The Exchange.

The photos above show the progress on works to restore the historic Carnegie Library in Walnut Tree Road, Erith. The first phase of building works, funded by the Mayor of London and London Borough of Bexley, is progressing well. Extra funds were provided by Bexley council to completely renew the roof. Other works include dealing with water ingress, the restoration of the weathervane and revealing the parquet flooring in what will become the ‘Bookstore Café’. The first phase of works is due to finish in September. This will allow The Exchange (the organisation which has taken a long term lease on the historic building, which is currently in the process of applying for charitable status) to partially reopen the Old Library for public use in the autumn. On June 14th, The Exchange will be opening the doors of the Old Library to provide tours of the space. They will be joined by Luisa Baker, Project Manager from London Borough of Bexley and Robin Lee Architects. Because of a recent break-in, The Exchange are having to take extra security precautions, so please do book onto a tour in advance of the day. The Exchange and London Borough of Bexley have received initial support from The Heritage Lottery Fund and the Architectural Heritage Fund to develop the second phase of the regeneration project. The £137,900 will be used to progress our plans for the upper floors of the building, as well as testing out activity ideas, business planning, continuing conversations with the community and delivering a major fundraising campaign. In the next 12 months, they need to raise another £300,000 which will support an application for a full grant of £980,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund. To support this major fundraising campaign, The Exchange are on the hunt for a new member of the team. The Fundraising Officer will work closely with The Exchange Directors to develop funding bids and events that reflect the ambitions of The Exchange and the future role of the building within the community. More details can be found by following this link. As the refurbished Carnegie Library be opening in Autumn this year, The Exchange will be needing some help. If you are interested in supporting them in a voluntary capacity, they would like to hear from you. There will be a range of opportunities available including, Events, Learning, Research, Marketing and Gardening. If you are interested, visit The Exchange website to download a Volunteer Application Form. 

As has been (somewhat inaccurately) reported in the News Shopper, there was a very large multi agency raid, carried out on the Darent Industrial Estate on the Slade Green Marshes. The operation, which involved the Metropolitan Police, the Fire Brigade, The Home Office and Revenue and Customs happened on Wednesday morning - I personally saw a large convoy of vehicles, including a number of police buses full of officers, heading Eastwards along Manor Road at around 8.45 on Wednesday morning.  Prior to heading out to begin the operation, all the agencies had convened in the car park of Morrison's in Erith for a pre - raid briefing. I feel that this was quite a risky thing to do, as many of the people - legitimate and otherwise - who work on the Darent Industrial Estate use Morrisons on their way to and from work, and whilst any passers - by would not know the purpose of the large gathering of official vehicles, any criminal would be suspicious that something big was up. The official Police report from the Slade Green and North End ward reads thus:- "Our team were involved in a joint operation this morning with our police colleagues from Erith, Northumberland Heath and Belvedere SNT along with Immigration Officers, Trading Standards and other government agencies. An early morning entrance was made out on the Darent Industrial estate and at the time of writing there had been 2 arrests made for immigration offences, several stolen vehicles recovered and one establishment closed for operating with an incorrect licence. There are pictures on our Twitter page". I gather that there was rather more to the raid than just picking up some illegal immigrants and stopping a company operating with an incorrect licence. Hopefully more information will make it into the public domain in the near future.

The News Shopper is reporting that the second phase of demolition of Littlebrook power station is due to happen on Saturday the 9th of June at 11pm in the evening. Littlebrook "A" will be demolished in a controlled explosion which will cause the Dartford crossing to be closed for a time. Several major power plants around the country are being decommissioned due to their not meeting new and very strict environmental pollution standards. Littlebrook D Power Station was closed down in March 2015. Littlebrook was actually a series of four separate power stations adjacent to each other, located on the south bank of the River Thames, next to the Queen Elizabeth 2 Bridge and the Dartford Tunnel. The first power station on the site – Littlebrook A, was the coal-fired Littlebrook A Power Station, built by The Kent Electric Power Company in the early 1930s. It was opened in 1939. Coal was initially brought to the station by rail, until a riverside pier was completed. The station was later converted to burn supplementary oil over coal, and remained in use until it closed in 1973.  The construction of Littlebrook B Power Station was delayed by the Second World War, and came into use between 1949 and 1950. Like the A Station, it originally burned coal, but was later converted to burn oil instead. It had a capacity of 120 MW and remained in use until 1975. Littlebrook C Power Station was opened between 1952 and 1956 by the Central Electricity Board, and had a total generating capacity output of 240 MW. Like the two earlier plants, it was originally coal-fired, but was converted burn fuel oil by 1958. The station continued operating until it was replaced by the D Station in 1981. This station was built in response to a rapid demand for electricity as the Country emerged from austerity of the post war years.  The most recent station, Littlebrook D was an oil-fired power station and was built by the nationalised Central Electricity Generating Board. The station was built by The Cleveland Bridge Company with construction starting in 1976.  The first unit commissioning underway by 1981. The 1980s still saw a potential threat from the Cold War, and as such the CEGB designed Littlebrook D as a robust station with high plant redundancy, meaning that the station would form a pivotal role should disaster have struck the city of London. At this time, London was still dependent on several smaller generating stations within the city itself. Littlebrook D was one of a number of stations throughout the UK with black-start capabilities, meaning that it was able to start generating without an external power supply - the station would be one of the first to start generating should the UK experience a partial or complete blackout. Littlebrook D played a vital role in restoring power supplies to the South East of England in the days following The Great Storm of October 1987. As well as providing a black-start power supply to the country, the fact that they could synchronise and ramp up to full load in under five minutes means they were used to generate at the request of The National Grid Company (who operated the UK electricity grid system) to deal with short-term peaks in demand. Such peaks typically arise during the winter months, where evening demand is higher due to lighting and heating requirements. A modification was made to one of the boiler units which allowed for alternative fuel trials. Several were trialled at the Littlebrook D site as part of ongoing research into generating energy from more sustainable fuel sources. One of the main alternative fuels tested was wood chippings, but the energy density these supplied was far lower than fuel oil, so a far larger bulk of chippings was required to create a similar output of electricity. This was deemed to be unacceptable, and the trial was a failure. The station was finally owned by RWE nPower which is owned by the German utility company, RWE. They decided that Littlebrook would "opt-out" under The Large Combustion Plant Directive, an EU law aiming to deal with air pollutants created by the combustion of fossil fuels. This essentially meant that Littlebrook D would have to cease to generate after 2015 in its final configuration. The station ceased operating on 31 March 2015. The demolition of Littlebrook "A" will coincide with the already planned closure of the QE2 Bridge for maintenance, so as not to distract drivers. The 10-second event will not be visible from outside the station boundary and the site will be off limits during the demolition. Although the explosion and collapse may be heard off site, any noise will be over very quickly and non-harmful dust is extremely unlikely to go beyond the station’s grounds. The other main structures will be blown up throughout the year and into 2019, with the site fully cleared by 2020. What is currently not clear is when the iconic chimney - which is visible in much of Erith, Slade Green, Crayford and Dartford will be demolished.

