A reader who enjoys taking in the Thames during his lunch hour is intrigued by the number of seals he sees. ADRIAN KWINTNER found out that seal colonies often congregate on the Thames estuary after riding tidal waves from the North Sea …

BENEFITS assessor Martin Hawkins, from Belvedere, who read my column about fish in the River Thames, wants to know why he keeps spotting seals.

Mr Hawkins works at Erith Town Hall so has ample time to take in the Thames during his lunch break and bond with the wildlife.

No doubt, this beats dealing with angry benefits claimants.

While on his lunchtime expeditions over the past few months, Mr Hawkins has spotted lonely seals on the Thames foreshore playing in the mud and swimming in and out of a life-belt.

Moving beyond the cute factor of this week's column, what are these seals doing in the River Thames?

Colonies of about 50 seals congregate in the Thames Estuary on sand banks such as at Herne Bay, Margate, after riding tidal waves from the North Sea.

The Herne Bay seals are common seals but there are also grey seals in the Thames. Members of both species occasionally roam up-river to places such as Erith.

Alan Knight, chairman of British Divers Marine Life Rescue, told me the Thames was providing quite a nice life for seals, porpoises and dolphins because there are plenty of fish varieties on which to feed, but no waves. Common seals are more properly called harbour seals because there are now just 36,000 of them in Great Britain, mostly in Scotland, compared to 124,000 grey seals.

More than 18,000 of Great Britain's harbour seals died in 1988 from phocine distemper virus.

Alan said seals have now almost completely lost their immunity to the virus and believes seals in England could be hit again in around three weeks.

The virus recently destroyed 600 seals in Scandinavia.

PLANS for three new River Thames crossings in south east London could transform Bexley's economic prospects.

Bexley Council is backing all three proposals, especially the plan for a road bridge, at Gallions Reach, in Thamesmead.

But Bexley's chief engineer Peter Morley scoffed at ideas that the new Thames Gateway Bridge would lead to new demands for a link road to the A2, putting the ancient Oxleas Wood at risk again.

“I have no doubt at all Oxleas is safe. The various statements which have been made are totally unfounded and beggar belief. It just shows these people have not kept up with what has been happening,” he said.

Mr Morley explained that unlike the old East London River Crossing (ELRIC), the Thames Gateway Bridge would be part of the local road network rather than a strategic route.

As a result the old ELRIC plan has been scaled down from a three-lane dual carriageway to a two-lane one.

It will also have a differential toll to discourage traffic from using it as an alternative to crossings at Blackwall or  Dartford, although the details of how the tolling would work has still to be sorted out.

Mr Morley dismissed the idea a link to the A2 could be built at a later stage.

“You cannot widen the bridge once it is built, and anyway, the safeguarding of the old ELRIC route has been lifted and all the property has been sold.”

The new bridge will link into the South Thames Development Route which includes the Thamesmead spine road, Bronze Age Way and Thames Road which is still waiting to be upgraded to a dual carriageway.

Mr Morley says these roads (when Thames Road is dualled) will have the capacity to take traffic from a new bridge and will open up the industrial areas in Belvedere and Crayford.

He is also fairly confident, with a package of junction improvements and traffic management measures, other local roads will also be able to cope.

Bexley is also backing the plans for a new light rail crossing at Woolwich and a new road bridge at Silvertown.

“The northbound Blackwall Tunnel has a height restriction but a new bridge there, would encourage heavy lorries to cross there rather than come down to Thamesmead or Dartford, which will be better for local roads,” Mr Morley said.

And Bexley is backing the Crossrail plans which will open up job opportunities in  Canary Wharf to people in Bexley and Kent.

The Thames Gateway Bridge is due to be discussed by the Greater London Assembly on June 11.

BBC News Online's Tom Geoghegan tests traffic levels in London on the first day of the new GBP5 congestion charge.

The world's most ambitious congestion charging scheme gets off to a relatively trouble-free start in London.

Congestion charging is being introduced into central London on 17 February in an attempt to cut traffic levels and help ease severely clogged roads. The scheme will also raise money to re-invest in the capital's transport system

The area in which charges apply is a zone measuring eight square miles (21 square kilometres) within the Inner Ring Road - the most central and heavily congested part of London.

Charges will apply between 7am and 6.30pm from Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays.

Motorists driving into the charging zone have to pay a flat fee of £5, either in advance or on the day of travel. Those who do not pay are liable for fines of up to £120.

Most motorists deterred by the London congestion charge plan to go by Tube instead of expanded bus services, says a survey.

Thousands of people from the South West are taking part in a march for peace in London.

Passengers using eight bus routes across London are promised a better and more frequent service from this weekend.

The bosses of two London courier firms go head-to-head over Ken Livingstone's congestion charge.

Live from the capital's anti-war march, BBC News Online gathers the people's views with the aid of a mobile phone camera.

Motorists travelling into central London face a GBP5 daily charge as the landmark congestion charging scheme gets under way.

Skyhouses of up to 50 floors containing 500 flats were put forward yesterday as the answer to the south-east's housing crisis by a firm of distinguished architects backed by a business consortium.

With 35% of the skyhouses earmarked as cheap housing for key workers including teachers, nurses and police officers, the promoters hope that the triple towers will find favour with planners and the government. The blocks, at 200 metres (600ft), are three-quarters of the height of London's giant  Canary Wharf tower. They would provide facilities for an entire community including double floors at intervals in each tower devoted to gardens with trees, and on the roof a swimming pool with a stupendous view.

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