Catch up on all the latest news from across the county with Finn Macdiarmid.
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00:00Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight, live here on KMTV.
00:29I'm Finn McDermid and here are your top stories on Thursday the 5th of June.
00:34An unexpected bill. Disabled Dartford woman wrongly charged £30,000 for her heating.
00:40I try to be strong considering my disability. I've got a spine disease with ulcerative colitis
00:47and I'm going through hell.
00:49Ferry frustration. Businesses join calls for Gravesend to Tilbury service to return.
00:54That was a loss which should never have happened.
00:58And what's happening in the world of film? Well, we'll find out ahead of a brand new
01:01episode of Kent Film Club.
01:13But first this evening, a man's been arrested in Kent on suspicion of murder after a young
01:17boy died in a collision involving an e-bike car and pedestrian. The incident took place
01:22in Sheffield with South Yorkshire police saying they understand a grey Audi drove towards
01:28three electric bikes colliding with one rider.
01:31Well, our reporter Bartholomew Hall joins us in the studio now. Bartholomew, take us through
01:36the incident. What do we currently know?
01:37Well, Finn, emergency services responded to reports of a collision in the Darnell area of Sheffield
01:44just after 4.50pm on Wednesday evening, so yesterday evening. Graphic CCTV footage, and
01:49I should warn, we've paused just before the moment of impact, appears to show the car veer
01:55into the opposite carriageway before colliding with a rider of an electric bike. There was three
02:03electric bikes there at the time. That boy, sorry, then the car continued to travel on the
02:11opposite carriageway following that initial crash and then was involved in a further collision
02:16with a teenage pedestrian. Now, that boy was taken to hospital but died there as a result
02:21of his injuries. And the 18-year-old man, who was the rider of the electric bike who
02:25was hit, remains in hospital this evening with serious injuries.
02:29I see. And what have we heard from police so far?
02:32Well, South Yorkshire police have confirmed that a 20-year-old man from Kent has been arrested
02:37on suspicion of murder. We're not currently aware of any charges, so we don't know any more
02:41information about the suspect at this time. Senior investigating officer DCI Benjamin Wood
02:46said that this is a tragic incident in which an entirely innocent bystander,
02:51who is going about his daily business, has sadly lost his life. He went on to say that
02:55we know this incident would have caused concern in the local community and we have a team of
03:00detectives working at Pace to piece together the circumstances which unfolded. He then went
03:05on to some of the information, some of that information gathering that's ongoing and has asked the public
03:10not to speculate or circulate any videos of the incident because it may cause distress to the
03:17boy's family. But he did say that if anybody has footage or any information related to it,
03:22they should be getting in touch with South Yorkshire police as it could help form an integral part of
03:27this investigation. He said as well that they're also keen to hear from the riders of the two
03:33electric bikes who were in the area at the time of the incident. So clearly a lot for police to be
03:37working on at this time and asking for anybody else with information to come forward.
03:42We also know this evening that three more arrests have been made alongside that 20-year-old from
03:48Kent. A 45-year-old woman and two men ages 26 and 45 have also been arrested. Those all on suspicion
03:56of assisting an offender. And as inquiries continue, all three of them remain in custody as the
04:02investigation continues. So just to reiterate, a 20-year-old man from Kent has been arrested
04:07this evening on suspicion of murder after that young 16-year-old boy sadly died in Sheffield.
04:17I see. Thank you for bringing us those details on this breaking story and I'm sure we'll have
04:21more as it develops. Now, a woman from Dartford was billed £30,000 from British Gas completely on
04:29accident and the aftermath has left her shaken. Janine Duffel, a resident of South Darrant who has
04:34multiple disabilities, received this surprise charge with instructions to pay the full amount
04:38by the 9th of June. British Gas have now fixed the error, but Janine has been left very stressed
04:44by the situation and has called for a smart meter so it doesn't happen again, but hasn't yet received
04:49a response. Kaiway has more.
04:51£30,000. This is how much one Dartford resident was charged on her monthly energy bill.
04:57Janine Duffel has multiple disabilities and lives alone in a one-bedroom flat, so a £30,000 charge
05:04to her account was more than a small shock.
05:06Saturday before last, I get an email at 7 o'clock in the evening, the bank holiday weekend,
05:12saying your bill is now ready online and it's £30,000. So can you imagine how I reacted?
05:21Can you imagine? I mean, I'm here on my own. I've no family at all. I've got a couple of
05:27friends, but they live near me. I didn't know who to talk to about it. I mean, I didn't sleep.
05:31I just, oh, I actually felt physically sick.
05:35She is now urging British Gas to issue her a new smart meter, as her current one is hard
05:40to read and practically inaccessible, and whilst awaiting a response, says she's suffered
05:44a lot mentally and physically.
05:46So I've decided to go pay-as-you-go, which has not really calmed me down, because I'm frightened,
05:51because I don't know. I've turned everything off. I normally have five, six cups of tea a day.
