News
downsmail.co.uk Cannabis ‘farmer’ sent to jail
AMANwho hooked up a cannabis factory to overhead power lines in East Peckham has been jailed for three years.
David Hill (43) had established
five cultivation rooms in a two- storey barn in Bells Farm Road, but was caught after he was stopped in his car by police for not having a valid driving licence and officers smelled cannabis. Hill had been seen entering and leaving a large barn and was taken there for a search. He confessed the barn was used to grow more than 100 cannabis plants and showed of- ficers a large bunch of keys, one of which opened a padlock to the site. Insidewere five separate rooms con- taining cannabis in various growing stages. He had tapped into an over- head cable topower equipment used to cultivate the drug.
Hospice to
open garden THE Heart of Kent Hospice in Aylesford will open its garden to visitors from 10am to 4pm on Sat- urday, July 11. The garden is a treasured space providing a tranquil, calm and peaceful environment for both pa- tients and their visitors, sur- rounded by herbaceous plants. It is regularly tended by volunteers, and allows patients wonderful views of plants, trees and squirrels. There is a suggested donation of
£4 for visitors. Children are wel- come but no dogs other than assis- tance dogs can be admitted. Refreshments will be available.
Family fun
day at castle THE Diocese of Rochester has or- ganised a fun day at Leybourne Castle, on Sunday, July 19. The Dean of Jerusalem, the Very
Rev’d Hosam Naoum, will be mak- ing an address while children can enjoy sideshows and attractions. The event runs from 1pm to 7pm.
Entry is by donation and there will be a barbecue. Organisers recommend that any-
one who plans to make a day of it takes their own chairs along. Leybourne Castle is off Castle
Way, Leybourne. For more details email
sarahcabella@rochester.an-
glican.org.
Vote for charity
CUSTOMERS have been asked to help Sainsbury’s at Aylesford choose its local charity of the year. Voting will take place from June
15 to 28. The deadline for applica- tions from local charities has now closed.
26 Malling June 2015
been paid to abstract the electricity supply. He insisted no one elsewas involved. Heappeared at MaidstoneCrown
The barn in Bells Farm Road
Officers then found half a kilo of cannabis at Hill’s home in Lobelia Close, Gillingham. During a police interview Hill ad-
mitted cultivating the drug and claimed an unnamed electrician had
Court, having previously pleaded guilty to charges of producing cannabis and abstracting electricity, and was sentenced to three years in prison. He was also disqualified from driving for six and a half years after admitting further charges of driving without a licence or insur- ance. Sgt Joe Breen said: “Cannabis cul-
tivation is a serious offence and this sentence demonstrates that. Organ- ised gangs and individuals can gen- erate huge sums of money from growing and harvesting these
plants, often at the expense of land- lords who have their properties ru- ined by the setting up and running of illegal sites. These sites also take a long time to dismantle and are very hazardous to officers and anyone else who may enter. This site was wired directly into the overhead mains power cable. “We actively target people and
gangs growing cannabis regardless of the scale of the operation and even when criminals are behind bars we continue efforts to recover as much of their profits as possible. In this in- stance I think it is also very likely Hill can expect an unpaid electricity bill running into thousands of pounds.”
New bridge
The new cabinet, from left: Cllrs Brian Luker, Jill Anderson, Nicolas Heslop, Martin Coffin, Maria Heslop and Howard Rogers
Council cabinet appointed
CLLR Nicolas Heslop has announced his cabinet following his re-election as leader of Tonbridge and Malling Council for a further four years. Hewill take charge of economic re-
generation and other members are: Cllr Martin Coffin, finance and inno- vation and deputy leader; Cllr Jill An- derson, housing and environment services; Cllr Maria Heslop, commu- nity services; Cllr Brian Luker, com- munity safety; Cllr Howard Rogers, planning and transportation. Cllr Mark Rhodes stepped down from his cabinet post to become
deputymayor. Cllr Heslop said: “We will continue
to work hard in the continued deliv- ery of high-quality and cost-effective services for our residents. “We will work more closely with businesses and investors so that our towns and villages are places that people wish to visit, and where busi- ness people can operate to bring in- creased vitality to our communities; and we will continue to be champi- ons for the communitieswe serve, en- suring our borough is one of the best places to live.”
taking shape WORK is under way on the bridge across the RiverMedway linking the PetersVillage development with the A228 near Snodland. Embankment piling for the bridge approaches on both east and west banks of the river is almost com- plete, enabling construction teams to push out over the river itself. Engineers will sink sheet piling
that will allow the creation of two coffer dams – watertight boxes that will enable workers to build the two bridge supports in safety. Trenport director Chris Hall said:
“Up to now the bridge work has not been particularly glamorous – sheet piling the banks doesn’t look excit- ing – but we are now moving out into the waters of the Medway and the outline of the bridge itself will start to appear.” He added: “I must also allay fears
that this phase will block the Med- way and cause flooding – it will not. The coffer dams are designed to allow the Medway to flow cleanly around them. The Environment Agency and river authorities would not allow any work that might inter- fere in the workings of a tidal river.”
MOTORBIKE owners could have their vehicles destroyed following a clampdown on anti-social behav- iour nearAylesford and Maidstone. Kent Police is keen to stop illegal off-road riding in rural areas near Blue Bell Hill, Wouldham and Burham. On one weekend, community support officers issued 11warnings to nuisance riders, including quad bikers and mini-moto riders.
Illegal off-road riders could lose motorbikes Under Section 59 of the Road
Traffic Act, if the riders are stopped again and found to be using their vehicles illegally they risk prosecu- tion and having their bikes seized. PCSOKimLidbury said: “If these
people break the law again,we will seize their motorbikes and they can be destroyed. “It is strictly forbidden to use off-
road bikes on public land such as bridleways and footpaths, public
parks and open spaces. “Aswell as the damage caused to
areas of outstanding natural beauty, these are locations frequently used by families, children and horse rid- ers.
“For anyone who may be unsure
of the law it is very simple: if you own an off-road bike the only place it can legally be ridden is on private land, with the permission of the landowner.”
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