Swale Borough Council - Op Assist October

Waste carriers were targeted this week as part of a day of action to crackdown on fly tipping.

Swale Borough Council teamed up with Kent Police’s Rural Task Force to carry out enquiries, arrest people suspected of fly tipping, seize vehicles and collate evidence with a view to prosecuting offenders for waste related crimes.

Outcomes of the day are:

• 6 vehicles stopped and searched

• 1 fixed penalty notice issued

Cllr Tim Valentine, cabinet member for environment at the council, said:

“Every few months we team up with Kent Police’s Rural Task Force to crackdown on fly tipping and prosecute offenders for waste related crimes.

We’ve carried out five action days in the past year and stopped and searched 23 vehicles, issued 10 fixed penalty notices and one producer, and seized seven vehicles suspected of being used for waste crimes.

During our previous day of action in June, we crushed a van seized from a repeat offender who was suspected of duping residents.

Once a vehicle is seized, the owner has 15 days to claim the vehicle with the relevant paperwork, and if not claimed, the vehicle will be repurposed or crushed.

In this instance, the vehicle was crushed, and the suspected offender lost his vehicle.”

Cllr Eddie Thomas, deputy cabinet member for environment at the council, said:

“We’ve seen an increase in fly tipping this year since lockdown began in March, but household waste and recycling centres are now open, so there is no excuse for people to dispose of their waste illegally.

Appointments can be pre-booked on KCC’s website to help keep people safe, maintain social distancing and reduce queues.

“You can also arrange a collection of up to four bulky items for £25 by calling our customer services team on: 01795 417 888.”

More and more of these action days are taking place across the county. A tremendous amount of preparation takes place ahead of these days, including the gathering of vital intelligence to support the council’s enforcement team with their duties.

What can you do to dispose of your waste responsibly?

Fly tippers often target households via social media or local advertising, luring customers in with cheap rates to dispose of unwanted furniture, building rubble or garden waste. However, these unlicensed waste carriers often simply dump the waste where ever they can get away with it, including in Kent’s country lanes. Householders or small businesses found to be using criminals to dispose of their waste can, and are, being prosecuted by local authorities in Kent with fixed penalty notices of up to £400 per offence. Failure to pay such an FPN may result in court action where fines can be significantly larger.

If using a commercial service, householders should check whether someone is licenced to carry waste by visiting the Environment Agency website below, or alternatively call: 03708 506506. It also helps if householders receive a written receipt or transfer note, including contact details, description of waste removed and details of where the waste is being taken to.

https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers

The 13 Kent councils, along with Kent Police, are working in partnership to Keep Kent Clean.

To keep updated with the councils’ efforts to tackle fly tipping and littering, follow

#KeepKentClean

Swale Borough Council

Latest POLICE.UK Crime Data for the Area - August 2020

Hartlip, Newington and Upchurch

Here is a brief summary of crime information for the past 2 months:

43 crimes are shown on the map in August 2020 including:

6 Anti-social Behaviour

2 Burglary

5 Criminal Damage and Arson

2 Other Theft

5 Public Order

23 Violence and Sexual Offences

56 crimes were shown on the map in July 2020.

Not all crime that occurs is shown on the map.

Please visit: www.police.uk for more information including outcomes for these crimes and contact information for your local policing team.

Lower Halstow and Iwade

Here is a brief summary of crime information for the past 2 months:

43 crimes are shown on the map in August 2020 including:

18 Anti-social Behaviour

1 Burglary

7 Criminal Damage and Arson

3 Other Theft

4 Public Order

1 Shoplifting

2 Vehicle Crime

6 Violence and Sexual Offences

2 Other Crime

33 crimes were shown on the map in July 2020.

Not all crime that occurs is shown on the map.

Please visit: www.police.uk for more information including outcomes for these crimes and contact information for your local policing team.

Upchurch Matters

October News from Upchurch Horticultural Society - From the Potting Shed

Sponsored by Upchurch River Valley Golf Course Ltd

Well, October came in with some cold weather and then turned very wet so I thought my prediction of an early Winter was right, only then to brighten up a bit. The evenings are definitely getting colder and the log fire has been lit and enthusiasm for the wet garden is waning. October is the tidy up month so I have lifted the last of the Early Potatoes and started the Runner Bean trench for next year. It will go in the sunniest part of the vegetable patch and stay there, as the Climbing Beans are not at their best in shade. The Maincrop needs to come up next and be stored in a hessian sack in a cool dark spot away from any frost. The Marrow finally produced a good fruit which was stuffed with minced beef and onions plus special ingredients to produce a decent meal, but no sign of a second one yet. Any frost tender vegetables need to be picked and stored by the end of the month. Give everything a good dig over and get the weeds out and leave the winter vegetables to stand in the ground.

Harvest frost tender vegetables.

