Mayor of Dartford celebrates former RAF radio operator’s 100th birthday

On Saturday, 29th May, the Mayor of Dartford, Cllr Rosanna Currans, and Deputy Mayor Cllr Paul Cutler, had the honour of attending the 100th birthday of Pat Everett. The centenarian celebrated her landmark birthday at Beechcare Nursing Home in Darenth alongside her son and one of her daughters. Mrs Everett served as a radio operator in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, before raising her son and two daughters. Cllr Currans said: “Pat is a remarkable woman who has led a good life. She is an inspiration to all of us. “We spoke to Pauline Dillon who is the manager of the nursing home and has been there for the past 30 years. She told us that Pat is a lovely lady. “We had a lovely time talking to staff and the other residents.”

Council deploys CCTV cameras outside three Dartford primary schools to ensure pupils’ safety

CCTV cameras are being installed to monitor drivers’ behaviour outside primary schools around Dartford. The Council is looking to clampdown on both dangerous parking and driving outside schools, which puts young lives at risk. As a result, cameras are set to be installed at several schools in the Borough in the next few weeks. Parents who are caught driving dangerously run the risk of being fined, or even facing criminal proceedings. Leader of the Council, Cllr Jeremy Kite, said: “Some parking and driving behaviours around schools threaten the safety of children, cause nuisance for local residents and seriously hamper the safe movement of other traffic including emergency vehicles. “Whilst the Dartford Borough Council Parking Enforcement Team make regular visits to all schools in the Borough, they simply cannot be present at every school every day. “I am determined to take steps to improve the safety of local schoolchildren and one of the steps we are taking is the installation of CCTV cameras with enforcement capability around a number of schools in the Borough. “The CCTV Enforcement Cameras are intended to deter dangerous and irresponsible parking and provide robust evidence to support penalties and prosecution. “I would have preferred this problem to be resolved by offending drivers showing more common sense and awareness around schools but none of us can accept behaviours that put young lives at risk and cause disruption to local communities. “The cameras will only focus on road markings around the schools and only for the purpose of parking enforcement. “The fields of view have been rigorously tested so as not to overlap into or onto any private premises and the cameras will not form part of any other CCTV system. “The fixed sight camera will be remotely operated by a trained member of the Council’s Parking Services staff and will only be used to enforce breaches of Parking regulations.”