Prolific car key burglars sent to jail

Five burglars have been jailed after taking vehicles from driveways across the county. Members of the gang broke into more than 30 homes, including in Canterbury and Whitstable, and stole car keys and other items as victims slept between November 2019 and April 2020. All five pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary at Maidstone Crown Court. Ryan Hull, 27, of Thanet Road, Erith, was jailed for five years and three months. George Knight, 28, of Morvale Close, Belvedere was jailed for five years and nine months. William Burton, 28, of Muir Drive, Dartford was sent to prison for three years and 10 months and Sean Hart, 34, of Riverdale Road, Erith, was locked up for two years. Matthew Francis, 28, of Valence Road, Erith, was jailed for six years and 20 weeks.

Do you park your car in the road at night?

Do you have a problem finding a space?

So how will you fare trying to find a space and a charging point for your electric vehicle (EV)? Perhaps the council will put some charging points in your street, but generally once people have parked up for the night, that is where the vehicle stays! Will these charging bays be for the exclusive use of EVS only, so you will not be allowed to use with a non-ev vehicle? Hence less room to park! Parking spaces can be a contentious issue, so could warring neighbours ‘pull-theplug’ on your vehicle in any dispute?

So you might have a driveway, but would your household wiring be capable of handling a much higher power demand?

A far more democratic approach would be to let people choose the motive power that is best suited for their families’ needs and not be forced into EV ownership (or no car at all?) by questionable ‘man-made’ climate change guesswork?

Boris Johnson has dictated that from 2030 there will be no more sales of fossil-fuelled (Internal Combustion Vehicles ICE) cars/ vans, followed by a ban on hybrid cars/vans in 2035.

Of course the changeover will come a lot earlier than that, as manufacturers need plenty of lead time to adjust production facilities.

Can I please ask readers to support this petition opposing the ban which, incidentally, does not clearly state these ending dates: petition.parliament.uk/ petitions/556842.

One of the burglars was caught on camera