Local News

A machete wielding man who chased two people at two train stations in Swale has been jailed.

During the early evening of Monday 31st October 2022, Joe Tubb was seen brandishing the weapon at Sheerness Train Station while chasing the victim down the platform.

The victim was able to escape Tubb by boarding a train before the 22-year-old ran from the area.

At 11.17pm on the same evening, Tubb went to Sittingbourne Train Station where he was seen having an altercation with a second man.

Again he used the machete to threaten the victim before the man ran down the platform with Tubb chasing after him. The victim was able to get away from Tubb who then ran from the station.

Following the incident officers searched the area and Tubb, of Gillingham Road, Gillingham, was arrested a few hours later.

He was subsequently charged with two counts of affray and two counts of possession of a bladed article in a public place.

He appeared at Maidstone Crown Court last Thursday (15th June) where he was sentenced to three years in jail.

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Daniel Bister of the Kent Crime Squad, told SFM News: "This was a frightening incident for Tubb’s victims. The first affray happened during rush hour when the station was busy with commuters and seeing a man with a machete would have alarmed a lot of people. The level of injury Tubb may have inflicted he if had caught up with these victims is unthinkable. His sentence is deserved, and I hope it leads to some justice for the victims."

The leader of Swale Borough Council and the chair of the council's Environment Committee have raised concerns about the potential borough-wide impact of the closure of the Faversham Household Waste and Recycling Centre (HWRC).

Kent County Council have proposed three options for saving £1.5m from their HWRC’s and every one of those options includes the closure of Faversham HWRC. Two of the three options would also see Sheerness HWRC close for two days a week.

Cllr Tim Gibson, the Leader of Swale Borough Council, told SFM News: “I clearly understand the need for all local authorities to look at how to save money against a background of increasing costs and inadequate funding. But it is difficult, if not impossible, to make any informed judgement on the impact these proposals will have on our residents, given the lack of data available to us. At the moment there doesn’t seem to be much clarity on any options appraisals that have been carried out. This is of course a major concern to many of our residents who are looking for the rationale behind the proposals".

Cllr Gibson went on to add: “However, what is blindingly obvious is that there will be a significant impact on the air quality management areas (AQMA’s) along the A2 with increased journey rates for residents travelling from Faversham to Sittingbourne. At the other end of the borough residents from Leysdown will be travelling along the Lower Rd and A249 to deposit their waste in Sittingbourne, all against a backdrop of increasing heavy congestion on our road network.

"There are many questions that remain unanswered, what is the likely cumulative effect on the AQMAs? Will recycling tonnage rates fall? At a time when many residents are struggling with day to day living costs, are the extensive journeys to alternative HWRC going to be affordable? Will the proposed closures see the scourge that is fly tipping increase to even higher levels? And how will the potential hundreds of tons of additional carbon being emitted be offset?

“Kent is saying that 6,000 additional homes would now be more than 20 mins drive from their nearest HWRC, but this figure is based on optimum traffic conditions and round trips would likely be in excess of an hour for most users from Faversham if travelling at the weekend".

Cllr Rich Lehmann, Chair of the  Environment Committee, has conducted his own research into the proposals. He told SFM News: “The proposed Faversham closure would mean more than 11,000 households losing their nearest tip. There would be an extra 10,500 miles of traffic a week – more than half a million extra miles a year. This would be costing people in Faversham at least £150,000 a year in fuel. The proposed closures could generate around 600 additional cars in and out of Sittingbourne each week, primarily at weekends and of course tens of thousands of journeys through the AQMA’s on the A2 Ospringe and Teynham where air quality is already a concern. An estimated 123 tons of carbon will be generated assuming an average engine size of 1.6L and the road network being free from traffic. These proposals must be revisited, and transparent data provided.”

Kent County Council are due to open a Public Consultation to the proposals next month (Jult 2023) and we will bring you the latest developments here on YOUR local - 106.9 SFM.

A dispersal order is in place to tackle anti-social behaviour in Swale for the second weekend running.

It started at 6pm yesterday (Thursday 1st June) and will remain in place until 6pm on Sunday (4th June) and will again cover Sittingbourne Retail Park as well as the High Street areas. The order has been implemented again to ensure a swift response to any reports of anti-social behaviour.

Inspector Vanessa Foster, from Swale’s Community Safety Unit, told SFM News: "Residents and business owners continue to raise concerns about nuisance behaviour in the area, including the reckless use of bikes and e-scooters. We are determined to respond to these concerns and Sittingbourne will see additional patrols this weekend. The dispersal order gives our officers additional powers to move on anyone causing a nuisance and, if necessary, arrest those who return to the area once dispersed. Anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated and those responsible will be held to account."

The police say if anybody wishes to report instances of anti-social behaviour they should report it online via the Kent Police website or, if a crime is in progress, they should immediately call 999.

A dispersal order is in place to tackle anti-social behaviour in central Sittingbourne.

It started at 2pm yesterday (Thursday 25th May) and will remain in place until 2pm on Sunday (28th May), covering Sittingbourne Retail Park as well as the High Street area.

The order has been implemented due to an increase in reports of anti-social behaviour in the district at weekends. It allows officers to stop anyone involved in disorderly behaviour and move them on from the area.

Inspector Vanessa Foster from Swale’s Community Safety Unit told SFM News: ‘There has been a recent increase in nuisance behaviour in the area, which is negatively impacting on the local community’s quality of life. This weekend, Sittingbourne will see increased patrols to tackle the issue.

‘The dispersal order gives our officers additional powers to move on anyone causing a nuisance and, if necessary, arrest those who return to the area once dispersed. Anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated and those responsible will be held to account.’

Anybody who wishes to report instances of anti-social behaviour should report it online via the Kent Police website. If a crime is in progress you should immediately call the 999 service.