This Christmas the news has been full of terrible images of flooding in the north of England, and our sympathies go to everyone who has been driven out of their homes. We should also thank the emergency services who have worked so hard over the last week to help them. We are fortunate in Kent that this year we have not experienced the heavy rainfall that has affected other parts of the country. We cannot control nature, but w...e can prepare for the worst that she can throw at us. That is why we have successfully campaigned for the Environment Agency to complete their multi-million investments in the flood defences that protect the Romney Marsh and the Shepway coast.
The winter weather has however led to the closure of the train line that connects Folkestone and Dover as a result of severe damage to the sea wall. Network Rail have said that major works will be carried out to repair the damage, but it could be months before the line re-opens. A bus replacement service will run between Dover Priory and Folkestone Central stations, and some High Speed rail services will be diverted to run between Ashford and Ramsgate, via Canterbury West.
This is an important rail connection and needs to be fully restored as soon as possible. Season ticket holders whose journeys will be disrupted over the next few months should also receive an upfront discount, and I will be asking Southeastern trains to do this. Southeastern also need to make sure that they have sufficient rolling stock available to run services to Folkestone from Ashford, as well as provide for any additional trains required to serve passengers between Dover and Ramsgate.
However, there are also questions that Network Rail have to answer about the maintenance to the line. High tides and rough seas are not uncommon, and the sea wall and rail track that sits above it, need to be able to withstand this normal kind of winter weather. I will be asking them to share their latest maintenance reports relating to this stretch of track from before Christmas Eve, when the cracks in the sea wall first appeared. For more information and images see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-35186965
The Christmas holidays are also a time when sporting occasions bring communities together. On Boxing Day, along with my wife Sarah and our children Claudia and Hugo, we joined the crowds in the village square in Elham, to see off the East Kent with West Street hunt. On Sunday, Hugo and I were at a packed Reachfields Stadium to watch the Rymans League clash between Hythe Town and Folkestone Invicta. Congratulations to Hythe on upsetting the form book to pull off an action packed 2-1 victory. I’m sure though that nothing will stop Folkestone’s push to win the division and secure promotion in the second half of the season.
