Cowboy builders.

The photo above shows the ground works that have been carried out to prepare the old Erith Riverside Swimming Baths site for redevelopment as a new residential site consisting of 12 mews houses and 55 apartments overlooking the River Thames. The workers clearing the site had a bit of a shock - their instructions were to level and grade the site ready for the foundations of the new structures to be dug. It had been assumed that the site was clear. It soon became apparent that this was actually far from the case. When the old swimming pool was demolished, the workers at the time were instructed to remove all construction materials from the site; it turns out that they did something far easier; in a giant equivalent of lifting a rug to sweep dust underneath it, the demolition workers just knocked down the building and used the rubble to fill the hole left by the drained and empty swimming pool itself. It would seem that something in the region of seventy percent of the construction material thought to have been carted away during the demolition process is still currently on site! This is going to add time and money to the site clearance programme. I wonder if any recourse or compensation can be sought from the historical demolition company for doing such a shoddy and half arsed job? It would seem that cowboy builders can affect large commercial developments as well as individuals.

Malcolm Knight of the excellent Bexley is Bonkers blog has been writing about the changes that Bexley Council have been making to the rules governing the use of Bexleyheath Broadway. A Public Spaces Protection Order has been imposed. This somewhat drastic measure is apparently designed to combat perceived anti-social behaviour. According to the Bexley council press release, the order prohibits “behaviour in a manner which causes, or, is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to another person. The  riding of pedal cycles, skateboards, roller blades, hover boards or other similar devices within the restricted area in a manner which causes, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to another person, and the playing of any type of ball games in the designated area". According to the Council’s own documentation, Failure to comply with the PSPO without a reasonable reason for doing so is a breach of the order and a criminal offence. Significant and/or persistent breaches of the order could lead to a fixed penalty notice being issued or a summons to court. The charge for receiving a fixed penalty notice is £100, which would be reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days. All individuals breaching the conditions of the order would be monitored by a range of agencies to provide other necessary support and interventions. Council staff will take action to try to manage the risk that any young people who receive a fixed penalty notice gain a criminal record without fully understanding the potential of their actions”. This all seems somewhat draconian, and rather reminiscent of the kind of social policies employed by Kim Jong Un in North Korea. Civil rights group Liberty say:- “Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) are broad powers which allow councils to criminalise particular, non-criminal, activities taking place within a specified area. Unfortunately, we have frequently seen them used against the most vulnerable in our society, the homeless.  PSPOs are also being used to limit freedom of speech and the right to protest. PSPOs simply fast-track vulnerable people into the criminal justice system – rather than divert them away from it”. I get the feeling that this is a direct response to the recent riot amongst gangs of school age children that took place in Northumberland Heath, and that made the national news. Whether such an order is actually required is another point entirely. It seems to me to be an over – reaction, and a case of “doing something because we can do” – not because they actually need to. It does rather seem to me that it is going down the path of the infamous “Not the Nine O’ Clock News” over zealous policeman sketch, where a dim, racist and vindictive copper is being hauled over the coals by his boss, for repeatedly arresting the same man for “offences” including – “walking on the cracks in the pavement, possession of an offensive wife, wearing a loud shirt in a built up area during the hours of darkness, urinating in a public convenience, and looking at me in a funny way ”. I understand that the PSPO concept is shortly to be tested in court. Liberty and other similar organisations are keen to challenge the legality of the sweeping conditions that PSPO’s can impose. I get the feeling that once again we may encounter the law of unintended consequences. Time will tell. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

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

The picture above may look familiar - and that is because I have used it before - I am recycling some second hand photons; it used to pretty much sum up Christmas in parts of Erith to a tee; the bus shelter even looks passingly similar to one almost opposite Pewty Acres. Nowadays the town is changing in such a rapid way that I feel that it is the very last time I will be credibly able to use the image, even in a satirical context. Erith is changing for the better in so many ways. As many readers may already know, I don't send Christmas cards, for a number of reasons, mainly as I think them redundant now that much of the world is now online, and via social networking, Email, Twitter and a host of other services, people keep in contact all year round, not just via a once a year bit of printed card. Cards use a huge amount of natural resources, both in their production and transportation, and generally get shredded or dumped after the annual festivities. I think we really need to move on from them. Think of this as my virtual season's greetings.

