Author: Benjamin

The mother was due to appear at Bromley Magistrates’ Court today, December 3, after being found guilty of failing to ensure her child frequently attended school. Court documents said the child was intermittently absent from school between October 30 2023 and June 14 2024. The child was reportedly nine-years-old and registered at a primary school within the borough. The mother did not attend her hearing at Bromley Magistrates’ Court, with her case being proved in her absence. She was found guilty under Section 444 of the Education Act 1996, stating the parent of any child who fails to regularly attend…

Armed police were called to a Post Office following reports of an attempted robbery.Officers arrived at the shop in Twydall Green, Gillingham, shortly after 2.50pm.Armed police were called to reports of an attempted robbery in Twydall Green, Gillingham. Stock pictureIt is alleged threats had been made to a member of staff before a man fled the scene empty-handed.Patrols, including armed officers, attended but the suspect had left prior to their arrival.Nobody was harmed during the incident and a search of the area was carried out.Investigators are appealing to any witnesses to contact the appeal line on 01634 792209, quoting reference…

Carl Smith, of Chesney Crescent, New Addington, was caught littering in Market Square, Bromley, in July. He was issued a £100 fixed penalty notice, but this was not paid. He was then prosecuted and pleaded guilty to littering at Bromley Magistrates’ Court on December 3. He was ordered to pay a fine of £293, a surcharge of £117, and £423 in costs, totalling £833. A council spokesperson said: “On behalf of residents, the council has street cleaning teams working seven days a week across the borough, keeping our streets neat. “Littering undoes this work and is illegal, with our enforcement…

A secondary school will shut early tomorrow because of a “critical” issue with its water supply.Teachers at Towers School in Ashford have written to parents explaining a problem with its water tank means the site currently has “limited toilet facilities” by 2pm.Towers School in Ashford will close from 2pm tomorrowAs a result, all pupils will have to be sent home early from the Faversham Road school tomorrow.In a letter to parents, head teacher Richard Billings said this is not a decision he has taken lightly and is working to find a solution.He said: “I would like to inform you of…

Two of them are expected to cause moderate delays – with drivers facing waits of between 10 and 30 minutes. National Highways is responsible for maintaining motorways and major A-roads, so closures of smaller roads will not be included in their schedule. Here is the full list of upcoming closures: • A282, from 10pm December 2 to 5.30am December 20, moderate delays (10-30 minutes): A282 northbound, West Tunnel closure, carriageway and slip road closure for tunnel works, diversion via National Highways roads. • A2, from 8pm December 9 to 6am December 11, slight delays (under 10 minutes): A2 both directions…

The work will affect trains from today (December 9) to Friday (December 13). We have compiled all of the details on these works so that you can plan your journey this weekend. Engineering work is taking place overnight at various locations on the Southeastern network, closing some lines. Monday to Thursday (December 9 to December 13) From 11.20pm until the end of service, some trains to and from London Victoria will be retimed, departing between up to five minutes later than usual with some journeys being extended by up to 15 minutes. Trains arriving at London Victoria will arrive between up…

A leopard who became popular with visitors at a wild animal park in Kent has died aged 19.Tingting, a North Chinese leopard, arrived at Howletts Wild Animal Park in 2008 when she was just three years old.Keepers at Howletts say Tingting had a “huge personality”. Picture: Daz TakesPhotosShe came to the UK from Karlsruhe in Germany as part of a worldwide breeding programme and was joined by two-year-old male Saian who arrived from Thoiry near Paris.A couple of years later she gave birth to two cubs, one of whom stayed with her until the day she died.Announcing the sad news…

Closures will primarily affect the A282 northbound West Tunnel, with diversions in place via National Highways. Motorists are advised to plan their journeys accordingly. The Dartford Crossing is a vital road link over the River Thames in England, connecting Dartford in Kent to Thurrock in Essex via the A282. This information is accurate at the time of publication, but may be subject to change, particularly in adverse weather conditions. Monday, December 9 – Tuesday, December 10 A282-Northbound A282 Northbound West Tunnel closure Carriageway and slip road closure for tunnel works 9pm – 5.30am Diversion via National Highways roads Tuesday, December…

Bromley Council has received an application to allow the store to sell alcohol during the extended hours. The store is part of a Shell petrol station on Queensway in Petts Wood, Orpington. It is currently open from 7am to 11pm each day while also selling alcohol during these times. The new submission would extend these times to 24 hours a day seven days a week. It also requests for hot food and drinks to be served at the store from 11pm to 5am daily. The proposal has received 20 objections, including two from ward councillors. Conservative Councillor Tony Owen expressed…

Plans to hike parking charges across several towns and villages have been met with fury from worried residents who fear it will “kill off the high street”.Sevenoaks council is proposing increasing both its on and off-street parking costs from next year.Concerns were raised over the upkeep of Bligh’s Meadow car park in Sevenoaks. Photo: GoogleThis will impact several car parks in Sevenoaks town centre, including Bligh’s Meadow, The Stag Theatre, Bradbourne, St Johns & St James, as well as Bevan Place, Park Road and Station Road car parks in Swanley, and Darent, Quebec Avenue and Vicarage Hill car parks in…