Folkestone

A man who called on homes claiming to be checking the water supply is being sought on suspicion of burglary.

Kent Police have released an eFit of the man who they believe has targeted homes in Deal in recent weeks.

He is reported to have stolen cash from a house in Dola Avenue during the daytime on Thursday, 27 June.

And at 16:00 BST on Thursday, a man called at a property in Pilots Avenue asking to check the water supply, but left when the resident asked for ID.

Detectives believe these incidents may be linked.

Kent Police

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Parents in Kent have been urged to vaccinate their children and be vigilant about the symptoms of measles, after two people contracted the virus.

Public Health England (PHE) wrote to parents and teachers following two confirmed cases in Cuxton.

Dr Claire Winslade, a consultant with PHE, said: “Measles is not a harmless childhood illness as many think – it is extremely infectious, can strike anyone and sadly in some instances can have very serious long term and life changing consequences.

“The best form of protection against measles is the MMR vaccination. It is important that anyone who hasn’t already had two doses of the MMR vaccine contacts their GP surgery for an appointment to get vaccinated."

Symptoms of measles can include cold-like symptoms, sore red eyes, a high temperature and a red-brown blotchy rash.

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Kent faces a “dire” financial deficit of £14m for the cost of special needs education provision.

Kent County Council currently has a debt of £5.7m in this sector but it forecasts this will nearly treble in 12 months.

According to a KCC report, this is part of a national trend which has seen 74% of the UK’s local authorities reporting a deficit from the Government’s Dedicated Schools Grant (DGS) – the sum of money provided by the Department for Education (DfE) to support each local authority’s schools budget.

During a scrutiny committee Swale coucillor Andy Booth said: “Nationally it is appalling and for Kent, I would suggest it is dire.”

The DfE told KCC it must submit a recovery plan if its deficit is above 1% of the DGS - around £12m.

More than 30 local authorities have already exceeded the 1% barrier.

The deficit increase has been caused by a growth in demand for special education provision within Kent, and reduced parental confidence in special education provision provided by mainstream secondary schools, the committee heard.

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A primary school will now offer nursery education after a proposal to join Seal Church of England Primary School and Seal Village Pre-School was approved by Kent County Council.

Councillors approved the proposal on Friday meaning more than 300 pupils will study at the primary school near Sevenoaks, in September.

Elizabeth Mitchell, headteacher of the primary school, said she was “delighted” about the decision.

Sevenoaks ward councillor, Roger Gough added: “Seal Church of England Primary School is a good school and the proposal to change the age range of the school to include nursery provision has my support.”

It is hoped the approval would help ease the transition of children from pre-school to the primary school as the students would be situated in a classroom next door within the main building.

Eleven police officers were assaulted while on duty over the weekend.

Between Friday and Sunday the officers from Kent Police reported being spat at, kicked, threatened with violence, punched and pushed.

One officer required hospital treatment after hitting his head while attempting to restrain a suspect.

At each incident the suspect was arrested using new powers under the Assaults on Emergency Workers Act 2018.

Deputy Chief Constable Tony Blaker said: “Every day our officers are required to attend unpredictable, challenging and sometimes volatile situations.

"This doesn’t mean they should accept being abused, assaulted or spat at as part of the job.”

In addition to the new legislation to protect officers from violence, the number of Taser-trained officers is being increased.

At the end of 2018 there were 334 Taser-trained officers in Kent. This figure is expected to rise to between 1,000 and 1,500.

BBC

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BBC

Visitors to Dartford's Orchards and Priory shopping centres can add crime suspects to their shopping lists, thanks to an initiative involving the borough council, Kent Police and the Crimestoppers charity.

Images of a dozen fugitives with links to the town will be appearing on screens in both centres in the hope of jogging the memories of shoppers and capturing a few of the area's most wanted individuals.

Crimestoppers, which does not identify informants, wants to cash in on the success of the Most Wanted feature on its website by encouraging shoppers to make contact if they recognise any of the faces on the screens.

Among the first 12 to feature in the six-month trial are people wanted for assault, harassment and burglary, with links to Dartford through their alleged crimes or their last known addresses.

Peter Rolington, of Crimestoppers in Kent, said: “While Kent is a comparatively safe county, there are people at large who are wanted by law enforcement. I encourage everyone to check the digital screens and our website and to let us know immediately if you have any information on any of the individuals."

RAIB

A worker suffered life-changing injuries when he was hit by a train at a Channel Tunnel freight depot.

The man, who was driving a buggy on a level crossing, attempted to jump clear as the train approached, but was struck and dragged 20 metres, an investigation found.

The investigation found "significant gaps" in the management of safety at Dollands Moor yard, near Folkestone, which is operated by the UK's biggest rail freight company DB Cargo.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch said that lighting in a subway - intended to allow workers to safely cross the train tracks - was broken when the crash took place in the early hours of 4 September 2018.

Use of the subway was not enforced and most staff chose to cross the tracks above ground, a report said.

The level crossing was only supposed to be used in emergencies when trains had been told to stop, but investigators found there were "no barriers, signs or written instructions" to inform staff.

The injured worker was "unaware he was in an unsafe position," the report said.

Paul Carter will "refocus his mind" as Kent County Council leader after pledging to step down as chairman of the County Councils Network (CCN).

The body was established in 1997 and is made up of 36 county local authorities. It has been described as the ‘voice’ of UK’s counties.

Mr Carter, who will leave his post in September, said he was "proud" to lead the cross-party organisation in its efforts to lobby the Government for extra funding and support.

The Maidstone councillor, who became chairman in 2015, said: “It was a particularly demanding job being leader of a large county council.

“Fitting that in with this role has been a challenge but I thoroughly enjoyed my four years as chair and I wish all the best to my successor.”

Kent County Council

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