Latest news with #TunbridgeWells
The Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Full list of 37 Poundland stores closing in August with first branch shutting in DAYS – is your local affected?
DISCOUNT chain Poundland is closing 37 stores in August as part of a major restructuring. The retailer will shutter branches across the UK over three separate dates next month. 1 Ten sites will close on August 10 while a further 15 will shut on August 17. Another 12 are earmarked for closure on August 24. You can read the full list of stores closing below. It comes as Poundland's new owners look to balance the books as part of a major restructuring effort. Darren MacDonald, retail director at Poundland, previously said: "It is of course, sincerely regrettable that our recovery plans include any store closures, but sadly that's necessary if we're to achieve our goal of securing the future of thousands of jobs and hundreds of stores. "It goes without saying that we will work closely with colleagues through a formal consultation process in stores scheduled to close, exploring any suitable alternative roles." Poundland shops are closing in Tunbridge Wells, Cardiff Valegate and Birmingham Fort on August 10. Meanwhile shops in Bedford, Hull St Andrews and Worcester will be shuttering permanently on August 17. Further locations in Newcastle, Coventry and Salford will welcome in customers for the final time on August 24. In total, Poundland is closing 68 branches as part of a restructuring effort by new owners Gordon Brothers. So far, closure dates and locations for 40 of these 68 branches have been confirmed, including three which have already shut. Poundland to be sold for JUST £1 as frontrunner for shock takeover is revealed after wave of store closures It is understood a further 28 sites are set to shut between now and mid-October. POUNDLAND SELLS UP Poundland was sold in June as part of a deal struck with investment fund Gordon Brothers. But the deal included a major restructuring plan, as well as a cash injection of £80million. In late June, Gordon Brothers laid laid out the details of the plan, which included closing 68 stores and negotiating rent reductions at a number of other locations. All the Poundland stores shutting in August This is the full list of 37 stores shutting next month: Bedford Bidston Moss Broxburn Craigavon Dartmouth East Dulwich Falmouth Hull St Andrews Newtonabbey Perth Poole Sunderland Stafford Thornaby Worcester Ammanford Birmingham Fort Cardiff Valegate Cramlington Leicester Long Eaton Port Glasgow Seaham Shrewsbury Tunbridge Wells Brigg Canterbury Coventry Newcastle Kings Heath Peterborough Peterlee Rainham Salford Sheldon Whitechapel Wells The investment firm has also confirmed plans to: Close its frozen and digital distribution centre in Darton, South Yorkshire, later this year Ditch frozen products from stores Reduce the number of chilled food items sold Close its national distribution centre in Bilston, West Midlands, in early 2026 No longer sell products on its website Provide more womenswear and seasonal ranges These plans, but not the closure of the 37 stores closing next month, moving ahead are subject to approval by the High Court in August. Poundland was put up for auction by its owners Pepco in March as it looked to offload the brand. The Polish company had reported weak Poundland sales over the previous six months and cut the brand's trading guidance for the year as a result. Poundland revenues dropped by 6.5% to £830million for the six months to March compared with a year earlier. The brand suffered "challenges across all categories" and had 18 net store closures over the period. Pepco had blamed "highly challenging trading conditions" for the fall in sales.
BBC News
23-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Taxi drivers 'fuming' as Uber comes to Tunbridge Wells
Taxi drivers in Tunbridge Wells have said they feel "betrayed" after the local council agreed to give Uber a one-year licence to operate in the town."This has really upset the apple cart," said taxi driver of 22 years Toni Conlon. "I'm frightened for my future. It's already very tough."Clayton Berry, owner of Cleggy's Taxi, added that "loads of cabbies are absolutely fuming," suggesting many smaller firms would not be able to compete with the "goliath". A spokesperson for TWBC said Uber applied for a licence in the same way as any other operator and went through the full licensing application process, which included an assessment against council policies. An Uber spokesperson said the ride-hailing service will offer "passengers safe, affordable and easy options to get where they need to go". "Improving local transport services will help the local economies, as well as providing new earning opportunities for local drivers," they added. Ms Conlon said she felt "betrayed" by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC) as, according to her, they had always said they would not let Uber operate the area. Members of the public in Tunbridge Wells told the BBC the arrival of Uber would be a "good thing" as it would give people more travel options. In December TWBC increased the standard fares taxis were allowed to charge, making it one of the most expensive places in Kent to get a cab, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Uber's license will include Tunbridge Wells, Paddock Wood, Southborough and surrounding has not confirmed exactly when it will start operating in the area, though Uber has said it will soon start looking for drivers.
