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Catch up with all the latest news from across the county with Isabelle Miller.
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00:00Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
00:26I'm Isabel Miller and here are your top stories on Wednesday the 25th of June.
00:31Train trouble delays cause chaos across the county after a lineside fire at Raynham.
00:37No notice at all. We have to ask and most of the time we don't know exactly.
00:42We need action. Residents speak out against violence on the streets of Herne Bay.
00:48Students that we have coming to visit Herne Bay.
00:51Lots and lots of racist remarks. Physically abused. They've had rocks and stones thrown at them.
00:58The local children are using catapults against them.
01:00And digging up Dover. Volunteers uncover secret World War II gun.
01:06The volunteers have given over 20,000 hours to see the site conserved and opened.
01:13Stranded and frustrated the feeling amongst rail passengers today as thousands left disrupted by closed lines.
01:32Urgent repairs and damage to the railway at Raynham has meant disruption all across the county.
01:38Currently no trains are able to run between Gillingham and Sittingbourne.
01:42It comes as Southeastern today announced they've delivered £9 million worth of funding.
01:48Gabriel Morris has more.
01:50Widespread chaos hit Kent today after network rail had to close key lines, leaving passengers stranded and reliant on these replacement buses.
02:00A fire which broke out near Raynham last night damaging critical cables has been blamed.
02:05Although engineers began repairs quickly, they say they discovered the damage is more severe than expected and trains won't run for the rest of today.
02:15No services are running from St Pancras to the Medway towns tonight.
02:20But Thameslink and Victoria trains are able to reach as far as Gillingham.
02:27Passengers say it's been a far from fun experience.
02:30It affected me yesterday and today, we left about just after, before 12 o'clock.
02:37Until now, we have stopped and stopped and nobody even tell you what to do, where to go.
02:44No, not this at all. We have to ask. And most of the time, we don't know exactly.
02:49My train should have been at 12.57, which is usual. I got on the train. No, I didn't go on the train because it was all cancelled.
02:59And then the train that I actually got, all the doors actually went wrong.
03:05It's not good. The service is absolutely appalling.
03:10Morning, mate. I was late by about an hour, yeah. And tonight, I guess I'll be late going the back the same way.
03:15One of those things, it can't be helped, can it? You know, everything should be quicker, should be this, should be that.
03:20But just got to get on with it, really.
03:22It's taken nearly work at 12 today.
03:25So it's taken four hours to get even here and I've still got another...
03:32I'm tired more than anything. But yeah, it's frustrating.
03:35I don't normally use friends, but it's just been a pain in the butt.
03:38Southeastern apologised to customers and said engineers have worked overnight and all day to repair the fire damaged cables.
03:45The company admitted the repair work had been harder than first expected.
03:49They're urging people to check Southeastern website or app for the latest updates.
03:53And tickets are valid on alternative routes and special timetables are in place.
03:58And replacement buses are running.
04:00Effective passengers can also claim delay repay compensation.
04:05So while Southeastern hopes services will return to normal soon, many commuters say tonight's rush hour will be nothing but chaotic.
04:12Well, Gabriel joins me in the studio now.
04:21So tell me a little bit about what passengers can expect this evening.
04:24Well, I've been driving around some of the stations this evening.
04:27I've been over in Favisham today.
04:29Yes, there's an hourly train service between Citybourne and Favisham, but there's still a couple of passengers.
04:34Tens of passengers stood outside there.
04:36But in between the stations of Citybourne and Gillingham today, there are 20, 30, 40 passengers at one time waiting for a service today.
04:46And at Gillingham, lots of people hanging around trying to get a service at the moment, huge chaos.
04:53And there's reduced service coming from London up to these Medway town stations today.
04:58That's because the high speed lines aren't stopping at the moment.
05:01And for passengers trying to get to the Isle of Sheppey this evening, services are being replaced by buses as well.
05:11There's also disruption if you're trying to get the Eurostar today due to some cable thefts over on the French side of the line today.
05:19So that's having a knock on effect at St Pancras as well.
05:23Looking towards tomorrow, full normal service is expected to resume.
05:29In Medway towns today, there's a deal going on with Arriva buses, so you can use your ticket on Arriva services in the town.
05:35So there are alternatives.
05:37It's worth checking with the Southeastern website and station staff to see what the best option is for you today.
05:43But if you were planning to go by train, if you're on rush hour, do expect delays this evening and do check before you travel.
05:48That's the advice we're getting.
05:50Thank you, Gabriel.
05:52Now, violence and racism, attacks on animals and nuisance vehicles.
05:57These are just some of the concerns Herne Bay residents voiced at a meeting last night to discuss ways to tackle anti-social behaviour.
06:05In the last few weeks, some in the coastal towns said they were scared to leave their homes.
06:10But with Kent police announcing new officers that will be hitting the streets next month, local democracy reporter Oliver Leader got all the reaction on the night.
06:20Especially in these really young people have got nowhere to go, nothing to do.
