Amusement park boss Jimmy Godden has died this week.

The Folkestone-born entrepreneur was known for his amusement parks along the coast which included the former Dreamland in Margate and Rotunda in Folkestone.

It is understood Mr Godden was suffering from cancer.

Boats used to smuggle drugs across the Channel are now being used for training by the authorities.

On Sunday Kent Police and Kent Search and Rescue attended a training day which involved the use of the boats.

The two vessels were seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act after falling under police scrutiny. An investigation was launched after one of the boats became stranded in the Channel with five men aboard.

It was discovered that the men had smuggled an estimated £1.5million worth of cocaine in the country by Hythe beach. The committed the crimes between August and September 2008.

The five men have been sentenced to a total of 44 years in prison.

High Profile local DJ Adam Dowling is going to be presenting the Saturday breakfast show on Academy FM from 31^St April 2012.

He will be joining Chris Kirkham from Discover Folkestone and a local sports reporter known as the Ferret.

Adam has previous experiences of working on a variety of stations and programmes in East Kent.

The professional Broadcaster will join the group of community volunteers and young people who currently present on the station.

South Eastern Trains have come last in a national ‘Which’ survey of train firms in the UK. They received the lowest rank in the country for customer satisfaction. They scored just 40% for customer satisfaction, compared to Virgin Trains who came out top with 64%. Only 35% of their commuters were happy with the Kent based rail operator’s services.

A South Eastern spokesman said: “While we always take all customer feedback onboard, we are obviously disappointed with the survey results, as we’ve been working hard to make improvements for passengers over the past few years.”

A Folkestone based Gurkha has been honoured in a national awards for his heroism.

Corporal Baljit Limbu was injured in an explosion in Afghanistan which knocked him unconscious.

When the 32-year-old came round he dragged a colleague who had severe back injuries to safety despite his own blast wounds to his arm and neck and partial deafness.

The Gurkha soldier was awarded the ‘Mentioned in Dispatches’ one of the oldest forms of gallantry for his bravery in Afghanistan.

A woman in her 80’s has been targeted by distraction thieves. The elderly pensioner answered her door to a man claiming to have found a cat. The man distracted her while her house was burgled on Thursday evening. Euro’s and many items of jewellery were stolen from the woman’s house in Cheriton. One of the men is described as being 5ft 7 of medium build and short blond hair. He was wearing a grey, thin, three quarter length jacket and grey trousers.

Hythe is to become one of the first towns in the country to take control of local planning applications.

The town has taken the first step by agreeing to draw up a Neighbourhood Plan which will set out the town’s development over the next 10-15 years. This comes after an Act of Parliament last year gave individual communities  the opportunity to take over the decision making process.

Consultations will now begin with residents, a process which could take two years, to draw up a detailed plan for development.

This means those seeking for planning permission need now only apply locally instead of at a district level.

Plans to introduce parking fees in certain areas of Shepway have been scrapped by the council.

The decision was announced yesterday by Shepway Council leader Robert Bliss.

It means charges will not be introduced on Sandgate Road and Tontine Road in Folkestone and the high streets of Hythe, Sandgate and New Romney.

However, other plans in the scheme are still under consultation. Other features the council are looking into are residents’ spaces, lower car park charges and pay and display in areas such as The Leas and Marine Parade.

The changes have come through public opinion in the form of public meetings and petitions. Traders in the areas concerned felt that the charges would harm their struggling businesses.

A new bus scheme for students has been unveiled by Kent County Council.

Teenagers aged 16-19 will have access to a new travel pass from September which will cost them around £10 per week.

Councillor Mike Whiting (KCC) said there would be an estimated 3200 passes available for eligible participants.

The pass is similar to the freedom pass for 11-16 year old but is aimed at sixth-formers, colleges and apprentices.

More of Folkestone’s secrets could be discovered with the formation of a new archaeological society.

The group hopes to unearth more of the history of the town after finds at the East Cliff Roman Villa site. The recent findings were dug up by Canterbury Archaeological Trust in its A Town Unearthed project.

The Folkestone Research and Archaeological Group is thought to be the first local team devoted to Folkestone’s past.

They will be meeting on Sunday 5pm-7pm at the Pullman bar in Church Street, Folkestone.