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Catch up on the latest news from across the county with Gabriel Morris.
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00:19 Hello and welcome to Kentonite live here on KMTV. I'm Gabriel Morris and here are your
00:24 top stories on Monday the 15th of January.
00:28 A heartbroken community. Hundreds gather for the funeral of seven year old in Folkestone.
00:35 I love you and I will always carry you with me.
00:41 A bumpy road ahead. Maidstone residents concern over government targets as pothole reports
00:47 hit five year high.
00:50 Potholes is massive and sometimes they just fill them and then a month later they're broken
00:54 again so.
00:55 And in football, Hightown bow out of the trophy whilst Gillingham make it three league wins
01:00 in a row.
01:01 We've got quite a few monkeys off our back there so you can only give us confidence going
01:05 forward.
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01:07 Good evening. First tonight, hundreds of people have attended the funeral of a seven year
01:20 old boy in Folkestone over the weekend. William Brown Jr tragically died last month in a suspected
01:25 hit and run incident.
01:28 His final resting place will be in the exact place he had referred to in his 2021 school
01:33 book, under the chestnut tree.
01:35 A warning, my report contains some details some viewers may find distressing.
01:52 It was never going to be easy but William Brown's parents were not alone.
01:58 The local community were there to support, grieve and remember the life of the seven
02:04 year old.
02:09 His parents wanted him to have the best send off they could possibly give him.
02:14 The young football fan would have been proud.
02:18 The last burial at this church was in 1855. His parents today gaining special permission
02:25 from the king.
02:26 And he was exactly the person you would want on your team. William's drive and determination
02:32 was infectious and admirable.
02:36 You could tell that he embodied the principles that he learnt in this church and in his amazing
02:42 school.
02:44 The values are the fruits of the spirit. Love, peace, forgiveness, goodness, faithfulness,
02:51 gentleness and self-control.
02:54 He learnt that in this very RE book that I have today.
03:02 I've had a couple of strokes, a nervous breakdown and I'm quite knackered.
03:09 And me and William, we got into construction and there's a lot of things I can't do.
03:18 But William would come up with this plan of what he was going to build.
03:23 He'd get his little screwdriver out and his little hammer out and at the end he'd make
03:28 exactly what he was trying to make.
03:31 It didn't make any sense to me or anyone else when you look at it but he was happy with
03:36 it.
03:38 This isn't goodbye. William has just started the journey before us.
03:43 He was always super speedy, the fastest boy in the class, the first boy in the big pool.
03:49 William always had a desire to win.
03:51 I know he's at peace now knowing that he won his final race to heaven.
03:56 I whisper back to you, I've got your son.
03:59 Adios amigos, until we meet again, I'm forever yours.
04:02 Love you forever and a day, Mummy and Purlie.
04:06 Thank you.
04:07 Every seat filled and for those who couldn't get inside, they were watching the service
04:15 outside on large screens.
04:17 Who sounded such a delight? I wish I'd known him.
04:20 Sad, just to support this family and this little lad. I've got a grandson, you know,
04:26 heartbroken. Absolutely heartbroken.
04:30 But then came the time to say their final goodbye. Something no parent ever wants to
04:36 do.
04:37 A life cut short, but his name will never be forgotten.
04:41 A man has been winched to safety following a huge emergency service operation at the
04:51 Herne Bay seafront.
04:53 A Coast Guard helicopter was called to the town's central parade shortly after 7pm last
04:58 night.
04:59 Police have confirmed someone was in difficulty in the water, but crews were able to bring
05:03 them to safety.
05:05 Lifeboats were also called from Herne Bay, Margate and Whitstable.
05:10 Maidstone residents say they are fed up with road closures and potholes, with Salisbury
05:16 Road in particular causing them concern.
05:19 They weren't even comforted by the Department for Transport's consultation being launched
05:23 today, which aims to minimise disruption caused by roadworks.
05:27 The Roads Minister was in Ellesford today to announce this scheme, which he says would
05:31 bring £100m into national roads in the next decade, as Sophia Aitken reports.
05:38 A familiar sight for all of us. The dreaded drive over a street filled with potholes.
