The R101.

I too the photograph above (click on it for a larger view) on Monday evening; it shows illegally fly tipped rubbish at the recycling centre just off James Watt Way in Erith, just behind the large Morrisons supermarket. The rate of fly tipping seems to be back on the increase, after somewhat of a lull. I reported the incident to Bexley Council, and the mess was soon cleaned up. There is CCTV coverage of the recycling site, so hopefully the perpetrators will be identified and prosecuted.

The long suspected end of The News Shopper looks like it is now in sight. The paper has been struggling for several years, and recently it has been discovered that the corporate owners of The News Shopper - a company called Newsquest, are about to put the papers website behind a pay wall.  Readers will be given the option to pay £4.99 per month or £52 per year for unlimited access to articles, with up to 80 per cent less adverts and the ability to leave comments and sign up to email newsletters. The scheme has been launched as Newsquest faces a decline in both advertising revenues and sales figures due to the coronavirus pandemic – a picture seen across the wider news industry. The problem that seems to be specific to The News Shopper website is that each page contains far more advertising and invisible trackers than most other news websites. All of this additional data which is loaded every time you visit the site makes the pages slow to load and "jitter" when you try and scroll down the page, as data is still being loaded. I have spoken to one leading News Shopper journalist - who has since left the company - and he confirmed that staff were acutely aware that the excessive junk being loaded by the website was driving away visitors. As well as this, recent updates to Google's Chrome web browser - now the most widely used web browser in the world - now has advert blocking functionality built in, and switched on by default. Many visitors to The News Shopper website who use Chrome do not see any adverts, or experience page loading problems due to the blocking actions - which many users are totally unaware of. Other web browsers such as Firefox are following suit. Advertisers are seeing a massive drop in click through advert revenue because of this. Putting up a paywall will further exacerbate this situation. Famously some years ago, the Sun website put themselves behind a paywall - and promptly saw their readership figures drop off a cliff. Before long they were forced to remove the paywall due to pressure from advertisers and their readership; from my understanding they have never returned to the reader levels that they had before. 

I had some very nice reader feedback after my obituary piece on pioneering radio figurehead Ronan O'Rahilly, founder of Radio Caroline last week. I had one long time reader ask if I would write a piece on another 1960's offshore radio station that in many ways was the diametric opposite of Radio Caroline - it was the smallest offshore radio station, but it had a very interesting - if brief - history. The Station was called Radio Essex.  It had a staff of about 12 and broadcast 24 hours a day. Everyone on this station did more than one job, the teamwork involved would probably have impressed the military that had been the sea forts original occupier. The tower had originally been an offshore gun emplacement and radar installation, but had been abandoned by the War Department during the middle 50s. Transmissions commenced from Radio Essex on 27 October 1965 on 222m, 1349kHz, with a middle of the road format during the day and pop music at night. The supplies came during favourable weather conditions aboard a small fishing boat called Kestrel. All supplies and even individuals were unceremoniously hauled aboard at the end of a badly frayed rope. The original ladders had been removed by Radio Essex personnel to reduce the possibility of uninvited guests getting aboard the platform. The forts original diesel generators had been fully restored by senior DJ/Fort Captain Richard Palmer, the diesel for which arrived in dozens of five gallon containers. These had to be hauled aboard and painstakingly poured into a former aircraft fuel tank situated on the main deck, where a plastic tube took the diesel to the generator room below.  The staff canteen and recreational area had originally been the officers mess and a store room became the stations studio. This contained two Garrard 401 turntables with Decca pick-ups,one turntable, a Vortexion tape recorder and a Reslo ribbon microphone.  The mixer was built by station engineers which fed a 50W RSC audio amplifier which was linked to the transmitter in the room next door. The transmitter was probably capable of 500W, however, due to the end fed long wire antenna and the rising and falling of the tide, which had the effect of moving the ground plane, the e.r.p. was probably only 200W. Staff worked about three weeks on and one week off, the station was run by Roy Bates and his family from their home in Southend-on-Sea. Towards the end of 1966, Radio Essex relaunched as BBMS 'Britain's Better Music Station' in effort to attract advertising from Kent as well as Essex. This was Britain's first local radio station and unbelievably, was the first British station to go 24 hours a day. It was very popular with night shift workers and had a clear frequency after midnight when co - channel stations closed down. The fort also allegedly had its own ghost or poltergeist. At one point, the entire structure was searched as the DJs were convinced an unknown person was aboard, nobody was found. On the 30th November 1966 BBMS was charged with contravening Section One the Wireless Telegraphy Act of 1949, making unlicensed broadcasts. The station was found guilty and fined £100, but continued broadcasting. It finally closed at Christmas, when similar court action was being taken against the other fort based stations. The legacy of Radio Essex still exists in a minor way, all BBC local Stations identify themselves as BBC Radio whatever, except one....BBC Essex, where the word Radio is still excluded. It seems inconceivable that offshore radio stations could openly operate from the sea forts, some for a period of almost two years. Yet neither the armed forces, Home Office, the police nor H.M. Coastguard knew, even roughly, where British territorial waters commenced. The Post Office's prosecution involved measuring the territorial limit from any coastal sandbank that became visible at low tide.

Now for a second radio related story, but one that is bang up to date. In a somewhat ironic twist of fate, a radio station that was set up in 1989 / 1990 which was specifically given the operating frequency of 558 Khz by what was then the DTI, have recently been wound up by the official receiver. Central London based Spectrum Radio has been issued with a Winding Up Order by the High Court of Justice. Spectrum is one of London’s oldest commercial radio stations, having launched in 1989 to provide multiethnic, foreign language programmes originally on 558AM. The frequency was allocated to the station in 1990 with the specific purpose of jamming Radio Caroline, who had been using the frequency for some years. Today the Spectrum Radio Network offers broadcast services from its premises in Southwark Street and has recently been advertising space available on DAB, and on 1584 Khz AM, which is currently used by Love Sport. Ofcom rules state that a company which has been wound-up cannot own a broadcasting licence, In a recent press interview, an Ofcom spokesperson said: “We will be getting in touch with the liquidators of Spectrum Radio to discuss the future of the licence.” Creditors were contacted earlier this month with details of the Insolvency Practitioners.