I know many regard me as a grumpy old curmudgeon when it comes to the Christmas festivities; and I suppose I am to an extent. I suppose having no children does mean that I don’t see the holiday from their perspective. For the most part it is a period for me to endure, rather than enjoy. I am not saying that the festival is a complete anathema, but it sometimes feels that way. One thing I really detest is the journey home from work on the couple of weeks’ before the Christmas break. One invariably encounters “amateur drinkers” who have been on a boozy Christmas lunch; not able to hold their drink (or to know when to stop before the effects impaired their actions) they generally make the lives of their fellow commuters insufferable, even if it is just by sitting close by and breathing alcohol fumes over their fellows; I have to say that when in the office, either in Canary Wharf or Watford, my habit is to start early and finish early. In doing this I avoid the worst excesses of those suffering from a Yuletide surfeit of Dizzyade. I feel sorry for fellow commuters that have to travel later in the evening – I have been there in years past, and it is not pretty!

You may have noticed that the Maggot Sandwich has been published rather earlier than normal this week; this is for a very good reason; This afternoon I will be attending a private screening Of the new Star Wars film “Rogue One”, and I won’t be around when I normally make the latest edition go live at around 1pm. In a tradition that stretches back as far as this time last year, mega Star Wars fan and all round good egg Nav Bhamra organises a private showing of the latest movie in the Star Wars franchise, with any profits being donated to worthy causes. I will feature photos taken at the event on the update next week.

The effects that the sudden and very unexpected closure of Northumberland Heath based double glazing company PJ Plastics continue to be felt. It would seem that there are a number of creditors who have lost money due to the failure of the company – individuals had given substantial deposits for windows and doors that will now not be delivered. One person, who wishes to remain anonymous wrote:- “We have just become a victim of PJ Plastics' demise. Having ordered a very large double-glazed window for our dining room at the end of September, and paid the deposit, we were looking forward to having the work done in the New Year. But, on a trip to North Heath post office, I noticed their shop across the road looked eerily empty. Closer investigation revealed the notice in the window advising of their closure. I feel particularly aggrieved because only six weeks had elapsed between them banking our deposit and then posting their notice of closure. Surely any financial difficulties they had must have been known to them when they accepted our order. Needless to say, we have received no communications from the company or the liquidators and I suspect they will have preferential creditors who will be given first options on any assets they have. This probably means we will lose our deposit and become a victim of fraud. My wife contacted the liquidators but they weren't particularly helpful. She also contacted her bank as she paid the deposit using her debit card. It is possible she may get her money back but they make it harder than it is for credit card payments. 'Twas ever thus! The silly thing is that if PJ progressed our order and built the window it will be of no use to anyone else. We put that to the liquidator suggesting the situation might be resolved but they did not get back to us”. This is a situation that I expect is quite widespread; if you have suffered as a result of the failure of PJ Plastics, do drop me a line – it can be in complete confidence, should you so wish. People should not have to suffer as a result the poor management and financial fragility of a vendor. Ironically as a previous customer of PJ Plastics myself, I am covered by my FENSA warranty – something not available to customers who have not had their goods delivered. The implications for a relatively small independent local company going bust can be far wider than many might imagine.

