A hoax call.

A worrying incident took place last Sunday afternoon, only minutes after I posted my last Blog update. Local resident and occasional Maggot Sandwich contributor Miles took the photo above from the corner of Morrisons car park, looking towards the entrance to Erith Pier. Several fire engines, ambulances and at least two Police cars were congregated close to the river bank and Erith Pier. Miles was unable to determine exactly what had been going on, and contacted me for information. After making some enquiries with local contacts, I was able to determine that the call - out of the emergency services was as the result of a malicious hoax phone call. Someone had phoned 999 and told the controller that a crane was on fire on the banks of the River Thames at Erith. The fact that no dockside cranes have been located in Erith since 1999 when the pier was refurbished and opened to the public by its then new owners Morrison's did not seem to register with the hoaxer. Consequently valuable first responders were tied up for a considerable period of time, when they could have been far more productive elsewhere. It was lucky that there was no major incident at the time, or lives could have been lost. I understand that investigations are under way to try and identify the malicious hoaxer and bring them to justice. 

In a surprise move by Bexley Council, the waste and recycling contract with Serco has been extended by eighteen months; many observers were convinced that the contract would be awarded to a different company, due to the perceived poor performance of Serco. As regular readers will be aware, there have been multiple incidents - including some caught on video - of Serco employees taking residents carefully sorted recyclable waste from their individual bins and pouring it all into the same dustcart, thus undoing all of the good work carried out by the residents. This has been repeatedly reported to the council, but nothing whatsoever has been done about it. Changes to the waste collection schedule are also being brought in by the council, including the introduction of two new wheelie bins – one for paper and cardboard and one for mixed recycling. What mixed recycling actually amounts to is at present somewhat unclear. Strangely the new bins are being imported from a manufacturer in Germany; I presume that a UK sourced equivalent supplier could not produce bins for a competitive price or quality. One thing that does strike me is that many people's front garden are already filled with a multitude of waste and recycling bins, and these two additions are going to make this even worse. Personally I fully support the recycling plans for Bexley Council, but I abhor the unsightly and bulky bins that they deploy. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

The Bookstore Cafe in the former Carnegie Library in Walnut Tree Road, Erith are looking to hire a Cafe Assistant for the successful new local business. The Exchange, the not for profit organisation behind the library renovation have made the following announcement:- "The Exchange is looking for enthusiastic and dedicated individuals to assist in its recently opened Bookstore Café which offers a fresh, quality and delicious menu developed by Chef Marina Power who trained and taught at the world-renowned Ballymaloe cookery school in Ireland". Anyone who is interested in this paid role can find out more about it by downloading the full job description by clicking here. 

Now that The White Hart controversy about opening hours has been laid to rest, and the African restaurant is now in normal operation, the development of the former pub garden is now being processed. As you can see in the top photograph above, the garden has been excavated and there is now a drop of around ten to twelve feet to the new ground level. The site is being redeveloped, and an application has been submitted to Bexley Council. Two of the drawings featured in the planning application are also above. The submission to the council states that:- "Erection of one 4/5 storey building comprising 3 x 3 bed. and 7 x 2 bed. flats and a commercial unit. Provision of associated amenity space, refuse and cycle storage areas and car parking within the lower ground floor". The application may undergo rather more scrutiny than usual, due to the somewhat dodgy history of the proposed developer, as has been documented in some detail by fellow local Blogger Malcolm Knight - click here for the details. Malcolm has been following the story for some considerable time. 

As I have previously mentioned, I rely on readers alerting me to stories and issues in the local area; I don't have some kind of magic prescience regarding local stories. Recently I was contacted by regular reader and occasional contributor Shane, who asked me if I had any information about the closure of the newsagent and coffee shop at Erith Station. At the time I was not aware of the closure, and Shane in return did some digging around. On Thursday morning he Emailed me to say that:- "It is back, with new owners and renovated. The woman running it seems friendly. The previous lot left under a cloud I'm told". So good news - the station now once again has a shop. Thanks to Shane for doing the investigation. 

The press advert above was originally published back in 1955; the product advertised is Cookeen hard vegetable cooking fat, which to this day is still manufactured in the ADM Edible Oils factory - the largest manufacturer of edible oils in Europe. If you have bought a supermarket ready meal in the UK, the oil used to cook it will have come from ADM Oils in Erith. It is also one of the largest local employers, with around 1,200 workers, many of whom live in the local area. It 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 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 Neilsen, who invented reinforced concrete construction techniques.

Half of British children will own a mobile phone by the age of eleven, according to new research published recently. The study of 2,000 parents shows the average child will receive a phone worth £120 on their eleventh birthday, and will then spend two hours every day glued to the device. But four in 10 parents end up regretting giving their youngster a phone at such a young age – as by their teenage years the child is transfixed by the likes of social media, texts, and computer games. Incredibly, researchers found one in 20 children will own a mobile handset by the age of six, as parents give in to primary school peer pressure. Owning a mobile phone comes at a price for parents – in addition to the £120 upfront fee, mums and dads will be expected to replace the phone at least twice due to it being lost, stolen or damaged. The study, which considers mobile phone ownership amongst children, reveals two thirds of parents will allow their child to have internet access on their device as soon as they get it. On top of this, 28 per cent of children are then allowed to use their phone all day without any supervision from an adult – despite 46 per cent have access to social media channels. The report also highlights that a third of parents fear their children spend far too much time on their phone – with one in eight youngsters spending more than four hours a day chatting to friends and playing games. According to the data, one in 10 children will use their mobile during the school day, and 12 per cent will log in to their phone as soon as they get home from school. Just 10 per cent of children can wait until after dinner before checking their phone. Just one in six parents will limit their child’s phone usage to emergencies only – with many admitting their child uses their phone for a range of activities. Unfortunately, purchasing a phone only adds to the worry parents have. A fifth of parents are concerned their child’s phone has now led to them not enjoying enough quality time with the family, and 16 per cent are concerned their child is missing out on face-to-face interactions with others. Apart from my usual antipathy towards mobile phones, I do have a concern that giving children such devices limits their ability to think for themselves or act fully independently. If they are out and miss the last bus, or some other problem occurs, all they have to do is ring Mum or Dad on their mobile phone to get picked up. They won't learn about improvisation, and in later life this will impair their ability to act in a fully independent manner. What do you think? Do the safety aspects outweigh the downsides of giving children mobile phones? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

