Road sweeping spy in Bexleyheath

My first post was about potholes so thought it only natural to begin this one with another council activity, road sweeping. A subsequent post then covers my gran's friendship with a well known Soviet spy. And all this happened in Bexleyheath. In the early '80s, when a student, I worked as a road sweeper for Bexley Council during the summer. I was based out of the Bexley Council depot in Footscray Road, Sidcup.

A road sweeper's guide book in the early '80s

On one occasion I was tasked with sweeping an area opposite Bexleyheath bus garage in Erith Road. I set off with my barrow, broom, shovel and black bags along Bexleyheath Broadway excited by the challenge before me. I had to finish early as I had a dental appointment but I completed the task with zest and felt enormous pride as I stood back and admired the clean pavements and gutters plus the large quantity of rubbish filled black bags I'd generated. Wheeling my barrow back along the Broadway, however, the supervisor, Andy, pulled up beside me in his light blue council van: "Where have you been Mr Clayton?" he asked. "I've been working in that area you told me to clean this morning" "Well that's strange. I've been there and couldn't see you or what you've done" "Are you calling me a liar?" I retorted. I was uncomfortable with his sweeping statement. "Jump in" he said. "Let's go take a look" and off we went. I showed him the area I'd cleaned and the pile of black bags I'd filled ready to be collected. "Aha Mr Clayton!" he proclaimed "You've been cleaning in the north of the borough. We (as in the Footscray Road depot) are responsible for the south of the borough".

I asked him to show me exactly where the borough boundary was but he was uncertain. On the other hand he was absolutely certain that I'd cleaned the wrong part. How does one deal with such treachery? I was crestfallen and broken.

He dropped me back to my barrow left in the Broadway and departed with his usual goodbye message: "Got enough black bags? Queen and borough. Queen and country". Inspiring words but I'd missed my dental appointment. Andy liked to closely monitor the workforce under his control watching for unmanned barrows, extra time spent in cafes on breaks or, on one occasion, popping out of a hedge to check on a colleague while litter picking on a dual carriageway. He lived life in the fast lane (or was it the gutter) and really was in the wrong job. He should have been a spy for MI5.

Now talking of spying. There was another spy (apart from Andy) who lived and operated in Bexleyheath. A real one and a Soviet/KGB spy of some importance - Melita Norwood.

Read my next post to discover more...