Telegraph
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Council plans homes at cemetery – but hasn't removed all the bodies
Kent residents have criticised 'appalling' council plans to build homes on cemetery land after they said it failed to exhume all the bodies buried there. Tunbridge Wells borough council planned to build 20 new homes on a site inside Tunbridge Wells Cemetery, but were required to exhume the bodies of 15 people, including a baby, buried in pauper's graves. Although the Lib Dem-run council said the bodies had been exhumed in autumn 2020 by a 'specialist exhumation company', a freedom of information request seen by The Telegraph confirms only the remains of four people were found. The document names George Langridge, Maria Thomsett, George Cross and George Payne as the remains found and reinterred in new graves in the cemetery. This means that 11 other bodies, including the body of baby Frances Sarah Day, remain buried at the site, which dates back to 1873. Residents who lived near the cemetery first expressed concern in 2020, when, according to campaigner Justin Quinn, his neighbours were told by people on the site that they were 'unable to find [the bodies]' as they thought they were 'buried too deep'. But when concerns were raised with the council, Mr Quinn said they 'weren't met with a great deal of sympathy'. Mr Quinn said: 'The biggest shock was the tone of the messages we got back from the planning department.' He said they tried to give the impression that it was 'done deal' and 'everything was above board'. Mr Quinn added: 'It was frustrating that it felt like if we didn't escalate our campaigning, it would have got brushed under the carpet'. Eve Wright, another resident, said that the 'inappropriateness of the proposal' was 'appalling'. As well as the issues surrounding the exhumation, or lack thereof, the development raises questions of privacy for residents and visitors to the cemetery. Ms Wright added: 'People who visit graves, it's a very private moment. The last thing they want is to be overlooked.' Another campaign group, Friends of the Tunbridge Wells Cemetery, have also highlighted concerns that the site remains consecrated, and should therefore still be used for burials. Lynee Monkton, secretary of the group, told the BBC: 'As far as we can see, the site was consecrated in 1873. We have no record it was deconsecrated so it should still be able to be used as a cemetery unless they can prove otherwise.' Residents are calling for action by the council, starting with an 'acknowledgement' of the findings revealed by the FOI request. Mr Quinn explained: '[We need] acknowledgement from the council that there are bodies there and they should engage more sympathetically with local residents. 'We felt like we should have deserved a letter through the door saying this is going to happen right next to your house'. Ms Wright also criticised the lack of 'public consultation' throughout the ordeal. She said: 'The council should thoroughly investigate everything that has been brought to light and should certainly put a stop on any further development of the planning. 'I think they should meet with the local residents, some kind of a public consultation.'
Daily Mail
16-07-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Locals' fury over plans to build 20 luxury homes on old burial site after council 'hid' they had failed to exhume most of the bodies
Residents living in the shadow of a cemetery where developers want to build luxury homes over dead bodies have accused their council of 'taking them for fools' after it emerged a full exhumation did not take place as promised. Calls are mounting to block the council's plans to build 20 homes over 11 'sacred' gravestones, including one belonging to a baby, at Tunbridge Wells Cemetery in Benhall Mill Road. Some 15 paupers were buried between 1873-1928 and it was previously revealed how Tunbridge Wells Borough Council had moved to exhume all of the bodies in 2020 amid plans to build over the former burial site. But a Freedom of Information request, submitted by campaign group Friends of the Tunbridge Wells Cemetery, today reveals that only four of the 15 bodies were exhumed between September 28 and October 6 2020. The graves dug for full exhumation with permission from the Ministry of Justice were named as George Langridge, Maria Thomsett, George Cross and George Payne. It means that at least 11 others, including baby Frances Sarah Day, are still potentially buried underneath the ground at the depot where the council plans to build the 16 houses and four flats. The revelation has sparked accusations that the council has kept residents in the dark, with locals saying it is 'incredibly disrespectful' and 'immoral' to build over land where not all the bodies have been removed. Documents seen by MailOnline show the Ministry of Justice issued directions for the exhumation, which included the demand: 'You must remove all human remains from the area hatched on the attached plan prior to starting any development work.' Following the revelation that only four bodies had been exhumed, campaigner Justin Quinn told MailOnline: 'It's insulting to be told one thing by the local council only to find out via a Freedom of Information request that the facts are very different. 'Many of us in the local community are emboldened by the sense that regardless of the questionable moral and legal implications of the development, we don't like being taken for fools. The campaigners only submitted the FOI after those working on the exhumation told elderly neighbours they thought the remains were buried too deep to find. This allowed them to 'uncover the truth that there are still people buried in the ground where these houses are to be built', Mr Quinn added. 