The photo above shows Bexley Road, Erith, back in 1910. A row of shops called Station Parade was later built on the site of the tram shelter shown above - it is now the site of the De Luci fish roundabout and the dual carriageway of Bronze Age Way. It is fascinating to see how the local area has changed over the years, not always for the better.  It is interesting to see that the shelter at the tram stop has open sides; knowing how the wind whistles along Bexley Road nowadays, it cannot have been any fun to stand at the tram stop in the winter, as I doubt it would offer very much protection from the weather. The boy in the photo seems to be staring at the photographer. I would imagine he was saying something along the lines of “Mister – wot are you doin?”. A fascinating snapshot of times gone by. If you have any old photographs of the local area which you would like to see featured on the Maggot Sandwich, please drop me a line to hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Another historic local photograph, sent to me courtesy of long time Maggot Sandwich reader and occasional contributor who goes my the pseudonym of "The reV". He writes:- "The R101 airship taken possibly 14th October 1929 at the junction of Colman Rd and Gilbert Road in Lower Belvedere, Fords Motor works across the river in the background. The R101 was one of a pair of British rigid airships completed in 1929 as part of a British government programme to develop civil airships capable of service on long-distance routes within the British Empire. It was designed and built by an Air Ministry-appointed team and was effectively in competition with the government-funded but privately designed and built R100. When built, it was the world's largest flying craft at 731 ft (223 m) in length, and it was not surpassed by another hydrogen-filled rigid airship until the Hindenburg flew seven years later. The R101 departed from England on the evening of 4 October 1930 for its intended destination of Karachi (then part of British India) via a refuelling stop in Egypt but sadly crashed in Northern France. Forty-six of the 54 passengers and crew were killed immediately. The inquiry came to the conclusion that a tear had probably developed in the forward cover, this in turn causing one or more of the forward gasbags to fail. Evidence showed that this would cause the R101 to become too nose-heavy for the elevators to correct. She hit the ground at just 13 mph. The cause of the fire was not established. Several hydrogen airships had crashed in similar circumstances without catching fire. The inquiry thought that it was most probable that a spark from the airship's electrics had ignited escaping hydrogen, causing an explosion. Other suggestions put forward included the ignition of the calcium flares carried in the control car on contact with water, electrostatic discharge or a fire in one of the engine cars, which carried petrol for the starter engines. All that is certain is that it caught fire almost at once and burned fiercely. In the extreme heat, the fuel oil from the wreck soaked into the ground and caught fire; it was still burning when the first party of officials arrived by air the next day".

Two former pub sites are now up for redevelopment; one of the two sites is mired in controversy; the developer was subsequently prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive. The London Borough of Bexley has commenced statutory consultation on planning applications affecting the future of two significant sites within the ward in question. The first of the two sites is The Belvedere Hotel, at the bottom end of Picardy Road. The three Belvedere councillors met with the owners of the site in April 2019 and made clear their aspirations for the site. This included that any proposed development should maintain the locally listed building and a pub or restaurant use on the ground floor of the current building. The planning application includes proposals to convert the existing building including the ground floor and to extend it to provide 6 flats (2 x 1 bed, 3 x 2 bed and 1 x 3 bed) with the provision of a further three 3-bedroom houses on the site. How a developer will manage to squeeze all of this on the tiny site is beyond me - especially if the requirement to keep the main pub building is met. The car park space could in no way accommodate three houses. The second planning application is for the very controversial site of the former Ye Olde Leather Bottle pub, located at 131 Heron Hill. The three Belvedere councillors have continually raised their concerns about this site over the last five years and the gross breach of health and safety regulations committed by the site owner. The site owner was successfully prosecuted following a Health and Safety Executive investigation initiated by complaints submitted by Cllr Daniel Francis, to which both he and Cllr Hinkley were interviewed and submitted statements. All three councillors are due to hold a virtual meeting with the site owner and members of his development team in early May and will raise the need to ensure due consideration is finally given to neighbours of the site, that the public right of way that runs through the site is maintained, that appropriate boundary treatments are installed to the boundary with Lesnes Abbey woods and whether the development will provide any contribution to affordable housing or local infrastructure. The planning application includes proposals to erect a building of up to four stories containing a 70 bed care home with associated care facilities, staff accommodation, landscaped gardens and undercroft parking. Once again I cannot see how a 70 bed care home with associated facilities could be built on the site - there is just not nearly enough space. What do you think of these proposed developments? Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly the report from Barnehurst ward:- "Once again another week goes by with no burglaries or vehicle crime to report. On Barnehurst Golf Course LFB were called to a fire that had been set alight deliberately. It appears unknown person/s are also chopping trees down in the vicinity of the golf course. Members of the public continue to play golf although the course is closed. The team have advised a number of golfers and all have left the course immediately without any further problems. The team issued two Section 59 warning notices to the drivers who were driving around dangerously in the vicinity of Parkside Avenue and I am pleased to say we have had no further complaints with regards dangerous driving. There appears to be more traffic on the roads over the last few days, lets remind ourselves that the Government's Guidelines still stand so bear in mind social distancing and only travel on public transport if absolutely necessary". Belvedere ward:- "We had a burglary on Tuesday 21/04/2020 in Coleman Road whereby a car was stolen in the early hours of the morning. The car subsequently crashed in Sidcup and the car was recovered. Wilton Road possibly still contains a brothel. We have visited the address in the last couple of months but cannot prove anything at present. If anyone has information about a brothel please let us know. If you are a patron it will be kept in confidence…We have recently been seeing more graffiti regarding the 5G and Covid conspiracy nonsense. There is some on the Thames Path, some on the footbridge over the train tracks on Mitchell Close and now some seen in Franks Park. If anyone is seen causing graffiti please call Police on 999 immediately. We have also had a report that a group of teenagers are congregating on Streamway on the grass area near to the allotments. We have no particular times or days so if anyone knows when they gather please let us know. We have been receiving more and more calls regarding neighbour disputes. In this unprecedented time, everyone (almost) being shut away indoors for the majority of the day, your neighbours will get on your nerves as everyone is stressed out and worried about the future. Please try to get along. Unfortunately we (as a society) have lost the ability to talk to each other, which causes more problems. If your neighbour is doing something to annoy then chat to them, talk it out, don't result to idle threats and name calling as this just leads to at least one party calling the Police and wasting our time. Think before acting. Please pass this message on. Thank you". Bexleyheath ward:- "Thursday 23/04/2020 2330-0030 Arson to vehicle Long Lane. Sunday 26/04/2020 1240-1310 Robbery Commercial cigarettes and alcohol stolen by threats to staff Erith Road. Sunday 26/04/2020 0100-1300 Theft of Motor Vehicle Tudor Walk. Whilst our crimes do remain low at the moment there are still criminals about, please do ensure that doors are double locked with keys and do not keep valuables in your vehicles. Stay Safe and Stay Home please also ensure all members of the household are staying home too, as we are finding many youths out and about. Good news a few groups stopped, searched and dealt with for cannabis Braeside Garage area. Known hotspot for ASB". Crayford ward:- "I am so please to say that there has only been one crime of note this week. Between Friday 17th and Saturday 25th April two vehicles parked outside an address in Samas Way were broken into; the victim saw her car door was unlocked and then her husband found his car door ajar, It was not recorded if anything was stolen. The team have been out and about patrolling open spaces to remind people of the COVID-19 lockdown rules, please abide by the rules. #stayhomestaysafe". Erith ward:-"This last week we been: Patrolling open spaces/parks across Erith and North Heath. Daily visiting all open shops in and around Erith town centre. These are carried out on foot, bike and car Weapon sweeps daily in areas that have come to our notice via the overnight crimes. Crime wise across Erith there has been no burglaries reported or motor crime. We are still under lockdown so remember to stick by the rules set out by the government". Northumberland Heath ward:-" Crime reports are low. Unfortunately we have a few Domestic incidents reported to us during this difficult time .The team have advertised Domestic Violence advice onto our twitter page @NorthumberlandHeath. There has been theft of petrol from Gulf Petrol station on Belmont Road ,Erith which is currently being investigated. Information regarding drug supply on Swanton Road and Northumberland Park also Frinstead Road. Increased patrols will be completed when Officers are available .Northumberland Heath SNT have been working with the ASB Team to see if a camera could be placed in Streamway regarding increased reports of drug activity and youths congregating in the area. If you would like to tell us about a breach of coronavirus please report online met.police.tua/tell-us-about/c19 the please see our twitter page for further information". Slade Green and Northend ward:- "A group of males broke in to the new development site at Egerton Place (Slade Green Road) at 6pm Sunday 26/04 and ran off when challenged but they did take some copper piping. CCTV is being checked. No other crimes of note. PC James found a knife by some garages in Manor Road on Sunday. No evidence to suggest it was used in a crime but it has been disposed of via the correct channels. Patrols have been ongoing in our parks and open spaces and for the most part there has been very little seen in the way of gatherings. Mark and James try and get everywhere as much as they can, when they can. If you do see groups regularly gathering, please report online or via 101". Thamesmead East ward:- "Between 4:30 pm on Wednesday 22/04/20 and 8:00pm on Saturday 25/04/20 a vehicle parked in Wolvercote Road had the rear window smashed. On Thursday 23/04/20 at 04:22 am the LFB attended a vehicle alight in the car park behind Muscovy House Kale Road, a second vehicle parked next the alight vehicle was damaged. Monday 27/04/20 a vehicle parked in Redbourne Drive had the front and rear number plates stolen.this happened after 06:30 am. There has been an increase in theft of vehicle number plates. Consider purchasing a set of Anti - Theft screws or bolts for number plates. Good news - PC Pruden issued a Community Resolution to a female who was in possession of cannabis. A Community Resolution is an alternative way of dealing with less serious crimes, allowing officers to use their professional judgement when dealing with offenders. It can be used for offences such as low level public order, criminal damage, theft, and minor assaults". West Heath ward:-"One attempted burglary in Langley Road this week. This incident took place on Monday 27/04/20 at 11.20pm. A male tried to put his hand through a small broken pane of glass in the front door. Entry was not gained. No reports of motor vehicle crime over the last week. The team are continuing to patrol anti-social hotspots and move people on if necessary with regard to the Covid19 regulations".

