Sittingbourne

After much deliberation, Sittingbourne in Bloom have finally decided whose design will be planted on the station roundabout in late May.

Each year, Sittingbourne in Bloom invites the students from all the primary schools in the town to design a layout for the summer bedding on the station roundabout, which is sponsored by ‘Lets Go Green Cabs'.

Detectives investigating an assault outside a Sittingbourne nightclub that left a man with a broken jaw and fractured cheekbone have urged witnesses to come forward.

The transfer of Iwade Barn to the community in the village is to be discussed at the next Swale Cabinet meeting on Wednesday 12th March.

The recommendation is to offer a new Iwade Barn Trust the 125-year lease for the Grade II listed Barn located at Iwade Cemetery, the adjacent small garden area and associated parking facilities.

Kent Police are appealing for witnesses following a reported arson in Mulberry Way on the Great East Hall Estate here in Sittingbourne.

It is believed a fire was deliberately set outside the address between 2pm and 3pm on Sunday (23rd February).

The 15 metre deep sink hole, that has shut the M2 between junctions 5 (Sittingbourne) and 6 (Faversham/Ashford) for the last 24 hours, is still causing traffic chaos this afternoon.

The Highways Agency has advised that they are hoping to have one lane either side open for tomorrow but there are no guarantees as urgent safety investigations continue.

Drivers heading to and from Dover are still advised to use the M20 instead.

The hole, between junctions 5 and 6, measures approximately 5 metres by 2 metres and 15 metres deep. 

A teenage burglar has been jailed for two years after stealing a car and crashing it into someone's house in Sittingbourne.

18-year-old Jimmy Avery, of Woodbury Avenue in Murston, was sentenced on Friday 31st January, at Maidstone Crown Court, to 29 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary, one of theft, taking a vehicle without authority and aggravated vehicle taking. He was also banned from driving for 12 months.

A fourth man has been arrested by detectives investigating suspected illegal cock-fighting and animal cruelty at a farm in Iwade.

Officers from Kent Police discovered up to 170 birds in a converted barn in Raspberry Hill after executing a warrant on last Monday (13th January). A number of dead cockerels were also found at the farm, as was a suspected fighting ring - known as a cockpit - and paraphernalia associated with the training of birds for fighting.

A compulsive gambler, who swindled clients out of more than £750,000 by offering incredible deals on high profile sporting events, has been jailed for three years and four months.

James Edward Maxwell, who ran three Sittingbourne-based sports memorabilia and hospitality companies, "spun a staggering web of lies in order to persuade wealthy clients and charities to hand over cash, including claims that his young son had been diagnosed with cancer" according to Kent Police.

Two men have been charged in connection with an attempted burglary at a Sittingbourne newsagent over the Christmas holiday period.

Kent Police were called at 1.15am on Monday 30th December after an alarm was triggered at Lakeside News in Todd Crescent, Church Milton. Allegedly two men were seen attempting to gain entry to the rear of the store. Patrols attended within minutes of taking the call and arrested two men. A search of the shop revealed damage to the alarm system but no entry had been gained.

The bottom half of Sittingbourne High Street (from Central Avenue downwards) remains closed following the partial collapse of the Bell Shopping Centre in high winds.

A number of vehicles have been damaged in the car parking area to the rear of the centre and behind The Sumnor and the Sports Bar (part of the Snooker Club).

Stay tuned to 106.9 SFM for further updates.