Kentish Express Ashford & District
Tributes left for cyclist, 31
Contractors shut North Street for repairs
Tributes have been left for an e-cyclist who died three days after a crash.
Algert Ileshi, 31, was riding along Beaver Road when he came off his electric bicycle on Wednesday, June 2.
The London resident died in hospital on Saturday, June 5 and his family have now visited the scene of the crash.
A picture of Mr Ileshi has appeared at the roadside, as well as flowers, a cigarette packet and beer among other items.
A message written on one bunch of flowers reads: “Rest in peace bro, too fast for this life.”
Another, signed from Georgia and Theo, said: “Rest easy, they always take the best ones first.”
Witness Alfie Gent said Mr Ileshi, of Kilburn, north-west London, was hurt when his bicycle hit a pothole, causing him to flip forward.
While he regained consciousness after the collision, he tragically died of his injuries in a London hospital.
Across the road from the tributes, about 50 candles have been placed by the pothole, which has been filled in since the crash.
When asked about the pothole, a police spokeswoman said “establishing what caused the accident will be part of our ongoing inquiries”.
The incident happened between 9.55pm and 10.05pm on Wednesday, June 2.
Officers say they are particularly interested in speaking to anyone who may have seen Mr Ileshi before the collision and a woman who was driving a small white car who stopped at the scene.
Last Tuesday, Mr Gent, who volunteers for The Salvation Army in Ashford, was left fuming after a tribute he left at the scene was stolen within five hours of being tied to a lamppost.
Mr Gent said: “I had even used a zip tie to secure it to the lamppost, so it wasn’t as if they were just picked up – it would have taken effort to remove them.”
■ Anyone with information about the crash is urged to call police on 101, quoting reference SL/47/21.
Disgruntled business owners in an Ashford street say they are being plagued by foul smells caused by a blocked and broken sewer pipe.
Residents have noticed a smell in North Street steadily getting worse over the last two months, causing restaurants to lose business.
Some have even said it is so bad at times that it has forced customers sitting outside to leave or demand to be moved.
Frustrated resident Jim Davies says he first noticed the smell in April.
“That’s when the latest incident of the smell happened, certainly, on and off for a few weeks before steadily getting worse,” he said.
“Truth be told, my wife and I have lived here for more than 30 years and I’d say for 20 of those we had no issues.
“But over the last decade or so it’s become increasingly problematic as more and more buildings on the road are converted into flats.
“We all started noticing the smell was getting worse especially at the north end, and started a log with Ashford Borough Council.
“A complaint was then sent to Southern Water on April 23, but it has continued to be a problem up to now.”
It is believed that previous work on a blockage merely moved it further down the sewage pipe, which was then discovered to be cracked and leaking.
The smell is so bad that it has reportedly caused as many as five restaurants in the area to lose customers.
Justyna Deidda, who owns and runs Italian restaurant Amici with her husband Massimo, says it has been impacting the restaurant.
She said: “During one lunchtime last week we had some customers sitting outside, they can’t have lasted 10 minutes before they asked to be moved inside because of the smell.
“It’s just not what we need; it would be bad at any point, but especially when we’re doing our best to recover from lockdown and have limited seating inside because of the restrictions we’re still under.”
Work is ongoing to remove the blockage underneath North Street, which has been closed to vehicles, so the cracked pipe can be repaired.
A grate close to Amici has also been sealed; workmen told the Kentish Express they hoped this would limit the smell coming from underneath.
In a statement last week, a Southern Water spokesman said: “We’re sorry about the problems our customer has experienced.
“We were not informed of any issue until May 12 and we attended within two hours and found no evidence of internal flooding and our own network was in working order.
“We understand a private contractor may have cleared a blockage within a property on May 28 but only moved the problem down the sewer and a broken pipe was then discovered.”
Last Tuesday, Southern Water said the repairs were due to take seven days, but did not respond to a request for comment this week.
■ Have you noticed the sewage smell in North Street? Email kentishexpress@thekmgroup. co.uk
A woman arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender as part of the investigation into Sarah Everard’s death faces no further action.
Sarah’s body was found in woodland behind the former Great Chart Golf and Leisure Complex in March, a week after she disappeared while walking home in south London.
The woman, aged in her 30s, was arrested in Deal at the same time as alleged murderer and serving police officer Wayne Couzens on March 9 on suspicion of kidnap and assisting an offender.
It was confirmed last week by The Met that she would face no further action.
Meanwhile, Couzens pleaded guilty last week to the rape and kidnapping of Ms Everard.
The 33-year-old marketing executive disappeared while walking home in south London in March and was later discovered more than 50 miles away in Great Chart. A post-mortem examination revealed she had been strangled.
Sarah, originally from York, went missing while walking home to Brixton after visiting a friend.
Human remains were discovered a week later next to a defunct leisure and golf complex, with dental records confirming the body belonged to Ms Everard.
Appearing at the Old Bailey last Tuesday via video-link from HMP Belmarsh, 48-year-old Couzens spoke only to say “guilty, sir” to charges of rape and kidnapping.
He was not asked to enter a plea with regard to her murder. The court heard he does not deny responsibility for the killing but is awaiting medical reports before he enters a plea to the murder charge.
Those reports will relate to his “mental state”, a judge was told.
Lord Justice Adrian Falford said: “The defendant has pleaded guilty today to the kidnap of Sarah Everard and the rape of Sarah Everard.
“Count three, the count of murder, has not been put to the defendant because medical reports are awaited in relation to that allegation - although the defendant accepts responsibility for the killing.”
“It is hoped that the issue in relation to count three can be resolved at the plea and trial preparation hearing on July 9 - by which time it is the hope of the court that the psychiatric and psychological reports commission by the defence will have been completed and will be available.”
Jim Sterman QC, representing Couzens, said: “Responsibility for the killing is also admitted, the only issue, if there is to be one, is to be his mental state at the time and reports are not yet ready.”
Searches during the murder inquiry also focused on Couzens’ home, a garage formerly owned by his family in Centre Road, Dover, and several sites in Sandwich, including the Ropewalk and the Guildhall and Co-op car parks.
Couzens, of Freemen’s Way, Deal, served with the Met since 2018 and was attached to an armed unit responsible for guarding the London parliamentary estate and embassies.
He is due to stand trial in October.