The end video this week is from the friars of Our Lady of the Angels Catholic monastery in Northumberland Heath; they describe themselves thus:-"We are a Capuchin Franciscan fraternity serving the parish of Our Lady of the Angels in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark, UK. We are a great international community of followers of Jesus, living the Gospel and rebuilding the Church in the UK. Hope you enjoy our services and reflections". The message below is for their congregation, with some information about the pandemic lock down.

The Nuxley Navigator ends.

Recently I was talking to someone who was visiting Erith from Charlton. I showed her around the Erith Riverside Gardens, and the view of the River Thames. She remarked that it was amazing that more people were not aware of the gardens and the stunning horizon to horizon views that can be seen. I feel that the river is an under used asset locally. More on this subject further on in this weeks update. Who says I don't plan these things?

It has been brought to my attention by a reader that the long - ailing News Shopper local paper and website may be under new difficulties. The News Shopper is part of a larger media group called NewsQuest, which is in turn part of an American owned media corporation called Gannett. News has recently broken that Gannett is in talks with a rival media group called MNG Enterprises about a possible takeover. In a report in the Press Gazette, a spokesperson from the National Union of Journalists was quoted as stating that gannett was:- "being pursued by the most predatory of vulture capitalist corporate raiders who are far distant from the needs and responsibilities of a modern media company”. Gannett owns USA Today and hundreds of local newspapers in the US, as well as Newsquest, which is the UK’s second largest regional publisher and has been expanding its portfolio in the past year. Newsquest’s daily titles include the Herald titles and The National in Scotland, the News and Star in Cumbria, the Northern Echo, Bournemouth Daily Echo, Oxford Mail, and Isle of Wight County Press. It also owns a number of local weekly newspaper series in London, including the News Shopper and Bexley Times. MNG is owned by New York hedge fund Alden Global Capital. It publishes about 200 newspapers in the US including the Denver Post, Boston Herald and San Jose Mercury News. Federica Bedendo, of the National Union of journalists said:- "The the union is really concerned about what the potential acquisition would mean for local newspapers in the UK. Journalists within Newsquest already think this company has hit rock bottom and the prospect of being acquired by an organisation that’s renowned for cost cutting and job slashing isn’t going to do anything to benefit our titles or indeed our working conditions. We already operate on a shoe-string, morale is at an all-time low, stress levels are through the roof and we lose more and more talent each day due to the way that Newsquest operates. What angers us most is that Newsquest is financially in a very enviable position compared to other publishers, yet its top bosses seem to be prepared to do anything for profit. NUJ members are being driven away from the newspaper industry by these money-chasing operations.” What do you think? Do you have any insight into what is going on? Please feel free to Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com in complete confidence if you have some inside information. 

I have an apology to make to the person who sent me an Email on Friday afternoon with a follow - up query to the piece I wrote last week about the Violet Club nuclear weapons which were constructed at Woolwich Arsenal in the 1950's. I have accidentally deleted your Email - could you please resend it and I will get back to you? In my defence I get well in excess of 120 Emails each and every day, and on rare occasions mistakes such as inadvertently deleting a valued message can, and do occur.

