Swale

A group of young people recently attended a thought provoking afternoon which discussed road safety and the consequences of carelessly riding bikes.

The Road Safety Experience, in Rochester, hosted the teenagers from both Swale and Tonbridge and Malling on Thursday (24th October).

The event was arranged by Kent Police Youth Engagement Officers, with support provided by Kent Fire and Rescue Service, Kent County Council, Medway Council and Community Cycleworks, a not for profit organisation that promotes safe cycling amongst young people.

Pic: L-R Cllr Hampshire and Cllr Baldock speaking to Jeremy Dufour, Engineering Project Manager

Swale Borough Council members were treated to a tour of South East Water's water main replacement site in Borden last week.

Swale Friends of the Earth say they were overwhelmed on Sunday (11th February) morning by a magnificent turnout for the litter pick along Faversham Creek and the saltmarshes.

The event was organised to support the upcoming ‘Say No to Throwaway Plastics Week' in Faversham (18 - 24 Feb). The aim was to collect the litter along the Saxon Shore Way to prevent the rubbish, particularly the plastic, from further degrading this valuable and bio-diverse place. 

A traffic warden was pushed into a restaurant window while issuing a ticket to an illegally parked driver, a court has heard.

The victim was issuing the ticket in the afternoon of Friday 6th January when the car owner, Daniel Corneille of Estuary Road, Sheerness, returned to his vehicle in Sheerness High Street and became angry.

The 47-year-old was sentenced to two years in jail on Thursday (30th November) at Maidstone Crown Court after pleading guilty to grievous bodily harm without intent following the attack.

Kent Police are investigating 11 reports of thefts from vehicles in Swale over the last few days.

Officers are investigating reports of theft after seven vehicles were reported to have been broken into overnight in various areas in Sittingbourne between Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th August and between Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th August four more reports of theft were made with vehicles targeted in Sittingbourne, Iwade and Kemsley.

Here is the declared result for Swale:

• Leave the EU 47,388 (62.5%)
• Remain 28,481 (37.5%)

The turnout was an unprecidented 74.2% of the electorate locally.

A total of 48 ballot papers were rejected - 16 where both answers were marked and 28 void for uncertainty of the vote.

Swale's 71 Polling Stations opened at 7am this morning for the EU Referendum and will remain open until 10pm tonight.

For a full list of local Polling Stations please click here.

Despite the earlier downpours stations are reporting a steady stream of voters and are reiterating that voters should not leave their attendance to the last minute, as anyone outside a polling station after 10pm will not be allowed to join a queue if one has formed.

Picture: © Camilla Greenwell

BBC One daytime programme 'The Housing Enforcers', featuring Matt Allwright, the champion of consumer rights, heads to Sittingbourne and Sheerness next week.

Shoplifters in Swale have been arrested as part of a crackdown in the run up to Christmas.

Officers have been focusing their foot patrols in Sittingbourne town centre to locate and deter offenders and as well as targeting shoplifters, the foot patrols are also being carried out to help deter people from committing offences of criminal damage, violence and theft from vehicles.