News


downsmail.co.uk Floodwarning atMote Park


BULLDOZERS are poised tomove intoMote Park as part of amajor operation to protect parts of the borough frompotentially catastrophic flooding. Engineers are asking Maid-


stone’s planning chiefs for per- mission to carry out “significant” works on a 140m-long dam which stops 200,000m³ of reser- voir water from barrelling down the River Len into TurkeyMill. The works, they say, are “ex-


tensive” and will have a consid- erable


impact “on the


recreational quality of the park, visual appearance and biodiver- sity”. In a report to Maidstone Bor-


ough Council’s planning com- mittee, case officerMarion Geary said she recognised the “substan- tial harm” the proposals would have on the historic park and gar- den, but said the council’s “statu- tory duty to comply with safety requirements... outweigh that harm.” She added: “The dam is as-


sessed as Flood Category A, whichmeans the consequences of


Spate of thefts


fromvehicles KENT Police have issued a warn- ing following a spate of catalytic converter thefts in the borough. They say that, since the start of


2019, at least 29 catalytic converters have been stripped from vehicles in the county. The parts have been a popular


target with thieves because they contained valuable metal. How- ever, in recent years, vehicleman- ufacturers have been using cheapermaterials tomake convert- ers less desirable to criminals. Sergeant Dan Horsley said:


“Changes made by manufactures to deter thieves are reflected in the vehicles we see being targeted today. In more than half the of- fences,ToyotaPrius vehicles,made between 2006 and 2007, have been targeted. “Victims have also reported a


number of thefts from Honda models from2000 and 2005. “We areworking todeter andre-


duce the number of these crimes. This includesworking closelywith scrapmetal dealers, tomake it eas- ier to trace sellers of stolen metal. We are also asking residents to play their part by remaining vigi- lant and reporting any suspicious behaviour.”


24 Maidstone Weald May 2019 Nathaniel back on his trike


WHEN Nathaniel Hurley (12) out- grew his tricycle wheelchair he faced immobility – but nowMaid- stone has united to help him. Nathaniel, of Lombardy Drive,


Vinters, suffers from quadriplegic cerebral palsy and, for six years has depended on his specialised tricycle for life outside his home. He now needs a larger trike, but


the £4,000 cost of a replacement was unaffordable for his family. However, when the Rotary Club


ofMaidstonewas alerted, it led to a team effort among fellow serv-


ice clubs and a town charity. Now the two Rotary clubs of


Maidstone and Maidstone River- side, Maidstone Lions and the Bennett Paine Trust (through Maidstone solicitors Brachers) have each contributed £750 to add to the £1,000 put up by Nathaniel’s family. The manufacturers agreed to


supplywithin sixweeks and the tri- cycle was presented by the clubs to Nathaniel, his parents and grandparents at The Cornwallis Suite, Tovil.


Ms Geary said: “Failure of the


damwould result in downstream flooding of Turkey Mill Business Park and several areas of housing along the River Len.” Other work would see teams


making the dam higher and con- structing a wave wall along its crest. Engineers


anticipate


around 30 trees would be felled and large amounts of earth exca- vated. The 12-hectareMote Park Lake


failure…aremajor.” Work on the embankment


dam, which separates Mote Park Lake Reservoir from TurkeyMill Pond, centres around building a second, 60m-wide spillway.


These overflow channels are cru- cial in controlling the release of water during extreme flooding, if pressure on the dam threatens to destroy it or cause the reservoir to overflow.


Reservoir was formed between 1793 and 1800 when the River Lenwas dammed.MsGeary said a 10-yearly review of the dam’s safety concluded the reservoir does not meet modern-day stan- dards. The construction work would


last four to six weeks and was due to be debated by Maidstone Borough Council’s planning committee as Downs Mail went to press.


Brock removed


– just for now HIGHWAYS England has re- moved the Operation Brock works on the coast-bound M20 between Bearsted andAshford. Contraflow traffic on the Lon-


don-bound carriageway has also been stopped, but heavy-duty barriers remain in place. Brock had been activated in an-


ticipation of potential cross- Channel congestionwhen theUK was expected to leave the EU on March 29. But, with the departure date


nowpostponed, highways bosses thought it wise to suspend the M20 contingency operation. From Monday, April 15, three


lanes were restored to 70mph for coast-bound traffic. Two lanes and a 50mph speed restriction re- main in place London-bound, in case Operation Brock needs to be re-activated in comingweeks. Highways England special op-


erations director Duncan Smith said: “The deployment of the con- traflow on the M20 has been a prudent measure reflecting the threat of potential disruption. “Scaling it back now is a sensi-


ble response to the changing out- look, and restores capacity on the motorway.”


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