News Barn dance


THERoyalNationalLifeboat Insti- tution is hosting a barn dance to raisemoney for the foundation. The event is at 7.30pmon Satur-


day,March 30, in FantCommunity Hall inBarmingwhere visitors can dance to the music of John and Karen Sweeney. The price is £10which includes a


ploughman’s supper – bring your own drinks and nibbles. To book, call John Ashbolt on 01622 725435 orAlan Cocks on 01622 761004.


Blaze death


A69-YEAR-OLD woman died in her bedas fire tore through her flat inQuarry Square lastDecember. The inquest was opened in


Maidstone into the death of dis- abled widow Judith Tucker. The full hearing is due onMarch 19.


Ramraids up


THE number of ram raids across the county rose last year, including those in LenhamandHeadcorn. Therewere 14 smash and grabs,


mostly attempting to take cashma- chines, in the past year compared to two in 2014-15, say Kent Police.


downsmail.co.uk


Operation Brock ready for Brexit lorry chaos


THIS is how Operation Brock looks before it becomes opera- tional, as Britain prepares to offi- cially leave the EuropeanUnion. The photo shows the semi-per-


manent metal barrier separating whatwill be the contraflowsystem designed to keep traffic flowing. The London-bound hard shoul-


der is nowone of two lanes,while the other pairwill serve vehicles if the three-lane coast boundcarriage is needed to stack lorries. But critics areworriedthatBrock


is not robust enough to withstand any form of disruption, such as a crash or a broken-down vehicle. Residents along the M20 have


complainedthat thework to install £26m Brock has been disruptive, particularly for those living be- tween junctions eight and nine. Downs Mail revealed last sum-


mer that Brock would be in place by Brexit’s official date of March 29, although Highways England denied thiswas the case.


CLARKES UNERAL SERVICE


F (R.G. KINSBURY M.M.S.Dip)


WE ARE AN INDEPENDENT FAMILY BUSINESS OFFERING A 24 HOUR, PERSONAL, CARING SERVICE.


ARRANGEMENTS CAN BE MADE AT OUR OFFICE OR IN THE COMFORT OF YOUR OWN HOME


•PRE-PAID FUNERAL PLANS AVAILABLE • PRIVATE CHAPEL OF REST •MEMORIALS SUPPLIED • ALL AREAS COVERED


About 17,000 lorries cross the


Channel via the Port ofDover and the Channel Tunnel each day. After decades of wrangling, no


suitable site for a lorry park has been identified in Kent, so Opera- tion Stack remains the onlymeans of holding large volumes ofHGVs, although Manston Airport has been set aside. TheM26 is also ear- marked as a holding area. UK customs hold-ups, crashes,


roadworks, industrial action and theweather canall impact theUK’s ability to get freight to France. Few port observers believe the


problemwill be containedbetween Maidstone and the Channel ports.


Traffic couldspill onto theA20 and back roads, causing greatermisery to already jammed rural routes. Hollingbourne parish councillor


John Cobbett wrote: “Highways England says no facilities will be providedfor lorrydrivers stuck on theM20 and the arrangements for recovering vehicles andemergency access on the London-bound side, which will carry traffic in both di- rections, is unclear. “It is anticipated that any acci-


dents will cause traffic to be di- verted to theA20.” We approachedHighways Eng-


land for comment. The agency did not respond.


31 High Street, Snodland Tel: 01634 240458 18 Malling March 2019


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