Sheerness

Two of Swale's local Specsavers stores, in Sittingbourne and Sheerness, have joined forces to support local children's charity Demelza.

The stores have chosen the charity as their charity of the year for 2025, and have already started collecting toys in store to donate this festive season.

On Saturday (30th November) the Mayor of Swale, Councillor Ben Martin, popped into The Forum store to support the appeal by dropping in a donation of his own.

A prolific criminal has been jailed following multiple thefts and driving offences in Swale.

Darren Regan started his crime spree in the early hours of Monday 29th January 2024. He gained entry to two vehicles at addresses near Sheerness and stole a pair of binoculars from one of them. A short time later he was stopped by a patrol and the constables found the binoculars hidden in his coat sleeve. Regan was arrested and later charged with theft and interfering with a vehicle.

Newly installed CCTV cameras in Sittingbourne and Sheerness Town Centres have gone live.

Swale Borough Council have purchased nine new public space CCTV cameras as part of their 'Safer Streets' Project which aims to tackle antisocial behaviour, and violence against women and girls.

Six pan, tilt and zoom cameras have been installed, five in Sittingbourne and one in Sheerness, to bolster the network of existing cameras already monitored 24/7 by the council’s CCTV control room.

Local bus operator Chalkwell has announced temporary amendments to it's 334 bus service to and from the island on Saturdays, following the closures of the Kingsferry Bridge over the next few months.

The 334 will not serve Quinton Road, Sheppey Way and Iwade during the closures with services operating as far as Sonora Fields and Jacinth Drive out of Sittingbourne. They will then join the main A249 and go directly to Queenborough Morrisons via The Sheppey Crossing. The opposite will happen on journeys from Sheerness. 

Swale Borough Council is deploying uniformed marshals to help keep Sheerness and Sittingbourne town centres safe.  

The street marshals, who will be operating over the school holidays, are one of several initiatives being rolled out as part of the Safer Streets campaign.    

The council, through the Community Safety Partnership, worked with the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner to secure the funding needed for the campaign from the Government’s Safer Streets Fund.  

People visiting Swale’s award-winning beaches this summer are being reminded to stay safe on the coast.

The beaches on the Island remain popular every year, and Swale Borough Council is again partnering with the RNLI to make sure people stay safe at Sheerness and Leysdown beaches.

Lifeguard cover began operating on Leysdown-on-Sea and Sheerness beaches seven days a week, from Saturday 8th July and will be there until Sunday 3rd September, having covered weekends and Bank Holidays since 27th May earlier this year. 

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.

Swale Borough Council has been awarded £20 million to improve health, education, leisure, and employment opportunities in Sheerness on the Isle Of Sheppey.

The Sheerness Revival project has been awarded the money from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund.

The scheme will expand the existing health centre to provide more and better services from the Healthy Living Centre for local people.

A suspected burglar has been charged after a newsagents was targeted in Trafalgar Parade, Sheerness.

Kent Police were alerted to the burglary at around midnight on Wednesday (21st September). Two men were seen attempting to break into a cash machine next to the shop, before the shop was then targeted. The front door was damaged and a quantity of cigarettes were among the items which have been reported stolen.

People visiting Sheerness and Leysdown beaches this weekend will see the start of this summer’s lifeguard service.

The six-week Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) weekend and bank holiday Lifeguard service starts this weekend (Saturday 28th May) at Sheerness and Leysdown beaches ahead of the summer season.

The seven days per week summer service covering Sheerness, Leysdown and Minster beaches starts on Saturday 9th  July through to Sunday 4th September.