'Our hunch is they are trying to keep it as quiet as possible because they are aware it wouldn't be a popular if people knew what the situation was.' Athanasios Sermbezis, whose parents-in-law are buried together in the working part of the cemetery, is among those fighting to block development on the land which lies within the walls of the working cemetery but is now used as a maintenance depot. Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, the 79-year-old said: 'My children were born and live in Tunbridge Wells. My grandchildren were born and live in Tunbridge Wells so obviously to us the cemetery is a very sacred place. The names of those still presumed to be in the cemetery Frances Sarah Day, 1873, (baby) Richard Geer, 1874 Dennis Geer, 1873 Rebecca West 1873 Joseph Austen, 1874 Charles Lee, 1874 Sarah Morley, 1877 William Henry Everest, 1879 Martha Wheeler, 1875 Maria Batting, 1875 Thomas Batting, 1918 Sarah Batting, 1928 'For them to try and hush us and do it so quickly without really providing the evidence that has been cleared. 'My concern is why they are trying to get planning permission and do this when there are people buried there. 'We think from a religious point of view, it is immoral to build something on the top of a burial, even if it is an old burial. It is not morally right to build something where there are dead bodies. 'People might say 'we don't care, we need houses'. Yes we need houses but not on top of dead people.' More than 30 Tunbridge Wells residents have also raised objections to the plans. One resident Tamara Galloway wrote: 'As someone with my grandparents, both my parents and my uncle buried in Tunbridge Wells Cemetery, I'm appalled by this application to build houses on part of this working cemetery. 'The investigations carried out recently did not find all the people buried here. Since these graves were unmarked, there may well be others buried here whose names were not recorded.' Campaigner Robin Parsons, a member of Friends of Tunbridge Wells Cemetery, said: 'I am horrified that you are proposing to build houses over the area in the Cemetery designated as the burial ground of paupers. We know that not all the bodies have been removed. 'What you are proposing is incredibly disrespectful. Would you be doing this if famous or influential people were buried there? 'If the Council wants to erect houses, it should not be at the expense of the cemetery which remains one of the most beautiful areas of Tunbridge Wells.' Another resident, Elaine Lawrence, wrote: 'I particularly can not believe you can build on any burial ground let alone consecrated ground! Please stop this madness! And think of the huge impact on relatives of those buried and instead of a sanctuary of peace it will become a place of noise dirt and lost habitat for wildlife.' Mr Sermbezis, who came from Greece to the UK in the early 1970s, said the land earmarked for development lies within the walls of the cemetery. He said: 'The Church of England in the 1800s would not accept dead people in their cemetery if they were catholic, poor, or if they committed suicide. 'So they created a small space in the corner of the cemetery to put people who did not conform with the church. 'The land was later donated to the council, who are custodians of it.' In total, 15 bodies were buried in the small patch of land, including one of a baby. Sketches show the plans to build homes on land where its feared there are still dead bodies buried In 2019, the then-Conservative council applied for permission to build 11 houses on the land in the cemetery. They were told they had to take precautions to exhume all of the bodies and bury them in the main cemetery. However, the now-Liberal Democrat-run council only found four of the 15 bodies. Mr Sermbezis added: 'Out of those four bodies, one of those was called George Cross, we didn't have his name in our records. 'Either they invented it or they found another body. 'But their excuse is that they found the bodies. We are saying if you only found four, you have to go back and find the other 11. 'I am Greek. In Greece they have just discovered Alexander the Great's father. And your talking about 1000 years ago they have been missing. Bones don't disappear that quickly.' The retired water engineer said that under the The Disused Burial Grounds (Amendment) Act 1981, all bodies must be removed from the ground before any new building can be erected. Campaigners also say this is 'sacred' and 'consecrated' land which cannot be built upon under planning laws. A memorial gravestone was erected which claimed to have the 'reinterred remains' of all 15 paupers. But with only four bodies exhumed, locals say it is designed to portray that 'it's all been dealt with'. The council's plan is to build 16 homes made up of 10 three-bed houses and six two-bed houses. While they also want to build a flat block of four homes, with two two-bed flats and two one-bed flats. Plans show they want to build 30 parking spaces, 20 of which will have electric vehicle charging points. A council source said the council were given a letter from the Diocese of Rochester, which previously had ecclesiastical responsibility for the cemetery, confirming the ground was not consecrated. A spokesperson for Tunbridge Wells Borough Council said: 'We can confirm that the bodies were exhumed by a specialist exhumation company, the detailed surveys and work took place during autumn 2020 once necessary permissions had been granted. 'The found remains were treated with dignity and reburied in a different part of the cemetery. 'A memorial was erected with the names of the deceased in the cemetery grounds and all the works were carried out in consultation with the Friends of the Cemetery.'
