Caught red handed.

News has just broken that The Redeemed Christian Church of God Praise Embassy located in Electricity House, 33A Bexley Road, Erith has lost its temporary planning permission. The building. shown in the photo above - click on it for a larger view, has been used as a church, and formerly as a children's nursery, until after an investigation by Ofsted and the Metropolitan Police, the Bright Steps nursery was closed down and its licence revoked after a member of staff was seen hitting a child, and the operators of the nursery destroyed CCTV footage of the incident, which I have covered in detail in the past. Now Bexley Council want the church out. The decision of Bexley Council reads as follows:- "TAKE NOTICE that Bexley Council, the Local Planning Authority under the Town and Country Planning Acts, HAS REFUSED TO PERMIT the development of land situated at :33A Bexley Road Erith, Kent DA8 1SH. For continued use of premises as a place of worship and educational training / community centre and day nursery previously approved for a limited period. Referred to in the application for permission for development received on 25th February 2019, and that the grounds for such refusal are as attached. The applicant has failed to provide the Local Planning Authority with adequate and unambiguous information to enable a thorough and detailed assessment of the proposed scheme. Information including; detailed floor plans showing how the rooms within the building are utilised; details of how and when the outdoor play is going to be used; and an up to date travel plan. Access to the site to conduct an inspection was also denied. The proposed is therefore contrary to Policies ENV39, COM3 and T17 of the Unitary Development Plan (2004) and Policy 3.18 in The London Plan (2016). PLEASE NOTE:- In dealing with this planning application, Bexley Council has worked with the applicant in a positive and proactive manner, in accordance with the requirements of paragraphs 186 and 187 of the National Planning Policy Framework, to seek solutions to problems where practicable. Detailed advice is available in the form of the Council’s Development Plan as well as in the Mayor of London’s and Bexley Council’s Supplementary Planning Documents and Guidance. The Council also offers a full pre-application service that is available to all applicants to assist in formulating their proposals". Quite what will happen to the church now is anyone's guess. As far as the building is concerned, my sources indicate that Bexley Council want to redevelop the site. Electricity House was built back in 1938 and opened in November 1939 as a showroom and offices for the local electricity company, which at the time was run by the council. Pre – war services such as gas, water and electricity supply were quite commonly managed and supplied by local councils; the idea of private companies being involved was something that did not happen until after the war had ended. Electricity House was also a place where new electrical customers could view domestic appliances which they could buy via hire purchase (it sounds like an early version of BrightHouse, but without the crippling interest rates). As well as the showroom, Electricity House was home to what contemporary accounts say was a very upmarket dance hall with a fully sprung Canadian Maple floor; there was also a small Pathe cinema. The local electricity business was astonishingly successful – probably much helped by the fact that it offered the cheapest metered electricity in the entire UK at the time – one penny per unit. Ten thousand local people signed up for electrification in the first month alone, attracted by the offer of free connection to the local power grid – unusual at the time – many suppliers would even charge for the copper cable to connect new customers. In 1939 the Erith electricity board made a (for then) massive profit of £13,000. The idea was that the money would be used to improve local services and amenities for all, but the advent of war meant that early in 1940 Electricity House was handed over for war work, and once peace was restored, the money intended to benefit local people was absorbed by the LEB during nationalisation, and nothing was ever seen of it. The building is now very run down and dilapidated, and from what I understand the only real source of income is the mobile phone masts and cell transceivers mounted on the roof. This is all under a background of Bexley Council negotiating with the individual leaseholders in order to buy out the leases in Electricity House prior to what I and many others believe to be a compulsory purchase order and then site redevelopment. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

After last weekend's Open House event, when I met several readers as I ran guided tours around the historic Carnegie Library building in Walnut Tree Road, Erith, I have had correspondence from long time reader Dana Wiffen, who sent me the photographs above. Dana writes:- "The Railway RANG (Royal Arsenal Narrow Gauge-Railway) is now running - which is wonderful, as their original predictions were for the spring 2020. The Loco and carriage are looking really good, and they are working to extend to the car park with appropriate platforms and passing double tracks. This is a 2 foot gauge railway and follows the route of the 1861 William Websters contractors railway which brought in the materials for the building of Crossness Engines Pumping Station. This is a superb added attraction for the many visitors to the wonderful partly restored pump engines that visit every year which includes a growing band of visitors from outside of the UK. The next and final open day of this year will be Sunday 20th October 2019 when the pump engine "Prince Consort" will be in steam as well as the railway running and the many other places of interest to visit, there is also a superb tea room". The engine pictured above is named "Bazalgette" after the pioneering Victorian engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette, the creator of Crossness Sewage Works, and much of London's sewage systems. As chief engineer to London's metropolitan board of works in the mid-19th century, Bazalgette had a significant impact both on London's appearance and, through his design of an efficient sewage system, on the health of its inhabitants. Joseph Bazalgette was born in London on 28 March 1819. His father was a captain in the Royal Navy. Bazalgette began his career as a railway engineer, gaining considerable experience in land drainage and reclamation. In 1842 he set up in private practice. In 1856, London's metropolitan board of works was established. The board was the first organisation to supervise public works in a unified way over the whole city, and it elected Joseph Bazalgette as its first, and only, chief engineer. In the mid-19th century, London was suffering from recurring epidemics of cholera. In 1853 - 1854 more than 10,000 Londoners were killed by the disease. It was thought at the time to be caused by foul air. The hot summer of 1858 created the 'Great Stink of London', which overwhelmed all those who went near the Thames - including the occupants of Parliament. This, together with the frequent occurrence of Cholera, gave impetus to legislation enabling the metropolitan board to begin work on sewers and street improvements. By 1866 most of London was connected to a sewer network devised by Bazalgette. He saw to it that the flow of foul water from old sewers and underground rivers was intercepted, and diverted along new, low-level sewers, built behind embankments on the riverfront and taken to new treatment works. By 1870 both the Albert and the Victoria Embankments had been opened. These replaced the tidal mud of the Thames shore with reclaimed ground for riverside roads and gardens behind their curved river walls. The Victoria Embankment protected Bazalgette's low-level sewer, as well as a service subway and the underground railway. The Chelsea Embankment was completed in 1874, reclaiming over 52 acres from the Thames. Throughout this busy time, Bazalgette continued to train young civil engineers and provide independent advice to other British towns and cities - as well as places as far apart as Budapest and Port Louis, Mauritius. Bazalgette died on 15 March 1891.

In another rail related post, details of the remedial work to the banks of the railway in and around Barnehurst Station have been published during the week; as you may recall there was serious disruption to the Bexleyheath line in February, when a series of landslides caused the line to be blocked for a week; temporary remedial action was taken then, and there are now plans for a permanent fix. The 853 Blog wrote recently:- "The Bexleyheath line will be closed between Blackheath and Dartford between 15 and 23 February so engineers can remove thousands of tonnes of soil and install retaining walls with steel beams at Barnehurst. Network Rail says the work, timed to take place in the half-term holiday, will protect the route from landslips for the next 120 years. Extra and longer trains will run on the adjacent Greenwich and Sidcup lines, with the route between Blackheath and Charlton also staying open for trains". The Bexleyheath based Community Rail Partnership said of the forthcoming closure:- "In short, whilst the Community Rail Partnership is broadly in favour of the closure and only for the week as it means the problem is solved, we are mostly concerned with the impact on passengers. The last closure saw buses running between Dartford and Lewisham which were absolutely empty (except between about Dartford and Bexleyheath), because nobody wants to sit on a bus for 60+ minutes between Bexleyheath and Lewisham (if not longer) then to have to get on another train. The B11 was creaking at the seams between Bexleyheath and Abbey Wood and this means we need rail replacement buses not to go 'linear' but 'lateral'. We also want to make sure absolutely tonnes of trains go through Woolwich so that they not only still serve Blackheath and Lewisham; but also allows the focal point for rail replacement to be at Erith, Abbey Wood, Woolwich Arsenal and maybe one other place in the Greenwich area. We have asked Network Rail and South Eastern to attend a meeting with councillors and MPs but also want them to submit their plans for the train service before the T-13 week (3 month) deadline so they can't then 'hide behind' the fact that everything's already been decided. We assess that we've got until about October 15th to give them up to 3 weeks to make any changes and still have 3 months to prepare the rail replacement plans with local councils (temporary bus stops and such). I'll hope they bother to email back and hope for good news".