You may recall that I recently wrote about The Metropolitan Police who are in the midst of what it is calling a trial of automated facial recognition (AFR) technology, although it has been using the kit since 2016. Recently it used the kit in Romford, parking a van outside the station between 10am and 6pm. The cameras scan the faces of passersby and checks them against a watch list that is supposed to be freshly drawn up for each deployment. Forces have argued the public expects them to use emerging technology to improve policing, but critics railed against the fact it is being tested in live environments without a legal framework and in the face of evidence it has a 98 per cent false positive rate. Since that trial, more information has come to light that the figure is the highest of those given by UK police forces surveyed by the campaign group Big Brother Watch as part of a report that urges the the police to stop using the tech immediately. Forces use facial recognition in two ways: one is after the fact, while cross-checking of images against mugshots held in national databases; the other involves real-time scanning of people's faces in a crowd to compare against a "watch list" that is freshly drawn up for each event. Big Brother Watch's report focused on the latter, which it said breaches human rights laws as it surveils people without their knowledge and might dissuade them from attending public events. Despite Police insistence that it works, the report showed an average false positive rate – where the system "identifies" someone not on the list – of 91 per cent across the country. That doesn't mean nine out of ten people seen on camera are wrongly flagged up, instead it means that 91 per cent of people flagged up turned out to be not on the watch list. The Metropolitan Police has the highest percentage, at 98 per cent, with 35 false positives recorded in one day alone, at the Notting Hill Carnival 2017. The system, though, hasn't had much success in positive identifications either: the report showed there have been just two accurate matches, and neither person was a criminal. The first was at Notting Hill, but the person identified was no longer wanted for arrest because the information used to generate the watch list was out of date. The second such identification took place during last year's Remembrance Sunday event, but this was someone known as a "fixated individual" – these are people known to frequently contact public figures – but who was not a criminal and not wanted for arrest. Typically people on this list have mental health issues, and Big Brother Watch expressed concern that the police said there had not been prior consultation with mental health professionals about cross-matching against people in this database. The criteria for the deployment and use of Automated Facial Recognition technology is defined by the Metropolitan Police thusly:- "1. Public Interest. The use of this technology is permissible only when it is being employed in the public interest. In some cases, this might be straightforward, for example, there is a public interest in being able to identify those engaged in criminal activity. Other cases may be less straightforward. 2. Effectiveness. The use of this technology can be justified only if it is an effective tool for identifying people. 3. The Avoidance of Bias and Algorithmic Injustice. For the use of the technology to be legitimate it should not involve or exhibit undue bias. This can be unjust in two ways. First, some kinds of mis-recognition are inherently demeaning and insulting. Second, technology with these biases can result in unequal and discriminatory treatment of some individuals (for example, members of some groups may be much more likely to be detained and/or required to identify themselves). 4. Impartiality and Deployment. If the technology is deployed for policing purposes it must be used in an even-handed way. For example, it should not be used in ways that disproportionally target certain events, but not others, without a compelling justification. 5. Necessity. Individuals normally have rights to conduct their lives without being monitored and scrutinised. (a) Given that the use of the technology interferes with these rights, such technology can be used only if other, less invasive, techniques are not available. (b) Furthermore, the technology should be used in ways that minimize interference with people engaging in lawful behaviour. 6. Proportionality. In addition to meeting a ‘necessity’ requirement, the technology should also meet a ‘proportionality’ requirement. That is, it can be permissible only if the benefits are proportionate to any loss of liberty and privacy. The benefits have to be sufficiently great so as to justify any interference with other rights. 7. Impartiality, Accountability, Oversight and the Construction of Watchlists. (a) If humans (or algorithms) are involved in the construction of watchlists for use with the technology, it is essential that they be impartial and free from bias.8 (b) The construction of ‘watchlists’ needs to be subject to oversight by an independent body. 8. Public Trust. If the technology is to be used for policing purposes it is important that those using it (either in operational deployments or trials) engage in public consultation and provide the rationale for its use. 9. Cost-effectiveness. Any evaluation of the use of this technology needs to take into account whether any resources it requires could be better used elsewhere. Biometric recognition systems (including data training sets) that will be used in public places should be to be open to scrutiny and effective oversight". As previously stated, I am all for the Police using new technology to catch criminals, but it does need to be properly tested and effective, which in this case it would seem not to be. 

