DownsMail In touch with your parish


Bearsted Council M20 feedback


COUNCILLOR Richard Ash felt that driving around Bearsted “didn’t seem to bad” on the weekend that the M20 was closedbetween junctions 7 and 8. However, he said that the London-bound sign erected by Kent Highway Services, advis- ing motorists coming off the ferry at Dover to use the M2, was placed after a lot of mo- torists had gone under a tunnel and were already on the M20. He admitted there was an in- crease in traffic, which “makes us thankful that we do have a motorway, because if that traffic was coming through Bearsted day after day it would be a nightmare”. KCC community warden su- pervisor Janet Greenroyd was introduced to councillors. She is based in Maidstone. Local community warden


Dawn Riach-Brown reported youths throwing bricks in the Church Landway area. Ms Riach-Brown spoke about


the prospect of erecting signs around Merton Road regarding garage break-ins.


Boughton Malherbe Toilet watch


IT WAS reported that the Por- taloo had been pushed over twice recently and the padlock was missing. Since then it had been tipped over again, but after some residents carried out a watch on the loo and came face to face with one of the culprits, it had not been vandalised again. Cllr Robert Turner was elected chairman for the forthcoming


year with Cllr Ron Galton as vice-chairman. Speedwatch checks were


once again up and running and two more volunteers had been trained up. Around 50% of vehicles trav-


elling through the village were over the 30mph limit, with 25% of those over 40mph, strength- ening the case for an interactive sign.


Most potholes had been re- paired. Outstanding ones such as Woodsden Hall, Wrens Nest and Liverton Hill Farm had all been inspected and would be repaired. It was reported the road was slipping away at Woodsden Hall. After checking the records, it


was confirmed that the village hall did indeed own the land in front. It was agreed that the owner of the vehicle which con- tinually parked there should be contacted to advise him not to do so. A warning sign would be erected. The new bus timetable had


been implemented. A council- lor reported that one afternoon, a single decker had been pro- vided instead of a double decker and his daughters were unable to get on. They finally arrived home at 3.45pm, and al- though a promise was made it would not happen again, within three days, it did. Concern was expressed that a


lot of money had been spent on re-surfacing Lenham Road and within a few weeks the road began to break up again. This, along with complaints that pot- holes were not being repaired to a sufficiently high standard, would be discussed with County Cllr Jenny Whittle and


Beat the criminals IF YOU CAN HELP, PLEASE PHONE: Police: 01622 690690 Crimestoppers: 0800 555 111


A GARDEN shredder and a folding bicycle were stolen from a garage in Gleam- ingWood Drive, Lords Wood, which is part of a block. A generator was


stolen overnight from an electricity substation


in


Greenway Court Road,


Holling-


bourne, after thieves forced open the door. Apatio door was damaged in


an attempted break-in at a semi-detached property in Epsom Close, Senacre.Agar- den gate was also damaged. The offside wing mirror was


stolen from a VW transporter in the car park of the County Showground, Detling. A six-metre length of earth-


44 East


ing cable was stolen from a pole-mounted transformer near The Harrow inn and hotel in Waterditch Lane, Lenham. A black and red food recycling bin was stolen from the driveway of a resi- dential property at Pye Corner,


Ul-


combe. The wing mirror unit


was stolen from the driver’s


side of a yellow Renault Clio parked overnight in Autumn Glade, LordsWood. Some 500 litres of heating


oil were stolen overnight from a storage tank in a field at Ju- bilee Corner, Ulcombe. Diesel was taken from two Mercedes-Benz


vehicles parked in the Old Goods Yard,


John Burr, director of Kent Highways. It was agreed that a committee should be set up to organise a celebration for the Queen’s dia- mondjubilee next year.


Bredhurst Council Digging deeper


AS the parish had been subsi- dising the allotments for the last three years, it was agreed to raise the rent from £5 a year to £1 a month, which could be paid twice a year in line with water bills. PCSO Andy Hawthorn ad-


vised hat there were no inci- dents to report. Chairman Cllr Charlie Hewitt had received a report about Operation Mer- cury, which was targeting metal theft. The PCSO suggested items be protected using Smart- Water. It was agreed that a represen-


tative of Fairview Rangers be requested to attend the next parish council meeting to re- view parking arrangements be- fore the renewal of the contract for use of the playing field. Any agreement about parking must be supported by a letter from The Bell. The parish council received


an income of £103.18 in May. Outgoings totalled £476.26 and there was a total of £26,193.44 in the parish account. It was agreed to arrange a date


for a meeting with Maidstone Council to discuss future budg- eting approaches. The newsletter was almost completed and it was agreed that, instead of the usual sea- sonal newsletters, it should be issued when there were enough items.


Station Approach, Lenham. A pair of jeans, a wallet con- taining cash and bank cards and a mobile phone were stolen from the gym changing room at Village Leisure Hotel, Forstal Road, Sandling. A transformer, a hammer


drill, a Makita saw and a drum of electric cable were taken from a garage behind a residen- tial dwelling in Merton Road, Bearsted, after its door was forced open. Thieves attempted to gain


entry to Chiltern Works, The Street, Detling. The building has been targeted previously. A red Peugeot 306 car stolen


from the driveway of a residen- tial property in Murrain Drive, Downswood, was later recov- ered.


Fuel was siphoned from a


lorry parked in a stable yard in Yelsted Road, Stockbury. Between eight and 10sq m of lead was stolen from a sum- merhouse in the garden of a property in Bicknor Lane, Bicknor.


Visit Downs Mail’s website — downsmail.co.uk


The clerk was to clarify as a matter of urgency, Maidstone Council’s position regarding the emptying of dog waste bins. Although there had been no no- tification from the borough on this matter, the parish council had received a letter from a dog waste collection company of- fering its services. A complaint would be logged with the bor- ough that parishes were not in- formed directly by Maidstone Council of the changes. The chairman had been ap-


proached by Medway Electric Bowls Club who would like to change their name to Bredhurst Bowls Club. It was agreed that this was acceptable. A letter had been received stating that, due to a change in regulations, existing street light bulbs would have to be re- placed at some future date, tim- ing depending on the type currently fitted. The clerk was to check and confirm with E.ON regarding any new legis- lation. It was noted that vice-chair-


man Cllr Vanessa Jones had been appointed authority gov- ernor for Bredhurst primary school.


Broomfield and Kingswood Council


Number 59 bus


ARESIDENT complained about the reduction and unreliability of the number 59 bus service and had complained constantly to Arriva. Councillors agreed to write to Arriva and their MP. PCSO Richard Kirby stated


that South East Water was still not reporting theft of drain cov- ers. However, local scrap deal- ers had been targeted


An attempt was made to steal


a green Land Rover Discovery parked on open ground at Coneygarth Stables, Cox Street. Hartlip. A Satnav, a driving licence


and a wallet and its contents were taken from a yellow Ford Transit van parked in Blendon Road, Vinters Park. Groceries left by a milkman


on the doorstep of a property in Firthwood Close, Downs- wood, were taken. A lock on a shed at Leeds andBroomfield Primary School was forced and a blue tent and door fitting stolen. The suspect is known. A number of items of tack


were stolen overnight from a stable in PilgrimsWay, Detling. A generator and a tap and


dye pipe threading kit were taken overnight from a build- ing site in Otham Lane, Bearsted. A two-way radio was stolen


from a silver Vauxhall Astra van parked in Boarley Lane, Sandling.


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