crossing there are terrible queues," Mrs Phillips hopes the petition will gain enough support so she can take it to the government to ask them to reconsider the Dart Charge. I somehow think this is a forlorn hope - there is far too much money being made for the government to ever back down, especially since the ANPR system which can recognise number plates replaced toll booths at the busy crossing in 2014, and has so far generated 3.5 million penalty charge notices for drivers who have failed to pay. A series of complaints to The Observer newspaper has shown how the system is far from foolproof, however, with cameras misreading number plates and people being pursued for fines they are unaware of. This can in turn lead to a complaints system which can appear inflexible. Thousands of those incorrectly charged simply pay up to avoid the risk of an escalating fine, according to Auto Express. Last August the motoring magazine found that while the vast majority of appeals were upheld (80 percent), only one in 25 motorists actually appealed a fine. Many more motorists who do use the crossing, one of the UK’s busiest, fail to pay the charge because of confusing signs. The only warning of the levy is a large C which is identical to the symbol for the congestion charge, the £11.50 fee for vehicles entering central London. A recent poll by the AA found that 60 percent of drivers mistook it for the latter, an entirely different fee which is not payable on the Dartford Crossing. Non-Londoners are likely to have no clue of the symbol’s meaning. When the toll booths were bulldozed to reduce congestion, it seems the levy went from being a toll to a “congestion charge” and was increased by 20 percent. This distinction was never explained, nor is the fee called a congestion charge on the website, but the new terminology gets round the fact that the levy, introduced to cover the costs of building the Dartford Bridge, is still in place 15 years after it was paid for in full - something that locals are still extremely angry about. In an interview in the News Shopper, Jonathon Hawkes, leader of Labour on Dartford Council, said the decision was “completely unjustified. It’s another example of Dartford getting a really bad deal from the crossing and shows how it is being used as a cash cow.” He added the government has written off millions of pounds in fines that could not be collected from drivers on the crossing, but was “increasing prices for people who pay fairly.” Frequent users of the crossing can create either a pre-paid or a pay-as-you-go account to pay the charge automatically, but even this does not safeguard them from fines. Tina Mackenzie of Basildon, Essex, faced a bill of £1,397 for 13 crossings because her pre-paid account dropped below the £10 minimum in November 2016. It should have been topped up automatically, but unbeknownst to her, her bank declined Dart Charge’s request for £10 due to insufficient funds, as reported in the Guardian newspaper. Nowhere on the Dartford Crossing road signs is the price of a crossing mentioned, and no payment details are given. Drivers are merely invited to “find us online” before midnight the following day, a problem for those without internet access and baffling for the thousands of overseas visitors who use the route to and from Stansted and Gatwick airports. For many of those who are erroneously fined and refuse to pay up, however, the system can prove inflexible. The Dartford Crossing is more or less a captive market since the nearest alternative river crossing is a congested 15 miles away, which means that a crucial route that was supposed to become toll free in 2003 is earning the government millions. The toll system is broken, but it is in the government's interest for it to remain that way - it is a cash cow that unfairly penalises users both local and from far away. On top of this, the increase in charges will also lead to an even further rise in number plate theft - a major local problem. Local criminals are stealing legitimate plates from parked motor vehicles in order to circumvent the automatic number plate recognition system used to charge drivers for using the Dartford Crossing. Vehicle number plate theft is now endemic in the local area. Three or four years ago it was a relatively minor issue, but now it is one of the major problems for the Police and local residents. Just how many vehicles are driving around on illegal registration plates I do not know, but I suspect that the number is far higher than many realise. Many of the number plate thefts are carried out by members of the illegal biker gang Bike Life TV UK.

