News


downsmail.co.uk Lidl on the move to Wickes


The supermarket will vacate its existing unit at


the Broadway


Shopping Centre to move in with the DIY store in St Peter’s Street, Maidstone Borough Council heard. Wickes will remain in the building with a reduced floor area. The project will involve external alternations, removal of the en- trance lobby and installation of a new entrance pod. The customer car park will be re- configured to provide trolley stor- age, covered cycle parking and parking for disabled drivers and those with children.


in drugs case A SUSPECTED drug dealer has


been charged after crack cocaine, heroin and digital scales were found in Maidstone.


Officers in plain clothes saw three men acting suspiciously near Terrace Road at around 11.30am on June 15. One of the men was stopped and searched, and some cash and a phone were seized. He was arrested and, when the property was searched, the officers recovered suspected drugs. More cash was seized at an ad- dress in Tonbridge Road. Adam Haddock (33) of Ton- bridge Road, was later charged with possession of cocaine with in- tent to supply and possession of heroin with intent to supply. He was remanded by Medway Magistrates’ Court to appear at a hearing at Maidstone Crown Court on a date to be confirmed.


PERMISSION has been granted for part of a Wickes store to be turned into a Lidl food store. requirement


Cllr Tony Harwood said: “Any- body who knows the current Wickes building knows it is a cav- ernous, underused space. I think that this refurbishment would im- prove the environmental perfor- mance of this building.


“I think this could be a retail de-


velopment Maidstone could be proud of.” Cllr Clive English said: “It is very good to see that the company will be remaining in the area. “Anybody who has actually shopped in Lidl will realise that just going in and out of the car park


is a very difficult move which in- terferes with the traffic quite sub- stantially.” Cllr Peter Holmes said: “I think it’s a really good move, it will cer- tainly cause me to go shopping there because I do think the exist- ing location is a little bit out of the way.”


Cllr Denis Spooner said: “I think


we have here a proposal we are all rather supporting, I use Wickes quite a lot and I use Lidl quite a lot.” Permission was granted by MBC’s planning committee with a


Man arrested Call for football ban


ANGRY residents in Chart Sutton want to ban neighbouring football teams from playing in the village. Locals fear someone will get


hurt due to the volumes of traffic, noise and parking the teams bring with them to each match. One resident, who did not wish


to be named, said: “We don’t have a team and no one from our vil- lage even plays. “The teams don’t care where


they park, the noise they make, or the rubbish they leave behind.” Chairman of Chart Sutton


parish council Peter Forknall said: “The footballers park on the road, which they are allowed to do. “There are more cars because


since the pandemic they have had to come individually rather than car share. If you don’t like it then you shouldn’t have bought a house next to a football field. “We regularly speak to the foot-


AN unlocked bicycle was stolen from a garden in Lyle Court, Allington. Eggs and baked beans were thrown at a house in Shirley Way, Bearsted. A fence was damaged at a house in Bot- tlescrew Hill, Boughton Monchelsea. A shop was broken into in Chart Cor-


ner, Chart Sutton. A motorcycle was stolen in Chatham


Road, Boxley. A white Yamaha YZF R125 motorbike,


registration LT20***, was stolen from Red- wall Lane, Linton. Thieves broke into a cabin at a house in The Priory, East Farleigh, and stole a TV and a computer monitor. Diesel was stolen from a vehicle in Detling Hill, Detling.


Furniture taken from a fishing hut in Goddington Lane, Harrietsham, was set


44


ballers and remind them to re- spect the pitch and they listen.” Parish councillor Mike FitzGerald


(pictured) said: “The problem was raised at a parish council meeting on June 14. “It seems unfortunate that peo-


ple are getting upset and we need to resolve it.”


for landscaping


around all three edges of the car park and for there to be six electric vehicle charging points. A date has not yet been set for the works to begin. The Broadway area was thrust into the news in recent years when the previous administration backed an idea for a large block of flats which would have required moving the county town’s war memorial to another location. The public backlash and furious MBC member revolt saw the plan withdrawn.


Hi-vis asher


seen in wood A MAN in a hi-vis jacket al- legedly exposed himself in wood- land near Blue Bell Hill. A woman walking her dog saw


a man committing an indecent act near a footpath between Chatham Road and Old Chatham Road at 4.35pm on Thursday, June 17. The suspect is described as


white, in his 30s and of medium build and height. He was wearing a hi-vis jacket, dark trousers and work boots.


Officers would like to speak to anyone who may have seen any- thing suspicious. Nearby busi- nesses and residents are also asked to check CCTV or doorbell cameras which may hold impor- tant images of the suspect. Call Kent appeals line on 01622 604100, quoting reference 46/105135/21 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.


Neighbourhood Watch Working to reduce crime. Call Crimestoppers 0800 555 111 or local police


alight. The hut was also damaged and the padlock to the access gate was broken. A shed at a house in Knights Way, Headcorn, was broken into and bikes and other items were taken. Thieves broke into a house in Tintern


Road, Allington, and took the keys to a silver Mercedes CLC180 KOMP, ML60***, which was then stolen. Thieves broke into a Ford Transit in Lenham Road, Headcorn, and stole tools. A group of men damaged a window and the door of a house in Quested Way, Harrietsham.


Items were stolen during a break-in at


an office building in Grigg Lane, Head- corn. A group of young people were seen fir- ing an air pistol at a Hyundai in Bow Bridge, Yalding. The window of a Vauxhall Corsa was smashed in Quarry Road. A house in Union Street, Maidstone,


was damaged. A restaurant in Church Green, Marden


was damaged with a paint mixture. A vehicle was damaged in Old Whet- sted Road, Yalding.


Crime reports


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