Tennis players SET standard


WITH Wimbledon over for another year, young tennis players from Maid- stone and theWeald are lining up to become stars of the future. South Eastern Tennis – SET –Under 8s and Under 9s, who play prima-


rily on public courts in Maidstone, Staplehurst and Sittingbourne, have had a successful summer, winning against many larger clubs. The U9 team won the Aegon East of Kent League, while the U8s won


20 out of 24matches in their age group in the competition at Bromley. The Under 9s team, pictured left, was George Halpin, Christian


Roberts,AlfieParker andEthanGrant. George and Ethango toRoseacre Junior School, Bearsted, whilst Alfie attends Eastborough Primary School. Christian lives in Sittingbourne. U8playerswereChristianRoberts, MylesWatson,SamMalinsandRe-


becca Godsmark Meanwhile, players TomWhiley and MattClarke are unbeaten in their


14 and Under Aegon League. Head coach Julian Squiers said: “I’m so proud of all our players.” The academy’s main base is Penenden HeathRecreation Ground, but


they also play at Maidstone Lawn Tennis Club in Allington and Staple- hurst Cricket and Tennis Club, and Sittingbourne Community College.


Council takes


over dog waste MAIDSTONE has cancelled the contract to have dogwaste bins emptied by outside contractors. As predicted in the Downs


Mail in March, the council has given RIP Cleaning of Chatham notice that its contract will come to an end on July 31, after which emptying will be taken back in house. The borough has 350 desig-


nated dog waste bins, but has been encouraging people to use any type of litter bin for their dog mess, provided it is bagged. Cllr Derek Mortimer (Lib-


Dem) who is also a member of Tovil Parish Council, launched an attack on the ruling Tories when the proposals were first put forward, saying it was a valuable service and that dog waste was not appropriate for regular bins, particularly near children’s play areas. Cllr Marion Ring (Cons), cab-


inet member for environment, originally claimed no decision had been taken, but this week admitted: “We are taking it in house. It is more economical to do the job ourselves.”


Truck hits shop A CHARITY shop window was smashed in a mid-morning in- cident when a runaway lorry careered down a pedestrian street in Maidstone. Staff at The Children’s Trust


shop watched in horror as the truck rolled towards them in Gabriel’sHill.No-onewas hurt. The driver, who had been in


the back of the vehicle when its handbrake gave way, was shaken but uninjured. He had been delivering to the Moss Bros shop onWednesday, July 11.


Pensioner robbed A 77-YEAR-OLD-woman was robbed of £60 cash when her pursewas taken from her hand- bag in Maidstone town centre. Police have appealed for infor- mation on the incident at about 12.45pm on June 8. Call PC Steve Kent on 101, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.


30 Town Sticky point for litter louts


GUM-spitters beware! The council is out to catch you. Maidstone’s £2.5m pedestri- anised pride and joy is already pitted with disused chewing gum – and offending gum-toters will soon be told: “This is a stick-up”.


The council’s environment wardens are empowered to treat gum deposits as litter – for which a fine of £75 applies. Cabinet member for the envi- ronment Cllr Marion Ring said: “Spittinggumon the ground is as bad as dropping litter, if not


Footing the bill for cleaner streets MAIDSTONE raised almost a quarter of a million pounds last year in on-the-spot litter fines, but it paid out more than £155,000 to the six staff in the town’s litter enforcement squad. The county town doled out a staggering 10 times more fixed penalty notices than the whole of Medway in the same period – 3,967 compared with 396 – reaping £241,425. Tonbridge and Malling issued 117 fixed penalties in 2011-12 and other local authorities in Kent significantly less. District councils can issue fines of up to £80 for anyone caught dropping litter, including cigarette ends, and the town’s en- forcement officers have a high-profile presence. Spokesman Roger Adley said: “We spend an enormous amount of taxpayers’ money keeping Maidstone clean and don’t think it is fair that a minority should be allowed to spoil it.” The council’s 30-strong cleansing team employs a range of cleaningmethods. Each street is inspected and cleaned at least once every five weeks and the town centre is cleaned daily. Litter louts, gum spitters and anyone caught dropping a ciga-


rette end are given the choice of paying a £75 fine within 14 days or being taken to court and risking a fine of up to £2,500, costs, and a criminal record.


Train layout a model entry


PUPILS from Loose School inMaidstone were praised by judges in the finals of the KCC-Hornby SchoolsModel Railway Competition. The event at County Hall Maidstone on Saturday, July 14, was the culmina- tion of five months of work by 500 children creating model railway layouts. The 11 winners of the regional fi- nals were invited to the final to de- cide the best in Kent.


Judges took into account not only the layouts, but also the involvement of the chil- dren in planning, creating and operating them. Loose School came second with its traditional layout (pictured),


with exceptional scenic and technical features, and won a trip on the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway. The overall winners were pupils from Lower Halstow School, near Sittingbourne.


worse, because it ismore difficult to remove.We will have no hesi- tation in taking action against people caught offending.” Following the installation of


the showpiece granite paving, the council has bought a more ef- ficient street-cleaning machine which will also remove gum de- posits. Cabinet member for re- generation, Cllr Malcolm Greer, said: “We are confident that we can clean off just about anything anyone can throw at it.” The entire surface was due to


be given a final acid clean at the beginning of July after which the council’s own cleansing programme would kick in, he said. In the meantime, the council


is looking at a new campaign to raise awareness of gum-spitting, although Cllr Ring stressed there would be no repeat of the controversial “stick it here” boards which were put up on a previous occasion. She said: “We are looking at educating the public, while op- erating a strict policy of en- forcement.”


Pupils clean up


in town centre MAIDSTONE Borough Council joined forces with students from New Line Learning for their Community ActionWeek. The Len Valley, in the town centre,was chosen for a spruce- up by the students, who cut back vegetation, picked up lit- ter and removed graffiti. The year 11 students wanted


to make a noticeable difference for the community. Maidstone Council cabinet member for the environment, Marion Ring said: “The Len Valley is a beautiful area which is being mistreated by a few ir- responsible people. “Littering and graffiti looks


awful and is dangerous to the environment. We hope that by returning the area to a clean and tidy state, it will encourage peo- ple to keep it that way.”


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