05:56I have two in the morning now. I won't boil the kettle. The whole situation, like, I feel
06:00myself, and I try to be strong, considering my disability. I've got a spine disease with
06:08the ulcerative colitis, and I'm going through hell.
06:11British Gas have since released a statement apologising for the incident, saying we've
06:16resolved this for Miss Duffel and have been in touch to say sorry. We've reassured her
06:20that the bill she received was sent in error, and we've offered a goodwill gesture in light
06:24of her experience, which leaves her account in credit. She hopes that her story will spread
06:29so that it doesn't happen to anyone else, and cautions people to check their energy bills
06:33for discrepancies. Kai Wei for KMTV in Dartford.
06:39Now the coast-bound exit at Junction 9 of the M20 in Ashford has been closed following an overturned
06:45lorry. National highways say that due to the severity of the incident, the closure is expected
06:50to remain ongoing for a protracted amount of time. Firefighters are on the scene, and Kent
06:55Police are there too, while investigations take place. There's a diversion off the motorway
07:00at Junction 8 down to the A22 Ashford, and reports of queuing traffic in the area. We'll
07:05have more on this story as it develops.
07:09In other news, a memorial for the Southport stabbing has mysteriously appeared in East Church
07:13Village on the Isle of Sheppey.
07:15Nearly a year on from the attack in January, where the killer was jailed for more than 50
07:20years, a shrine with a plaque that reads,
07:22For the murdered children of Southport, and wooden carvings of two does and a baby deer
07:26were left under a tree to honour the victims. The three young girls were stabbed to death
07:30in Southport, almost 300 miles away, leaving some of the East Church Villagers baffled by
07:35the memorial's mysterious appearance.
07:37Next, Reform UK's Doge unit are in discussion with Kent County Council bosses after issues
07:45were found with over £1 million of public money.
07:49Zia Youssef says talks revealed issues around £2.8 million of public money. This includes
07:55£63,000 of taxpayers given to a care provider to look after someone who's already passed.
08:02Kent Online was told by Reform UK.
08:05Spokesman that in the coming weeks, their findings would be reported back to the KCC leader,
08:10Councillor Lyndon Kenkeren. KCC has been approached for comment.
08:16Tonight, businesses in Gravesend say the loss of the Tilbury Ferry service has resulted in
08:21a loss of revenue, as customers who regularly come to Kent from Essex just aren't returning.
08:26It comes as the town's MP, Dr Lauren Sullivan, has launched a petition calling on businesses
08:32and councils to find the funding that would see the service reinstated. Bartholomew Hall
08:36has the story.
08:37The River Thames, a five-minute crossing by boat, but since the ferry linking Gravesend
08:43and Tilbury stopped running last year, those hoping to quickly hop between Kent and Essex
08:49are now faced with a 50-minute drive.
08:51The closure came about after Kent County Council and Thurrock Council pooled their joint funding,
08:57leaving the operator Jetstream Tours with no choice but to axe the service.
09:02It's meant businesses such as the Three Doors Pub have been left without many of their regular customers.
09:08We got to know people so well from the other side, but all of a sudden that's stopped.
09:14There's no way we will see them. It's a loss of revenue, of course. You have to sort of adjust
09:20generally. The climate's always changing, but that was a loss which should never have happened.
09:26Leicester is just one of hundreds in support of a petition to bring back the Tilbury ferry,
09:32all set up by Gravesend's MP.
09:35This is really about how we can keep this on the agenda and really call on all the various
09:41businesses around Thames Estuary, across the water, how can we all work together with councils
09:49to really reinstate this Tilbury-Gravesend ferry.
09:52Further into the town, other traders say the problems are spreading there too.
09:56We've lost all that trade that came from that and we're not the only ones. The businesses
10:02from the high street have actually closed because they just couldn't sustain it because there
10:07was nobody walking up and down the high street anymore. We do have some that have still continued
10:11to come, but they're telling me they've got four buses to get here. So there's a few and
10:15far between and yeah, we definitely need it back.
10:19For decades the Tilbury ferry took people to and from Gravesend from that pier over there,
10:25an easy way to cross the Thames. Not all hope is lost though because just a few miles down
10:30the river that way and the new Lower Thames crossing is set to be built, although it will
10:34take a few years before anybody in this town sees the benefits.
10:38We reached out to both Kent and Thurrock Council about the future of the ferry service and
10:43were told without joint funding from Thurrock Council, KCC is currently unable to support
10:49the service independently, but is committed to working with a range of partners to explore
10:53a long-term solution. Meanwhile, Thurrock Council told us it's also committed to working
10:58with partners to seek a long-term sustainable funding model. So with the issue of funding still
11:04lost in deep waters, it seems the Tilbury ferry's future remains uncertain and these gates closed.
11:10Bartholomew Hall for KMTV in Gravesend.