Bexley Council finally made a decision as to the future of the former Belvedere Police Station in Nuxley Road last week; the old building will be demolished and replaced with a four and five story apartment block which will contain 26 flats. Many locals are concerned that the development will be too large, and overshadow existing buildings, such as All Saints Church, which is directly opposite. There are also concerns about the very limited number of parking spaces that will be provided in the new apartment block; the developers counter this by arguing that they expect many of the residents to use bikes rather than cars. I find this somewhat unlikely, as any occupants of the high - end flats will probably work in London, and need to commute via Belvedere station, which is about half a mile away at the bottom of a one in seven hill. Whilst this is fine when going down it in the morning on a pushbike, it is not so great at the end of a long day at work, when your only option would be to walk up the hill, pushing the bike with you, as it is too steep to cycle up, and even electrically powered bikes struggle with the very long and steep incline. 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. First a report from Barnehurst ward:- "Another good week crime wise across the ward. A theft from motor vehicle occurred in Beverley Road overnight from 4pm on the Monday 25th February, suspects took small change and sunglasses from a Ford Galaxy parked on a driveway. There was no damage to the vehicle which is believed to have been left unlocked. We have CCTV of potential suspects, enquires are continuing. Please make sure that your vehicle is locked securely, do not rely on the electronic fob always check manually that your vehicle is locked. Suspects are just walking down a street trying car door handles and taking whatever they can when they find a door unlocked. You can help reduce crime considerably just by simply checking that your vehicle is secure. On Thursday 21st February at about 3.30 pm a caravan was set on fire within an old garage block in Chipstead Road .The area had been suffering from fly tipping and the caravan was pushed up against a metal gate in an attempt to prevent further offences. The fire has also caused damage to fence panels on neighbouring properties. If you have any information on theses or any other crimes please get in touch or call CRIMESTOPPERS on 0800 555 111 this is completely anonymous and you do not have to give any personal detail. A member of the team will be at Barnehurst Golf course on Friday 8th March at 1pm. Please come along for an informal chat about any concerns or issues that you may have or just pop in to say hello. As Always please follow us on Twitter @MPSBarnehurst and Facebook Barnehurst Police". Belvedere ward - no report this week.  Bexleyheath ward:- "We have had one report of a burglary along St Audrey Avenue Bexleyheath on the Thursday 21/02/2019 between 7am and 8pm. Entry was gained via the ground floor kitchen window. Also we have had a report of a distraction burglary along Heversham Road on the 26/02/2019 at 1030am. Males posing as gardeners in order to distract and enter property and take jewellery and money. Report of motor vehicle scratched on Park Grove 0n the Tuesday 26/02/2019 between 8am and 7pm. Theft from motor vehicle on Gravel Hill Close between Saturday 23/02/ - Monday 25/02/2019 between 1800 0800hrs. Window smashed -taken air bag Sat navigator and radio and external skirt panels removed. On the Broadway 3x purses taken from bags. On Saturday 23/02/2019 0n the Broadway two females after been advised by Town Safe Officers to move on this was ignored. Stopped and arrested for vagrancy and begging. By Methuen road on Wednesday 20/02/2019 a group of youths stopped by your local police for anti - social behaviour. Engaged with the youths and advised. On Saturday 23/02/2019 on Iris Avenue reports of youths blocking the road local policing team attended and youths stopped on push bikes for anti – social behaviour. Good news officers from your local team conducted Met Trace on ST AUDREY. Met trace is a Metropolitan Service operation to help residents make their homes more secure by providing crime prevention advise and Smart Water forensic property marking kits". Crayford ward:- "Please be aware that there are bogus builders in the area. A resident agreed to a small roof repair, the “roofer” then said the job was bigger than thought and would cost much more, the money was given. The “roofer” has come back and asked for a further amount and the work has not been completed, confirmed as a scam. These people prey on people's fears and concerns and by agreeing to have a small job done this opens the door for the bogus person to demand more. Do not agree to having work done by someone cold calling at your door, always ask for personal recommendations from family or friends if you need to have work done at your home and don't be afraid to make your own checks. We surveyed Bourne Mead, Mount Pleasant Walk and part of Hall Place Crescent and will continue with this in the coming week. Overnight on 20th into the 21st February a venue in Woodside Road was broken in to by means of an unlocked door, damage was caused to electronic items and graffiti was put on the wall. A silver Renault Traffic van was broken in to on Thursday 21st February between 06.00-17.30 at Hall Place car park and an electric tester megger, tool bag and 3 Dewalt Drills were stolen. On Wednesday 20th February at 22.40 suspects were disturbed whilst gaining entry to a garage at Old Road, two Males were seen to make off in a white van. An IPhone 8 was stolen from a van parked outside Bookers Cash and Carry on Wednesday 20th February between 14.15-14.30, please don't leave valuable items on show in your vehicle. On Monday 18th February between 02.00-03.00 a black Ford Mondeo had all windows smashed whilst parked in Heathview Avenue. Between 16th and 17th February, number plates F17 LEE were stolen from a parked vehicle in Tanners Close, these plates belong to a white S3 Audi Quattro. It was reported that on Friday 1st February windows and doors were damaged by an unknown suspect in Shearwood Crescent. On Friday 22nd February between 18.00-18.30 a teenager had his mobile phone and bicycle stolen from outside McDonalds by a group of youths. On Tuesday 26th February between 08.05 and 20.15 a burglary occurred in Crayford Way. The resident came home to find the living room and upstairs lights on and realised that the patio door had been smashed, there were visible tool marks on the frame. The bedrooms had been ransacked and at this time it is not known what was stolen. We have leafletted the local homes with preventative information. Between 22.00 on Monday 25th February and 6am on Tuesday 26th February, a blue Ford Focus was broken into whilst parked at Chapel Hill, items were strewn across the drive and money was stolen. On Tuesday 26th February between 14.00-14.07 a blue Giant bicycle was stolen from outside KFC whilst the owner had gone inside to order food. Suspect was described as being about 20 years old, wearing a blue and white hat, blue body warmer, grey jumper and sunglasses. We will be at Crayford Library on Wednesday 6th March between 14.00-15.00 if you would like to come along and speak with us about anything". Erith ward - no report this week. Northumberland Heath ward:- "One Residential burglary in a flat in Brook Street reported to us this week between 0300 – 0400am on Monday 25th February. An Xbox, passports and other personal items were stolen. The suspect climbed on to a roof and entry was gained via an upstairs window. One attempted break in to a garage in Swanton Road on Thursday 21st February at 01.30am. A white transit van was seen backing up to the garage door causing £600 of damage. On Friday February 22nd at 11.40am officers were patrolling in Bexley Road when they were approached by a member of the public who had witnessed two males in a white van attempting to steal a motorbike. A witness to the attempted motorbike theft saw and informed the officers of what they had seen just before they entered Limewood Road. Suspects in a white van were trying to steal a motorbike by trying to load it into a white van. They appeared to be disturbed and quickly made off in the white van without the motorbike. In their haste they left a piece of their van, the sliding side door discarded in the road. The witnesses knew the owner of the motorbike and called to informed him. She had also been on the phone to 999 but having seen the officers did not compete the reporting process and spoke to the officers instead. The team have continued to conduct a number of stop and searches and focus our patrols in our hotspot areas Bexley Road, Becton Place, Northumberland Heath Recreation Ground and the alleyways leading to Hengist, Horsa, Northumberland Park and Charlieville Road. The next Community Contact Session (Drop In Police Surgery), will be held at the Library in Mill Road on Monday March 4th at Noon. All are welcome to attend".  Slade Green and Northend ward:- "Not good news to start with. 4 garage burglaries have occurred in the last week. Two were at Clark Close at some point between Feb 20th and Feb 24th with tools taken from one garage and nothing taken from the other. A pushbike was taken from a garage in Boundary Street at some point between Feb 23 and 22nd and finally overnight on Tuesday 26th Feb a garage in Reddy Road was seemingly rammed but access wasn't gained. We will be patrolling all our garage areas in the coming shifts. PC's Mark and James have had several positive stop and searches across the ward in the last week resulting in one suspect being charged with possession of cannabis. 2 Community Resolutions were given for the other 2 who had drugs on them. An uninsured moped was recovered in Erith after the suspects fled upon seeing mark and James patrolling. Unfortunately they got away but did leave the moped for recovery. Alderney Road has a new Neighbourhood Watch coordinator and we await registration forms for new watches in Festival Close and Cook Square in Frobisher Road. A meeting was held with Hollywood Way N.Watch after recent issues on the estate with some good intel gained from the meeting. Our next CCS is on Tuesday March 5th from 11am in Forest Road Café, please come and say hi if you are free". Thamesmead East ward:- "Unfortunately one burglary to report this week, which occurred on Sunday 24th Feb, between 1730 and 2100 hours, St Andrews Close, Thamesmead. Entry was forced via the rear patio door, untidy search, jewellery stolen. The team attended the location the following day making CCTV and House to House Enquiries. We will also be holding a street briefing on Sunday 3rd March between 1500 and 1600 hours to discuss the above, and allow residents to discuss any other issues they may have concerns about. Two motor vehicle crimes to report this week, both happened on Sunday 24th February. A Green Mercedes was stolen from Southmere Drive during the early hours, and at around 0700 hours a black Mercedes was broken into, Manordene Road. This vehicle had a taxi badge on display in the rear window. Unfortunately the ward had been targeted recently regarding mini cabs/taxis being easily identified. It is believed the suspects feel money may be left in the vehicle overnight. Other News, a male has been identified for breaking into motor vehicles, after he had left DNA behind, enquiries ongoing. The team arrested a male who was wanted by the courts for failing to appear". West Heath ward:- "Burglary - We are extremely pleased to inform our residents that we have not had any residential burglaries during the last week and we hope that this continues. Non residential burglary - On Thursday 21st February at 0730 hours police were informed that several garages in Osborne Road had their padlocks broken off, no entry was gained and nothing stolen. Theft of motor vehicle - The ward has not suffered any thefts of motor vehicles, please stay vigilant and remember to secure your vehicles and do not leave any property on display. Theft from motor vehicle - During Thursday 21st February at 2230 and Friday 22nd at 0615 hours a vehicle in Ashbourne Avenue was broken into and a mobility scooter was stolen. PC's Gill and Mo have carried out plain clothes patrols in several areas where residents have brought our attention to drug use and drug dealing. We will continue to patrol these areas in plain clothes and full uniform to address the issue. The team had a street briefing in Hadlow Road and were joined by one of our councillors. We were spoken to by a number of residents who raised a few issues about drug dealing, anti-social behaviour which the team will be addressing. Yesterday we had a good attendance at our street briefing in Brampton Road j/w Shakespeare Road, residents raised the issue of vehicles speeding along Brampton Road and not stopping at the pedestrian crossing. Our next street briefing will be held on Monday 4th March outside the library in King Harolds Way from 7pm".

