News | Chemical leak


Four treated for fruit farm chemical leak


FOUR people were taken to hos- pital following a suspected car- bon monoxide leak at a fruit farm in Langley. Emergency crews scrambled to


what appeared to be a major emergency at the Rumwood Green Farm, off Sutton Road, at about 3pm on November 6. More than 50 people fell ill and


were treated for breathing diffi- culties, whilst 40 firefighters worked with hazardous material officers to make the site secure. Cllr Gordon Newton said: “I imagine Rumwood Green Farm will be taking action to check their equipment for the sake of the peo- ple who work there. “But I think the leak would not


have disturbed residents unless they were very close to the scene.” A hazardous materials tent was assembled outside the emergency department at Maidstone Hospi- tal to treat the patients. People were encouraged to only


01622


737081 Takeaway


S P Serving the finest


Fish & chips in Bearsted for over 25 years


•Shish kebabs •Fish & Chips


•Tasty lamb & chicken doners • Wraps plus all your usual favourites


Deliveries now available via the Just Eat app


Thank you for all the donations & support for the Matt Carapiet Charity


Wishing all our customers a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.


Thank you for your custom in 2019 We look forward to serving you in 2020


10 Maidstone East December 2019


use the emergency department for life threatening situations due to the high number of victims. Cllr Wendy Young (pictured)


said: “The situation is very con- cerning. I expect it will be thor- oughly investigated by the Health and Safety Executive and that will give us some indication on where we go from here. “Measures must be put in place


as there are a lot of farm workers who live in mobile caravans at the site.


“These are vulnerable people


and they do not live in brick-built buildings. However, the police and


Bearsted


Find us at Ashford Road


hospital re- sponded ex- tremely quickly and had the tents erected outside ready, so that was good.” A fire service spokesman said:


“The emergency services crews are continuing to work with the owner of the site to resolve the in- cident.” A farm worker told Downs


Mail: “The truth of the matter is we don’t know what caused it yet, but everyone is fine and safe.


downsmail.co.uk Rest centre


MAIDSTONE Borough Council set up a temporary rest centre to ac- commodate 45 people evacuated from Rumwood Court Farm. A Maidstone Borough Council


spokesman said: “After an inci- dent meant people had to leave the area, we arranged mini buses to take them to Maidstone Leisure Centre. Accommodation was pro- vided until midnight when we were informed that it was safe for them to return.”


999 response


CHRIS Stamp, the Strategic Com- mander of South East Coast Ambu- lance Service, said: “This has been a protracted incident, involving large numbers of patients. “I would like to offer my sympa-


thy to those affected and to reassure the public that the trust imple- mented well-rehearsed plans in rela- tion to this incident.”


Family business


THE respected Charlton family runs the fruit business, which grows ap- ples, strawberries and cherries on about 445 hectares across 11 sites within a five-mile radius.


Family Business


CHECK OUT OUR GREAT PRICES Convenient Location


- Dry Cleaning - Service Washes - Repairs and Alterations - Ironing Service


 IRONING OFFER


Staffed - Monday - Friday 9am - 6pm Saturday- 9am - 4pm


Self Service coin operated machines available 24 hours


Wishing all our customers a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year and thank you for your continued support!


Free Parking


Are you a local nursery, hairdressers, restaurant or small business? We now offer a commercial washing / laundry service.


ROSEACRE LAUNDERETTE 140c Ashford Rd, Bearsted ME14 4NA


(Behind Marino’s Fish Bar) Call for further details


01622 296869


A


SIF


B E


H


K


C &


• I H


S B


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  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48