You may recall that back in November 2017, I wrote a piece about a new private bus service which was then about to commence. The service was aimed at residents of parts of Upper Belvedere, Northumberland Heath and Erith. The bus service was to operate on weekdays only, and run between Harrow Manorway outside of Abbey Wood Station, and Carlton Road in Northumberland Heath. The service was somewhat inappropriately called The Nuxley Navigator - as previously covered, "Nuxley Village" does not exist - it is properly named Belvedere Village, or Nuxley Road, Upper Belvedere. The roads that the new private bus service covered were as follows:- Towards Abbey Wood Station (mornings only) - Carlton Road, Brook Street, Parsonage Manorway, Swaylands Road, Matfield Road, Stream Way, Bedonwell Road, Orchard Avenue, Bedonwell Road, Glenview, West Heath Road, Brampton Road, Knee Hill, Harrow Manorway. Towards Erith (afternoons only) - Harrow Manorway, Knee Hill, Brampton Road, West Heath Road, Glenview, Bedonwell Road, Orchard Avenue, Bedonwell Road, Stream Way Matfield Road, Swaylands Road, Parsonage Manorway, Brook Street, and Carlton Road. The Crossrail service which was meant to be opening at Abbey Wood Station at the end of 2018, and many of the roads covered by The Nuxley Navigator were not covered by any existing bus service. The Nuxley Navigator featured a reserved seat and, in London, standard rides were £2.40, though the introductory price was £1.60. A standard bus fare is £1.50. Chariot was supposed to work by being pre-bookable but with predetermined stops, similar to a bus route. The real reason for the service was to connect the Erith Quarry housing development with Abbey Wood Station. The developers of Erith Quarry are aiming the new development primarily at second or third time buyers who want larger, family sized houses - for people who intend to "put down roots" in the area. In order to attract middle class professional people into the local area, they needed so show that there were good commuting connections into London - something that The London Borough of Bexley has historically lacked. The fact that we have no DLR or Tube services in the Borough has been a factor that has discouraged some people from moving into the area. Providing a purpose built mini bus link between the Erith Quarry site and Abbey Wood Station was supposed do much to convince people that they should move into the area, as housing is significantly cheaper than in other parts of London, and the commuting issue was intended to be at least partially answered by The Nuxley Navigator - even if the name of the new bus service was inaccurate. Fellow local Blogger and "proper" journalist Darryl Chamberlain of the excellent 853 Blog has broken a story which I am using with his full permission. Darryl discovered that Chariot - the company behind both the Nuxley Navigator and the Shooters Hill Shot private bus services is to pull out of the market on Friday the 25th of January. Back in October I reported that:- "The problem has been that 1) Crossrail has been significantly delayed, 2) Erith Quarry has not yet opened, and 3) there is very little local awareness of the private bus service. On top of this, it is a bookable service, not a "hop on, hop off" service as per a normal bus ride. Lastly the service can only be booked via a mobile phone app, and one cannot use Oyster cards. The lack of passengers on the Nuxley Navigator is, I am led to believe, causing the operator, Chariot, and their sponsor, Ford to consider closing the service". My prediction turned out to be totally correct, and the service to to close before the end of the month. I have had reports from readers that The Nuxley Navigator was a very patchy service, with often only one mini bus on the entire route, and very few people used it - a local source (who wants to remain anonymous) told me that she had seen people trying to use their Oyster card on the service, and being annoyed when they could not. I feel that Chariot - and their sponsors car and van producers Ford - have really dropped the ball with this one. The announcement on the Chariot US website reads:- "Today, we have important news to share about Chariot services. Following significant consideration, we have decided to close the Chariot operation. Friday, January 25th is the last day we will offer service on commuter routes in the U.K., and Friday, February 1 will be the last day we will offer service on our commuter routes in the U.S. We will cease all operations across the US and in the UK by the end of March. In today’s mobility landscape, the wants and needs of customers and cities are changing rapidly. We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause Chariot’s riders and our enterprise customers. We are committed to ensuring our customers are aware of the decision and have time to make alternative transportation arrangements. We are truly grateful to our commuters, enterprise customers, and partners for your support over the past five years. Chariot was built on a commitment to help reduce congestion, ease the commute and improve quality of life in cities, and since our start, we have provided our customers with more than 3 million rides. In addition, we helped Ford build their mobility business, and their experience with Chariot continues to inform their mobility efforts and design decisions for the future. In addition to our customers, our priority during this transition is to ensure we support our employees. We are thankful for their hard work and dedication to bringing Chariot to where it is today". No doubt once - eventually - Crossrail / The Elizabeth Line opens, and the Erith Quarry development is fully up and running with residents, some other transport operator will take over the route, when there is actually a chance of attracting paying customers to it. The whole Nuxley Navigator / Shooters Hill Shot project has been an utter shambles. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Another transport related story; work has begun to increase the number of Thames Clipper ferry terminals on the River Thames. A new terminal is being constructed at Silvertown, on the North banks of the Thames - by the end of this year a derelict jetty will be replaced by a 427ft public promenade stretching far out across the river, with a cantilevered timber roof and a public viewing deck, as well as docking stations for Thames Clipper boats offering services to Canary Wharf in 14 minutes. Journeys to London Bridge will take 26 minutes, while Waterloo will take 34 minutes. Silvertown is already served by Pontoon Dock DLR station, but for many commuters a short boat trip is a welcome alternative to starting the day on a packed train. What this will mean for the long proposed use of Erith Pier as a stop for the Thames Clipper service is currently unclear. Back in September 2017 MBNA Thames Clippers carried out series of test voyages into London from Gravesend and back. Public reaction to the experimental service was extremely positive, and the CEO of the Clipper company, Sean Collins said in an interview at that time:- "The trial has been a total success so far, passengers have been asking a lot of questions to find out when a permanent service could be up and running and how much it will cost. These questions are the reason we are running this trial, I set up this company 18 years ago, and two years later people were asking me about a Gravesend service, the only reason we haven’t done anything sooner is because we’ve been working on other projects across London. We need to set out a full business case, it could take up to two years to start up a service, it would be great to see it stop at other places, such as Erith, Greenhithe, Dagenham and Thurrock." Since September 2017 things have been very quiet, and no official announcements have been made. In the intervening period, some questions have been asked about the practicalities of running a service from Erith Pier. As previously mentioned Erith Pier does not project straight out into the river, in the way that for example Southend Pier juts out into the Thames Estuary. Instead a majority of its length is in a "dog leg` that runs parallel to the shore line. There is also a short spur that projects out to the left side of the main part of the pier. The spur is where I am of the opinion any free floating pontoon would need to be located. Whilst the central channel of the River Thames at Erith is more than sufficiently deep for large ocean going vessels to navigate, the sides of the river are actually rather shallow, and dry out at low tide. A free floating pontoon would enable a Thames Clipper ferry to dock despite a low tide. It would require some extensive alterations and re - engineering of the pier spur. I know that Morrison's supermarket - who own the pier, are not keen on it being used as a ferry terminal, as they don't want commuters using their supermarket car park, but if enough pressure comes to bear from local government, Transport For London, The Mayor of London's office and our local MP, Teresa Pearce (who has backed the use of Erith Pier for a ferry service for a very long time), then things may happen. Bearing in mind the growth of Erith as a residential area, and the relative paucity of public transport links into central London that currently exist, it would seem to me that a regular ferry service to and from London is a "no brainer". What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Local resident Doreen Ives has submitted the following story:- "Vet's Club Scrabble group. We had a very successful first meeting of our Scrabble group on Friday 11th January. Everyone who came along enjoyed the challenge of the games and the jovial company.  If you like playing this stimulating board game then you are very welcome to join us. The group meet at the Veterans Club in Park Crescent just behind Christ Church Hall. Parking is easy so no worries there. To be a member of the Veterans Club will cost you £20 a year and you then have access to participating in all the many leisure activities on offer there, for a charge of £1.50 per session. Alternatively you can participate in activities as a non-member at a charge of £2.50 per session. At the Scrabble group we have tea/coffee and biscuits halfway through the two hour session, all included in your fee.  The next session is on Friday 8th February 2pm-4pm". 

Last week the results of an extensive survey were published, and the results make for somewhat disturbing reading. Three quarters of US Facebook users unaware their online behaviour gets tracked; whilst the survey covers Facebook users in the US and not the UK, I think that the UK results would be very similar, if not almost identical. The US survey found that most Facebook users have no idea that the advertising business compiles data profiles of their online activities and interests, according to research conducted by the non-profit Pew Research Center. That is not altogether surprising given that Facebook appeals to people disinclined to concern themselves with the minutiae of digital technology, which is to say most people. It is worth recalling that a decade ago, Google representatives stopped people on the street in New York City to ask "What's a web browser?" and almost no one could answer correctly. The finding nonetheless underscores the privacy cost, unrecognised though it may be, of relying on an ad platform for media and messages rather than wrestling with the complexity of self-administered communications software. After surveying 963 US adults last year between September 4th to October 1st, Pew researchers found that 74 per cent of Facebook users said they were unaware the social advertising business tracks their traits and interests. Facebook makes such data available to users through the "Your ad preferences" page, but about half of the survey respondents didn't like what they saw once they were made aware of their data trail. Fifty-one per cent of those surveyed said they were not comfortable with Facebook compiling this information. It seems doubtful however such unease will translate into account cancellation. Expressing discomfort in a survey is easy and doesn't necessarily correlate with willingness to abandon Facebook. A study published late last year found "the average Facebook user would require more than $1,000 to deactivate their account for one year." The Pew survey says 88 per cent of Facebook users found data about themselves in their advertising preferences page. Of these individuals, 59 per cent said the data reflected actual interests while 27 per cent said the data either partially or fully misrepresents them. The disconnect between Facebook's categorisations of people and the way they see themselves is also evident in the context of the political designations and racial/ethnic "affinities" the social data business applies to users. About half of survey respondents had been assigned a political label by Facebook. Of those labeled liberal, conservative, or moderate, 73 per cent agreed with their designation while 27 per cent said assigned political classification was not accurate. Reports of misclassification came more frequently from self-described moderates (36 per cent) than they did from those calling themselves liberals (20 per cent) or conservatives (25 per cent). What the results would be in the UK are unclear, but I strongly suspect that they would be very similar. It seems that worldwide, many Facebook users either don't know about the fact that the giant corporation extracts information about them, or that they plain just don't care. 