Further to my in - depth article last week about aviation pioneer, philanthropist and former Belvedere resident Patrick Young Alexander and his involvement with the very first years of heavier than air flight, I have had a couple of readers contact me regarding the comments I made about Sir Hiram Maxim, the talented inventor, engineer and successful businessman who built the world's first heavier than air flying machine, several years before the Wright Brothers. The Maxim flying machine was not a practical proposition in the way that the Wright Flyer was - in fact the Maxim Flyer was just an experiment that got somewhat out of hand during testing, when it took off, rather than just taxiing along the ground on specially constructed rails as it was supposed to do. There have been several accounts of the accidental flight, and until now the ones that I have come across have been either eye witness stories, or tabloid newspaper accounts, which have mostly been on the sensationalist side of things. I have always treated these with a degree of scepticism - much in the way that one does not take stories published nowadays in tabloid papers like the Sun or the Daily Star too seriously. This has now changed with a detailed and far more observational telling of the events on that historic day. Earlier last week I was sent a fascinating contemporary account of the Maxim Flyer - in an article from respected technical journal Scientific American dated September the 15th, 1894. Here is the historic article in full:- "On Tuesday, July 31, for the first time in the history of the world, a flying machine actually left the ground, fully equipped with engines, boiler, fuel, water, and a crew of three persons. Its inventor, Mr. Hiram Maxim, had the proud consciousness of feeling that he had accomplished a feat which scores of able mechanics had stated to be impossible. Unfortunately, he had scarcely time to realize his triumph before fate, which so persistently dogs the footsteps of inventors, interposed to dash his hopes. The very precautions which had been adopted to prevent accidents proved fatal to the machine, and in a moment it lay stretched on the ground, like a wounded bird with torn plumage and broken wings. Its very success was the cause of its failure, for not only did it rise, but it tore itself out of the guides placed to limit its flight, and for one short moment it was free. But the wreck of the timber rails became entangled with the sails, and brought it down at once. The machine fell on to the soft sward, embedding its wheels deeply in the grass, and testifying, beyond contradiction, that it had fallen and not run to its position. If it had not been in actual flight, the small flanged wheels would have cut deep tracks in the yielding earth. The Maxim flying machine is a large braced structure formed of steel tubes and wires, and is exceedingly stiff for its weight, which is about 8,000 lb., including men and stores, At its lower part it carries a deck, on which the crew stand, where, also, the boiler, steering wheel, and reservoirs of water and gasoline are mounted. At a height of some 10 feet above the deck come the engines, each of which drives a screw propeller of 17 feet 10 inches diameter and 16 feet pitch, working in air. Above the propellers is the great aeroplane. Smaller aeroplanes project out, like wings, at the sides, the extreme width being 125 feet and the length 104 feet. There are five pairs of wings, as shown in the illustration, but the intermediate three pairs are not always used, and at the time of the accident these were not in place. At that time the area of the aeroplanes, was 4,000 square feet. With all the planes in position, the total area is 5,400 square feet. Forward and aft of the great plane are two steering planes, carried on trunnions at the sides, and connected by wire strands with a drum on the deck. By turning this drum the steering planes can be simultaneously tilted to direct the machine upward or downward, or to keep it on an even keel. The chief interest centers on the boiler, as, unless this be made exceedingly light, it is hopeless to expect that the machine will soar. There is a very close resemblance between the Thornycroft boiler and Maxim's boiler. In each case there are two wing drums, connected by a large number of curved tubes with a steam and water drum, and there are also downcomers to facilitate the circulation. The casing is also made of straight tubes. In the boiler of the flying machine a feed heater is placed over the steam drum, but it is not shown in the engraving. The feed heater is constructed of steel tubes three-sixteenths inch bore and one-twelfth inch thick; the water is pumped through It at a pressure 30 lb. higher than the pressure in the boiler, and is delivered through an injector-like nozzle into the top of the downcomer pipe. The incoming water delivers its surplus energy to the surrounding liquid, creating a rapid and powerful current in the pipe, and consequently maintaining an active circulation in the