Police raid Pussycats massage parlour in Folkestone
Police raided Cheriton massage parlour Pussycats this morning as part of an investigation into alleged trafficking, the Folkestone Express reports.
Officers were at the Risborough Lane premises at around 11am today. No arrests were made.
A Kent Police spokesman told the Express:
“Police visited the premises in Risborough Lane this morning to search for evidence that offences are being committed. However, no one has been arrested and this matter is part of an ongoing investigation.”
(Image via Google Street View)
Police hunt woman after theft of debit card in Folkestone
Kent Police has released this image of a woman they want to speak to about the theft a of debit card in Folkestone. The card was stolen from a woman shortly after she used the cash machine at Santander in Sandgate Road on September 2.
Police think the suspect watched the woman as she entered her PIN and then stole the card – but the victim realised the card had been taken and was able to cancel it before any money was stolen.
The suspect is described as having tanned skin and long, straight dark hair, of average build and was wearing a black and grey horizontal striped t-shirt and jeans. Anyone with information should contact Police Constable Oliver Smith on 101 quoting crime reference ZY/26083/13.
Farage for Folkestone and Hythe: But will it be British Lion or Happy Frenchman?
Nigel Farage has indicated that he may challenge Folkestone and Hythe MP Damian Collins for his seat at the election in 2015.
Mr Collins – widely seen as a rising star on the Conservative backbenches – has responded by questioning the UKIP leader’s commitment to contesting the safe Tory seat.
But surely the biggest question is where Mr Farage, a well known beer lover, would call his local should he descend on Folkestone. The pub formerly known as the Happy Frenchman? Or perhaps the rather more patriotically named British Lion? Only time will tell.
Manifest Coffee opens its doors in the Folkestone Creative Quarter for first time today
Folkestone’s newest coffee shop – Manifest Coffee – opens for business in the Old High Street today.
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Manifest Coffee to open its doors in Folkestone’s Creative Quarter next month
Police appeal for information after cyclist is killed on Shorncliffe Road in Folkestone
Kent Police is seeking witnesses to an accident in Shorncliffe Road, Folkestone, yesterday in which a cyclist was killed after a collision with a silver Vauxhall Zafira.
The fatal accident happened at the junction with Audley Road, close to Folkestone West station, at around midday. The cyclist was pronounced dead at the scene, while the driver of the Vauxhall was treated for minor injuries at hospital in Ashford.
Witnesses who saw what happened yesterday can contact the Kent Police appeal line on 01622 798538.
Copies of hit game Grand Theft Auto V stolen from back of lorry at Folkestone Harbour
Copies of Grand Theft Auto V – a console game famed for its violence and criminality – have been stolen from the back of a lorry in Folkestone, the Kent Express reports today.
According to the KM report, 210 copies of the hit game, worth more than £8,000, were taken from the vehicle parked at Folkestone Harbour between 9pm on Sunday and 4pm yesterday afternoon.
Anyone with information about the theft of the games should call Kent Police on 01303 289428.
Folkestone MP Damian Collins says UK should be ‘prepared to boycott’ Qatar 2022 World Cup
Folkestone MP Damian Collins has today suggested the UK should be prepared to boycott the 2022 football World Cup in Qatar over ‘slave’ labour in the Arab nation.
His comments follow an investigation by the Guardian into the conditions faced by migrant workers in the Middle Eastern state and deaths among the workforce. Mr Collins is a member of the Culture, Media and Sport select committee at Westminster.
UPDATE
Mr Collins has written a blog post for the Huffington Post outlining his thoughts on the preparations for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, in which he reiterates his calls for a potential boycott of the competition. He said:
“If we are not happy with the way the questions of human rights are being dealt with, nor the consequences of playing the World Cup in the winter, the FA should consider boycotting the tournament. If the major footballing nations took a similar stand, FIFA would back down.”
Funding worth £1.8 million to help renovate properties in Folkestone Old Town
Funding totalling £1.8 million has been secured to help pay for improvements to buildings in and around the Folkestone Creative Quarter.
A partnership of Kent County Council, Shepway District Council and the Creative Foundation has been working for more than a year to raise the cash – which includes a £1.3 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The money will be used to restore building in the old town as well as improve steps and pathways that link the streets in the area.
Councillor Alan Clifton-Holt, Shepway cabinet member for the local economy, said:
“This is fantastic news for Folkestone. This initiative will help to enable much needed repairs and improvements to traditional buildings and will encourage a greater understanding of the history and development of Folkestone, and of the role the old town has played in it.”
New bar Kipps’ Alehouse to open in Folkestone next month
A new alehouse described as ‘not quite a micropub, not quite a pub’ will open in the Folkestone Creative Quarter next month.
Kipps’ Alehouse will occupy a property at the top of the Old High Street which has been vacant since restaurant and bar Totally Jazz closed down. It was previously home to restaurants Toro Tinto and No. 11.
Writing on their blog, the team behind the new venture explained what they hoped to achieve in the Creative Quarter:
“The basic principle for Kipps’ Alehouse is to provide gravity-poured cask real ales, a wide selection of wine, and to provide support to small cider producers as well as stocking the old favourites.”
Unlike many micropubs, Kipps’ Alehouse will serve lager, which they believe can be rescued from the ‘much maligned’ status it has gained among sections of the real ale fraternity.
You can find out more about the plans for Kipps’ Alehouse on the blog and on Facebook.
Googies Art Cafe in Folkestone named bar/restaurant of the year at KITA awards in Maidstone
Googies Art Cafe in Folkestone town centre has this evening been named independent bar/restaurant of the year at the 2013 Kent Independent Traders Awards in Maidstone.
The quirky Rendezvous Street cafe, which celebrated its fourth year in business in the town this summer, has got a reputation for its coffee, craft beers and trademark Googie burgers.
folkestone in five 