It would seem that the short lived reign of the supermarket self service checkout may possibly be coming to an abrupt end. In a recent study a team at Voucher Codes Pro, a sales coupon website, quizzed 2,532 shoppers about their supermarket habits and found that close to a quarter had committed theft at a self-checkout machine at least once. (A figure from the same report suggested that the total cost of items stolen through self-checkout machines in 2017 came in at more than £3 billion, up from £1.6 billion in 2014, though I believe that the numbers are somewhat speculative). Some steal by accident, the study found, perhaps on account of a scanning error – honest mistakes. But many perpetrators know exactly what they are doing. Often, perpetrators will construct what they perceive as legitimate excuses for theft. Some feel justified in taking items when the checkout machine they’re using doesn’t operate smoothly (it is the machine’s fault). Others consider the items they steal as a kind of payment for work they’re completing on the supermarket’s behalf. Still more reach the self-checkout machine, look around, and see nothing but the inhuman trappings of a faceless corporation. Few would steal from an individual grocer. But from a multinational conglomerate? What difference does it make? The situation has been described as that individuals can neutralise guilt they might otherwise feel when stealing by telling themselves that there are no victims of the crime, no human being is actually being hurt by this, only some mega-corporation that can surely afford the loss of a few quid. In fact, the corporation has saved so much money by laying off all its cashiers that it is almost morally necessary to steal from them. I am vehemently opposed to self service for a number of reasons; firstly it has been demonstrated that the average time to complete a supermarket self service transaction is up to three times as long as one carried out by a staffed till – and that is without allowing for system errors. Secondly, why would you have a dog and bark yourself? Quite often the checkout person adds to the whole retail experience, and can problem solve on the go. Elderly people, or customers with small children can also find self service stressful. On top of this, the supermarkets only introduce self service as they think it will reduce their staffing overheads. This has proved to be a false economy, as although the number of checkout staff is reduced, the number of supervisors and security operatives has to increase – who tend to be paid a higher rate than the checkout staff. This particular matter has caused Wilkinson’s to remove them, as they discovered that the self service tills actually cost more by the time all the overhead costs were factored in; they were also finding the incidence of thefts and under age purchasing were on the rise. Self-service tills cost about £9,000 each, including installation, and manufacturer NCR estimates that they pay for themselves in about 15 months. A third more tills can be squeezed into a store and checkout staff can be deployed elsewhere. But the devices — and their frequent complaint of “unexpected item in bagging area” — are disliked by many shoppers, who argue that retailers are asking customers to do their work for them, and that it reduces interaction with staff. NCR argues that the counters cut prices. “Staff can be redeployed to the shop floor, so it can actually improve service,” A claim that has since found to be incorrect in very many cases. NCR believes that it is benefiting from modern social change, especially the growing convenience market. People are making more shopping trips, for fewer items — hence the spread of convenience outlets to meet demand — a phenomenon attributed by analysts to the breakdown in the nuclear family and traditional working patterns. NCR believes, moreover, that shoppers’ desire for healthy and fresh food and a growing desire to have cravings satisfied immediately have also driven the convenience boom. In my opinion, part of the whole shopping experience is the service and interaction with the staff - and as has been previously proved, the auto tills are not very secure. In fact, the whole chip and PIN security system is indeed threatened, as I have written about in the past. I refuse to do the supermarkets' work for them - and I detest these impersonal infringements on our shopping experience. In 2016 a report was published by the Criminology Department of the University of Leicester on self service checkout tills. The report found that installing self-service checkouts raises lost revenue by 122 percent. Some of it is accidental – people forget to scan items, or get confused by instructions; other times shoppers get so frustrated with self-service kiosks that they feel justified in not paying. The report  states that mostly people shoplift because the technology makes it so easy. Mobile phone scanning technology is just as vulnerable – the study found that at the end of a typical shopping trip, up to ten percent of items had not been scanned, leading to “shrinkage” (loss through wastage or theft) of about 3.9 percent of turnover. Unfortunately the technology makes it very difficult to prove that customers are deliberately stealing.  Often it is difficult for retailers to discern between malicious actions and honest mistakes – was the customer absent-minded or consciously fraudulent? – and proving intent can be perilous. Charge an honest shopper with theft and lose their business. Let a perpetrator off the hook and suffer a reduction in profit. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

