Isle Of Sheppey

Swale’s popular beaches have earned top marks again after last year’s monitoring by the Environment Agency.

Minster Leas, Sheerness and Leysdown all achieved the highest rating of Excellent, bringing the beaches one step closer to earning a blue flag in time for summer.

The ratings from the Environment Agency are based on more than 30 monitored measures at over 400 bathing waters in England between May and September every year.

Shops in Swale have been fined and given words of advice after being caught selling alcohol and e-cigarettes to children.

Officers from the town centre teams in Sittingbourne and Sheerness worked with five police cadets on Saturday (29th January).

The volunteers, aged between 14 and 16, visited 11 shops and attempted to buy alcohol and e-cigarettes as part of a proactive operation to safeguard young people.

Detectives investigating drug supply in Swale have arrested and charged five people following the search of the disused Merlins nightclub on the Isle Of Sheppey.

Officers attended the building on Leysdown Road in Leysdown on Friday (10th September) afternoon, where they found four separate rooms containing a total of more than 3,000 cannabis plants.

Five men were arrested at the scene and have all been remanded in custody ahead of their appearance at Medway Magistrates’ Court tomorrow (Monday 13th September).

An assault, which happened in front of terrified families at a caravan park in Eastchurch last summer, has led to four men being handed jail terms.

Jason Taylor Snr, Oliver Taylor, Carl Allam and Jason Taylor Jnr were all jailed for the violent incident which resulted in the victim being punched and knocked unconscious before the group fled.

The victim was attacked during the day at a caravan park in Warden Road on Wednesday 16th June 2020 by Jason Taylor Jnr, aged 26 and of Mountview in Borden.

The Environment Agency has issued a Flood Alert due to the high tide forecast for this afternoon (Tuesday 15th December).

The highest tide level is expected to be around 12:40pm with flooding possible two hours either side of this time.

The Environment Aganecy confirmed that they "were monitoring the situation, though flooding to properties is not expected. Our incident response staff are checking our defences and structures and are prepared to respond if required.".

The North Kent Coast from Kemsley to Seasalter, including Sheerness, Minster, Queenborough, Leysdown, Sittingbourne, and Faversham are on flood risk.

An Environment Agency spokesman told SFM News that: "From Wednesday (11th January) evening through to Saturday, spring tides combined with positive surges and strong wind conditions are raising the risk of some coastal flood impacts. This flood alert is therefore likely to remain in force until Saturday".

Kent Police are appealing for witnesses to a road traffic collision on the A249 Sheppey Crossing earlier today.

At 1.18pm this afternoon, officers were notified of a collision between a red car and a white pick-up style transit in the Sittingbourne-bound carriageway.

The driver of the red car, a 42-year-old woman from Sheerness and her 8-year-old son died in the incident. A 6-year-old boy was hurt and taken to a London hospital for treatment his injuries which are described as being minor.

Kent Police local Swale Detectives are investigating a serious assault by a group of men in Sheerness at the weekend, which has left the victim with a fractured jaw.

Two men and a teenage boy have been arrested during early morning raids today (Tuesday 11th March) by a team of officers and detectives targeting those suspected of burglary and vehicle crime on Sheppey.

The team executed three warrants at addresses in Lapwing Close in Minster at about 8am and Neighbourhood and Divisional Support Unit officers, led by Island Sergeant Clive Garton, carried out searches at those addresses and seized items of property including mobile phones, a Ford Focus car and a Kawasaki motorbike.

The Environment Agency have issued an Amber Alert for flooding in some parts of the Isle Of Sheppey.

Rail services to the island are currently suspended with a rail replacement bus service in operation.

The main A249 Sheppey Crossing also remains closed until further notice, with all traffic having to use the old Kingsferry Bridge.

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