The end video this week features a video by a chap who has set himself the challenge of walking all the way around the London Loop and filming each stage of his journey to be published on YouTube. The London Loop is more properly known as the London Outer Orbital Path; it is a 150-mile (242 km) signed walk along public footpaths, and through parks, woods and fields around the edge of Outer London, England, described as "the M25 for walkers". The walk begins at Erith on the south bank of the River Thames and passes clockwise through Crayford, Petts Wood, Coulsdon, Banstead, Ewell, Kingston upon Thames, Uxbridge, Elstree, Cockfosters, Chingford, Chigwell, Grange Hill and Upminster Bridge before ending at Purfleet, almost directly across the Thames from its starting point. Between these settlements the route passes through green buffers and some of the highest points in Greater London. The chap starts his round London walking trip at Erith, and in this first video makes his way to Crayford. Do give the video a watch and see what you think. Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The Kentish Belle.

The photo above (click on it for a larger version) shows the former Port of London Authority hut next to the recently repaired wooden jetty adjacent to Erith Riverside Gardens. As regular readers will be aware, I have been calling for this to be put to some constructive use for several years. The hut has been empty and unused for over a decade. It has drainage, running fresh water and electricity, and I had suggested that it would make an ideal substation for the RNLI. My suggestions have not been taken up, but the hut has recently come back into productive use. The hut is now used as a rest point for local bus drivers between shifts. They use the hut to put their feet up and have a cup of tea during their legally required rest breaks. It is not quite the outcome that I had anticipated, but the hut is being used, which to my mind is a very good thing. I also noticed that the new mini bushes have now been planted in the Riverside Gardens, and these will hopefully look really good in a few months’ time. I do have concerns that the bushes may suffer due to the recent lack of rain. Hopefully they will get watered from time to time. FORGE (the Friends of Riverside Gardens Erith) have been instrumental in obtaining and planting the new bushes.

Yesterday morning there was a very serious assault that took place at the junction of Bilton Road and Manor Road in Erith; a man was stabbed in the head, and suffered life threatening injuries. Details of the case are still sketchy, but the London Air Ambulance was called to take the victim to hospital, and a man in his thirties was arrested by the Police. I understand that he was found in possession of a knife, and has been charged with GBH. Anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information is asked to contact police on 101 or via Twitter @MetCC Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.

The Association of Bexley Charities '78 is holding a Spring Fair at the United Reformed Church, Geddes Place, Bexleyheath DA6 7DJ (near the Broadway Shopping Centre) on Saturday 29th April 2017 from 9.45 am  - 1.00 pm. Do give this worthwhile event your support.

Press reports in the last week have given weight to my long held personal concerns over the use of mobile phones, and their possible long - term health effects. An Italian court has ruled that excessive, work-related use of a mobile phone caused an executive to develop a benign brain tumour. In what could become a landmark ruling, the court in the northern town of Ivrea awarded the plaintiff a state-funded pension. The judgment, which was handed down on 11th of April but only made public on Thursday, is subject to a possible appeal. Roberto Romeo, 57, had testified that his work duties obliged him to use his mobile for three to four hours of each working day for 15 years. “For the first time in the world, a court has recognised a causal link between inappropriate use of a mobile phone and a brain tumour,” his lawyers said in a statement. Romeo said he did not want to demonise mobiles, “but I believe we have to be more aware about how to use them. I had no choice but to use my mobile to talk to colleagues and organise work – for 15 years I was calling all the time, from home, in the car. I started to have the feeling of my right ear being blocked all the time and the tumour was diagnosed in 2010. Happily, it was benign but I can no longer hear anything because they had to remove my acoustic nerve.” A medical expert estimated the damage to Romeo at 23 percent of his bodily function, prompting the judge to make a compensation award of €500 per month to be paid by a national insurance scheme covering workplace accidents. It will be interesting to see if this sets a precedent.

You may recall that some months ago I reported that it was hoped that a micro pub was being planned for Barnehurst, but due to a number of factors, the plans ended up falling through. Well, now there is some good news; whilst the Barnehurst deal failed, another entrepreneur is currently transforming the shop at number 8, Pickford Lane, Bexleyheath into a micro pub which will open in June. It is going to be called The Kentish Belle, due at least partly to its close proximity to Bexleyheath Station, which is only seventy five metres from the venue. You can see the Twitter account for the forthcoming micro pub here. When looking at the location of the micro pub, some observers may think that the William Camden pub very close by would mean that the new venture would struggle to attract customers. I feel strongly that this will absolutely not be the case. The two places cater for very different customers; the William Camden is primarily a lager and football pub, whereas The Kentish Belle will cater for discerning real ale enthusiasts. Experience in other areas shows that micro pubs not only survive, but in fact thrive in the presence of mainstream pubs in their vicinity. The Kentish Belle also will benefit from a large foot fall from passing commuters getting off the train at Bexleyheath Station on their way home. I would imagine a number would pop in for a swift pint before their dinner. I will be visiting The Kentish Belle as soon as it opens, and I will be contacting the owners in the meantime; more on this subject in the coming weeks. It is just as well that a new micro pub is opening in the local area, as news was released this week that the number of pubs in London has fallen by more than a quarter because of developers and rising business rates, according to City Hall research. In total the number of pubs in the capital decreased from 4,835 to 3,615 between 2001 and 2016, a decline of 1,220 at a rate of 81 pubs a year. Mayor Sadiq Khan commissioned the research as part of his 2030 Cultural Infrastructure Plan to identify which buildings and businesses should be protected to maintain the capital’s cultural and community life. The study was conducted in partnership with the Campaign for Real Ale and looked only at pubs, as opposed to bars and restaurants. The study is to become an annual audit. In an interview with the London Evening Standard this week, Mayor Mr Khan said: “I’m shocked at the rate of closure highlighted by these statistics. We have partnered with CAMRA to ensure we can track the number of pubs open in the capital and redouble our efforts to stem the rate of closures.”

