Local News

Kent Fire and Rescue Service were called to reports of a crash involving one vehicle, which then set alight, on the M2 between junctions 5 and 6 coastbound at around 9.06pm this evening (Saturday 10th May).

Four fire engines attended and on arrival saw that everyone was out of the vehicle.

Crews wearing breathing apparatus extinguished the flames using hose reel jets.

SECAmb were also in attendance.

The motorway was closed in both directions during the incident and road was re-opened at around 10:30pm.

Swale Borough Council, on behalf of Kent County Council (KCC) has today (Friday 2nd May) confirmed the results of the County Council Election on Thursday 1st May 2025.

The results were as follows:-

Sittingbourne North (Turnout: 23%)

• CARNELL, Derek William (Swale Independents) - 357
• DAVEY, Stephen Arthur (Green Party) - 236
• DENDOR, Michael Rodger (Conservative Party) - 485
• PALMER, Chris (Reform Party) - 1,855 **ELECTED**
• WISE, Ashley (Labour Party) - 758
• ZENG, Mary (Liberal Democrats) - 155

Sittingbourne South (Turnout: 32%)

• EADES, Lisa Jane (Green Party) - 205
• LEE, Tom (Swale Independents) - 1,281
• LEEMING, Thomas (Conservative Party) - 620
• STENNINGS, Alexander (Liberal Democrats) - 201
• WATSON, Karen Anne (Labour Party) - 495
• WEBB, Paul William (Reform Party) - 1,735 **ELECTED**

Swale East (Turnout: 38%)

• GIBSON, Charles Alexander (Liberal Democrats) - 269
• KIDBY, Ryan (Reform Party) - 1,755 
• LEHMANN, Rich (Green Party) - 1,976 **ELECTED**
• REHAL, Frances (Labour Party) - 236
• SPEED, Julien Peter (Conservative Party) - 1,318

Swale West (Turnout: 31%)

• APPIAH, Chrystabel Nhyiraba (Labour Party) - 329
• BALDOCK, Mike (Swale Independents) - 1,820
• HOGBEN, James (Conservative Party) - 565
• PALMER, Richard (Reform Party) - 2,550 **ELECTED**
• WILSON, Marc Justin (Liberal Democrats) - 234

Stay tuned to 106.9 SFM for the latest on the outcome of the Kent County Council Election throughout the coming weeks.

Swale residents are being reminded to be vigilant following multiple attempts to steal cash by criminals posing as police officers on the phone.

Between Monday (28th April) and Tuesday (29th April), Kent Police received 13 reports of attempted fraud in Sittingbourne and Faversham, with offenders claiming there had been criminal activity linked to victims’ bank accounts. The suspects then instructed them to withdraw large amounts of cash which would be collected by a courier, to assist the investigation.

Inspector Julia Bassindale told SFM News:- "While most of those who received these calls suspected they were bogus, one of the victims had around £7,000 in cash stolen and an investigation is underway to establish the full circumstances. These criminals can be very persuasive and will often target pensioners and other vulnerable people in our communities. Please remember, a police officer would never ask a member of the public for their bank details or money over the phone. If you receive a similar call, the advice is to hang up immediately and report it to Kent Police.'

Kent Police have issed further advice:-

• If you are not confident a person who calls you claiming to be a police officer is genuine, ask to take their details and end the call.
• Wait for at least five minutes for the call to clear and then contact 101, or 999 in an emergency. A call handler will be able to verify whether your caller was genuine.
• Never hand over any money, or other items, to a courier after receiving this type of call.

Anybody with any information relating to these incidents is urged to call the appeals line on 01795 419 119, quoting reference 46/70456/25. Alternatively you can also contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 20 40 or report suspicious activity online by visiting their website: actionfraud.police.uk.

Kent Fire And Rescue (KFRS) were advising people on the Great Easthall Estate and neighbouring areas of Sittingbourne to keep windows and doors closed yesterday (Friday 25th April) afternoon due to heavy smoke coming from a fire in an industrial unit on The Eurolink Estate.

Reports were received at around 11:55am and at one point ten fire engines and a height vehicle were in attendance on Bingham Road with crews wearing breathing apparatus and using main jets to extinguish the flames.

They also worked with local businesses to reduce the impact and provide safety advice throughout the incident which was just before the Friday rush hour in the area.

The Volunteer Response Team were also in attendance, supporting crew welfare and an unmanned aerial drone was used to survey the scene.

Crews remained at the scene implementing control measures and making sure there are no remaining hotspots until the early hours of this morning (Saturday 26th April).

KFRS has confirmed that the blaze is understood to have started inside a unit operated by coffee roasting company which spread to neighbouring businesses.