11:14Well, it's now time for a very short break, but coming up we'll have the latest film news
11:21with Kent Film Club presenter Chris D.C. We'll discuss what we should be watching in the cinema
11:26and what's coming up on the show, which we'll be playing just after Kent tonight. We'll also
11:32have a look at the weather. It's been particularly poor recently, not exactly summery as I'd describe
11:38it, but we'll see. Will that stay or will it fade till later? Like I say, it will be back
11:43just after this short three-minute break, so I'll see you in just a bit. Bye-bye.
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17:57have come together and invited over 150 businesses in Tunbridge Wells to join the Safe Havens project.
18:04So ultimately, Safe Havens are cafes, libraries, everyday locations where a woman or a young lady could walk in.
18:17Frankly, it's anybody. I mean, anybody who feels vulnerable.
18:20They can step in, know that they could offer a chair, offer some water, plug their mobile phone in and just reset and recalibrate so that they can carry on their onward journey feeling safe.
18:35Because the challenge is that safety and feeling safe, that's very hard to police because everybody feels safety in a very different way.
18:51So we have a basket of initiatives that are going to be rolling out over the next two or three years.
18:56This is the first one, the Safe Havens one, which is obviously about giving women and girls, but also boys and men can use it if they feel vulnerable traveling home, but it's predominantly aimed at women and girls.
19:07Some of the other work, some of the other initiatives in that basket of initiatives will be focused on working with boys and young men to educate them and to bring alive to them how women and girls feel in certain situations.
19:20Training for the participating businesses begins in June, but organisers say it's not too late for others to get involved and to help women and girls feel that little bit safer and supported.
19:31Kristen Hawthorne, KMTV, Tunbridge Wells.
19:38Now it's time to take a very quick look at the weather.
19:41Well, tonight is looking cloudy with temperatures between 12 and 14 degrees.
19:50Some rain there in the east of the county.
19:52Moving into tomorrow morning, temperatures sticking around the mid-teens.
19:55Some more clouds to be expected, but we will get some sun down there in Dover.
20:00And into the afternoon, a mixture of sun and showers as temperatures reach highs of 18 up in Dartford.
20:05Lucky them.
20:05Now for your outlook, more sun and showers expected on Saturday with highs of 18 degrees rising to 19 on Sunday and then 20 on Monday.
20:14Partly cloudy weather on both of those days.
20:24Now ahead of a brand new episode of Kent Film Club, it's time to catch up on the very latest film and TV headlines.
20:31Well, to do that, the presenter of the show, Chris Deesey, joins me now.
20:34Thank you so much for joining me.
20:35Hi, Finn.
20:36Hiya.
20:37Now, first of all, let's talk a bit about Wake Up, Dead Man, A Knives Out Mystery.
20:42Now, this is the third film after the original and Glass Onion.
20:45So, in your experience, can a third instalment of a murder mystery really keep up that intrigue of an audience?
20:51Well, this is, as you said, the sequel to Glass Onion.
20:53Now, Glass Onion was very similar to the first, but of course we had the same lead, but it took us in different directions.
21:00And so, they're very good at looking at different genres within the detective series.
21:05So, this one is supposed to be, was it the most scary or the most hard-hitting?
21:10And, do you know, the audiences for this, when you consider that, you know, we've always had all those Agatha Christie adaptations with Kenneth Branagh playing Poirot.
21:21And I thought, how is this one going to work?
21:22But it works so well because it's faithful to the sort of expectations that people like from this genre.
21:30But it's also subverting them.
21:32And, of course, you've got a character here and it's sort of difficult to trace his origins.
21:36We always, you can't not think this was the guy who played James Bond.
21:39But it's almost like he's parodying himself with an accent that seems to waver between sort of some, like, you know, the Florida outback or something.
21:48Now, what I find really interesting is that this came out at the same time as some of those Kenneth Branagh films, but it packed out the audiences.
21:57So, what I would always find is that I think for the last one, for Glass Onion, it spent a week in the cinemas, but then went straight on to Netflix.
22:05So, I saw it, I think, once and it was a completely packed out screening at the Curzon in Canterbury.
22:11So, it's due out in December, just before Christmas.
22:15So, I think it's guaranteed to do well.
22:16So, I think expectations should be pretty high for this.
22:20Brilliant.
22:20As far as expectations go, I have to say, me personally, Marvel movies for me have just gone to be a slow kind of decline.
22:27But people are excited for the new Fantastic Four film, First Steps.
22:31And, obviously, with this film, as you can see right there, we've got a whole new line-up.
22:36And it's kind of almost the curse of the Fantastic Four movies.
22:39We went from four completely different actors three different times.
22:42This is the third reboot.
22:44Can a third reboot really work?
22:45Well, they tried this with Ghostbusters, didn't they?
22:48And we had an all-female Ghostbusters.
22:49So, they tried different things.