Many people like tablet computers such as the Apple iPad range; personally for any small and portable computing device, I really need a keyboard. Tablet devices are fine for consuming content, such as watching YouTube videos, but less than satisfactory for creating content, such as writing a Blog. Back in 2012 I experimented with what was then a very new technology; Google had recently announced their range of Chrome OS devices, not to be confused with tablets and mobile phones running the similar, but separate Android operating system, also developed by engineers at Google. I have been surprisingly satisfied with it. If you have not heard about Chromebooks, they are a cut down laptop that runs Googles’ Chrome operating system (basically a customised version of Linux) and the Chrome web browser. Chromebooks don’t directly run any software other than the browser, which might make them sound rather restricted. Nowadays however, most people spend a vast majority of their time using a computer on the web – Email, social networking, video watching etc, so a browser only machine is not as stupid an approach as initially thought. The upsides of a Chromebook are 1) very fast start time (my £229 Chromebook starts from cold in seven seconds; half the time of my custom build, very high end iMac, which cost well over ten times as much). 2) They have a very long battery life – eight hours between charges, even with WiFi on and showing HD video. 3) They integrate seamlessly with GMail, Google Docs and other online services (they should  - that is what they were designed for). 4) They are pretty secure – all updates occur automatically in the background. I suppose I have to reboot the machine once a month – that’s it. 5) Unlike a tablet, you don’t need to tether a Bluetooth keyboard to it in order to do some serious typing – and the keyboard (on the Samsung model, anyway) is actually rather good – something that is very important to someone like me who writes around 6,000 words a week online, over half of that on the blog). 6) They are cheap – you can get some models for under two hundred pounds, brand new on Amazon and elsewhere. Chromebooks won’t replace the full computer, but they are great as a second machine on which to surf the web, catch up on Emails and generally keep up with the online world. Something that has happened in the USA, and will almost certainly also happen here. The late 2013 introduction of the low-cost Chromebook has given U.S school districts an affordable alternative that they are gravitating to with enthusiasm. Official numbers from market research firm IDC confirmed the news last December when the company announced that while Apple had shipped 702,000 iPads to U.S educational buyers in the third quarter, Google partners had shipped 715,000 Chromebooks. They are cheaper, more robust, easier to remotely administer, and are better suited to use in classrooms. I wonder how long it will be until we see widespread use of Chromebooks in British schools? And now onto another computer related subject, but one that is far older. 

One of my favoured sources of accurate and up to date information on IT and technical related issues is the excellent website – The Register. Stories that get into the general press usually break on The Register at least a day earlier, and in greater detail. The site is very tongue in cheek, and often finds a humorous angle on technology issues. It broke a story recently that caught my attention; an employment agency are looking for programmers who have skills in writing and maintaining software for the DEC PDP-11 series of mini computers. What is so unusual about that? I hear some of you ask. Well, the PDP 11 computer range was first introduced in 1970, and went out of general production in 1990. The machines were large – even a relatively small installation would be the equivalent of three or four full height fridge freezers, plus a terminal the size of a small school desk. By any modern standards they are museum pieces – indeed, The National Museum of Computing does have some examples of PDP hardware in its collection. When they were first offered for sale, they offered a relatively cheap and reliable entry into business and industrial computing; indeed many PDP 11’s were used to control machine tools in factories – some of the early car welding robots were controlled in this way. Other key users were (and in some cases still are) large banks and insurance companies, who require reliability and very high up time over performance and the latest features. Quite often the old computers such as the PDP 11 range are still employed on the “back end” systems that the customers (and indeed many of the staff) never see. Many of such organisations are exceptionally risk averse, and would rather support an ancient technology than take a chance on upgrading to a modern alternative that may have new and undocumented bugs, possibly causing loss of earnings and damage to reputation. I know that there are a small handful of independent contractors who earn a very good living continuing to support these old clunkers – because the knowledge required to maintain and repair the hardware and software is so specialised, they are able to charge pretty much what they like for their services, as they have their clients “over a barrel” – nice work if you can get it. My first foray into the world of “serious” computers was back in the early 1980’s, when I had a Saturday job as an assistant in Silica Shop in Sidcup. During the 1980’s, Silica Shop were the largest privately owned, independent computer retailers in the UK. They specialised in the early 8 – bit home computers, especially the range made by Atari – for whom they were the European dealers. Silica Shop had its’ HQ in Hatherley Road, Sidcup, where there was a large retail unit on the lower floor of the two storey building, and on the upstairs was a warehouse, an office, and an air conditioned computer room, which housed a large DEC PDP 11- 44 mini  computer - almost identical to the one in the photograph above. As well as working in the shop on Saturdays, I was also able to work during school holidays; during this time I would sometimes be called out of the shop to help the computer system administrator, who for a while made me his unofficial assistant. I learned lots about working with large scale business computers, and all of the basics of system administration – adding and removing users, changing security settings, creating files, running batch processes and the like. Even back then, the 11-44 was quite an elderly piece of kit – the company having purchased the machine second hand, as new they were well over two hundred thousand pounds, depending on the specification and peripherals required. One quirk of the 11-44 operating system was that you could not reformat the large 8 inch floppy disks it used (earlier versions of the machine used reels of magnetic tape). In order to re – use the expensive floppy disks, you first had to manually wipe them of data using a degaussing machine – which was basically a large electromagnet. I think everyone was scared of the degausser – it hummed and buzzed, occasionally emitting a crackle of electricity, accompanied by a faint smell of ozone. I think even by the lax health and safety standards of the time, the machine should have been condemned! What I did to avoid the dreaded machine was looking back, pretty imaginative. The computer room had several old – style telephones with rotary dials. I would place a small pile of disks underneath a phone, then ring it from another extension. The bell ringer built into the phone was an electromagnet, and in ringing it would wipe the disks! Silica Shop wrote their own customer database; what would nowadays be called a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system. Whenever someone came into the shop and bought something, a sales docket would be completed by the shop assistant. It included the buyer's name, address and what they bought, along with an itemised total. Each item of stock was allocated a unique part number, which staff could look up on VT100 computer terminals in the shop, which would also record how many of that particular item were left in stock; the real old hands would know most, if not all of the popular stock item codes off the top of their heads. When the stock level got down to a certain point, the system would automatically place a re – order, and debit the company account accordingly. The system would also target postal advertising at customers according to what they had already purchased – there was no point in sending a leaflet on Atari 800XL software to a customer who had bought a Commodore 64 for example. You can see an example of a typical Silica Shop advertising flyer below - notice the large amount of detailed text - this was a Silica Shop trait - they lumped huge amounts of technical detail into all of their advertising; something that would put off a lot of potential shoppers today. All this is targetted advertising is routine nowadays, but back in 1983 it was unique, and debatably the most sophisticated customer database used anywhere in the United Kingdom. My own thoughts are that if Silica Shop had taken this ground breaking business software and ported it onto the then new IBM PC, they would have had a huge business in selling and supporting enterprise level CRM applications now. Instead they continued to shift boxes of home computers, and eventually went out of business in the mid 1990’s. If the management had employed a more creative vision, Silica could have been a global software name like Oracle now. I have to say that I learned more about computing in my few years working at Silica Shop than I have learned anywhere else. My entire career in IT has been built on stuff I picked up in a quiet side street in Sidcup.

Don't forget that the twelfth Bexley Beer Festival will be taking place in the Old Dartfordians Rugby Club. The popular festival will take place between Thursday, May 4th to Sunday, May 6th, though the busiest day is the Friday afternoon / evening session, which is when I will be attending. Do come over and say hello if you happen to see me.

KFC have just announced that they are partnering with takeaway food delivery company JustEat to enable local people to order fried chicken and chips and have it delivered to their homes. The pilot scheme is taking place in the following fast food outlet locations:- Bexleyheath, Bromley, Erith, Thamesmead and Welling. The Bexley Times are reporting that Graham Corfield, UK Managing Director at Just Eat commented: “We’re adding KFC restaurants every week, meaning more customers will be able to enjoy KFC at the click of a button in their area very soon.” The growing appetite for home delivery has reportedly seen growing favour for chicken, with JustEat claiming it as one of the top five cuisines ordered through the service in the past 12 months. Not my kind of thing I am afraid. There are additional costs to having your KFC delivered, which the new adverts neglect to mention. Suffice to say that I live a couple of hundred metres from the Erith KFC, but have only visited the outlet twice - and the second time was merely to use their toilets when I had a seriously upset stomach. I don't think that I need to say more.

