Vidor.

The group photos above (click on either for a larger view) were taken in the foyer of CineWorld Bexleyheath last Sunday afternoon. The occasion was the private showing of the new Star Wars movie. "The Rise of Skywalker" to a select audience of roughly 350 people all of whom were personally invited by the organiser Nav, who can be seen in the upper photo above wearing the bright orange X-Wing fighter pilots uniform. Every year for the last five, Nav has organised a private showing of each of the new Star Wars movies, and it has now become a regular pre - Christmas event, and part of the local social calendar. The film viewing aside, it is also a time for people to catch up and socialise, some of whom only get the opportunity to do so once a year at the private showing. It is also a time where parents, who saw the original series of films when they were children, get the opportunity to bring their own offspring along to share the event with them. 

This week The Bexley Times have reported the a one year old pony had to be rescued after getting into difficulties in a field in Norman Road, Lower Belvedere. The horse had fallen down a steep bank and was unable to get back up before collapsing with exhaustion. The horse had slipped down a muddy bank and was stuck, laying on his side, with his back legs caught around a tree and his front legs in a small culvert. He had been trying to get back to his feet and was exhausted; he was on the brink of death. A vet sedated him so the team of firefighters from Erith fire station could get the straps under him and start to winch him back up the bank. The RSPCA were in attendance; they left an abandonment notice at the site and removed the pony for further veterinary treatment. The horse, named Frosty by the rescuers will stay with the vets until he is strong enough to move to an RSPCA centre. If no one comes forward to claim him then he will be re-homed by the charity. This winter, the RSPCA expects to take in more than 10,000 animals in need across England and Wales as more become lost or simply just abandoned after Christmas. The practice of horse and pony owners effectively abandoning their animals is unfortunately widespread. The practice of “fly-grazing” has become increasingly common both in the local area, and also around the country. Thousands of horses and ponies are being abandoned by their erstwhile owners as irresponsible breeding, spiralling bills and sale prices which have reached rock bottom take their toll. In a recent interview, RSPCA Inspector Nicholas Wheelhouse said:- "We find some people who have horses and have just kept them on undeveloped land, but as the developers are now snapping up these sites, the horses are being moved on. The knock-on effect is that with a shortage of green land we are finding that the owners are then tethering their horses on the side of the roads or keeping them in very poor makeshift enclosures, not even fields. It’s an issue that I as an inspector am seeing on the increase, as sadly, if the horses are not attended to well enough, welfare problems can start and that's when we become involved. I’ve seen horses in places you wouldn’t ever expect them to be and many in really built-up areas." A pony can fetch as little as £5 at auction – if it sells at all, whilst stable costs, feed and vets bills can amount to around £100 per week per animal. The six main horse welfare charities have come together to compile a report on the situation; it would also appear that the European appetite for horse meat may be fuelling the situation – a £5 pony can turn into a £230 carcass on the European meat market. It may be that ponies are actually being farmed for live export to France, Belgium and Italy. The RSPCA have called for legislation that will enable them to more quickly identify owners and punish them with fines and the seizure of animals for fly-grazing. They also want a review of agreements allowing the free movement of horses not intended for slaughter between Britain, Ireland and France. The British horse population is thought to be just under one million animals in size. The vast majority are owned privately for leisure – a sector which, unlike the horse racing industry, has not historically been tightly regulated. A bill was brought into law back in 2015 which was hoped to change this situation. The Control of Horses Act 2015 made changes to the law to deter people from illegally grazing or simply abandoning horses on public and private land, which is known as ‘fly-grazing’. As many as 3,000 horses are thought to be illegally fly-grazing across the country. The changes meant that horse owners who fly-graze their animals without permission could  be dealt with more quickly and effectively. These changes to the law have on paper given rural communities greater powers to deal with thousands of horses that are left to graze illegally without the land owners’ permission. Horses that are left to fly-graze can now be re-homed much more quickly and effectively, improving the welfare of these animals and preventing disruption to communities. By allowing abandoned horses to be re-homed much more quickly, this act will encourage owners to pay proper attention to their animals’ welfare and ensure communities are no longer blighted by the illegal practice of fly-grazing. Under the previous Animals Act 1971 an abandoned horse could only be disposed of after 14 days through sale at market or public auction. The 2015 Act means fly-grazing horses have to be reported to police within 24 hours, and owners now have four days to claim their animals. Previously, an abandoned horse could only be disposed of through sale at market or public auction. The 2015 law extended the options for dealing with abandoned horses, which now include private sale, gifting and rehoming. Unfortunately the 2015 Act has in practice made very little difference to horse and pony welfare. Actually determining the owners of the fly grazed animals is often very difficult, as the animals have no registration or other ownership documents. The owners are now resorting in some cases to leaving sick animals to die, rather than having them properly treated by a vet. It would seem that no amount of legislation will stop the misuse of ponies and horses if the authorities are not prepared to enforce it properly. What do you think? Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com with your feedback.

Most computer users will be very familiar with Microsoft Office, the pretty much ubiquitous combination of word processor, spreadsheet, database, presentation suite and Email client. Microsoft are encouraging users to switch from the locally installed Office 2019 to the web based Office 365. There are actually several exceedingly good alternatives to Microsoft Office, including one particular office suite which is full - featured, completely Microsoft file format compatible, mature, backed by a large organisation, and unlike Microsoft Office, it is totally free to download and use. The office suite is called LibreOffice. The history of LibreOffice goes back to 2010, after database software giant Oracle completed its acquisition of Sun Microsystems. This included OpenOffice, an open source Office suite originally known as Star Office. Sun had picked up the Star Division, the company behind Star Office, in 1999, and published the suite as free and open source in an effort to reduce the dominance of Microsoft Office. In September 2010 a group of OpenOffice contributors who were unhappy about Oracle's tight control of the project announced The Document Foundation along with a fork of OpenOffice 3.3, which they called LibreOffice. Oracle was asked to transfer OpenOffice to the new group but refused. A few months later more former OpenOffice contributors declared their support for the new fork. The following year, Oracle decided that OpenOffice had no commercial future and in June 2011 transferred the project to the Apache Foundation, where it continues, with a claimed 1.6 million downloads of version 4.1.7, released in September. LibreOffice had the momentum though, and has been developed more rapidly. 2020 will be therefore the 10th anniversary for LibreOffice and it is planning "a year long celebration." Has LibreOffice succeeded? The software is popular and highly valued by users, and unlike Microsoft Office works well on Linux. It is free software and also lets you adopt the OpenDocument Format (ODF) in place of Microsoft proprietary Office formats. The LibreOffice team has been working on the user interface, and there are now a bewildering number of options for menus and toolbars. You can select Standard Toolbar, Single Toolbar, Sidebar, Tabbed, Tabbed Compact, Grouped bar Compact, and Contextual Single. You can also combine various options, such as choosing Tabbed UI, which is reminiscent of the Microsoft Office ribbon toolbar, and then adding the traditional dropdown menubar on top. Interoperability with Microsoft Office formats has been improved, and you can now export document templates (.dotx and .xltx), import and export PowerPoint SmartArt, and import charts which use Word DrawingML. LibreOffice still has a place for organisations (not least the EU) concerned about retaining or recovering "digital sovereignty". It removes the reliance of Microsoft's proprietary document formats, which tend to change every couple of years, meaning that in order to read and use your old MS Office files, you have to buy the latest version of MS Office and then upgrade your old files to the new format. That said, Microsoft Office remains the business standard, and today's battle is more between the web based Office 365 and Google's G Suite, than between the locally installed Microsoft Office and LibreOffice. Most Office 365 subscriptions bundle Microsoft's desktop software with Email and other online services, making it hard for LibreOffice to break in. LibreOffice plays an important role in providing a high-quality office suite for Linux and as an alternative to Microsoft Office. There are now also browser-based options, including Google's G Suite, but if you prefer the freedom of working locally with open source software, LibreOffice is for you. LibreOffice then has not changed the software world, but it has perhaps made it a better place. You can read more about LibreOffice and download it for free by clicking here.

