Sittingbourne

Report by Mike Green

Sittingbourne made it twenty-four Isthmian League games unbeaten on Saturday (25th January) afternoon with a comfortable away win at AFC Croydon Athletic as the buildup to the Brickies FA Trophy last 16 tie begins in earnest... 

A dispersal order will be in place at the weekend as part of the latest enforcement action to tackle antisocial behaviour in Sittingbourne.

The town centre order will operate between from 3pm tomorrow (Friday 24th January) until 3pm on Sunday (26th January).

Two teenagers have been charged following a serious assault in Sittingbourne last week.

Kent Police was called to an address in Murston shortly before 9pm on Thursday (16th January) following reports a 16-year-old boy had been assaulted and had sustained an injury consistent with a stab wound.

It was alleged that a group of people had arrived and left the scene in a car during the incident.

The New House Youth and Sports Centre on Chalkwell Road, closed as a result of Kent County Council budget cuts in late 2023, has gone up for sale.

The Freehold building is For Sale by Online Auction set for Thursday 6th February by Clive Emson Land & Property Auctioneers, based in Maidstone. They have the property listed with a guide price of £500,000. 

Sittingbourne's Aldi supermarket is set to close for two months from 4pm this coming Sunday (12th January).

The popular budget store, situated on East Street, has been there since 2005 and will see a long anticipated expansion scheme finalised. The plans were approved by Swale Borough Council in May 2024 and the branch is set to be re-open at 8am on Thursday 13th March.

Police investigators are appealing for witnesses after a man reported being robbed in Sittingbourne.

The incident happened between 9:00pm and 9:15pm on Christmas Eve (Tuesday 24th Decemebr 2024) as he was walking along Murston Road.

The victim, who is in his 20s, states he was assaulted by two men who approached him on electric bikes and demanded his wallet. He was then assaulted and the men stole his mobile phone before leaving the scene along Canterbury Road.

A suspected cocaine dealer has appeared in court after a police dog located class A drugs in a car in Sittingbourne over the weekend.

On Sunday (29th December 2024), officers were on a routine patrol in the town when they stopped a VW Passat on the Avenue of Remembrance. They suspected the driver was involved in the supply of drugs and he was detained for a search. The constables then seized a mobile phone and PD Charlie attended the scene to check the vehicle over.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service were called last  night (Monday 30th December) at 7.50pm to reports of a bedroom fire at a house in Wild Ash Croft in Murston, Sittingbourne. 

Four fire engines attended and crews, wearing breathing apparatus, used hose reel jets to extinguish the flames.

One person was passed into the care of SECAmb paramedics. 

The cause is not yet known, but is being investigated. 

A roads policing expert has been awarded The King’s Police Medal for his dedication to keeping Kent moving during times of disruption over many years.

Recently retired Police Constable Ross Dorman played a key role in helping prepare the county for the impact of new border controls following the UK’s exit from the European Union.

He was also instrumental in helping partner agencies respond to new rules on freight drivers introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent closure of the French border in December 2020.

A body has been recovered by officers searching for a missing man from Sittingbourne.

Kent Police attended a rural area near Hartlip on Sunday (22nd December) where the body had been located.

Formal identification has not yet taken place, however, the family of a 65 year old man who was reported missing on Thursday 21st November have been informed.

The death is not being treated as suspicious and a report is being prepared for the coroner.