Now for the weekly safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly, Barnehurst ward:- "Good news again for Barnehurst as we did not have many crimes. Officers from the Barnehurst team served a local resident with a Community Protection Notice due to Anti-social behaviour. The team will continue to have a zero tolerance approach to Anti-social behaviour. If you wish to report any Anti-social behaviour on the ward please contact us on 020 8721 2577. The Barnehurst team met the new ward councillors, who are Councillor Brain Bishop and Councillor Howard Jackson. The meeting was extremely productive and positive as we are hopeful that we will work well together in making Barnehurst ward a safer place. Please join us for our community contact day on Wednesday 30th May at 1pm at Barnehurst Golf Course. We will discuss any ward issues that you have and we will also provide residents with crime prevention advice. Two new Neighbourhood Watches are in the process of being launched. Residents from Merewood Road and Beechcroft Avenue have volunteered to act as Coordinators. We are keen for other residents to come forward in the hope to get full Neighbourhood Watch coverage in every street". Bexleyheath ward:- "As previously mentioned the new ward boundaries are now in place across the borough. The name of our ward is now Bexleyheath Ward, previously Christchurch. Please make sure you have the right contact details for us which is below this update. We are getting to know the new areas on our ward with residents. We are communicating with previous ward officers to make sure we have a smooth changeover. In relation to what has been going on the ward. Over the last week, we have had no reported residential burglaries which is fantastic news. As part of our business as usual we continually patrol the ASB areas on our ward at various times which includes open spaces, car parks and areas you have informed us of. We have had various reports of ASB around the ward involving, youths in Martens Grove Park, vehicle meets in ASDA carpark, drugs and involving motorbikes and cars. We have noticed an increase in graffiti on the ward in Martins Grove Park, Russell Park, Marriot car park. The council have been notified to remove them as quickly as possible. If you do notice any graffiti on the ward. Please contact the council and they should be able to remove it as soon as possible, this can be done easily online. Normally anything offensive/racial you would need to report it to Police also. We were notified of an incident of Criminal damage to a motor vehicle in the cinema car park but are awaiting details. As part of Bike Week we have been invited to be a part of this initiative which is on Saturday 9th June along the Broadway between 10am and 2pm where be lots of stalls etc and we will have our bike marking stall as well as the MSC holding a recruitment stall. There is no charge for this so please pop along if you are available with your bikes and get them marked, feel free to mention to others who may not get this information. Please don’t forget to come and see us at our contact sessions which are advertised. The next one is on the 30th June will be at Lidl Bexleyheath between 4pm & 5pm, come along if you wish to speak to us if you are around then. Their seems to be a little confusion with regards how to report crime. You should either dial 999 if it is an emergency, dial 101 for all non emergency’s, via the Met police website, or in person. If you want to pass on information then please email our mail box or Crimestoppers 0800555111 Other means of contacting us are obviously Twitter, Facebook, email and the ward phone as per below. For crime prevention advice, please look at the Met Police website which has the information that you may find useful. Remember In an emergency please dial 999 and 101 for non-urgent reporting". Crayford ward:- "At approximately 03.30 hrs on Sunday 20th May, a house in Woodside Road was raided by armed police and a firearm was found within the property. The next morning at approx. 06.00 hrs, officers again entered the property and made an arrest. There have been reports of criminal damage to motor vehicles this week. Between 21.00 on 17th May and 07.00 on 18th May, a Black Ford Fiesta had its tyres stabbed multiple times outside an address in Wolsey Close, this is a hire vehicle. On 27 April at 02.15, what was believed to be a firework was thrown in to a car parked in Dale Close, there was damage to the soft hood and it created a dent. Between 13.00 on the 18th May and 16.30 on the 19th May the front passenger window of a vehicle was smashed and the door damaged whilst parked in the underground car park at Tanners Close, Perry Street, there were also historic issues reported such as eggs being thrown at the vehicle. There was an attempted robbery in Halcot Avenue on the 17th May at 11.49. The victim was chased on his moped and an attempt was made to ram it. It was believed that the suspects were trying to steal the victim’s vehicle but then crashed their own vehicle, no threats were heard. On Saturday 19th May at 19.50, two males entered the Bottle and Basket in Crayford Way and demanded money from the till with the threat of a weapon. The person working in the shop, whilst very frightened was able to activate the panic alarm and the suspects fled the scene with nothing, police were very quickly on the scene. Our team came across a damage only accident and assisted with a road closure whilst awaiting the council to clear an oil spill in the road. Two males were also arrested, three mobile phone tickets and one speeding ticket issued to motorists as part of our ward panel promise. We have carried out foot and mobile patrols of areas coming to notice for anti-social behaviour and looking at ways to suitably reduce and prevent this issue. Our ward panel will be held on Thursday 31st May, if you would be interested in attending, please contact us". Erith ward:- "We held 2 free bike marking events in Erith last week marking almost 20 bikes for local residents, I will arrange more dates for this in the future. We are still working hard on trying to get 100 percent Neighbourhood Watch coverage in Erith I am guessing we are at around 70 percent at the moment. Some upcoming dates for our Community Contact Session - feel welcome to pop along: Wednesday 30/05/18 we will be in Erith Library from 11am". Northumberland Heath ward:- "No burglaries have been reported to us for several weeks now which is great news. One theft of motor vehicle from Austen Road which was stolen on May 11th but was not reported until May 18th. The vehicle has since been recovered. One criminal damage to a window in Cartmel Road on the evening of Friday May 19th. Several bottles of milk have been stolen from a doorstep in Nurstead Road the early hours of the morning on Thursday May 17th. This has happened to the same victim over the last month or so. The Clarkes travel shop in Bexley Road have reported lead missing from the roof of the premises to the value of £2,000. It is unclear exactly when this took place. The team will be at the Sunshine Café next Wednesday May 30th at Noon for our coffee with cops event". Slade Green and North End ward:- "A garage was burgled sometime Monday/Tuesday this week in Newbery Road. A small child's bike was stolen. No forced entry. A male offered to cut the victims grass last weekend and was taken up on the offer. There is no evidence linking this male to any involvement in this theft but please be vigilant when using any cash in hand services offered by random passers by. Street lighting/Scaffold poles with around an £8000 value were stolen and damaged from the new Egerton Place development (the old Linpac site, Slade Green Road) last weekend. Unfortunately the area is not covered by cctv but patrols will be made past the site in the coming days. We have been leafleting the Frobisher Road estate with our “Rat a Rat” campaign, reminding residents that calls about drug dealers living or dealing nearby can be reported anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800555111. We will hopefully do a few more leaflet drops and get some posters up across the ward in the coming weeks. All the information reported to Crimestoppers does make it’s way to us so it is a good way to report crime/drug dealing etc if you are unsure about speaking directly to the police. We have a Community Contact Session this Sunday (27th May) from 11am at our office in Pier Road, then another this coming Tuesday (29th May) from 1030am at the café in Forest Road. Please come and say hi if you are nearby". Thamesmead East Ward:- "On Wednesday 16/05/18 between the hours of1:00pm and 4:00pm a pedal cycle was stolen from the Thames innovation Centre, Yarnton Way. Over the night of Friday 18/05/18 and Saturday 19/05/19, the side window of a vehicle parked in Glimpsing Green was smashed and items were taken from the glove box; A vehicle which was locked and secure parked in an underground car park in Eastgate Close was stolen overnight of Saturday 19/05/18 and Sunday 20/05/18. Criminal damage was caused to a vehicle parked in Hartslock Drive between the hours of 11:00pm on Sunday 20/05/18 and 06:00am on Monday 21/05/18 .The tyres of the vehicle were slashed; A vehicle which was under repair following a Road Traffic Accident was stolen from Hartslock Drive between the hours of 06:00 pm Tuesday 22/05/18 and 06:00am Wednesday 23/05/18. Have a Say event: Tuesday 29/05/18 between the hours of 2:00pm and 3:00pm the team will be attending The Thamesmead Library, Bazalgette Way. An opportunity for members of the community who prefer face- to – face contact, to speak with a Dedicated Ward Officer.  Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Information: Take it with you - Mobile phone, coins, sunglasses can earn quick cash are irresistible to the opportunist thief. Remember the cost of replacing a window is often much more than of what’s been stolen. Wallets, handbags purses and credit cards should never be left un an unattended vehicle".

One of the down sides of the Maggot Sandwich only publishing once a week on a Sunday, is that occasionally it can become overtaken by events. The end video below was found on YouTube by me on Monday, and I embedded it in the draft of this issue. Unbeknownst to me, some bright spark at the News Shopper also came across it, and republished it under the News Shopper banner during the week. I had actually found it first. I digress; the video shows the testing of the brand new British Rail Class 345 trains on the Crossrail / Elizabeth Line from Abbey Wood Station. Give the video a watch, and please feel free to leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

The Bird and Barrel.