Whist surfing the BBC iPlayer website, I found an archive recording from back in 2010. It features comedian Mark Steel in an early episode of his popular BBC Radio 4 comedy series "Mark Steel's in Town". The programme description reads thus:- "Mark Steel visits 6 more UK towns to discover what makes them and their inhabitants distinctive. He creates a bespoke stand-up show for that town and performs the show in front of a local audience. As well as shedding light on the less visited areas of Britain, Mark uncovers stories and experiences that resonate with us all as we recognise the quirkiness of the British way of life and the rich tapestry of remarkable events and people who have shaped where we live.  In this episode Mark performs a show for the residents of Dartford in Kent where he talks about the peasants' revolt, gypsy tart, Mick Jagger and what one resident calls the Road To Hell". You can hear the very funny programme, which features Dartford, Erith (postulating that Christopher Columbus came from Erith, and that before he went on to discover America, he first sailed across the Thames to discover Essex!) and many other local towns, including Mark Steel's own birthplace - Swanley. Click here to stream the show, which I can highly recommend.

The two photos above date back to the 1920's; the upper of the two photos shows shrimp fishermen employed by William Gilder, the fishmonger who had a shop in Erith High Street for many years between the two World Wars. The distinguished chap in the Fedora hat the helm of the vessel is Mr. Gilder himself; I am not sure if he regularly went out on shrimping trips, or if this was a special occasion that merited a commemorative photograph. I was surprised when I came across the photo; I knew that the River Thames off Erith was a rich source of Lemon Sole, Dabs and Eels, but I did not know that it had been a historic source of shrimps. What is somewhat troubling is that back then, raw sewage was pumped into the Thames from Crossness Sewage Works. Shrimps and Prawns get their nutrients from filtering the water they swim in, and any noxious substances tend to get concentrated in their bodies as a consequence.  This would have made eating Erith caught shrimps a bit of a lottery regarding whether they would give you food poisoning or not; I guess that people’s constitutions were a bit more hardy back then; personally I would have avoided local shellfish just to be on the safe side. More on this later. Gilder ran a successful fishmongers shop on the river front at Erith, directly opposite the wooden jetty that is still there today. The shop was in business for many years between the wars, and was only demolished in 1937. Some years ago, Maggot Sandwich reader and local historian Ken Chamberlain sent me the photo of Gilder’s Fishmongers which you can see above. He told me that the Gilder family were heavily involved in trade in and around Erith for many years, and indeed several members of the family still live locally. I had commented on how William Gilder looked considerably younger in the photo that Ken had sent me back then, to which he responded that although there was a distinct family resemblance, it was possible that the figure in the doorway was not the same person as pictured in the fishing boat. Either way it is a real slice of Erith’s long and varied history. The more I consider the state of pollution of the River Thames before WWII, the more I am amazed not only that a successful fishing business could generate income from the murky waters, but that people were apparently not routinely poisoned. In addition to the aforementioned sewage outfall from Crossness, back before the war Erith Pier was frequented by heavy cargo freighters and ships that were judged as too large to navigate further upriver to the docks, or the Pool of London. The output sewage and waste oil into the river, along with leaving traces of chemicals from their anti fouling paint (which used to contain large amounts of poisonous tin or copper compounds to inhibit weed and barnacle growth on the hulls of ships). It is a wonder that anything managed to live in the Thames off Erith at all. The water nowadays is far cleaner than it has been for years – the reason it looks brown and murky is mainly due to the large levels of silt that is suspended in the water, rather than to high pollution levels. This is evidenced by the large number of seals that now inhabit the river in the local area; seals are top tier predators - they would not be in the Thames if all of the fish lower down the food chain were not present and very healthy. As I have mentioned in the past, Lemon Sole spawn in Anchor Bay and the area around Erith Pier. Dabs and Eels are also present in abundance.

A forty first birthday took place recently - a ground breaking cult comedy series that changed many things, and certainly influenced Sir Terry Pratchett and his much beloved Discworld novels; Back in 1978, the first episode of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was broadcast on BBC Radio 4. At the time no-one - least of all its creator Douglas Adams - would have known that the story of galactically - displaced nobody Arthur Dent would one day travel as far in the pop-cultural landscape as the book’s characters did across the universe. I got into Hitchhikers pretty early on - I recall that when I was at school, I could recite, word perfect, entire chunks of the first two books. In the years since in inception, The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy has existed in almost every form imaginable - first a radio series, then a book, record albums (different to the radio versions), a television series, various stage productions, a computer game, a towel and a major motion picture - each one expanding on or compressing previous versions, using some aspects, flatly contradicting others and completely ignoring the rest. It has proven astonishingly prolific as a franchise, and that’s probably because its main thesis – that the universe is an idiosyncratic and absurd place as viewed from a human perspective – is one that cannot help but resonate with audiences across time and space.

Do you recall the Vidor brand of batteries? They used to be sold all over the place, especially in shops such as Woolworths. They were cheaper than Ever Ready or Duracell, and very popular, if not so long lasting. The brand Vidor was based in Erith, and they produced a range of consumer electronics in the years after the war; their battery production facilities were located in South Shields and Dundee, whilst their television and radio factory was in St Fidelis Road, off West Street, Erith. In 1934 T. N. Cole, managing director of the Lissen battery company, left that company sometime after it had been taken over by Ever-Ready; he purchased the Burndept radio company and set up the Vidor battery company, in direct competition with Lissen/Ever-Ready. Vidor's name came from the initials of Thomas's two daughters, Valerie and Denise, and his wife Rebecca. As a concession to Ever Ready and his agreement with the company, he did not run Burndept and Vidor himself, but employed Mr. R.P. Richardson as Managing Director. In 1935 Thomas brought an action appealing against the agreement with Ever Ready. An out of court settlement was made and from that time on, relations between Ever Ready and Vidor were strained, not helped by popularity of Vidor batteries with radio dealers because of their competitive prices, which were around twenty five percent cheaper than their rivals. In 1939 a Vidor portable radio shown at National Radio Exhibition. After World War II, between 1947 - 1958 Various models of radio were manufactured - you can see a video featuring the Vidor "My Lady Margaret" valve portable set by clicking here. The company appears to have been absorbed into several others in the late 60's / early 70's, and the battery making part of the business was sold to an Argentinian company, who as far as I can ascertain, still own the brand.