22:51And the one action that was set of Ghostbusters, not in New York, but set in the countryside, appealed to me because it did something genuinely different.
22:59Whether this will work with it, I know Vanessa Kirby is in it, a great British actress.
23:02I do kind of feel with this that there will be an audience for it, but it does feel that they've tried a few too many times to reboot the franchise.
23:12We have a new Superman film, so from Marvel to the other DC.
23:15And that, I think, the trailer looks very promising.
23:19But, again, it's the case of, are they going to go for an origin story?
23:23Is it going to have any resemblance to the predecessors?
23:26The same with the Batman films.
23:28Are they going to reboot it?
23:29Is it going to be an origin story?
23:30Are they going to try and set it in a different period?
23:32So, Stuart, it'll be the big release in the week that the children break up from school, the last week of July.
23:40I know what you mean.
23:40With the Spider-Man films, they did that, particularly with Tom Holland, they deliberately didn't do the origin story.
23:45So, it's very interesting to see those differences there.
23:48Now, we'll move on to another one, Shrek 5.
23:51Now, recent reactions have been particularly negative.
23:54I remember when the Sonic movie came out, they almost were so bad that the audience forced the studio to change the actual look of the character.
24:01Do you think that could happen here?
24:03I mean, Shrek, in particular, looks very different to how he looked in the first four movies.
24:07And they've gone, yeah, fifth movie, we'll change it.
24:09Well, it's due out next year.
24:11Now, that's a good point because Sonic, as we've talked about on the show before, has done really well with audiences.
24:17But not so well, of course, with the critics.
24:20So, again, this franchise started in 2001.
24:23So, there's always that question, are they going to be able to find enough in this to excite a new generation?
24:29Well, we'll find out in a year's time.
24:31So, you know, interesting that the trailer is out where this is, you know, 12 months in advance, word of mouth.
24:37Will it live up to expectations?
24:39It's a good question.
24:40And do you think there's a little bit of Universal Pictures trying to appeal to a bit more of a Gen Z audience?
24:45In the trailer, there's a bit more sort of TikTok humor and things like that.
24:48What do you make of that?
24:49Well, they have to be.
24:49I think when you think of the first Shrek film, because Daisy is one of her favorite films,
24:53so she'd be a better place than me to answer.
24:55But back in 2001, I was really struck at how a film with artists like Mike Myers or Eddie Murphy doing voiceovers
25:05were getting BAFTA nominations in the acting categories.
25:09So, Shrek, you know, it's riding a wave of expectation, whether it'll fulfill those or not.
25:17So, you know, anything that's 25 years old, I think will be interesting to see,
25:21because I did see the first Shrek film when it came out in 2001.
25:25Wow. Amazing. I wasn't even born yet. Sorry to give you that one.
25:27Yes.
25:29Lastly, we'll move on to the amateur.
25:31Now, you actually know why we're talking about the amateur.
25:33I do, because now this house, because it's set in Virginia,
25:38and you have Rami Malek's character who works for the CIA.
25:41But interestingly, this was filmed in Kent, not too far from here.
25:44So there's a place in Kent which does exteriors of American houses.
25:49And, of course, with all these around Trump's tariffs, you know,
25:51whether there's a future in Kent for American films, we don't know.
25:55But there was a funny scene where Rami Malek was talking about the locations for this film,
26:00and he said, Kent, that's near Canterbury, right?
26:03Yeah. We can see some images there of Rami Malek's main character on the screen.
26:08And it's particularly interesting.
26:09I mean, Kent has multiple different sort of spots in movies,
26:12my favourite being Johnny English.
26:14Yeah.
26:14I think he was driving to Dover, I believe, in his little car.
26:17But, yeah, so interesting.
26:18We'll see about that one when it comes out.
26:20But thank you so much for joining us, Chris.
26:21Absolute pleasure.
26:22We can catch up with you on the Kent Film Club playing right after this.
26:26But for now, we'll have a very quick break.
26:29But still to come on Kent Tonight, we'll have a round-up of our main stories this evening.
26:33And we'll also hear from the 70-year-old charity volunteer whose house was sadly destroyed in a fire.
26:39Well, all that and more just after this very short break.
26:59We'll see you on the next one.
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30:13Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight Live on KMTV.
30:15I'm Finn McDermid.
30:17A quick reminder of your top stories this evening.
30:21An unexpected bill. Disabled Dartford woman wrongly charged £30,000 for her heating.
30:29Ferry frustration. Businesses joined calls for Gravesend to Tilbury's service to return.
30:35And what's happening in the world of film we find out ahead of a brand new episode of
30:39Kent Film Club.
30:42But next tonight, the chairman of Reform UK has resigned just days after setting up Kent
30:48County Council's new Doge team. Zia Youssef arrived at KCC's County Hall on Monday to
30:53look at the council's £2 billion finances to find ways in which the council can save money.
30:58This evening he's taken to social media to say he no longer believes in working to get
31:04a reformed government elected is a good use of his time.
