The Leader of Shepway District Council has spoken of their disappointment following the announcement that the Folkestone racecourse will close. Councillor Robert bliss said: “We are obviously very disappointed to learn of the temporary closure of Folkestone Racecourse, although we do appreciate that difficult decisions have to be made in the current economic climate.”

The council plan to do everything they can to secure the long-term future of the race course.

The statement from Councillor Bliss comes after the news that Arena Leisure and Northern Racing will temporarily close the racecourse at the end of 2012.

Plans for a residential development which would enable a new racecourse to be constructed have been delayed after a recent examination in public of the local plan.

A legal row with Europe could delay Kent getting superfast broadband. The European Commission and Broadband delivery UK (BDUK)are in a legal dispute which is delaying councils getting the money for high-speed broadband in Kent and other areas in the South East.

South East MEP Catherine Bearder is concerned the delay could damage businesses.

Around £57m has been set aside by council leaders after plans for the broadband roll out were cleared by the UK Government, along with £33m support provided to seven council areas by BDUK but a legal dispute between the company and the commission has meant that councils are still waiting for the money.

The grants must be approved by the commission to ensure they comply with single market regulations.

Catherine has written to the commission to push for a swift solution. She said: “Businesses and communities in rural areas are desperate for higher internet speeds. It has a major impact on how they operate their businesses.

“To be so close to getting the money is deeply frustrating and I will be pushing for a resolution before the end of the summer.”

Members of the public are being warned that they may not receive their tickets to the Olympic and Paralympic games if they purchased them from an un-official site.

The metropolitan police are investigating after suspending the website www.liveolympictickets.com, who are not authorised to sell tickets to the games.

Warnings have previously been issued for more than a dozen fake ticket sites and the police are reminding the public that the only safe website the buy Olympic tickets from is www.london2012.com as this is an authorised website that will guarantee a safe purchase of tickets.

There are many websites which risk people paying for tickets that they will not receive. Some of these unauthorized sites are www.euroteam.info, www.2012-londonsummergames.org, www.tixnet.com, and several more.

If you have purchased tickets from the websites above or any other website, then contact the company you have purchased the tickets from, and notify your payment service provider and bring this matter to their attention.

A woman had to flee a house with her 6 month old granddaughter after a fire broke out.

The fire started in the kitchen of the Hawkinge house on Tuesday at 4pm. The pair had just returned from shopping and the girl had been left in the house whilst her grandmother was hanging washing in the garden.

Folkestone watch manager, Vic Thorogood, told the Kentish Express: “When she returned to the kitchen she discovered the fire. She did exactly the right thing and took the baby out to safety and phoned the fire service.”

Firefighters got the blaze under control and the woman and baby were treated with oxygen.

Ashford has been selected to receive funding through a government scheme of regenerating high streets in Britain.

The town is one of 15 areas, which also include Brighton, Braintree and parts of London, to receive funding through the plan which was spearheaded by Mary Portas.

Each area says they will use the money in a different way.

Twelve towns were given funding earlier this year under the Portas Pilots scheme to rejuvenate their shopping areas.

Kent Green Party has come up with a novel idea for Lydd Airport while waiting for the government’s decision on expansion.

Press officer for the party, Steve Dawe, says the airport should be converted to a leisure centre providing sports that Britain does well at during the Olympics.

Mr Dawe told the Kentish Express: “If there is a particular sport we are good at there is going to be an increase in demand.”

He said the Green Party would look to put forward ideas for the centre after the Olympics and after the results of the government consultation.

A nuclear waste dump which shall potentially be built on the Marsh may be detrimental to the local housing market.

Estate agents have warned that the facility, which would host waste from across the UK, could put off potential house buyers, as they would no longer want to move to the local area.

The site would cost around £12 billion to build, and would be around the same size as the Channel Tunnel site. Local estate agents fear that the waste dump would eventually cause local house prices along the Marsh and in the surrounding areas if people no longer become interested in buying and investing in the properties.

Kent County Council says that a trade mission to America could boost local jobs and investment.

The trip is scheduled for September and will see a delegation of businesses, along with KCC deputy leader Alex King and representatives from Locate in Kent, head to Boston and Virginia to try and make and increase contracts with US businesses.

The trip could cost the taxpayer £10,000, with KCC offering companies £500 grants to try and cover the travel costs, but the council say that the benefits brought to the local area will outweigh the costs.

Hythe Town Football Club has developed a new, green water source to keep Reachfield’s pitch in top condition.

The club gained sponsorship from Veolia Water and local firm Flow Mech Environmental Ltd. to develop the watering scheme, which is both efficient and environmentally friendly.

The system works by using pumping equipment, an above ground tank and a booster, which pump water from a nearby sunken well found by the club into a mobile watering unit. This allows the club to keep the sprinklers going without having to draw water from the mains supply.

A teenage girl has been sentenced to six years for wounding with intent and causing life threatening injuries after stabbing a 21-year-old girl twice.

Jade Bennett, 18, of Margate stabbed her former friend after they agreed to meet for a fight in Broadstairs. The victim had to be air-lifted to the Royal London Hospital where she was treated for a collapsed lung.

The pair were both students at Thanet Technical College.