Sky News
15-07-2025
- Health
- Sky News
Mother of victim of necrophiliac David Fuller reacts to inquiry that found crimes 'could be repeated'
Warning: This story contains details of sexual abuse readers' may find disturbing. The mother of one of David Fuller's victims has said she is still fighting to get compensation for the impact of her daughter's body being abused in a hospital mortuary. Fuller, a hospital electrician, is known to have violated at least 100 corpses, often filming or photographing his crimes. Nevres Kemal's daughter Azra Kemal was 24 when she died before her body was sexually abused by Fuller three times in the mortuary of Tunbridge Wells Hospital in July 2020. Ms Kemal told Sky News it was "a disgrace" she has to "prove that this has devastated me" as she fights to get compensation. It comes as an inquiry into the case concluded that "offences such as those committed by David Fuller could happen again". The report by Sir Jonathan Michael found that "current arrangements in England for the regulation and oversight of the care of people after death are partial, ineffective and, in significant areas, completely lacking". Ms Kemal commended the report for being "honest" but also said it was "expensive". She added: "This is the most horrendous story this country has ever seen around the violation of dead people. Now we need legislation and a separate body to regulate these organisations. "They are writing reports to help insure this will never happen again. But what about helping the people it's already happened to?" 'Traumatised' Ms Kemal said she is in a battle for compensation and has to demonstrate how the crime has impacted her. She said: "We have the burden of proof that this situation has traumatised us to a point that we either cannot work or it has made us unwell. It's the burden of proof upon us, which is a disgrace." The first phase of the inquiry criticised the NHS trust's poor management and lax security arrangements that allowed Fuller to access the morgue for 15 years and 444 times in one year alone, without raising suspicion. "Azra was one of his prime targets," says Ms Kemal. "He accessed Azra's Facebook. I spent time with Azra in the mortuary and that moment helped me heal. We spent two hours together." However, Ms Kemal later found out that her daughter's body had been violated both before and after the visit. She added: "It's disgusting that we have to fight for compensation when it should be something that should be considered in a very sensitive way and looked at in a more transparent way. "This government should ensure that people that have been wronged do not wait and beg for compensation." What did the inquiry uncover? The first phase of the inquiry found Fuller, 70, was able to offend for 15 years in mortuaries without being suspected or caught due to "serious failings" at the hospitals where he worked. Phase 2 of the inquiry has examined the broader national picture and considered if procedures and practices in other hospital and non-hospital settings, where deceased people are kept, safeguard their security and dignity. Fuller was given a whole-life prison term in December 2021 for the murders of Wendy Knell and Caroline Pierce in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, in 1987. During his time as a maintenance worker, he also abused the corpses of more than 100 women and girls at Kent and Sussex Hospital and the Tunbridge Wells Hospital before his arrest in December 2020. His victims ranged in age from nine to 100. Phase 1 of the inquiry found he entered one mortuary 444 times in the space of one year "unnoticed and unchecked" and that deceased people were also left out of fridges and overnight during working hours. Highly critical report suggests suggest someone like Fuller could get away with it again Jason Farrell Home editor @JasonFarrellSky After an initial glance, his interim report already called for urgent regulation to safeguard the "security and dignity of the deceased". On publication of his final report he describes regulation and oversight of care as "ineffective, and in significant areas completely lacking". David Fuller was an electrician who committed sexual offences against at least 100 deceased women and girls in the mortuaries of the Kent and Sussex Hospital and the Tunbridge Wells Hospital. His victims ranged in age from nine to 100. This first phase of the inquiry found Fuller entered the mortuary 444 times in a single year, "unnoticed and unchecked". It was highly critical of the systems in place that allowed this to happen. His shocking discovery, looking at the broader industry - be it other NHS Trusts or the 4,500 funeral directors in England - is that it could easily have happened elsewhere. The conditions described suggest someone like Fuller could get away with it again. 'Could be a recurrence of appalling crimes' Presenting the findings on Tuesday, Sir Jonathan said: "This is the first time that the security and dignity of people after death has been reviewed so comprehensively. "Inadequate management, governance and processes helped create the environment in which David Fuller was able to offend for so long." He said that these "weaknesses" are not confined to where Fuller operated, adding that he found examples from "across the country". "I have asked myself whether there could be a recurrence of the appalling crimes committed by David Fuller. - I have concluded that yes, it is entirely possible that such offences could be repeated, particularly in those sectors that lack any form of statutory regulation." Sir Jonathan called for a statutory regulation to "protect the security and dignity of people after death".