Progress on the new housing development on the site of the old Erith Riverside Swimming Baths has stopped for the Christmas break; the whole project is running somewhat behind schedule through no fault of the developers. The company that was contracted to demolish the old swimming baths and to clear the site of all of the resultant rubble and waste materials took a short cut. Instead of using trucks to remove all of the spoils, thee bulldozed most of the material into the hole that was the empty swimming pool itself. They then paid a thin layer of topsoil over the top and planted grass seeds; the finished site looked fine, and it was only when the building firm hired by the developers moved onto the site and started to dig the foundations for the new flats and houses that the short cut by the demolition company was then discovered. This obviously slowed down construction work on the site. The Riverside Baths site is only one of several new developments in what is being called the Greater Erith Project. This project is a collaborative venture between Bexley Council, The Greater London Authority, Transport for London and The London Enterprise Panel. According to what I have read, The Council’s vision for Erith is to encourage housing and employment growth, allied with the provision of additional services, facilities and infrastructure, including an enhanced educational and leisure offer, to ensure the creation of a sustainable and healthier community. Key elements of this approach are the encouragement of mixed use developments within and around the town centre of high design quality which respect the areas built and natural heritage, improve accessibility, enhance environmental quality and maximise the recreational, ecological and flood management potential of the River Thames. The regeneration of Erith Town Centre will create new coherent predominantly residential riverside communities, which will provide a mix of housing, new and improved business premises, community uses, and public transport improvements within a framework of new residential streets with an improved public realm. The London Regeneration Fund (LRF) will finance major physical improvements to key areas of the town, particularly to the area between the Town Hall and the Post Office. It will also pay for activities designed to re-energise the area and to improve training and job opportunities for local residents. How much of this will actually be delivered remains to be seen, but I am cautiously optimistic. What does concern me is that whilst some improvements will be made in and around Erith Station, the fundamental problem related to the station looks like it is not going to be addressed; that is, the lack of step free access to the London bound platform. Nearby stations such as Bexleyheath have a passenger lift, even though it does not really need one - as both platforms can be easily accessed by a buggy or wheelchair user from the road and pedestrian bridges at each end of the platform. At Erith Station however, there is no such option - the only way to get to the London bound platform is to climb the Victorian footbridge, which is about as unfriendly to those with mobility challenges as you can get. The only alternative is to stay on the Kent bound platform and get the train to Dartford, change there using the passenger lifts at that station, and then come back the other way, towards London. This is time consuming and impractical for many wheelchair and buggy users, and besides that, why should they be treated differently from other rail users? Local MP Teresa Pearce has long campaigned for step free access to the London bound platform at Erith Station, but thus far her efforts have met with little success. I am hopeful that as the profile of the town increases as the development money is spent locally, that her efforts to improve the station for all users will get better recognition. Work also starts in the next couple of weeks on the refurbishment and repurposing of the old Carnegie Library in Walnut Tree Road. It will become a centre for ‘innovation, creativity, learning and production’ once The Exchange become new occupiers of the landmark. The local company will take on the building under a lease and partnership agreement with the London Borough of Bexley. Councillor Linda Bailey, Cabinet member for Regeneration and Growth, said in a recent interview:- “We are very pleased to have found three experienced local entrepreneurs who have established The Exchange Ltd to work with us to prepare the building for the next exciting phase in its history. “We have agreed to co-finance the refurbishment of the building together with the Mayor of London and the new operator, and we believe it will be a powerful demonstration of the ways in which regeneration can benefit the town and its people.” The Exchange plan to offer cultural, artistic and designer studios. and workshop space for creative businesses to make and sell products. I was fortunate enough to attend the former library open day a while back, and I was absolutely astounded as to just how big the place is; back in the day when it was still open and operating as a library, only around a third of the building space was actually open to the public. On the open day the entire structure was open for investigation, and I have to say that The Exchange have got a huge job in front of them - the library building has been neglected for the best part of a decade, and whilst it is not exactly falling down, the building is not secure from the weather; when it rains, water pours down the inside of several of the windows, and in places, trees are growing inside the structure. All of this can be rectified with sufficient money and construction resources.

A report recently published by The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) shows the startling change in recycling rates in the boroughs that make up South East London. The report shows that Bexley is recycling less than it did in 2012, despite the data being more positive than Lewisham and Dartford. Between March 2016 and March 2017 - 53 per cent of all rubbish from households was recycled, which is one per cent less than the same period from 2011 to 2012. In the 12 months to the end of March this year Bexley cleared away 121,304 tonnes of rubbish, with 81 per cent of that household waste. I have discovered that the real reason that Bexley have stopped providing plastic and drinks container collection facilities at their recycling points is less to do with contamination of the materials previously deposited at the sites as they claim, and rather more to do with cold, hard cash. It has come to my attention that certain countries such as China are stopping the importation of plastic waste due to environmental concerns. This has meant that the charges imposed by plastic sorting and grading plants are now increasing because of their now increased overheads. Bexley Council don't want to spend the extra money - it would seem (no great surprise) that Bexley would rather that the local environment would suffer rather than paying for the additional recycling costs. As previously mentioned, Bexley Council is not alone in allowing plastic recycling to slip down their agenda; in fact central government is aware, and it is becoming increasingly likely that new rules enforcing minimum rates for plastic recycling may be forced onto local councils. I for one would like to see the plastic and drinks container hoppers restored to the various recycling facilities around Bexley, and I know I am not alone in this.

I am aware that humour is a very personal thing, and what appeals to one person may not appeal to another. Nevertheless, I have been astonished at the success of one programme in particular, which I just cannot understand the appeal of, as it seems to hark back to early 1970’s sit coms like “Bless this House” and “On the Buses” whilst to my mind lacking the wit or charm of those shows. On top of all this, the show managed to rack up the highest viewing ratings of the Christmas period – so a lot of people must like it. What show am I talking about? “Mrs Brown's Boys”. It really seems to be a Marmite show for a lot of viewers – you either love or loathe it, and I am firmly in the latter group. It does seem to be a “guilty pleasure” programme, as when I have mentioned it to people, all I have asked have said that they detest it, but some at least must be lying, as the viewing figures have been so high. I won't bother a critique of “Mrs Browns Boys” as others have done far better than I, and I know my personal views are extremely unlikely to sway the opinion of someone who actually likes the show. I am mystified. If you have any thoughts on this, then please feel free to leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Talking of TV shows, I am reminded that not very long ago I wrote about the fate of so called "Smart" TV's purchased only three or four years ago. Apps written for these not quite brand new models simply cease working as the app producers only write the latest version of their software for the most recent TV models. Samsung smart TV's from 2012 - 2013 have suffered this fate, and the same is happening with sets from other manufacturers. I have had a couple of readers contact me, asking what they should look for when buying a new TV set. In the past I have advised against purchasing a 4K TV, as so little 4K content was available. This is now changing. I know many potential purchasers are somewhat discouraged, as they have seen so many "must have" technologies incorporated into TV's fall by the wayside - 3D anyone? None of the mainstream TV manufacturers still makes a TV with 3D capability nowadays. It was all of the rage four years ago, but now it is almost completely forgotten - in my opinion 3D was always a solution looking for a problem. The new technologies that are now becoming commonplace in contemporary televisions are far less gimmicky than 3D. After the 3D debacle, and the less than stellar performance of apps used on Smart TV's compared to the average laptop, it could be argued that 4K and HDR are the next big forgettable fad. The difference here is that both technologies simply improve an existing experience. You don’t have to fight with an uncooperative system, wear special glasses or buy yet another version of the same movie you already own on DVD or Blu-Ray. Good 4K Ultra HD TVs are available for well under £1,000, with even really great, big sets costing under £1,500 – such as Sony’s fantastic 55in Bravia XE9005. While more pixels benefits large screens, it is HDR that has film and TV makers excited, as not only can it be made with four times the number of pixels, those pixels can be better. HDR allows content creators to better display their vision on your small screen as they have done on the big screen, as well as do things that have not been possible with SDR formats. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range video is that recorded and displayed with a wider range of colours than so called standard dynamic range (SDR). HDR video therefore has a greater range of both contrast and colour  than SDR, resulting in a more true-to-life picture and producing scenes with more "pop" or depth. HDR is usually combined with the increased resolution of 4K video producing greater detail and immersion. HDR video is different to HDR photography, where the latter is a technique that combines multiple exposures of a scene to create a single image with a greater dynamic range of luminosity, mimicking what is seen by the human eye. There are a number of different HDR standards, and different manufacturers don't always stick to the same standards. As of now, almost all but the very bottom end 4K televisions will have at least the basic level of HDR implementation, so buyers don't need to worry over much. The difference that has happened in 2017 has been the increase in native 4K content available for these new ultra high definition televisions. Both Netflix and Amazon Video are producing original content in 4K HDR, with Sky TV and BT TV playing catch up. Because of the extremely large quantity of data a 4K HDR picture requires, you will not be seeing ultra high definition programmes broadcast on Freeview or FreeSat any time soon. It has to be said that the future of all television is now in the arena of streaming. I predict that Sky TV will be entirely satellite free within the next five years - as fibre broadband gets faster and more ubiquitous, the need for expensive and potentially unreliable broadcasting satellites will simply cease to exist.

