Sittingbourne

Metropolitan Police have confirmed that two men have been charged with firearm offences after an armed police chase on the M2 motorway which ended near Junction 5 on Sunday (19th February) evening.

A number of police cars, including armed officers from the Metropolitan Police's Trident Gang Crime Command, a specialist team tackling gang violence, pursued two vehicles along the motorway London-bound between Faversham and Sittingbourne.

Both the new stores coming to the Sittingbourne Retail Park have announced their opening days this week.

The first will be the new M&S Food Hall opening on Wednesday 8th March at 10.00am. Along with the M&S food range there will also be a 48-seat Café offering hot and cold drinks, cakes, snacks and light meals.

The second will be a new Maplin electronics store opening on Saturday 13th May at 9.00am.

Firefighters responded to a 999 call in Shortlands Road at 11.24pm last night (Thursday 10th February).

Two fire engines were sent to the house and arrived within minutes of receiving the emergency call. A breathing apparatus team extinguished the fire in the lounge of the property, with a hose reel. A thermal imaging camera was used to check for fire spread and flooring was cut away with small tools.

Crews then used a special fan to clear smoke from the house.

A man was taken to hospital suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation.

North Street, in Milton Regis, was closed earlier today (Tuesday 24th January) in both directions at the junction with Milton High Street and Vicarage Road, following an incident where a car hit a house on Hawkins Close.

A spokeswoman for Kent Police told SFM News "[we] called at around 9.00am this morning after it was reported that a car had been involved in a collision with a house. Police officers and Kent Fire and Rescue Service were dispatched to the scene in North Street, Milton Regis."

Two members of an organised drugs group have been jailed following the discovery of £7.7 million worth of cannabis here in Sittingbourne.

Kent Police officers discovered just over a tonne of the class B substance when they executed a search warrant at an industrial unit on Castle Road, at about 9.20am on Friday 23rd September last year (2016).

Thomas Cullen, 57, of St John's Road in Huyton, Liverpool, and Joseph Graham, 48, of no fixed address but with links to the Merseyside area, were also inside the property and arrested as a result.

Local motorists are being warned that the M2 will be closed both ways between Junction 5 (Sittingbourne) and Junction 6 (Faversham) junctions during this weekend.

The motorway will closed for carriageway strengthening between 8pm and 6am on Saturday (14th January), Sunday (15th January) and Monday (16th January).

For more information please see: roads.highways.gov.uk/.

The North Kent Coast from Kemsley to Seasalter, including Sheerness, Minster, Queenborough, Leysdown, Sittingbourne, and Faversham are on flood risk.

An Environment Agency spokesman told SFM News that: "From Wednesday (11th January) evening through to Saturday, spring tides combined with positive surges and strong wind conditions are raising the risk of some coastal flood impacts. This flood alert is therefore likely to remain in force until Saturday".

Kent Police are reminding motorists to lock their cars and remove valuables after receiving several reports of theft from vehicles in Kemsley.

Between 5.30am and 6am on Tuesday (3rd January) Kent Police received reports of theft of property including clothing and tools from five cars in Beauvoir Drive.

Police would like to speak to a man who was reported to have been trying car door handles in the road at the time before running off. He is described as white, aged between 15 and 25 years old, 5ft 8in, of medium build and wearing a blue bomber jacket, and dark trousers.

Kent Police are reminding residents to secure their homes during the festive period following reports of burglaries in Sittingbourne.

Officers have received more than 10 reports of burglaries in the area since the beginning of December where it was alleged that the front door has been used to gain entry into the property.

Just this last Saturday (17th December) police received a report of attempted burglary in Randle Way, Sittingbourne, where it was alleged that between 8.10am and 4pm a person attempted to gain entry into a property via the front door.

A large pothole has appeared on the main A2 (Canterbury Road) heading out of town between the Snipeshill and Swanstree Avenue traffic lights.

The hole appeared earlier today and is currently being investigated by the KCC Highways Team who are waiting for Southern Water to CCTV the sewer below the main carriageway, later this afternoon.

KCC Highways have confirmed that: "if it is found to be a water pipe that has caused it, it will be handed over to them to fix".