06:27They went outside to investigate.
06:29Group of youth kicking in the doors of the toilets in Wibberoo Square.
06:35And who is taking breath and responsibility for their behaviour?
06:38And how could that be enacted?
06:40Tensions at a boiling point on a sweltering June evening, with hundreds cramming into the King's Hall to discuss anti-social behaviour, terrorising Herne Bay.
06:54The foreign students that we have coming to visit Herne Bay, they're verbally attacked.
07:02Lots and lots of racist remarks. Physically abused. They've had rocks and stones thrown at them.
07:10The local children are using catapults against them. And basically they're just causing an awful lot of trouble.
07:16Local representatives took to the stage with Kent police and Canterbury City Council officers on hand to answer the tough questions.
07:28What are you doing? Because I don't see people.
07:32We have got extra resources. The extra police officers they talked about.
07:36So getting us up to about two dozen out of Herne Bay Police Station.
07:41And then all the community safety additions as well who are coming to help.
07:44I think now it's about how do we deploy those people.
07:47But despite the eye rolls and head shaking, do those living in Herne Bay feel more confident now than they did before?
07:57I've heard an awful lot tonight about programmes, incentives and schemes.
08:01But what do they come to if it doesn't actually get a result at the end of it?
08:05A lot of platitudes. There was a lot of back slapping.
08:08Lots of ideas that all sound good in theory. But what the residents of Herne Bay actually need is action.
08:18There were quite a few points that came out that I thought were quite good.
08:23You know, it's about sort of understanding which children are doing it, why they're doing it.
08:31With more police officers expected to hit the Herne Bay beat next month, there is hope violence could cool down here.
08:42Even as the weather heats up.
08:45Oli Lieder in Herne Bay.
08:48And Oli Lieder joins me in the studio. Oli Lieder here. Thank you very much for joining me.
08:53So tell me, what was it like in the room last night?
08:56Well, Izzy, you know the temperature moment is absolutely sweltering.
09:00In terms of my report, tensions were at boiling point.
09:03There are hundreds of people crammed into the King's Hall.
09:05You know Herne Bay. It's right on the seafront, that.
09:08And the people on the floor, people leaning against the walls, all wanted to have their voices heard.
09:13Because this is such an emotive issue for the town.
09:18There are people who have been attacked by catapults.
09:21One woman talked about the use of knives in the town.
09:25There's nuisance vehicles keeping people up at night.
09:28And don't forget the attacks on ducks we've seen in Memorial Park.
09:32It got a lot of people quite wound up last night.
09:37And that's why the whole meeting is being held.
09:39It's caused so much discontent in the town.
09:42One of the councillors, Liz Harvey, she's the conservative councillor for the area.
09:46She wanted to do something about it. She called this big meeting.
09:49You have, you know, Kemp Police there as well, as well as Canterbury City Council officers,
09:55all answering the big questions for people there last night.
09:59And you can see in those pictures we just saw how busy it was and clearly means so much to the community.
10:05Barely an empty seat there.
10:06Yeah, I mean, what do residents do from here?
10:08Well, that's a really great question because it's twofold.
10:12We heard in the report there's going to be new officers on the beat in Herne Bay,
10:16such as seven coastal beat officers in the town.
10:19There's going to be around 20 people working out of Herne Bay Police Station tackling this issue.
10:25It's partly in response to Matthew Scott, the Kemp Police and Crime Commissioner, seeing the area.
10:31But there are more community orientated stuff happening as well.
10:35We heard about neighbourhood intelligence groups potentially being set up,
10:39similar to what happened in Sitting Bourne when they were experiencing existential behaviour.
10:44Another thing that was discussed is community outreach, actually talking to the young people,
10:49because it is young people, it is teenagers, some as young as 13, getting involved in all of this stuff.
10:56And it's about giving them potentially opportunities, not that everyone was sold on the idea.
11:01Some were frustrated by what they perceived as a lack of action on this, despite making numerous complaints.
11:09And it does come with a lot of coastal chaos over the weekend as well.
11:14And what can coastal communities do about this?
11:17I think that's part of the reason people came last night.
11:20They actually asked that question, what can we do about this at home?
11:23They don't necessarily know. Can they step in themselves?
11:26How do you report these issues? What can we do to prevent this happening?
11:31The prevention work is critical here as well to stop future children getting involved in these awful, awful behaviours.
11:40Thank you very much. And that is all we have time for for this part of Kent tonight.
11:44We will see you right after this break.
12:01Thank you very much.
15:01Welcome back to Kent Tonight Live on KMTV.
15:13Now officers have released CCTV footage as part of their investigation after two people in Whitstable were bitten by a dog.
15:21The incident is thought to have taken place on Oxford Street on June 1st at around 10.20am.
15:28The dog bit a child in the leg then shortly after bit a woman's arm.
15:33The dog is described as medium-sized black canine.
15:37Police say no arrests have yet been made in connection with the incident and they are still appealing for witnesses.
