This evening I was in Erith, near the Running Horses Pub when at about 8 pm some idiots thought it would be good sport to start a fire in the bushes. As anyone who knows the area will testify, because of the topography of the town, smoke, odours and smog just hangs in the air and envelopes the place with a choking grip.

Fortunately Erith’s excellent Fire Brigade were on site within about 5 minutes and I saw them put the fire out with skill and efficiency. But the smell and smoke lingered for some time.

So well done brave Fire Fighters and shame on the yobs that like to start fires. Some of the locals that I spoke to agreed that Zero Tolerance was the answer.

They show the havoc that was wreaked by a gang of anti-social young people who set off at least ten fire hydrants. With water shooting up to 60ft in the sky and the streets running with tens of thousands of gallons of water, these mindless yobs caused fear, anxiety and damage on a community that deserves much better.

The Police say that they can’t identify the people involved, even though they were seen by lots of people. These hooligans will have been soaked to the skin, and they will by now be bragging about their exploits. If the Police really wanted to they would have these yobs in the clink by the weekend, let’s hope they do!

I’ve said it before, and when (or if) I get into Parliament I will be saying it even louder, the Police, the Magistrates, the Local Authorities, the Probation Service and the Community need to have a cold, resolute, zero-tolerance approach to crime. Unless there is joined up thinking and a co-ordinated approach to dealing with anti-social behaviour of the kind experienced last night in Thamesmead, things will just get worse for the majority of law abiding decent people.

Read the story here in the News Shopper.

*These photos were taken by Graham Simpson