Iwade

A violent offender who dragged his ex-girlfriend into the street by her hair has been jailed.

Luke Chawla, aged 25 and of Murston Road in Sittingbourne, also punched his victim repeatedly after letting himself into her house in Iwade following the end of their relationship.

He pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm and was sentenced to five years and four months' imprisonment when he appeared at Maidstone Crown Court on Thursday (15th November). Chawla must also serve a further three years on licence under the terms of an extended sentence.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) were called reports of a shed alight on School Lane in Iwade earlier today.

The Sittingbourne crew were called out at around 1:35pm to a large pile of rubbish that had caught alight and spread to a nearby shed and an outbuilding.

Four fire engines and a bulk water carrier attended, with crews wearing breathing apparatus and using two hose reel jets to extinguish the blaze. There were no reported injuries and the cause is not known at this stage.

Investigating officers have released CCTV images of a man they would like to speak with following a burglary at a home in Iwade earlier this year.

The image has been released following a report that a man entered the kitchen of a home in Sheerstone in January and stole a purse. A card that was inside the purse was later used at a newsagent.

Following multiple enquiries officers have identified a man who they believe might have information on the stolen card.

A Maidstone man is almost £2,200 out of pocket after building waste was dumped in Iwade.

Josh Allen, 26, of Wallace Avenue, Parkwood in Maidstone, was prosecuted by Swale Borough Council after building and demolition waste, including wood, shelves and carpets, was found dumped on Raspberry Hill Lane, Iwade in November 2016.

Council officers traced the waste to a fast food restaurant. The owner of the restaurant confirmed he had paid a company called Josh Clearance £150 to remove the waste, and provided contact details and text messages as evidence.

Officers who stopped a car in Old Ferry Road, Iwade have charged a woman with drugs offences.

Daisy Ann Taylor, 24, of Regis Crescent in Sittingbourne was stopped driving a Volkswagen Golf with four passengers in the early hours of Monday (19th February) morning.

Enquiries led officers conduct a search at a house in Sittingbourne and an amount of suspected crack cocaine was seized.

Kent Police are appealing for information after the body of a man was found by Sheppey Way in Iwade earlier today (Wednesday 14th February). Officers were called at 7.49am after a passer-by found the man lying by the roadside.

At this stage the cause of death is unknown.

Kent Police are appealing for witnesses following a serious road traffic collision in Iwade last night (Sunday 10th December).

A red and white Kawasaki motorbike was travelling along Ferry Road at around 7.55pm when it was in collision with a blue Mercedes A160 travelling in the opposite direction.

The motorcyclist suffered serious head injuries and was taken to a London hospital where he remains in a serious condition.

Kent Police are appealing for witnesses after a teenager was knocked off his bike by a car in Iwade earlier this month.

The incident happened at around 10.30pm on Friday 6th October 2017 on Basser Hill. The 17-year-old teenage boy was cycling up the hill when a 4x4 type vehicle is reported to have driven up the hill and clipped the cyclist's wheel resulting in him going over the bonnet of the vehicle and landing in a ditch.

Local MP Gordon Henderson has congratulated an Iwade resident who was recently awarded a British Citizen Award for setting up an orphanage in Malawi.

Elspeth Baecke BCAo, a former teacher at Sittingbourne Community College, set up a small charity called Smile Malawi in 2004 after watching children suffering in Africa on Comic Relief. Elspeth began fundraising and construction started on the new children's home in 2005. The doors opened in 2006 and now has 39 children aged between 3 and 20-years old.

Pictured: Gordon Henderson MP with two Iwade Primary School children, Edward Milham and Connie Gambell.

Local anti-litter charity, Litter Angels, has installed two new litter bins in Iwade - one outside Costcutter on Ferry Road and one in Dunlin Walk, opposite the primary school.