15:44And a new chicken cottage in Dover is set to open today
15:48and all the staff will be briefed to help tackle child exploitation.
15:53In 2024 it was reported that 590 children were referred to the National Referral Mechanism
16:00as suspected victims of exploitation in just Kent alone.
16:04Chicken Cottage has partnered up with the Children's Society and aims to create safer spaces.
16:10Franchises will be trained to spot the signs of child exploitation and how to take action.
16:16The Dover store has said it hopes to lead the way demonstrating how local businesses can help keep children and young people safe.
16:24We've been speaking to Rowan Glover-James from the Children's Society to understand more about the partnership.
16:31We know kind of national, statistics-wise, about one in 24 young people are either being exploited or at risk of exploitation.
16:41And that is just, we're very aware that that is just the tip of the iceberg.
16:45That's who we know about, but we know that the scale of the issue is much greater and those that are not being reported or recorded.
16:51So we also know that exploitation can happen to any child or young people.
16:57It doesn't necessarily focus on particular groups or ethnicities or kind of religious background.
17:03It can affect anyone and everyone.
17:05And so again, we wanted a partnership that could really help us to reach more children and young people
17:11and also kind of reach the wider public.
17:13So Chicken Cottage specifically have just over 60 stores across the UK and they're also growing.
17:21Now don't forget you can keep up to date with all your latest stories across Kent by logging onto our website kmtv.co.uk.
17:28There you'll find all of our reports, including this one.
17:31The fact that I was part of the rescue effort to try and get that goose out.
17:35Just the suffering of that animal is only one that, you know, it'll stay in your mind for a long time.
17:41A place that was once filled with birdsong is now silent.
17:46A number of birds have been killed in a series of catapult attacks at St. Clements Lakes in Greenhithe, prompting concern among residents.
17:55I feel very unsafe.
17:56I have a kid.
17:57I wouldn't let her go play outside.
17:59And I myself feel unsafe.
18:02I've been told, you know, when these things happen, think twice before you intervene.
18:06Because the incident that happened on Sunday, one of the kids actually aimed at the residence with the slingshot threatening her.
18:14And she had kids in her car.
18:16I don't understand why we as residents have to always intervene and try and stop this madness.
18:22It's not our job.
18:23So it's time that these law enforcement agencies really step up and actually intervene and do something.
18:29Killing these birds is a crime.
18:30They're breaking the law.
18:31So what is happening?
18:32Nothing is happening.
18:33Carly, who is a resident in the area and a bird ranger for the British Trust, is calling for better protection of the wildlife and has made a petition to make catapults illegal or create strict laws around carrying them.
18:44I am. I'm calling for a ban on catapults because they're just basically a weapon and you can buy them on Amazon just for a few pounds.
18:52And I think children, you know, holding these weapons, you know, it's just trouble, you know.
18:58Kent basically has the highest number of catapult incidents animal cruelty.
19:03And I really feel like, you know, it's time to ban, you know, the sale of catapults because it's out of control.
19:09Due to the continuous catapult attacks on the birds in this lake, it has now been completely decimated.
19:15Carly says that the lake should be filled with migratory birds, both nesting and breeding.
19:20But now there's about two of them.
19:22To Carly's surprise, the police turned up when I was there and spoke to her about the attacks.
19:27I got her reaction afterwards.
19:29I'm taken aback in all of these weeks.
19:32I have not seen the police at one time.
19:35Suddenly I'm here recording and the police turn up.
19:38I can say they were very polite.
19:40But again, you know, they do push the ball in the court of the catapults not being named as an illegal weapon.
19:49So there's not much they can do.
19:51So again, it confirms to me that I need to push the government for a complete ban on catapults, you know,
19:56to help stop these illegal wildlife crimes taking place.
20:00In a statement, Kent Police said that they're aware of the concerns raised on the 1st of June 2025
20:05about the behaviour of a group of people at the lake.
20:07They added that enhanced patrols are operating in the area over the summer months
20:11and residents are encouraged to report antisocial behaviour to their local officer.
20:15In a written answer, Dame Diana Johnson said,
20:18We're clear that catapults should not be used for illegal purposes, whether against wildlife, people or property.
20:24Police have powers to act when they're used in antisocial behaviour or as weapons.
20:29And legislation continues to be reviewed in the interest of public safety.
20:33So as plans for enforcement seem to come into play, it's now a waiting game to see if the changes are going to happen.
20:39New cervical screening tests are set to roll out early next year, meaning testing will become more accessible for underscreened women.
20:46Appearing through your postbox in discrete packaging, the test will allow those to complete it in the privacy of their own home.
20:54Kristen Hawthorne has been looking at how this new initiative will help save up to an estimated 5,000 lives a year across England.
21:02Cervical screening rates in Kent are slightly above the national average, but more than 5 million women across England are still overdue for the potentially life-saving test.
21:13But now, a new scheme aims to make it easier and more accessible than ever.