It seems that the illegal activities of uninsured, unlicensed and no - helmet wearing bikers are not now limited to the Slade Green and Crayford Marshes. Reports have been made to the Police in respect of illegal biker activity in Lower Belvedere. Local Safer Neighbourhood officer PC Robert Holmes reported "Over the Easter period the team have been out and out about across the ward. We have been attending Frank’s Park responding to residents’ concerns over off road bikes driving in the woods. The team did stop one youth and warned him about his conduct. His mother was also spoken to advised on the legality of her son using an off road bike, as well as safety implications. Upcoming events: Police Surgery on the 28/04/2017, Belvedere Library, Woolwich Road at 14:00. Coffee with Cops on 03/05/2017 at the Pop In Parlour, Woolwich Road (next to the library) at 11:30". Another bike related crime has recently taken place in Barnehurst. PCSO Cathy Nolan reports "Barnehurst Ward have suffered another incident of vehicle crime in Martens Close whereby a Silver PCX Honda Moped was taken. Witness saw two persons riding a similar moped to the one that was stolen, both riders were wearing dark clothing with helmets on. The moped was seen driving down Martens Close, one person got off the bike, approached victims bike and was seen then to drive off on it. This incident happened at 21:15 on 12th April 2017. If anyone has any information please call 101 or contact your Local Policing Team. Barnehurst Team will be available to discuss any local issues at Barnehurst Golf Club on Friday 21st April 2017 between 11:00 – 12:00".

The great comic actor Will Hay, a comedy legend in his own lifetime and a huge star of early British film, died this week back in 1949. Will Hay is largely forgotten today, but a comic actor whose best work influenced the likes of The Goon Show, and Monty Python, and his most famous film "Oh, Mister Porter!" was a direct influence on "Dad's Army". I have to declare a family connection with Will Hay; my Great Uncle Horace (whom I have written about previously) was a very close friend of Will Hay for many years. Born in Stockton in 1888, Hay’s family moved him south to Suffolk before his first birthday. As his father became a jobbing engineer so the family’s mobility quickly increased – moving next to Hemel Hempstead then to London and finally to Manchester where Hay Senior established his own firm. Wanting independence, Will refused to join the family company and started instead as an apprentice engineer for Westinghouse. Yet Hay was no typical engineer and his humour hid by the fact that, by the age of 19, he had learnt German, French and Italian to such a high level that he was able to leave engineering and became an interpreter. His nineteenth year also saw him married to fellow teenager Gladys Perkins and when his daughter Gladys Elspeth was born some eighteen months later Hay decided he could make a better living for his new family in the pre-Great War music halls. Stealing some of his sister Eppie’s staff room reminiscences – she was a full time teacher – Hay began to develop his pompous, bumbling schoolmaster act. After working for over three years with the Fred Karno troupe, where Stan Laurel and Charlie Chaplin had developed their craft, Hay swiftly found himself the talk of the town: selling out Britain’s biggest music halls, playing sets for the Prince of Wales and successfully touring America, South Africa and Canada. Then came Boys Will Be Boys (1935) his first starring film role with a screenplay written by Hay himself. The story wasn't overly deep – a prison teacher cons his way into a boarding school job and helps stop a diamond theft – but it did have its moments. And it was the perfect frame for Hay’s idiot teacher routines. Then, in 1937,  Graham Moffat joined Moore Marriott as Hay’s two sidekicks in the finest comic film any of them would ever be involved with, Oh, Mr Porter! wherein Hay discovers the (Northern) Irish railway station he’s been sent to run, Buggleskelly, is actually a run-down mess. Gun-runners, ghosts, secret windmills and missing trains – Hay and his two stooges come out on top in a film that is, even now, genuinely funny, at times hilarious. Oh, Mister Porter! (1937) was a deserved box office smash in its day, taking some £500,000 in British cinemas alone – the equivalent now would be over £30 million. In the immediate pre - war years, Will Hay was the second highest paid entertainer in Britain, earning a reputed £800 per week - narrowly pipped in the earnings stakes by George Formby. Outside of show business, Will Hay was a dedicated and respected amateur astronomer. He constructed a personal observatory in his garden in Mill Hill and built a glider in 1909. He became a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1932 and is noted for having discovered a Great White Spot on the planet Saturn in 1933. The spot lasted for a few months and then faded away. He also measured the positions of comets with a micrometer he built himself, and designed and built a blink comparator. He wrote the book Through My Telescope in 1935, which had a foreword by Sir Richard Gregory, formerly Emeritus Professor of Astronomy at Queen's College, London. When Hay died, a few items of his equipment were bequeathed to the British Astronomical Association. Some years ago I came across a long out of print book on the life of Will Hay, and it had some photos taken of his garden and his private observatory; in one of the early shots, the construction of his observatory is shown; several people are helping with the digging. One chap is seen stripped to his string vest and leaning on a shovel - it was my late Great Uncle Horace on what must have been a very hot day for manual labour. I wish I had a copy of the book. In 1947, Will Hay suffered a stroke which left him physically disabled. He died at his flat in Chelsea, London after a further stroke in 1949, and is buried in Streatham Park Cemetery, London SW16.

The video clip below dates from the time when Will Hay was approaching the height of his fame and fortune; it shows Danson Park as it looked back in 1935. Do give it a watch and either leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Mobo Toys.

The recent freezing and very windy weather does not appear to have deterred the people who regularly fish off Erith Pier, as you can see in the photo above - click on it for a larger view. Some nights you can see small tents camped on the dogleg part of the structure, where the tent owners are night fishing. It takes a particularly dedicated and hardy person to camp out on the pier in freezing conditions, as the wind coming up the river from the coast has come directly from Siberia. Personally I would rather be inside the warmth of Pewty Acres, with a mug of something hot, but I suppose that it takes all types - good luck to them. If you want to find out precisely what the local weather is like, there is an excellent interactive website belonging to local resident Bob Hewitt. He has a web enabled weather station which gives 24/7 weather readings. I view it several times a day, and it is more reliable and accurate than the BBC or Met Office websites. Give it a try and see what you think.

Major changes were made to Abbey Wood Station this week; the London – bound platform has been relocated to a new track specially laid for the purpose. Travellers now get onto the train from the right, rather than the left hand side in the direction of travel. I must admit that the change rather startled me when I passed through on my way to Greenwich, then on to Canary Wharf on Monday morning; I knew the works were to take place, but not exactly when. The Dartford bound track remains as before. The reason for the track and platform changes are to enable further construction work on the new Crossrail (now officially named the Elizabeth Line) / North Kent Line station and interchange to be undertaken. The very nature of Abbey Wood around the station is changing – what was a fairly comfortable, if a little worn around the edges area is getting  a pretty impressive makeover. I get the feeling the property developers are going to be targeting the Plumstead / Abbey Wood / Thamesmead area in order to tempt Londoners from less affordable parts of the capital to relocate to an area that is going to be at the heart of a major new transport hub. I feel that the days of our little part of South East London / North Kent being a bastion of (relatively) affordable housing are shortly to come to an end. Not so bad if you have a house already, but for those trying got get on the property ladder, it will be a nightmare. I know that I could not afford to buy Pewty Acres today, as it has gone up in value by roughly six times since I bought the place twenty years ago. What may happen in the future as Crossrail opens is up for speculation, but I get the distinct feeling the whole area could well suffer a mini property boom. 