An article by guest contributor and transport enthusiast Dana Wiffen. Dana writes:- "Here is short piece on the double decker train, with a good news update and 2 photos, some Erith commuters might remember seeing this train normally on platform 2 or 3 of Charing Cross Station at around 6pm. I travelled on it many times between 1970/71 when it was removed from service. This experimental EMU (electric double decker train) came into service in 1949 running on the Dartford to Charing Cross line mainly on the Bexleyheath Line. Two sets of 8 cars were built and their seating capacity was 552, really a split level train the half upper deck enabled additional passengers to sit but with no door and poor ventilation as the small upstairs windows did not open, there were not popular especially in the summer. Following an attack on a woman that was kept in the upper section by the attacker, a female only carriage was introduced on the service to reassure female travellers. With additional weight, height and poor cornering these handsome looking trains managed to be kept in service until 1971, sadly only 2 carriages survive today they seem to have been left and not restored by the owners as heritage railways are  reluctant to take them for use as passenger carriages because of the additional weight and height. The photos above show an old picture of the double decker train in service (courtesy of John Kennett) while the other photograph (courtesy of Keith Littlewood) shows one of the two remaining carriages no 13004  in poor condition at the Northampton and Lamport Railway in 1994, it has since been moved to the Northampton Ironside Railway. This is one of only the two cars that survive today the other 13003 is in sidings at Sellinge in Kent. Good News;-Bullied EMU Double Decker Train no: 13003 has recently been purchased by a group that want to restore the two remaining carriages, they are called The Bullied 4DD Group, and there aim is to start work on this train at Sellinge, Kent  as soon as possible, where it has been in a siding since 1999. They will continue to try and purchase 13004 from the owner, their attempts so far have been unsuccessful" Fascinating stuff; In addition, I gather that the ventilation of the upper deck was by constantly running electric fans, as the windows couldn't be opened. The train was higher than other trains so care had to be taken which routes to use it on. The Dartford routes were ideal and no alteration had to be made to the  track and bridges. Bearing in mind many people smoked on trains back then, the fug on the upper deck must have been terrible, especially in summer. The other problems with the double decker train was that the seats were cramped, hard and uncomfortable, and the time taken to get on and off the double decker carriages was significantly longer than with a conventional train. Other European countries successfully deploy double decker trains, but they are fully air conditioned, there is no smoking, and comfort is considerably better; they also tend to be deployed on longer distance routes, rather than suburban "start and stop" journeys. 