21:18Starting in January, women who are overdue for cervical screening will be offered an at-home testing kit by NHS England.
21:25The fact that I might find a test kit dropping through my letterbox early next year
21:30makes it so much easier.
21:32I can do that.
21:33I can control the environment.
21:35I can make sure that actually I'm sitting comfortably, that I'm perhaps the only person in the room
21:40and there aren't three others or people walking in as I've had that experience.
21:44So I know that I will do it.
21:46And again, we have to be careful.
21:48It's looking for the HPV virus, which we know can be a precursor to cervical cancer.
21:54So actually if that test shows there are those cells, you would need to go in and see your doctor to have a proper full cervical smear test.
22:03By delivering these free tests discreetly and with prepaid return packaging, the NHS hope that it will make people feel more comfortable
22:11and increase uptake by a predicted 77%.
22:15The self-sample kit that tests for HPV, the virus that causes most cervical cancers, can be done privately at home in just a few minutes.
22:24So we know across the UK that there are around about 3,300 cases of cervical cancer diagnosed every year.
22:31That's about nine cases every day.
22:33And it's estimated that introducing these home testing kits will save around 5,000 lives every year.
22:39Many different women face different barriers for taking part in cervical screening.
22:43A recent trial that was carried out in London found that women from LGBTQ or plus backgrounds, women from ethnic minority backgrounds
22:51and women living in more deprived areas were likely to take part in these home testing kits.
22:58So offering it really does mean that we can reduce that cancer inequality that comes with cervical cancer.
23:04Just under 69% of eligible women in England are up to date with their screening.
23:09In Kent, the figure is slightly higher at 71.5, but still short of the NHS target of 80%.
23:17With allowing for more comfort and control over physical health, these at-home kits may reduce the stigma and fear surrounding these screenings.
23:25In turn, increasing health and wellbeing for those who need the test.
23:29Kristin Hawthorne for ChemTV.
23:31So tell me, why is it so important that more people do these cervical screenings, but also this, as we've said in the piece, makes it more accessible for people?
23:44Yeah, well, it's important because it's something that affects a lot of women from the age of 25 to 64.
23:52From a teenager, I've always known that it's been a thing that I was always worried to come up, and I'm sure a lot of women are the same.
23:59It's kind of in the back of your mind, you're thinking, at a certain age, I'm going to have to go and get this done.
24:03But now, after a long time, you're able to do it at home.
24:06So it's not such a stigmatised thing anymore, which maybe is what puts people off quite often.
24:12And I mean, I've actually, it's funny that this story came about, because I got a text this week reminding me to get another screening, because I've had one before.
24:21And I have to say, in my own experience, obviously people say it's quite uncomfortable, but it's not so uncomfortable that you would risk not doing it.
24:29So to comfort people out there who are maybe a little bit scared of doing it, or maybe feel that it's just an awkward, uncomfortable scenario, actually, it's not that bad.
24:38And honestly, it's never as bad as you think. Just go for it and do the test, is what I say.
24:42Of course.
24:43And I mean, is it safe doing this test?
24:46Yes. So I mean, like you were saying, there's always horror stories and everything, but there's horror stories with everything.
24:52I mean, there's good experiences and there's bad experiences.
24:54With the test that we have now that's going to be sent at home, that's under your own control, really.
25:01And they are safe.
25:03Obviously, the ones that you go in and get in person would be slightly more accurate.
25:06But it's been researched for a long, long time, which is just one of the reasons why it's taken so long for this to actually come to fruition.
25:12Like the boil cancer ones, they have the same sort of idea.
25:15But it's just something that it will work and you can rely on it.
25:20Yeah. And I guess doing this at home, like you've mentioned, it's going to make this so much more accessible for more people, more comfortable for people.
25:28And if anyone has had a bad experience, at least they can do this and then go to the doctors afterwards, perhaps.
25:33But thank you so much for talking more about that.
25:36Let's take a quick look at the weather forecast now.
25:39This evening brings partly cloudy weather with highs of 21 in Dartford.
25:50Temperatures around the high teens elsewhere.
25:53Into tomorrow morning, much of the same weather to be expected.
25:57Wind speeds picking up to 10 and 11 miles per hour.
26:00Into the afternoon, more clouds scattered across the skies.
26:0324 degrees in Medway, 22 elsewhere.
26:06And for your outlook, Friday is looking sunny with highs of 25, 28 by the weekend.
26:12Now it's time for a short break again.
26:26But coming up, we'll have a repeat of your top stories from across the county, including anti-social behaviour in Hearn Bay.
26:35All of your sports headlines we'll be coming up to from across the county.
26:39And we'll look at a newly reopened Dover World War II base called Hellfire's Corner.
26:45All that after this break.
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30:46against violence on the streets of Herne Bay. Students that we have coming to
30:51visit Herne Bay, lots and lots of racist remarks, physically abused, they've had
30:56rocks and stones thrown at them, the local children using catapults against
31:00them. And digging up Dover, volunteers uncover secret World War II gun. The
31:07volunteers have given over 20,000 hours to see the site conserved and opened.