small tubes in which the steam is generated. The feed pumps are placed on the deck beneath the engines, and are of variable stroke, so as to be adapted to the needs of the boiler. As they work at high speed, the valves are of large diameter—larger than that of the plungers. Pounding is prevented by a rubber bag on the suction and spring pistons on the discharge. The total quantity of water in the boiler only amounts to 200 lb., so that it is necessary that the amount of feed should be accurately adjusted. There is a very ingenious water level indicator. A small pipe is led in a loop from front to back and from back to front of the furnace. It is then taken to the steam and water drum, and led backward and forward through that in the same way, below the water line. The whole is filled with water, and forms a closed circuit having two loops—one in the furnace and one in the water. Now, so long as the upper loop is in the water the pressure does not rise greatly beyond that in the boiler, because the heat taken up in the furnace is conveyed, by the circulation, to the water in the drum. But if the water level falls in the drum, then there is no outlet for the heat; the pressure, consequently, rises most rapidly, and shows itself on a gauge attached to the pipe. By this most ingenious device an open-faced pressure gauge is substituted for the usual gauge glasses. The weight of the boiler, with casing, feed water heater, dome, and uptake, is 904 lb.; with burner and water it is 1, 200 lb. The heating surface is about 800 square feet, and the flame surface 30 square feet. The fuel burned in the boiler is gasoline, of a specific gravity of 72 degrees Baume. It is carried in a copper vessel on deck, and is pumped through a vaporizer into the furnace. The pipe from the pump is led into a vessel having a large gasoline burner beneath it. In this vessel the spirit attains a pressure of 50 lb. on the square inch, and a corresponding temperature, in which condition it is, of course, highly inflammable. The gas which it gives off is conducted by a pipe, passing through the furnace, to a jet, like that of a Bunsen burner, at the front of the furnace, and in rushing through it, induces a powerful draught of air, with which it mixes. The combined charge passes through hollow fire bars, pierced on the upper surfaces with fine holes, and burns in 7,650 separate flames. The arrangement is so powerful that the pressure in the boiler can be raised from 100 lb. to 200 lb. in a minute. The air supply can be regulated at will, while the expenditure of gasoline automatically adapts itself to the needs of the boiler. The pressure of the gasoline vapor acts on a ]ever, which is balanced by a spring. If the feed is greater than the consumption, the pressure on the ]ever puts a pawl in gear with a ratchet wheel, and, through intermediate mechanism, works a block along a slotted arm to reduce the throw of the gasoline feed pumps. If the feed is too small, the opposite effect is produced, and the throw of the pump increased. There are two screws, each driven by a separate compound engine, having cylinders 5.05 inches and 8 inches in diameter by 12 inches stroke. The steam is distributed by means of piston valves having 3 inches stroke, and operated by eccentrics. The exhaust steam is delivered into the air, but Mr. Maxim informs us that he used successfully an air condenser. This seems to be a necessity, because the supply of water would prove a serious load. Even to drive 100 horse power would require some 2,500 lb. of water per hour, which would be a considerable addition to a lengthy trip, especially if undertaken for warlike purposes in a hostile country. To supplement, or replace, the safety valve, by-passes are provided so as to allow live steam to pass directly to the low pressure cylinders. Instead of blowing off into the air, the steam is blown past the high pressure cylinders, and the fall in pressure is made to do work on the exhaust from the high pressure cylinders, drawing the steam from the high pressure cylinders and driving it into the low pressure cylinders. The boiler will make more steam than the engines can take in the usual way. The boiler pressure, when running, is 320 lb. per square inch, giving in the high pressure cylinder a differential pressure of 195 lb. and in the low pressure cylinder 125 lb. The cut-offs are respectively 0.75 and 0.625 of the strokes. In the high pressure cylinder there is a very large clearance, designed to prevent injury from water in case the machine should pitch. The actual horse power delivered to the screws is 363 when the engines are running at 375 revolutions per minute. Of this, we are informed by Mr. Maxim, 150 horse power are expended in slip, 133 horse power in actual lift on the aeroplanes, and 80 horse power in driving the machine, with its frames and wires, through the air. The thrust of the screws, when the machine is moored, is 2,100 lb., and when it is running it is 2,000 lb. We give these figures as they were supplied to us, omitting decimals. The total lift is something over 10,000 lb. at a speed of forty miles an hour and with the aeroplanes making an angle of about 7.25 degrees with the horizontal". A fascinating insight, and a far more detailed and exhaustive account than I have read before. What do you think? Please fee free to leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

