A Nasty Leak In Our Pool

40 litres of chlorine went down the gurgler at Ramsgate swimming pool this morning, according to the the BBC News website. Fortunately fire crews diluted the stuff as it leaked into the local drainage system, but I'll personally be steering clear of the green tea for the next few days just in case!

Under Pressure?

Amidst all the horror and anger following the arson attack on Dreamland's Scenic Railway a week ago, one small but seemingly important detail has been lost. According to Kent Fire and Rescue Service 'the biggest problem was that the water pressure around that area is very poor and it took a long time to get water onto the fire'.

If it hadn't been for the brave efforts of the boys in brown, who managed to put a fire break in the coaster, 'the whole thing would have gone'. Apparently insufficient water pressure was also a factor in the Ramsgate Library fire of 2004.

Now call me old fashioned but you would imagine that, for an island with such a smoky history, things like having enough water to put out fires would be something we'd have, er, on tap around here. There again, with the increasing number of developments being built due to our growing reputation as a property hotspot, perhaps it's inevitable that the best we can manage is a bunch of drips.

One For The Blog

I'm indebted to our local biblio-bloke Michael Child for reserving me a copy of Grumpy Old Men - New Year, Same Old Crap in which the author, my old comedy writing chum David Quantick, describes blogging as 'essentially the diary of a boring bloke in Ramsgate with too much spare time on his hands'.

Hmmm. Not the first time that point has been made vis-a-vis my jottings. If you recall, it wasn't too long ago that I was described by one local Tory councillor as having so much time on my hands that I must be a 'welfare sponger with a political axe to grind'. Fortunately, however, conclusive proof appears later on page 98 that I'm not the Ramsgate blogger Quantick has in mind. 'Your bloke in Ramsgate may be vain enough to think that someone cares what he had for tea on 5 May 2006, but even he doesn't think that everyone in the world needs to know.'

Having checked my entries for 5 May 2006, I can see no mention whatsoever of what I had for tea! Phew, that's alright then. No need to remove DQ from my Christmas card list!

Psychic Dick

Yikes! Not only do you read the news here before it gets into the local rags, you can now read it before it actually happens! Here's what I wrote in 'Old Eastcliff's Almanac', my annual gaze into Thanet's crystal balls, last year:

This will be a hot month, and many buildings in Margate will suffer spontaneous combustion.

OK, I was out by a couple of months, that being the prediction for June, but spooky!!!! Not only that, but I was working on a post just a couple of hours before the Dreamland blaze which began thus:

What with another building in Thanet catching light in Ramsgate barely a week after the Tivoli Arcade fire on Margate front, it might seem like we're living in a tinderbox here on the Ile de Thanet. However, we can all sleep soundly in our beds, thanks to the soothing miracle of statistics.

Unfortunately that was interrupted by news of the latest conflagration. Probably not a bad thing, either, as the figures from the Office of National Statistics show that, while the number of fires across the South East as a whole has steadily declined, here in Thanet they've actually gone up slightly. Still, Derek Acorah eat your heart out, eh? I feel a whole new career coming on!

Strange Lights At Night - Biggles In Flight?

Carousing on the cool Croissette here in the Cannes of Kent last night with my millionaire chums, a strange tale reached the old Eastcliff lugholes. Apparently mysterious lights and UFOs have been spotted recently in the night sky over Birchington.

Lights? Mysterious objects? In the sky? Birchington? You don't think? It can't be. Surely it's not? There again...

Scenic May 'Rise From the Ashes'

For the benefit of all you off-islanders who have been cramming onto my blog from as far away as the US and Australia since the dreadful Dreamland arson attack earlier this week, here's the front page of today's weekly local paper.

The Gazunder scoops an exclusive interview with Dreamland's head honcho Toby Hunter who has pledged to rebuild the Scenic, if he can find the original plans. Hunter says: 'Once we have determined what needs to be done to make the scenic safe, then our engineers will be piecing together if there is enough information to replace what's been burnt down.'

Hunter, boss of the Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company, which has funfair king Jimmy Godden as a major shareholder, added that he had no idea to what extent the historic ride was insured. He said the fire had in no way helped the company's redevelopment plans for the site as they had hoped to 'sink the railway into tanks of water and illuminate it to create a pier effect'. Hmm. If you ask me, it's a shame they didn't think of that earlier.