31:16Stranded and frustrated, the feeling amongst rail passengers today as thousands
31:28have been left disrupted by closed lines. Urgent repairs and damage to the railway
31:33at Rainham has meant disruption all across the county. Currently no trains are
31:38able to run between Gillingham and Sittingbourne. It comes as Southeastern
31:42today announced they've delivered £9 million worth of funding. Here's
31:47Gabriel Morris with more. Widespread chaos hit Kent today after Network Rail had to
31:53close key lines, leaving passengers stranded and reliant on these replacement
31:58buses. A fire which broke out near Rainham last night damaging critical
32:02cables has been blamed. Although engineers began repairs quickly, they say they
32:08discovered the damage is more severe than expected and trains won't run for the
32:13rest of today. No services are running from St Pancras to the Medway towns tonight. But
32:20Thameslink and Victoria trains are able to reach as far as Gillingham. Passengers say
32:27it's been a far from fun experience. It affected me yesterday and today, we left about just
32:34after, before 12 o'clock. Until now we have stopped and stopped and nobody even tell you
32:42what to do, where to go. No, no, this is at all. We have to ask. And most of the time, we
32:48don't know exactly. My train should have been at 12.57, which is usual. I got on the train. No,
32:56I didn't go on the train because it was all cancelled. And then the train that I actually got,
33:02all the doors actually went wrong. It's not good. The service is absolutely appalling. This morning
33:09it made, I was late by about an hour here and tonight I guess I'll be late going the back the same
33:14way. One of those things, it can't be helped, can it? You know, everything should be quicker,
33:18should be this, should be that, but just got to get on with it really. It's taken nearly work at
33:2312 today and so it's taken four hours to get even here and I've still got that one.
33:31I'm tired more than anything, but yeah, it's frustrating. I don't normally use frames, but it's
33:36just been a pain in the butt. Southeastern apologised to customers and said engineers have worked
33:41overnight and all day to repair the fire damaged cables. The company admitted the repair work had
33:46been harder than first expected. They're urging people to check Southeastern website or app for
33:51the latest updates and tickets are valid on alternative routes and special timetables are
33:56in place and replacement buses are running. Effective passengers can also claim delay repay compensation.
34:04So while Southeastern hopes services will return to normal soon, many commuters say tonight's rush hour
34:10will be nothing but chaotic.
34:16Violence and racism, attacks on animals and nuisance vehicles. These are just some of the concerns
34:23Herne Bay residents voiced at a meeting last night to discuss ways to tackle antisocial behaviour.
34:30But with Kemp police announcing new offices that will be hitting the streets next month,
34:35our local democracy reporter Oli Leder got all the reaction on the night.
34:39Especially in these really young, they have got nowhere to go. Nothing to do.
34:46They went outside to investigate. Group of youth kicking in the doors of the toilets
34:52in Wibberoo Square.
34:53And who is taking breath and responsibility for their behaviour? And how could that be inevitable?
34:59Tensions at a boiling point on a sweltering June evening, with hundreds cramming into the King's Hall
35:08to discuss antisocial behaviour, terrorising Herne Bay.
35:13The foreign students that we have coming to visit Herne Bay, they're verbally attacked. Lots and lots
35:22of racist remarks. Physically abused. They've had rocks and stones thrown at them. The local
35:30children are using catapults against them. And basically they're just causing an awful lot of trouble.
35:35Local representatives took to the stage with Kent police and Canterbury City Council officers
35:43on hand to answer the tough questions.
35:48What are you doing? Because I don't see police.
35:52We have got extra resources. The extra police officers they talked about. So getting us up to
35:57about two dozen out of Herne Bay Police Station. And then all the community safety additions as well
36:02who are coming to help. I think now it's about how do we deploy those people.
36:06But despite the eye rolls and head shaking, do those living in Herne Bay feel more confident now
36:14than they did before? I've heard an awful lot tonight about programmes, incentives and schemes.
36:21But what do they come to if it doesn't actually get a result at the end of it? A lot of platitudes,
36:26there was a lot of back slapping, lots of ideas that all sound good in theory. But what the residents
36:35of Herne Bay actually need is action. There were quite a few points that came out that I thought were quite good.
36:44You know, it is about sort of understanding which children are doing it, why they're doing it.
36:50With more police officers expected to hit the Herne Bay beat next month, there is hope violence could
37:00cool down here, even as the weather heats up. Olly Leader in Herne Bay.
37:07To sport now and this summer, it isn't the only thing that's heating up with Kent's professional and
37:12non-league teams preparing their squads. Ahead of the new season, Gillingham will see some experienced
37:18additions like former Wolves and Burnley striker Sam Vokes, with a former Gillingham player lining up
37:23for some Championship League qualifiers. Let's go to Finn McDermott with the sport headlines.