You may recall that I have written a couple of articles on what I consider to be failings at the Morrison's supermarket in Erith recently. A regular reader who chooses to remain anonymous sent me the following piece for publication. He certainly raises some interesting and valid points. The contributor writes:- "I have read your blogs about Morrisons and while I can recognise some of the things that you describe, I have a slightly different view point. I shop regularly at Morrisons, daily in fact, to purchase fresh food. I find them invariably friendly and helpful, and while I don't regularly engage with managers, I know some of the staff quite well.  And we chat about things as I check out.  They recognise me, and I know, one or two personally, I have known one member of staff for over 29 years, as she once operated a shop local to me, before she retired and took a Morrisons checkout Job for pin money to supplement her pension. There are niggles, such as the trolley bays which are mostly broken and inoperable, so if you want to use the cafe, you are obliged to take the trolley in with you, or to load up the car and come back into the store. I have seen supervisors opening a till often, when people are queuing, and even going on the till and serving customers. Another niggle is the lack of plastic bags or other bags to allow you to select loose fruit or veg or fruit, and the only option is to take them loose to the till for a check out assistant to provide a bag. Also, the use of plastic packaging with black coloured plastic, means that they can't be recycled, meaning going to land fill. I have complained about the level of staffing early in the day. With tills unmanned, the Cafe doesn't open till 8 am, and generally receive an explanation that staff absence on holiday or sick is an issue.  And if they start early, they might be short staffed later as they have quite a few part-time staff as well as full time.  They try to accommodate working mothers for instance, with children as school. The Salad Bar, early in the day is full, although, sometimes the range it items are not as varied or are not available, but generally, we experience no problem with it. As for the culture of the Corporate Morrisons, I find that most big retail chains have cultures that I don't like or get on with, so I don't use their services. I particularly detest Tesco and I am not a fan of Sainsbury's either. I found Lidl, particularly difficult, having had experiences of their parking policy, and frankly, poor customer service.  I can't speak for Aldi, but my spouse isn't a fan or theirs. So, while Morrisons isn't perfect, it's no worse than any other chain, and certainly better than some".

The Apple iMac celebrated its' 20th birthday in the last week; The computer would be simple to use, and connect easily to the then newly popular Internet. It would also look unlike anything Apple or any of its competitors had ever made before. That computer, the original iMac, became Apple's most successful product in years. The mixture of beautiful design and functionality not only stabilised the company, but set Apple on the path to its greatest successes in the early part of the new century. The first iMac was introduced in May of 1998 and arrived on the market on August 15th of that year. The goals of the iMac project included making a machine that could easily connect with the Internet, that would achieve something close to "plug and play" functionality. A product that would get people talking about Apple again, at a time when the company had been doing very badly, and was in danger of going bust or being taken over.  Apple came up with a form factor drastically different from the PCs that were popular at the time. At the same time, it was reminiscent of Apple's all-in-one Mac line that it introduced in 1984. The original iMac was the first major Apple product designed by newly appointed Senior Vice President of Industrial Design (now Sir) Jony Ive, who has been the top designer for all of the company's products ever since. The machine's unique look was a major part of the selling of the iMac. The fact that the computer used what at the time were some revolutionary technologies was a moot point - the technology was hidden behind a non - threatening, friendly exterior and intuitive user interface. The sales of the new iMacs were spectacular. Reportedly it sold 278,000 sold in its first six weeks, rising to around 800,000 by the end of 1998. According to Steve Jobs biographer Walter Isaacson: "Most notably, 32 percent of the sales went to people who were buying a computer for the first time, and another 12 percent to people who had been using Windows machines".

