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John Lewis plans Sunday sales of returned and cosmetically damaged furniture, TVs and appliances at its Crossways warehouse, up to 24 a year. Comment by 16 Nov.
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Food & Drink
Christmas Dinner in Dartford 2026: Restaurants With Prices
Christmas Day 2026 in Dartford from £57.95 at the Bear and Ragged Staff to £145 at Rowhill Grange, plus December menus from £19.99: nine places, prices checked.
Environment
Fairfield Leisure Cuts Energy Use 20% After Gas Boilers Go
Fairfield Leisure now uses 20% less energy, the council says, after its gas boilers were replaced with heat pumps and more than 800 solar panels were fitted.
Health
Delilah, 4, Thanked for Helping on Mum's 999 Call
A Kent girl of four passed a call handler's questions to her mum during a suspected stroke, then knocked on three doors for help. SECAmb gave her a certificate.
Planning
45 High Street Dartford: Eight-Flat Plan Refused Consent
Dartford council refuses eight flats at Grade II* 45 High Street, citing harm to its roof, staircase and plan. The owner has six months to appeal.
Planning
Hythe Street Dartford: Fifth Storey Approved, 26 Flats
A fifth storey at 11-27 Hythe Street is approved, taking the old Post Office block to 26 flats. Parking permits are capped at 21, with a waiting list.
Schools
Wentworth Primary Dartford Gets a Double-Decker Classroom
Wentworth Primary can park a red double-decker bus in its grounds for small-group and one-to-one teaching. The council says no planning permission is needed.
Family
Days Out Near Dartford With Children, Checked October 2026
Central Park and Hall Place free, Eagle Heights £12.95 a child, Chatham Dockyard until 15 Nov: 12 days out near Dartford with winter hours and prices.
House Prices
Dartford House Prices Down £17,563 in a Year, Most in Kent
The average Dartford home is £342,167, down 4.9% on a year. That is the biggest fall in Kent by a distance, and only ten areas in England fell faster.
Fire
Ebbsfleet Flat Fire Started by Charging E-Scooter, 2 Burned
An e-scooter on charge is believed to have started Friday's Bodycomb Street flat fire in Castle Hill, Ebbsfleet. Two people were seriously burned.
Parks
Hesketh Park Outdoor Gym: 12 Free Machines, £80,000
Hesketh Park is set to get a free outdoor gym with 12 machines, from a rowing station to a cross trainer. The £80,000 plan goes to a council committee tonight.
Renting
Dartford Landlord Fines to £40,000: What Each Breach Costs
Dartford landlords face fines from £3,000 to £40,000 under a new council policy going to Cabinet on 29 October. Illegal eviction starts at £35,000.
Sport
Acacia Sports Hall: New Operator Sought on 30-Year Lease
Acacia Sports Hall could open 8am to 10pm, seven days a week, under a new operator on a lease of up to 30 years. Cabinet decides on 29 October.
Dartford Online covers Dartford and the places around it: Swanscombe, Greenhithe, Stone, Ebbsfleet, Longfield, Wilmington, Bean and Darenth. The everyday answers live here and stay current: which week the recycling goes, where to park near the station on a Saturday, and what is being built on the plot at the end of the road.
Beyond the everyday pages, we watch the record, because Dartford is not standing still. Ebbsfleet keeps growing, the riverside at Stone and Greenhithe keeps changing, and Swanscombe, Longfield, Wilmington, Bean and Darenth feel all of it in traffic and school places long before anybody writes a headline. Planning decisions, licensing notices, crime figures and council reports are public documents. We read them, set out what they contain, and link to the document so you can see it for yourself.
If we cannot show you where a fact came from, we do not publish it.