On a related subject, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Erith branch of Cash Generator has now closed for good; US-owned Cash Generator plans to close all but a handful of branches and make hundreds of staff redundant, according to a claim from company insiders. The Erith branch is one of the first of a total of 68 branch closures. It is the latest in a string of lenders to scale down after being criticised for charging sky-high interest rates. A Cash Generator worker said in a recent interview: “We have moved away from offering loans to people on benefits, which was regarded as irresponsible lending. Now we have been told that stores not making a profit will be going.” Sister company Cheque Centre pulled out of the payday lending market after criticism by financial regulators. Both firms are owned by American loan giant Axcess Financial. The Financial Conduct Authority brought in rules last year capping how much lenders can charge. Since then, the number of payday lending shops has fallen from 1,400 to under 500. Earlier this year Wonga, Britain’s biggest online lender, revealed losses of £80 million following the clampdown. Cash Generator were notorious for huge markups on second hand goods they bought from cash strapped people, then sold on to other customers on a tight budget. A fairly typical example of the kind of customer service can be read from a disgruntled customer who writes:- "The Guarantee they offer here means nothing as they will just accuse you of dropping the item or whatever they need to say to make it your fault not theirs!. The consumer rights act 2015 also means nothing it would seem as when I returned a not fit for purpose, #Lenovo PC (PC screen doesn't light up!) to them on 19th October less than 24 hours after leaving the shop with it, the staff member laughed at me, and refused to repair replace or give me a refund of my £119.99 payment.  We also rang the manager direct and she flat out refused too!, preferring instead to accuse us of dropping it when we haven't, and their is no evidence or marks on the product to warrant this.  Not only that but come to think of it the item had no CE markings, or PAT testing label on it, And was sold to me with a 2 pin foreign plug attached to a cheap looking, 3 pin UK adapter! I am sure that alone is a breach of some consumer law or other!.  I am very disappointed at this shops non - existent customer service, they are liars.  I hope to prove it in court too!, my home has CCTV which shows I never dropped it getting it from my car, and the street I walked down and car park are covered, I shall instruct my solicitor to obtain footage from the CCTV operator.  I hope they get a massive fine for breaching consumer rights and the manager and staff members involved get what they deserve (sacked).  They have let down the Cash Generator Brand, And damaged my customer confidence in them I shall never recommend or shop there again". Quite. I view the likes of Cash Generator and Cash Converters in exactly the same light as Brighthouse - organisations designed purely to exploit the least well off in our society. I am glad that Cash Generator have closed down in Erith, and hope that they all rot. No loss at all.

Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association have just issued the following warning to local residents:-  "We have been made aware that burglars are targeting Bexley in the run up to Christmas. We are asking our volunteers to be extra alert and to note any suspicious persons or vehicles in your areas and to report this activity to us straight away. These thieves are gaining entry by smashing in back doors which must create some noise. If you hear what could be a burglary in motion please report it to police on 999; if you see suspicious activity such as persons hanging around or vehicles parked that are not familiar, please report this with full details such as date/time/registration number of vehicle and description of person(s) directly to us at Neighbourhood Watch. We will ensure it goes directly to the appropriate police department. Police Patrols are going to target the A2 slip roads in an effort to combat this increase in theft, which is thought to be by persons from outside of the Borough".

The photo above shows Erith High Street in 1910. By the look of it, the photo was taken in the Spring / Summer and on a Saturday afternoon, due to the number of men one can see standing around chatting. Back in those days of large families and small houses, the men would be told to stay out of the house until meal times. Working hours were long, and it was quite normal to go to work on Saturday mornings - one of the reasons football matches usually kick off at 3pm or thereabouts nowadays - a historical hangover. The only building in the photo above that still exists is the Cross Keys Centre, which you can just see in the centre distance. Everything else was demolished back in 1966 when the town centre was redeveloped - a move that many locals regret to this day.

Newly opened Erith gym Fit4Less has got off to a very good start. Pre – opening member registrations were the highest of any gym in the franchise chain, and since then the number of members has reached full capacity. I understand that monthly renewal levels are very high, and word reaches me that the place is already so successful that Josh Waters, the owner is in negotiations with Bexley Council about expanding into the vacant industrial unit next door. Bearing in mind that until Josh and his team took the corner unit opposite Erith Health Centre, it had been unoccupied and ignored since the building was constructed. It is now interesting to hear rumours that a couple of other businesses are showing an interest in taking the unit next to Fit4Less, after they have seen the success that the gym has already experienced. I think that especially bearing in mind the financial investment (not to mention risk) that Josh has put into the building, he should most definitely have first option on the adjacent unit. Erith town centre is finally opening up at night – not only is the gym open until late, but also the newly opened Riverside Fish and Steak restaurant opens until 11pm in the week, and midnight at the weekend. The whole pattern if town centre usage is now changing as it no longer becomes empty and barren after 6pm, as was the case for many years. I suspect that this pattern will continue to change and evolve, as other businesses realise that there is both life and customers after the retail shops close for the evening.