37:37Hello, here are your latest sports headlines. First up, Gillingham have a newly signed striker
37:42who scored goals in the Premier League and on the international stage. Manager Gareth
37:47Ironsworth has reunited with his former Wickham Wanderers player Sam Vokes, who has agreed to
37:51a one-year deal. The striker brings bags of experience with him after winning promotion
37:56to the Premier League with Wolves and twice at Burnley, and scoring international goals for Wales,
38:00including at Euro 2016. On joining, he said,
38:04it's great, it's exciting, and I'm looking forward to pre-season getting underway.
38:08In more Jill's news, a former midfielder for the club will play in qualifying matches for the
38:12UEFA Champions League with his new side. Dominic Corness was on loan to the Gills from Liverpool,
38:18but has now joined the current Welsh champions, the New Saints. As winners of the Cymru Premier
38:23Division, the side will face North Macedonian team Shikendija in a UEFA Champions League qualifier
38:29over two legs. Corness likely joined the side from Liverpool, where he's been since the age of five,
38:33and even earned the nickname The Wand in training, in order to get more game time, which he struggled with,
38:38while at Jill's only having limited minutes on the pitch. He said,
38:42from the moment I heard about the opportunity, I knew it was the right move for me. I can't wait
38:46to meet the lads, get started with training, and do everything I can to help the team achieve its
38:51goals this season. Some more football news ahead of that upcoming season, and Dover Athletic are set
38:56for a return to the National League South, but will this return be triumphant? Manager Jake LaBerle
39:02says he's relishing the underdog tag in what he calls the Big Boy League, where there are so many
39:07full-time teams, and so much money being spent. With this, Dover have announced the signings of
39:1119-year-old forward Max Fidesz, and defender Henry Lucombo. The latter came from Sittingbourne,
39:17and is said to be able to play anywhere across the back line. The manager spoke on his expectations for
39:22the next season recently. After having such a great season, I felt it was the right thing to do,
39:27but I'm also obviously in the back of my mind, we are a step up, and obviously we were there a couple of
39:31years ago, and I know what we're walking into. I've been open and honest with all of them. I'm
39:38really, really pleased for the boys that have so far signed up, and obviously there's been quite a few
39:42of them, so really delighted with the call we got, and still in talks with a few of the others.
39:48Manager Jay Saunders saying he's happy to bide his time in the transfer market to ensure he picks up
39:52the right players. After releasing most of last season's side, the Invicta boss says they've still
39:57got quite a few to get in, but he has recruited well, with 11 signed at the moment. He added,
40:02it's easy to go out and sign, sign, sign, and just not get it right. He says, we don't want to go out
40:07and be in this position next year where we're completely rebuilding again. Invicta finished
40:11the Isthmian premiere at 12th, and will be hoping to push up into the mid-table. A bit higher up in the
40:16pyramid now, and Charlton FC have opened their first ever pop-up shop in Blue Water after their promotion
40:21to the championship. The South London club have plenty of fans here in Kent, and they'll be able to get the
40:27new home and away kits, along with other merchandise at the shopping centre. But it is actually quite
40:31ironic, as the side's manager Nathan Jones jokingly banned his players from going to Blue Water during
40:36their promotion push to avoid any distractions. The addicts beat fellow London club Leighton Orient
40:421-0 to get to the championship, but they have been in and out of the second tier a lot, most recently
40:46relegated from the championship in the 2019-2020 season. And finally, a Chatham powerboat racer has
40:54claimed himself the 2025 F4 Masters Championship title. George Elmore with Team Kingfisher Fire
41:00outpaced the competition at Stuart B Lake in Bedfordshire, securing two Heat victories and
41:04a second-place finish that put him on the top of the standings and secured him the crown. He said on
41:09his victory, this result means a lot to me and the whole team. The conditions weren't easy, but we
41:14stayed focused and delivered consistent results when it mattered. Well, that's all the sports news for
41:19today. I'll see you very soon for more of your headlines from around the county.
41:31Time for our final break, but coming up we see how the local community in Dover helped to expand and
41:37uncover more of a World War II gun site that is situated on the White Cliffs. We'll also be catching
41:43up with our history producer, Finn, ahead of a new episode of Kent Chronicles. We'll see you right after this break.
42:13we'll see you right after this break.
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45:10Welcome back to Kent and I on KMTV.
45:12Now in 2012, the World War II Fan Bay Deep Shelter tunnels in Dover were rediscovered by the National Trust after being abandoned in the 1950s.
45:22Now, with the help from the local community, the site has been expanded to reveal Fan Bay No. 3 gun emplacement.
45:30The gun demonstrates just how important the White Cliffs of Dover were to the war effort in both defence and offence.
45:38With a new aspect of history on show, our reporter Esley Reynolds went down to find out more.
45:44Throughout the Second World War, Dover was referred to as the Lock and Key of England, due to its vital position controlling the English Channel.
45:52It also saw some of the highest concentrations of wartime artillery in the UK, and one gun emplacement has been excavated and is now on show at the White Cliffs of Dover.