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly from Barnehurst ward:- "We are pleased to report there have been no burglaries for the past week however there have been three incidents of vehicle crime. On Friday 04th January 2019 there was a theft of motor vehicle in Eversley Avenue. This vehicle was stopped and recovered on the M25 after being followed by Police. Two occupants were detained, passenger was dealt with for possession of drugs and the driver dealt with for theft of motor vehicle and possession of drugs. On Friday 11th January 2019 victim returned to his vehicle to find the door ajar and a small amount of change taken. There was no damage to the vehicle. In Grassmere Road on Thursday 10th January 2019 between 10.00am and 01.00am a vehicle was broken into and photographic equipment taken. Barnehurst officers carried out a routine patrol to Cheviot Close on Wednesday 16th January 2019 and came across white Ford transit van parked and unattended in the garaged area. Police checks revealed this vehicle had been stolen from Sidcup and was therefore recovered. This area of Cheviot Close is highly patrolled by Police. The team met with the Barnehurst ward Councillor yesterday to discuss council related issues on the ward, one being the delay with the proposal from Orbit to install a bollard at the entry point to the garages in Cheviot Close, we hope this issue will be resolved soon as this will deter unwanted visitors from dumping rubbish and stolen vehicles. Barnehurst team will be at the Barnehurst Golf Club on Thursday 24th January 2019 at 11.00am. Please join us to discuss any matters of concern in and around the ward". Belvedere ward:- "We have had no burglaries reported on the ward over the past week. We had a theft of number plates from a Hyundai car on St Thomas Road overnight on the Sat 5th into the Sun 6th January. On Friday 11th, Monday 14th and Wednesday 16th the team visited St Augustine's Primary school and gave a road safety talk to years 1-5. The children were very engaging and seemed to take on board the safety message. A kitchen knife was found by the estate manager at Lesnes Abbey Woods on the 15th. The knife has been seized and will be destroyed". Bexleyheath ward:- "Below is a quick glance of the burglaries/attempted burglaries that have been reported: Sunday 13/01/2019 - Burglary at North Street Bexleyheath, garage was broken into and items taken as well as motorbikes. This was over a two day period; Monday 14/01/2019 – Burglary along Long Lane Bexleyheath. Access was via the kitchen door and entry was gained; Thursday 10/01/2019 – Attempted Burglary along Tudor Walk. Side window was smashed and the suspect was disturbed; Saturday 12/01/2019 – Rochester Drive, suspect tried to gain access to property by attacking lock. Seems to have happened overnight; Tuesday 15/01/2019 – There was a report of a theft of motor vehicle along Martin Dene; Thursday 10/01/2019 – Two suspects had tried to break a lock of a motorbike at the civic offices and they were disturbed; Wednesday 09/01/2019 – There was a report of criminal damage to motor vehicle along the Broadway; Friday 11/01/2019 – A theft from motor vehicle was reported along Rydal Drive Bexleyheath. There was a report of a theft of purse on the Broadway whilst the victim was walking along, this was on Wednesday 09/01/2019. Also in WH Smiths along the Broadway there was a report of suspects stealing money, cards and other personal items and cards being used. This was reported on the Monday 07/01/2019. A purse was also reported stolen from a bag in Primark Bexleyheath on the Wednesday 09.01/2019 at about midday; Thursday 10/01/2019 – A mobile phone was report stolen from the victims pocket whilst in the Broadway area. There was also a report of two cash machines on the Broadway at Barclays Bank, where skimming devices were used. So please be careful when using the machines, if the there is anything unusual please do not use the machine and advise others not to use and inform the bank or the Police as soon as possible. Please be careful who is around when using the machines and always shield what you type on the keypad. The team are regularly conducting targeted patrols for burglary and anti-social behaviour. Also there was stops made in the ASDA car park in Bexleyheath, this was in relation to vehicles with drives causing anti-social behaviour. The team have been delivering free smart water kits to areas of the ward that have been identified that are at a higher risk of being burgled. So far last weekend they have delivered 115 kits on the ward and more shall be delivered soon. Also it seems that youths are re-appearing along Iris Avenue causing ASB. If there is any issues, please call Police on 101 or 999 where appropriate. 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". Crayford ward:- "On Monday 9th January between 21.00 - 21.30 a coke can was thrown at an address in Swale Road causing the glass in the door and to the side to be smashed. The can was retained for forensics. On Wednesday 9th January between 01.00-7.00 an iPod was stolen from within a white Citroen van whilst parked near to 160 Maiden Lane, this is the junction to Beech Walk. Between 15.40 on Tuesday 8th January and 20.10 on Wednesday 9th January a front number plate GK57 OSF was stolen from a vehicle parked at the top end of Iron Mill Lane, this plate should be on a silver Toyota Yaris. A theft from a blue Ford Transit occurred overnight between 18.00 on Wednesday 9th and 06.00 on Thursday 10th January whilst parked in Maiden Lane junction with Barnes Cray Road, the items stolen included power tools, it is not known how the vehicle was entered as no damage was done. There have been multiple incidents of shoplifting from the smaller shops in Crayford Road recently, always the same suspect, believed to be aged between 30-40 years, white male, medium build. Although small items are stolen it is having an impact on the local businesses. If you know who this person may be please let us know. Between 18.00 on Sunday 13th January and 8.30 on Monday 14th January, three tyres were deliberately slashed on a silver C180 Mercedes whilst parked in Iron Mill Lane towards Thames Road. Between Saturday 12th and Monday 14th January three large batteries were stolen from vehicles parked on the Acorn Industrial Estate. Incidentally, 32 batteries used to light up traffic lights were stolen from the rear of a white Fiat van whilst parked close to McDonalds in Crayford on Tuesday 15th January between 20.00-20.15. The suspects would have needed a vehicle to remove these items as they are the size and weight as car batteries. We will be at the Ellenor Hospice shop in Crayford Road on Wednesday 23rd January between 12.00 and 13.00 if you would like to come along to say hello or for crime prevention advice". Erith ward:- "We have our ward panel meeting this week, I will give a rundown update in next week's update. No burglaries over the last week, but a theft of and from motor vehicles is still on the rise. I have been out trying to sign up some more NHW members, at this time it looks as if I have 7 new people that are interested, their info will be passed to the NHW office as they all would like a little bit more information regarding the role". Northumberland Heath ward:- "A fairly quiet week on the ward in relation to crime. We are pleased to say that we have had no burglaries reported to us. One theft from two vehicles belonging to the same person in Beechfield Road. This took place overnight on the evening of Sunday January 13th between 11pm and 6.20am on Monday January 14th.Vehicle one was on the road outside the house, a window was forced open entry was gained but nothing was taken. The second vehicle was parked on the driveway and the rear bar was pulled off with the lock. Seats were pulled down and the plastic cowling under the steering wheel was pulled off and wires were left exposed. A child's scooter was stolen from the boot but was later found in the porch of a neighbour's house. One theft from motor vehicle in Nurstead Road again on Monday January 14th between 6.45pm and 6.40am the following morning. Some loose change was taken, and the glove compartment emptied. Last Friday the team executed a search warrant for drugs in Northumberland Heath and have continued to stop and search individuals either seen, or believed to be using drugs. Several cannabis seizures have been made over the past week. The next drop in Police surgery will be held in the Library in Mill Road next Wednesday 23rd of January at 2pm".  Slade Green and Northend ward:- "Sadly there was an aggravated burglary at 1.30pm on Wednesday 16/01 in Slade Green Road. 3 men in balaclavas and with a large knife have forced entry into an address and demanded that something was handed over. The 'something' was unknown to the scared victims and after a quick search the suspects fled into Rainbow Road. Fortunately there were no injuries. Response officers arrived quickly but an area search proved to be negative. The investigation is ongoing as to who may be involved and reassurance patrols and visits will be carried out by ourselves this week. If you have any concerns, please let us know so we can give any necessary reassurance wherever needed. Only one other crime of note to report in the last week. Criminal damage to motor vehicle occurred around 1230pm on Sunday 13/01/2019 in Canada Road whereby the victim's car was scratched and damaged. Good news: After good intelligence received from a resident, 3 stolen vehicles have been found and recovered in and around Hollywood Way in the last week. One of the vehicles had a large sword inside among other items. Investigations are underway in regards who is involved in this suspicious activity and we are working with the relevant Housing Association to get these issues stopped. Extra patrols will be ongoing on the estate and it will be flagged as a ward promise at our residents panel meeting next week. Our new watch is now up and running in Larkswood Close. We will let everyone know when any future watches are set up". Thamesmead East ward:- "Distraction Burglary - Parkway Sunday 13/1/19 between 9:10pm – 9:20pm two males have presented themselves as plain clothes police officers to gain access into the property taking a number of items; Theft - The Link Bazalgette Way Thursday 10/01/19 between 5:45pm – 6:30pm Suspect/s have entered unlocked changing room and stolen 3 mobile phones; Criminal Damage to Motor Vehicle Lensburt Way Sunday 13/1/19 between 10pm – 10:45pm. Suspect/s have snapped of both wing mirrors and bent windscreen wipers; Theft from Motor Vehicle - Parkway Thursday 10/01/19 between 6am – 615am Suspect has stolen victims vehicle registration plates; Good News - What started off as a low level noise complaint between neighbours turned into a challenging situation for the team. After conducting extensive research working with multi-safeguarding agencies the male is being given the appropriate medical help and support needed". West Heath ward:- "This week the ward has had no reported burglaries. There has been theft from motor vehicles in Gipsy Road and Lansdowne Avenue both overnight on Fri 11th - Sat12th January. The team took part in a Burglary reduction initiative with other teams from Bexleyheath delivering free Smartwater kits to residents. Smartwater is a solution used to mark property. Each bottle has a unique chemical make- up that is registered to a specific address making any stolen items traceable. The kit comes with Smartwater stickers for your windows. Smartwater is available through your Neighbourhood watch at a discounted rate and we encourage you to contact the NW office for details. We had a successful ward panel meeting on Saturday 12th January which was well attended. The new Promises for the next three months are Burglary, Motor vehicle crime and ASB around drugs. Remember you can follow us on Twitter for more frequent updates. Our next Community contact session will be on Tuesday 22nd January in Hadlow Road Welling at noon followed by Plymstock Road on 30th January at 2pm".

The end video this week features vintage photographs and film footage taken in and around Erith, Crayford, Welling and Bexleyheath, mainly in the 1950's, and is of some considerable historical interest. do give the video a look. 

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The other left.

The two photos above were taken almost exactly fifty years apart; the upper photo was taken in the Summer of 1966, and the lower photo was taken by me in the Summer of 2016. They both show the same location - Erith High Street with the Cross Keys, Erith Playhouse and the Cross Keys / former Potion Bar. You can click on either photo for a larger view.

