Sittingbourne

The Happy Pants Ranch animal sanctuary, in Newington, has confirmed positive for the highly pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 strain.

DEFRA (The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) announced that a number of the captive birds at the premises had tested positive on Monday (27th October) and were destroyed.

A 3km controlled zone was immediately implemented on Monday evening, and requires anyone who owns birds in this vicinity (which borders Upchurch, Hartlip, Iwade and Kemsley) to monitor and safely house them inside.

A motorist, who fatally struck a cyclist before fleeing the scene, has been jailed for 12 and a half years.

Danny Gibson, 38, was sentenced after admitting to causing a fatal collision on The Street in Wormshill, on Tuesday 18th October 2022.

Gibson had spent the afternoon drinking in Sheerness before taking his mother’s car without permission. He then drove through Wormshill and surrounding areas before he collided with the victim, who was cycling near his home. Gibson abandoned the vehicle in a nearby field and left the scene on foot.

A suspect has appeared in court charged with a robbery in Bapchild last weekend.

Kent Police attended the BP petrol station in London Road at about 9.30pm on Sunday (12th October) after staff at the store reported a man had threatened them with a weapon and demanded they hand over money. The man left with a quantity of cash.

Enquiries at the scene led to a suspect being arrested in relation to the offence less than an hour later.

Witnesses are being sought following a report of an assault in Sittingbourne at the weekend.

The victim reported that at about 10.30pm on Saturday (4th October) he was assaulted by a group of people who had driven past him in Regency Court.

He reported that the car, believed to be a light-coloured Ford KA had driven past him and his wife and the people inside shouted at them. 

Suspected stolen items valued at more than £80,000 have been seized in two days following work by the Rural Task Force in Swale.

Caravans, vehicles and cabling were recovered, and a suspected copper thief arrested, after officers targeted locations in Sittingbourne, Newington and the Isle of Sheppey.

Kent Police was alerted to a theft in progress shortly after midnight on Thursday (18th September). It was reported that copper cabling had been taken from an industrial site in Minster-On-Sea.

An assistant head teacher from Sittingbourne said he thought he "was going to die" after a substance, believed to be acid, was thrown in his face during an assault outside a Medway pub at the weekend.

Adam Tickner (pictured) is still recovering from the attack and says he feels "lucky to be alive".

Kent Police are investigating the assault with a corrosive substance, which happened in the garden area of The Ye Arrow pub on Boley Hill in Rochester at around 10.15pm on Saturday (13th September).

Dashcam footage and witnesses are sought following a collision on the M2 near Sittingbourne last month.

Kent Police was called just after 10.15am on Friday 29th August to a three-vehicle collision just before junction five for Stockbury, on the coastbound carriageway.

A heavy goods vehicle and two white Peugeot cars were involved in the incident.

Officers attended the scene alongside Kent Fire and Rescue Service and South East Coast Ambulance Service, where two people were taken to hospital for treatment to injuries.

A suspect has been arrested following a report of a serious assault in Sittingbourne last night (Wednesday 27th August).

Patrols were called to Swale Borough Council's Swale House car park in East Street, shortly before 8pm following a report of the incident.

Officers and South East Coast Ambulance Service attended the scene where a woman was treated for injuries consistent with stab wounds. The victim, who is in her 40s, was taken to a London hospital for further medical attention and was subsequently discharged.

A 14-year-old girl from Sittingbourne has been praised for her bravery after calling 999 when her younger brother collapsed earlier this year, in June.

Ruby-Louise was at home with her brother Tyler when he rapidly started to become unwell. She quickly alerted her parents and helped Tyler to sit down, aiding his head as he collapsed.

A further suspect has been charged by detectives investigating the death of a man in Sittingbourne last weekend.

Kent Police were called shortly after 9.30pm last Saturday (2nd August) evening  to a report of a collision involving a car and a man on St Michael’s Road.

It was alleged that the pedestrian fell from a wall after being chased and collided with the vehicle near to the junction with Dover Street. Officers attended along with paramedics and a man in his 30s was confirmed to be deceased.