Dover News - June 2018

A Dover District Council CCTV operator has been commended by Kent Police for their role in the identification of a burglar following a number of break-ins on shops and businesses in Dover. The CCTV footage was key to the success of the operation following the burglaries, and to a prosecution.

There were 101 fewer empty homes in the Dover district in 2017 according to the latest figures from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government. The number of homes left empty for more than six months in the district has been falling steadily from a peak of 952 in 2009 to 523 in 2017.

FT Leisure has been awarded a contract to install the swimming pool, learner pool, and associated engineering and filtration systems at the new £26m Dover District Leisure Centre. The centre will feature the first pool in Kent built to Sport England specifications for a short-course County standard championship swimming pool.

A Croatian man who attempted to smuggle £250,000 worth of diazepam tablets into the UK through Dover's Eastern Docks has been jailed.

Dover-born soul singer Joss Stone has raised more than £500 for a charity by auctioning the dress she wore to the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle last month.

Innovative plans to help new businesses get off the ground and give existing businesses a chance to try out new ideas have been unveiled by Dover District Council and regeneration organisation Dover Big Local.

Dover District Council's Cabinet is to consider plans to ban the release of sky lanterns and helium balloons from Council owned land and buildings. Helium balloons and sky lanterns are harmful to wildlife, marine life, and farm animals, and represent a significant fire risk. As well as contaminating and littering the environment, they can also contribute to false alarms to the Coastguard.

The number of people housed in B&B and nightly paid accommodation in the Dover district fell from 99 in October 2017 to 59 in May 2018.