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Police choir in charity concert for Christmas
THE Kent Police Male Voice Choir is to hold a Christmas concert at the Vine Church, Boughton Lane, Maid- stone, at 3.30pm on December 4. There will be Christmas music, ranging from old favourites to new pieces, which are guaranteed to set
your feet tapping no matter what your age. Tickets are £8.50 – call Terry Kinsman on 01622 730119 or email
kinsman@macrolevel.co.uk The concert is presented by Kent
Police Male Voice Choir and the Rotary Club of Maidstone. The
MPleads call for action over rail crossing delays
A RAILWAY problem in London is causing misery for commuters on the roads aroundAylesford.
Freight trains have had to be re- routed after structural issues with a bridge in Lewisham, resulting in even longer queues at the level crossing, where delays were first raised in 2013. And there are fears that the grid-
lock, which can stretch as far as Sandling and the A20 London Road, could continue as Network Rail contractors do not have a date for when the bridge problems will be fixed. MP Tracey Crouch, who has
raised the issue of the level crossing several times, launched a furious tirade on Facebook after being caught up in traffic chaos at the barrier and wrote to rail bosses de- manding an explanation. Besides a change in the passenger timetable, it emerged that slower- moving freight trains usually run- ning from Hoo junction via Blackheath and Lewisham were being diverted down the Medway Valley. This takes them through Aylesford, resulting in the barriers in Station Road being down more often and for longer periods. The problems are worse at school-run times, with parents complaining that children are late for class because the school bus is caught up in the gridlock.
8 Malling November 2016
MP Tracey Crouch has complained about the delays at Aylesford crossing Miss Crouch said that the situa-
tion had got worse during the last month after train timetable changes, with vehicles having to wait for more than 30 minutes for the barriers to open, leading to fears that drivers may try to jump the lights. She said: “As well as causing
huge inconvenience to those trying to get to work and raised pollution levels for residents, the jams lead drivers to do dangerous things they wouldn’t normally do, such as driving on paths, so this is now be- coming a safety issue as well as a traffic one.” Delays were made worse as the barriers come down at the same point in the journey as a normal train running at 70mph, but the freight trains travel much slower,
event will raise funds for local char- ities.
Rotary supports mainly small
local charities, but also helps with disaster relief by the rapid deploy- ment of “Shelter Boxes” across the world.
Town middle
of pay league WORKERS in Maidstone earn nearly £4,000 less than their coun- terparts in Tonbridge and Malling. But the latest figures show that
while the county town is still half way down the league table in Kent with an average salary of £29,592, it remains higher than the UK aver- age and £5,000 more thanwages in Thanet. The Office for National Statistics
says the UK average annual earn- ings are £28,213 and £33,776 in Lon- don.
meaning the crossing is closed more often and for longer. The gridlock is made worse as
drivers are finding other routes in the area are blocked, with problems at Hermitage Lane, the A20 Ditton crossroads and the Quarry Wood business estate. A spokesman for Network Rail
said: “We are currently having to divert many freight trains around Aylesford. This has inevitable knock-on consequences for the Medway Valley line meaning that many more trains are using the line, and so barriers are down more often.We are working on a plan to fix this bridge as soon as possible. As soon as it is fixed there will be fewer trains through Aylesford, and therefore the crossing should be down for less time.”
Kentwages league table 1 Tonbridge and Malling ...£33.372 2. Dartford............................£32.233 3. Sevenoaks........................ £30,989 4. TunbridgeWells .............. £29,962 5. Gravesham ...................... £29,623 6. Maidstone.........................£29,592 7. Canterbury.......................£27,949 8. Ashford.............................£27.795 9. Swale................................. £27,501 10. Dover............................... £25,254 11. Shepway.......................... £24,527 12. Thanet..............................£24,150
Turkey run
THE Christmas-themed Turkey Run takes place this year in East Malling on December 11. Fancy dress is encouraged for the
6.5 mile race around the horticul- tural research station, and runners can enjoy mince pies, hot drinks and a goody bag at the end. Proceeds from the Maidstone Harriers’ run will go to Allington Guides, Ditton Scouts and Barming Scout groups. To enter visit
www.riderhq.com/events/69507/24 th-turkey-run/108844/all/enter.
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