05:44 For residents in Maidstone, the Department for Transport's proposals to tackle disruption
05:49 from roadworks hasn't filled them with much hope.
05:52 Some residents have expressed a concern in particular with Salisbury Road. They say as
05:57 soon as the potholes along this road are fixed, three weeks later they end up opening up once
06:01 again. And they're saying the solution here just isn't long term.
06:05 Salisbury Road, that's one of the worst. When they fill the holes in, they don't fill them
06:09 in properly. They just do a bogus job, a patch job.
06:14 If there's no maintenance, you get potholes. And if the tonnage on the road increases and
06:20 you've got potholes, then it's going to get worse. And it's also as well the road markings.
06:24 If the road markings were made more clear or maintained, then older people could see
06:30 where they were going or whatever. So there could be problems there.
06:34 It seems roads around here, they're closing them just willy-nilly. You go along, there's
06:39 a road closed, well you drive past, no one's working on it, and you think, why have they
06:43 closed it off?
06:44 The other day there was stop and go lights and it took me, a five minute journey, took
06:48 me 40 minutes. So maybe a little bit more infrastructure on the roundabouts where they're
06:55 going to put lights.
06:56 A consultation has been launched today, hoping to fine utility companies not meeting road
07:01 work deadlines £10,000 for every day over the agreed deadline.
07:06 Originally, this was a requirement on weekdays. It now hopes to be extended to weekends and
07:12 bank holidays as well.
07:13 Minister Guy Opperman hopes today's changes will cut traffic caused by street works if
07:19 they go ahead. It's due to generate £100 million in the next 10 years.
07:24 Kendall at the forefront of most of what this is going on because they've been doing lane
07:27 rental for a long time and they do it better than anyone else. But the £100 million is
07:31 on top of the £8.3 billion, which is the HS2 pothole and road resurfacing funding.
07:37 So it is sure, I accept entirely, the £100 million is relatively small, but the £8.3
07:42 billion over 11 years is transformational.
07:46 Road closures are a particular concern in Kent, where 12,000 happened last year. This
07:51 has tripled since 2019.
07:54 We need to focus on getting the job done correctly the first time. Now we have an 11-year amount
07:59 of funding agreed from the government. We can plan over a longer term, invest in technology
08:04 where appropriate so that we can absolutely focus on that rather than returning time and
08:08 again to the same problem area.
08:10 The consultation opens today and finishes on the 11th of March.
08:15 Sophia Akin for KMTV.
08:18 A business in Swanscombe says that the extended closure of Galley Hill Road due to a landslide
08:24 could mean the end for their business.
08:26 That stretch of road has already been closed for eight months after the road collapsed
08:31 following a water leak last year.
08:33 Motorcycle shop NBC Dispatch Racing says customers have dried up ever since the closure. It comes
08:39 as residents meet with Kent County Council and Dartford MP Gareth Johnson later today
08:44 to discuss the ongoing disruptions.
08:47 It's destroyed it, absolutely destroyed it. We don't get no passing traffic, we don't
08:53 get hardly anyone coming in now. Last week we actually took about £120 a week. It's
09:03 just devastated us. No one wants to help us with any sort of like any help at all, compensation,
09:10 anything. Of course you don't know who to claim from. It's dire really. I don't know
09:17 how long we can last. I'll be fair. I took a loan out and that all money's gone. Nothing.
09:27 It's just so sad at the moment.
09:30 And we'll bring you more about this story in our programme tomorrow.
09:35 Now widespread flood warnings have been announced in Kent and residents are told to stay away
09:40 from the coast due to high tides that have the potential to be dangerous. Groundwater
09:45 levels have risen to a higher than average level and are predicted to remain this way
09:49 until spring. Well to find out more about this is Miriam Bougassa. Miriam, what more
09:55 can you tell us?
09:56 So I am back with more bad weather news everyone. Sorry. Unfortunately it looks like there is
10:01 more flooding. We've been in a cold snap. We've recently had snow and now it's floods.