I came across some pretty worrying information earlier this week. Millennials only truly relax for seven hours a week – because they are too wrapped up in their mobile phones. A poll of 2,000 adults found hectic home and work lives mean those aged 18-34 get less than 60 minutes to themselves each day. Around six in 10 even say they ‘never’ truly relax, because they’re always checking their phone for emails and messages. One tenth even admitted they struggle to go longer than 10 minutes without checking their smartphones. A staggering nine in 10 also confess to opening their phone, even though they know they haven’t had any messages, just to look at the screen. But even older generations are struggling to relax, getting just 90 minutes to unwind each day. Sometimes people wonder why I don't have a mobile phone - this concern is just one of my many answers. On from one form of communication to another - who says I don't plan these things?

I know that I have a fairly large number of Radio Amateurs amongst my readership; As many may know, I too am a Radio Amateur, though not a particularly active one. Something that has come to my attention that should be of concern to anyone with an amateur radio licence is that radio equipment that is only to be used by qualified and licenced individuals under the terms and conditions of their licence is being sold online with no check as to the purchaser, and whether they are allowed to own and operate the equipment. Test purchases have been made on Amazon,  and no questions as to the customers licence type or callsign were made when an order was placed for a 2m VHF and 70cm UHF transceiver of the type illustrated in the photograph above. It strikes me that it would be very easy for anyone to purchase amateur radio equipment online and use it without the necessary training or qualifications in how to operate it properly and within the law. One might argue that in the past, many prospective radio amateurs started off pirating - mainly on the two metre VHF band. The difference in the past was that even basic equipment was relatively expensive - a handheld transceiver similar to the one pictured above would cost several hundred pounds. This meant that only fairly serious people would try to purchase such a unit, and they would usually be asked for their licence details. Obviously they could use someone else's callsign - the checks were fairly rudimentary - which had the effect of making a purchase, even for someone unqualified, quite a challenge. Those unlicensed people were committed, and almost invariably they went on to study for the Radio Amateur Exams (RAE). I am pretty certain that a "blind eye" was turned to these individuals in many cases, as it was regarded as one way of bringing new blood into the technical hobby. Circumstances nowadays have changed remarkably. The handheld radio above is currently on sale on the Amazon UK website for £31.99. That is not a misprint - one can buy the radio for just under £32. Price is no longer a bar to purchasing, and when this is added to the complete lack of eligibility checks, it creates a worrying situation. Non - radio amateurs do have access to some very good two way radio products, the first of which is Citizen's Band radio. Citizens’ Band (‘CB’) radio operates in the 27 MHz band. It is a short-range radio service for both hobby and business use. It is designed to be used without the need for technical qualifications. However, its use must not cause interference to other radio users. You can read more about Citizen's Band radio in the UK by clicking here. The other radio service offered to unlicenced people in the UK is PMR 446 ("Private Mobile Radio, 446 MHz") is a licence exempt service in the UHF radio frequency band and is available for business and personal use in most countries throughout the European Union. PMR446 is typically used for small-site, same-building and line of sight outdoor activities. Equipment used ranges from consumer-grade to professional quality walkie-talkies. Depending on surrounding terrain range can vary from a few hundred metres (in a city) to a few kilometres (flat countryside) to many kilometres from high ground. You can read more about PMR 446 radios by clicking here. The point is, that there are very good alternatives to amateur radio if you want wireless two way communication without the need to study, sit three exams and get an amateur radio licence. Why should you become involved with Amateur Radio, when so many other communications methods are now available? This short video, which is mainly aimed at younger people, and those with no background in technology, will explain. 

It would appear that a new Micro Pub may soon be opened in the local area; a planning application has been submitted to convert a former tattoo parlour located at 149 Long Lane, Bexleyheath into a new Micro Pub. Word reaches me that the woman who has submitted the application has been trained in how to run a Micro Pub by the owners of the The Broken Drum in Blackfen.

I know that many locals are now looking forward to the annual Christ Church Erith Christmas Tree Festival. The Christmas Tree Festival will be taking place as usual on the 13th-15th December. The event is a firm fixture in the calendar of the local area, with visitors coming from as far away as Milton Keynes to see the decorated Christmas trees which fill the Grade II* listed church over the long weekend, and which raises so much money for local good causes. Last night was the annual fund raising Friends of Christ Church Erith quiz and raffle night. Turnout was excellent; around a hundred local people turned up for a very challenging general knowledge quiz, and a raffle with some excellent prizes - first prize was £250 cash, second £100 cash, third was a £50 Marks and Spencer voucher, fourth was a DAB radio, and runners up prizes included a beer gift set from the excellent Bexley Brewery. Only one thing threatened to mar the event before it even started. I, along with several other people were witness to an attempted fly tipping yesterday afternoon. A dark blue Ford Transit van with white lettering on the side saying "LC Plastering Services" stopped in the car park of the church hall at Christ Church at around 5.20pm. Two young white males were in the cab. The driver got out and opened the back of the van. I, and a couple of other people went out to investigate, as we suspected the occupants of the transit van were about to carry out fly tipping. The driver got back into the van saying "It is all right, we are going" and then drove off after being caught red handed. Due to the angle, I was unable to get the vehicle registration number. No actual crime was committed, but I feel had we not interceded, one would have. I detest all criminality, and fly tipping in particular. Please keep a look out for a van matching the description above; I suspect that they will fly tip elsewhere. What do you think? Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Talking of local Micro Pubs, The Kentish Belle in Pickford Lane, Bexleyheath has been in the news recently, when a reporter from the flagship BBC Radio 4 Today programme interviewed customers with regard to the current Brexit situation. Whilst the comments were heavily edited, the views expressed covered a number of opinions, all of which appeared to be erudite and well expressed. The Kentish Belle also started an experiment, which I have not heard any other Micro Pub trying. It opened at 6am on Friday morning as a cafe as a part of MacMillan’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning. Its location next to Bexleyheath Station means that they get a lot of passing trade. On the early morning opening, with teas, coffees, toast, cakes and muffins along with breakfast bars and fruit juice, I understand that in addition to custom from regular visitors, many new faces were welcomed for breakfast on their way to work. The event was judged a success; If further early morning cafe dates are planned, I will let readers know when the details become available. I also hear that any leftover wrapped / portioned food with a long life was going to be donated to Bexley Food Bank. A total of  £369.48 was raised for MacMillan. 

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly the report from Barnehurst ward:- "A relatively quiet week on the ward with only 4 crimes of any relevance to report, one of which actually occurred on the Wednesday 11th September but was only reported this week. There was a theft from motor vehicle in Eversley Cross overnight of Wednesday / Thursday 11th / 12th of September. No entry appeared to be gained despite the quarter light glass being removed. On Wednesday 20th September at 5:20pm there was an attempted burglary in Pennine Way. The victim was at home on her own as the husband was out walking the dog. Suspect entered the property via the side garden gate but fled after being confronted by the victim. Suspect was a white male, slim build with a gaunt appearance. He was wearing jogging bottoms, white T-shirt and a white baseball cap. At 12:30am on Wednesday 11th September in Midfield Avenue a man entered a private driveway and attempted to gain entry to a high value car. Nothing was taken. CCTV shows a suspect who was a white male approx 5'10” wearing dark jacket and jogging bottoms. He was about 25 years old. Finally, unfortunately there was a burglary in Downbank Avenue overnight of Tuesday / Wednesday the 24th / 25th September. Victim heard nothing and woke to find she had been burgled. She discovered the front door open and an untidy search had occurred. Several items had been taken including jewellery. If you would like to meet your officers please feel free to come and have your say at our community contact sessions. The next one is coffee with cops at Barnehurst Golf Course on Tuesday the 8th October at 4pm". Belvedere ward:- "There was a garage burglary in Lower Park Road during last weekend. Residents returned home late in the evening to discover their garage door open, although it appears that no items were taken. It is thought that as many as five males were possibly involved, one of which was driving a white transit van of some kind which was being driven around the block several times. It appears that this group were trying to remove a motorbike from within the garage. PC Holmes took part in a Mental Health Assessment which was conducted at an address in Waterfield Close. The person was placed under section and conveyed to hospital for assessment and care. A car was damaged on Standard Road. Someone had put three nails into the tyre of the vehicle, which is said to be the third occasion on which this has happened. Please be vigilant when parking". Bexleyheath ward:- "Monday 9/9/19 Sadly we had an attempted burglary in Horsham Close whilst the occupant was on holiday, no entry gained and nothing taken. Thursday 12/9/19 Catalytic Convertor stolen Martens Avenue whilst occupant on holiday. Friday 13/9/19 Attempted Theft of Keyless Vehicle Bowness Road – not taken due to protective methods by owner. Sunday 22/9/19 Theft of Pedal Cycle from outside Church on Broadway not locked or chained up. Friday 13/9/19 Theft of Pedal Cycle from Leysdown Avenue. Wednesday 25/9/19 Theft of Number Plates Freta Road. Some of these crimes occurred a week or so ago and due to holidays or late reporting have only just arrived in our figures this week. The team have been successful in working with the council on the ASB issues in Iris Avenue and several youths have been called into meetings, this is ongoing as more are identified. We have also been working closely with L&Q on ASB within a property in regards to the residents living there, also ongoing. Stops and searches continue across the ward, including the war memorial, car parks, Braeside garages and other hotspots with several arrests for possession of cannabis". Crayford ward:- "Criminal damage was caused to two vehicles parked in Maiden Lane on Saturday 14th September between 21.40-22.00. A corrosive substance was thrown over all panels on each vehicle. Local CCTV shows 2 males doing this, a woman was seen to walk by soon after, it is believed she may have witnessed the incident and may be able to identify the males. A taxi driver was robbed of cash whilst dropping off a fare at Moreton Court in Perry Street on 15th September at about 14.30, the suspects are male and female and in their teens. Between 5th and 17th September a motor home was broken in to in Thames Road, items stolen included a media station valued £450, Nintendo Switch Plus £400, Bose Bluetooth Sound System £170, DVD's, Sat Nav System £150. On 17th September at 20.15 a black Audi TT was stolen from outside Crayford BR Station, the victim was selling the car and the suspect sped off with it, including documents. This vehicle has since been recovered by police to the car pound. Overnight between 6th and 7th September tools including a Makita drill, Facom tools and other items were stolen from a car parked in Walker Close. A black and green FLY370 bicycle with a 26 inch frame and 21 speed gears was stolen from the rear garden of a property in Hall Place Crescent on 20th September at 6.12am. The suspect was seen on CCTV and described as wearing a light coloured top with PUMA written on it and wearing a cap or hood. a Volkswagen parked in Tower Retail Park was criminally damaged on 22nd September between 15.00-16.00, it was scratched from front to back. A white Mercedes Sprinter had the ignition tampered with, there was no sign of entry, this happened at Tanners Close between 17.00 on the 20th September and 9.40 on 21st September. There seems to be an increase in road rage incidents around the area. On Friday evening our team conducted a traffic op at Bourne Road. Twelve vehicles were stopped for speeds well above the speed limit, tickets were issued for speeding and not wearing a seat belt. It was noted that other road users were flashing their lights to warn oncoming vehicles that we were there, this is actually an offence. Our next community contact session will be held on Thursday 3rd October at Crayford Library between 14.00-15.00, please come along if there is something you would like to discuss face to face".