Click here for full story in the Isle of Thanet Gazette

Eyesore Gone In A Blink

Regular reader Samantha writes:

I was surprised and delighted to see that the festering hole behind Granville Court in Ramsgate has been completely cleared by Thanet Council. However they have yet to sort out the perimeter which still contains a blighting mix of dilapidated fencing, temporary fencing and rubbish. Apparently though they will be sorting this out 'asap'.

She adds that the excellent yourthanet newspaper (available free in the corner of all your favourite local stores, usually behind the twelve boxes of Haribo etc.) followed up the 'festering hole' story this week, which presumably gave our beloved council the, er, prod up the jacksie it needed to get on with it. Our local campaigning, crap-clearing, caff-crushing, car-crushing councillor Dave Green also played a part in getting this mess sorted out, I'm told. Lumme, if this continues he's going to sound like a 70s soft drink ad.

So, three cheers for yourthanet and three cheers for campaigning etc. Dave Green. And, er, two and a half cheers for Thanet Council. Now that's something you don't hear me say very often!

Granville Court before the Thanet Council clean-up

Granville Court after the Thanet Council clean-up

Legal Beagles Sniff My Blog

Crumbs! I must say I feel very privileged to discover an internationally renowned firm of libel lawyers taking a keen interest in my humble jottings. London based Schillings specialise in what they call 'reputation and brand protection', and according to my counterstaterometer they spent the best part of 15 minutes this afternoon studying the 109 comments appended to my initial posting of the Dreamland fire.

In the past Schillings have successfully had the plug pulled on a number of UK based blogs on behalf of ultra-wealthy clients, without the expense and inconvenience of having to go to court to actually prove defamation or libel. This they achieve by sending strongly-worded letters to quivering ISPs who generally without a 'by your leave' cave in quicker than a Thanet cliff face. Many people have had their life's work (well, their blogs at least) zapped as a consequence, including such luminaries as Craig Murray, the former British ambassador to Uzbekhistan, and Tory candidate for Mayor of London Boris Johnson. To read more, click here.

Quite why, and who, sent them this way one can only speculate. There again if you are thinking of speculating, on balance I'd rather you didn't.

£870,000 Gone For Good

Close to a million quid was written off by Thanet Council in unpaid council tax last year, according to new figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government. The figure was the sixth highest in England, excluding London Boroughs and Unitary Authorities, and the second highest in the South East, excluding UAs, after Brighton.

Meanwhile rumours are spreading that the council may have to return up to half a million smackers in EU grants after Euro-auditors discovered a number of irregularities in the way the dosh had been administered. More cock-up than conspiracy, it seems, as one line of inquiry relates to an EU aided commercial development where some numb-nuts apparently forget to ensure the deeds to the land had been transferred into the council's name. I mean, it's almost like they're giving it away, isn't it?

Oh well, with Councillor Latchford and co currently swanning it up over in China, I'm sure they'll come back with the bacon. Maybe they'll have a torch procession round the island? No, er, on second thoughts in the light of recent fiery events on the Ile that may not be such a good idea!

Click here for breakdown of written-off council tax in England by area

Oasis Disappears Up Its Own Tailpipe

Woo-hoo! Here's a piece of news that will bring joy to the hearts of all true Ramsgatonians. Oasis Hong Kong Airlines, the company responsible for flying knackered old jumbos over the Millionaires' Playground every eight minutes for hours on end, has gone tits up. Hurrah!

Perhaps we can now get on with enjoying our lovely Victorian seaside town in peace. Although I wonder how this will affect RAF London Kent Ramsgate Manston International Airport, which relied on the oozalum training flights to keep going. Ah well, who cares! At least we won't have to put up with this sort of hideous racket any more:

Hedge/Funds

Time for some other news methinks, and I'm indebted to reader Steve for highlighting a couple of stories in today's excellent yourthanet newspaper - available free in the corner of all your favourite local stores, usually behind the twelve boxes of Haribo.

It seems that Thanet Earth, who are building the world's largest greenhouse on the outskirts of the isle and who pride themselves on their green credentials, have grubbed up part of a commemorative 'Millennium Hedge' for access reasons. They say they'll restore it once they've completed construction so, er, watch that space.

And speaking of empty spaces, those nice Turnip people have announced they are pleased with the 153 visitors a day they've been getting for their latest exhibition at the Turner Contemporary Project Space, or the old M&S to you and me. What a load of pants. I must say, on the occasions I've walked past it's been completely deserted apart from the staff, with passers-by muttering: 'What a f*cking waste of money.'