A story that I have been asked to keep quiet about for some time has now broken publicly; it was a bit of an open secret to be honest, but now the time has come where I can announce that The Bexley Brewery are opening a Micro Pub at 100, Barnehurst Road, Barnehurst, close to Barnehurst Station. The Micro Pub is going to be called The Bird and Barrel - after the green Parakeet bird that the brewery use as their logo. The Micro Pub was originally stared on the site a couple of years ago, but the chap who was behind it ended up puling out before it was ready to open. Cliff, Jane and Cameron Murphy have taken over the former Aquacadabra tropical fish shop (see the photo above - click on it for a larger view) and finished the conversion into the borough's latest Micro Pub. I have been promised the first photos and a preview visit before The Bird and Barrel opens to the general public - more on this story very soon.

I have long known that the Maggot Sandwich gets read by people far outside of its target area; I have previously had messages of support from places as far afield as Brazil, Melbourne in Australia, Tokyo in Japan, and most recently a very nice message from a chap called Patrick, who lives for several months of the year in the city of Perm in the Russian Federation, very close to the border with Siberia. He mentioned that winter temperatures are usually around minus 25 degrees Celsius. He did also comment that the local people were amazingly hospitable. When not in Russia, Patrick lives in the slightly less exotic surroundings of Dartford.

A report was published in August 2016, the findings of which surprised me not in the slightest. The report from The Department of Criminology at the University of Leicester suggested that supermarket self-checkout technology encourages even normally honest shoppers to commit theft. The report found that installing self-service checkouts raises lost revenue by 122 percent. Some of it is accidental – people forget to scan items, or get confused by instructions; other times shoppers get so frustrated with self-service kiosks that they feel justified in not paying. But the report  stated that mostly people shoplift because the technology makes it so easy. Mobile phone scanning technology is just as vulnerable – the study found that at the end of a typical shopping trip, up to ten percent of items had not been scanned, leading to “shrinkage” (loss through wastage or theft) of about 3.9 percent of turnover. Unfortunately the technology makes it very difficult to prove that customers are deliberately stealing. One retailer admitted they almost never prosecute people. For that reason supermarkets are now introducing tagging systems so un-scanned items trigger alarms. Supermarkets such as Morrison’s in Erith have now expanded the number of self – service checkouts so that now half of all tills are of this type. Finding an open, traditionally staffed checkouts are becoming a challenge to find. This week, to cement the academic findings of last year, a new report was published by The Office of National Statistics which said that £3.2 billion worth of goods is stolen through the self-scanning tills every year. The Office of National Statistics has previously revealed that shoplifting has increased by more than ten per cent in the last year. I have been told that the cost savings in checkout staff wage reductions is more than offset by both the increase in stock theft and the requirement to hire more security guards – who in any case are usually on a higher hourly rate than the checkout staff that they replace. I have always wondered why you have to pay the same price for an item when it is purchased via a self – service till when compared to a traditional one – after all, you are doing work on behalf of the supermarket, and surely this should be reflected in a cheaper cost? Personally I refuse to ever use self-service tills – why have a dog and bark yourself? I would not be at all surprised if the losses incurred via self-service till thefts cause the big supermarkets to re-think their strategy – which at no point is aimed at helping the customer – it is purely about making it as easy for the supermarket to collect money as cheaply and efficiently as possible.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association:- Firstly from Barnehurst ward:- "Barnehurst has just one burglary to report. This took place in Lea Vale on Wednesday 20th December 2017 between the early hours of 02.50 and 03.10. The resident was woken by a loud bang in the early hours. The suspect was seen running down the stairs holding a torch light. When the resident went to the window the suspect was seen getting into a dark coloured Honda Civic. There were at least two occupants in the vehicle, this vehicle sped off with the headlights off in unknown direction. There has been no reports of anti-social behaviour and the team are continuing to patrol all relevant areas. There have been no further reports of golf balls being thrown at property’s in Taunton Close. Concentrated patrols are being carried out to Martens Avenue in particular the garaged area of Braeside Crescent and to the alleys leading to Martens Avenue'. Belvedere ward:- "PC’s Green and Holmes have been busy continuing mobile patrols in the north of the borough, assisted by officers from neighboring wards. The team have been made aware of damage to garages in Lumley Close. We would like to ask that if anyone has any information in relation to this, please contact us on 0208 721 2050. We are currently making enquiries with the garage owners as the garages remain unsecured. PCSO Worrall also assisted officers from Northumberland Heath SNT recently with visits to residents of Hythe Avenue and Shinglewell Road after two burglaries took place in those streets. Home security and crime prevention advice was offered to residents. With help from a concerned resident of Picardy Road, PCSO Worrall was able to reunite a lost dog with her owner recently. The family pet had been able to find her way from her new home back to where the family previously lived in Belvedere". Brampton ward:- "On 22nd December 2017 overnight in Belvedere Road a resident reported criminal damage to property whereby three large spherical concrete balls were knocked off the brick wall at the venue. In Birchington Close overnight on 21st December 2017 a car tyre was punctured. This type of Incident has become an ongoing issue in Birchington Close. Due to the number of reported incidents here CCTV has now been installed to monitor and hopefully establish what’s going on in this area". Christchurch ward:- "Over night on 20th/21st December there was an attempted burglary in Rochester Drive. The Ring doorbell was removed in an attempt to stop CCTV footage of the burglars being recorded. Fortunately entry was not gained to the property. Over night on 21st/22nd December there was a burglary in Standard Road whilst the home owners slept. It is thought that the burglars were disturbed as only a handbag was stolen". Crayford ward:- "Good news - there has been no reports of any burglaries on Crayford ward. On 26th December 2017 a black BMW coupe 318i, vehicle registration number is T213 JVH was found taken from Barnes Cray Road. Local residents saw a white truck taking the vehicle away at midnight a couple of days prior. On 20th December 2017 between 09.00pm and 02.00pm on 21st December 2017 victim found their vehicle had been criminally damaged in Crayford way. The vehicle had been parked in the road locked and secure but was later found with a broken passenger side window and the ignition had been removed from the steering column with peripheral damage". North End ward:- "Not a nice way to start the festive email but we had a burglary in Slade Green Road during the afternoon of Christmas Eve, money and an expensive camera were stolen. Entry was gained through the front door by removing a small window of the door. Please call police if you see anyone tampering at any doorway. Erith Food and Wine Store in The Nursery had a robbery last Saturday with £160 stolen from the till. This occurred shortly after the same suspect tried the same thing at Northend Road Superstore a few minutes earlier. Fortunately nobody was hurt in either incident but CCTV has not given us a clear image of the suspect. A short update this week due to minimal staff and a few days not worked but we would like to wish you all a safe and Happy New Year. Thamesmead East ward:- "No Burglaries to report, however a vehicle was broken into during the early hours of Friday 22nd December 2017, Holstein Way. Nothing believed to have been taken. While on routine foot patrol, PC Nana identified a male who was wanted for a Domestic Assault, and quickly detained him, despite patrolling alone, and the male being known to Police for violence in the past (Great work). PC Pruden has interviewed a male in relation to Anti-Social Behaviour- riding Mopeds. Enquiries and further interviews to follow. The team have also been over the busy Christmas period, working into the early hours of the morning, and this will continue into the New Year. We are always interested in recruiting new Neighbourhood watch co-ordinators for the ward. Please ask your family and friends if they would like to set up a Neighbourhood watch in their road. Please spread the word to any family and friends in the Borough - they can contact us on 020 8721 2049 or Thamesmead.SNT@met.police.uk for more information. For the latest news updates and information from Bexley Police, please visit our twitter pages - @MPSBexley and @MPSThamesmeadE".