Erith is very much a town in flux; building work is being undertaken pretty much anywhere that you care to look. In the town centre, the fitting out of the forthcoming steak and fish restaurant opposite Argos is proceeding smoothly; work on the Fit4Less gym opposite Erith Health Centre is scheduled to open shortly – more on this later;  work is being carried out on the former White Hart / Potion site – although the details of this are still somewhat of a mystery. Phase two of Erith Park is now under construction, work has begun on Erith Quarry; the Tower Hill development (on the site of the old Bexley College building) is nearing completion. There has not been this level of construction in the town since the much criticised demolition of the old Erith town in 1966 and the subsequent construction of the hideous brutalist concrete shopping centre that replaced it – an action that still provokes strong negative reactions half a century later. I think if the original Victorian town centre had been preserved and restored, the whole character of Erith would be fundamentally different – I think that it could have become a Thames – side equivalent of Whitstable. All is conjecture of course, as nobody will ever know. After years of concrete blandness, the Erith Riverside Shopping Centre looks good, and the restoration work that has also been undertaken on local buildings such as the Cross Keys Centre make the local environment a far nicer place to be than it has for very many years. I will be running a feature on the new Fit4Less gym, and its owner Josh Waters in the next couple of weeks. I hope to publish the first photos of the interior of the gym before it opens to the public. Finally Erith is returning to the “whole town” it was before the old centre was so wantonly destroyed by the developers in the sixties. It has taken fifty years, but things are now definitely on the up.

Once again the News Shopper is showing that is no longer the local paper that it once used to be; they are currently running a story on “The Top 10 Takeaways in South London”. Not only is the London Borough of Bexley not in South London, but the takeaways listed include one in Wimbledon, and another in Hounslow! Not exactly what I would in any way call local. The forced closure of the News Shopper offices in Petts Wood and relocation of a handful of staff to Sutton in Surrey, with those remaining either made redundant, or made to work remotely from home. This has had an awful impact on the quality of local reporting – quite often there are real clangers in stories where the journalist is not familiar with the local area, and makes basic errors which a person conversant with the area simply would not make. I have sympathy with the few remaining staff, who are horrendously overworked, but the quality of the journalism has taken a turn for the worse. You can read more about the situation with the News Shopper and a couple of other local papers by clicking here.

Some very good and overdue news; The government is to review gambling machines amid concerns they may harm vulnerable people. As many as 600,000 people in the UK may take part in "problem gambling", said culture, media and sport minister Tracey Crouch. The review will take a "close look" at fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) - now common on high streets - and children's access to gambling. I have long said that a major review of gambling, both on the high street and online needs to be carried out. Government figures suggest the industry employs around 100,000 people in the UK and contributed more than £10bn to the economy last year. But, amid concern over associated social problems, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport-led review will assess its impact on individuals and communities. Fixed Odds Betting Terminals are sometimes referred to as the "crack cocaine " of the gambling world. I for one would like to see the amount of money possible to stake at any one time be limited to £2, and the maximum payout to be £20, but I am doubtful that this will happen, as the tax revenues the government makes from the current high stakes machines is just so high. There are too many vested interests. Personally I feel that the UK gambling industry needs a massive shake up. It has been allowed far too free a rein for years, and has exploited the market to the point where it is more powerful than some banks. People rightly get annoyed by the activities of certain banks and bankers, whilst seemingly overlooking the scourge of the high street and nowadays also the web, the big five bookies. If all this was not bad enough, the web based casinos and poker sites that operate on the periphery of some country’s laws are proving increasingly aggressive in trying to separate people from their hard earned cash. I have noticed that sites such as 888 Casino and 888 Poker use software resistant pop – ups and pop unders, which are embedded into legitimate web sites, usually without the owner’s consent. The fact that a large organisation would willfully contravene The Computer Misuse Act 1990 to try and promote its dubious services to me says a lot about their intentions.

It would seem that the Smart Watch market, which was never that large in global terms, is now in a fairly steep decline. Figures released in the last week show that the worldwide smartwatch market experienced a round of growing pains in the third quarter of 2016, resulting in a year-over-year decline in shipment volumes. According to data from the International Data Corporation, (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker, total smartwatch volumes reached 2.7 million units shipped in the third quarter of 2016, a decrease of 51.6 percent from the 5.6 million units shipped in the third quarter 2015. Although the decline is significant, it is worth noting that the third quarter 2015 was the first time Apple's Watch had widespread retail availability after a limited online launch. Meanwhile, the second generation Apple Watch was only available in the last two weeks of the third quarter 2016. "The sharp decline in smartwatch shipment volumes reflects the way platforms and vendors are realigning," noted Ramon Llamas, research manager for IDC's Wearables team. "Apple revealed a new look and feel to watchOS that did not arrive until the launch of the second generation watch at the end of September. Google’s decision to hold back Android Wear 2.0 has repercussions for its OEM partners as to whether to launch devices before or after the holidays. Samsung’s Gear S3, announced at IFA in September, has yet to be released. Collectively, this left vendors relying on older, aging devices to satisfy customers." "It has also become evident that at present smartwatches are not for everyone," said Jitesh Ubrani senior research analyst for IDC Mobile Device Trackers. "Having a clear purpose and use case is paramount, hence many vendors are focusing on fitness due to its simplicity. However, moving forward, differentiating the experience of a smartwatch from the smartphone will be key and we're starting to see early signs of this as cellular integration is rising and as the commercial audience begins to pilot these devices." Apple maintained its position as the overall leader of the worldwide smartwatch market, yet it posted the second largest year-over-year decline among the leading vendors. Its first-generation Watches accounted for the majority of volumes during the quarter, leading to the significant downturn for the quarter. Its Series One and Series Two did little to stem that decline, although with lower price points and improved experiences, Apple could be heading for a sequential rebound in the fourth quarter 2016 - this might well align with the launch of their revamped range of iMac computers - sales of which have been dropping as potential customers hold off buying as they know that new models are on the way. Garmin posted the largest year-over-year increase among the leading vendors, thanks to its growing list of ConnectIQ-enabled smartwatches and the addition of the fenix Chronos. Whereas other smartwatches attempt to be multi-purpose devices, Garmin’s smartwatches focus on health and fitness, and the applications reflect that strategy. Its total volumes helped close the gap further against a declining Apple and extended its lead ahead over Samsung. Samsung finished the third quarter 2016, slightly higher from a year ago on the strength of its aging Gear S2 smartwatches. These still remain one of the few smartwatches on the market that feature full-time cellular connectivity. The company introduced its follow-up, the Gear S3, with a Bluetooth-only version as well as a cellular version, but it has yet to be released to the market. Lenovo (Motorola) suffered the largest year-over-year decline among the leading vendors, with multiple channels selling out of Moto 360 devices (both first and second generation) and a scarcity of its recently released Moto 360 Sport smartwatch. In addition, the third quarter 2016 marks the first time in which Motorola did not introduce a new smartwatch in time for the holiday quarter, adding to its decline in the market. Pebble arguably kicked off the smartwatch category with its original Kickstarter campaign in 2012. Since then the company has launched multiple variants of the Pebble watch and also introduced a new timeline-based user interface, though none of them achieved mass success. After another successful Kickstarter campaign in early 2016, Pebble released the Pebble 2 (oddly enough, the third generation) late in the third quarter. The new Pebble 2 is the first watch by the company to include a heart-rate sensor and has an overall focus on fitness. It would seem to me that Smart Watches have one niche - in the health and fitness market; they are used to monitor heart and breathing rates, and associated performance. Outside of this tightly defined area they seem to struggle to find any real relevance. As I have written before, the drop in sales may well be aligned to the fact that many people regard them as a solution looking for a problem. Personally I will stick with my two classic mechanical swiss watches, they look good, keep good time and a ten second wind will keep each of them ticking for at least 36 hours. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