I had a bit of a real life Monty Python "Spam sketch" moment on Monday; I was on my way back from a meeting in the West End, and at lunchtime I reached Charing Cross station; feeling peckish, I broke my journey to go onto the station concourse in order to purchase some lunch. I rolled up at the  baguette shop, and had a look at what was on offer. Bacon and egg; ham and cheese, chicken and bacon; salami and salad. All the filled baguettes had one thing in common - they all contained some type of pork. I am pork intolerant, and have to avoid the meat or otherwise get a violent stomach upset. I asked the unkempt and spotty individual behind the counter (who bore a striking resemblance to Cletus the Slack Jawed Yokel from the Simpsons) if they had any other fillings available. He ummed and aahed for a few moments and said "We've got prosciutto rolls too" I explained that I wanted something without any pork - and had to tell him that bacon was actually a kind of pork, which was evidently news to him. He then said "We do have chicken royale with bacon - but it doesn't have much bacon in it". I gave up. You can contact me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association office is closed for the Christmas and New Year holiday, so this week there are no local safety and security reports from the various ward Safer Neighbourhood Police teams. Normal service will be resumed next week.

The end video this week is a blast from the recent past; it features the Erith Lighthouse, a pop - up restaurant and art studio that was located in Erith Riverside Gardens in the late summer of 2017. The events were organised by The Exchange - the arts and community not for profit group who took on the old Carnegie library in Walnut Tree Road, subsequently opening the excellent Bookstore Cafe in the basement of the historic building. Indeed, looking back one can see that the Lighthouse project was a prototype for the Bookstore Cafe. Many new and exciting events are planned for the near future by The Exchange. The Carnegie library and the Bookstore Cafe are currently closed for staff holidays, but they will re - open on the 15th of January. You can read more by clicking here.

The waiting room.

I was a passenger on a 99 bus heading up Fraser Road and into Bexley Road on Monday afternoon; even by the standards of the normally congested junction, which feeds into the narrow bridge across the railway adjacent to Erith Station, the traffic was at an uncharacteristic crawl. I debated getting off the bus at the stop opposite Christ Church Erith, but on a whim decided to wait out the delay, as I was in no special hurry at the time. When the bus eventually reached the railway bridge, it became apparent that there was a reason for the congestion and delay. Five fire engines, six Police cars, including an unmarked Citroen Cactus and a couple of ambulances were crowded around the Eastern side of the De Luci fish roundabout, where it appeared that a metallic green Ford Ranger sports utility vehicle had been hit by a heavy goods vehicle. As I went past on the bus, I could see that the firefighters had cut the roof from the Ford Ranger, and appeared to have once person on a stretcher, whilst a group of other firefighters were crowding around the back seat of the wrecked vehicle; I could not see what they are doing, and to be honest I was quite thankful for this. The situation looked grave, but the emergency services were working quickly and efficiently to rescue the people involved in the distressing incident. What did surprise and to be honest, annoy me, was the number of civilian bystanders who were taking photos of the Police, ambulance and fire crews whilst they were working to save the unfortunate victims of the crash. Nobody seemed to think that it was inappropriate or distasteful to record video or take still images of what could have been at least one potential fatality. Suffice to say that even though it would have made a very news worthy item, I did not take any images. The accident highlights how dangerous the De Luci fish roundabout really is. One of the main problems is the number of foreign lorries who enter the roundabout quite fast, and with limited room to manoeuvre - usually after having come along Bronze Age Way; because the lorries are left hand drive, they have great difficulty in seeing vehicles that are already on the roundabout and are looking to use the third exit. It is easy to see how a foreign driver could fail to see a vehicle under such circumstances. The onlookers appeared to be treating the tragic situation as some kind of sideshow, which I felt was in very poor taste. There have been a number of projects suggested to widen the road bridge which crosses the railway next to Christ Church in Bexley Road, as this acts as a bottle neck, being only a single lane wide, whilst the other roads connecting to the De Luci fish roundabout are all dual carriageways. To date, apart from some temporary remedial brick work carried out on the bridge a couple of years ago, nothing has actually come to pass. What do you think? Did you see the accident, or the aftermath? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Earlier this week, the RSPCA declared that Erith, Thamesmead, Sidcup, Abbey Wood and Lower Belvedere as crisis sites for unauthorised free, or fly grazing areas for unwanted horses and ponies. Free, or fly grazing sees animals tethered and left on areas of open ground, waste land and even on football pitches or other areas intended for leisure use. in an interview with The News Shopper, RSPCA Inspector Nicholas Wheelhouse said:- "We find some people who have horses and have just kept them on undeveloped land, but as the developers are now snapping up these sites, the horses are being moved on. The knock-on effect is that with a shortage of green land we are finding that the owners are then tethering their horses on the side of the roads or keeping them in very poor makeshift enclosures, not even fields. It’s an issue that I as an inspector am seeing on the increase, as sadly, if the horses are not attended to well enough, welfare problems can start and that's when we become involved. I’ve seen horses in places you wouldn’t ever expect them to be and many in really built-up areas," he said. The practice of “fly-grazing” has become increasingly common both in the local area, and also around the country. Thousands of horses and ponies are being abandoned by their erstwhile owners as irresponsible breeding, spiralling bills and sale prices which have reached rock bottom take their toll. A pony can fetch as little as £5 at auction – if it sells at all, whilst stable costs, feed and vets bills can amount to around £100 per week per animal. The six main horse welfare charities have come together to compile a report on the situation; it would also appear that the European appetite for horse meat may be fuelling the situation – a £5 pony can turn into a £230 carcass on the European meat market. It may be that ponies are actually being farmed for live export to France, Belgium and Italy. The RSPCA have called for legislation that will enable them to more quickly identify owners and punish them with fines and the seizure of animals for fly-grazing. They also want a review of agreements allowing the free movement of horses not intended for slaughter between Britain, Ireland and France. The British horse population is thought to be just under one million animals in size. The vast majority are owned privately for leisure – a sector which, unlike the horse racing industry, has not historically been tightly regulated.  A new bill was brought into law a couple of years ago which hopefully may go far to changing this situation, thought to date implementations seems to have been patchy. The Control of Horses Act 2015 made changes to the law to deter people from illegally grazing or simply abandoning horses on public and private land, which, as mentioned earlier, is known as ‘fly-grazing’. As many as 3,000 horses are thought to be illegally fly-grazing across the country. The changes mean horse owners who fly-graze their animals without permission can now be dealt with more quickly and effectively. These changes to the law will give rural communities greater powers to deal with thousands of horses that are left to graze illegally without the land owners’ permission. Horses that are left to fly-graze can now potentially be re-homed much more quickly and effectively, improving the welfare of these animals and preventing disruption to communities. By allowing abandoned horses to be re-homed much more quickly, this act should encourage owners to pay proper attention to their animals’ welfare and ensure communities are no longer blighted by the illegal practice of fly-grazing, although in reality this is often not the outcome. Under the previous Animals Act 1971 an abandoned horse could only be disposed of after 14 days through sale at market or public auction. The 2015 Act means fly-grazing horses have to be reported to police within 24 hours, and owners now have four days to claim their animals. Previously, an abandoned horse could only be disposed of through sale at market or public auction. The 2015 law extends the options for dealing with abandoned horses, which now include private sale, gifting and rehoming. Hopefully this will go some way into resolving the long standing problem, although with the announcement of the local fly grazing crisis areas by the RSPCA on Tuesday, this in actuality does not seem to be the case. Actually determining the owners of the fly grazed animals is often very difficult, as the animals have no registration or other ownership documents. The owners are now resorting in some cases to leaving sick animals to die, rather than having them properly treated by a vet. Only last week the corpse of a pony was discovered in a small field in Sidcup. It would seem that no amount of legislation will stop the misuse of ponies and horses if the authorities are not prepared to enforce it properly.

