Sittingbourne

A prolific thief has been banned from entering multiple stores in Sittingbourne for two years.

Lisa Willett, 45 and of Grecian Street in Maidstone, was handed a two-year Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) on Thursday 11th July 2024.

The CBO prohibits her from entering named stores in the town which include numerous smaller businesses and several supermarkets including Poundland, Aldi and Morrisons. She must also not enter any store she has been previously banned from and must not remain in any premises if she is told to leave by the owner or occupier.

Officers investigating reports of shoplifting in the Swale and Canterbury districts have issued images of two people they would like to identify.

Kent Police is looking into five reports of theft where a large quantity of medication was stolen from stores. Two shops in Sittingbourne reported thefts during the afternoon Saturday 22nd June 2024, in Gadby Road and Eurolink Way.

A further three thefts were reported to have taken place on Tuesday 25th June; from two stores - one in Herne Bay and another in Whitstable.

Today (Thursday 11th July)  saw the tentative opening of the new £92m A249 Stockbury flyover between Sittingbourne, Sheppey and Maidstone helping to improve journey times and safety at this busy junction.

Information is sought to help find a missing man from Ireland who might be in the Sittingbourne area.

Martin Lambert is believed to have arrived in England on Friday 14th June and may have travelled to Sittingbourne on Tuesday 25th June.

He is described as white, five feet six inches tall, with short red hair and is balding on top. He is missing one of his front teeth, and has a tattoo on one arm saying ‘Mum’. On his other arm he has a tattoo of an English bulldog holding a snooker cue.

Officers investigating an incident in Sittingbourne, where a teenage boy was struck by a car, are appealing for the victim to contact them urgently.

Patrols were called to Bristol Close in Milton Regis following reports of the collision at around 9pm on last night (Friday 5th July). It is alleged the driver then got out of his vehicle and assaulted the victim who fled the scene. Constables arrested a 46-year-old local man on suspicion of assault and he was taken into custody. The suspect was later bailed to return to the police station, pending further investigation.

Kent County Council (KCC) has today (Thursday 4th July) issued a Statement regarding the recent traffic problems in Sittingbourne and the Isle Of Sheppey following the closure of the Kingsferry Bridge and the continuing work at the Grovehurst/Iwade junction of the A249.

A KCC spokesperson told SFM News: “We understand how frustrated people living and working in the area feel about the severe traffic delays they have experienced this week while work continues on three major road schemes near Sittingbourne and the Isle of Sheppey.

It was yet another afternoon / early evening of "gridlock" in Sittingbourne again today (Tuesday 2nd July) due to the continuing closure of the Kingsferry Bridge.

The bridge remains closed, for essential maintenance work by Network Rail, until 5am on Sunday (7th July). This will also be the case across the weekend of Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th July and then another full week's closure from Saturday 20th July until Saturday 27th July.

Volunteers from gas distribution network SGN have been mucking in to support Sittingbourne’s Happy Pants Ranch as part of a new wellbeing initiative.

With just six days to go until the General Election, pollsters Electoral Calculus’ new survey of 20,000 people (across Kent) suggests the Conservatives are still facing a loss in the Sittingbourne and Sheppey Constituency.

Labour is set to win 12 constituencies in the county with the Conservatives taking only 6.

Our local constituencies, both Sittingbourne & Sheppey and Faversham & Mid Kent are both set to be Labour gains on Thursday (4th July).

Pic: Helen Rum.

Two Chalkwell Buses have been damaged after been attacked on Sonora Way in The Meads development in Sittingbourne.

The 334 service, between Sittingbourne and Sheerness, was attacked at around 6pm yesterday (Monday 17th June) with the bus company confirming that a similar incident happened last week in the same area.