10:07 Widespread flood alerts have been issued across the county and have been urging residents
10:11 to exercise caution and stay away from the coast due to high tides. The Environment Agency
10:15 has sounded the alarm for both east and west parts of Kent, citing the potential dangers
10:20 of expected large waves and sea spray. This warning comes in the wake of elevated groundwater
10:25 levels following the higher than average rainfall mentioned.
10:28 And what more can you tell us about rivers across Kent?
10:32 So the Alcornbourne and Nelbourne rivers are currently flowing okay but the Environment
10:36 Agency are worried that they could rise to unsafe levels. They are currently keeping
10:40 a close eye out. Meanwhile there actually has been an increase in flows in the Little
10:44 Stour between Littlebourne and Starmouth over the past month so please do keep an eye out
10:49 if you live locally. The Agency warns of potential localised flooding in areas such as Ellum
10:54 Valley, Alcombe and Petham. Make sure you avoid walking or driving through floodwater.
11:00 We don't see any, we do not want to see any viral videos of cars getting stuck in Kent.
11:05 No we don't indeed. And it's not just rivers, it's coasts as well.
11:08 Yes, so there are warnings on the Kent coastline spanning from Dartford to Kingsdown. Areas
11:13 near the Medway River are at risk of flooding too. Coastal areas from Sheerness to Fabersham
11:18 are also under alert. So if you are going anywhere near the coast please take extra
11:22 precaution. Luckily the highest tide levels should have been between 1.15pm and 5.15pm.
11:28 Well Maria thank you for bringing us those details. Do stay safe if you are out and about
11:32 on Kent's roads or by the coast in the coming few weeks. Well we'll be back after this very
11:37 short break with more news made just for Kent.
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15:01 Hello and welcome back to Kentonite live here on KMTV. Now Vodovia MP is calling for a new UK-French cross-channel agreement following a migrant incident this weekend.
15:14 It comes after at least five migrants have died trying to cross the English Channel heading for the Kent coast.
15:20 The government say their Rwanda plan will stop the small boats crossings but a refugee charity in Dover are calling for a fresh start.
15:28 Absolutely not. The Rwanda scheme will not solve this problem. It will exacerbate this problem and it will put traumatised vulnerable people in just a horrific situation.
15:40 The facility itself is small. They're touting it as a solution to everything and it just isn't. There's no proof that it's going to solve anything.
15:49 But no, this needs to be, we're at the beginning of the year, it's a fresh start. It needs to be the catalyst for change. This now, this loss of life so early on in the year.
15:58 Next tonight it's time for your pick of the papers. Taking a look at what's making the headlines in Kent's newspapers online and on radio.
16:07 Well, George joined me earlier and started by telling me more about the Lower Thames crossing.
16:12 So, the proposed £9 billion Lower Thames crossing is Britain's longest application on record.
16:18 There are so many pages that if every page of paper was laid on the ground it would stretch 66 miles.
16:23 The equivalent of a trip from Gravesend to Cambridge. It would take 328 days to read 94 million words and that's if you read constantly for 24 hours a day.
16:32 The tunnel crossing is between Kent and Essex and aims to tackle congestion problems at the Dartford crossing.
16:37 It's also hoped that it would improve air quality in Dartford by diverting 30 million vehicles per year.
16:42 However, there are those who have their concerns. This mainly lies within the cost of the project, the destruction of the green belt land and the sheer size of the planning application.
16:52 The plans are being assessed by the Planning Inspectorate and if approved, work will start in 2026 and National Highways hope it will open to traffic by 2030.
17:01 And your second story is about toddlers.
17:04 Yes, yes. At eight weeks old, Gracie Harwood from Shrewd was given just two years to live after being born with rare liver disease called biliary atresia.
17:13 However, she was just celebrating her second birthday thankfully following a life-saving transplant.
17:18 Her parents began noting symptoms when she started developing bowel problems.
17:21 After visiting Medway Maritime Hospital she was diagnosed with the liver disease.
17:26 After the first operation, it was initially unsuccessful and her parents told her that she needed to have a liver transplant to live.
17:33 She might have to wait two years for a time to donate and time wasn't looking likely at that time.
17:40 However, as her disease progressed, she became more malnourished and weak.