31:08Well, Bartholomew is here with us now. Bartholomew, what more do we know at this stage?
31:11Well, Finn, this is just a very breaking news story, a very raw story. We got the announcement
31:17from Zia Youssef's ex-account, only in the past half an hour since we've been live and
31:21he hasn't really gone into much detail other than what you said there. I'll read the full
31:25tweet, if you can still call it that, or ex-post.
31:2811 months ago I became chairman of Reform. I've worked full-time as a volunteer to take
31:32the party from 14 to 30%, quadrupled its membership and delivered historic electoral results.
31:40I no longer believe working to get a reformed government elected is a good use of my time and
31:45hereby resign the office. There he is pictured in the middle of that group there. That is
31:50the new Doge team that he, of course, as you mentioned, arrived at County Hall earlier
31:55this week to set up.
31:58Right, I see. And specifically, what does this mean for us here in Kent? What does this resignation
32:02have in terms of impacts?
32:04We saw earlier in the week that he set up this Doge unit, this Elon Musk-style Department
32:09of Government Efficiency, all about looking at the £2 billion finances of Kent County Council,
32:14to try and find ways in which savings can be made. That was the goal of Elon Musk when
32:18he joined the US President, the US Donald Trump's administration when he became elected last
32:25November. The idea there to cut federal spending ended up seeing a lot of jobs being cut and
32:31as a result lots of new efficient ways of working. That was the idea that reform wanted to bring
32:36to its ten new councils that it became in charge of at the last local elections. KCC being the first
32:42to have a new Doge team and Zia Youssef was, of course, the front man. We actually heard
32:46from him earlier this week. He spoke to our cameras just outside County Hall.
32:51This Doge task force, they're a team of forensic auditors, of software engineers and data analysts
32:56are consulting into councils like this to help them crunch the data, work out where the spending,
33:03where the money is going. Similarly, we're seeing road maintenance contracts being handed out
33:08for 27 years. 27-year road maintenance contracts. I put it to you that even space exploration
33:14contracts to SpaceX are not 27 years long. So there's nothing about that that's remotely
33:20acceptable. We've got to ensure taxpayers' money is not being wasted. That's what reform promised to do.
33:25We started that today.
33:27Well, that was Zia Youssef there talking on Monday when he visited County Hall. Obviously,
33:32still very much towing the party line there. We actually heard about today some of their early
33:37findings from some of those auditors that you heard about, saying that he revealed issues around
33:42£2.8 million of public money. It's actually something that Kent Online had reported earlier
33:47this year. It included £63,000 of taxpayers' money being given to a care provider to look after
33:53somebody who'd already died. Some sort of issues like that, irregularities that they've sort of
33:58been brought up. Clearly, the job of somebody else to take up now that he's resigned as chairman.
34:02What this means for the party, we don't yet know. We haven't heard from its leader, Nigel Farage,
34:06but I'm sure we will over the coming days. Absolutely. Thank you for bringing us this
34:10breaking story, and we'll have more news when we discover more about who will be replacing Zia Youssef.
34:16Now, next, a woman from Dartford was billed £30,000 from British Gas, completely on accident.
34:23And the aftermath has left her shaken. Janine Duffel, a resident of South Darrant, who has
34:27multiple disabilities, received this surprise charge with instructions to pay the full amount
34:32by the 9th of June. Now, British Gas have fixed the error, but Janine has been left very stressed
34:37by the situation and has called for a smart meter so it doesn't happen again. But she hasn't yet
34:42received a response. Well, our reporter Kaiwe went up to Dartford to find out more about the situation
34:47and how it's affected Janine.
34:49£30,000. This is how much one Dartford resident was charged on her monthly energy bill.
34:56Janine Duffel has multiple disabilities and lives alone in a one-bedroom flat, so a £30,000
35:02charge to her account was more than a small shock.
35:05Saturday before last, I get an email at 7 o'clock in the evening, the bank holiday weekend,
35:09saying your bill is now ready online and it's £30,000. So can you imagine how I reacted?
35:19Can you imagine? I mean, I'm here on my own. I've no family at all. I've got a couple of
35:25friends, but they don't live near me. I didn't know who to talk to about it. I mean, I didn't
35:29sleep. I just, oh, I actually felt physically sick.
35:33She is now urging British Gas to issue her a new smart meter, as her current one is hard
35:38to read and practically inaccessible, and whilst awaiting a response, says she's suffered a
35:43lot mentally and physically.
35:45So I've decided to go pay-as-you-go, which has not really calmed me down, because I'm frightened,
35:49because I don't know. I've turned everything off. I normally have five, six cups of tea a
35:54day. I have two in the morning now. I haven't boiled a kettle. The whole situation, I could
35:58feel myself, and I try to be strong, considering my disability. I've got a spine disease, with
36:06the ulcerative colitis, and I'm going through hell.