I know that many local people have been extremely unhappy about the disruption to the train services into London via both the Bexleyheath and Greenwich rail lines over the Christmas period. Public transport expert and TV presenter Geoff Marshall (he of All the Stations fame) was invited to see what has been going on in and around London Bridge Station during the Christmas holdays by Network Rail. The visit was somewhat unusual - it was undertaken by helicopter. Watch the video below, and please feel free to leave a comment, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The 3D turn - off.

I took the photo above in Erith Riverside Shopping Centre on Friday lunchtime. You can see some others that I took at around the same time on my Flickr site here. It is some time since I took any photos in the shopping centre, and many new shops have opened, and a couple have closed. I thought that it was high time to document the changes that have happened over the last couple of years. Whilst I was taking shots, a couple of Maggot Sandwich readers came over to say hello, which was very nice - it never ceases to amaze me as to how many people read my weekly ramblings. 

Well, just for once I can say that I told you so. Regular readers may recall that back in August 2013 I predicted the demise of 3D television - you can see my original article by clicking here. Well, only this week the BBC News technology website has been reporting that both LG and Sony have now stopped making 3D-enabled televisions. The firms follow Samsung - the world’s biggest TV maker - who confirmed the move last year. It means there are currently no major manufacturers making 3D TVs. Very few movies are now being shot in the format, and it is rumoured that the sequels to Avatar (the most financially successful film shot in 3D) will be shot in 2D and only converted to 3D in post production - mainly to save money, as it is not felt that a native 3D production would recoup its' increased production costs with the greatly reduced share of the potential audience being prepared to pay extra to see the movie in 3D in any form. Since the original Avatar was released in 2009, the numbers prepared to sit through what a significant proportion of people find to be a headache inducing, eye strain causing ordeal will be instructive to see. Personally I can get on with 3D for about twenty minutes at a time. I would most certainly not be able to sit through a full length movie without feeling distinctly unwell. I gather that the way that the 3D processing works relies on the viewer having perfect unassisted 20/20 vision – the overlapping dual images that are displayed on screen and filtered by the stroboscopic (in the case of active 3D) or polarising (in the case of the cheaper and less effective passive system) glasses are not interpreted correctly by the brains’ visual cortex if vision is anything less than perfect – this is why problems with watching 3D content are more common with people who wear prescription spectacles like myself. It would appear that consumers were buying the TV’s despite the 3D features, not because of them. My suspicions regarding this were confirmed recently when a while ago I had a detailed conversation with the senior A/V installation engineer from local electronics retailer Wellingtons and he confirmed my suspicions. He said that people buy smart TV’s mainly for applications such as BBC iPlayer and other streaming “catch up” services – the other smart functions are generally regarded as a novelty – as is 3D. This novelty soon wears off. 3D is a solution to a problem that you never knew that you had.

Many local residents commute into London to go to work; unfortunately the means of doing this for many people who live in the Northern parts of the London Borough of Bexley are somewhat limited - you either get the overland train via either the Dartford to London Via Greenwich line, or alternatively via the Bexleyheath line. Some lucky people such as myself have an alternative of getting a bus to Woolwich Arsenal and then joining the Docklands Light Railway into London - but for many this is not a practical option. This week travel was greatly disrupted by the derailment of a freight train on a section of line near to Lewisham station. The train was eighteen cars long and contained building materials - mainly sand and ballast, several tons of which got dumped onto the tracks during the accident. The derailed train also bent and broke a fairly long - around fifty metres - section of rail track which needed to be replaced. In an interview with the London Evening Standard on Wednesday, Andy Derbyshire, chief operating officer for Network Rail’s South East route, said: “We know that this incident is disrupting many peoples’ journeys and I’m sorry it will be a few days yet before services return to normal. We are doing everything we can to get the site clear and our repairs under way as quickly and safely as possible. We need to completely rebuild more than 50m of railway from the foundations up, just a few metres from one of the busiest railway lines in the south east. This is a significant job but we’ll be working round-the-clock until the work is done and trains are back up and running for passengers.” The last time a similar event happened was on the 3rd of June 2015, when a similar freight train derailed on the junction close to the Angerstein Wharf branch line, on the London bound track just past Charlton station - you can see a photo of that incident below. The 2015 incident took Network Rail engineers a week to clear and resolve; bearing in mind it is less than eighteen months since that serious incident, is one to assume that derailments are becoming a far more regular occurrence. I know that a substantial number of my regular readers are transport enthusiasts - I wonder if any of them can give me greater insight into the reasons for such derailments - does it have anything to do with the UK's rail network being almost unique in the world in allowing freight and passenger trains to share the same tracks, for example? I am concerned that whilst the last two derailments have involved freight trains and no people were injured, the next time may involve a passenger train on what is one of the busiest and most heavily used lines in the country. We may not be so lucky next time. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

