Dover News - October 2008

An eight-year-old from Dover is really set to go places after winning first prize in a colouring competition run by Dover Visitor Information Centre with National Express coaches. Young artist Jack Gibbs won a family coach ticket to travel anywhere in the UK, and, with his family, was presented with his prize at Dover VIC last week.

Local residents are invited to come along and talk about 'Street Scene: Making our Neighbourhoods Cleaner, Greener and Safer' at the next meeting of the Dover Town Neighbourhood Forum.

Two Birmingham men have been jailed for a total of 20 years for smuggling 10 kilos of heroin with a street value of £700,000 into the UK at Dover's Eastern Docks last December. Following a successful investigation by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) officers, both had earlier pleaded guilty to the charges and were today sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court.

Two women have today been jailed for a total of 27 years at Canterbury Crown Court for smuggling 16 kilos of cocaine into the UK. They were caught by Customs Officers after arriving at the Port of Dover in March this year. The Class A drugs had an estimated street value of £800,000.

LD Lines has received full approval from the Port of Dover for the introduction of its new Dover - Boulogne freight and passenger service in 2009. Scheduled to start from 1st July 2009, the new service will provide four return sailings daily with a crossing time of one hour 45 minutes.

A Royal Navy sea captain will bring his 2,100 tonne warship to his hometown of Dover this weekend (11-13 October 2008). Lieutenant Commander Ian Clarke will sail HMS Tyne, one of the Royal Navy's most modern warships, to the town for a two day visit.

Pupils from secondary schools in the district will get the chance to debate in the Council Chamber, quiz Councillors, and make bids for funding for special projects for their schools, as part of a day of activities at Dover District Council on Friday (17 October).

Businesses in the area are being invited to learn more about how to make their work places safer, and to benefit from on site advice with a visit by Dover District Council's Environmental Health team, as part of European Healthy Workplaces week (20-24 Oct).

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) investigators have charged a 42 year old man from Southport, Merseyside with the attempted importation Class A drugs through the Port of Dover. On 17th October 2008, Philip Tasker was stopped by UK Border Agency (UKBA) officers at the Inbound Freight Controls at the Eastern Docks.

A major expansion of the recycling service from Dover District Council, with the collection of cardboard and plastic bottles, is ready to launch from 3 November, and leaflets, bags and calendars are now being delivered to households across the district.

Voluntary and community groups have been invited to talk about regeneration in the district, hear what is happening and what the area will look like, and to have their say in how they and Dover District Council continue to work together for the future.

A 55 year old man from Perth, Scotland was sentenced today to three and half years imprisonment for attempting to smuggle over 4 million cigarettes into the UK. Alexander Kindred was intercepted by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) officers at the Inward Freight controls at Dover Docks on the 26 April 2007. The revenue evaded on the tobacco was £580,000.

A man from Leicester is due to appear in court tomorrow after officers from the UK Border Agency (UKBA) seized approximately 5 kilos of cocaine worth about £200,000 at Dover's Eastern Docks.

A man from Stockport was due to appear in court yesterday morning (Tuesday, 28 October) after officers from the UK Border Agency (UKBA) seized approximately 43 kilos of heroin worth about £2 million at Dover's Eastern Docks.