Every few months, the IT press publishes a story along the lines of "this will mark the death of Email" highlighting some product or application which they think will end the dominance of Email, yet it never actually happens. Despite social networking (which many will know I personally despise) and other communication tools, venerable Email continues to the the tool of choice for very many people. This week Google, as the single largest web based Email provider in the world, announced what appeared to be a serious hack to their Email service. The truth was something rather more mundane. Gmail users in both the USA and Europe reported last Monday that that someone has indeed created and sent spam with forged email headers. These not only override the send address, so that it appears a legitimate Gmail user sent the message, but it also mysteriously shows up in that person's sent box as if they had typed it and emitted themselves. In turn, the messages would also appear in their inboxes as sent mail. Users have been noticing and reporting the problem for a few days on Google's Gmail help forum. In each case, users said that messages they never wrote were showing up in their folders. While using fake headers to disguise the source of spam emails is nothing new, it is very unusual for a copy of those messages to appear as sent mail. This, understandably, led Gmail users to worry their accounts had been hijacked. Google says there has been no breach in this case. Rather, someone has been spoofing email headers. "We have actively taken measures to protect against a spam campaign that impacted a small subset of Gmail users. This attempt involved forged email headers that made it appear as if users were receiving emails from themselves, which also led to those messages erroneously appearing in the Sent folder," a Google representative said in a recent interview on The Register website. "We have identified and reclassified all offending emails as spam, and have no reason to believe any accounts were compromised as part of this incident. If you happen to notice a suspicious email, we encourage you to report it as spam." How exactly the spammer was able to not only spoof the headers but also make the messages appear in mail boxes of the faked sender is still a mystery. According to experts, there isn't anything too serious to worry about here, and Google was not in any way hacked or compromised. Rather, this is one of the basic functions of Gmail that, in this case, is being abused by annoying scumbags. A technical staff member at IT Security company Spamhaus, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Register website that messages fall into the sent box when the person being spoofed is BCC'ed with the spam. Gmail notices that the BCC'd user was also listed as the sender, thanks to the spoofed header, and in an attempt to tidy things up, puts the message into the sent pile. In a legitimate context, this is a nice way to avoid inbox clutter – in this case, however, it tricks folks into thinking they have been hacked. The bottom line is that your Gmail account is actually secure.

