Woman arrested after residents fall victim to charity scam

A BOGUS charity collector has been operating on the streets of Aylesham.

The woman, who makes out she has difficulty talking and is deaf, has been knocking on doors asking people to donate to charities for the disabled and Aids sufferers.

In some cases, she showed householders a sponsorship form with lists of sums of between £2 and £20 which had apparently already been donated.

Suspicious

She is believed to have collected about £70.

However, one householder became suspicious and followed the woman. She was seen throwing the sponsorship forms in a wheelie bin before an off-duty special constable stopped her.

The incident happened on Wednesday, January 16, but police have only just released details of it.

Police later arrested an 18-year-old Gillingham woman and she is on bail until March 8.

PC Chris Ford said: “‘We believe that about £70 was collected from what appears to be about 13 victims, some of them elderly.

“But there may be others who have given money who we do not know about and we would urge them to contact police as soon as possible.”

Anyone with information can call PC Ford on 101, giving crime reference SI/ ZY/466/13. PRESSURE is mounting on Southern Water to find a permanent solution to a leaking sewer pipe which has led to foul water being pumped into the Nailbourne.

Canterbury MP Julian Brazier and city council leader John Gilbey have both written to the company saying the situation for villagers in Bishopsbourne, Patrixbourne and Bridge has become “unacceptable” and needs an urgent remedy.

Rising ground water, largely due to heavy rainfall in November and December, has entered the holed sewer main,