News from Barking & Dagenham – September 2024
225 firefighters deployed
A huge fire broke out in a residential and commercial block on Freshwater Road in Dagenham on 26 August. The professionals tackled the fire with 40 emergency vehicles and 225 firefighters, and drones were also used to investigate the situation and fight the fire.
One eyewitness reported that he could not believe how many vehicles were lined up there. It took eight hours to contain the flames so that most of the firefighters could be withdrawn.
While the flames were still raging, the discussion arose as to whether the fire could have been avoided. 80 residents were initially given temporary accommodation in the Becontree Heath sports centre and the council is now looking for regular housing for all of them.
Rental bikes in the ‘village’
In central London, the providers of hire bikes are having a hard time, with more and more regulations preventing the bikes from getting in the way, but making locations of interest a scarce commodity. One of the providers, ‘Voi’, is therefore now travelling through the villages. He is trying to get ‘standing rights’ for his bikes in Barking and Dagenham, but also in several other boroughs. Voi has the advantage of not yet being present in London and is now chasing customers away from its competitors on the outskirts of the city.