I am trying to discover more about a very colourful and larger than life character who lived in Erith during Victorian times; his name was Robert Austen, but he was more popularly known as "Robert the Devil" - he was an exhibitionist and showman, and I understand he had a strong man act that sometimes toured around North Kent and beyond. He had a couple of party tricks. He often drank in the pubs on Erith river front, and was notorious for betting other drinkers a pint of ale if he could swim across the River Thames from Erith to Coldharbour Point in Havering, Essex and back - which he invariably did. As I have previously written, the currents and undertow in and around Anchor Bay make this one of the most lethal stretches of the Thames for swimmers, and why most people who enter the river end up getting fished out by the Police or RNLI as corpses. It would appear that Robert Austen was a very strong and confident swimmer who could repeatedly challenge this - (although I would hazard a guess that he timed his swims for slack tide). On top of swimming the river, Austen would permit a man to break a granite kerbstone over his chest with a sledge hammer - for the price of a gallon of beer! More information if you have it please.

Do you remember that back in 2004 Coca Cola released a bottled water product called Dasani? The UK launch of Dasani is now taught in business schools as to how not to launch a product, and when you have launched it, what not to do when the launch does not go as planned. The problem was that Dasani was actually filtered tap water from Sidcup, where Coca Cola then had a bottling plant. Close similarities were seen with the "Only Fools and Horses" episode "Mother Nature's Son" where Del and Rodney sell tap water as "Peckham Spring" bottled water.  Bearing in mind that Peckham and Sidcup are only a few miles apart, the press picked up on this with glee. The video below tells the whole story of how the American Coca Cola executives completely mishandled the situation and made things worse than they already were, mainly due to not understanding British culture and slang phrases - as you will see in the short explanatory video below. It makes for fascinating and quite amusing viewing. Please feel free to leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The 2016 Christmas Tree Festival.

The photos above were taken this weekend at the annual Christmas Tree Festival at Christ Church Erith. The event raises money for several good causes, including the Greenwich and Bexley Community Hospice. Hundreds of visitors turned up to the event, which is one of the most popular and well - attended in the local calendar. A very wide cross - section of the local community visited the church over the weekend - the event started on Friday lunchtime, and finished on Sunday evening, with many musical performances taking place whilst the visitors walked around the church, which was filled with decorated Christmas trees sponsored by local organisations and individual families. The event is free, though donations to the various good causes that the event supports are always very welcome. Thanks to the numerous Maggot Sandwich readers who came over to say "hello" during the festival; I was helping to sell copies of the Friends of Christ Church Erith calendar. 

I took the photo above recently of Moat House, in James Watt Way. The newly completed block of apartments for affordable rent has been abandoned and empty since the terrible fire that destroyed much of the roof and damaged the top floor of the building in early August. The residents are still in temporary accommodation whilst engineers and builders repair the extensive damage. It had originally been said that the residents would be able to move back into the block by the end of September, but that date as been and now long gone. At the current rate of progress, I doubt that the apartment block will be ready to take back residents before the Spring of next year. 

Local Councillor Alex Sawyer has most definitely been earning his keep in his role as member for Traffic and Transport over the past week. He has been questioned by Erith residents over the closure of the very busy pedestrian crossing on the railway bridge linking Fraser Road, Bexley Road and the Fish Roundabout. This is used by commuters to and from Erith railway station, students at Bexley College in Walnut Tree Road, and people visiting Christ Church Erith. It is the busiest pedestrian crossing in the town; the crossing was closed and out of use due to ongoing roadworks in Bexley Road. The trouble is, the roadworks seemed to have ground to a halt, with very little if any work actually being done in my experience. This caused a degree of frustration; one local resident who chooses to be anonymous wrote to Councillor Sawyer thus:- "Are you aware that the pedestrian crossing in Bexley Road, near the junction of Victoria Road, and opposite Christ Church Erith was suspended on Thursday of last week and was still suspended yesterday when I used Erith Station?   This must be one of the most important and most used pedestrian crossings in Erith, with traffic coming from all directions.  I did spot some commuters trying to dodge the traffic and cross Bexley Road, rather than walk up Bexley Road and cross over near Fraser Road – which is still dangerous. If this is a temporary measure, when on earth will the situation be rectified? What reason is there for the suspension please? These traffic lights are absolutely essential and must be replaced". The traffic lights were eventually restored to operation just before the end of the week - but not before being a severe inconvenience to commuters. No explanation was given for the lengthy outage, and to my knowledge my correspondent did not receive a response to her Email. What do you think? Have you encountered problems over the last week or so due to the suspension of the crossing? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

  