I had occasion on Wednesday to travel on the Bexleyheath railway line to Denmark Hill. I have visited Bexleyheath Station a couple of times in the last few years, but I am not that familiar with the place. I discovered shortly after reaching the station that I had just missed a Victoria bound train - the one I needed to catch to reach Denmark Hill; the Victoria trains only run twice an hour, so I had something like a 25 minute wait for the next one. Somewhat miffed, I pondered what to do with the time. It was then pointed out to me that the London bound platform at Bexleyheath Station has something one scarcely sees nowadays - a properly appointed waiting room for the use of passengers. As you can see in the two photos above - click on either for a larger view - the waiting room is light and airy, and immaculately clean. There is a small library of books available under an honesty service - if you take a book, you are asked to replace it with another for someone else to read. Pot plants are on the window sill, and the centre table even has a visitor's book - which has been signed by hundreds of people leaving compliments about the unexpectedly well - looked after and hospitable waiting space. Whilst I was there, a member of station staff came in to check that everything was as it should be in the waiting room - she even made sure all of the books in the two book cases were standing up straight. I understand that future plans for the waiting room include a gallery of paintings by local artists - apparently the final arrangements are being put into place for this over the next few weeks. The 1920's vintage parquet floor adds much character to the place. I had been entirely unaware of the waiting room until this week. I am pleasantly surprised by such local "hidden gems". If you know of any similar places in the local area that most residents are entirely unaware of, then please let me know, either by leaving a comment below, or by Emailing me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Now for the weekly local safety and security news from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. First an update from Barnehurst ward:- "Sadly we have had a Robbery reported on the ward this week. On Saturday 21st April at 9.30 PM the victim a male aged 14 years old was in the play park in Manor Way / Northall Road with a group of friends when five black males allegedly entered the park, surrounded him and using force stole his bag containing his mobile phone. If you have any information regarding this or any other crime please call 101 or report online, alternatively call crime stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. The team have been busy this week robustly dealing with reported motor bike Anti Social Behaviour across the ward. On 24th April we seized an off ride motor bike from a local youth after he continued to ride anti socially after having received a Section 59 police reform act 2002 warning only 5 days previously. We have also identified another youth using an off road dirt bike, he was issued with a section 59 warning this week, we will see if he learns his lesson. Of note the seized bike was insured and the rider had a relevant licence, legal or not if you ride anti socially we will take your bike. Section 59 is an excellent tool that we can use in addition to reporting the rider/s for road traffic offences, once a warning is given if a similar offence is committed within 12 months then we can seize the bike. The warning is issued to the rider so if he changes or uses a different bike then we will seize that as well, there is no limit to the number of times that a bike can be seized after the first warning is given. On a lighter note the team were invited into Mayplace Primary School as mystery readers, a fantastic idea where surprise guests read to the year one children, they certainly were not expecting the police to turn up. Our book of choice was ‘Hairy Maclary ‘. Finally please join us for a chat about any local issues that may be concerning you. A member of the team will be at Barnehurst Golf course at 1pm on Friday 4th May. Please spread the word. We are on twitter @MPSBarnehurst and Facebook just search Barnehurst Police". Belvedere ward:- "The AA came to assist the team at ASDA this week fitting anti-theft number plate screws to vehicles in a bid to reduce vehicle crime in the area. 28 vehicles had screws fitted. 11 people also showed an interest in Neighbourhood Watch in a bid to reduce other crime such as burglary. We will be holding more similar events soon! PCSO Worrall has been delivering letters to hundreds of houses to further increase Neighbourhood Watch coverage. PCSO Worrall has also be patrolling and visiting the new streets we are due to be gaining on May 3rd to introduce ourselves to the new community. PC Holmes will be issuing a rider with a Section 59 warning for using a vehicle in an Anti-Social manner, meaning if done again their vehicle can be seized. That is the 5th section 59 we have issued this Spring. We conducted enquiries regarding a potential welfare concern of a resident, however all was well. PC Holmes and PC Green dealt with a vulnerable female who was lost from a Belvedere home and was unable to speak. The team managed to ascertain who she was and get her home safely. We have had 1 burglary and 1 attempted burglary this week, so please look out for your neighbours and report suspicious activity". Brampton ward:- "Brampton Ward continues to be relatively crime free with only two crimes of note reported between the 19th and 26th of April. Both were shop liftings with meat stolen from Sainsbury's in Brampton Road on Tuesday 24th, and a basket of wine taken from the Co-op in Pickford Lane on Monday 23rd. CCTV is being checked and investigation ongoing. Targeted high visibility patrols are continually in operation in the battle against anti-social behaviour and burglaries. A battle we appear to be on top at the moment. Please stay vigilant and remember it’s local elections on Thursday 3rd May, with all new ward boundaries coming into force". Christchurch ward:- "We are happy to mention that we have no reported burglaries on the ward over the last week. We have had one attempted burglary reported on the 19/04/2018 at Upland Road Bexleyheath. The suspect had tried to gain access to the property via the front door. We have had a report of a theft from motor vehicle that was reported on the 18/04/2018. A window was left slightly open and items was taken from within the vehicle, vehicle was parked up along West Street; A theft of mobile phone was reported on the 21/04/2018. The victims phone was taken from the shop counter in the Foot Asylum store. We also had another one reported on the 18/04/2018, a phone was taken when it was unattended along Rochester Drive; Also a theft of a purse was reported on the 21/04/2018 along the Broadway Shopping Centre. Recently we have been having issues with vehicles causing anti-social behaviour in the ASDA car park. The team have strategies in place to deal with the issue. Just to remind you all, on the 26th April we have our contact point which will be held at the Central Library Bexleyheath at 4pm. We will be there for one hour, if you are around please feel free to come and speak to us. We are keen to set up more Neighbourhood Watches on our ward. If you do speak to anyone who lives on the ward who does not have NHW set up on their street. Please put them through to us if they are interested in maybe joining". Colyers ward:- "Unfortunately this week there was a nasty distraction burglary to an elderly resident in Eversley Avenue. The resident employed gardeners after receiving a leaflet through the door for ‘Kent Tree Surgeons’. Whilst others worked in the garden one asked to use the facilities after which they all went to lunch but did not return. A short while after the resident discovered a large amount of cash was missing. There appears to be a series of similar burglaries linked to these ‘Tree Surgeons’. A window was criminally damaged to a property in Birling Road by persons unknown. A hire car was stolen from an address in Merewood Road Barnehurst sometime between Saturday 14th and Thursday 19th April". Crayford ward:- "We are pleased to report that there have been no burglaries during the last week. The team have conducted several mini traffic operations around Crayford at different sites during which the following offences were dealt with; 1/ Obviously speeding; 2/ Two vehicles for no insurance (which were seized and taken to our police pound); 3/ Driving without due care an attention; 4/ Driving without a test certificate; 5/ Driving not in accordance with a licence; 6/ Section 59 issued to a moped rider who was riding erratically causing ASB; 7/Driving whilst using a mobile phone. We have also carried out two plain clothed operations in an attempt to deal with the drivers of two vehicles that have apparently been seen dealing and smoking drugs in Heatherbank Close. Four weapon sweeps have also been conducted around the ward this week". Erith ward:- "On Wednesday night we had our Ward Panel meeting I will provide an update from the meeting next week when I have had a chance to process it all. We had a meeting with residents in Park Spring court about ASB from youths in the area. A housing officer also attended and an action plan was put in place. Weapons sweeps have been carried out across the ward as well as arrest enquires. Seized drugs on Erith Pier - Class A and B drugs have been found in a vehicle in Cricketers Close Erith after plain clothes patrols in the area". Lesnes Abbey ward:- "Burglaries: Garage burglary occurred on Thursday 20/04/18 on Abbey Road between the hours of 08:45 and 09.15. The unlocked side door to the garage was wide open. The victim went down the garden to investigate and found that one of the two ‘up and over’ garage doors leading to an alleyway which runs the entire length of the road, was also wide open. 3 children’s pedal cycles taken; Attempted garage burglary on Thursday 20/04/18 between the hours of 03:05am and 03:24am on Abbey Road. The padlock was broken, nothing was taken as the alarm was activated. Apparently the suspect walked off; A distraction burglary occurred in Bedonwell Road on Thursday 20/04/18 between the hours of 13:45 and 13:50 hours. The two elderly residents had let in 2 males ,who stated that they were doing work on another resident’s property at the bottom of the victim’s garden and that they needed to inspect the fencing. A jewellery box was taken. A burglary occurred in Bedonwell Road on Friday 21/04/18 between the hours of 11:30 am and 07:30 pm. The front door was locked and secured however the outdoor was shut but not locked. Upon returning later that day ,the victim’s discovered the inner main front door, which is made up of safety glass, has been smashed and entry has been gained - an untidy search has taken place within the majority of rooms within. The victim’s did not note anything missing at the time other than a small yellow wristwatch which was taken from a jewellery box in the main front bedroom". North End ward:- "Two theft from motor vehicle offences in the last week. On Weds 17th April around 11am, a resident left their car unlocked in Manor Road and returned a few minutes later to find their handbag had been stolen. On Friday 19th April at 4pm, in Northend Road, a resident left their car keys in the ignition (engine was off) then a few moments later saw a male take the keys from the car and run off along Northend Road. Both crime reports have been generated by not securing the vehicle. No matter how long you are away from your car, always lock it as you never know who is around. PC James arrested then de-arrested a male on Saturday morning in Appold Street Erith. The suspect was stopped as he was smoking cannabis but would not give any details as to who he was. Upon arrest, the correct identification was given and documents to prove it. He was de-arrested but given a cannabis warning for being in possession of cannabis and smoking it in the street. At last weeks ward panel meeting the three promises chosen for us to keep a closer eye on over the next few months were ASB in Daleview, Frobisher Road Crime prevention patrols and Boundary Street – Keeping an eye on the blocks as they are slowly emptied of residents before re-development". Northumberland Heath ward:- "One residential burglary in Hythe Avenue this week which took place on Saturday April 21st between 11am and 9.45pm. Entry was gained via an open kitchen window, an untidy search as conducted but thankfully nothing was taken. The victims believe they may have been targeted for Asian Gold; One commercial business burglary in Bexley Road early on Sunday morning April 22nd. Entry was gained by lifting a fence panel in a garden at the rear of the shop premises, two rear doors were forced to gain entry. Cash was taken from the till along with cigarettes and goods to the value of £2,000; One criminal damage to a vehicle parked in Collindale Road on Monday April 23rd. Youths were seen throwing objects in the street which resulted in a windscreen of a vehicle being smashed. The Northumberland Heath Ward Panel meeting was held at St. Paul’s Church in Mill Road last Thursday April 19th. This was well attended and it was decided that the team would continue to focus on anti- social behaviour and community engagement in the coming three months. The next Coffee with Cops event will take place at the Sunshine Café in Parsonage Manorway on Friday May 4th between noon – 1pm". Thamesmead East ward:- "No Burglaries to report on Thamesmead East this week. Thursday 18th April. Criminal Damage, Kale Road - By persons unknown writing and scratching offensive words on front door of victims property; Criminal Damage, Seacourt Road - The victim reports damaged by persons unknown etching the letter “X” into the wooden gate causing damage; Criminal Damage, Cherbury Close - Suspect caused damage to glass on patio door at the rear of the property, however the victim stated that this is the second time in 1 year that damage has been caused to her property. She does not believe she is being targeted, just that it is down to the fact her house is on the end of the row, where some children play. She believes that damage has been caused on this occasion by the children; Saturday 21st April - Attempted Theft of Cycle, Manor Close - At approximately 7.45pm the victim went outside his house to ride his bike when he saw a group of young males. After a few minutes one male suspect approached the victim and asked if he can ride the bike. When refused the suspect said “Give me your bike!”. The suspect then attempted but failed to grab the handle bar of the bike. The victim rode towards his house being chased by the suspect. When the suspect reach the front door he was met by the victims dog on the doorstep. PC Pruden dealt with a neighbour dispute by Community Resolution whereby the views of the victim had been considered and the suspect had accepted responsibility, apologised and agreed to have no further contact with the victim. While on patrol on Tuesday 24th April in Harrow Manor Eay PC’s Pruden and Nana responded promptly to a call where a member of the public found a knife near a building site. The knife possibly left by a workman was recovered before getting into the wrong hands and safely disposed of. PC Nana Arrested a male who was in breach of a court order. This week saw the last joint Ward panel meeting between Thamesmead East and Lesnes Abbey. Anyone wishing to join the Thamesmead East Ward panel please contact a member of the Thamesmead East Team on the details above. There will be a police contact session at the police base in Kale Road on Saturday 5th May between 2-3pm. Please come along".

