News Angler fined


AN angler caught fishing without a licence at Monk Lakes, Marden, has been ordered to pay more than £2,700 by a court. Maidstone Magistrates’ Court


heard that Kevin Longbon, of Hextable, near Swanley,was caught fishing without a licence by an En- vironment Agencywater bailiff. When asked for his details he


gave a false address, but later ad- mitted giving the wrong details and admitted not having a licence. He then attempted to continue fishing and had to be asked repeat- edly to reel in his rods and stop. The court ordered Mr Longbon


to pay a £200 fine, £2,500 costs and a £20 victim surcharge.


Wombles wanted


ANYONE who wants to help their environment and contribute to countryside cleanliness is invited to join the annual litter pick at Chart Sutton. The litter pickmeets at the village


hall car park at 10am on Saturday, March 29. Would-be“Wombles” will be kit-


ted out with a high visibility tabard, a picker and black sacks and sent out in twos and threes to collect as much as they can. Full black sacks can be left at the roadside for collection later.


downsmail.co.uk


Home agreed despite concern over flooding


MAIDSTONE Council went against Environment Agency flooding advice and allowed a re- tired couple to create living space in a former restaurant in Water- ingbury. David and Margaret Evans, both


in their mid-70s, had decided to close the Riverside Restaurant in Bow Bridge after it had experi- enced flooding from the Medway 24 times in the past 30 years. It had flooded a further four times since Christmas. They both live above the restaurant and applied to con- vert the ground floor from a restau- rant into residential to avoid paying £210 per month business rates. The council’s planning com-


mittee was torn between helping out the couple and putting them in a position of potential danger. Cllr JohnWilson said: “The Envi- ronment Agency has been criticised for not doing enough and if we ig- nore their objection we could be blamed if something goes wrong.” But Cllr Martin Cox countered:


Labour candidate named


THE Maidstone and theWeald Labour Party has named Allen Simpson, a business finance expert who grew up in the town, as its candidate for the 2015 General Election. Paul Harper, chairman of the constituency party, said: “He is a local candi-


date who knows and understands the town.” Mr Simpson will join Labour’s borough council candidates on the campaign trail in the run-up to the local elections in May.


“Ifwe turn it downwe might make these people bankrupt.” Council officers stressed that the


couple already live above the prop- erty, so would be put in no addi- tional danger by having the ground floor as living space. Cllr Mike Hogg said: “We are damned ifwe go against EAadvice and damned if we turn it down as well. I can just see the headlines if anything bad happens.” However, after being assured by officers that the committee would face no legal comeback should flooding cause any harm to the ap- plicants, nine members voted in favour of the proposal, with three against and one abstention.


Kitchen blaze


TWO fire crews were called to a home in Tattlebury Lane, Head- corn, after a basket full of clothing, which had been left on the cooker, caught fire. Fortunately, the residentwas able


to pour water on the basket before the firewas able to spread.


We are working to #FindandfixKent


Kent County Council is investing an additional £3 million to repair damage to Kent’s roads and we have crews out there tackling potholes, broken manhole covers, flood damage and fallen trees following the winter storms and exceptional rainfall.


Potholes are a common problem for the highway across the country, especially during and after the winter months. Our crews are out there identifying and fixing them as fast as they can, so please bear with them.


We do understand that potholes are a frustration for road users, and we are doing all we can to fix them as quickly as possible.


We also need your help in identifying potholes so please go online and let us know about them.


24 Maidstone South March 2014 #FindandfixKent kent.gov.uk/maintenance


FiX FIND &


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