After the previous story, and the routine use of Email in communication, it may surprise you to learn that Email has actually been around for a pretty long time - certainly longer than many people will have realised. Email was invented before the Internet arrived, with early versions being used more than fifty years ago. Email has become one of the de facto ways of exchanging electronic messages today in the blink of an eye. Email is nowadays regarded as the most important and widely used communications medium on the internet, and it heralded the end of physically writing letters, especially to people or organisations based overseas. It also played a role in the downfall of the humble telex and then fax machine. Some feel that email was devised as an early messaging application for Arpanet, the precursor to the modern Internet. That is true to certain extend, but in reality electronic messaging was in existence long before the arrival of that network. For example, the AUTODIN (Automatic Digital Network) network in the United States became operational in 1962, and it provided a message service between 1,350 terminals for the United States Department of Defence, handling 30 million messages per month. Then in 1965 MIT created its CTSS MAIL System, which allowed users of MIT computers to leave messages at the university for other users, who would see the messages the next time they logged on to the computer. Just like leaving a note on someone’s desk. These old mailing systems were only typically able to send messages to various users of the same computer or network. But something had to change when computers began talking to each other across different works. Essentially, the electronic message needed to be inserted into a digital envelope, addressed to the right recipient, and then posted to them. Ray Tomlinson is widely regarded as the inventor of email. Tomlinson created the first inter-network messaging system in 1971 while working for Bolt Beranek and Newman (now Raytheon BBN Technologies), where he helped develop the Tops - TENEX operating system and Arpanet, the predecessor to the Internet. The US Department of Defence had in 1969 created Arpanet (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), which was a network connecting numerous computers across the department for the purpose of communication. In October 1969 the first message was sent from one computer to computer on Arpanet. But Ray Tomlinson in 1971 invented and developed Arpanet’s networked email system, which was an email system as we know it today. His system proved very popular and by 1974 there were hundreds of military users of email. This is because Tomlinson’s system decided to use the ‘@’ symbol to allow users to send messages from one network to another. Tomlinson’s invention thus distinguished local recipients and addresses on other networks and this has remained standard ever since. Tomlinson died in March this year aged 74 following a reported heart attack, but before his death he did say that he doesn’t remember what was said in the world’s first ever email because the text was just “gibberish” written for the purposes of testing, or sections from the Gettysburg address. It should be noted that email continued to evolve over time. Larry Roberts for example invented some email folders for his boss so he could sort his mail. Then in 1975 John Vittal developed some software to organise email. Commercial email systems began to appear in the 1980s, with one of the best known being Eudora (circa 1988). Not long after Pegasus mail appeared. Email continued to evolve. One of the first email standards was SMTP (simple message transfer protocol). SMTP is simple and indeed is still in use today, but it does have its limitations. New email standards such as POP (Post Office Protocol) are also increasingly used. Email certainly changed how the world communicated, and it remains one of the principal communication mediums the world over.

Well, It would seem that popular local coach hire company Ebdons Tours has been effectively closed down by the licensing authorities for serious breaches in regulations going back quite some time. Peter Lewis, who traded as Ebdons Tours with his wife Carole Lewis, was also disqualified indefinitely from working as a transport manager following a public inquiry. Mr Lewis was supposed to install exhaust filters costing between £3,500 and £7,000 to cut his vehicles’ emissions and ensure they met the standards of the London Low Emission Zone, avoiding the £200 charge for non-compliance. When his fleet of coaches was given a routine inspection by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency in the spring of this year, it was discovered that seven out of eight coaches did not have the required particulate filters installed, despite them having certificates saying that filters were indeed fitted. Investigations revealed test certificates had been issued on the same vehicle on more than one occasion, while declarations had been made relating to filters that were installed on multiple vehicles within the same calendar year. Security cameras in the emission zone revealed the vehicles had been used while exhaust filters were not fitted, and the DVSA officer also found discrepancies with vehicle safety standard paperwork. As a result the Deputy Traffic Commissioner has withdrawn the licence to operate for Ebdon’s Tours for three years, as well as disqualifying Peter Lewis from operating a transport organisation for life – in effect killing the business.