The weekly safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association begin this week with a report from Barnehurst ward:- "Unfortunately, Barnehurst Ward has suffered an attempted burglary in Merewood Road on 09/08/2018. The victim noticed tool marks on the front door - it's believed a screw driver had been used but no entry was gained. The victim had a very good locking system on the front door which may have prevented entry. It was possible that the suspects may have been after keys to the vehicle parked in the driveway. Neighbourhood Watch Coordinators were also visited to update them of this incident. On Wednesday 08/08/2018 in Heath Way, a caravan was taken from the driveway between the hours of 11.30am and 01.30pm. In order to remove this caravan, suspects had to remove the wheel clamp, undo the tow bar security and then turn the caravan to position correctly in order to attach it to a vehicle, however nothing was seen or heard. Also in Heath Way on 09/08/2018 a white Mercedes Sprinter Van registration number KV18 ZXB was taken overnight. Barnehurst Officers have been busy with ‘Street A Week' which is a local initiative to visit at least one street a week and meet as many residents as possible across the ward. If you would like your street covered as a matter of priority please let the team know and we will be happy to attend. Whilst on patrol, Officers came across a stolen vehicle in Cheviot Close. This vehicle was a Ford KA and had been stripped of all parts including the wheels. Our next community contact session will be at the Barnehurst Golf Club on Thursday 23rd August 2018 at 01.00pm. Please join us to discuss any issues you may have". No Belvedere ward submission this week. Bexleyheath ward:-"There was an attempted burglary in Braemar Avenue on the morning of Wednesday 15th August. The suspect attempted to break into a ground floor flat window. Our next Cuppa with a Copper contact session will be at Cafe Nero Broadway, 12:00PM - 1:00PM on Wednesday 29 August". Crayford ward:- "We've been out and about on patrols this last week. On Tuesday 7th August between 20.00-20.20 a racially aggravated offence took place at Hall Place. Youths were reported as tormenting the victim putting him in fear. On Wednesday 8th August there were two reports of theft from motor vehicle, very close together so believed to be the same thief. A watch was stolen from a Mercedes parked in Galloway Drive, the vehicle was locked and it is unclear how access was gained, no smashed windows, no forced entry. A laptop and work bag were stolen from a Chrysler which was locked and secured on a driveway in Woolbrook Road. On Tuesday 7th August at about 18.00 a mobile phone was taken from a sports bag during sports activities at Perry Street. On Thursday 9th August a resident in Halcot Avenue reported that their upstairs bathroom window had been smashed, no noise heard. We will be at Sainsbury's on Thursday 23rd August between 15.00-16.00 for coffee with cops. Please come along if you would like to speak with us. On Sunday 26th August we will be at Hall Place by the Café area between 10.00-11.00 and happy to listen to your concerns and give crime prevention advice". Erith ward:- "Crimes of note for the last week - Theft of cycle and Other theft, 10/08/2018 Pier Road; Shoplift <£200 11/08/2018 Iceland Foods Plc, Town Square; Burglary (Residential) 13/08/2018 Stanmore Road - house of multiple occupants - four bags removed from insecure rooms - bags of his clothing; Making off 04/08/2018 Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc,James Watt Way; Theft of MV (Motor Vehicle) 14/08/2018, Erith Road; Shoplift <£200 15/08/2018 Wickes Building Supplies Ltd, Fraser Road; Theft from MV 14/08/2018 Riverdale Road Dates for your diary's - Wednesday 29/08/18, 1300-1400 Costa coffee Erith – pop in surgery, Tuesday 04/09/18 – 1100/1200 Costa coffee Erith - pop in surgery and Wednesday 12/09/18 – 1200/1300 Orbit office Erith park - pop in surgery".  Northumberland Heath ward:- "No burglaries reported to us this week which is great news. Unfortunately, we have had several reports of criminal damage to motor vehicles over the past week. In Ightham Road a vehicle had wing mirrors kicked. Criminal damage to a motor vehicle in Mill Road where a group of youths were seen smashing the front and rear windows. The team are continuing to focus on anti-social behaviour and are attending a number of meetings with the council to discuss this matter. A number of individuals have been referred to the anti-social behaviour unit and will be receiving home visits to their parents. On Tuesday, the local Councillor came to Northumberland Heath to patrol with PC Young. She was taken around the hotspot areas where anti-social behaviour is prevalent and was given an insight to the local issues. The next Coffee with Cops event will be held at midday on Saturday August 25th at the Sunshine Café in Parsonage Manorway. All are welcome to attend".