Still, eventually it'll attract heaps more tourists than Dreamland ever did, I'm sure.

Click here for Thanet Earth story in yourthanet
Click here for Turnip story in yourthanet

Empty Space

Roll Of Dishonour

RIP (Rest In Pieces) in Thanet:

1997 - Nero's, Ramsgate (fire)
1998 - Pleasurama, Ramsgate (fire)
2003 - Mr G's, Margate (fire)
2004 - Ramsgate Library (fire)
2008 - Marina Restaurant, Ramsgate (majority demolished)
2008 - Tivoli Arcade, Margate (fire)
2008 - Dreamland Scenic Railway, Margate (fire)

Plus many lesser mishaps too numerous to mention.

7/4 - A Day To Remember

When I saw Dreamland's Scenic Railway on fire yesterday I felt sick to my stomach. Yet another piece of Thanet's heritage up in flames. Watching the smoke hang over the town is a sight I will never forget. Fortunately there was no loss of life, but even so it all seemed as vivid as 9/11.

The fire is being treated as suspicious and rightly so. It constitutes nothing less than an act of terrorism against the people of Margate, a town already on its knees. The Scenic was synonymous with Dreamland, and Dreamland was synonymous with Margate. The town used to be a place where people came for a fun day out. Now it's nothing more than a sick joke. It's fast becoming the arson capital of the UK, and much of what hasn't been burnt to the ground is boarded up.

Unlike a terrorist act, however, I doubt that any substantial resources will be applied in bringing the perpetrators of this crime to justice. As in the past, we're unlikely ever to know who the culprit was, as there is a strong suspicion that the local police and the council are, to put it very mildly, less than motivated.

Personally I would like to see this crime investigated by a senior police officer from outside Thanet, preferably from outside Kent. I would also like to see a full, independent audit of the council's conduct over the development of the Dreamland site, as happened following the May 1998 fire at Pleasurama in Ramsgate. They will bleat that it was 'out of their hands because Dreamland was privately owned.' Bollocks. It's a prime, seafront site in Thanet's largest town, and through woeful dithering, collusion and incompetence they have let it rot, then burn down.

Meanwhile, the Save Dreamland Campaign say that only 25% of the Scenic's track has been destroyed and that, seeing as it was a Grade II listed structure, it should and will be restored. It may seem harsh, but my response to that is 'dream on'. Who's going to pay for it? And how many other listed buildings in Thanet have been destroyed and restored? Brighton's West Pier was a Grade I listed building, and that's been a rusting hulk since the 90s. Sorry and all that, but it just ain't gonna happen.

So on a much more practical and realistic level, may I suggest that we commemorate this dark day in our history with an annual 7/4 bonfire on Margate's beach? We could even put an effigy on the top. Any suggestions as to who?

Dreamland Fire - Video Footage

Someone's already put footage of the Scenic collapsing on YouTube. By the way, that's not me giggling in the background. I feel more like crying.

Dreamland Fire - More Photos

Thanks to reader Terry who's just emailed these closer shots of the fire at Dreamland:

Dreamland Dreams Go Up In Smoke

Took these shots around 5.45pm from the top of Mill Lane car park looking west. The fire appears to have started around 5pm. Three snorkels on site, a large section of the track seems to have burnt and collapsed, but it also appeared to be on fire in two other places. The whole town smells like one of those wood-burning ovens you get in pizza restaurants. Looked to be pretty much under control when I left around 6pm, though.

So, that's the second major fire in Margate in little more than a week. It seems that whatever's not boarded up, the morons are determined to burn down. When will it all end?

Dreamland Scenic Railway On Fire

Just getting reports from over in Margate that Dreamland's listed Scenic Railway is on fire. One of the oldest remaining wooden roller coasters left in the world. No further details, but I'll post more as it comes in.

Cynics might say it was only a matter of time before this happened.

Update: Just been over there to see for myself. Three snorkels pumping water onto three separate parts of the track. Smoke billowing, flames. The track has completely collapsed in one section. Tragic. Will put up photos soon.

Further update: BBC South East Today is reporting that the fire is being treated as 'suspicious'.

Scroll up the page for photos and video footage.
Click here for photos of aftermath.
Click here to go to discussion on Save Dreamland Campaign forum.
Click here for full report on Save Dreamland Campaign website.
Click here for wry, video thinkpiece from Bignews Margate.
Click here for thinkpiece from Eastcliff Richard.
Click here for latest news.