The Bexley Times are reporting that BT is in consultation with Bexley Council in respect of the nineteen payphone boxes still remaining in use in the borough. British Telecom are saying that the number is no longer financially viable. The council will in turn be canvassing local residents for their opinions on the subject. I recall that some time ago there was a well – used payphone in Manor Road, outside of the former Royal Alfred pub. A reliable source told me that the phone box use got very much heavier, the further into the month one went. Apparently this was because local addicts would use it to phone their drug dealers when the credit on their mobile phones had run out. That all ended in the autumn of 2011 when joy riders in a stolen BMW lost control of the car and crashed into the phone box – you can see a photo of the damage above – click for a larger view. It was thought that as the pay phone generated a fair deal of cash, that BT would replace it, but after a few days the box was removed and the hole it left in the pavement was covered with tarmac. That was the end of what I understood to have been the most profitable phone box in the area, so I am not exactly surprised that less well – earning phone boxes are being retired. I do have concerns however; mobile phone signal coverage is generally good in and around Erith, due mainly to the cell transceivers and antenna farm on the roof of Electricity House next to the Fish roundabout. Other parts of the London borough of Bexley have far patchier coverage, not to mention what would happen in the event of a national or local disaster, or even a terrorist attack? One of the first things to go down in such an event are the mobile phone networks. The authorities have the ability to disable all mobile phones in a given cell or series of cells, with the exception of specialist mobile phones (which have to be approved by the Police and the Home Office) which are used by the disaster recovery teams in large organisations. In certain circumstances, the entire mobile phone network may go down. If this happens the only alternatives are old fashioned copper landline telephones, or the most reliable backup method of communication – two way radio. Unless, like me you are a Radio Amateur, the options for two way radio operation are very limited; CB and PMR 446 are pretty much limited to line of sight – 4 to 6 miles at sea level on average (your mileage may vary due to a number of factors I won’t go into here). This is where the organisation RAYNET steps in; RAYNET is a voluntary emergency service operated by Radio Amateurs that provide short, medium and long range voice, video and data communications in areas where there has been a total loss of mainstream communications. RAYNET volunteers train alongside the Fire Brigade, Police, Ambulance Service, Mountain Rescue and RNLI. When all other forms of communication have failed, radio will always get through. What I am really saying is, if you want to maintain reliable communications under any sort of adverse circumstances, then you really need to become a Radio Amateur – you can read all about how to apply here.

It has been a very long time since I had any kind of remarkable encounter on public transport, but on Wednesday afternoon I had one that is definitely worth a mention. I was returning home by train from work after a long day in the office. I had got to Woolwich Arsenal when two blokes entered the carriage and sat down on the same row of seats as me. They were both in their mid-forties, on the large side, very scruffily dressed and rather smelly, to be honest. They began a conversation in over – loud voices which the whole carriage could hear. One was telling the other one the best way to avoid railway ticket inspectors – “they won’t chase you if you run across the railway tracks”. The other then asked the first why he had not come round to meet him this morning. The first replied that he had rung but the other had not answered – to which the response was “are you sure you rang the right number?” – the other replied that he had shouted outside of the house, but did not ring the doorbell. The duo conducted the entire conversation in very coarse, expletive filled “Arthur Mullard” type voices – I don’t think they were in any way suffering from learning disabilities – they were both just extremely thick. After laboriously comparing the phone number the one had rung, they eventually came to the conclusion he had rung the wrong number. He had two mobile phones, one in each hand, and his ultra dim companion asked him to check the other phone as well “the one in your left hand” – the first bloke looked confused and looked at one of the phones, only for his mate to say ”no – your other left hand”. By this stage the double act had half the carriage listening in bemusement. The two clowns eventually got off at Abbey Wood. I think that their level of befuddlement at even the most basic of tasks was a mixture of general dimness and the ingestion of some recreational pharmaceutical. I seriously doubt that in their condition they would be capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time.

The News Shopper are reporting another road traffic accident in Bexleyheath Broadway, outside of the Asda supermarket. I for one am not surprised; the disastrous half pavement – half roadway where neither drivers or pedestrians can tell which is which has been roundly condemned, and has resulted in numerous accidents since the work was carried out. Bexley Council seem oblivious to criticism regarding the changes to Bexleyheath Broadway which have left the road far more dangerous to users than it was before. I get the feeling that the council will only make changes when legal action is taken against them by someone injured as a result of the wrong-headed decision to blur the distinction between pavement and road – a trendy theme in current street design, but which puts members of the general public at risk. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The Peabody Trust housing association have announced plans for 1,500 new homes in Thamesmead, to be built in four phases, the first one of which will be a development of 525 new houses called the Southmere Village, which will consist of around half for sale, and half for affordable rent. The next three phases will be approximately one thousand new properties, which should be completed by 2024. Work on the Southmere Village development is due to start in the Spring of next year. I understand that plans also exist for a new library and I have heard rumours of a sports centre and cinema as well. Bearing in mind that before the 1,500 new houses are built, Thamesmead is a town equivalent in size to Wolverhampton in the West Midlands, yet has nothing like as many public facilities. Hopefully this will change with the new investment that Peabody is bringing to the area. Bexley Council are pressing Transport for London to extend Crossrail (which will be renamed the Elizabeth Line when it opens in 2018) from the currently planned terminus at Abbey Wood, though to Belvedere, Erith and Slade Green. This would be a relatively cheap and simple piece of civil engineering (at least when compared to the previous work), and would improve connectivity for the area to pretty much the whole of Greater London. Extending the Elizabeth line would entail widening the rail track bed between Abbey Wood and Slade Green – something relatively straightforward for much of the run, as the existing railway tracks are next to brownfield, former industrial land on the Kent bound side for much of the run. No tunnelling or bridging would be required, and any widening could be done with little need for compulsory purchasing and subsequent demolition of buildings, or too close encroachment to residential housing. I feel that an extension would be a win / win for all concerned. Abbey Wood has already seen the economic effect of the forthcoming Elizabeth Line, and I am certain that the effect would extend to Belvedere, Erith and Slade Green.

Maggot Sandwich readers who use versions of Windows earlier than Windows 10 may need to take precautions. If you’re looking to protect a PC with an older version of a Microsoft operating system such as Windows 7, you can use Microsoft Security Essentials to provide comprehensive malware protection that will help guard against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software. It provides free real-time protection for your home or small business PCs. However, Microsoft is warning of fake copies of its Security Essentials that if executed will throw a fake blue screen of death, take over machines, and lead users to technical support scams. Redmond regards the threat dubbed "Hicurdismos" as a severe threat which compromises PCs typically through bundled software installers and drive-by-downloads. Microsoft's anti-malware team are warning customers "Hicurdismos" will throw a full screen blue screen of death, disabling the ctrl+alt+delete task manager to prevent the user bypassing it, and hiding the mouse cursor to make it appear more legitimate. "Hicurdismos" misleads users and lures them into "calling a number that can lead to a fake technical support scam," the team say. "The threat of technical support scams has been around for years, but it’s recently been observed to be growing. We’ve seen attackers becoming more sophisticated with their social engineering tactics to try to mislead users into calling for technical support and then they are asked for payment to 'fix the problem' on the PC that does not exist." You have been warned. The bad guys get cleverer with every passing week.

The end video this week is a short documentary on the new Erith Park housing development, and what the residents think of their new homes. It makes for very interesting viewing; see what you think.