The end video this week is a bit of a curiosity; it features clips of vintage cine film from around the London Borough of Bexley. Do give it a watch, and see what you think.

Porch piracy.

The photos above (click on either for a larger version) show the pop - up - cinema event held last night in Erith Riverside Gardens. As I mentioned last week, the event had not received very much advanced publicity, and unfortunately attendance figures reflected this; about forty hardy parents with children turned up to brave the winter evening to watch the movies Home Alone, followed by Gremlins on a big screen. The promised food and traders did not appear, and no facility was made for toilets either - the nearest being those in Morrison's supermarket about seven minutes walk away. Having said that, the organisers were very enthusiastic and friendly - although all but one admitted to never having visited Erith before, and knew nothing of the town or its inhabitants. The lady from Bexley Council was very helpful and chatty, and it turns out that she was a Maggot Sandwich reader - they seem to pop up from everywhere, much to my surprise. It was fortunate that it was not raining and the wind was still - something very unusual on the riverfront at this time of year - normally it comes screaming in over the Thames, seemingly direct from Siberia. I was very pleased to see a social event of this nature being organised locally, but it was evident that there was a lack of knowledge of the local area and possible weather conditions - had there been even the slightest of winds, the cinema screen would have been blown flat in moments. I am hopeful that a second event will be organised for next year, but in a space heated marquee tent with provision for portaloos and maybe a BBQ and hot drinks for sale. I would have thought that local BBQ specialist Steve's Kitchen could provide just such a service. What do you think? Did you go along, or like many I have talked to, did you not know about the event? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The Bexley Times reported recently about an abandoned cob pony that was found on Sidcup Golf Course. The animal was severely neglected and close to death when it was found by RSPCA inspectors. The cob pony has been given treatment and is now expected to survive; inquiries are under way to discover who left the horse in such a terrible state. In an interview with the paper, Ellen Thomas, an RSPCA inspector said “This poor horse was so emaciated and still we thought he was dead at first. Then as I approached him, he weakly lifted his head, so I knew we had a chance to save him. It seems he was dying of thirst. There was no water at all in the field and there were reports that he may have been lying there for two days. He also had very overgrown hooves and had clearly been neglected. It seems likely he had been just dumped there and left to die in this very secluded spot, and we urge anyone with any information about who may have done this to call us. Gradually, we did manage to get him to sit up, and then bumble on down to the horse box so we could take him to the vet to be cared for and treated. It took him a long time to get there because he was so weak - and we have now named him Bumble as a result. He’s in a critical condition but doing as well as he can do - and we have everything crossed that he will make a good recovery.” This is something that is becoming increasingly common, as is the phenomenon of “fly grazing” that has become such a concern in the local area – Thamesmead, Abbey Wood, Lower Belvedere and Slade Green have been especially hit by persons unknown leaving scruffy and under cared for horses on public land for them to illegally graze on. The practice of “fly-grazing” has become increasingly common both in the local area, and also around the country. Thousands of horses and ponies are being abandoned by their erstwhile owners as irresponsible breeding, spiralling bills and sale prices which have reached rock bottom take their toll. A pony can fetch as little as £5 at auction – if it sells at all, whilst stable costs, feed and vets bills can amount to around £100 per week per animal. The six main horse welfare charities have come together to compile a report on the situation; it would also appear that the European appetite for horse meat may be fuelling the situation – a £5 pony can turn into a £230 carcass on the European meat market. It may be that ponies are actually being farmed for live export to France, Belgium and Italy. The RSPCA have called for legislation that will enable them to more quickly identify owners and punish them with fines and the seizure of animals for fly-grazing. They also want a review of agreements allowing the free movement of horses not intended for slaughter between Britain, Ireland and France. The British horse population is thought to be just under one million animals in size. The vast majority are owned privately for leisure – a sector which, unlike the horse racing industry, has not historically been tightly regulated.  A new bill was brought into law last year which hopefully may go far to changing this situation. The Control of Horses Act 2015 makes changes to the law to deter people from illegally grazing or simply abandoning horses on public and private land, which is known as ‘fly-grazing’. As many as 3,000 horses are thought to be illegally fly-grazing across the country. The changes mean horse owners who fly-graze their animals without permission can now be dealt with more quickly and effectively. These changes to the law will give rural communities greater powers to deal with thousands of horses that are left to graze illegally without the land owners’ permission. Horses that are left to fly-graze can now be rehomed much more quickly and effectively, improving the welfare of these animals and preventing disruption to communities. By allowing abandoned horses to be rehomed much more quickly, this act will encourage owners to pay proper attention to their animals’ welfare and ensure communities are no longer blighted by the illegal practice of fly-grazing. Under the previous Animals Act 1971 an abandoned horse could only be disposed of after 14 days through sale at market or public auction. The new Act means fly-grazing horses have to be reported to police within 24 hours, and owners now have four days to claim their animals. Previously, an abandoned horse could only be disposed of through sale at market or public auction. The new law extends the options for dealing with abandoned horses, which now include private sale, gifting and rehoming. Hopefully this will go some way into resolving the long standing problem.