17:46 Her mother was able to donate her liver. It was a compatible match and now 20% of her mother's liver is in Gracie.
17:52 So she will always be carrying part of her mother with her wherever she goes now and it looks like some progress has been made.
17:58 And the final story is a bit of a love story.
18:02 Well, as Love Island starts tonight, romance is in the air and Kerry Sells, a Kent woman who owns Kerry's Kitchen in Lyd, a famous cafe, she's found true love at 48 years old.
18:15 As I said, she's only established since 2019 and to become a hit with the locals, being really part of business and finding a lot of support.
18:21 But she decided to put it on the market and sell after finding true love and deciding to move away 200 miles to Gloucestershire.
18:28 She came across the love of her life when he bought her lunch in her own cafe, to be honest, and she would send him care packages.
18:35 And just from there on, their love would bloom.
18:38 The cafe is a hallmark of the community and it will be sad to see it go.
18:43 But she's decided that a new chapter of life to begin and she hopes that the owners will be able to still support it when the new owner comes in.
18:51 And as this chapter closed, another opens for her.
18:55 Now, don't forget, you can keep up to date with all your latest stories across Kent by logging on to our website, kmtv.co.uk.
19:03 There you will find all our reports, including this one about a refill shop encouraging people to keep simple steps to becoming more environmentally friendly.
19:12 And the winner of the business category of the 2023 Canterbury Climate Action Awards is the Refillery.
19:21 This was the moment a year of hard work paid off for Catherine Parker.
19:26 It was only at the end of April last year that Catherine had set up the Refillery right in the heart of Canterbury to encourage people to shop more sustainably and cut out plastics as much as possible.
19:37 Now an award winning business, she hopes to spread awareness of the dangers environmentally unfriendly packaging poses here in Kent.
19:45 I think it's this idea that I touched on before that people think putting plastic into the recycling bin is a good job and the job done.
19:52 And really, that isn't going to tackle what is a plastic pandemic.
19:57 Right. So such a small proportion, it's less than 12 percent actually ever gets recycled and the rest is still going into landfill, being incinerated or shipped overseas.
20:06 And that's just unsustainable. So for other materials, recycling works for plastic.
20:12 It simply doesn't. And the only answer can be just to stop using as much plastic as we do as a society.
20:18 From washing up liquid to shampoo by way of honey and pasta, customers can bring in their own jars, bottles and bags to restock on everything they need without the plastic packaging that ends up in landfill.
20:32 But during the economic downturn, there have also been additional benefits to refilling groceries rather than buying them at the supermarket.
20:41 So products that we sell are good quality, very often organic, and you will be paying a premium for that quality.
20:49 The other flip side is that you only need to buy as much as you want and by weight.
20:54 So in terms of managing your cash, I think, and that's partly why students find us very helpful.
21:00 You only need to buy as much pasta or lentils or rice, for example, as they want week by week.
21:06 With plans underway for an online store and greater community outreach, Catherine hopes that plastic free Canterbury could be possible.
21:15 And while I'm here, I thought I'd get myself a nice pot of crunchy peanut butter.
21:21 Would you look at that? Entirely organic.
21:30 Oliver leaders a sack stocking up for KMTV.
21:34 Now for a quick look at the weather forecast for the coming day. When it snowed this week. Let's take a look.
21:40 Well, going into this evening tonight, clear spells across much of the county, but it's going to be cold minus three for much of the county.
21:53 In the morning, it's warming up to zero for zero minus one for most parts of the county.
21:59 Clear skies throughout ever so slightly warmer highs of one into the afternoon on Tuesday.
22:05 Now, this is what the next few days look like Wednesday, cloudy Thursday, sunny warming up a little bit on Friday.
22:12 No signs of snow yet.
22:21 And finally, Hightown have bowed out of this year's FA trophy after reaching round four for the first time in their history.
22:29 A bumper crowd of more than 700 people went along to reach filled stadium to watch the cannons face off against Lancashire side.
22:36 Surely who set a whole 52 places above them in the football pyramid with more on this and the rest of today's football roundup.
22:44 Here's our sports reporter, Buffalo Mehal.
