Dover News - October 2006

The ban on the use of domestic hosepipes in Dover has been lifted. The ban was introduced in April when water reserves sank to low levels and projections indicated that immediate action was needed to ensure security of supply.

Prisons Minister Gerry Sutcliffe is due to visit Dover this Thursday to see the former Connaught Barracks site where an Open Prison is being proposed.

Dover District Council is to invest a massive £1.8m in private sector housing in the district to help vulnerable families, especially those with children, following news of a major grant from the South East Regional Housing Board.

Police are appealing for information that will help to identify three men who attacked a lorry driver and drove off with a cargo of copper worth £100,000 from Dover.

A decision on whether the former Connaught Barracks site is to be turned into an Open Prison is due to be made within the next week.

On Thursday 12th October the White Cliffs Countryside Project and volunteers will be seeding an area of High Meadow Local Nature Reserve to create the 'Flower of Dover' - a focal point for this, the most recent of Dover's LNRs.

A cutting edge on-line sports booking system is being launched by Dover District Council and English Landscapes. It is believed to be the first of its kind in Kent and will be going live in November.

Road works are due to be carried out at Melbourne Avenue, Dover, on Monday night (9 October). The aim of the scheme is to reduce the number of crashes in Melbourne Avenue as vehicles approach the give way line at the junction with Honeywood Parkway.

A Dickens Festival was held in Dover town centre today (Saturday 7 October), with costumes and drama. The event, organised by Dover Carnival Association, was the first of its kind to be held in the town.

One of the most spectacular archaeological finds in East Kent is coming back to the area for a special exhibition - the Ringlemere Gold Cup is coming to Dover Museum and will be on display from October 17.

The Port of Dover is hosting the British Ports Association annual conference as part of its 400th anniversary celebrations this week. The two-day event at the port's Cruise Terminal 2 opens on Wednesday, 11 October with a welcome address by Robert Dibble, Chairman of Dover Harbour Board.

Police have recovered a substantial amount of copper pieces at a farm in Sutton near Deal, thought to have been stolen during a robbery in Dover on Tuesday 3 October.

Dover MP Gwyn Prosser and representatives from Dover District Council are to meet Home Secretary Dr John Reid next week in a last-ditch attempt to stop the former Connaught Barracks being turned into an open prison.

Pupils from secondary schools across the district will be leading the way at Dover District Council next week when they are invited to become Councillors for the day and experience decision-making processes as part of Local Democracy Week.

The Duke of Edinburgh is to visit Dover in December. As Master of the Corporation of Trinity House, he will visit the Trinity House vessel Alert at Dover docks on 1 December.

Dover Cruise Port is expecting 135 ship calls from 22 operators in 2007. A new customer to the port will be MSC Cruises who will be making 10 calls with MSC Lirica, MSC Opera and MSC Rhapsody including six embarkation cruises.

Police are appealing for information about a man who has been missing for more than three years, and was last seen in Dover. Sean Ward, 24, left his bedsit in Folkestone Road, Dover on April 18, 2003, and travelled to Spain with a couple in a camper van.

The Mothercare store in Dover is to close later this month. The company has announced that the shop, in Biggin Street, will close on Saturday 28 October.

More than 10,000 people could be heading for Dover next year when the Archery World Cup and European Grand Prix is held in the area. Tom Wenham, from Sportworks UK Ltd, said that around 450 archers were expected to take part, bringing with them another 1,000 back-up team, supporters, families and friends, and that the event could attract up to 10,000 spectators.

Two Salford men have been arrested after firearm components, knives and ammunition were found in a vehicle at Dover docks by Revenue and Customs officers on Tuesday night.

Food retailers and catering businesses in the district are set to benefit from extra support to ensure they comply with new hygiene laws introduced earlier this year - with the launch of special free seminars at Dover District Council.

An Action Day is being arranged by Dover District Council's Community Satefy Unit to raise awareness of social housing issues and provide specialised training for partners in the community on what powers are available to tackle anti-social behaviour.

Dover District Council proposes to make a Designated Public Places Order, which would make it an offence to consume alcohol in public places within the designated areas if required by a Police Constable not to do so, and your views are sought.

Pupils from secondary schools across the district led the way at Dover District Council this week when they became Councillors for the day and experienced decision-making processes as part of Local Democracy Week.