Local News

Gordon Henderson MP has welcomed the announcement by Highways England of their preferred option for a new M2 Junction 5 at Stockbury.

The new design, known as Option 4H1, benefits from a flyover, taking through traffic on the A249 over the existing roundabout. Work on the £85m scheme is set to start by March 2020.

Gordon told SFM News: "I opposed the previous design because it introduced more traffic lights to the junction and did not provide the through route for A249 traffic via a flyover. I have been lobbying government and Highways England for many months, as I know Kent County Council and others have, and I am delighted our voices have been heard. The long overdue improvements will be welcomed by the thousands who currently queue there each morning. The new junction will also address the safety issues at the existing roundabout and on the approaches on the A249. The area has one of the worse safety records on the road network."

The official advice from the Spirit of Sittingbourne, who are progressing the plans for the town centre regeneration, is to avoid travelling through Sittingbourne town centre if possible from 29th May until the 3rd September.

This period will see the largest and most disruptive phase of the development and full details on exactly what is happening can be found on our associate website: www.sittingbourne.me.

A male body has been found in the Swale after a closure of the northbound carriageway of the A249 Sheppey Crossing.

Highways England (@highwaySEAST) tweeted at 04:00

#A249 #Sheppeycrossing northbound is currently closed due to police incident. Diversion is via the old Sheppey bridge. Please allow extra time for your journey this morning.

Kent Police confirmed they found a male body at 04:44 after being called our to report of an abandoned vehicle on the northbound carriageway of the A249 Sheppey Crossing.

The death is not being treated as suspicious.

The northbound carriageway was closed during rush hour with traffic being diverted via The Kingsferry Bridge. 

The Sheppey Crossing re-opened at 08:00.

A cannabis factory has been found after officers from Kent Police executed a drugs warrant in Sittingbourne.

The plants were seized at around 8.00am earlier today (Wednesday 25th April) on Wihtred Road in Bapchild. More than 150 mature plants were found and all in the final stages of drying ready to be sold.

Police Sergeant Jason Hedges, from Swale's Community Policing Team, told SFM News: "we actively seek to disrupt any criminal activity within Kent and today's warrant is a prime example of this. Had we not found these plants they would have been ground down and sold as drugs within Kent and perhaps beyond. Anyone who suspects there is criminal activity taking place near them, or suspects a person to be committing offences should always report it so it can be investigated."

Officers have not yet made any arrests but are carrying out ongoing enquiries.