Bexley Council are making a change in policy which I can pretty much guarantee will give them cause for regret. They are moving all reporting of street light faults to a purely online form. You will no longer be able to phone up the Highways Department, instead residents will have to complete a form on the council website. The move is expected to cut administrative costs, with all reports being automatically sent to the council’s maintenance contractor. This might all sound fine, but have you ever tried navigating the Bexley Council website? It is an awful unnavigable mess, and even finding the page you want is a real challenge, as the search functionality does not work as intended, and the site layout could have been designed by M.C Escher. I find that when one eventually stumbles across the content you were actually looking for, it is prudent to bookmark the page for later reference, as your chance of finding the page again are pretty slim. If this was not enough, as Malcolm Knight of Bexley is Bonkers has discovered, that just because you report something to the Council, it does not mean that they then do anything about it. He reported a couple of incidences of fly tipping, complete with still photographs and video of the offences being committed. After a month he has still not had a response from the Environmental Crimes Unit of Bexley Council. I have worked with the unit in the past, and found them to be dedicated and efficient; in the intervening couple of years, the person I usually contacted has retired, and it would seem that much of the role has been outsourced to a private contractor.

London and Quadrant, the developers of the Erith Quarry housing development published the following press release this week:- "L and Q and The Anderson Group, developers behind the new homes at The Quarry in Erith, are looking for a local artist to help them celebrate the history of the land. The developers want to showcase the story of The Quarry’s past, present and future using photos and anecdotes from local people. These will then act as inspiration for artwork displayed on the hoardings surrounding the site, as well as featuring at a special exhibition in the town. Erith historian Kenneth Chamberlain and local history enthusiast Martin Barnes remember The Quarry from their teenage years and have already provided a number of photographs for potential inclusion. The pictures date from the 1930s onwards and show everything from ‘Loomers’ at the quarry face, to the locomotive which used to transport the loads from the quarry and the quarry after the landfill was nearly complete. L and Q and The Anderson Group are now encouraging more locals to come forward and share their memories. Set to launch its first homes for sale in spring 2017, The Quarry will comprise of an exceptional collection of around 470 family houses for sale, 130 unique apartments for private rent and a state-of-the-art three form-entry primary school. With sustainability at its heart, this new eco-development will be surrounded by woodland and feature a conservation area the size of around three football pitches, not to mention cycle routes, play corridors and a village green. Christine Shea, Regional Sales Director at L and Q, said: “We’re really excited to hear back from local artists who can help us create a wonderful tribute to the area. The Quarry has played such an important part in the lives of local people for so many years and we hope to bring its history back to life and to celebrate the exciting future that lays ahead. We have already received some wonderful photographs from Kenneth and Martin and we hope more people will get in touch with their experiences.” If you’re an artist who would like to get involved or if you have photos or stories to share, please contact the team at landq@grayling.com. A grant will be made available to the selected artist. Prospective homebuyers interested in finding out more about The Quarry can register their interest at thequarryerith.co.uk and follow developments on Facebook and Twitter".

The photo above shows the view looking Eastwards towards Erith Town Centre along West Street. From the vehicles in the shot, and the state of construction of the tower block on the horizon, I would hazard a guess that the photo was taken in around 1970.

Once again Bexley Council has been accused of selling off the family silver for short term gain; last week the council agreed to the sale of four areas of formerly public land in the borough, two of which are in Erith. It does seem to me that not only do Bexley Council offer some of the poorest levels of service of any Greater London borough, but they are selling off anything that they can lay their hands on in order to try and raise more cash. I do question their efficiency and business acumen, as they seem to be able to do very little with large amounts of cash – I feel that a commercial business would be far more efficient in the operation of the borough. Many of the council senior executives have never had a job in the “real world” – a problem which is also common with the current crop of Westminster politicians. Locally we are fortunate that MP for Erith and Thamesmead Teresa Pearce spent many years working as an accountant prior to entering politics – a relatively rare instance of someone in public service who has actually had a real world job before changing career to enter politics.

Word reached me courtesy of regular Maggot Sandwich reader Alison. It would appear that "hit and run" incidents are not limited to the roads in and around Erith. There has been a collision between a vessel and the Erith Wooden Jetty, which is adjacent to Erith Riverside Gardens and Erith Rowing Club / Kort Propulsion marine engineers, based in the former River Police HQ in Erith High Street. Alison writes:- " I wasn't sure if you were aware of the broken jetty by the old police station at Erith (photo above taken by Michael Lucas)? The Port of London Authority (PLA) first contacted Erith Rowing Club on Thursday afternoon about it. The PLA believes the damage occurred as a result of a 'hit and run' incident late at night and would welcome any information about it. The contact at the PLA is Michael Russell, tel 01474 562415 or 07711 640082 email: michael.russell@pla.co.uk.  The latest update is that the PLA has removed the loose and damaged parts of the causeway and is intending to carry out a survey for the timber for repairs on Monday (28th November). At the moment it is unclear when the repairs will take place, but it is likely to be a few weeks." If anyone saw anything suspicious regarding a collision between a ship and the jetty, please let Michael Russell know - at present the jetty is completely out of use for the immediate future.

