Vehicles Broken Into - Newington

Hartlip, Newington & Upchurch Ward

Crime Number: 46/209332/21

Between 13:00 on Saturday the 16th of October and 17:30 on Monday the 18th of October, somebody broke into a Vauxhall Corsa parked in Watling Drive, Newington.

Crime Number: 46/209279/21

Between 15:00 on Saturday the 16th of October and 13:40 on Monday the 18th of October, somebody broke into a Peugeot 307 parked in Merton Drive, Newington. They took a gym membership card.

If you have any information that could help investigators please contact Kent Police on telephone number 101 and quote the relevant crime number above.

For more information on crime prevention visit: www.kent.police.uk

Kent Community Messaging

Swale Borough Council Requests Meeting with Southern Water to Discuss Pollution Concerns

The leader of Swale Borough Council has written to Southern Water to request a meeting to discuss concerns about pollution incidents and sewer outflows in the borough.

The letter follows a motion being agreed unanimously by the council earlier this month, demanding Southern Water invest in their local infrastructure to prevent pollution of local waterways and prevent sewerage discharges into local streets.

Cllr Roger Truelove, leader of the council, said:

“As a coastal Borough, Swale relies heavily on tourism and any failures in water management by Southern Water can greatly impact on our local economy.

“Cases of highway and storm flooding are also on the rise and residents in some parts of the borough are living at risk of household flooding because of antiquated wastewater systems.

“We want to meet with Southern Water to discuss the state of their infrastructure in the borough, how it is managed and maintained, and what investment they have planned to prevent pollution incidents.

“We also want to know how they intend to tackle growing highways flooding issues and how they plan to meet increased demand from new housing in line with the local plan.”

The motion was passed at the full council meeting on Wednesday 6th October, and the full agenda is available on the council’s website

Swale Borough Council

Swale Borough Council Gets Gold for Animal Welfare Work

Swale Borough Council’s commitment to animal welfare has again been recognised by the RSPCA, with Gold Pawprint Awards for its stray dogs and contingency planning services.

The stray dog service has picked up its 12th Gold Pawprint in a row from The RSPCA in recognition of its good practice in animal welfare.

The award for contingency planning is the fifth consecutive time the council has picked up the award in recognition of the work done to protect animal welfare in the event of an emergency.

The council also provides information to help animal-based businesses be prepared to look after their animals in the event of an emergency.

Cllr Roger Truelove, leader of the council, who also has responsibility for emergency planning, said:

“We’re delighted to be recognised for all the hard work we do in caring for stray dogs and the welfare of animals during an emergency.

“Despite the demands of the pandemic, our resilience team have continued to work incredibly hard to make sure we have procedures and processes in place to ensure the welfare of animals during an emergency.

“We strongly encourage everyone who keeps or works with animals to think about what they would do with them in the event of an emergency.”

Cllr Julian Saunders, cabinet member for environment at the council, said:

“This award recognises the stray dog services willingness to go the extra mile make sure we have high welfare standards for the animals across the borough.

“Obviously, we would rather people didn’t lose their pets, but I find it comforting to know that if a dog is picked up by the team, it will receive amazing care and attention.

“The fact they’ve received the highest accolade from the RSPCA for 12 years in a row shows the high level of service we provide.”

For news on stray dogs found in Swale, follow the council’s Twitter account or the service’s Facebook page

To find out more about how you can prepare to look after your animals during an emergency, visit www.swale.gov.uk/emergency-pet-welfare

To report a stray dog during normal office hours, the public should call 01795 417850 where arrangements will be made for the dog to be collected.

If a dog is found between 5:00pm and 9:00pm on weekday evenings, and between 9:00am and 9:00pm at weekends and on bank holidays, the public should ring the found stray dog line on 07795 237479.

Swale Borough Council

Preparation Works for M2 Junction 5 Improvement Works

Preparation works for M2 junction 5 improvement works October 2021 - January 2022 - National Highways Works.

Please see attached bulletin for works being carried out by National Highways.

KCC 24hr Contact Centre: 03000 418181

For details of roadworks see: https://one.network

Kent County Council - Highways, Transportation & Waste

The Organ at St Mary the Virgin, Upchurch - Fundraising Appeal

Click photographs to enlarge.

The organ in our church was installed in 1905, and significant restoration was carried out in 1980. As well as improvements to the action and working components, some of the stops were removed and others added and a new pedal board fitted plus the electric action to the pedal pipes. More work to the pedal board was carried out some years later.

The organ has been in the care of Henry Willis & Sons, a well-known Organ Builder, since 2001 - they tune it twice a year and they carried out a refurbishment in 2008/9 after a fundraising effort to mark the centenary of the installation of the organ.

The organ is viewed as a much-valued asset of St Mary’s Church and is used for accompaniment of the choir and congregation at all kinds of regular and special services throughout the year. In addition, it is regularly used for weddings, funerals and during concerts in the church.

The electric action to the pedals mentioned above now needs replacement. It was second-hand in 1980 and has been failing intermittently for the past few years. But of course, any repair or maintenance costs money and we hope to raise around £2,800 for this work to be carried out as soon as possible.

If you are able to support this project, all donations to the Organ Fund at St Mary’s would be gratefully received.

Cheques should be made out to Upchurch Parochial Church Council and can be sent to the Church Organist, Sue Rossiter at 114 Chaffes Lane, Upchurch, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME9 7BH.

Many thanks in anticipation!

Sue Rossiter - Organist at St Mary’s, Upchurch

Telephone: 01634 234780

Email: suerossiter@waitrose.com

Vehicle Entered | Vehicle Broken Into - Newington

Hartlip, Newington & Upchurch Ward

Crime Number: 46/207460/21

Between midnight and 9:23am on Sunday the 17th of October, an insecure vehicle was entered by unknown suspects who conducted a messy search in Watling Drive, Newington.

Crime Number: 46/207578/21

Between 3:00am and 12:19pm on Sunday the 17th of October, items were stolen from a car in Hop Garden Crescent, Newington.

If you have any information that could help investigators please contact Kent Police on telephone number 101 and quote the relevant crime number above.

For more information on crime prevention visit: www.kent.police.uk

Kent Community Messaging