Another local business that has rather more quietly shut up shop recently is the independent double glazing supplier PJ Plastics in Northumberland Heath, which has recently ceased trading. The business had been trading for many years, and indeed Pewty Acres has windows and doors supplied by the company. Personally I found their service to be excellent, and the products they supplied to be first rate, but I hear that not all of their customers were as satisfied as I was by their work. The PJ Plastics website is now down, but their Twitter feed is still operational; if you scroll back, their tweets are all pretty standard - mainly showing work their fitters have carried out, then suddenly - seemingly out of the blue they announced on November the 18th that the company was urgently looking for a buyer - and that was the final message. I do understand that PJ Plastics carried out a lot of work for local authorities and housing associations - the recent budgetary cutbacks may well have impacted on their cash flow - if any reader has better insight into the failure of PJ Plastics, please get in contact with me with the details - in complete confidence if you so wish.

The London Borough of Bexley comes out top in a poll that it would rather not have won; Bexley has one of the highest smoking rates among expectant mothers in Greater London, according to new figures. Some 8.2 per cent of mums-to-be in the borough still smoke at the time of delivery - a figure that is only higher in Greenwich and Barking and Dagenham (both 8.6 per cent). In contrast, just 1.5 per cent of expectant mothers in Westminster smoke at the time of delivery - the lowest rate in London. The England-wide average is 10.6 per cent, with the highest rate (14.4 per cent) found in the north. Smoking while pregnant can lead to premature delivery and an increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirth or sudden infant death. The report does not investigate the reasons for the wide disparity in the statistical figures - I guess that is a matter for further investigation.

Brian Silk the man behind Bexley Invicta football club, and occasional Maggot Sandwich restaurant critic, has written the following review on the newly opened Riverside Fish and Steak restaurant in Erith Riverside Shopping Centre. "Having anticipated the opening of a restaurant in Erith that is open in the evening, I was keen to try out Fish and Steak soon after it opened. I went along early last week and chose a table close to the window. The restaurant is very nicely furnished and decorated - the sort of place you could go to for a special meal. I was impressed with the menu: plenty of choice and a range of prices, with nothing overpriced. The Starters were enticing, with one or two unusual options - such as Roasted Tomato, Basil and Cheshire Cheesecake - but I didn’t have the appetite for a three course meal (I’d already decided I wanted to try a Dessert). So I went straight for a Main, choosing a rib-eye steak with chilli butter, chips with parmesan, battered onion rings and asparagus. Everything on my plate was really tasty, but the steak was particularly good. It was succulent by itself, but the butter made it really juicy. The glass of red wine I ordered went well the the steak. Although I was already full, I decided to have a Dessert. For me, it was a difficult choice between the Creme brûlée and the Dark chocolate and salted caramel delice. I opted for the latter and asked for it to be served with coffee. The presentation of the delice was impressive and it was as good to eat as it looks, and the coffee was spot on. I should add that the service was excellent throughout and I left impressed and satisfied. I definitely intend to return to Fish and Steak". Brian took the photos pf his meal, which you can see above - click on either for a larger version. You can see a reproduction of the Riverside Fish and Steak menu below - again, click on either image for a larger version.

We seldom get anyone searching the River Thames foreshore at Erith for hidden treasure - it is far too muddy and dangerous, but other parts of the banks of the River Thames have been the source of much historical and archeological information. For many years there has been little regulation on shoreside treasure seeking - an activity better known as mudlarking.  The Port of London Authority, which owns the river bank along with the Crown Estate, has ordered a clampdown as treasure hunting has soared in popularity. Previously anyone could look for fragments of the past, ranging from Roman coins to Delftware pottery, provided they did not scrape or dig the surface to retrieve them. Under the clampdown, any form of searching for objects washed up by the tides is prohibited unless the mudlarks hold a permit, which costs £32 for a day or £75 for three years. But the move dismayed some mudlarks — the Victorian name for impoverished children and adults who scavenged the washed up debris for anything to sell. Ted Sandling, whose new book, London In Fragments, details his passion for amateur archaeology, said the new requirements “unfairly penalise casual mudlarkers. I started as a weekend mudlark, going down to the river  serendipitously when I saw the tide was out. I applied for a permit when I began to take it seriously, after around a decade of doing it once or twice a year.  My path is now being closed off to others.” Last month the London Evening Standard reported that one of the earliest Victoria Cross gallantry medals to be awarded was recovered from the mud on the banks of the Thames. The medal, presented for bravery during the Crimean War and worth at least £50,000, was found by a mudlark on the foreshore with a metal detector. Tobias Neto, 54, from Putney, said he only realised the medal was a Victoria Cross when he got home and saw the writing “For Valour” below the crown.