Erith ward:- "No Burglaries again this week in Erith. Please see the attached leaflet re motor vehicle crime. We are planning some dates for crime prevention stalls outside of Erith police base which will include number plate theft with free secure screws plus cycle marking. Dates will be listed soon. Criminal Damage 18/09/2019 Erith High Street,  Theft from Motor Vehicle 13/09/2019 17:00:00 Riverdale road, Theft of MV 21/09/2019 01:00:00 Downton Mews, Theft of Motor Vehicle 21/09/2019 14:18:00 Fraser Road, Theft from Motor Vehicle 23/09/2019 Lesney Park Road,  Theft from Motor Vehicle 25/09/2019 12:00:00 James Watt Way". Northumberland Heath ward:- "Sorry no crime report this week from your team, please remember car crime is high with both theft of MV and theft from MV continuing to be a problem. If you know friends or family that live in your ward and are not covered by NW perhaps you can encourage them to join us. Crime stats are lower in NW-covered areas with 2 out of every 3 burglaries being in areas that are not covered by us". Slade Green and Northend ward:- "An attempted garage burglary took place around 0430 on Saturday 21/09/2019 at Peareswood Road. The victim chased the suspects who were after his 3 motorbikes, in the process of jumping from his bedroom window he has ended up seriously injuring both feet. Please proceed with caution should you see any crime taking place and wait for police to respond. We know this can be easier to say but your safety is first and foremost during any such situation.  Number plates were stolen from a vehicle overnight in Burns Close junction of Newbery Road on Friday 20/09/2019. If you would like some anti-theft screws, please let us know. PCSO Mark helped Bexley Council and staff from McDonalds on behalf of Erith SNT on Monday 23/09/2019 with a litter picking event in and around Erith. Many adults and children from the local area joined in and got lots of litter collected just before the rain came. On Friday 20/09/2019 Mark made his first visit of the term to Peareswood Primary school where he attended the Stars assembly and made a visit to all classes after. Thamesmead East ward:- "On Wednesday 18/09/19 at about 8:10pm a property in Hinksey Park was broken into by unknown suspect/s, unknown items taken. Motor Vehicle crimes : Between the hours of 01:00pm and 05:00pm on Thursday 19/09/19 a vehicle parked in Hartslock Drive had the catalytic converter stolen from a Toyota . Another Toyota also parked in Hartslock Drive was broken into on Saturday 21/09/19 between the hours of 01:00am and 08:00am ,a wallet was taken. Between the time of 03;00pm of the 12/09/19 and 12;00am of the 21/09/19 a vehicle parked in Kale Road had the catalytic converter stolen .A vehicle parked outside of Dexter House, Kale Road was broken into between the hours of 11:30pm of the 21/09/19 and 09:30am of the 22/09/19 ,no details given of anything taken . Overnight of the 21/09/19 and 22/09/19 a vehicle parked in Lanridge Road had the driver's window smashed .both the front and rear number plates were stolen from a vehicle parked in Lensbury Way between the hours of 03:00pm on 21/09/19 and 12;15 of the 22/09/19.on the 22/09/19. A vehicle parked outside of Argali House ,KALE ROAD was broken into, a wallet was taken". West Heath ward:- "Please be aware that there are men wearing hi-viz jackets touring round the Pantiles area saying they can jet clean your drive. They start off at £400 but as a special they can do it for £250. My own builder does it cheaper. They turn up in a blue van reg 04 KY 2118. When challenged they gave me a lot of verbal. They do a 'test' patch but they leave all the dirt sprayed up the cars and windows. Around 1 am in the early hours of Wednesday morning, 25th September, a man climbed into the gardens of 57-61 Berkeley Avenue. He took a golf set out of shed 57 then wandered about the gardens looking over fences; finally, he leaves without the clubs rather than taking them. Unfortunately, we have had one shed burglary in Preston Drive. This took place on Thursday September 19th between 0100 am – 8pm when the victim's neighbour alerted them that the garage door was open. The suspect stole meat to the value of £100 from the freezer that was in the garage. One report of criminal damage to a vehicle parked in Exmouth Road which took place between Friday September 20th at 8pm to Sunday September 22nd at 2pm when the victim discovered it had been broken in to. The rear passenger rear window was smashed but nothing was taken. An attempt was made to break in to a vehicle in Axminster Crescent on Monday September 23rd at 01.37am. The suspect was seen trying to gain access to a van but did not succeed. The potential victim called police but the suspect was not seen in the area when they attended. On Sunday September 22nd a van was broken in to in Powys Close between 0300 – 0330am. The victim discovered that a number of power tools stolen from the vehicle when he left for work at 5am. The team along with colleagues from Crook Log and East Wickham have been busy conducting proactive patrols. As a result of this a male was arrested for failing to appear at court for drug offences".

The end video this week was sent to me by regular reader, occasional contributor and technology whiz Miles. It is a video taken last Saturday evening, towards the conclusion of the Erith Pier Festival. What is somewhat unusual is that is is not a straight 2D video recording - it actually shows a 360 degree view of Miles' journey on the pier - you can drag the view around by clicking and holding with your mouse pointer on the video window. It is best viewed in full screen. If you look carefully in "Where's Wally?" style, you can catch me waving to the camera. Let me know what you think by either leaving a comment below, or by Emailing me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

The Grotto Bar.

The photos above were taken on Friday night at the final evening of the pop - up grotto bar and cinema event organised by The Exchange in the former Carnegie Library in Walnut Tree Road, Erith. Over forty guests drank Champagne, mulled cider, white and red wine and Anchor Bay Pale Ale from the Bexley Brewery. The final film of the short season was "It's a Wonderful Life" which was a sell - out. Guided tours of the whole library building were given for those people who had not been able to go one one of the recent open days. Feedback from the visitors was uniformly positive. The pop - up cinema and grotto bar were a "soft opening" for the former Carnegie Library, which is due to open to the public officially during February, as long as building and conservation work on phase one of the restoration is completed on time. You can keep up with the latest developments on this ambitious project via The Exchange website,  their Twitter feed here, and also their FaceBook page here. 