36:09British Gas have since released a statement apologising for the incident, saying we've
36:14resolved this for Miss Duffel and have been in touch to say sorry. We've reassured her
36:18that the bill she received was sent in error, and we've offered a goodwill gesture in light
36:22of her experience, which leaves her account in credit. She hopes that her story will spread
36:27so that it doesn't happen to anyone else, and cautions people to check their energy
36:31bills for discrepancies.
36:33Kai Wei for KMTV in Dartford.
36:37Now, the coast-bound exit at Junction 9 of the M20 in Ashford has been closed following
36:41an overturned lorry. National highways say that due to the severity of the incident, the
36:47closure is expected to remain ongoing for an extended amount of time. Firefighters are
36:52on the scene, and Kent police are also there while investigations take place. There is a diversion
36:57off the motorway at Junction 8 down to the A20 in Ashford, and reports of queuing traffic
37:01in the area. We'll have more on this as it develops.
37:05In other news, a memorial for the Southport stabbing has mysteriously appeared on the
37:09Isle of Sheppey.
37:10Nearly a year on from the attack in January, where the killer was jailed for more than 50
37:15years, a shrine with a plaque that reads, For the murdered children of Southport, and
37:19wooden carvings of two does and a baby deer were left under a tree to honour the victims.
37:24They were stabbed to death in Southport, almost 300 miles away, leaving some of the East Church
37:29villagers baffled by the memorial's mysterious appearance.
37:35Now, a Cliftonville home was almost completely destroyed from a fire caused by a light hitting
37:40a glass paperweight. Four fire engines were called to the house in Norfolk Road, with
37:45crews spending hours extinguishing it. We spoke to Jane Moore about the moment she saw her home
37:50up in flames.
37:51When I came in, I just felt broken. I felt, ugh, my whole world is falling apart. But looking
38:03at the cupboards, I saw a bit of hope. Very, very shaken. But I stayed composed. I didn't feel
38:14like I needed to cry yet. And, yeah, quite upsetting to see the window gone. The, I call it the beast,
38:25went upstairs and found a fireplace, which is just above the kitchen. And beside it was a wardrobe,
38:35the house. And then started his rage. Everything in that room was practically gone. And the hallway
38:44was just black. Everywhere was just black. And the smell was just awful, the burning smell.
38:52Next tonight, businesses in Gravesend say the loss of the Tilbury Ferry service has resulted in a loss of
38:59revenue, as customers who regularly come from Kent to, sorry, Kent to Essex just aren't returning. It comes as
39:05the MP for the town, Dr Lauren Sullivan, has launched a petition. Let's have a look at this report.
39:10The River Thames, a five-minute crossing by boat, but since the ferry linking Gravesend and Tilbury stopped running
39:17last year, those hoping to quickly hop between Kent and Essex are now faced with a 50-minute drive.
39:24The closure came about after Kent County Council and Thurrock Council pooled their joint funding,
39:30leaving the operator Jetstream Tours with no choice but to axe the service.
39:35It's meant businesses such as the Three Doors pub have been left without many of their regular customers.
39:41We got to know people so well from the other side, but all of a sudden,
39:46that's stopped. There's no way we will see them. The loss of revenue, of course. You have to sort of adjust
39:53generally. The climate's always changing, but that was a loss which should never have happened.
40:01Leicester is just one of hundreds in support of a petition to bring back the Tilbury Ferry,
40:06all set up by Gravesend's MP.
40:09This is really about how we can keep this on the agenda and really call on all the various
40:14businesses around Thames Estuary, across the water. How can we all work together with councils
40:21to really reinstate this Tilbury Gravesend Ferry?
40:25Further into the town, other traders say the problems are spreading there too.
40:29We've lost all that trade that came from that, and we're not the only ones. The High Street, a few of the businesses
40:36from the High Street have actually closed because they just couldn't sustain it because there was nobody
40:40walking up and down the High Street anymore. We do have some that have still continued to come,
40:44but they're telling me they've got four buses to get here, so there's a few and far between.
40:49And yeah, we definitely need it back.
40:52For decades, the Tilbury Ferry took people to and from Gravesend from that pier over there,
40:58an easy way to cross the Thames. Not all hope is lost though, because just a few miles down the river
41:03that way and the new Lower Thames Crossing is set to be built, although it will take a few years
41:08before anybody in this town sees the benefits.
41:11We reached out to both Kent and Thurrock Council about the future of the ferry service and were told
41:17without joint funding from Thurrock Council, KCC is currently unable to support the service independently,
41:23but is committed to working with a range of partners to explore a long-term solution.
41:28Meanwhile, Thurrock Council told us it's also committed to working with partners
41:32to seek a long-term sustainable funding model.
41:35So, with the issue of funding still lost in deep waters, it seems the Tilbury Ferry's future
41:40remains uncertain and these gates closed.
41:44Bartholomew Hall for KMTV in Gravesend.
