Murder at Tunbridge Wells waste depot
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Kent Police have closed Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s waste depot in North Farm Lane, Kent, as they investigate the murder of a man who was fatally stabbed at the site this morning.
Officers and paramedics were called to the North Farm Lane depot, run by the council's municipal services contractor Cory Environmental, at 6am today (9 March) after receiving reports of an attack.
Although details are yet to be confirmed, it is believed that the victim was subject to a knife attack and was fatally injured. He died at the scene.
Police have arrested a man in his 40s on suspicion of murder and are now conducting a murder investigation. The site is not open to the public, and there are reports circulating that the suspect was a colleague of the victim.
UPDATE (10 MARCH):
The victim of the attack has now been named locally as James Wallington. David Squelch, 48, of Maidstone Road, Paddock Wood, has been charged with his murder.
A police spokesman said: “Police were called to an address in North Farm Lane just after 6am on 9 March as a man had sustained fatal injuries.
“It is being treated as a murder investigation and a man in his 40s has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is currently in police custody.”
Cory Environmental has said that it cannot currently comment regarding the incident, but has stated that it is assisting the police with their investigation.
Tunbridge Wells council has announced that due to the ‘incident’ at the depot, there will be no household recycling or rubbish collections today (9 March). Instead, bins will be collected on Saturday (14 March).
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council's Head of Environment and Street Scene, Gary Stevenson, said: "Due to an incident at the North Farm Depot this morning, the depot is currently closed and there will be no waste or recycling collection today. Revised collection information can be found on our website www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk."
The Kent County Council waste depot and household waste recycling centre (HWRC), on the same road, is open as normal. However, the civic amenity service on Saturday will be cancelled to enable the missed household collections to be made.
Any bulky waste collections scheduled for today will be made tomorrow (10 March).
Find out more about Cory Environmental's contract with Tunbridge Wells Borough Council.