Some great news to report; the CCTV camera that was installed on a lamp post overlooking the popular recycling centre located in the car park to the rear of Erith Morrison's supermarket has proved to be an incredible success. Before the camera and numerous warning signs were installed earlier in the year, the recycling centre was one of the worst sites in the whole of the London Borough of Bexley for illegal fly tipping. As long term readers will be aware, I have written in some detail about the problems of illegal waste dumping at this particular site, and how the council and Police have been working to resolve them. I discovered on Tuesday morning that the CCTV camera on the site, which originally was only going to be a temporary installation for a few months, is now going to be a permanent fixture. The CCTV and warning signs have made a dramatic improvement, with, in my estimation a reduction in illegal fly tipping of around ninety percent since the camera was installed. Tipping by vehicles such as contractor vans and estate cars has pretty much ended; the only illegal tipping that still happens seems to be mainly by people on foot who dump domestic waste in bags on the ground around the recycling hoppers. These are the most difficult group to catch. The area around the Morrison's recycling site still has a lot of issues with fly tipping; on Monday night I saw a white van illegally tipping rubble bags in Appold Street. I made note of the vehicle registration number and the company from which the van had come. I then reported my findings to both Slade Green and Northend Safer Neighbourhood Police Team, and to the Bexley Council Environmental Crimes Team. As I suspected, the registration number plates on the van were false. Local CCTV footage showed the van, but details which could potentially lead to a positive identification were not available. Bexley sent an operative to check the fly tipping the next morning, and I arranged to meet him on site. Mysteriously the fly tipped rubbish had disappeared. Whether Serco - Bexley Council's rubbish and fly tipping removal contractor had already removed the sacks, I do not know. I also wonder if the bloke who fly tipped the rubbish realised that he had been watched, and later came back to remove the evidence himself. A woman also saw the illegal fly tipping and loudly commented at the time; I suspect this may have put the crook off. Either way, at least one load of illegally dumped rubbish is off the street, though no doubt it got illegally tipped somewhere else.

When standing in a supermarket queue, or waiting to pay for my paper in my local corner shop, I am struck by the large number of women’s scandal magazines that are on sale. I am thinking of titles like “Take a Break”, "That's Life!", "Love It!","Pick Me Up!", "Full House!" and a handful of others. Apart from having an almost compulsory exclamation mark in their titles, the other thing that all of these publications have in common is that they sell stories about personal tragedy in the same way that other magazines aimed at an almost exclusively female audience sell celebrity gossip and slimming tips. These magazines are marketed as light reading, something to be absorbed whilst lingering over a cup of tea, yet they are filled with disturbing, harrowing stories that would only be covered after the 9pm watershed if they were a television show. The design, format and colour scheme of all of these magazines are rather formulaic; They generally have a young, smiling woman on the cover, a sort of "girl next door" type. The rest of the cover is filled with boxes and banners in primary colours - a means of grabbing the attention of a potential buyer. The trouble is that the content of the banners is horrifying - life changing events such as murder, incest, acid attacks, crimes of violence and personal tragedy. The irony is that many of the stories involve crimes of violence against women, yet they are read by mainly women as light entertainment. They seem to be the printed equivalent of the Jeremy Kyle show; I worry about the people who purchase these magazines. It strikes me that anyone who enjoys reading about the misfortunes of others probably has some issues themselves. I would be interested in what you think.

Some changes are being planned for the river front at Erith. Back in 1998 / 1999, when work to construct the large Morrison's supermarket on the site of what was once Erith Deep Water Wharf was under way, works were also being undertaken to revitalise and convert the old commercial pier - the longest on the River Thames - for leisure use. A good job was done for the most part - the pier is a really nice place to visit on a warm and sunny day, and the local fishing community seem to use it all year round, day and night - you can often see tents on the pier when people are night fishing. The gardens at the entrance to the pier were somewhat less of a success, consisting mainly of a flag pole which mounted some tatty flags, and some fake concrete cannon balls acting as bollards. A few metal park benches completed the scene. Now, Bexley Council are poised to refurbish and update the area, as you can see from the design proposal above - the upper image shows exactly where the pier square is located in relation to the town, and the lower image shows the new design of the square once it is completed - click on either image for a larger view. I am currently unsure of where the money is coming from for this update - it may well be a part of the money granted by The Mayor of London's Office for the general improvement of public areas in Erith - more on this at the end of this week's update. The kind reader who informed me of the proposal did not have the information - so if you have any clue, then please Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Regular readers will be aware that there have been some serious goings on in Erith's Electricity House - the large 1930's brick building opposite the De Luci fish roundabout and Pier Road. The building contains a number of businesses and other organisations. Electricity House was built back in 1938 and opened in November 1939 as a showroom and offices for the local electricity company, which at the time was run by the council. Pre – war services such as gas, water and electricity supply were quite commonly managed and supplied by local councils; the idea of private companies being involved was something that did not happen until after the war had ended. Electricity House was also a place where new electrical customers could view domestic appliances which they could buy via hire purchase (it sounds like an early version of BrightHouse, but without the crippling interest rates). As well as the showroom,  Electricity House was home to what contemporary accounts say was a very upmarket dance hall with a fully sprung Canadian Maple floor; there was also a small Pathe cinema. The local electricity business was astonishingly successful – probably much helped by the fact that it offered the cheapest metered electricity in the entire UK at the time – one penny per unit. Ten thousand local people signed up for electrification in the first month alone, attracted by the offer of free connection to the local power grid – unusual at the time – many suppliers would even charge for the copper cable to connect new customers. In 1939 the Erith electricity board made a (for then) massive profit of £13,000. The idea was that the money would be used to improve local services and amenities for all, but the advent of war meant that early in 1940 Electricity House was handed over for war work, and once peace was restored, the money intended to benefit local people was absorbed by the LEB during nationalisation, and nothing was ever seen of it. Much of Erith was still lit by gas until relatively recently. I believe that some houses in West Street did not get electricity until 1947 when the London Electricity Board was formed, and the local council control of power was nationalised. I digress; in recent times the building has had a somewhat rocky time. Part of the building was home to the Bright Steps children's nursery, until it was shut down by the Police and officers from Ofsted after a member of nursery staff was seen hitting a child. After an unsuccessful court appeal against the ban, the owners of the nursery have put it up for rent. This is all under a background of Bexley Council negotiating with the individual leaseholders in order to buy out the leases in Electricity House prior to what I and many others believe to be a compulsory purchase order and then site redevelopment. With this in mind, I was somewhat surprised a few weeks ago when a new proposal for a replacement nursery came to my attention. The proposed new nursery has been mooted by a lady called Sarah Carnegie. Initially I was somewhat sceptical as the name seemed to very coincidental to the nearby Carnegie Library, run by The Exchange. I emailed the contact address on the Carnegie Playhouse website, but heard nothing for quite some time. Out of the blue I was Emailed earlier this week by chap who is Sarah Carnegie's business advisor, I subsequently spoke to him by phone. Whilst there is still some confusion regarding the whole nursery project, which has suddenly changed name from The Carnegie Playhouse (website now closed) to The Bexley Road Nursery, it would seem that Sarah Carnegie is indeed a real person. She has been in contact with me via Email, and writes:- "Sarah Carnegie is a loving young lady who is passionate about the work she has done for children. She has worked in various schools and built up a great knowledge base and mastered her skill with children. Carnegie Playhouse is the first business of Sarah Carnegie. Sarah has informed me that she is a qualified social worker with a passion for working with children, she has 2 of her own. Sarah is currently working in safeguarding with the local authority before she dedicates herself to her new business of which she is the sole owner and has no connection whatsoever with the owners of the previous nursery at Bexley Road, This nursery will be a new adventure for her, she is eagerly looking forward to the challenges ahead but most importantly creating a loving and safe environment for children to be in. This is something that she loves doing and cannot wait to get stuck in". I have made her and her business advisor aware of the situation with the entirety of Electricity House. It will be instructive to see how events play out over the next few months. I will provide an update in due course.

