Local News

The RSPCA is appealing for information after the body of an emaciated springer spaniel was found by the side of a road in Sittingbourne.

The dead dog was discovered wrapped in a blue horse rug inside a blue and grey plastic kennel on School Lane in Iwade on Friday 27th December.

The male tan and white spaniel was found by a passing dog walker tucked behind a pipe by the side of the road. It is not known how long the body had been there, but it is thought he had probably died within the last week. It is thought he was a young adult - five years old or younger.

The incident follows a similar report about a dead border collie found dumped in bushes in the area a couple of months before, again in a very emaciated state.

RSPCA Animal Welfare Officer, Kelly Thatcher, told SFM News: "It wasn't much of a Happy Christmas for this poor dog - who had clearly suffered leading up to his death. I was shocked at how thin he was - completely skin and bones. At first I had hoped he had died a natural death and then been dumped, but seeing how thin he was, and young, I doubt it. It was also such a callous way to dump the poor dog. Over the fence and lying among all manner of rubbish. We urge anyone with any information about this incident to let us know on 0300 123 8018."

Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) took part in an exercise on Thursday (11th December) to test firefighters and the mill staff's response to a chemical incident at Kemsley Paper Mill - owned by DS Smith - the second biggest recycled fibre-based operation in Europe.

The staged exercise involved a reversing heavy goods vehicle hitting a member of staff, trapping him beneath the articulated trailer. The drama intensified after a chemical chlorine container dislodged during the collision, allowing the chemicals to leak.

Four fire engines from Sittingbourne, Sheppey, Faversham and Medway, along with KFRS's Incident Support Unit and around 20 firefighters were sent to the plant in Kemsley, Sittingbourne at 10.45am. The decontamination team wore chemical protection suits and used specialist chemical detection equipment to rehearse how they would make the scene safe by decontaminating the area and safely disposing of the spilt chemicals.

The exercise lasted for two hours and saw fire crews using air bags to release the casualty from beneath the trailer. Five other 'mock' casualties were lead or carried to safety suffering from nausea and breathing difficulties.

KFRS Station Manager, Stuart Beadle, who was responsible for the exercise told SFM News: "To make it as realistic as possible, crews and staff were unaware of what they would face, as the exact nature of the incident was only revealed on the day. This meant they had to react as they would to a real-life situation allowing us to test our operational plans and Kemsley Paper Mill to test their emergency and incident control procedures, which included a full site evacuation."

Mr Jonathan Hunt, Site Facilities Engineer at Kemsley Paper Mill, told SFM News: "We have an active firefighting and emergency response team on site and our priorities are to ensure the safety of our staff, contractors and the general public. Our team are well practised in their strategic management of incidents but it's a massive benefit for us to work closely with KFRS sharing knowledge and putting our well-rehearsed emergency procedures into place."

Stuart concluded by saying that the: "KFRS is called to a wide range of incidents - not just house fires and car crashes - and this exercise has given us the opportunity to prepare for a more unusual scenario. Working in partnership with the mill ensures we are able to set effective communication channels to resolve incidents quickly and smoothly should the worst ever happen. We're grateful to Kemsley Paper Mill for facilitating this training event."

Members of an organised local crime gang, who stole diggers and trailers worth a total of more than £185,000, have been jailed.

Matthew Butler, 36, of South Street Road, in Stockbury; Nigel Black, 52, of Warden Road in Eastchurch and Ashley Austin, 24, of Essex Road in Maidstone, were all involved in the thefts from a storage compound in Bircholt Road, Maidstone, in December 2012.

Butler pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to steal but was convicted following a trial last month. He was jailed for four years when he appeared at Maidstone Crown Court for sentencing on Friday (7th November).

Black pleaded guilty to theft and was jailed for three years, while Austin admitted the same charge and received a custodial sentence of two years and seven months.

A fourth man - Grant Hodgson, 34, of Warden Road in Eastchurch - has also pleaded guilty to theft and will be sentenced later this month.

The court heard how 12 Cat mini-diggers worth about £14,000 each and 12 trailers worth £1,600 each were discovered stolen by staff who arrived at the storage compound on Monday 10th December 2012. The chains locking the front gates had also been cut and four vehicle registration plates stolen. In the early hours of Wednesday 12 December, electronic trackers installed on the machines led Kent Police to a lorry in Lodge Road, Staplehurst, which contained the diggers.

Black, who was standing next to the vehicle, and Austin, who was lying beneath it, were both arrested at the scene. Hodgson was also present but attempted to run away from officers before jumping off a 10ft-high wall - breaking his back as a result. Despite his injuries Hodgson attempted to escape on a train from Staplehurst railway station but was arrested on board and taken to hospital.

The lorry, on which the diggers were found, was traced back to Butler - a known associate of the three co-defendants - who had purchased the vehicle a month before from a dealership in Suffolk but had registered it in somebody else's name.

Investigating Officer, Detective Constable Becky Saunders, told SFM News: "This was a complex case that took two years to piece together so I am very pleased that those responsible are now behind bars. These four men are repeat offenders specialising in vehicle crime so it will come as a relief to law-abiding members of the public that they are now off our streets."

Kent Police are appealing for witnesses following a single vehicle collision on the M2, near Sittingbourne, in which six people were reportedly injured.

A silver Nissan Estate, carrying eight people including the driver, overturned on the London-bound carriageway of the M2, between junction 5 and the Medway Services, at 9.45pm on Saturday 11th October. The carriageway was closed while emergency services dealt with the incident and debris was cleared from the road. Lane 2 was reopened at 11.25pm and the carriageway was fully reopened at around midnight.

Six people were taken to hospital, with one of them thought to have suffered a serious injury.

Witnesses to the incident, or anyone who saw the vehicle prior to the incident, are asked to contact PC Chris Godden at Kent Police by calling 01622 798571 and quoting reference: 1011-1625.