News just in from our Shirley, we’re moving into the Ropeworks in central Barking in early September, which has the main library in the basement. Time to start reading books again?
Full spec of the regeneration for Barking centre square here; Muf architecture art were commissioned to design a new Town Square for Barking, which is designated as one of the Mayor of London’s 100 Public Spaces.
Good news for
residents of the Gascoigne Estate, the estate managment team have made a step forward with an advice surgery to deal with issues ranging from noise to improvements.
The petty serial arsonist/s continue in Barking. This time it was right in our face as the fire was right next to us. I’d just finished setting up portable shelves in the lock-up when we heard the shout, some African guy stuck in his flat with the fire below him. So for the very first time in my life I rang ’999′ and asked for the fire service. The lady asked me where exactly the fire was coming from, to which I wasn’t able to answer. So then they had a mini-crime scene, complete with CSI-guy with camera and beer belly. 
If you live in the Barking/SW Essex area I recommend:
1. For boilers & plumbing, HEH (High Efficency Heating). Phone: 0800 389 9613 / 01708 752 700. Actually, scrub that 
after they left following a recent service the bolier started leaking badly after the guy put too much air (so the next bolier guy said) into the system. Cool.
2. For dishwashers etc, KDS Appliances Ltd, Ilford. Phone (020) 8518 1988. They know their stuff.
3. Cool Geeks Computers Ltd. Phone (020) 262 1808. They came, they saw, they fixed it. Got the ‘dead Dell’ one night, and brought back the next night at half the price PC World would have cost.
In our apartment block in Barking thieves cleverly got round to stripping lead off the roof over the weekend. The police came round but no luck in capturing the people involved. I spoke to an official source who confirmed this was by no means an isolated phenomena. And who confirmed it was due to the current high price for lead – used in the manufacture of bullets for example.
Thankfully a lead-free bullet which is less harmful to the environment has been developed been BAE. I think I’ll drop Mark Thomas a line, it’s dead funny.
Q: How do you deal with noisy and aggressive children if you happen to live on a housing estate? So far I’ve tried reasoning with them and got pelted with ice cream for my troubles. So Shirley has formally complained to Barking & Dagenham Council, and they seemd pretty unconcerned in a real sense. Then the police were called after one mum complained to a kid, and got stoned for her sins. Then there’s just been an altercation between a dad and a mum outside my window. So what are my next real world options? Email the local paper, or is that an over-reaction. Attend MP Margaret Hodges surgery? See what our local arsonist thinks? Sit back and watch it happen, logging it on this blog? And the summer holidays are just round the corner, so something’s gotta give.
A: Decided to try out the service of the local mediation service, based in Basildon.
Related stories
Got back from Cambridge yesterday and hit the hay early, only to be woken up by another car fire outside & Essex fire service in attendance. Barking Council hadn’t got round to removing the first car I reported last week (though I was told the car’s owner had told their insurance company a number of times, but they did nothing) – so this time it went up again plus one other. Our local arsonist must think it’s pretty odd too.
Roses in bloom, with in the background another apartment block which has been hit by a spate of petty arson on the Gascoigne Estate. Somehow no one has been caught, and luckily no one has been hurt, so far. MP Margaret Hodge know about it, the Essex police know about it, the Essex fire service know about it, the arsonist knows about it; couldn’t they have a chat and sort it out?
Congratulations to West Ham on staying up – see the Romford subway writing on the wall was right! (Funny how you can turn just about anything into a prediction.)
I’m down the Britannia (Billy Bragg’s fav pub in Barking) trying out the new mobile phone camera, hoorah!