Although I have previously explained where the rather unusual name of my blog originated, I feel that it was long enough ago, and I have picked up many recent readers, so that the story bears repeating; indeed several new readers have recently asked for an explanation of the name, so here goes. Back in 1987 I was working for a small but very influential Bexleyheath based pirate radio station called Radio Lumberjack (photo above - click on it for a larger version), which broadcast live every Saturday on 92.4 FM from 9am until midnight or later from a house off Bedonwell Road. The station played an eclectic mix of music and humour; much of the comedy material was written by the station staff. There were many spoof adverts, with commercials for fictional companies such as “Bethlehem Motors – car faith healers – save money and save your soul! With one simple low cost prayer, we can have your vehicle back on the road”. “Tacky’s Nightclub, with your host, Bland Groover”. Also, “Gaskets motor spares – suppliers of neo Georgian suspension, arc brake lights and stained glass windows”. Best of all, a commercial for the Thamesmead Tourist Board, with a cod salsa song:- “It’s the place for fun, it’s the place for sun, come to Thamesmead – go on day trips to all the popular holiday destinations like the Belvedere Rift Valley – home of the world famous earwig farm; enquire at the Thamesmead Tourist Board office – the little green hut behind the bike shed in Thamesmead High Street!” It was all very slick and professional; the chap that ran the station was a big fan of Monty Python and Kenny Everett, but had his own unique style. Each presenter had their own introductory jingle – mine started with an incredulous voice – “Oh no.... It’s Arthur Pewty!” followed by the sound of Stuka dive bombers, explosions and collapsing buildings, accompanied by a massed band of Daleks screaming “Arthur Pewty, Arthur Pewty!” It was all very over the top and surreal. My pseudonym came from the meek and mild insurance salesman Arthur Pewty from the famous Monty Python sketch about the marriage guidance counsellor. When I first started my evening show, I racked my brains to think of a suitably surreal and silly name for it. I had already got my nickname, and recently I had read a history of 1960’s offshore station Radio London, where John Peel got his big break into radio. John Peel had a show called “The Perfumed Garden” where he played a lot of hippy music and recited poetry sent in by listeners (some of it toe curlingly bad, but I digress). I thought that my show needed a really surreal title, so, as a play on “John Peel’s Perfumed Garden”, “Arthur Pewty’s Maggot Sandwich” was born. And the rest, as they say is history. Back in 2006, when I started this blog, I resurrected the long disused name of my one time radio show; my thoughts were that whilst it was no longer on the radio, it was a newer form of interacting with an audience that could be anywhere in the world. This proved to be correct. Today the Maggot Sandwich has readers all over the planet – from Australia, Japan and India to the USA and mainland Europe, along with people closer to home. It might be a silly name for a blog, but I can guarantee that nobody ever forgets it! Please do feel free to comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Despite its reputation as one of the cleanest rivers in a major city, The River Thames does have its share of problems. Many people are not aware that at certain times of the year, raw sewage is still being pumped into the river. Somewhere in the region of thirty-nine million tonnes of raw sewage are pumped into the Thames each year because of London’s outdated sewer system. Built in the 1860s, the existing infrastructure still works perfectly but it cannot keep up with London’s huge (and growing) population. Engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette - the man behind Crossness Sewage Works, designed the sewers with population growth in mind; he anticipated the two million residents doubling to four million – but that number has since doubled again, and is constantly rising. The Crossness Sewage Works were constructed between 1859 and 1865 as part of his redevelopment of the London sewerage system. The pumping station was an essential part of the clean up of London’s water system, and led directly to the elimination of many water borne diseases, notably Cholera, which prior to this time was a significant killer. If you have not visited the pumping station, it is an industrial cathedral in cast and wrought iron. Because it deals with both sewage and drains, the Victorian water system was designed to release overflows (usually of storm water) into the Thames, instead of flooding roads and people’s homes. This initially happened twice a year, but now overflows happen on average once a week – about 750,000 tonnes each time. The Thames Tideway Tunnel is a £4.2 billion project to build a system of huge pipes, dubbed a “super sewer”, underneath London with the aim of modernising the capital’s sewage system and making the river cleaner. The extra capacity from the 25km (15 miles) of tunnels, running from Acton in West London to Abbey Mills in the east, should mean the system only discharges four times a year. This will make the Thames much cleaner, which would be better for wildlife and the environment, with Tideway bosses hopeful the work could bring the river back into greater use by Londoners. The tunnels will be between 35m and 65m below ground – 35m is the minimum height of a “high-rise” building. At 25km long, the main tunnel would take a car nearly 30 minutes to drive down at 40mph. The tunnel will be 7.5m wide, about the same as a standard single-carriageway road. Currently, the amount of untreated sewage that spills into the Thames each year is the equivalent of eight billion toilets flushing.  Sir Joseph Bazalgette was asked to design the existing sewers after The Great Stink – the summer of 1858 when exceptionally hot weather made the stench from the Thames unbearable. Even before then, three cholera outbreaks were blamed on the disgusting pollution in the river, and Bazalgette’s work is thought to have saved more lives than that of any other Victorian official. What is both interesting and ironic is that Sir Joseph Bazalgette is the great – great grandfather of TV producer Sir Peter Bazalgette, the person who brought us programmes such as Ground Force, Ready, Steady Cook and Big Brother. There is a running joke in the media industry that whilst Sir Joseph Bazalgette was responsible for removing excrement from the home, Peter is now responsible for introducing it!

Now for the weekly safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly a couple of announcements from Dana Wiffen, Chairman, Neighbourhood Watch Office:-"PLEASE ensure you double lock front and back doors and don't leave your property looking empty during the dark evenings, use light timers if you are not in too late and let your neighbours know if you are away so they can keep an eye on your property. We can report that over the previous two weeks reported burglaries w/e 6th December had 20 Burglaries and 6 attempted break ins, while the 13th December saw a massive increase to 28 burglaries and 8 attempted break-ins. For anyone who has had a break in we can refer them to Victim Support and The Bobby Van. Someone from Victim Support can visit you if you require support as a result of a burglary and The Booby Van can call to offer security advise and repair / replace broken locks. These are free to Bexley's Residents. Contact us if you would like their details. If you have had any burglaries in and around your area please keep us informed by either copying us in on emails to the police or emailing us directly and we will pass on. We are of course kept up to date by ward DWOs but occasionally some slip through the system. Finally, we would like to wish all our volunteers a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year. We thank you for all your hard work in 2018 in helping to keep Bexley Borough one of the safest in London. OFFICE VOLUNTEERS REQUIRED Moving forward into 2019 we are looking to upgrade our IT systems and improve our website as well as having a more robust office system to combat the growing workload. We are looking to appoint a volunteer Webmaster, a System Support Officer and possibly an Office Workload Manager to come into the office at least once a week to cover these positions. WEBMASTER - We would like to hear from anyone who has website update experience who has perhaps recently stopped working and would like to keep the expertise up to date by becoming our Webmaster. This would involve updating our current website and, going forward, help maintain the new site that's in the pipeline. Basic HTML knowledge would be an advantage and experience of running a Facebook page and Twitter account would be useful although not essential. Accuracy and attention to detail is, of course, a must with content representing the organisation being posted publicly. SYSTEM SUPPORT OFFICER - We would like to hear from anybody who has good computer skills and who could be trained to transfer data / information and photos onto our Mail Chimp crime reporting service which goes out weekly on a Thursday to all our members and to ensure our computer system is running efficiently for our office staff. OFFICE MANAGER - Due to the part-time hours of the office and volume of work, we are looking to have a more structured and efficient approach to the administrative and processing side of the organisation. Combining our newly-upgraded system with a candidate that has a hands-on approach to the smooth and tidy running of an office would be ideal to achieve this. We have a good and friendly office atmosphere and would only expect you to work on days that suit both yourself and that fit in with the working hours in our small office. Anyone who is interested in any of these part time voluntary positions and would like to come in for a chat in the new year, please contact us and we will arrange a mutually-convenient time to meet. We look forward to hearing from you". Now for the weekly reports from the local wards. Firstly from Barnehurst ward:- "Barnehurst Ward has had one burglary in the past week. This burglary occurred in Fairford Avenue overnight on Saturday 15th December 2018. Suspects gained entry by forcing the front door, possibly with a screwdriver or something similar. Various items were taken from the property. The resident was alerted the next morning after a neighbour noticed the front door open. This property was equipped with a ring door bell and footage of the suspects have been viewed therefore the investigation is ongoing at present. There have been two thefts of motor vehicles on the ward. A Grey Ford, registration number N145 XTT was taken from Barnehurst Avenue on Saturday 15th December 2018 and on Monday 17th December 2018 a Vauxhall Mokka, registration number VX18 OGF was stolen from Northumberland Heath." No report this week from Belvedere ward. Bexleyheath ward:- "We have had a burglary reported on Monday 17th December along Belvedere Road Bexleyheath. Entry was via the kitchen window / back door and vehicle was also stolen. The team regularly conduct hi-visibility patrols on the ward which would include car park areas including ASDA car park and the Broadway to reduce anti-social behaviour. Youths have been stopped and advised not to hang around in car parks and the team have noticed graffiti in the CineWorld car park. On Saturday 15/12/2018 there was a report of a theft from motor vehicle in Oakland's Close, personal items were taken from inside. There was also a theft of motorbike along Upton Road Bexleyheath on Tuesday 11th December. A report was made on Wednesday 12/12/2018, £20 was stolen from a purse in The Golden Lion pub. Also on the 13/12/2018, a purse was stolen from a handbag in Market Place Bexleyheath. The team did also help escort young children along Upton Road Bexleyheath for their Carol Service. If you do wish to pass on information to Police then please contact Crime Stoppers on 0800 555111. Please do not hesitate to contact us via Twitter, Facebook, email and the ward phone. If you are after crime prevention advice, please look at the Met Police website which has lots of information that you may find useful. Remember in an emergency please dial 999 and 101 for non-urgent reporting". Crayford ward:- "On Friday 14th at approx. 22.00 a resident at Dale End heard a noise in their garden and went to investigate. He chased off two people who had broken the padlock off his garden shed, no further descriptions could be given as it was too dark. At 03.00 on Saturday 15th December there was an attempted burglary in Oakwood Drive in Barnehurst. The resident heard a sound and opened the front door and two people ran off. It is believed they were after the car, the door was properly locked and entry was not gained although some minor damage to the frame did occur. Police were on scene very quickly but the suspects could not be located. On Thursday 13th at about 6am, an amount of money was stolen from a resident at their home address in Crayford Way. On Monday 17th December between 16.30-17.00 a burglary occurred at a property in Green Walk. Entry was gained through an unlocked front door whilst the victim was at home and a handbag with a purse containing cash and cards was taken, the cards have since been cancelled causing inconvenience to the victim. Front and rear number plates were stolen from a black Ford Fiesta between Wednesday 12th and Monday 17th December from near Shelley House in London Road. Front and rear number plates were also stolen from a vehicle parked in Gasgoyne Drive overnight Sunday 16th December in to Monday 17th December. The number plate W70SEW should be on a White Audi A5. Whilst wishing you all the very best compliments of the season we would also like to give you some reminders on keeping your home and valuables safe. As pretty as it looks, please don't let Christmas presents be seen under the tree through windows or doors, dispose of boxes by cutting or folding them up, you don't want to show burglars what you now have brand new in your home. Please note model and serial numbers of new electrical items and take photos of you wearing your new jewellery so that in the unlikely event that these items should be taken you have a much better chance of being reunited. Stay safe and enjoy Christmas, welcome Santa but not burglars by lifting the handle on your front door and locking it securely with the key. When going to bed or leaving your home, take a few moments to check that all is as secure as possible. As ever, please make your home look occupied". Erith ward:- "First of all, all of us at Erith SNT wish you all a Merry Christmas. We have been patrolling Erith High Street a lot over this week, Due to the increase in shoppers. Crime-wise there has been a few Burglaries and Vehicle crime more details are below. This time of year be mindful when you leave your rubbish outside for the bin collections. If you are advertising large boxes, game boxes tv boxes etc you are showing people what items you have inside your house. Best rule is brake up these boxes small and cover over the labels – or take them to the recycling centre yourself. Theft from MV Monday 10/12/2018 Park Crescent – Items taken from car; Criminal Damage Vehicle U500 Wednesday 28/11/2018 Coral Heights, Chichester Wharf. Damage to car; Shoplift >£199 Sunday 16/12/2018 Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc, James Watt Way; Shoplift <£200 Sunday 16/12/2018 James Watt Way; Criminal Damage Vehicle U500 Sunday 16/12/2018 Cricketers Close – damage to car; Burglary Residential Saturday 15/12/2018, Rutland Gate – Door forced opened items taken including money; Theft of Motor Vehicle Sunday 16/12/2018 Park Crescent; Theft of Motor Vehicle Friday14/12/2018 Rutland Gate; Theft from Motor Vehicle Sunday 16/12/2018 Victoria Road – Items taken from car; Making off Tuesday 18/12/2018 Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc, James Watt Way". No report this week from Northumberland Heath ward.