22:47 A bumper crowd of seven hundred and thirty packed into reach fields for what promised to be an exciting last 32 meeting in the FA trophy.
22:54 52 places separate Chorley and Hive, but the underdog hosts weren't waiting around and forced three corners in the first few minutes.
23:02 The cannons came close to an early opener when Ethan Smith's persistence down the right saw Joe and Kaney meet his cross, but unable to get past the Chorley keeper.
23:10 In the 31st minute, a decent run from Aaron Barnes led to a cross in towards the near post, where after a short kerfuffle, Jake Embry opened the scoring for Hive and suddenly the upset was on.
23:21 It's gone in the corner. Matt Irwin, despite his attempt to get across there, couldn't make the ground.
23:27 An aggressive reply from the visitors ended the first half with Oliver Shenton going close and Mark Ellis' header forcing a good save from Steve Phillips.
23:35 That pressure paying off a minute before the break, however, as Jack Sampson's layoff in the box teed up Hazlehurst, who found the equaliser 1-1.
23:43 From Jack Hazlehurst, it's an equalising goal.
23:47 Into the second half now and both sides kept the pressure high, but unfortunately for the cannons, a free kick in the 73rd minute found Sampson's header and after some bold persistence from the hosts, the cup adventure was ultimately over for Hive this year.
24:01 And that is the final whistle.
24:03 Full time, Hivetown 1, Chorley 2.
24:06 In League 2, Gillingham came from behind to beat Accrington Stanley. It marked the first time the Gills have won after conceding first since February 2023.
24:15 A header from Stanley midfielder Alex Henderson opened the scoring five minutes after the second half before the Gills managed to turn it around.
24:22 Gonna-Marseson levelled from a corner before Macaulay Bond smashed in the second.
24:26 We've got a good squad, we've got a strong squad and the lads that started the game today have done really, really well.
24:32 But the ones that have come on have come on and made a difference and helped us out at the end.
24:35 So I'm delighted with them all and I think it's the first time we've scored two goals away from home this season, it's the first time we've come from behind.
24:41 We've got quite a few monkeys off our back there so it can only give us confidence going forward.
24:45 The Gills now move up to eighth in the table, just a couple of points from the playoff positions.
24:50 No National League games this week for Ebbsfleet so we move on to the National South where Maidstone saw the end of a winning streak after losing 2-1 to Havington Waterlooville.
24:59 The Stones remain fourth in the table with Tunbridge Angels 11th, Dartford are 15th before they face Truro City on Tuesday and Dover Athletic in plum last 24th.
25:09 Folkestone and Victor scored a convincing 2-0 win over Enfield Town in North London this weekend.
25:14 Tom Derry broke the deadlock in the 13th minute and Scott Hurd soon followed with his first goal of the season.
25:20 Elsewhere in the Izmir Premier, second place Chatham Town edged a five goal game at home to struggling Chess Hunt.
25:25 And Margate's search for a first win under Mark Stimson continues as they were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Concord.
25:32 Chatham are still second whilst Folkestone are now 16th and Margate are one place above the relegation zone in 18th.
25:38 And that's your football roundup for this week.
25:41 Well what a shame for the Canons there Bartholomew.
25:44 Victor Sports straight after this programme, what else is on it?
25:47 We've got plenty of things coming up on today's programme including a bit of a roundup of some of the latest transfer news.
25:54 It's obviously January, there's lots of things coming out from Gillingham, lots of rumours, responses from the team.
26:00 Not much going on at the moment to be honest but you'll hear plenty more from our reporter Tony just after the break.
26:06 Brilliant Bartholomew, that's all in just a few minutes time.
26:08 Thank you very much.
26:10 And that's all we've got time for this evening on Kent Tonight, live here on KMTV.
26:16 And there is more news made just for Kent throughout the evening starting with Invictus Sport.
26:21 And don't forget you can keep up to date with all your latest news across the county by logging on to kmtv.co.uk.
26:28 But for me and the rest of the Kent Tonight team this evening, have a lovely evening.
26:32 Stick around for more Invictus Sport which is coming up straight after this break.
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