Delays

Swale Borough Council have confirmed that there may be delays to waste and recycling collections as more members of staff are having to self-isolate to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

A spokesperson told SFM News that the council "have proactive plans in place for this type of occasion" and that additional staff were being brought in to help, but that there may still be an impact on collections and street cleansing over the next few weeks.

There have been long delays on the M2 motorway at Junction 5 (Sittingbourne) this afternoon, after a broken down van caught fire.

Traffic on the London-bound carriageway was held just after the Stockbury roundabout to allow emergency services to get to the scene and deal with the blaze.

The road was closed for around an hour causing long delays. No injuries have been reported.

The current problems on the A249 Northbound, just before Sittingbourne at the Key Street Underpass, look set to continue until the weekend.

Southeastern services into Victoria and St Pancras from Sittingbourne station were hit by major delays during this morning's rush hour, after an incident at the station just after 8.00am.

Swale Borough Council has issued a warning to motorists who are regular users of the A249 in the Sittingbourne area.

From Monday 22nd September, South East Water will be replacing 730 mtrs of water main, with a new tougher plastic, on the A249 between the M20 junction 7 and the M2 junction 5. The work is expected to last for up to seven weeks. Following a number of bursts it is being upgraded "to end the pain caused to motorists when urgent unplanned repairs are needed".