41:48Well, time for a quick break now. We'll see you in just a few minutes.
42:12Thank you, Mark.
42:14Thank you for joining us.
42:17Thank you for coming.
42:20Thanks.
42:21Thanks.
42:22Thanks.
42:23I'm going to celebrate you in the next few days.
42:24I'll give you a second I'll love the next few days.
42:26I'll be okay.
42:28It's a very nice evening.
42:29I'll be okay.
42:30I'll be okay.
42:31Thank you, Mark.
42:32I'll come into the next few days.
42:33Yeah, you can find a little bit.
42:34You can be okay.
42:35I'll be okay.
42:36You can be okay.
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45:13Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight Live on KMTV. I'm Finn McDermid. Now as well as catching us live every weekday from 5.30pm, 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.
45:27There you'll find all our reports, including this one, about Maidstone's traditional parade to welcome their new mayor.
45:34It's that time of year again. Time for a new mayor to represent Maidstone Borough Council.
45:41People across Maidstone, including Gurkha armed with bayonets, marched across the town centre to welcome in the new mayor as part of the traditional civic parade that's taken place for over 70 years.
45:56The responsibility of a mayor here in Maidstone Borough Council is to act as an authority figure and represent the council at civic and ceremonial occasions.
46:09And they overlook meetings to make sure everything's running smoothly and regulations are met.
46:15And today's agenda meeting is one of the many that Councillor Martin Round will be overlooking for the next year.
46:22Councillor Round, who's been serving the Borough Council since 2014, will soon be included right here on this long list of Maidstone's mayors who have served throughout history.
46:35I am more proud of this being the county town. I am more proud of this being part of Kent.
46:44As much as I am proud of the fact that I represent Headcorn, Sutton Valance, Holcombe, Borough Mallaby, East Sutton, and a very big rural community of many little hamlets and suburbs.
46:57The previous mayor and mayorness were also in attendance to give their blessings for the upcoming year.
47:03I want to thank Martin. Sorry, Mr. Mayor now. Martin has supported me. We are friends, at any rate, and colleagues.
47:13Martin has supported me, a wonderful deputy mayor. He really has supported me.
47:17And you probably may have noticed, at council meetings, it would be my eyes as well, because I can't always see down the line here.
47:27So Martin, Mr. Mayor, thank you ever so much for your support. You've really been a marvellous supporter.
47:34Councillor Round will now serve as mayor until May next year.
47:39Henry Luck for KMTV in Maidstone.
47:42Now, from empty sites to new starts and a grand opening tomorrow, many businesses in Kent are building up their budgets and perfecting their profits.
47:52There's lots to break down in this business roundup. Here's Kai Wei.
47:55First up, tons of eyesores across the county are set for transformation, such as the Papermaker's Pub in Dartford, which shut back in 2022.
48:10The abandoned pub is said to be rebuilt into a luxury car showroom.
48:14This will provide 19 extra parking spaces, as well as 10 job positions.
48:19Another site set for change is the Arethusa Venture Centre in Rochester, which was closed in 2019.
48:24The more than two acres of land, which housed a sports and activity hub, is now planned to be demolished, making way for multiple apartment blocks.
48:33Developers say it could house 12 one-bedroom flats, 17 two-bedroom and two three-bedroom.
48:39Now, over to Maidstone, the site of a 16-storey library, which was also used as an office for KCC, had plans approved earlier this year to build two blocks of flats.
48:48With images created simulating what the new flats would look like, over a hundred new apartments will be built, all with balconies.
48:55Next up, a teacher in training has saved a tea room days before it was set to shut.
49:00Jonathan Burton purchased the business on Milton Regis High Street, near Sittingbourne, from his next-door neighbour.
49:06Renaming the place as JB's Coffee and Tea House, JB has big plans for the business, including starting up online delivery, as well as offering an afternoon tea.
49:15However, he stated he will finish his teacher training first.
49:18Finally, a new jewellery brand is opening one of its first branches at Blue Water Shopping Centre.
49:24Jewels, which opens tomorrow, is opening seven stores across the country, with over a thousand planned over the course of the next five years.
49:31The store plans to also provide tattoo and piercing services, as well as made-to-fade tattoos.
49:45Now it's time to take a look at the weather.
49:52Tonight is looking cloudy, temperatures between 12 and 14 degrees.
49:56Some rain there in the east of the county.
49:58But moving into tomorrow morning, temperatures will be sticking around the mid-teens, with more clouds to be expected, and some sun peeking through in Dover.
50:06And into the afternoon, a mixture of sun and showers, as temperatures reach highs of 18 up in Dartford.
50:12Now, for your outlook, more sun and showers expected on Saturday, with highs of 18 degrees rising there to 19 on Sunday, 20 on Monday, with some partly cloudy weather on both of those days.
50:23Now, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Favisham Town Council are organising an event this weekend called Favisham in the 40s.