Bexley Council have, as was widely anticipated, rubber – stamped the permanent closure of Belvedere Splash Park. You can read a detailed account of the events that took place on Monday evening at the council meeting that was convened to make the closure proclamation here on Bexley is Bonkers. Councillors did announce that the recreation park on the opposite side of Woolwich Road would not be sold off for development, as had been widely feared, and I have previously reported. That may be for now. But personally I would not trust the planning committee to speak my weight, let alone stick to a promise not to sell off the valuable triangle of open space in a prime location, which would be worth a considerable fortune, both in direct land sales, and in revenue from council tax once flats had been built on the site. Mark my words – this one is going to rear its ugly head again in the future. Just because they say now they are not selling it off, does not mean that it is permanently off the cards.  It is my opinion that Bexley Council would sell the gold from their parents teeth if they thought they could get away with it.

Many regular readers will be aware of my personal antipathy towards mobile phones. I don’t have one, and don’t find it to be a problem. Apart from the privacy and security concerns I have with mobile phone technology, I also have long been of the opinion that they are hazardous to health. Some years ago, a dear friend of mine died of maxillofacial cancer which spread to his spine. He was a very heavy mobile phone user, and his specialist was of the opinion that microwave radiation from his mobile phone was a key contributory factor to the cancer. Now a study has been published which finds a definite link to mobile phone usage and male fertility. Men who keep their mobile phones in their trouser pockets or on bedside tables at night may be damaging their chances of having children. The results of the academic study found that sperm levels and fertility fell in men who kept a mobile phone in their pockets during the day, or in close proximity at night. It seems that the mobile phone signal “cooks” the sperm in certain circumstances. The Times reported earlier this week that Gedis Grudzinskas, a fertility consultant at St. George’s Hospital, London said “Men need to think about their wellbeing and try to stop being addicted to their mobile phones. If you wear a suit to work, put the mobile in your chest pocket instead of close to your testes. It will reduce the risk of your sperm count dropping, or dropping so much. Do you need to keep the phone right next to you on the bedside table? Some men keep their shorts or pyjamas in bed – is that really necessary?” The study, which was carried out in Israel suggested that talking regularly on a mobile phone for more than an hour a day, and talking on the phone whilst it was being charged (the power lead acts like a leaky feeder and re – radiates the signal) effectively doubled the chances of lower sperm concentration. It also indicated that sperm concentration decreased to an abnormal level in men who carried their mobile phone less than 50 centimetres (20 inches) from the groin. An abnormal level of sperm concentration was found in 47.1 percent of men who carried their phones at a close distance, compared with 11.1 percent in the general male population. This is thought to be caused by a heating of the sperm from the phone’s electromagnetic activity. The study is published in the prestigious journal “Reproductive Biomedicine” and will no doubt fuel fears that a link between declining rates of fertility in men and the prevalent use of mobile phones because of the radio frequency electromagnetic radiation emitted by the devices. This finding backs up a study undertaken by the University of Exeter in 2014 which also found that using mobile phones reduced men’s sperm numbers and activity when mobile phones were kept in trouser pockets. That study also advised that nobody, male or female should use a mobile phone whilst it was being charged, as the exposure to microwave RF fields was greatly increased as the charger lead acted as an antenna. I would imagine that this will soon make the mainstream press – though I somehow doubt that it will drastically alter the behaviour of many mobile phone users. It took decades of campaigning to persuade many of the general public of the dangers of smoking. I feel that we may have a similar uphill battle to inform and educate people in respect of mobile phone usage. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The former Homeleigh Care Home is about to become a hostel for homeless people, as I have covered in the past. The rumours that circulated on social media that the home was to become a refuge for fifty Syrian families were simply untrue, and started by Neo Nazis. Personally, if someone had genuinely fled war - torn Syria with their family to find refuge in the UK, I would have no problem with this whatsoever. Syria is a strife torn hell - hole that I would find intolerable if I was unfortunate enough to be stuck there myself. The fact remains the former care home is going to be used to house indigenous homeless people. I think this is a pretty pragmatic use for the building in the short to medium term. Let's see how things pan out over the next couple of years. 

The News Shopper have been featuring a story which is the product of a typical public relations company. As I have previously mentioned, I receive almost daily emails from PR companies promoting all sorts of products and services, many of which really don’t deserve to see the light of day. Not that most PR companies care – as long as the client pays their fees, they will cheerfully plug all sorts of tat to Joe Public, via bloggers and social media pundits. I merely stay on various Email lists as very occasionally I will receive something that might be of interest to my readers. This week a PR company has made an announcement that Erith is one of the best towns to live in when one needs to commute into London. I thought this statement was interesting, but deserved some scrutiny. The press release states “Totally Money's new property ladder calculation tool helps those looking to move out of the City find their perfect home - by comparing travel time, the cost of commuting, the most desirable towns, and house prices.  The Bexley town ranked an impressive seventh in the list - with the lowest average house price of £238,459.  Erith commuters tend to pay £1,912 for their season tickets into London, spend 44 minutes travelling to work, and have an average disposable income of £21,539 per head per year.  Head of brand and communications at TotallyMoney.com Joe Gardiner said: Living a short commute outside of London has always been a popular choice for many working in the capital, both for financial and lifestyle reasons.  "Finally there is a useful tool to help simplify the decision process.". The facts regarding the story seem mostly consistent, with the notable exception of the figure of £21, 539 as the average disposable income. This seems exceedingly on the high side. I get the feeling that they may have taken the average local complete income, rather than the level of disposable income; I earn comfortably over the national average income, but my disposable income is certainly not the kind of figure they mention. PR companies quite often don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story. I would agree that if, like me, you need to commute into central London, there are a lot worse places to live than Erith. It is (for the time being) relatively affordable – with the caveat I mentioned earlier.

The Police carried out an anti-weapons sweep in Erith last Saturday; Unsurprisingly they found a large knife with a serrated blade, which had been left in the piece of scrubland behind Erith Health Centre. The small patch of land is more commonly used by impatient individuals as an al fresco toilet. The knife has been sent for forensic examination to determine whether it has been used in any crime.

