Latest SE Kent News
TRANSPORT:
Train services between Kent and London are being delayed and cancelled this morning after a lineside fire in South London.
Southern said the fire in the South Bermondsey area was causing "disruption to services and trains are subject to cancellation, alteration and delays of up to 30 minutes at present" to and from London Bridge.
The company is advising passengers to use London Waterloo, London Blackfriars/City Thameslink or London Victoria stations as alternatives to London Bridge. Tickets are being accepted on reasonable alternative routes on buses, trams, London Underground and First Capital Connect services as well as South West Trains services from Clapham Junction to London Waterloo.
> Southern Railways
CRIME & EMERGENCY SERVICES:
A man died in a crash on the A2070 at Snave, near Ashford Kent, this morning – Tuesday 2nd March 2010.
Police said the collision occurred just before 8.30am when a white DAF rigid goods lorry travelling towards Ashford was in collision with a green Renault Scenic heading towards Brenzett.
An RAC traffic report stated that the A2070 was closed both ways with four vehicles involved between A2042 (Kingsnorth, Ashford) and A259 / B2080 (Brenzett).
The driver of the Renault, an Ashford man, was pronounced dead at the scene while the driver of the lorry, a 49 year-old man from Dartford, was taken to the William Harvey hospital in Ashford with non-life threatening injuries.
The A2070, the main road from Ashford to Romney Marsh, is closed between Ashford and the Brenzett roundabout.
> RAC
COMMUNITIES:
Two of the swimming pools at Stour Leisure Centre in Ashford Kent have been closed after a crack was found in the pool tiles. Both the leisure swimming pool and learner pool are now shut although main pool and other facilities at the centre remain open.
Ashford Borough Council said that the problem is being investigated and once a solution has been identified, repairs will be carried out and the pools reopened.
Anyone with queries regarding pool availability is advised to contact Ashford Leisure Trust on 01233 663503.
The centre underwent a £17million refurbishment in 2007.
> Stour Leisure Centre
> Ashford Borough Council
CRIME & EMERGENCY SERVICES:
The main route across Romney Marsh was closed this morning - Monday 1st March 2010 - after a serious crash just outside Dymchurch at the Marley Farm holiday village.
The collision happened at 6.32am and involved a Peugeot and a Rover 25
The 81 year-old woman driver of the Peugeot was taken to the William Harvey hospital, in Ashford, where she is being treated for serious injuries. The driver of the Rover did not sustain serious injury. Two dogs in the Peugeot were shocked but uninjured and have been taken to a local vets.
The road was closed while emergency services attended the incident and the vehicles recovered, rush-hour traffic was diverted out onto the Marsh via St Marys Road causing delays as lorries, buses and motorists negotiated the narrow road.
This latest accident occurred near the same spot of a fatal crash in November when a motorcyclist was killed.
Man Killed in A259 crash, 10th Nov. 2009
Update: This story originally stated the time of the accident as being just before 1am - as reported by Kent Police. This has now been updated following a correction. Thanks to various readers for pointing this out.
TECHNOLOGY:
 Kent's Big Day Out got off to an embarrassing start as demand for tickets to the event crashed its website. The online ticket line for the event, which offers Kent residents thousands of free tickets to places across the county on 27th March 2010, opened this morning but closed a short time later as demand swamped the website.
The website would have allowed Kent residents to apply for 18,000 tickets to 120 attractions across the county.
A statement on the website read "Sorry - due to a high demand for the Kent Big Day tickets some people trying to access this website have experienced problems. We are looking into this urgently and expect to be back online next week. Please be patient while we sort out these technical issues.
Tickets already downloaded on Friday 26th February are still valid for the Big Day Out on 27th March 2010. There are still plenty of tickets available."
> Visit Kent
CRIME & EMERGENCY SERVICES:
An air-ambulance helicopter and Police rushed to Lydd, Romney Marsh, this morning after a car crashed into the railings opposite All Saints Church.
A Police spokesperson told Romney Marsh Times that an elderly gentleman crashed his car this morning after suffering pains in his chest. An air-ambulance was called after it was found that it would take half an hour for a traditional ambulance to arrive.
The man was finally taken by normal ambulance to the William Harvey hospital in Ashford.
Full report tomorrow here on Romney Marsh Times.
CRIME & EMERGENCY SERVICES:
One of the UK’s most wanted individuals, Jody Flynn from Merseyside, was arrested at Dover on Friday - 19th February. Flynn who is wanted by Merseyside Police was arrested as he attempted to return to the UK from Spain at the port of Dover using an alias.
Crime-fighting charity, Crimestoppers, confirmed yesterday that Flynn – who was named as one of the most wanted individuals in the latest Operation Captura appeals - was arrested. Operation Captura highlights appeals for information on criminals who have European arrest warrants issued against them for crimes in the UK such as drug trafficking, murder and sex offences.
Flynn, born in Birkenhead in 1981, had been on the run for over a year and is accused of causing GBH with intent and unlawfully and maliciously inflicting GBH.
This latest arrest means that 50 per cent of the last batch of Operation Captura appeals, announced on 23 September in Malaga, Spain, has been brought back to justice.
David Armond, International Director for Serious Organised Crime Agency said: "The continuing success of Operation Captura demonstrates how cooperation between the public and law enforcement can make life uncomfortable for criminals living overseas. These fugitives are significant criminals who may be hiding in the ex-pat community or mixing with British tourists - the attention focused on them by this campaign, combined with information from the public, can be the key to making sure they can’t escape justice to live life in the sun."
> Crimestoppers
> Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA)
COMMUNITIES:
A blueprint showing how 3,000 homes, 8,000 jobs, 70,000 sq metres of retail/leisure space and 95,000 sq metres of office development space will be created in Ashford over the next 10 years has been approved by the Ashford Borough Council.
The plans include the new Gateway Library Plus, a mixture of shops, leisure facilities and new homes opposite the County Square extension along Elwick Road and a new business hub close to the station and development along Victoria Way, the new link road south of the railway line linking to the station to south Ashford.
The Ashford Town Centre Area Action Plan, part of the Local Development Framework and sets out policies to guide future planning application, was adopted on the 18th February 2010 and runs until 2021 covering the expanded town centre area.
Richard Alderton, Head of Planning and Development for Ashford Borough Council, said: "An expanded town centre will be the economic engine for Ashford. This plan will help shape future developments and make the town centre a place for people to live, work and enjoy for many
years to come."
> Ashford Borough Council
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