46:04Fan Bay No. 3 gun and the underground magazines have been buried for over 50 years, but now they have been excavated and restored as a part of National Trust's Fan Bay Deep Shelter.
46:17The Fan Bay Deep Shelter is a network of tunnels built during the Second World War.
46:21The gun battery was intended to attack enemy ships moving through the English channels.
46:26It housed not only artillery, but also the soldiers. They lived, worked and defended the country from these tunnels.
46:35Life would have been, shall we say, not very nice. I mean, OK, they're not necessarily in direct contact with the enemy, but they are equally able to be shelled and to have their life interrupted.
46:53These tunnels the soldiers lived in were abandoned in the 1950s, but rediscovered by the National Trust in 2012.
47:02They were first open to the public in 2015, but now after further excavation, the site has expanded.
47:09Everything that we've done here over the last three years has been with a huge volunteer project team.
47:16So the volunteers have given over 20,000 hours to see the site conserved and opened, and they've done everything themselves.
47:25So it's this really lovely community project that we're very proud of.
47:30One part of the community that has been assisting the project has been the students from Aster Secondary School.
47:37They've been helping out and learning basic archaeology skills.
47:41The historical value, I'd say, is very great. It's learning how things used to work, you know, obviously before we were in this world.
47:49Just seeing the hard work that the men did to protect our country. I think that was really interesting to learn.
47:55It was interesting because I was thinking in my head when we were going around how big it was, because it is quite a big place to have a gun to shoot over.
48:04For us as a school to get students out of the classroom and actually engaging in with their local community,
48:09actually helping to preserve the history that's around them, it's fantastic.
48:14The evacuation of Fan Bay Gun 3 and the magazine Tunnels offer a fantastic opportunity to see the scale and understand why Dover was such a key player in the Second World War.
48:26Etterley Reynolds for KMTV in Dover.
48:31Now, don't forget, you can keep up to date with all the latest stories across Kent by logging onto our website, kmtv.co.uk.
48:38There you'll find all our reports, including this one, about our school's unique fundraiser.
48:43It wasn't your normal school day at this school in Sevenoaks, as the grounds were overrun by a parade of classic cars and enthusiastic visitors for the annual Festival of Motoring.
48:53Originally introduced as part of the school's open days and organised by the Friends of Valence charity and the Sevenoaks and District Motor Club,
49:00the festival is designed to be a fundraiser for the school and its residents, with all funds to be used directly for the benefit of the students.
49:07We've got 132 students aged from 4 to 19, as I say, all with physical disability or complex medical need and we offer a variety of curriculums for them to attend here at school.
49:20Events like this are really important because they enable us to go that extra mile and to provide other opportunities that we might not be able to do with the budget that we have.
49:29The hill climb event here at the Valence School has been running for over 60 years, the very first competition held in 1962.
49:36The early years of the competition saw a collection of classic cars compete, including this Lotus Seven, which returned to the event nearly 60 years later.
49:44But what goes into organising the festival?
49:46We built on last year, so we had the experience of doing that.
49:50Sevenoaks District Motor Club are amazing, so they obviously do their part with the auto solo demonstration.
49:56We mainly manage the paddock and the refreshments, lots of bits to learn every year, even when you think you've got things right.
50:03It's a lot of hard work and it's a lot for us to take on where our children have complex needs, you know, we don't have a lot of spare time, but actually it's really enjoyable working with you guys.
50:10It's a team effort as well isn't it? Everyone works. There's staff that are on board, there are parents that are on board, it's a real collaboration.
50:19The special event of the day was the auto solo competition, which saw racers complete timed loops of the school grounds, aiming to set the fastest time.
50:28For slightly braver spectators, a small donation would let them travel in the cars as they've sped up the fast course.
50:38You know, Sevenoaks as a club has been involved with the school for a long time.
50:42You know, as a venue, it's a great venue to come to.
50:45You know, they've got an amazing site here and they do a lot of fantastic work supporting children with disabilities as well.
50:54So I think we need to sort of look at helping those local communities out.
50:58The day ended with a somewhat informal trophy celebration, but with a lot of fun had and a lot of excitement looking forward to next year's event.
51:06Tim Forster in Sevenoaks for KMTV.
51:10Let's take a look at the forecast for the county.
51:14This evening brings partly cloudy weather with highs of 21 up in Dartford temperatures around the high teens elsewhere.
51:25Into tomorrow morning, much of the same weather to be expected with wind speeds picking up to 10 and 11 miles per hour.
51:31And into the afternoon, more clouds scattered across the skies, temperatures rising slightly to the highs of 24 in Medway 22 elsewhere.
51:39And for your outlook, Friday is looking sunny with highs of 25 degrees, rising to 28 by the weekend.
51:46Some clouds expected on Saturday.
51:48And just after this, we'll have another episode of Kent Chronicles.
51:58So the show's presenter and producer Finn McDermott joins me now.
