Local News

Kent Police officers, investigating a robbery at a newsagents, have released an image of a man who they would like to identify.

Kent Police were called at 9.42pm on Saturday (19th August) to a report of a robbery at a newsagents in St John's Avenue, Sittingbourne.

A man entered the shop where he is then reported to have threatened a staff member before stealing a quantity of cash and alcohol. No injuries were reported.

Officers are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident and would ask anyone who believes they may know the suspect or has information about the incident to call Kent Police on 01795 419 119 quoting crime reference XY/042021/17.

Or alternatively they can contact Kent Crimestoppers, free (from any landline) and anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

All over Sittingbourne students are finding out whether or not they have acquired the A-level grades they need to take the next steps in their life's journey.

Below is a look at how each school performed:

Borden Grammar School for Boys

116 students sat exams at Borden Grammar school and 64% achieved A*-C.

One pupil at the school who stood-out was Craig Clark who achieved the best results ever achieved by a single pupil.

Westlands/SCC/Swale Skills Centre

Over 170 students sat their exams at Westlands School, Sittingbourne Community College and Swale Skills Centre. Between those students the overall A* to E pass rate was 99%.

Josie Pengelly of Swale Sixth Form obtained triple distinctions in dance and an A in English Literature which means she is off to university.  

I didn't obtain the grades I needed, so what next?

Clearing

On today's 'In The Bourne' Demi Hamandishe spoke to Julie Newlan the Pro Vice Chancellor at the University of Hertfordshire who advised that students should remain positive and call their chosen university's clearing hotline. In addition students should visit the UCAS website which has a lot of information and guidance on clearing.

Apprenticeships

Demi also spoke to Harry Gooding from 'Arch Apprentices' on today's show, who informed listeners that university degrees are failing to prepare students for work and is a costly exercise. Harry went on to recommend that students should consider apprenticeships not as a second choice but one where you can still get qualifications, some even at degree level, along with great work experience and pay.

Harry finished with a final word of advice which was to "not put too much weight on your results, your career is a long game and the first day of it is yet to come. These results are the end of education but not the end of your career".

Sittingbourne's commuters are set to be faced with a 3.6% hike for their train season tickets from January 2018.

The annual increase for regulated fares throughout the UK is based on the Retail Price Index (RPI) figure for July every year - the RPI is a measure of inflation published monthly by the Office for National Statistics - and July's was announced at 9:30am this morning as being 3.6%.

Some season ticket prices here in Kent are already amongst the highest in the country, particularly on the High Speed 1 service in to London St Pancras International, where passengers pay a premium for their journeys due the shorter journey times in to the capital.

Chief Executive of the Campaign for Better Transport, Stephen Joseph, told SFM News: "This rise is set to be the highest since 2013 and will be leaving many commuters struggling to meet the cost of their commute next year. We want the Government to bring in a fares freeze from January - it's frozen fuel duty for the last seven years and we think rail fares should be given the same treatment".

We will keep an eye on this story and report back on "In The Bourne" over the next few weeks.

Kent Police are investigating 11 reports of thefts from vehicles in Swale over the last few days.

Officers are investigating reports of theft after seven vehicles were reported to have been broken into overnight in various areas in Sittingbourne between Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th August and between Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th August four more reports of theft were made with vehicles targeted in Sittingbourne, Iwade and Kemsley.

One report was received where between 8pm on Saturday (5th August) and 10am on Sunday (6th August) a car parked on a driveway in Park Avenue, Sittingbourne, was targeted. The vehicle is believed to have been left unlocked and a purse stolen from inside.

Another vehicle was also targeted between 12.40pm and 2.20pm on Sunday (6th August) in Raspberry Hill Lane, Iwade, where a window was smashed and a bag containing a small quantity of cash was reported stolen.

Kent Police Inspector Gavin Wade of the Swale Community Safety Unit told SFM News: "we have received a number of reports recently where both secure and insecure vehicles have been targeted. Please do not rely on remote door locking devices as they sometimes fail, I would encourage drivers to physically check their vehicles before walking away and always ensure anything of value is removed from the car or kept out of sight."

As well as locking and alarming vehicles Kent Police are advising that you shoud:

- Remove any valuable or sentimental items;
- Secure items in your boots or take them out of the vehicle if it is left unattended;
- Park in a secure car park or well-lit location whenever possible;
- Wipe away SatNav suction marks, as sometimes these can entice a thief to break in.

Anyone with information about these recent thefts in Swale can call Kent Police's appeal line on 01795 419119 quoting crime reference XY/039287/17.

Or alternatively they can call Kent Crimestoppers, free (from any landline) and anonymously, on 0800 555 111.