Latest Kent News: Ashford, Folkestone & Romney Marsh
CRIME & EMERGENCY SERVICES:
 An elderly woman has died in a fire in a house in North Road, Hythe.
Firefighters were called to a house this morning following reports of a fire in the premises.
Crews used a hose reel jet and breathing apparatus to investigate reports of a person trapped in the three story building.
Kent fire service confirmed an elderly female resident was found to have died, and a male neighbouho attempted to tackle the blaze was taken to hospital with severe smoke inhalation.
The fire is not currently thought to be suspicious although investigators are awaiting forensic confirmation.
CRIME & EMERGENCY SERVICES:
Two people have been taken to the William Harvey Hospital following a crash in Lydd, Romney Marsh, this morning - Friday, 20th January 2011.
The accident in Tourney Road, Lydd, happened just after 7am and involved two cars, a Renault Megane and a VW Polo, according to Police.
Police sources told Romney Marsh Times that the drivers of both cars had to be cut free from their vehicles and both where taken to hospital by ambulance although their injuries are not believed to be serious.
> Get important Lydd and Romney Marsh news and information from people in Lydd for people in Lydd. Enter your email address now.
The road was closed at the junction with Lydd High Street while emergency services dealt with the incident, it was reopened at 8.20am.
MILITARY:
Soldiers have been bombarded with petrol bombs and missiles during an exercise in Lydd. The troops from 3rd Battalion have been in training learning how deal with hostile crowds in a mock village at the military ranges just outside the town.
The Paratroopers are in training at Lydd ranges on Romney Marsh to learn how to deal with some of the situations that they may face in their role as the British Army’s rapid reaction force. The exercise started with the troops learning how to work together to defend each other and drive back hostile crowds, with training culminating in a large disturbance with fellow soldiers as rioters.
Major Richard Todd, Officer Commanding A Company, was reported by British Forces News as saying "As the Airborne Task Force, we are on standby to go on operations anywhere in the world at short notice. As well as conventional war fighting we could be involved in disaster relief or civil disturbances, and that might require dealing with hostile crowds."
"Learning how to deal with public order situations is a new skill for many of our soldiers, but they have really enjoyed and performed well on a challenging and extremely realistic course."
Full story at British Forces News
CRIME & EMERGENCY SERVICES:
Police are appealing for information after linking a string of burglaries across Romney Marsh, Ashford and Hythe in the last fortnight.
Detectives are linking the burglaries at a post office in Tally Ho Road, Ashford, a shop in Rolvenden High Street, a newsagent in Martello Drive, Hythe, a garage shop in High Street, Dymchurch, and a shop in High Street, New Romney.
The Dymchurch burglary occurred at a garage shop and was the first business to be targeted, in the early hours of Tuesday 3rd January. Offenders removed panels of re-enforced glass, broke into a cigarette locker and stole a large quantity of cigarettes.
The newsagent in Martello Drive was burgled in the early hours of Thursday 5th January. The glass panel of a door was removed and cigarettes and vodka worth several thousand pounds were taken.
> Join over 2000 other people and get important Romney Marsh, Ashford and Folkestone news and information daily. Enter your email address now.
The shop in Tally Ho Road was burgled at about 1.20am on Friday 6th January. Police say intruders smashed the glass in a door to gain entry and cigarettes worth around £1,000 were stolen.
The same night a car – believed to be a small silver hatchback - was reversed into the front door of a shop in Rolvenden High Street so offenders could gain entry and about £150 worth of whisky and beer was taken.
The final break-in occurred some time between 2.35am and 2.42am on Thursday 12 January when a red Ford Ka reversed into the door of a shop in New Romney High Street and a large quantity of cigarettes was stolen. Police sources say the Ka had been stolen from Ashford in the early hours of Sunday 8th January.
Detective Inspector Mark Weller said detectives were linking the five crimes and he urged people to remain vigilant.
