News


Grave robber strikes church


FLOWER pots and ornamentswere taken from a grave at a West Malling church. Kent Police received a report on


December 23 that three flower pots and some ornaments were stolen from beside a plot at St Mary’s Church in the High Street. Rev David Green, vicar of St


Mary’s, said: “It’s pretty miserable to steal froma grave. “Mourners have been urged not


to put high-value items on graves and to report any criminal activity. “It may be that these items are


not worth very much themselves, but theymay have huge sentimen- tal value to those who have placed them there in memory of their loved ones.”


Tips pinched


CCTV images are being used to track a raider caught on camera at a restaurant inAylesford. The offender stole staff tips from


The Hengist in the High Street at around 11.30pmon Boxing Day. He was wearing a mask, gloves,


a black hooded top, grey tracksuit bottoms and black shoes with white laces andwas carrying a sin- gle-strap grey bag.


Flasher arrest


A SNODLANDman was arrested by police after reports of a delivery driver exposing himself to Maid- stone residents on their doorsteps. Kent Police investigated two re-


ports in Bearsted and Penenden Heath in December. A 43-year-oldwas arrested at his


home in Snodland in December andwas bailed until January 29.


Opening up


OPEN Door – a church-based group where people canmeet new friends –meets on January 15 at the ChristChurch community centre in Snodland between 10amand noon. In 2018, Open Doormeets on the


first and the third Monday in the month.CallAlison formore details on 07770 109191.


Football plan


KINGS Hill FC will hold their fifth annual tournament in June. The event will take place at the


KingsHill Sports Park on theweek- end of June 2/3 for teams from U7 to U15 for both boys and girls. For more information, email tournamentkhfc@gmail.com.


Bowls chance


FANCY having a try at short mat bowls? A group in Snodland say it is


“fun and you can meet new peo- ple”. Call Michael Galloway on 01634 241948 for details.


12 Malling January 2018


downsmail.co.uk


Bypass pleas as road feels strain of traffic


PIECEMEAL proposals to im- prove a dangerous junction on the busy Malling Road fail to recog- nise the highway is no longer fit for purpose. That is the claimof long-termres-


ident Beryl Gordon, whose Mere- worth home fronts theA228. She says Kent County Council


(KCC) needs to listen to those liv- ing alongside the road and believes while its plan towiden junctions at the Kent Street crossroads will help, the volume and speed of traf- fic has to be addressed. MrsGordon’s front fence and her


home have been hit four times in recent years, as was she while crossing the road. The 84-year-old (pictured) said:


“If KCC has the money to spare then widen the junction, by all means, but as far as its plan to move the bus stops — no matter where they put them, pedestrians and cyclistswill be vulnerable.” Mrs Gordon, who lives on the


corner ofKent Street, says traffic on theA228 has quadrupled since she moved there in 2009. She says cars fromKingsHill and


HGVs destined for a distribution centre at Paddock Wood have turned Malling Road into a major link road, with multiple accident


blackspots. Mrs Gordon says: “As an interim measure speed indica- tion devices should be fitted either side of the junction to warn ap- proaching vehicles of the cross- roads and in the longer term an extension to the Ashton Way by- pass out to Seven Mile Lane is needed.” Mereworth Parish Council clerk


Gill Kirby said plans to improve sight lines at the Kent Street junc- tion had been under discussion for at least two years. She said: “We do get help with


other things from KCC but progress with this issue has been very slow.


“Traffic has increased so much


on this stretch that it is not safe and not really fit for purpose any longer.” Borough and county councillor


Matthew Balfour, who until re- cently was the cabinet member for highways at KCC, added: “I am a great supporter of anything that improves safety on our roads in the interim, but in the longer term the road would need to be widened if development in the area contin- ues.” A KCC spokesman said talks re-


garding the acquisition of land to widen the junctions at Kent Street continue.


Balfour axed fromcabinet On the run fromnuns?


A MALLING county councillor has been fired as transport boss in the wake of a decsion to remove crucial subsidies from 70 key bus routes being revealed in themedia. Matthew Balfour (pictured right)


was relieved of his post as the cabi- netmember for planning, highways, transport andwaste at a one-to-one meeting with Kent County Council leader Paul Carter. County hall sources suggest Mr


Balfourmay have paid the price for the manner in which the plans to cut funding to “socially necessary” bus routes emerged. The proposed removal of subsi-


dies from the services could mean they are no longer viable. Therewas an immediate public outcry. Cllr Balfour said he was currently


trying to work out how to “brain dump” such a vast amount of knowledge regarding the county’s transport plans. Swale councillor Mike Whiting


has been appointed his successor. Cllr Balfour, who will continue to


representMalling Rural East on the county council and is also a bor- ough councillor, said hewas hoping to spend a couple of hours with Cllr


Whiting on his return. He said: “Mike is a friend and I


wish him all the best. I hope to get an hour or two with him to bring him up to speed, which seems the kindest thing to do.” Cllr Balfour claimed he had been


given no specific reasonwhy hewas out of the cabinet. He added: “I have enjoyed mak-


ing progress in my job but budget- ary cuts have meant that we have not been able tomaintain our roads to the standard we would all like. This is in spite of officers being ex- traordinarily imaginative inmaking sure that every penny of the pit- tance we receive is spent in the most effective way possible.”


AN appeal has been launched to find those responsible for the theft of lead from the roof of a building at West Malling Abbey. Benedictine nuns within the


silent order, which has been practiced at St Mary’s Abbey since 1090, having been re- stored to its original purpose in 1916, were targeted four days after Christmas. Rev David Green, from


nearby West Malling Church, was saddened by the news of the theft at the nunnery. A spokesman for Kent Police said officers received a report that a quantity of lead had been stolen fromthe roof of an abbey build- ing in Swan Street between midnight and 9am on Friday, December 29. Anyonewith information that


may help apprehend the as- sailants is asked to contact Kent Police on 01634 604100, quoting reference YY/39119/17, or Kent Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.


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