Slade Green and Northend ward:- "We had a nasty aggravated burglary in the early hours of Friday morning (14th December). At around 1.30am a group of males wearing balaclavas gained entry to a property in Lincoln Road and attacked a man in his family home. He received an injury which thankfully wasn't life changing or threatening and he is recovering well in hospital. The investigation into this attack is ongoing and reassurance patrols have been made by SNT officers. Please be aware that this sort of crime is NOT a common occurrence in our ward or indeed in any part of Bexley and we will do our best to give reassurance wherever necessary. If you would like any further reassurance patrols for your roads etc, please let us know. There was a burglary at some time during the evening of Monday 17/12/2018 in Beacon Road. Access was gained through the front room window with an Xbox and some cash taken. Please ensure all windows are secure and doors locked at this time of year. Inform neighbours if you are going out and lift the handle of your UPVC door (if you have one) and then turn the key. Lifting the handle does NOT lock the door. PC James searched a male in Boundary Street Monday afternoon who was found in possession of a small amount of drugs. The necessary warnings were given. PC James and PC Mark recovered a stolen moped in the Cinder Path on Wednesday afternoon. 2 males on 2 mopeds were riding towards them, unfortunately the males got away on one of the mopeds leaving behind the stolen bike. The owner, who lives local, has been notified. A bit of good news - we have had a new Neighbourhood Watch just started for Larkswood Close. On Tuesday 18/12/2018 PCSO Mark assisted by Adam from the Erith team, escorted the Peareswood School Choir to Erith Shopping Centre for a Christmas Carol performance (photo above - Mark watching on). All the shoppers and public enjoyed the excellent singing. Well done to all. Our next Community Contact Session is at 6pm in our SNT base in Erith (next to farm Foods) on Sunday 30/12/2018". Thamesmead East ward:- "Burglary - Glimpsing Green Tuesday 17/12/18 between 11pm-6am Unknown suspect/s have broken into the house via the front kitchen window, stealing van keys and van from outside property. Criminal damage to a motor vehicle on Monday 10/12/18 between 7pm-6:30am Passenger side window smashed nothing stolen as victim removed all possessions; Seacourt Road Thursday 15/12/18 between midnight-3:45pm By unknown suspect/s damaging the motor vehicle by scratching paintwork on the bonnet; Kale Road Monday 17/12/18 between 1am-9:45am Driver's side window smashed. Theft from / of a motor vehicle in Curlew Road on Tuesday 11/12/18 between 23:59 -10:45am By person unknown making off with the victim's unattended motorcycle from the venue by means unknown; Parkway Thursday 13/12/18 between 5:15am-8pm Unknown suspect/s stolen both front and rear number plates from vehicle; Kale Road Friday 14/12/18 between 5:15pm - 9:45am Unknown suspect/s stole rear number plate and damaged front number plate; Alder Close Monday 17/12/18 between 4:10-4:15pm By suspect/s stealing victims motorcycle from location; Wolvercote Close on Monday 17/12/18 between 5pm-6am Entry gained to victims vehicle an untidy search carried out within. Satnav and change stolen. The Thamesmead East team would like to take this opportunity to thank our Neighbourhood Watch for your continued support throughout 2018 and wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. The next meeting will be Thursday 3rd January 2019 at Lakeside Health Centre Yarnton Way, 1-2pm". West Heath ward:- "This week an unknown person or persons entered an insecure porch and damaged items within on the 13th December between 3pm-5pm in Mayfair Road. Please remember to lock your porches. A car was stolen overnight 17th-18th December from Chessington Ave without the keys and two cars were broken into in Brabourne Court the same evening. Another car was also stolen from Longleigh Lane at around midnight on the 16th December. The team have been carrying out high visibility burglary patrols over the last week and we are pleased to say there have been no reported burglaries for this period. Our next Community Contact Sessions will be on the 29th December by Thomas More Church from 12noon to 1pm followed by the 4th January. 2019 at St Andrew's Church in Abbotts Walk from 5pm-6pm. We would like to wish you all a happy holiday".

The end video this week is a news report on the £19.7 million grant given to Bexley Council to put towards the regeneration of Erith town centre. The video is a few months old, and some of the works described in the video are already well under way - specifically those related to the Carnegie Library, as outlined at the beginning of this update. Other works are due to begin early in the New Year, including as I understand it, the buying out of the leaseholders in Electricity House and the closure of the building prior to redevelopment. The Bexley Road bridge over the railway is apparently also scheduled for a much overdue widening - something that has been on the cards for over ten years. The old foot tunnel from the Western end of the town centre to Erith Station is also due to go, to be replaced with a ground level alternative which is more wheelchair and buggy friendly, not to mention less attractive to graffiti and muggers. What do you think? Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Moat House.