The wet weather has done the lawn a great deal of good which with the exception of the bare patches, has greened up well. The thatch has been raked out and it looks moderately respectable. With the soil wet it is easy to aerate it with a fork which will help drainage. Edges can be repaired and a final cut performed and then it is best to keep foot traffic to a minimum to avoid compacting the soil again. Just rake up the leaves.

The borders need another weed after the rain to leave them tidy for the winter. Trim back the perennials that have finished for the year and look forward to the Autumn flowers which will be out shortly like Charm Chrysanthemums, Sedum and Nerines. The Japanese Anemones have been good this year and still flowering with Roses soldiering on past the summer. Large clumps of perennials can be divided and replanted. After a total failure last year the Delphinium and Lupin seeds from this year have germinated profusely. They will be over-wintered and planted out next Spring to increase numbers.

Hopefully you have had a bumper crop of Apples this year which are particularly large and most varieties are harvested by the end of October. Apple trees can be pruned in the winter.

Hardy gardeners will find plenty to do through the winter, but I will head indoors to resume my winter hobby of cooking. Autumn can be very cosy and it offers a bit of a break. Plans can be drawn up for next year and seeds need to be ordered. However, it has been a strange year and the future is still no clearer, so I am actually looking forward to a bit of hibernation. Stoke up the log fire, dust off the favourite recipes and fill the cook’s glass. The Duchess enjoys this time of year as well, as she likes my cooking, unless of course the cook’s glass gets filled too often.

We are always looking for new members and try to encourage a fun attitude towards friendly competition. So if you want to grow your own fruit, vegetables and flowers or even enter any of the 3 shows we hold each year, then please get in touch, we would be happy to hear from you.

If you are interested in becoming a new member, (all ages are welcome), please contact Rosey on: 01634 377812 (evenings) or Email: rosemary@ringwoodaccounting.co.uk

Sean Barry - Upchurch Horticultural Society

Poolside Bar & Courtyard Music Nights October - December 2020 at Upchurch River Valley Golf Course

Jenny Giles - Upchurch River Valley Golf Course

Telephone: 01634 360626

Swale Borough Council - Fuel and Water Home Adviser Service Starts in Swale

People needing extra support this winter can now reach out to Swale Borough Council’s Fuel and Water Home Adviser Service for help and advice.

Householders will be able to get advice on how to effectively manage energy and water use in their homes, installing low cost measures such as draught proofing and radiator reflector panels, and helping those who are eligible to apply for grants.

The service will be managed by Swale charity Children and Families who provide support services to families around the borough.

Residents can refer themselves to the service, and housing officers, health workers, family finance workers, housing associations, food banks and other charities are able to refer people on their behalf.

Cllr Tim Valentine, cabinet member for the environment, said:

“We are committed to helping the most vulnerable in our community and made it a priority in our climate and ecological emergency declaration last year.

We hope this new support service will reach those most in need and help them to achieve a better standard of living.

“Helping people with their energy consumption will also help us reach our net zero carbon targets for the borough.”

Cllr Hannah Perkin, deputy cabinet member for health and wellbeing at the council, said:

“Many of our residents are struggling to pay water and energy bills.

This service will help people get onto the best tariff and will also show people simple ways of saving both water and energy in their homes.

The link between cold homes and poor health is well known and we hope helping people to have a warmer home will also improve their health.”

Ian Townsend-Blazier, Business Development Manager at Children and Families Ltd, said:

“We are really pleased and excited to be delivering the Fuel and Water Home Adviser project in partnership with Swale Council.

We are a local charity with a keen interest in the environment and it’s great to see the council leading this initiative.

Our project is designed to partner with local organisations, energy providers and water companies to support these households in understanding and accessing green initiatives, switching energy providers to get access to the best available tariffs, supporting households to become water efficient and helping residents implement cost saving measures which can reduce CO2 emissions across the borough.”

To make an appointment with Fuel and Water Home Adviser Service, contact Steve Pettit on spettitt@children-families.org or 01795 889233.

Swale Borough Council

Dates for Local Swale Borough Council Deep Cleans

Contractor Biffa, working on behalf of Swale Borough Council will be carrying out several deep cleans around our area at the request of ward councillors.

If your road is due a deep clean, Swale will put no parking signs up beforehand and post letters through affected residents doors.

Residents will need to find somewhere else to park while the deep clean takes place so the team can sweep near the kerb and remove any weeds or litter.

Due to there being no footpaths along some sections of the road, and no safe distance for the contractor to undertake the litter picking, the team can only litter pick with traffic management, usually being a lane closure in place.

30th November 2020

The Street, Lower Halstow

Breach Lane, Lower Halstow

1st December 2020

Wardwell Lane, Upchurch

Spade Lane, Upchurch

TBA

Oak Lane, Upchurch

For more information about deep cleans, visit: www.swale.gov.uk/deep-cleans

Upchurch Matters