Local News

A man has been charged with attempted burglary following an incident at a home in Sittingbourne.

Christopher Swanson is alleged to have entered the home of a woman, aged in her 90s, in the Woodstock Road area in January this year.

Following enquiries by the Sittingbourne Criminal Investigation Department, the 51-year-old, of Peoney Crescent in Sittingbourne, has been charged with attempted burglary.

He is due to appear at Medway Magistrates' Court shortly (Monday 9th April).

A Maidstone man is almost £2,200 out of pocket after building waste was dumped in Iwade.

Josh Allen, 26, of Wallace Avenue, Parkwood in Maidstone, was prosecuted by Swale Borough Council after building and demolition waste, including wood, shelves and carpets, was found dumped on Raspberry Hill Lane, Iwade in November 2016.

Council officers traced the waste to a fast food restaurant. The owner of the restaurant confirmed he had paid a company called Josh Clearance £150 to remove the waste, and provided contact details and text messages as evidence.

Mr Allen was interviewed by council officers and confirmed arranging the transaction. He denied holding a drivers licence, and claimed he and a friend picked up the waste in the friend's truck, and he left the vehicle and didn't know what happened to the waste after that.

Following the interview, Mr Allen was asked to produce his authority to act as a broker for waste and the waste transfer notes for this particular transaction. No response was given, and a fixed penalty notice was issued for the offences.

Despite reminders, Mr Allen failed to respond, leaving the council with no choice but to go to court.

The case was heard on Monday (19th March) at Medway Magistrates Court, where Mr Allen was found guilty of two charges relating to the transport of waste.

He was fined £660 for each offence, and ordered to pay costs of £750, compensation of £60 and a victim surcharge of £66 within 28 days.

Cllr Nicholas Hampshire, deputy cabinet member for safer families and communities at the council, told SFM News: "Local people are sick of seeing other people's rubbish illegally dumped around the borough. We are determined to do all we can to track down those who fly-tip, and take the necessary legal action against them. If you pay someone to take away your rubbish, and it is fly-tipped, you could be prosecuted if you can't prove who took the waste away. In this case, the business owner rightly kept records which we were able to use to track down who took the waste away. I strongly urge people to check who is taking their waste, make sure they're licenced, and keep invoices and receipts so you can help us trace them if waste is dumped."

To check whether someone is licenced to carry waste you can visit the Environment Agency website or alternatively you can call 03708 506506.

For more information about fly-tipping, and what the council is doing to tackle it, visit www.swale.gov.uk/fly-tipping.

The family of a 30-year-old man who was killed in a collision in Sittingbourne have issued a tribute.

Emergency services were called to attend an incident at around 11.25pm on Saturday 10th March in St Michael's Road which involved a man and a lorry.

Tom Field, who was a scientist and from Sittingbourne, was pronounced deceased at the scene.

His Mum, Dad, brother James and Tom's fiancée Chloé have issued the following tribute.

"Tom was a kind and gentle man, and a great, loyal and dependable friend to so many, son to Pam and Steve, brother to James and partner to Chloe, the love of his life. Tom was adored by his nephew, with whom he would always ‘high five' and was a much loved grandson. He was always sensitive to the needs of others and was very much aware of the effect his actions would have. Tom was a very private and modest person. He was great to be with, funny and could hold an intelligent conversation on just about anything.'

Chloe also added that ‘Tom was her everything'.

Tom was a student at Borden Grammar School in Sittingbourne and worked at Aesica Pharmaceuticals in Queenborough.

Following the incident officers arrested a 62-year-old man from the Netherlands who was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. He has since been released, pending further enquiries.

Officers from the Serious Collison Investigation Unit (SCIU) are still appealing for any people who witnessed the collision, or who saw Mr Field or the lorry beforehand, and who have not yet spoken to officers to get in touch.

If you can help please call the SCIU at Kent Police Headquarters in Maidstone on 01622 798538 quoting SCIU/MS/035/18. Alternatively ypou can email: sciu.td@kent.pnn.police.uk.

Officers from the Kent Police Serious Collision Investigation Unit (SCIU) are appealing for witnesses following the death of a pedestrian close to Sittingbourne train station at the weekend.

Police were called at around 11.25pm on Saturday (10th March) to reports of a collision involving a lorry, on St Michael's Road. Police and ambulance crews attended and a man was declared dead at the scene.

Officers from the SCIU would now like to hear from anyone who witnessed the collision, or who saw the pedestrian or lorry beforehand.

If you can help, please contact them on 01622 798538 quoting SCIU/MS/035/18. Alternatively you can email: sciu.td@kent.pnn.police.uk.