The first I knew about it was when I was disturbed by the sirens, which seemed to be going on longer than usual. Upon investigation (looking out of the front door) I saw the police cordon just on the other side of the Robin Hood Roundabout, and then heard the chuntering of the helicopter (EC145 from the Met ASU at Lippetts Hill). The police weren't saying anything, and no-one at the Robin Hood pub had any news. Lunch at the Victoria Tavern cast no new light on the matter.
It continued all through the afternoon and into the evening, with the chopper circling continuously. When I took Toby out for a walk, I meandered back via the boundary fence along the A104 and was amazed at the number of support vehicles and personel standing by (apparently they had closed most of the forest paths, but then I wasn't technically on a path).
By late afternoon Twitter was picking up on it:
The evening rush hour was a nightmare, with diversions from the M25 through Loughton from the Wake Arms, and from the North Circular through Buckhurst Hill from Woodford.
By the time I got back from doing the Monday night Scout runs at 20:30, all was back to normal.
Here's what the local Guardian online edition had to say about it:
"Police have closed a road after a man was seen throwing tools towards traffic. Officers on the ground and a helicopter unit are currently attempting to calm the distressed man, who threw objects into the A104 Epping New Road. The man, who parked his van between the Robin Hood roundabout and Ranger's Road in Chingford, contacted the police himself and was said to be severely distressed following what is thought to be a domestic dispute."
No doubt the paper edition will run the full story tomorrow. Just think, a nutter hurling spanners and monkey wrenches at passing traffic. Toby and I were lucky not to run into him deep in the forest - all I had to defend myself were strips of Dentabits and a handful of Bonio!
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