As we head towards Christmas, a relatively new form of crime is becoming increasingly common. It is called Porch Piracy – criminals targeting people’s porches and apartment entrance halls to steal parcels delivered by courier services. As more and more people buy online from web based retailers such as Amazon, the theft of goods in transit has become a major concern. Whilst some customers fill in the “special instructions” section of the delivery details online with details of a neighbour who a parcel can be left with in the event of them not being home to answer the door themselves, many do not. Delivery personnel may in such cases leave parcels in porches, in bin cabinets, or even propped up against the front door. Personally I have seen Amazon parcels left unattended on many occasions – and these definitely attract both opportunistic and dedicated thieves. Ways to counter “Porch Pirates” include:- 1. Lock boxes: You can build or purchase a rugged lock box for your porch.  Bolt it down to a permanent surface, concrete or asphalt work well. Install a simple combination lock on the box and then share that combination when you purchase something online.  Nearly every delivery service has a “special instructions” section during online checkout. Delivery personnel can then key in the combination and deliver your package to a secure box. To add even more security, change the combination frequently or when you feel you've given it out too many times.  2. Security Services: The emergence of Porch Piracy has created an entire industry determined to prevent these thefts. Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer, has a service called Amazon Locker. Instead of a package being delivered to your porch, the packages arrive at a nearby Amazon Locker location, where they’re placed in a secure compartment. You can collect your package with a code and without waiting in line or talking to anyone. There is a general delivery locker system in Morrison’s in Erith, which has recently been installed. 3. Timely Package Collection:  Pick up your package as soon as it's delivered or have a neighbour collect it. Courier services such as UPS, FedEx and Amazon all have tracking services. This allows you to monitor the progress of a shipment very closely by tracking it online and even by receiving email or text alerts.  You can be notified the moment your package is delivered and then make arrangements to have the package collected. Porch Piracy is a crime of opportunity. If the package doesn't sit on your porch for long the opportunity to steal it is vastly decreased. 4. Security Cameras: Security cameras are a tried and true deterrent for all manner of criminal behaviour. Thieves are very aware of cameras and often look for them before attempting a theft.  Also, if you do ever have a package stolen, you have video evidence to pass along to police and online stores. Camera packages can be purchased relatively inexpensively from places such as Maplin, and come with a wide range of options, including wireless capabilities which make them easy to install.  Some systems have the ability to remotely monitor your home from mobile devices like tablets and cell phones which adds an extra layer of security and better peace of mind. 5. Security Signs: If all of the previous options seem too expensive or too much hassle consider posting a sign in your front window informing the would be Porch Pirate that your home is under video surveillance or has security alarms.  Many criminals are not going to take the time or the chance to call your bluff and proceed with their theft. Again, this is a crime of opportunity, and thieves may not see your package as a great opportunity if they think there is a chance they might be recorded - even if they can't immediately see the security cameras. Personally I have CCTV front and back at Pewty Acres, and have a designated neighbour to take parcels if I am not available. I find that this greatly reduces the risk of parcel theft. This is a problem which is only going to grow in severity unless steps are taken to prevent it.

It would seem that the proposed Thames river crossing between Rainham in Essex and Lower Belvedere (see the map above - click on it for a larger view) has been kicked into the long grass; no mention was made of it during Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s recent speech on London’s future transport infrastructure. It would seem that the cross river link has been dropped from favour in preference for some of the other cross – river options. My suggestion for a tunnel under the river, of a similar design to that already in place at Strood on the River Medway seems to have fallen by the wayside. This has not been lost on Gravesham MP Adam Holloway, who opposes another proposed crossing of the River Thames potentially located to the East of Gravesend; he was interviewed in the News Shopper, saying:- "The reality is that this is a looming disaster that is going to become a scandal when the public realise that the £5 billion opportunity to fix the M25 is about to be wasted – and when we all realise that it is too late to stop a plan that is going to result in another 40 years of misery on the M25. Unfortunately, ministers who are not experts on roads must listen to Highways England - a quango that changes the numbers in support of whichever option they have favoured over time. By the time the ministers hear the voices of the public, it will be too late.” The fact remains that we have very few river crossings East of Tower Bridge, and the further East on the River Thames you travel, the wider the river becomes, and thus the more expensive any form of river crossing becomes.

You may have recently come across the web page above, or something very similar, which seems to show Sir Richard Branson promoting a particular product - as you may already have guessed, the story is very far from what it appears. The web site begins with this:- "Branson is sending shockwaves throughout all of Britain by revealing his secret formula that the average British worker is using to make fast money from home. Branson says, “It’s even dangerous to talk about it, because the powerful elite does not want the average British worker to have this much wealth. Because the wealthier the population is, the less power they themselves have. They hate me for sharing this!” After a hearty introduction about how top secret the whole opportunity apparently is, readers are then told to click another link which, just like the first link, redirected across several domains before landing on a landing page - The Brit Method. If it wasn’t clear already, this has nothing to do with Richard Branson. Despite the sales pitch on the previous website and the Facebook post many innocent web surfers stumbled across, this isn’t something he “accidentally” shared. The inclusion of Branson’s name is simply a flat out lie. The Brit Method is a site that promotes Binary Options trading, but does so using an unrealistic and dramatically hyped sales pitch. Essentially, that sales pitch describes Binary Options as a shortcut to financial wealth and a guarantee to quick wealth. It is neither. Binary Options is actually a form of trading where the trader predicts whether a particular stock will rise or fall in a short period of time, where traditional trading involves the purchase of stock. If the trader predicts the stock rises or falls correctly, they get a fixed return on the amount they invested. If they don’t, they lose the investment. The Brit Method goes under other guises, including The Aussie Method and The Irish Method. Binary Options trading is akin to gambling. Despite claims made by various websites like The Brit Method, it isn’t a get-rich-quick system. There is no way to ‘game’ or cheat at Binary Options trading. There are no “killer systems” or “proven formulas”. It is gambling, and most of those who embark upon it are unlikely to make any significant return on their investment, and of course risk losing all the money they invest on it. Sites like The Brit Method and the people behind the fraudulent Richard Branson themed Facebook post / dodgy faked website don’t care, because they get paid a commission for luring visitors to Binary Option websites. Using hyped, misleading and plain deceptive sales pitches means more people they trick into signing up. In my opinion, the outcome of this fraudulent con is:- 1. Facebook doesn’t really care what sort of websites sign up to their sponsored advert platform. 2. Get-rich-quick schemes are always ever-present on the Internet. 3. Don’t get involved with Binary Options trading.

Millions of British people have no idea what their home telephone number is, according to new research. Sixty per cent of the nation only have a landline because they need it for their broadband connection. If the phone does ring, a third of people assume it’s an automated or sales call, and 22 per cent never answer it . Only one in five knows their landline number, according to a recent survey of 2,000 UK adults. Almost four in ten use their home phone once a month or less, with six in 10 admitting they only pay for a landline just to access the internet. Six in 10 say they wish they could de-clutter their homes by getting rid of their landline completely, a 20 per cent increase from a study conducted in 2014. A fifth of survey respondents reckoned their home will be landline-free within two years, if not sooner. Due to the rise of social media and mobile phones, over half of the nation consider the landline a ‘redundant’ piece of technology, rising to seven in 10 among 18-24 year olds. Incredibly, of the respondents who had children aged 16 and under, 14 per cent reported that they had children that have no idea what a landline is. A third of respondents said that they use their landline for keeping in touch with grandparents or older relatives. Almost half say they give out their home number to sales people and companies, to stop them getting their mobile details. Thirty-six percent of Brits only use their home phone once a month or less often, and one in ten homes has already made the jump to going landline-free. The report also says that a fifth of British households have at least one old landline handset sitting unused in the back of a cupboard. Personally I buck this trend; I detest mobile phones and a landline works just fine for me. I am all for freedom of choice - whatever works best for you, in my opinion.

Abbey Wood’s new station is beginning to take shape with the timber structure of the distinctive roof now complete. The Austrian timber construction firm, Wiehag has installed the impressive glulam (glued manufactured timber) wooden panels which form the iconic shape of the station’s roof structure. The roof has been constructed using a combination of 31 tonnes of steel beams and girders to support the loads of the beams. The main timber beams are each 45m long, which is the equivalent of four London buses end to end. Below is a time lapse photography recording of some of the recent construction work. Give it a watch and leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.