50:35The event features live 1940s music, vintage stalls, and even historical figures, such as a portrayal of Winston Churchill.
50:43The event will take place this Sunday in Favisham's marketplace, Court Street and West Street, providing a historical backdrop for the event.
50:51Well, Claire Elliott, the event's founder of Favisham Council, joins us now.
50:57Hi, Claire. Thank you so much for joining us.
51:00First of all, could you tell us a bit about the event itself?
51:02What can people expect to see when they head down?
51:04OK, so we're trying to make it that you feel like you're stepping back in time.
51:11We've got re-enactors, the music.
51:15Last year was the first time that we did it to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
51:22So the town really embraced the event and lots of all the businesses got involved, dressing up, theming their offering in terms of the cafes and the pubs and everything.
51:32So we're going to bring it back again this year to commemorate VE Day.
51:37Yeah, really excited. Lots going on.
51:41Amazing. And obviously with the VE Day anniversary celebrations, things we've all been seeing across the county.
51:46What does the event mean, not just for those who gave their lives for VE Day, but just for the Favisham community in general?
51:53I think it just helps everybody remember and embrace that time and everyone's resilience that people had during that time.
52:04Yeah, just a really nice atmosphere for people to enjoy. Children, adults, families. Yeah.
52:11Amazing. And can you talk to us a bit about where that idea came from, to transport Favisham back to the 1940s?
52:17If I'm being honest with you, it was my interview for the job.
52:25I was asked to plan the D-Day event as part of my interview as the event officer.
52:31And I do personally like that era anyway.
52:34So it's a really nice event to plan and organise and lots of nice people I've met, lots of communities.
52:44And yeah, just really nice.
52:45No, I agree with that. The 1940s is also one of my favourite era.
52:49It's just a different time of music and culture as a whole.
52:53Now, tell us a bit about why it's so important and why specifically you like the 1940s.
53:01We're seeing some images there of some people. Tell us a bit about that atmosphere.
53:04I just think it's obviously a different way of life, people's resilience and the way things were during that time.
53:16I think it just makes people sort of put life in perspective of what life's like now.
53:21It's good for young people to remember because obviously generations have changed.
53:28So it's quite a nice, obviously a topic that gets taught at school.
53:33So families like to bring their children.
53:35There's lots of activities for them to get involved in.
53:39And we've also got, I must mention, the Fathersham Gunpowder WI are doing their own home and country tea room in the Guildhall, which would be nice.
53:50And they dress it all up inside and they're doing a lunch and an afternoon tea as part of the event as well.
53:56Brilliant. And you personally, is there anything or any one specific thing you're looking forward to seeing?
54:04I am looking forward to seeing Winston Churchill and we have Viv the Spiv, who is like a market person selling dodgy watches and things.
54:18We've set up quite a nice little thing with the old wartime police as well.
54:22So they're going to do a bit of theatre in the street, checking him out and things like that.
54:27And just the music, it's just a nice era of music.
54:31So we've got some dancing groups coming who will professionally dance, but they also are able to teach.
54:38So if anyone wants to have a go and have a try, that will be there too.
54:44Brilliant. And just to double check, so this is the first time this event has happened or is this something that's been put on in previous years?
54:49We did it for the first time last year and we're doing it again for this year.
54:55And hopefully, if I'm able to, I'd like to make Favisham in the 40s an annual event that we can have in the town because Favisham has a lot of history behind it.
55:06And it's just quite a nice, it's a nice backdrop to have an event like this there.
55:11Absolutely. And talk to us a bit about what the event was like last year.
55:14How different is this year?
55:15We've just, we've, I'm kind of, it's kind of the same sort of set up, but we've added some new features in to keep it interesting.
55:26We've got some new stalls coming in as well.
55:30Some of the businesses are dressing up different to how they were last year.
55:34We've got things like Spam fritters that you can buy from some of the food concessions.
55:41So they're obviously offering themed food from that era that you can try.
55:47We've also got fish and chips.
55:50Yeah, so lots of vintage teacup candles that you can buy as well.
55:55So it's, yeah, a very themed day.
55:58Brilliant. Well, I think that might be just about all we have time for.
56:02Well, thank you so much for joining us.
56:07Well, you've been watching Kent Tonight live here on KMTV.
56:11There's more news made just for Kent throughout the evening.
56:15And don't forget, you can always keep up to date with the latest news across your county.
56:19You can do that by logging on to kmtv.co.uk.
56:23You can also keep us on your social timelines by liking us on Facebook and, of course, following us on our TikTok.
56:29And if you think that you have a story that we should be covering, then please don't hesitate to get in touch.
56:36We also have a series of special programs like Invicta Sport, Kent on Climate, based in Kent, Kent Film Club, the Kent Politics Show, and, of course, Kent Chronicles.
56:43Thank you so much for watching and we'll see you soon.
56:45Thank you so much for watching and we'll see you soon.