Notorious ultra right wing racist, bigot and internet troll Joshua Bonehill (photo above), who once wrote me a threatening and abusive Email, and whom I have featured to quite some extent in the past has been back in court this week. He's been before the bench in the Old Bailey on charges of racially aggravated harassment against Luciana Berger MP. He's already in prison (Wandsworth), serving a three year and four month sentence for inciting racial hatred, which was handed to him this time last year. Many long-time readers will know that I have a personal, libertarian philosophy of “if it works for you”. The premise of which is that I believe that people should be free to do whatever they like within the law, as long as it does not cause harm, inconvenience or distress to others. Joshua Bonehill is self-professed racist, homophobe, misogynist, xenophobic anti - Semite who hates anyone who is not white and British and shares the extraordinarily offensive extreme fascist views he has. Now the scumbag is languishing in prison – for an extra two years over and above the three years and four months he was originally sentenced for, after his current appearance before the court, where he was found guilty of all charges on Wednesday afternoon. “You are currently serving a sentence of 40 months imprisonment, imposed on 17th December 2015 for stirring up racial hatred against the Jewish community in Golders Green. That offence was committed whilst you were on bail for the present offence, which in turn was committed whilst you were on bail for other offences of sending malicious communications over the internet and harassment,” said the sentencing judge at the Old Bailey, Mr Justice Spencer. The judge also made the following order: "You must not possess devices capable of accessing the internet and making or storing digital information without notifying the police and making the equipment available for examination on request. You must not have more than two laptops, phones or other mobile devices capable of accessing the internet. You must provide the police with access to any encrypted material. You must not delete the internet history on any of the devices". One thing Bonehill repeatedly emphasises in his warped writing is how he (in his words) is being persecuted for exercising his right to free speech. This strikes me as supremely ironic – he wants the right to write and speak his racist, homophobic, misogynist and antiSemitic views, but then threatens anyone who also uses their right of free speech to challenge his warped and offensive opinions. It seems to me that Bonehill thinks that there should be one law for him, and one (his) law for everybody else. You can see a BBC TV interview with Luciana Berger MP about the case and how it affected her by clicking here.

As I have previously mentioned, the British Government is persisting on its' roll - out of digital utility smart meters, despite overwhelming evidence that they will cost more money than they will save - a lesson learned by the Germans last year, when they scrapped their country - wide smart meter deployment when they realised that it was in fact a white elephant. Whereas the British government has insisted it is effectively communicating the benefits of its controversial smart meter programme - despite MPs having identified a "lack of clarity" over the "problem" the scheme is trying to solve. In its response to the committee’s “Evidence Check” report on smart meters in September, the government said "it is clear about the long term national benefits that smart metering will bring.” More than 4.2 million smart and advanced meters are operating in homes and businesses. Some 53 million smart meters are due to be installed in residences and small businesses by the end of 2020 at an estimated cost of £11bn, with an estimated net "benefit" of £5.7bn by 2020. The Science and Technology committee’s report found that smart meters will benefit suppliers nearly twice as much as consumers in terms of cost savings. It noted that "although the scale and durability of such savings is contested ... it would appear that the rollout could alter consumption levels by 2–3 per cent.” The committee recommended that the government do more to "communicate the national benefits of smart metering alongside the potential cost savings and efficiencies" for consumers. It said this was a weakness of the government’s evidence check statement "and relates to a lack of clarity over the ‘problem’ that smart meters aim to address." Since its inception, the smart meter roll - out programme has been subject to heavy criticism. A leaked report by the Cabinet Office four years ago highlighted the vulnerability of smart meters to cyber-attacks, and flagged estimates that the scheme could leave the taxpayer out of pocket by £4.5bn rather than save consumers cash. To my mind, any project that is going to cost more money to deploy than it will save is already dead in the water.

Have you ever wondered whether it was quicker for those on foot to use the Woolwich pedestrian tunnel, or wait for the free ferry when crossing the River Thames at Woolwich? Well the team from the excellent Londonist website have taken this challenge, and produced the video you can watch below. Please feel free to leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.