Pavemental

Not content with illegally parking on the road leading to Port Ramsgate, I see the foreign truckers have now colonised the pavement. So much for anyone wanting to take a bracing stroll along the prom. Presumably sightseers on foot would have to divert onto the road, and run the considerable risk of being mown down by, er, a foreign truck.

I can see how our discreet, British signage to the effect that only cars and motorcycles are permitted to park in the bays off the Western Undercliff might confuse our foreign friends, who are probably more used to four metre high signs depicting a large lorry crossed out in red. But parking on a pavement is pretty much a universal offence, surely?

PS: I see yet another building caught fire hereabouts yesterday. More details on Zumi's excellent Ramsgate blog here.

Click here for full fire story and photo on Kent Messenger website

Shredded Feat

Phew! Several industrial sized Pritt sticks later, I've finally pieced together that Thanet Council staff consultation paper which I rescued from the shredder. And glued most of my fingers together in the process, which is making it rather dofficult to tupe.

It makes for fascinating reading, particularly if you've run out of Horlicks and are in desperate need of a kip. It would be too tedious by far to reproduce it all here, so I've distilled it into an executive summary:

1. We need to save money.
2. At the same time, we need to ensure that our 'senior remuneration package remains competitive.'
3. We're so good, our senior staff are being poached.
4. We're therefore going to create more senior posts, despite the fact that we chopped a load of them a while back on grounds of efficiency.
5. So if Heads of Service perform well, we'll promote them and give them loads more dosh.
6. And, er, we'll be the ones who'll decide if they're doing well enough to be promoted, thank you very much.
7. To afford all this we're going to make some people redundant who were actually doing quite a good job really.

Other, um, priceless information includes disposing of assets 'in a way which maximizes any regeneration benefits' and this:

It is generally aknowledged that the Margate Renewal Programme (What, the one that puts photos of Ramsgate Harbour on its This Is Margate website? - Ed.) is beginning to develop positive results and to avoid future uncertainty it is proposed to make the currently externally funded post part of the TDC establishment once the external funding expires in 2009 should this be required once there is greater clarity from SEEDA about their intentions.

Ho-hum. Look, if you want to read more, just email me and I'll send over all 15 pages. Right, I'm off to watch Graham Norton try and find a Nancy.

Size Matters

To Margate yesterday for, er... well there's not much left really apart from £5 tracksuits, and even those will be hard to come by soon if the rumours that Primark's moving out are to be believed.

Not that I was looking for a tracksuit of course. No, that would be too silly for words. But I took the opportunity whilst plonking the old Toyota Priapus in the Rendezvous car park of imagining how it will look in 2010, once the £25m (so far) Turnip Centre has been built. You know, there didn't seem an awful lot of space, bearing in mind that the lifeboat station will remain and there will also be a major commercial development on the site.

Safely back at the cliff top mansion on the super south side, I rummaged through some old papers and found a press release from Gleeson, the company that Kent County Council appointed last month as 'Preferred Development Partner' for the site, which witters on about 'a substantial scheme', including 'a four star hotel (in Margate?), some commercial development, and a new, substantial residential crescent.'

Personally, I can't see how they're going to fit it all in. Not unless the architects' models are, er, the actual buildings and they're planning some kind of renaissance of Ramsgate's defunct model village. Surely it can't be that they're going to build on the space created by de-dualling Fart Hill? That's been met with strong denials, and I for one believe every word of them. Meanwhile I see down the road in Dover they copped 4m regeneration mazoulians this week just for sending in an application on the back of a postcard.

I'll leave you with the words of one of our former local bloggers, who has recently become 'popular but beseiged™'. Speaking in 2004 he said:

Why the fiscally challenged planners at Kent County Council in conjunction with Thanet Council believe that opening a gallery in a famous artist's name, with none of his paintings on display, will suddenly transform Margate into a cultural Mecca and attract hordes (sic) of cultural day-trippers is anyone's guess... £20 million pounds for the Turner Centre means higher poll tax bills for the local population... and £2o million wasted, when it could have been put to much better use on other schemes...'

Nowadays he's a Tory councillor and fully supports it. Politicians, eh!

Click here for Gleeson press release on Rendezvous site
Click here for government press release on regeneration grant to Dover