52:03So what can we expect this evening and for this episode, Finn?
52:08Well, it's certainly a different one.
52:09Occasionally on Chronicles, we dip our toes into sort of old crimes and things.
52:14So, you know, I believe there was a murder in Chislehurst back in the 20th century that we discussed.
52:20But this episode, we're actually taking a look at a bit more of a modern look at history and crime.
52:25So heritage crime is essentially when historical items, historical buildings are damaged in some way that might impact their value.
52:34And it's becoming quite an issue here in Kent, so much so that historic England themselves have actually set up a specific sort of department to deal with it.
52:42And they're actually looking at making a specific way of legislating exactly what constitutes a heritage crime and marking when it does happen.
52:50So crimes like theft or arson or vandalism, when they do affect these historical things or places, will be marked in that way.
52:58So it's easier to detect. We speak to quite a few different people on that.
53:02We also obviously saw the Fan Bay story there. Very interesting piece of history.
53:07Obviously, here in Kent, we were sort of the home front during World War II.
53:11So it's one of those really interesting spots that's going to open back up.
53:14We also take a look at the Admiral Cruise.
53:17And that's a sort of traditional Medway cruise done by the Rochester Yacht Club.
53:22And what they do is they take the Medway and a few different sort of the Medway mess or a few different officials and dignitaries and do this long cruise down the River Medway to kind of mark the boundaries of the mayor's jurisdiction as Admiral of the River Medway.
53:36So we'll have a look at that. Also, a little quiz like we always like to do.
53:41We learn the meaning of where the name Maidstone actually comes from. Any quick guesses from yourself?
53:47Where it comes from, Maidstone. Perhaps they made a bit of stone.
53:53Well, you're not far off.
53:54That's not my actual guess.
53:55You're not far off, but you will have to tune in, I'm afraid, Izzy, to find out the answer to that.
53:59I guess I will, then.
54:00And we'll also be having a very interesting chat with the Canterbury Shakespeare Festival Company all about their upcoming plays.
54:07Now, Shakespeare, how much do you know?
54:09Not that much. My sister's an English teacher and she's just absorbed all of the knowledge that I could possibly learn.
54:15Oh, fair enough.
54:16Well, I've prepared a bit of a quiz for you.
54:19What you're going to have to do is guess if our friend Bill here was referring specifically to Kent in some of his works.
54:26Okay.
54:27So, was it in Kent? And if it was in Kent, whereabouts do you think it was?
54:30So, first of all, in one of Shakespeare's works, The Tragedy of King Lear.
54:35It's quite an obscure one, all about an ageing British monarch who divides his kingdom between his three daughters.
54:40And like most Shakespeare plays, it doesn't really end well for whoever's in power.
54:44So, King Lear travels to this location in the play.
54:47He doesn't want a duke that he knows to be blinded.
54:50Ironically, he becomes blind himself and dramatically throws himself towards, let's say, a natural height.
54:56I think where that could be.
54:58He ends up rather unceremoniously not actually falling off of this great height.
55:02But do you think it's in Kent? Not a lot to go off here, I know.
55:06Heights. Maybe the tallest place I can think of is Dover and the cliffs.
55:13So, let's go, yeah, and Dover.
55:15That is right. It is the Dover cliffs.
55:17In fact, this specific part of the cliffs is sometimes referred to as Shakespeare's cliffs.
55:22In King Henry the – ooh, Roman numerals. I think that's the fourth.
55:26King Henry the Fourth, part one, a character names Falstaff.
55:29He refers to pilgrims on their way to this location being robbed at a place called Gad's Hill.
55:33Notorious ambush spot. Do you think it's in Kent?
55:36Oh. Um. I feel like – I feel like yes. Am I right or shall I guess?
55:43You are right. It is in Kent. Where do you think specifically?
55:46Gravesend.
55:47Not quite. Sort of the other direction. Canterbury.
55:50Canterbury. Obviously, many pilgrims went down that way.
55:52That's very wrong.
55:53But you're not far off because the Gad's Hill actually has some links to Rochester,
55:57so it's believed they were travelling through Rochester perhaps on their way to Canterbury.
56:00And lastly in The Tempest, a character called Prospero flees from his homeland with his infant daughter Miranda.
56:06He eventually uses some sort of magic to force the only resident of that island to protect him and his daughter.
56:11So where exactly do you think he sets off from and is it Kent?
56:15Going to an island. I'm going to say not Kent.
56:20Either you're very good at this or I'm very bad at writing quizzes because you've flawless it.
56:23Three out of three. Prospero was the Duke of Milan and it was Italy he set off from.
56:27So, yeah. Very good there. So, yeah. All that and more to come on Kent Chronicles.
56:32Looking forward to it and I hope everyone out there is as well.
56:34Well, thank you very much. Who knew I was also just a history correspondent here at KMTV.
56:39But that's it for Kent tonight. Watch our history programme right after this break.
57:04Thank you very much.
57:05Thank you very much.