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Pizza chain Papa John's has today (Tuesday 26th March) announced ‘strategic closures to improve [it's] profitability and free up money'.

The company has announced that it plans to close 43 stores across the UK, in areas that are ‘underperforming’ after launching a review at the start of this year, and the Sittingbourne branch in West Street is among the list.

Papa John’s International announced all the affected stores will close by mid-May and it has not yet been confirmed how many staff will be impacted by the planned closures.

UK clothing retailer, M&Co, has announced that all of it's stores across the UK, including the branch here in Sittingbourne, are set to close in April.

In a Press Statement the company confirmed that "unfortunately, we haven't received the news we would have hoped for during our administration period. As we haven't received any funded, deliverable offers that would result in the transfer of the Company's stores or staff to a potential buyer, this means that all our stores will close".

Banking giant Barclays have announced that their Sittingbourne branch is set to close in the New Year.

The branch, at 81 High Street Sittingbourne, will close its counters for the last time at 12 noon on Wednesday 8th March 2023.

People living in Iwade are being  advised to close windows and doors as a precaution, due to smoke coming from a fire in Raspberry Hill Lane earlier this morning.

Two fire engines responded to reports of a large out of control bonfire at around 2.15am and crews worked to make the area safe.

One fire engine remains on the scene to maintain a watching brief as it burns itself out under controlled conditions – as a result a smoke plume may been seen in the area.

There are no reported casualties and the fire is being treated as suspicious.

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.