I recently had a most unpleasant shopping experience; last weekend I needed to work Friday night, then all day Saturday and Sunday and into the early evening - some vital IT infrastructure work that could only be performed out of hours in my "day job". This meant that I was unable to visit the shops during the daytime. I did get a chance to visit the large Morrison's supermarket in Erith with a mind to getting myself something for my dinner on Saturday evening. I spent less than ten minutes getting a few essentials and then headed to the tills in order to pay and go home after a long day working. When I got to the checkouts, I found that none of the regular ones were staffed, and only the self service tills were available. I politely asked the supervisor if any conventional tills were available, and was told "It is only self service now - the standard tills shut at 8.30". Please bear in mind that it was around 8.45pm, and the store stays open until 10pm, and there were still many shoppers with large trolleys full of goods in the store. I put down my hand basket and walked out of the store empty handed in protest. I am vehemently opposed to self service for a number of reasons; firstly it has been demonstrated that the average time to complete a supermarket self service transaction is up to three times as long as one carried out by a staffed till – and that is without allowing for system errors. Secondly, why would you have a dog and bark yourself? Quite often the checkout person adds to the whole retail experience, and can problem solve on the go. Elderly people, or customers with small children can also find self service stressful. On top of this, the supermarkets only introduce self service as they think it will reduce their staffing overheads. This has proved to be a false economy, as although the number of checkout staff is reduced, the number of supervisors and security operatives has to increase – who tend to be paid a higher rate than the checkout staff. This particular matter has caused Wilkinson’s to remove them, as they discovered that the self service tills actually cost more by the time all the overhead costs were factored in; they were also finding the incidence of thefts and under age purchasing were on the rise. Self-service counters cost about £9,000 each, including installation, and manufacturer NCR estimates that they pay for themselves in about 15 months. A third more tills can be squeezed into a store and checkout staff can be deployed elsewhere. But the devices — and their frequent complaint of “unexpected item in bagging area” — are disliked by many shoppers, who argue that retailers are asking customers to do their work for them and that it reduces interaction with staff. NCR argues that the counters cut prices. “Staff can be redeployed to the shop floor, so it can actually improve service,” A claim that has since found to be incorrect in  a very many cases. NCR believes that it is benefiting from modern social change, especially the growing convenience market. People are making more shopping trips, for fewer items — hence the spread of convenience outlets to meet demand — a phenomenon attributed by analysts to the breakdown in the nuclear family and traditional working patterns. NCR believes, moreover, that shoppers’ desire for healthy and fresh food and a growing desire to have cravings satisfied immediately have also driven the convenience boom. In my opinion, part of the whole shopping experience is the service and interaction with the staff - and as has been previously proved, the auto tills are not very secure. In fact, the whole chip and PIN security system is indeed threatened, as I have written about in the past. I refuse to do the supermarkets' work for them - and I detest these impersonal infringements on our shopping experience. Earlier last year a report was published by the Criminology Department of the University of Leicester on self service checkout tills. The report found that installing self-service checkouts raises lost revenue by 122 percent. Some of it is accidental – people forget to scan items, or get confused by instructions; other times shoppers get so frustrated with self-service kiosks that they feel justified in not paying. But the report  states that mostly people shoplift because the technology makes it so easy. Mobile phone scanning technology is just as vulnerable – the study found that at the end of a typical shopping trip, up to ten percent of items had not been scanned, leading to “shrinkage” (loss through wastage or theft) of about 3.9 percent of turnover. Unfortunately the technology makes it very difficult to prove that customers are deliberately stealing. One retailer admitted they almost never prosecute people. For that reason supermarkets are now introducing tagging systems so un-scanned items trigger alarms. Supermarkets such as Morrison’s in Erith have now expanded the number of self – service checkouts so that now half of all tills are of this type, as I found to my cost. Finding open, traditionally staffed checkouts are becoming a challenge to find. I have always wondered why you have to pay the same price for an item when it is purchased via a self – service till when compared to a traditional one – after all, you are doing work on behalf of the supermarket, and surely this should be reflected in a cheaper cost? If I wanted to operate a till, I would get a job at Morrison's. I have filed a complaint with the store management and am currently awaiting a response. More on this in the weeks that come. 

The photo above shows another “then and now” photo from local history enthusiast Martin Barnes, who has spent considerable time putting together a load of such shots from around the London Borough of Bexley. The “now” photo is actually from 2012, and it shows the Potion Bar still open, before it lost its’ licence and was forcibly shut by the authorities. The former White Hart pub is currently in a very sorry state indeed; the metal security shuttering which has covered the outside for the last couple of years has now been removed, and workers are currently stripping the interior. What is actually going on with the building seems currently to be shrouded in mystery. When any of the workers are asked what is happening to the building they claim to not know, and say that they are “just tidying it up”. This seems to be stretching a point as they have been hard at work for several weeks. I know that plans were submitted to Bexley Council to convert the upper floor into residential apartments , and for a low level block of flats to be built on what is currently the very large pub garden, which overlooks the River Thames. What I currently don’t know is if these plans got approved – and the Bexley planning website does not seem to be giving anything away. I do know that any redevelopment / refurbishment of the listed Victorian building which is located in the Erith High Street conservation zone will insist that a replica of the original acid etched glass and green glazed tile pub frontage will have to be installed. The original historic frontage was illegally demolished by the then owners of Potion Bar, who instead installed the hideous plate glass and metal “fish tank” exterior you can see in the 2012 photo above. The council took legal action against the owners of Potion, who did not turn up in court. When the court found in favour of Bexley Council, Potion was declared bankrupt – to avoid the punishing fine and requirement to enact the restoration of the historic frontage.  Now the building looks extremely shabby, unlike the nearby Cross Keys, which has been sympathetically and methodically restored inside and out at great expense by Anglo American management consultants, the Aleff Group. The whole of the Erith High Street Conservation Area looks amazing – with the exception of the shell of the White Hart / Potion Bar. I am concerned that the building may go the way of The Prince of Wales, which was closed and unused, and just before it was due to be listed by Bexley Council, it mysteriously burned down, caused by a fire which began in more than one location some years ago. The plot of land it once occupied is now the site of the Erith McDonald's Drive Through Restaurant.

Things have also gone very quiet regarding the £19.7 million pounds local regeneration grant due to be spent on Erith. It was announced last March, as you can see in the video clip here, but little has been heard since. Bearing in mind the very positive impact such a large investment will have on the town, it is a pity that this is not given greater prominence. What would you like to see the money spent on, and why? If you have any information as to what is happening regarding this large amount of regeneration cash, please let me know. Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.