Recently I have had a couple of conversations relating to Mobo Toys, and their part in the history of Erith. The following history has been compiled from a number of sources. The company had a very strong manufacturing presence in the town for many years. David Sebel had emigrated from Russia circa 1912 and set up in partnership as a Wheelwright in East London in 1921. In 1928 he moved the Company to Lant Street in Borough, London S.E.1 with the takeover of a firm, Hazeldine and Norton, of Wheelwright’s and Motor Body and Van Builders. Interestingly the house next to the premises had been the residence of Charles Dickens when his parents were in the Marshalsea Debtor’s Prison. In the 1930’s they expanded into Architectural metalwork and other engineering projects. Also producing street cleaning carts, milk churns and fronts for Cinemas. In 1931 Harry Sebel, David’s son, joined the firm starting from the bottom up. During the Second World War the Company turned over to war work and several local premises were used for their production of aircraft and tank components, bunks for air raid shelters, bailey bridge components and even a tower for an experimental radar station. In the early 1940’s Harry was looking to the future, and realised that there would be a need to expand the company and find work for the existing workforce and those which had been called up. After much research it was decided to go into metal furniture, under the Trade name Stak-a-Bye, and also into the toy business. But what to make which would be different from anyone else. Harry had the idea of a Rocking Horse which the rider could propel along themselves. Basic plans were drawn up and a full size horse mockup was made using bicycle gears. To get an idea of what the finished product would look like a Taxidermist in Piccadilly was approached for a horse hide, the only thing he had was from a Zebra so that was used. The prototype Zebra was still around at the Erith factory for several years. A Patent was taken out in 1942 for the basic mechanism. Later Charles Morewood, RA was commissioned to sculpt the clay body of what became the Mobo Bronco. The steel furniture business was set up in 1946 from the Weller Street side of the premises, a name which was used at the Erith factory to denote the furniture production building. The Lant Street premises were not going to be big enough for the toy and furniture business envisaged and so the ex Vickers Gun Works at 177, West Street, Erith were purchased in February, 1947. As the intention was to produce everything in-house from the arrival of the raw material to the finished product, the full kitting out of the factory with large presses, dip tanks, spray booths, etc. took a while. Toy production did not start at Erith until September, 1947. However, some toys had been assembled at Lant Street SE1, produced by outside contractors, to enable a display at the British Industries Fair in May, 1947. The other toys on show were Merry Go Round, Rocker Swing, Chair Desk and Roll-a-Bye Skates. The name ‘Mobo’ came from a brainstorming session when ‘Mobile Toys’ had been rejected. The clown on the decal was due to an interest in the Circus by the David Sebel. The Circus theme was used in a lot of their Exhibition Stands and advertising. A tin clown was designed but never went into production. It would have been very similar to an early Action Man! Later advertising and instruction sheets used the Mobo title as two characters ‘Mr Mo’ and ‘Miss Bo’. The most well known toy is the Bronco, the ride-on horse. It works by the rider sitting on the horse and pushing down on the stirrups, then releasing them and then the horse moves along. From 1947 to 1950 the Bronco could only be steered in a straight line, but in February, 1950 Magic Steering was introduced. This enabled the rider by pushing on either stirrup to move the horse in that direction. The Bronco was so popular that it stayed in production until 1971. The body pressings were also used for a series of other toys; the Spring Horse, Night Rider (nothing to do with the David Hasselhoff TV show from the 1980's), Prairie Prancer, Range Rider - two different types produced, Rocking Horse, and the Bronco Merry Go Round. The toy colours came from ‘market research’ with the local school children at West Street School – yellow and red being the favourite. These children were also used for photo shoots for advertising and testing the toys, as was famously covered by a 1952 Pathe Newsreel which you can see by clicking here. In 1949, the Walking Snail was introduced at the New York Toy Fair, also at the same fair the ‘Pony’ was first shown. The ‘Pony’ pressings went on to be used on several different toys. 1948 also saw the introduction of the first small remote control walking toy – the Toy - Toise. This was a great success not just for children, but also adults, as they were used for Toy-Toise races at many parties. The American Market was an amazing success for the Mobo Company. In 1948 they exported to the USA half of the total toy exports of all British Toy Companies. At this time Britain was recovering from the Second World War, and steel was rationed according to the amount of goods exported. Mobo never had any trouble obtaining supplies because of their excellent export record. A New York office had been opened in 1948 at the Breslin Building, Broadway, New York and an American subsidiary formed Sebel Products Inc. Other major markets were Australia and South Africa. A Showroom and Office had been opened at 39/41 New Oxford Street, London W.C.1 in September, 1945. Other toys produced included Prams, Bicycles, Desks, Wheelbarrows, Rockers, Swings, Scooters and, from 1956, Pedal Cars. In 1951 Harry and David emigrated to Australia and set up a factory at Bankstown, Sydney. Here they produced both Toys and Furniture. The components were shipped from Erith and assembled and painted at Bankstown. The Australian company decided in 1957 to concentrate on the furniture business and so toy production was stopped. The furniture business still goes on today as part of the GWA International Group, and they have recently opened a branch in the United Kingdom. In 1955 the Toy Boat business of Harold Flory Ltd., of Bromley, Kent was taken over. They produced the Snipe, and Swift  Motor Boats, the Sprite Yacht, and the Snort Submarine, also Toy Cars. The boats were continued in production by Mobo. Jetex, the Model Aircraft Engine business, was purchased in 1956. Besides a range of Jet propelled engines they also produced model kits for aircraft and a plastic boats and cars for the Jetex engine. The mid 1960’s saw an introduction of toys made from injection moulded plastic and the importation of a range of plastic Pedal cars from Pines of Italy. These included a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Pedal Car. A range of bicycles was also imported from Italy. By the late 1960s the British toy industry was having a difficult time due to cheap imports from the Far East. When John Bentley of Barclay Securities made an offer to purchase the Company in 1970 it was taken up. The Barclay Toy Group was formed to which Chad Valley, Charles Methuen and Tri-ang were added in 1971. Unfortunately the overheads of the Group meant that losses were still being made and a major reorganisation took place in 1972 with the Erith Works being closed and all production of all Mobo Toys ceasing. The site is now a large housing estate. Mobo toys now change hands for serious money on online auction sites like Ebay. There is also a dedicated Mobo toy sales and exchange website that you can visit by clicking here. If you have any memories that you would like to share about Mobo toys, or possibly having worked at the factory, do either leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The photo above shows Erith railway station in the Spring of 1969, with a train waiting at the Dartford bound platform. What strikes me about the historic photo is how much more industrialised Erith was back then. A photograph taken from the same location now would show a far more residential environment in the background. A fascinating glimpse of the not so distant past. 

Criminals across London could be made to wear "sobriety tags" when they are convicted of alcohol-fuelled offences. The Ministry of Justice said it is extending the scheme throughout the capital after a pilot. It targets those whose drinking played a part in crimes. Courts can ban offenders from consuming alcohol and fit them with an ankle bracelet which monitors their sweat. If alcohol is detected, the individual can be returned to court to face further sanctions. The trouble with these tags is that they are very easily evaded or fooled, making the whole scheme a nonsense. The Ministry of Justice said that in the pilot scheme, there was a ninety two percent compliance scheme. What this actually means is that eight percent of offenders fitted with the sobriety tags were too thick to figure out how to circumvent it. A piece of plastic bag, or a cut - up rubber glove slid between the sensor on the tag and the offender's skin stops the sensor from detecting alcohol in the blood without triggering the sensor to think it has been removed (a drop in body temperature measured by the sensor). This is all very basic stuff - but it seems to have completely bypassed the Ministry of Justice in their ivory towers, eager to believe anything the private firm who will be running the project and supplying the sobriety tags tell them. What do you think? Drop me a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The ending video this week features the Transport for London Lost Property Office. It makes for very interesting viewing indeed - I had no idea quite how much stuff people lose when travelling in and around London on public transport - see what you think?