West Malling gems raid arrests


THREE men were arrested after armed raiders snatched a large amount of jewellery from a shop in the centre of West Malling.


Lunchtime shoppers and resi-


dents were shocked when two men in white face masks, one wielding an axe, burst into Andrew Smith Jewellers in the High Street. After forcing shop owners Andrew and Julia Smith to load three bags with gems from display cases, the pair made off in a blue Peugeot 106, driven by a third man who waited outside in the car. A panic alarm was activated


and police arrived on the scene within 20 minutes. The shop re-opened the next


day. Twomen,aged27and 29, were arrested on suspicion of


robbery two days after the raid and bailed until October 21. A third man (27), from Lon-


don, was arrested in West Sus- sex on August 20. Detective Constable Graham


Hunt said: “We have spoken to a number of witnesses who have given us very useful infor- mation. I’m sure there are some more people who saw what happened, though, and itwould be great to hear from them. “The Peugeot the suspects


drove off in was later dumped in Offham where the suspects are believed to have transferred to another car so Iwould like to speak to anyone who saw this,” he added. Anyone with information is


asked to contact DC Hunt on 01732 379 204 or Crimestop- pers on 0800 555 111.


What a picture to celebrate a royal birth


ANGLERS and walkers were amazed to see this graffiti picture of the Duchess of Cambridge and her baby, Prince George, by local artist Darren Cullen on the wall of the fishermen’s hut at Brooklands Lake, Snodland. The portraitwas painted before the royal infantwas born.


Family’s appeal after dad dies


THE FAMILY of an Aylesford widower who died six days after being diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, have appealed for his former work colleagues to come forward with information. George Fraser (87), of Station


Road, worked as an electrician at Reeds Paper Mill in Ayles- ford. He joined Reeds in 1947 after


being demobbed from the Army, having served in the Transport Corps in the Middle East, and left the firm in 1988. The Reeds site was taken over


by Aylesford Newsprint in 1993. The company said it holds regular asbestos audits and meets all current safety reg- ulations. As an electrician, Mr Fraser worked particularly in the boiler house, but also com- pleted jobs all over themill and


foster children THE support received by the ris- ing number of youngsters going into foster care inKent is improv- ing, but more needs to be done, according to Ofsted.


Inspectors found figures for


looked after children inKent rose 25% on 2010. Most under 17 (70.3%) were placed with Kent- approved foster carers, 17%with an approved independent foster- ing agency, but 40 had to be found places out of the county in residential accommodation.


The report recognised that the ‘legacy of failures’ within chil- dren’s services, a shortage of social workers, issues with in- consistent child assessment and inadequate provision for those leaving care, all presented chal- lenges, but praised progress madesince the appointment of a new corporate director for fami- lies and social care inNovember.


12 Malling Better deal for The late George Fraser


had a number of apprentices. His health deteriorated dur- ing the nine months before he


was officially diagnosed in No- vember 2012 with mesothe- lioma – an aggressive form of cancer which affects the lining of the lungs. He died just six days later. His family have instructed solicitors to investigate a claim for compensation. Mr Fraser’s daughter Linda,


of Springwood Road, Barming, said: “Dad’s health had been getting worse since February of last year and he had been in and out of hospital, but we weren’t prepared for him to be diagnosed with mesothelioma. After that, everything hap- pened so quickly andwe didn’t even get a chance to talk to him about how he could have been exposed to asbestos.” If youworked withMr Fraser


and have information that can assist the family call 0121 262 1231.


Residents get together


About 30 residents of a housing development in Snodland att- ended a meeting to discuss anti- social behaviour and other community issues. PCSO Kim Bashford called a community meeting at the Hol- borough Lakes development where some of the residents were keen to set up Neighbour- hoodWatch groups. PCSO Bashford, who has been working at Holborough Lakes since the first residents moved in six years ago, said: “We’re trying to build a community and give all the people here the opportunity to mix and help each other. By getting everyone together, everyone can hope- fully get along and learn to live together.” Anne Moloney, chairman of Snodland Town Council, said: “The turnout at the meeting was very good for a summer’s evening. This is a lovely estate


and when it’s finished there will be about 1,200 homes here. It will represent a big part of Snodland, so it’s vital that we get the feel of it right now.” Kelly Batchelor, Southern Housing Group’s anti-social behaviour case worker, said: “As a landlord, we are commit- ted to supporting our communi- ties and taking direct action against those who cause misery for others and breach their ten- ancy.We know that by working together with others we can make a real difference.” PCSO Bashford, who is con- sidering holding regular com- munity engagement meetings in Holborough Lakes, added: “Crimestoppers came along too to offer advice, and people can contact them anonymously if they prefer. It’s just another way for us to get information to help us deal with anti-social behav- iour and keep Kent safe.”


Anniversary of


bypass opening THE quality of life for the res- idents of a village plagued by large lorries and other vehi- cles improved greatly when the Snodland bypass was opened 30 years ago last month. The road, opened by the


then MP, John Stanley, split the village in two but changed the lives of local people forever. Until then, the only route


to Townsend Hook paper mill and the railway station was along Malling Road or Holborough Road and the High Street. Originally planned as a


dual carriageway. it cost £2.7m, took less than two years to complete and was re- duced to part dual and part single carriageway due to financial constraints. The area round the Red


Lion was the focal point of the village in the 1800s. Brook Street Primary School and the 17th century Tom Hood’s House were the main buildings demolished and, at Holborough, the Rising Sun public house was the most significant building demol- ished.


Yes to stable block PLANNING approval has been given by Tonbridge and Malling Council for a stable block and yard at Broadwater Hall, East Malling. The parish council com- mented that if the application was not retrospective, it would have asked that the building at 52 Broadwater Road be sited away from the highway.


Neighbours raised concerns


that the stables were highly visible from Broadwater Road and not in-keepingwith the surrounding area and that the site was over developed.


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