The train service on the local train lines has been utterly appalling recently, especially after the early morning derailment that I mentioned earlier; I have given up on using it to travel to my company's office in Canary Wharf, and instead get the 99 bus from Erith to Woolwich Arsenal Station where I pick up the Docklands Light Railway. It may take a few minutes longer, but it is a far more reliable and less stressful method of travel in my opinion. One thing that the journey from Erith to Woolwich has done is given me a greater appreciation of the journey between local towns, and the often poor state of repair of so many key buildings on the journey. In my opinion the worst by far are some of those in Plumstead High Street, especially the former bed store at number 64, which has now been the subject of a local news story. The News Shopper have reported that Greenwich council have come under fire for neglecting Plumstead High Street and leaving old, dilapidated buildings unchallenged.The state of disrepair of 64 Plumstead High Street in particular has frustrated locals who want to know why the council haven’t acted sooner on the issue. A residents group called Plumstead and Abbey Wood Regeneration Committee (PARC), consisting of 25 members, to try get something done about the state of their high street. Johnny Beverton, a member of PARC, said: “Plumstead High Street has been neglected for some time now and one only needs to take to social media to see that locals and newcomers alike are becoming increasingly frustrated with the seeming lack of activity or dialogue from the council. The state of some of the buildings is an ongoing concern and has been for some time now, with blatant disregard by owners for the state of their properties contributing to a negative atmosphere and lack of civic pride. Plumstead has a thriving community of people who really care and PARC are looking forward to taking a proactive approach working with the council to secure ongoing progress." PARC members believe the council should be using their powers to force property owners to tidy their land up, citing the Section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act of 1990. The act gives local councils the power to force property owners to clean land when its condition adversely affects the amenity of the area.

Erith is still somewhat of a building site at present; many bus services are still on diversion due to the ongoing roadworks outside of the Fit4Less gym at the junction of Erith High Street and Pier Road, as you can see in the photo above - click on it for a larger view. Apparently the works are necessary to upgrade the gas pipes that run under the road - whatever, there has been a hole for over two weeks, with very little sign of an end in sight. If anyone has more information on the road works, I would love to hear from you - Email hugh.neal@gmail.com with your details.

Do you have an Apple Mac and a need to run a Windows only application? Well aside from dual booting, which involves buying a retail copy of Windows, there is an alternative that until very recently was only really the option for very technically minded people such as me. That is all changing with the arrival of Wine 2.0 which has been released following a year in development with support for Office 2013 among a list of 6,600 changes. Wine is an open-source compatibility layer first released in 2008 for Windows apps to run on Unix-like operating systems, such as Linux and Apple's OS X. Office 2013 is the latest in a line of Microsoft's productivity suite to work with Wine and therefore Linux. Other changes in Wine 2.0 include 64-bit support for Mac OS X. Gamers also get a boost, with more Direct3D 10 and 11 features implemented – including more resource formats – while the Wine 3D graphics card database recognises a broader number of GPUs. Wine 2.0 is free and open source - a much cheaper option that shelling out for a retail copy of Windows 10 Professional at £189.99 including VAT.

Readers may recall that in my update entitled "The Jetty" on the 8th of January, I was extremely worried about the proposed compulsory purchase of Millwall FC's football ground, and the possible precedent that it could set for local councils to similarly compulsorily purchase other leisure spaces and then sell them off to property developers in order to raise cash - bearing in mind Bexley Council's absolutely horrifying reputation for doing exactly this at the slightest opportunity. Well, it would appear that common sense has finally prevailed. It was reported on Wednesday afternoon that the plan to evict Millwall football club from its land around the Den by compulsory purchase has been abandoned after months of fierce public pressure. In a statement Lewisham council’s elected mayor, Sir Steve Bullock, said that the CPO on Millwall’s land “should not proceed”, pulling the plug on the plan that could have threatened the club’s future existence in its historical South East London home. Residents threatened with eviction by the £1bn regeneration scheme will also be celebrating as a concerted campaign to expose the plans to the light of scrutiny has finally borne fruit. In a statement Bullock wrote: “I have always been clear that Millwall must be at the heart of the development and it is my view that these concerns need to be thoroughly addressed, the CPO should not proceed and that all parties concerned should enter discussions to identify an agreed way to achieve the regeneration of this area while resolving these concerns.” Under the proposed scheme Lewisham council planned to seize Millwall’s land, evict the club’s prized community trust and sell the land on to an offshore-registered developer called Renewal. Renewal was founded by two former Lewisham council officers, one of them the previous Labour mayor. The developers are ultimately owned and administered behind the veil of secrecy in the British Virgin Islands and the Isle of Man.

Regular reader and occasional Maggot Sandwich contributor Brian Silk was in contact with me earlier this week; he had spotted something that had completely passed me by. He had discovered that part of a BBC comedy show called “Revolting” was filmed in Erith. You can watch the episode in question on BBC iPlayer here - if you fast forward to the 13 minutes and 50 seconds point, you will see the footage shot in and around Erith. To be honest I am not impressed with the piece. It begins with “In Erith always have a Nigerian phrase book to hand” – advice that is both inaccurate and offensive. Yes, Erith does have a significant proportion of residents whose predecessors came from Africa; not all are of Nigerian origin, and in any case there is no such language as “Nigerian” - I do get the point that they are trying to parody the extreme right wing views of former Erith resident and former BNP and Britain First member Paul Golding, who appears earlier in the episode, but it is very poorly done in my opinion. According to a number of reliable sources, historically something in excess of 520 languages have been spoken in Nigeria. The official language of Nigeria, English, the former colonial language, was chosen to facilitate the cultural and linguistic unity of the country. Communication in the English language is much more popular in the country's urban communities than it is in the rural areas (comprising about three quarters of the country's population).The other major languages are Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Ibibio, Edo, Fulfulde, and Kanuri. Nigeria's linguistic diversity is a microcosm of Africa as a whole, encompassing three major African languages families: Afro-Asiatic, Nilo-Saharan, and Niger–Congo. Nigeria also has several as-yet unclassified languages, such as Cen Tuum, which may represent a relic of an even greater diversity prior to the spread of the current language families. Calling an African language “Nigerian” is like calling the English language “European”. To be honest, the piece was pretty crass and personally I found it offensive and clumsily executed. I felt that it also painted Erith in a negative light. I wonder what made the producers pick Erith as a destination? Was it purely that racist bigot Paul Golding originates from here? The town does not exactly have a high profile, and I can think of other places that they might have selected instead. It is unfortunate that Erith does have a negative image when it comes to comedy; I can still remember the late comedienne Linda Smith, a former Erith resident who once joked “Erith is not twinned with anywhere, but it does have a mutual suicide pact with Dagenham” – a comment which has taken years to overcome since.

The ending video this week is a short piece from the excellent website The Londonist. It features a concise history of London telephone dialling codes - a lot more interesting than you might expect.