Woof! Thanks for saving me, Ruby


MABEL the dalmatian is alive and well after a near-death expe- rience – and it is all thanks to the skill of specialist vets and a blood transfusion from her aun- tie Ruby! The two-year-old had been en-


joying a run round Bluebell Hill woods with owner Clive Muller when she accidentally impaled herself through the chest on a long, pointed stick. It pierced her chest to a depth


of six inches, damaging her lung and narrowly missing her heart. Clive’s wife, Tracy, pictured, is looking forward to a happy fu- ture with the two pets, reunited at home in Wilton Drive, Ditton. But for several days she feared Mabel would not pull through the ordeal. “It’s a miracle. We thought she wasn’t


going to make it. She had 52 staples in her wounds. The staff at the vet referral centre in Basildon were so amazing,” said Tracy, who is a dental nurse at Southcot surgery in Larkfield.


On track of crime at


local rail stations ANTI-social behaviour described by police as “absolutely unacceptable” prompted a crackdown on crime at several train stations on theMedway Valley line. One person was spoken to at Aylesford station for possession of cannabis. Half a dozen youngsters were banned from enter- ing Halling station for a period of 48 hours. Meanwhile, at Strood, officers dealt with


two passengers, one of whom had been seen spitting and the other had been reported for smoking. Insp Ed Walden, from British Transport Police, said: “This sort of behaviour is ab- solutely unacceptable and makes people feel uncomfortable and unsafe in what is other- wise a very safe environment. “Crime at these stations is low. However,


our priority is to make sure that people who use the rail network are not only safe but feel safe.” A spokesman for Southeastern said it was working with British Transport Police “to make the railways as safe as possible”.


 To report anti-social behaviour on trains or at rail stations, contact British Transport Police on 0800 405040. Alternatively, call Kent Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.


Container request PERMISSION is being sought to site ametal storage container for six months in the front garden while building work is taking place at Gunwalloe, 59 Tonbridge Road, Teston.


Lake clean-up NEVILL Park Lake, Snodland, had its an- nual clean-up thanks to the organisation of LesWithey, who is a bailiff on Woodlands Lake. Over a period of almost three hours, he and his helpers collected a total of 22 bags of rubbish. A lorry tyre, gas canister, a wooden chair


and a bike frame were all removed from the site. Town council chairman Anne Moloney


said: “It really is a shame that this area is so badly littered. Many thanks to Ben Kem- ber, Daren Morris and Ian Moore who helped Les with the clean-up.”


To contact Downs Mail just phone 01622 630330


at Newnham Court. They did an emergency op, cleaned the wound and stitched her up.”


However, Mabel’s condition worsened


and she was referred to the VRCC specialist hospital where she was kept in over the weekend. “Her blood platelets level was low. She needed a CT scan and a blood transfusion. We had no pet insurance but we said ‘just do whatever’s necessary’. “Later, they called to say she had gone downhill and they would have to open her up. They found part of her lung had col- lapsed and that the stick had gone between twomain arteries andmissed her heart by a few millimetres.” By Monday evening she was showing no


Husband Clive recalled the terrible mo-


ments two months ago, just after he had let Mabel off her lead in the wood near his of- fice. “I heard her screaming. I ran to find her and she was just sitting on the grass dazed. She fell on her side kicking and shaking. “I scooped her up and took her to the vets


RESIDENTS of Tonbridge and Malling are being asked for their views on draft doc- uments which could help to shape the future of different areas in the borough. The character area ap- praisals are being prepared with the help of parish councils and other local in- terest groups. When adopted the ap- praisals will be important for the consideration of de- velopment proposals as they describe the character


signs of improvement. The surgeon told the Mullers therewas one last chance for Mabel - a blood-match transfusion from Ruby, her six-year-old auntie. It worked - and after a two-week stay in hospital Mabel was home and raring to go again. Tracy said: “She seems fine. Going walks is not the same, though, as you’re on edge all the time after what happened.”


Have your say on your area


of nearly every street in the main built-up areas and where it could be improved. The council has already adopted those for Ton- bridge, Hildenborough, Hadlow, Borough Green, East Peckham, Snodland andWalderslade. Consultation has now begun on the two final draft


A LARGE new Audi car dealership is due to open off M20 junction 6 next year. Construction work has begun on creating


a 17-car showroom and 20-bay workshop on the former site of the Veglios Motel in Sandling Road, which will replace the company’s site in the QuarryWood Indus- trial Park, Aylesford. The original planning application, sub- mitted byBMW,was granted on appeal after Maidstone Council’s June 2004 refusal on the grounds of preventing the creep of out- of-town retail centres, landscape protection, wildlife conservation and road safety. Latterly, the site changed hands and a re-


vised detailed application was submitted by Audi that, following pre-application discussions with Maidstone Council, in- corporated a range of features designed to


LesWithey (centre), with Ian Moore (left) and Ben Kember


appraisals, one for West Malling, excluding the con- servation area, and the other for the Medway Gap urban area, comprising the main built-up parts of Leybourne, East Malling, Larkfield, Dit- ton and Aylesford. The documents can be viewed atWest Malling and Larkfield libraries, the council’s offices at Kings Hill, and on its website. Comments must be re- ceived by 5pm on Friday, October 14.


Work begins on new car showroom


provide habitat niches for wildlife. Cllr Tony Harwood, a planning commit-


tee member and Boxley parish councillor, said: “Hopefully, some of the orchids and rare invertebrates which formerly abounded on the site will survive the on- going destructive ground-works stage and re-colonise the small areas of habitat that form an element of the agreed landscaping plan for the site. Achieving safe access and egress for pedestrians and motorists at this new development on the already challeng- ing Running Horse roundabout A229 slip road is a real local concern.” Audi customer care coordinator Sue


Leach said: “The new site will have ex- tended facilities for customers and for staff.We aim to make the transition to our new premises as seamless as possible.


Dragons’ dancers! RAZZAMATAZ Theatre Schools, which, as a fledg- ling business back in 2007, received backing from TV’s Dragon’s Den, is opening its doors this month in Maid- stone. The school will be based


at the newly renovated YMCA centre in Loose. Classes in singing, danc-


ing and drama will run on Tuesday evenings from September 20, for 4-18 year olds.


Malling 27


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