News


downsmail.co.uk Pre-loaders hiing pub trade Continued from page one


peak ‘party’ time was now from 1am to 4am – with many people coming straight from home, having consumed large quantities of alco- hol in advance. NEF chairman Paul Alcock, who


is a regular volunteer on the Urban Blue Bus, said the bus had been far busier already this year than last. He said: “A lot more people are drinking a lot more at home. The statistics are looking horrendous.” He said a new campaign, whereby those helped by the Blue Bus were given an option to come back and assist others,was proving very successful. “Someone can be on the bus


being sick oneweek – then holding the bag for someone else the week after. It seems to beworkingwell in getting the message home.” Breathalyser research carried out


on the bus revealed that 27% of people tested in 2011-12 were well over the drink-drive limit when they arrived in town; itwas a simi- lar sum in 2012-13.However, so far this year the figure was as high as 40%. Mr Alcock said: “We are not say-


Fire risk falls over 10 years


KENT Fire and Rescue Service now attends more road accidents than fires.


Incidents of fires in the county


have gone down by 70% in the past 10 years, although the risk to peo- ple over 65 being involved in a fire is still four times as great as it is for everyone else. Fire service volunteer Chris


Wheal told Sutton Valence Parish Council that many fires were still cooking-related and occurred when people put on a pan thenwandered off or fell asleep, sometimes due to dementia or medication. He said: “Fires can be caused by anything from frailty, a disability, medication – or simply from living alone. Consider how often you see ‘do not drive’ on medication – but never ‘do not use the cooker’.” Fire crews recently attended a


blaze in Maidstone Road, Sutton Valence, after a pan of cooking oil caught alight. Mr Wheal stressed the need to check smoke alarms regularly – and request an advisory visit from KFRS if necessary. KFRS community safety man-


ager Charlie Smith said: “If you’re preparing a cooked meal and have to leave the kitchen for a few min- utes always ensure you remove the food from the heat source.”


Formore local news www.downsmail.co.uk 24 Malling June 2014


drinking less in our premises.” Mr Moore said he regularly had instances of people trying to smug- gle in bottles of spirits or hip flasks and bag and body searches were now part of the security regime. He said: “If things don’t change,


the writing is on the wall. People are getting blotto at home and not coming to us sober. The problems start after they have had about two drinks and we are left to clear up the mess.” Mr Moore said his security bill


The Urban Blue Bus


ing these people are driving. But we are using the measurement as a yardstick of how much people have had to drink – or pre-loaded – be- fore coming out for the evening.” Steve Moore, manager of the Source Bar in Rose Yard, said prof- itswere down 20% year on year.He said: “A lot less people are buying alcohol when they come out. It is hitting us really hard as a business. “They are coming out later and


had gone up by a third in the past nine months, yet early evening drinking declined markedly. “I have been in the business 25 years and never known it to be as bad as now,” he added. The change in licensing laws, de- signed to turn Britain into a café culture, had failed abysmally, he said. “The idea was for people to come out and have a few drinks, sitting at a bar or street café. Allwe have done is create a culture where people get hammered at home and roll out at midnight, then carnage ensues. Iwas far happier when peo- ple came out at 8pm and went home at 2am.We have a much big-


Allotments land donated


SEVENTY-five allotments will be created on land at Kings Hill that has been donated to the parish council. Development partners Liberty Property Trust UK and Kent County Coun-


cil have provided more than 1.3 acres next to the sports park for the scheme. Extra land has been set aside for


more allotments as part of the next phase of development at Kings Hill which is expected to bring an in- creased demand.


Liberty’s managing director An-


drew Blevins said: “The number of allotment plots in the country has fallen from a peak of 1.4 million in 1949 to about 150,000 today. But the popularity of TV gardening pro- grammes such as the BBC’s The Big Allotment Challenge has sparked new interest , so we are de- lighted to be able to donate this land to the community. Gardening is also a good way to exercise.” Cllr Ray Cassidy, chairman of Kings Hill Parish Council’s amenities committee said: “Works to trans- form the area to 75 allotments will begin when planning permission and grant funding have been secured. Con- struction is likely to start this autumn and the parish council is very much looking forward to releasing the plots to the allotment holders and seeing the first year’s vegetables and flowers growing on Kings Hill allotments.”


Ray Cassidy and assistant parish clerk Barbara Hucker get ready for the allotments


Lib Dem councillor joins UKIP


A LIB Dem councillor of 20 years has left the party for UKIP. Garry Harrison, who sits on East Malling and Larkfield Parish Coun- cil, was vice-chairman of the Lib Dem Medway branch for two years. He stood for election to Medway Council twice on behalf of the Lib


Dems. He said he had realised that the sooner the UK left Europe the better.


He said UKIP was the only party that represented his views. UKIP wanted to improve life for every- one in the UK, including our immi- grants, he said.


ger game to deal with now.” Trading standards officer Jason


Reilly said people were drinking less but going for drinks with a higher alcohol content. He said: “Theywant the maximum strength and to drink it as quickly as possi- ble. It’s quite horrible.” Operators will meet to address


the town’s drinking culture. Ideas include hosting ‘club’ sessions in Jubilee Square earlier in the evening to give young people a taste of what the town’s clubs have to offer, selling wristbands which allow admission to all participating clubs and pubs – an idea recently adopted in Canterbury – and a new system of ID. Other ideas to get people into


town include getting taxi operators to promote a fixed fee rate for cus- tomers coming from places such as Medway and Ashford.


Do you think the town is a worse place for people drink- ing at home before going out? Email the editor on stephen@downsmail.co.uk


Visit churches


to raise funds CHURCHESacross the Maidstone area will be taking part in the an- nual Ride and Stride event on Sat- urday, September 13. The event takes place across England andWales, and is organ- ised in Kent by The Friends of Kent Churches. Participants are invited to visit


as many churches as they can, ei- ther by cycling, walking or maybe even on horseback. The money they raise through sponsorship is then shared between their own church and The Friends of Kent Churches, which makes grants to preserve churches across Kent. More information, including a


list of the churches taking part and a downloadable sponsorship form, can be found atwww.friend- sofkentchurches.co.uk.


Solar damage


A SOLAR park firm plans to tighten security at itsAylesford site after metal thieves caused thou- sands of poundsworth of damage. Kent Solar Limited has applied to


Tonbridge and Malling Council to install 13 new steel poles with ther- mal cameras and three new cam- eras on existing poles to boost the existing CCTV system. The company said it needed to upgrade security at the 11.3 hectare solar farm off Bull Lane, Eccles, fol- lowing a spate of thefts.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48