Local News

The A2500 Lower Road, in Minster-On-Sea on the Isle Of Sheppey, will be CLOSED until 1.00pm this afternoon (Thursday 16th August) following a collision earlier on this morning.

The road is closed, in both directions, between the Cowstead Corner Roundabout and Thistle Hill Way following the head-on car crash between a silver Skoda Fabia and a red Toyota Hilux at around 4.00am.

The driver of the Skoda, a man in his 60s, was cut out of the vehicle by crews from the Kent Fire & Rescue Service (KFRS) using hydraulic equipment and was driven by ambulance to a London hospital with what Kent Police describe as "serious injuries".

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Kent Fire And Rescue Service (KFRS) crews have been dealing with a fire in a field of around 1000 square metres of standing and cut corn, near Warden Bay Road in Leysdown.

The call was received shortly before 11am this morning (Friday 27th July) and firefighters have been tackling the fire using breathing apparatus.

Four fire engines were initially in attendance at the incident, though has now been reduced to two engines.

Crews have been working with the landowner to create fire breaks to prevent further fire spread.

A Sittingbourne man is almost £1,000 out of pocket after waste, including pallets and building waste were found dumped.

Barry Daynes, aged 30 and of Swanstree Avenue, was prosecuted by Swale Borough Council after waste was dumped at Rawlings Street, Milstead.

Council officers traced the waste back to Mr Daynes who, when asked to help explain how it got there, failed to assist the council with its enquiries.

As there were no witnesses to the fly-tipping, and no further information about how it got there, the council decided to prosecute Mr Daynes for failing in his duty of care to make sure his waste was handled responsibly.

Mr Daynes pleaded guilty to a charge under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, and was fined £400, and ordered to pay £420 costs, £120 in compensation and a victim surcharge of £40.

Cllr David Simmons, Cabinet Member for Environment and Rural Affairs at the council, told SFM News: "Householders have a duty of care to make sure whoever is taking waste away will dispose of it properly. If someone doesn't help us to identify who dumped their waste, we still can - and clearly will - take appropriate legal action. We need people to understand that their waste is their responsibility. Anyone offering to take it away has to be registered to carry waste, or it could end up fly-tipped, and you could be prosecuted for failing to take reasonable steps to prevent it."

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

Approximately 10 acres of standing corn was destroyed by fire in fields adjacent to Fimbury Lane and Yelsted Lane, Stockbury near Sittingbourne last night (Sunday 15th July).

Kent Fire and Rescue Service's Emergency Control Centre coinfirmed that they had received a number of 999 calls reporting the fire.

Around 25 firefighters and six fire engines were initially sent to tackle the blaze and crews worked hard to bring it under control. They were successfully able to reduced the incident to four fire engines by 7.20pm and cleared the scene at around 9.00pm.

The cause of the blaze has yet to be determined.