Watch out, there are randy deer about

Motorists are being warned to steer clear of randy deer during the creatures’ annual mating season this month.

Highways England and The Deer Initiative have joined forces to warn people about the higher risk of collisions on the roads.

They estimate there are 74,000 deer-related crashes in the UK every year, resulting in up to 700 injuries to drivers and as many as 20 deaths.

The highest risk is from sunset to midnight and also shortly before and after sunrise when the creatures are more likely to be on the move.

Drivers are warned to watch their speed and be prepared to stop in heavily wooded areas such as at Challock on the A251 Faversham Road.

They should also be wary of the fact that other deer may follow a leader, and should dip headlights off full beam as the creatures might freeze on the spot.

Much has been made of Ashford Borough Council (ABC) hiring litter wardens (sorry ... enforcement officers) to crack down on those who drop their rubbish or fag ends on the pavements of the town centre.

But one reader is unhappy about riders allowing their horses to deposit their droppings on the pedestrian pavements around the town’s Drovers Roundabout.

Several times this has happened in recent months and our reader, who asked not to be named, asked us whether the horse owner could be fined for leaving their mount’s mess on the pavement.

It’s an interesting point as dog owners can definitely be fined for leaving their pooch’s poop in situ (not that culprits ever are though).

Our reader said: “It’s absolutely irresponsible. I clean up my dog’s mess, so these people should clean up any mess on a pavement. There are so many people use this path, especially children going to school. It’s just disgusting.”

So we posed the question to ABC, who responded by saying: “Horse riders will not receive an on-the-spot fine if they do not clean up after their horses.

“However, if there is a particular area that was being predominantly used by horse owners, where problems associated with that use were identified, we would consider alternative remedies (potentially legislative and non legislative).

“If this situation were to happen, we would publicise any change in approach.”

So, basically the owner of a four-legged dog can get done while the owner of a fourlegged horse can get away with it. We’ll leave you to judge whether that’s fair or not!

The confirmed news that it is definitely Aldi that will occupy the new superstore proposed as part of the muli-million pound redevelopment of Victoria Road raised an interesting (well it was bordering on interesting) little debate among members of the Nuts and Bolts team.

The question we were mulling over is whether Aldi is pronounced Al-dee or Awl-dee?

It reminded us of a previous Nuts and Bolts discussion over whether Ashford’s river Stour and leisure centre should be pronounced Stower or Stoor.

Although the new Aldi supermarket still needs planning approval it looks certain to obtain it. So within a few years we’ll all have to decide whether we are popping down to Al-dee or Awl-dee.

Aldi is a leading global discount supermarket chain with almost 10,000 stores in 18 countries, and an estimated annual turnover of more than €50 billion.

Based in Germany, the chain was founded by brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht in 1946 when they took over their mother’s store in Essen which had been in operation since 1913. It is one of the world’s largest privately owned companies.

By 1960 they owned 300 shops and in 1962, they introduced the name Aldi (a syllabic abbreviation for Albrecht Diskont).

The new Aldi store will be Ashford’s first, although we already have a Lidl (in Park Street) one of the chain’s direct competitors.

We would ask how you pronounce Lidl ... but let’s save that for another week.

So the burning question is, should we say Al-dee or Awldee? Let us know which you think is correct by writing to Kentish Express, 34-36 North Street, Ashford TN24 8JR or emailing kentishexpress@ thekmgroup.co.uk

The Nuts and Bolts team is pleased to declare this week’s page a no-go zone for scary clown stories and references. We can’t vouch for the rest of the paper but this is a clown-free patch so you can settle down and read the material without fear of being scared by a masked madman jumping out from behind you wielding a knife or axe.

Drivers have been asked to watch out for deer during the mating season

Horse dung on the pavement near the Drovers roundabout in Ashford

Artist impressions of the proposed Aldi for Victoria Way, in Ashford