There has been somewhat of an air of mystery surrounding Moat House in James Watt Way. As I have previously reported, the brand new apartment block suffered damage after a severe fire caused by what is currently thought to have been an electrical fault in the roof mounted solar panels on the building on the 8th of August. The residents of the social housing block were successfully evacuated and put into temporary accommodation in a hotel. It was anticipated that repairs to the fire damaged roof of the apartment block would be completed by the end of August. This would appear to not be the case, however. At the time of writing, the block is still empty and unoccupied, even though it is now a month later than the date when the apartments were meant to be re-occupied. I recently walked past the block at a little after 9pm in the evening. All the lights were out, and the place was silent. It is surprising how nothing has been written in the local press about the situation, especially bearing in mind how high profile the news of the fire and subsequent evacuation was – the story made the national press in a few instances. I have subsequently discovered that things are worse than originally reported. A couple of sources have informed me that the residents of Moat House have now been transferred out of the Marriott hotel accommodation they were originally given, and relocated into cheaper local bed and breakfast accommodation; one (unconfirmed) report I have heard is that in one case a woman with two children is having to share a single room in a Bed and Breakfast - more on this later, as it turns out there is more to this story. If this was not bad enough, I have also been told that Moat Housing told the evacuated residents - many of those who only had the clothes they stood up in - that they could spend up to a specified budget on essential items such as replacement clothes, toiletries and other items needed for everyday life. Moat said that they would then reimburse the evacuated residents. I have heard accounts that Moat have reneged on this agreement, leaving residents out of pocket. I must emphasise that I am awaiting verification of this, but the information comes from a previously reliable source. The Moat affordable rent apartment block was a flagship development in Erith, promising (relatively) cheap housing for those in most need. It was part funded by the Mayor of London's Office, and was designed to be a flagship model for new housing in Greater London. I have been in contact with someone who is involved with the situation at Moat House, and I have discovered that the position is actually worse than had been anticipated. My contact informs me that at present the block will very likely remain empty for months, due to a combination of factors. Firstly Moat are awaiting a fire report which will analyse and identify the precise cause of the fire that destroyed much of the roof and damaged the top floor - at present the diagnosis of an electrical  fault is supposition, and is not verified at this time. Tenants will not be able to move in until the cause has been identified and rectified. On top of this, I am told that some of the reports published in the News Shopper and elsewhere, with Moat tenants being quoted as saying that they were being threatened with being thrown out of a hotel were simply untrue with no basis whatsoever in fact. I have also been told by an impeccably reliable and authoritative source that all Moat Housing Association tenants are required as a condition of their tenancy contract to have taken out private insurance on the contents of their apartment; Almost none of the tenants in Moat house had this insurance, leaving them both financially exposed, and in contravention of their tenancy agreements. Moat are currently trying to get former Moat House tenants into more suitable medium term accommodation whilst the investigative and remedial work is carried out on the fire damaged apartment building. The problem is the acute shortage of such housing in The London Borough of Bexley. It is ironic that the construction of Moat House was designed to alleviate the social housing requirement in the borough, but instead it has ended up in making the situation worse. It looks like Moat House could be empty and unoccupied until well after Christmas; I feel that this story will run for quite some time. If you have any insight into the Moat House fire and the subsequent situation, please drop me a line – it can be in complete confidence should you so wish – to hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Some more much needed social housing is being constructed in Erith. Work is well under way to build four three bedroomed town houses and twelve two bedroomed flats in West Street on the site of the old St. John’s Hall. The hall used to be used by a company called Re-Instate Ltd, whose primary purpose was to offer a sheltered workshop environment to adults with Mental Health problems and Learning Disabilities. Those who attended Re-Instate gained experience of work, were given training in various job skills, mix with others, and over time gained confidence and self-esteem. Re-Instate seem to still be operating, and their website can be seen here. I am guessing that they have sold off the old site to property developers and have used the money to find a new base of operations elsewhere. I will be covering Re-Instate in more details in a future edition of the Maggot Sandwich.

On Tuesday afternoon I had occasion to be in Avenue Road, Bexleyheath for a meeting. The shopping area there is rather old fashioned, and all of the better for it. The area has not changed very much since the 1930's, when many of the properties were originally constructed. I like it a lot. The Co-Op store there has a modern facade and internal layout, but its' cultural and historical DNA is still very much present. In the newspapers and publications section of the store, amongst the usual copies of the Sun and the Telegraph were a couple of copies of The Morning Star - the tabloid rag of the communist party. It was not really that surprising that the little read propaganda sheet would be on sale in the Bexleyheath branch of the Co-Op. It was after all the same branch that the late Soviet spy and traitor Melita Norwood used to do most of her grocery shopping, along with the other Co-Op branch in Long Lane. She lived nearby in Garden Avenue for very many years. I wonder who would buy the paper nowadays?

You may recall that I gave extensive coverage to the recent relaunch of Erith Market, which was visited by then London Mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith. Unfortunately only a handful of weeks later the whole thing spluttered to a halt when no market traders bothered to turn up – at the high point there had only been six stalls, which was nothing like enough to build up a sustainable interest. The other problem was the decision to hold the market on a Wednesday – as one regular Maggot Sandwich reader called Derek put it recently:- “I hear are giving Erith Market a trial go. When they know it will fail before they start. They only seem to be catering for the unemployed and the elderly. Because they are the only one that can go to the market. The market should have been bigger and on Wednesdays and Saturdays like it used to be. Saturdays for the people that go to work all week”. Bexley Council have recently submitted a new planning application for a far larger and more ambitious market plot, which will stretch along Pier Road from Cross Street in the West to the boundary of Morrison’s car park in the East. It would potentially involve thirty two stalls, though at this point what goods they would be selling is not outlined at this point. I sincerely hope that the new attempt is successful – the prime requirement in my mind is that the market is open on Saturdays, and not just Wednesdays. As Derek wrote, many local residents cannot attend a market held during a working week, as they are working. I am also concerned that the previous, half-hearted attempt at a relaunch may scare off some potential stall holders. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The latest edition of the Good Beer Guide has some very encouraging words for Bexley’s micro pubs. The first local micro pub was the Door Hinge in Welling, shortly thereafter followed by the Penny Farthing in Crayford, then the Broken Drum in Blackfen. All three of these fine establishments feature in the new Good Beer Guide, along with the Compass Ale House in Gravesend.  Bearing in mind that South East London and North Kent have been at the forefront of the micro pub revolution  - the area has done much to promote these no frills, no television pubs which encourage the art of conversation and discourage the use of smart phones. Another micro Pub called The Hopper's Hut is opening on the 7th October in Sidcup - thanks to long time reader Barney for the information. Micro pubs tend to be set up in former retail units, rather than in public house premises. It would be nice to see a micro pub in Erith or Northumberland Heath, though I think Northumberland Heath would be a more attractive location than Erith, due to the fact that Wetherspoons are actively looking for a potential pub outlet in Erith. As I have written before, the most likely venue for a new local Wetherspoons pub would be the old Carnegie Library building in Walnut Tree Road (see the photo above - click on it for a larger view), which has been abandoned and unused for nearly six years.  The old library building was going to be converted into a training centre for the hospitality and hotel industry as part of Bexley College, but the funding fell through, and the project was cancelled. Now that Bexley College is being administered by Bromley College, the future of other potential collaborative projects is unclear. Wetherspoons have a very good reputation for sensitive restoration of old buildings; my understanding is that the former Carnegie Library has a severe damp problem on the main brick frontage, and the lack of preventative maintenance has caused a number of fairly serious issues with the building fabric. Wetherspoons have deep enough pockets to be able to finance major construction, conversion and conservation work if they did decide to purchase the building for use as a pub / restaurant. The only downside I can think of is that the former library has no local parking, though local public transport links are excellent - the library building is very close to Erith Station, and the bus halts in front of Erith Riverside Shopping Centre are just around the corner. This does not usually deter Wetherspoons, who seem more interested in the local customer demographic, than car parking issues.