He said officers had been out speaking to owners of rural businesses to make them aware of the burglaries and to offer crime prevention advice, adding "We believe that the offenders have used a small silver hatchback car to commit two of the crimes, the burglaries in Tally Ho Road and Rolvenden.
"We are appealing for anyone who may have information about the five break-ins to contact us on 101 or Kent Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 quoting crime number ZY/509/12."
Source: Kent Police
Previously from Romney Marsh Times: Dymchurch garage burglary
SPORT:
The Olympic torch is to pass through Shepway and Ashford and spend longer in Kent than any other UK county on its route to the Olympic opening this summer it has been confirmed.
The torch will pass through 37 towns and communities in Kent, arriving on 17th July and leaving four days later.
On its route across Kent it will be go through Hamstreet, Ashford, Hythe, Sandgate and Folkestone. It will also pass through Tunbridge Wells, Dover, Deal, Sholden, Sandwich, Great Stonar, Cliffs End, St Lawrence, Ramsgate, Broadstairs, St Peter’s, Cliftonville, Margate, Westgate-On-Sea, Birchington-On-Sea, Upstreet, Sturry, Canterbury, Thanington, Faversham, Challock, Harrietsham, Maidstone, Chatham, Gillingham, Rochester, Gravesend, Borough Green, Seal, Sevenoaks and Riverhead.
There will also be two evening celebration stops in Dover and Maidstone as well as lunchtime stops at two Kent locations, photo stops and two breakfast stops.
More details at London 2012.
In the first of a new regular series, Romney Marsh Times looks back at past news and events across Romney Marsh. Starting the series, on this day in 1971 came tragic news that a German freighter had sunk in the Channel with the loss of 21 people, seven bodies recovered off of Dungeness.
The freighter, the Brandenburg with a crew of 32, hit the wreckage of a tanker - the Texaco Caribbean - that had itself collided with another vessel, exploded and sunk with the loss of eight sailor’s only hours earlier. The explosion from the Texaco Caribbean collision was heard along the Kent channel coast.
Several weeks later, another freighter - the Niki - struck the wrecks and also sunk with the loss of all lives.
As a result of the collisions, the International Maritime Organization's made the Dover Straits traffic separation scheme - in which separated lanes run through the Strait for inward and outward-bound traffic - mandatory, the first approved traffic separation scheme in the world. Prior to this the Dover Straits separation scheme was voluntary.
More on this: Report on the collisions discussed in the House of Commons: here
Report on the Texaco Caribbean: here
> Did you hear the explosion? Add your memories and recollections below.
BUSINESS:
 Port Lympne Livingstone
Lodge wins awardLivingstone Lodge, the unique African safari experience at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park, has won gold for The Best Tourism Experience in The Beautiful South Awards for Excellence 2011.
The UK's only overnight safari lodge won England's Best Tourism Experience in 2010 and will now go to Visit England Awards for Excellence 2012.
Bob O'Connor Managing Director of Howletts and Port Lympne Wild Animal Parks said: "It's an honour to win a gold award for Best Tourism Experience in The Beautiful South Awards for Excellence this year. It's a credit to all the staff who work so hard to make this such an exceptional product."
Bob said: "Livingstone Lodge is very popular because it is so authentic - it's a window to Africa, a wonderful experience which underlines the importance of conservation. As you watch the wildebeest, rhino and giraffe wandering past the lodge you could imagine that you are in the heart of Africa."
Picture: (c) Port Lympne Wildlife Park
BUSINESS:
Cross-Channel ferry operator SeaFrance, which operates ferries from Dover, has been ordered to close by a French court. The closure will see more than 100 people employed by the company here out of work.
The court rejected a plan by loss-making businesses employees and buy-out bids from other organisations to try and save the firm.
Full story at Sky News.
|
Join us on Facebook and see what your friends are reading and sharing. Just click LIKE below.
|
Local Links & businesses
| Private Investigator Books | Ethan and Daniel Leaning | Become a personal trainer | Top
J2M2ATYKMMH8