Slade Green and North End ward:- "Over the last week we have been working hard on our ward promises, focusing our efforts on patrolling the parks and open spaces. We've also completed numerous weapons sweeps across the ward, happy to report that nothing untoward has been found. We are also planning a number of traffic operations in the near future, focusing on speed and phone offences, Is your road particularly bad? Let us know and we can include your road in upcoming operations. We've recently received an increase in reports of Motor Bike ASB across the ward, mainly in the parks and open spaces, and also in the Slade Green Road area. Can you help us identify who's responsible, do you often see a bike riding in an anti social manner on your road? Talk to us about this - we can help and deal with offenders robustly. On Wednesday 15th August on his way into work, PC Brookes - Smith caught sight of a moped parked up in Northend Road Junction with Peareswood Road. The bike looked out of place so he took a closer look. Enquiries at the scene quickly established that the bike had been reported stolen overnight on Mon 13 – Tues 14th August from the Welling area. A full forensic lift was arranged and PC Brookes - Smith remained with the bike until recovery arrived. The victim was very happy to get his bike back. Over the last month officers from the team have found and recovered four stolen motor bikes. We are constantly building our intelligence picture and taking these bikes out of the hands of the criminals and back into their owners' hands. Has a vehicle appeared on your road which looks out of place? Has the ignition been damaged? Is it insecure? Or is something just not right? If so contact us we can have a look. Our next community contact session is on Thursday 30th August 2018 at the Café in Forest road from 11am. Please come along and have a chat with your local team. During this sessions you can pass on information, report crime or simply join us for coffee".Thamesmead East ward:- "Wednesday 08/08/18 between 6:40am - 5:40pm Cherbury Close – Theft from Motor Vehicle: Theft of rear number plate; Wednesday 08/08/18 06:00am - Monday 13/08/18 Fieldfare Road – Criminal Damage to Motor Vehicle: Victims mobility scooter vandalised, back tyres slashed; Thursday 09/08/18 between 10:00pm – Friday 10/08/18 1:00pm Templar Drive – Criminal Damage to Motor Vehicle: Victims windscreen smashed. Good News - Wednesday 08/08/18 the team assisted the National Crime Agency to reduce crime and disorder on the ward, 3 arrests were made. Friday 10/08/18 PC Nana recovered a stolen motorbike near Osney House in Hartslock Drive working with Peabody Housing the bike was reunited with the owner. Friday 10/08/18 PC Pruden arrested a male for failing to attend court. The team will be at Lakeside Health Centre Yarnton Way on Tuesday 21/08/18 for a Have a Say session between 1-2pm any problems in your area come and let us know or just come in and say hello". West Heath ward:- "There was one reported burglary on West Heath Ward between 08/08/2018 and 15/08/2018. There was also one reported theft of motor vehicle during the same period. The Victim returned from holiday on 10/08/2018 to find out that their property had been broken into on West Heath Road. The suspects have jammed the kitchen window and gained entry. A stick was also used to jam the front door A victim at Axminster Crescent Bexleyheath had his Ford Ranger Wildtrak index 9437KGY (Spanish registration number) stolen outside their address. Our Street-a-Week program, where we visit and engage with local residents in our ward, is 3pm - 4pm today for Glenview and 12noon - 1pm on Wed 22 August 2018 for Mayfair Avenue".

I have in many occasions in the past mourned the loss of the Danson Festival, an event that used to take place each summer in Danson Park, but which was cancelled by Bexley Council in 2014 as a cost saving measure - despite from everything I have been able to discover, the event actually made a modest profit. As I have written in the past, one of our neighbouring boroughs - specifically the London Borough of Havering. The borough - just on the opposite side of The River Thames has a very similar size and geography to the London Borough of Bexley; it also has a similar population demographic and overall council budget that is broadly comparable. The difference with Havering is that they fund many community based events, including a very large free festival, which has its' fortieth anniversary next weekend, on the 26th and 27th of August. The end video below shows some photographs and video footage of the Havering Show of last year, to give you an idea of exactly what the event is like. I would suggest that since Bexley residents no longer have their own show, it might be a good idea for people to take a trip across the river to visit the Havering Show, since our own local council are not going to do anything similar. Let me know what you think by either leaving a comment below, or alternatively by Emailing hugh.neal@gmail.com.