As I have written in the past, issues with smart utility meters seem to be continuing. Just in the last week, it has been announced that Smart meters will benefit suppliers nearly twice as much as consumers in terms of cost savings, according to an assessment by the late Department for Energy and Climate Change. The government's £11bn smart meter project will require energy suppliers to offer 53 million meters to homes and small businesses by 2020. Smart meters are being rolled out in two phases. The mass rollout phase is expected to begin next month, after several major delays. There are now more than 3.6 million smart meters in operation. A Parliamentary Science and Technology Committee “evidence check” of smart meters noted that "although the scale and durability of such savings is contested and it would appear that the rollout could alter consumption levels by 2–3 per cent.”Nick Hunn, CTO of WiFore Consulting, told the committee he was sceptical of the extent to which consumers will change their behaviour for a relatively modest financial reward, arguing that “£26 a year or 7p a day is not a big incentive”, and that “there are far cheaper ways of achieving savings”. The government has pegged the overall cost benefits at £17 billion, which will also include network benefits such as reduced outage notification calls, fault fixing; generation benefits, and reduction in CO2. However, the committee criticised the smart meter rollout for having too many objectives. "The government should be clearer about the primary purpose of smart metering and use this to drive evaluation of the project. Taking this approach will help make future evidence check statements clearer,” it said. It also said the government needs to do more to communicate the national benefits of smart metering alongside the potential cost savings and efficiencies for individual consumers. The impact of smart meters will be limited without this support from installers and Smart Energy GB, the public engagement body for the programme, according to the committee. Rob Smith, head of policy and public affairs at Smart Energy GB, has also warned that the programme will only succeed if people are made aware of the benefits. The report also found "unwarranted concerns in media reports" about smart meter security could diminish public trust in the programme. It said further efforts may be necessary to convince the wider public that smart meters are secure. This is all very well, but as has been demonstrated by more than one IT security organisation, the smart meters are very far from secure - the meters report back to their energy supply company by an unsecured 3G phone signal, which can easily be intercepted and manipulated.  I get the feeling this will run and run.

The following announcement has been made by the local Police:- If you would like to become involved with Neighbourhood Watch and set up a scheme for your road (if you do not have one), please let us know. If you are unsure if you do have a scheme in your road, again, email us and we can let you know. Surgery and Street Briefing dates and times for Northend Ward in OCTOBER 2016 are listed below.

MONDAY 03/OCTOBER/2016  1500-1530  OUTSIDE SLADE GREEN PRIMARY AND HABERDASHERS SCHOOL, SLADE GREEN ROAD

TUESDAY 04/OCTOBER/2016  1500-1530  OUTSIDE PEARESWOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL, PEARESWOOD ROAD

SATURDAY 08/OCTOBER/2016  1100-1200  FOREST ROAD CAFÉ

MONDAY 10/OCTOBER/2016  1030-1130 SLADE GREEN LIBRARY

WEDNESDAY 19/OCTOBER/2016  1500-1530 OUTSIDE SLADE GREEN PRIMARY AND HABERDASHERS SCHOOL, SLADE GREEN ROAD

FRIDAY 21/OCTOBER/2016  1500-1530 OUTSIDE PEARESWOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL, PEARESWOOD ROAD

TUESDAY 25/OCTOBER/2016  1000-1100  FOREST ROAD CAFE

If there are any issues that affect you or you have any information you feel we may need to know, please come and see us. All information is dealt with in the strictest confidence. If you have no issues or information, come and see us anyway! Our phone is working now but please remember it is only on when we are at work and is only for information purposes, so please leave a name and number if you call us and we don't answer. Alternatively we can be reached via email on NorthendSNT@met.police.uk. If you need to see police always dial 101 for non emergencies and 999 for emergencies. All dates and team information will be loaded onto our website over the next couple of days. Access the site by clicking here.

It would seem that the Near Field Communication (NFC) "tap and pay" security exploit I described in February of last year is now being employed in real life. The hack, which utilises weaknesses in the encryption and transport of data between a smartphone and an NFC reader is now being reported by the BBC News website here. This potentially can mean that a user paying for goods or services by "tap to pay" with their mobile telephone could end up with money being taken from their bank account by unauthorised persons. Well, you heard it first from me, over a year ago. Contactless payment is fraught with potential danger - after all, it was only around six months ago that the bug in the UK authorisation was fixed - whilst payments in Pounds Sterling via tap and pay are limited to a maximum limit of £30, the same limit did not apply to other currencies. If a fraudster used captured tap and pay credentials to extract money, the sky was the limit if the exploit was undertaken in Euros or Dollars, for example. That has now been (finally) fixed, but only after a very long delay. I won't use any form of contactless payment - the system is just too full of security holes. I returned my tap and pay debit card and was issued with a non - NFC one instead (banks will issue you with a "vanilla" card, but you usually have to ask for them especially - many banks are sending out NFC enabled cards by default nowadays). 

Bexley is Bonkers author Malcolm Knight has been giving extensive coverage to the utter hash that Bexley Council has made of the restructuring of Bexleyheath Broadway, amongst other areas. In fact if memory serves, his blog began after a series of interactions with the Highways department of the council, and his very unfavourable experiences as a result. Now the Police have become unwittingly involved – after a rather nasty crash on what is now locally being called the “Magic Roundabout” – at the junction with the Broadway and Albion Road which is covered in variegated tiles – the original roundabout on the site was removed, and the subsequent section of road is now neither a junction, a crossing or a roundabout, but a sort of mixture of all three which is both everything and nothing at the same time. The number of collisions and near misses that have resulted from this poorly thought out change have sky rocketed. This week a Police car was involved in a collision with another vehicle, right in the middle of the very confusing turning. You can read all about the incident on the News Shopper website, by clicking here. It would seem that local residents and local paper readers are pretty much unanimous in their condemnation of the highway changes, which are judged to be confusing, dangerous and unnecessary.

It is not very long now until the open day at the Erith Quarry development. The following press release has been made by Grayling - the public relations consultant to London and Quadrant and the Anderson Group - the joint developers of the new housing estate:- The Quarry Erith invites locals for first glimpse with a family fun day:- "To celebrate work being underway, and to offer the local community a first chance to view the site, The Quarry Erith team would like to  invite families and locals to join them for an action-packed family fun day on Saturday 15 October from 10am to 4pm. Located off Carlton Road, the Culture and Community day will offer a food fair with locally-sourced treats and free children’s entertainment including a nature trail with children’s TV personality Jess French, animal face painting, a mini-mining experience, selfie station and creature crafts. There will also be an opportunity to meet the team and find out more about The Quarry’s transformation into an exceptional eco-development of at least 600 new homes and a state-of-the-art primary school. Councillor Linda Bailey, who will be opening the event, commented: “I am really pleased to be opening The Quarry Community and Culture Day. This event looks like it is set to be a really fun day for families with a host of activities that kids will love. It is also going to offer the community a first glimpse of the exciting future this development is offering Erith, which I am certainly looking forward to seeing.” The Quarry is a joint venture by L and Q and The Anderson Group, and represents a shared vision to create inspiring communities that offer residents a better way of living. Cathy Lloyd, Sales and Marketing Director at L and Q commented: “We’re really looking forward to welcoming the local community to our Culture and Community Day. The Quarry has played an important role in the lives of local people for more than a century and we’re keen to celebrate this, as well as providing lots of free, family-friendly activities.” Ahead of the event, The Quarry Erith team is also encouraging locals to share their historical photos of the site for inclusion in a public exhibition and art project. Visitors are encouraged to bring their photos along to the event or share via email to info@thequarryerith.co.uk. This is a ticketed event. To secure your place, and pre-book a slot, please register by clicking here or contact info@thequarryerith.com. Limited car parking is available on site. Please indicate if you require parking by emailing the address above. 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." I will be going along to the event with my camera - I am booked for the 10am session should you want to come along and say hello.

The end video this week shows one of the Rotative Beam Engines in operation at the Crossness Pumping Station - a Grade 1 listed industrial building. The beam engines, which are possibly the largest remaining rotative beam engines in the world, with 52 ton flywheels and 47 ton beams. The whole pumping station was the brainchild of superb Victorian engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette. Joseph Bazalgette lived from 1819 to 1891 and was one of the most distinguished Civil Engineers of the period. After considerable experience on railway projects he was appointed Chief Engineer of the Metropolitan Board of Works in 1855, having previously been in the employ of the Metropolitan Commission of Sewers.The ‘Great Stink’ of 1858, when the Houses of Parliament became so smelly that the members demanded action, was the starting point of the sewer system as we know it today. Bazalgette built 83 miles of ‘interceptory’ sewers that prevented raw sewage from running into the Thames and took it to the east of London where it could be put into the river with minimal effect on the population. This system involved three major pumping stations, at Abbey Mills (in the Lea Valley), at Deptford, and at Crossness on the Erith / Abbey Wood marshes. Whilst the building remains at Abbey Mills, the pumps and engines were removed earlier this century. However, at Crossness the spectacular building and the engines and pumps they contain remain as a monument to Bazalgette’s genius in solving London’s problems. In addition to his achievement in establishing an effective sewerage system for the whole of London, Bazalgette was also responsible for the Thames Embankments, for Battersea, Hammersmith and Putney Bridges, and many other of London’s capital projects, including the Woolwich Ferry. Please feel free to leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.