Emergency Road Closure - Sheerness Road, Lower Halstow

It will be necessary to close Sheerness Road, Lower Halstow from Thursday 14th January 2021 for up to 7 days.

 

The road will be closed between the junctions of Vicarage Lane and Old Ferry Road.

 

There is no alternative route. Every effort will be made to maintain access for residents whenever it is safe to do so.

 

This is for safety due to flooding.

Kent County Council 24hr Contact Centre:

03000 418181 (9:00am - 5:00pm)

03000 419191 (5:00pm - 9:00am)

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

Kent County Council - Highways, Transportation & Waste

Thank You from Foodbank Co-ordinator Gill Gay and Swale Foodbank

It was cold, it was wet, the road was blocked and yet you still came bearing your generous donations for the Foodbank.

Thank you, Upchurch, for your generous hearts. The news declares daily, the increase in numbers of families and vulnerable adults struggling to put food on their tables.

We hear how the pandemic is destroying businesses, and revealing the poverty that makes life difficult for so many.

You are doing your bit to help those who struggle. You are being the hands and feet of our loving God.

Thank you ❤️ 

Gill and Ron

Gill Gay - Foodbank Co-ordinator
Email: gilliangay99@yahoo.co.uk

Emergency Road Closure - Otterham Quay Lane, Upchurch

It will be necessary to close Otterham Quay Lane, Upchurch from Wednesday 13th January 2021 for up to 7 days.

The road will be closed outside Mill Farm, Otterham Quay Lane.

The alternative route is via Otterham Quay Lane, Moor Street, A2, Keycol Hill, Sheppey Way, Ferry Road, Old Ferry Road, Raspberry Hill Lane, The Street, Forge Lane and Horsham Lane.

This is to enable burst water main repairs to be carried out by Southern Water.

Kent County Council 24hr Contact Centre:

03000 418181 (9:00am - 5:00pm)

03000 419191 (5:00pm - 9:00am)

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

Kent County Council - Highways, Transportation & Waste

Swale Borough Council Replaces Fleet with Electric Vehicles

Swale Borough Council will now save more than 30 tonnes of carbon every year with a fleet of nine new electric vehicles.

The zero-emission vehicles will help to improve the air quality in Swale. The council’s fleet regularly travel though the borough’s air quality management areas (AQMAs) where vehicle pollution contributes to poor air quality.

The council’s fleet of diesel vans has been replaced with nine Nissan e-NV200 vans that will be charged at the Swale House council offices in Sittingbourne via eight new EV chargers.

Three environmental warden vans, three green space vans, two dog warden vans and a parking services van are now out on the road alongside the Mayor’s car which was upgraded to an electric vehicle in December.

The new electric vans join the two Nissan Leaf electric cars already used by the council’s civil enforcement team.

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

“We’re delighted to reach this milestone.

“Replacing the council fleet with electric vehicles is part of our Climate and Ecological Emergency Action Plan. It will help us reduce our carbon emissions and improve the air quality in Swale.

“Each vehicle saves 3.38 tonnes of carbon every year, so the new fleet will save more than 30 tonnes of carbon and help us tackle climate change. The new vehicles will emit no nitrogen dioxide which causes poor air quality in our AQMAs along the A2.

“Not only will we save a huge amount of carbon, but we’ll also make long-term cost savings thanks to the lower running and maintenance costs of the electric vehicles.

“We hope our example can show local firms that the benefits of going electric are not only environmental but will help to reduce the costs of running vehicles.”

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

“People will now see the new electric fleet of council vehicles out on the road driven by our wardens and officers.

“We’ve worked hard to improve the infrastructure around the borough to encourage residents to also make the switch to zero-emissions vehicles.

“We already have two electric vehicle charging points at Swale House that are available on weekends, two bays at the Swallows carpark in Sittingbourne, four new bays at central car park in Faversham were installed last month, and four new bays at Rose Street car park in Sheerness have been completed this week.”

For more information on air quality around the borough visit: www.swale.gov.uk/news-and-your-council/air-quality

For information about government grants to meet the cost of installing workplace chargers visit: www.gov.uk/government/publications/workplace-charging-scheme-guidance-for-applicants-installers-and-manufacturers

Swale Borough Council

Help Keep Hydrants in Your Neighbourhood Healthy

Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) is on a mission to encourage the people of Kent and Medway to help keep hydrants healthy in their local area.

Located all over the county, fire hydrants provide firefighters with access to a steady flow of water to fight fires. They are used by crews whenever they need more water than they’re able to carry on fire engines, and can be a vital asset for firefighters. However, if they’re ever damaged or obscured, it could waste valuable minutes for crews potentially saving lives and property. 

The fire service is now encouraging the public to keep an eye out for hydrants when they’re out exercising or making essential journeys*, and to report any issues which could impact hydrant health. Then, any faults can be fixed quickly and safely by a KFRS water technician or passed to the local Water Company for action.

Steven Lewis, Resilience Manager at KFRS, said:

“There are almost 30,000 hydrants located across Kent and Medway, and therefore thousands of residents have hydrants located near their homes and businesses. To have people keeping an eye out for hydrants, and letting us know whenever they spot an issue with one, means that any potential faults that haven’t yet been picked up can be resolved quickly and efficiently.

“In addition to our crews who regularly check hydrants in their station area, we also have specially trained hydrant technicians within our dedicated water services team. But, it would be fantastic if residents would like to get involved too and help us keep hydrants healthy while they’re out enjoying daily exercise during the Covid-19 lockdown, and beyond.”

Hydrants can be found by looking for a yellow ‘H’, usually on pavements, lampposts, or fences. They are positioned in the ground, under an inspection chamber, normally marked with the wording ‘Fire Hydrant’, ‘FH, or ‘WO’ - which stands for ‘washout’.

Please note that hydrant covers should only ever be lifted by trained professionals, unless in an emergency.

Issues that people can look out for and report to KFRS, include:

• Obstructions over hydrants, such as vegetation
• Vehicles parked over the inspection chamber
• Leaking hydrants
• Hydrant lids which are broken or protruding above the ground

Watch the video at >> https://youtu.be/YrkX7hKHsl4 for more details on what to look out for and what sort of issues should be reported to the fire service online, where photos can also be uploaded to help explain the issue that has been identified.

*in-line with current government guidance.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service

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

Hartlip, Newington and Upchurch

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

35 crimes are shown on the map in November 2020 including:

8 Anti-social Behaviour

1 Burglary

2 Criminal Damage and Arson
2 Other Theft
2 Public Order

19 Violence and Sexual Offences

1 Other Crime

56 crimes were shown on the map in October 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:

28 crimes are shown on the map in November 2020 including:

15 Anti-social Behaviour

1 Criminal Damage and Arson

12 Violence and Sexual Offences

31 crimes were shown on the map in October 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