Local News

Overnight on Monday (13th March) thieves stole the back twin-wheels of Rodmersham School's Ford minibus parked adjacent to the playground.

It is etimated that the repair bill will be in the region of £1,200. Mrs Presdee-Colley, the school's Finance Secretary, told SFM News that: "the children were very upset when they learnt of the discovery on Tuesday morning. We have now had to make alternative arrangements as the minibus was going to be used for several trips over the next two weeks. This is going to be very expensive to cover for a small school like ours".

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Kent Police on 101 quoting reference: XY/011448/17 or they can call Kent Crimestoppers, free (from any landline) and anonimously, on 0800 555 111.

A lorry driver who caused the death of an elderly cyclist in Teynham has been imprisoned for three years.

59-year-old William Magee, of Readers Court in Chelmsford, Essex, failed to properly check his surroundings before pulling out across London Road, shortly before 10.15am on Saturday 13th February 2016 and his articulated lorry collided with a bicycle being ridden by 73-year-old Barbara Phipps from Lynsted (pictured), who died instantly.

Mr Magee pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving prior to his sentencing at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday (3rd March), where he was also disqualified from driving for five and a half years.

The court heard how he had completed a delivery at a supermarket on London Road, near the junction with Lynsted Lane, shortly before the collision happened. Magee's lorry was parked on the wrong side of the road facing oncoming traffic, meaning he would need to pull diagonally across the carriageway in order to reach the Sittingbourne-bound lane.

CCTV footage of the incident showed that Magee started moving before he began to indicate, and that Mrs Phipps was cycling alongside the lorry at the time. He continued his journey following the collision but was arrested at the M2 Medway services when his employers called to tell him an incident had happened and that he needed to pull over for the police.

Officers from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit later carried out a reconstruction of what had happened and ruled that Magee should have been able to see Mrs Phipps if he had properly checked his mirrors. His lorry was also fitted with a CCTV camera to help him check his blind spot, which he admitted he did not use.

Sergeant Hannah Brown, from Kent Police's Serious Collision Investigation Unit, told SFM News: "all drivers have a duty of care to other road-users to drive carefully at all times, with large vehicles though, the sheer size and weight of their vehicles means that one wrong move can lead to tragedy. William Magee had already broken the Highway Code by parking in the direction of oncoming traffic, but had he been more careful, and used the safety devices fitted to the vehicle before pulling out then this fatal collision simply would not have happened. He will have this on his conscience for the rest of his life. I hope the sentencing result is of some small comfort to Mrs Phipps' family, who have suffered a great deal. Our thoughts remain with them as they continue to grieve for her."

A Sittingbourne builder is £735 out of pocket after passing on trade waste to an unknown third party who fly-tipped the waste in Tonge.

Paul Dadswell, aged 52, of Langley Road in Sittingbourne, was prosecuted by Swale Borough Council for failing to comply with his duty of care for waste created through his work as a builder.

The council began investigating the case when a large quantity of building waste including plasterboard, construction materials and sanitary ware was found dumped at Lower Road, Tonge in November 2015.

When interviewed by council officers, Dadswell admitted giving the waste to an unknown couple without checking they were registered to take the waste away. He also failed to obtain a waste transfer note to cover this transfer of waste, and admitted that he never retained any duty of care notes, despite posing as a professional tradesperson.

Due to the severity of the offences, Swale Borough Council decided to prosecute the case, which was heard at Maidstone Magistrates Court on Thursday (23rd February). Dadswell pleaded guilty to two charges under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, and was fined £250 for each charge, and ordered to pay £205 costs and a victim surcharge of £30.

Cllr Alan Horton cabinet member for safer families and communities at the council, told SFM News: "We spend tens of thousands of pounds of council taxpayers money every year clearing up fly-tipping. Anyone producing waste has a duty to ensure they know who is taking their waste away, and that it will be disposed of appropriately. Failure to do so could result in a hefty fine. By failing to make sure the waste was taken by a licenced carrier he caused a significant amount of waste being fly-tipped in the local countryside. Anyone offering the service must be registered to carry waste, or it could end up dumped, and you could be prosecuted for failing to take reasonable steps in preventing a fly tipping incident."

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

Metropolitan Police have confirmed that two men have been charged with firearm offences after an armed police chase on the M2 motorway which ended near Junction 5 on Sunday (19th February) evening.

A number of police cars, including armed officers from the Metropolitan Police's Trident Gang Crime Command, a specialist team tackling gang violence, pursued two vehicles along the motorway London-bound between Faversham and Sittingbourne.

36-year-old Spencer Tapper, from Dagenham and 37-year-old Mahesh Chaitoo, from Southend, have both been charged with conspiracy to possess a firearm with ammunition with intent to endanger life.

Tapper and Chaitoo both appeared before Medway Magistrates' on Monday (20th February). Two women arrested at the scene were bailed, pending further enquiries, until mid-April.