- 6 months ago
Catch up with all the latest news from across the county with Gabriel Morris.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Hello and welcome to Ken Tonight, live here on KMTV.
00:27I'm Gabriel Morris and here are your top stories on Wednesday 20th August.
00:32Proactive rather than reactive, our current plans to repair potholes in Kent, filling for GAP.
00:39No point coming along and patching them, so we've resurfaced it.
00:42If you've got one pothole in your street, we're going to come along and we're going to cut it out and patch it.
00:46Accident black spot, Tunbridge Wells residents welcome funding to tackle speeding.
00:51I think it's just been sheer luck and fortune that nobody's been seriously hurt up until now or killed.
00:58And peddling on a piano, a unique busker has toured the county on her goal to busk in every town and city in the UK.
01:08I've really, really loved Kent so much. Everybody here is really friendly. All the local businesses and that have been really, really friendly.
01:15Good evening. We're starting with a story that will be familiar to drivers right across Kent potholes.
01:32Fondham Wood Road in Hearn Bay has been shut while crews resurface it after damage left the road.
01:39Pretty dangerous according to locals. Well, it's all part of a £67 million scheme from the county council to try and make roads safer.
01:47But potholes are still a major headache for many drivers with concerns about safety and the cost of repairs.
01:53Maisie Walker has more.
01:55Frustrated motorists facing repair bills of up to £1,000 from Kent's pothole ridden roads may see relief.
02:01As Kent County Council announced in July a £67 million investment to fix potholes and resurface roads.
02:08So I'm outside Thorgen Wood Road in Hearn Bay finding out just what exactly Kent County Council is doing about these potholes scattered throughout roads in Kent.
02:20Thorgen Wood Road wasn't selected by chance. It was chosen by the local highways team in Canterbury after reviewing public reports
02:28and assessing the condition of the road surface.
02:31This road was full of potholes. No point coming along and patching them. So we've resurfaced it.
02:36If you've got one pothole in your street, we're going to come along and we're going to cut it out and patch it.
02:40Unfortunately, there's going to be some disruption. You can't close a road like this without disruption. It's going to happen.
02:47But we will do it as quickly and as efficiently as we can.
02:51What I want is the residents, more residents, to go on the KCC website and report the pothole.
02:57You report it, we'll fix it. But only in order of severity.
03:02You know, a crack in the road doesn't constitute a pothole. A big hole, a dangerous hole does.
03:08And that is very, we're being more proactive rather than reactive.
03:12KCC prioritises roads based on safety, need, traffic volume and, importantly, the views of residents and local communities.
03:21I think priority, more priority needs to be given to rural roads because, yes, they are rural, but they are used prolifically.
03:30I think as well, local residents would really appreciate it more. Like if, you know, they're seeing, you know, potholes there already for like a month or two instead of like a year or two.
03:39I think that would, I think people would be very pleased that they feel like their money that they're paying for their accounts tax is going somewhere.
03:45I don't think it has improved because, especially in the area where I live, which is about Rochester, Chatham area, where there's still a lot of potholes and even with repairs and everything,
03:56after a few weeks, it's still back to the same old conditions.
04:00New data reveals the cost of pothole damage is once more on the increase. Local garages are seeing more related cases every week.
04:08I would say impact, we probably see one every day that is cause by impact, whether that's a pothole, maybe a curb, to a tyre.
04:16To wheels, it's probably maybe a couple of weeks. We'll see like a crack or we'll see a buckle.
04:22But it's generally the tyre that takes the brunt of whatever you've hit.
04:27Over the last sort of couple of years, it's a lot more, it's normally the first thing we'd check.
04:32Whereas a couple of years ago, it would be a puncture of some description, but now it's, we check the wheel first.
04:38This wheel shows the damage caused by hitting a pothole. Repair costs can vary depending on the severity, wheel size and can reach up to £1,000.
04:48Peter Osborne added, we've already repaired more than 12,000 potholes this year, but this isn't just about numbers, it's about trust.
04:56People want to know their concerns are being heard and acted on.
05:00Maisie Walker for KMTV, Hearn Bay.
05:03Now for some news in brief, Favisham's community hopper bus is making an urgent appeal for more volunteer drivers.
05:11After an afternoon service had to be counselled when one of them called in sick.
05:15The bus is funded by a grant from Kent County Council, which covers the cost of leasing it for three years.
05:21But there's no guarantee that that money will be continued beyond that.
05:24Right now, eight drivers are keeping the wheels turning, but the town council says they really need at least two or three more to keep the service reliable.
05:33Broadstairs' annual firework display has been called off after strong winds made it too dangerous to go ahead.
05:39The event was due to light up Viking Bay this evening, but organisers say the onshore winds would have blown ash over the promenade and bandstand, leaving them with no choice but to counsel.
05:49They have confirmed the live bandstand music will still go ahead as planned and fireworks are being rescheduled to the beach for the end of August.
05:58Now police cordoned off part of Worcester Road in Eysted Rise this morning after reports of a man carrying two bladed weapons.
06:06It's understood one officer was injured during the standoff.
06:09Joining me now with more is Daisy Page.
06:12Daisy, developing story today, what have we heard so far from people in the area?
06:17Yes, so not much is known as of the moment.
06:20As we can see here, quite dramatic scenes this morning.
06:23Earlier today, around 7.45, patrols including armed officers attended this scene, which was near a construction site and a park.
06:31They attended after reports as a man described as a British national was said to be wielding two bladed weapons.
06:38It is said that the officer spoke with the man outside of a property and it is alleged that he was acting in a threatening manner.
06:44An officer discharged a taser.
06:47An officer suffered a cut to his hand and a person was tasered during the incident.
06:52One man did speak to us.
06:54He said that he was on the way of taking his child to nursery when he saw emergency responses.
07:00He added that when he got there, the man was already in handcuffs.
07:04And when he spoke to an officer, the officer said due to an officer being injured, the road would be closed for a long period of time.
07:13But we can see the pictures of the road busy, a lot of emergency services there and armed forces there as well reacting to this.
07:21A huge response, obviously, from the police there.
07:23And what have they told our programme tonight?
07:25Well, a spokesman from the police said that a 29-year-old local man was arrested on suspicion of assault and possession of an offensive weapon.
07:34He has been taken into custody. An investigation is underway.
07:38The injured officer, as well, has also been taken to hospital for medical attention.
07:43Daisy, thank you for bringing us those details.
07:48Now, people in Horsemandon say it feels like a fatal crash is just waiting to happen as speeding drivers continue to tear through the village.
07:56To try and stop this, parish councils across Tunbridge Wells have been given thousands of pounds in funding for new traffic calming measures.
08:03And the local MP, Mike Martin, has been in Horsemandon meeting parish councillors to discuss how the money could make a difference.
08:12But the crucial factor is, will it change drivers' habits in any way? I've been finding out.
08:19It's one of Kent's most picturesque villages.
08:22But instead of slowing down to take in the view, many drivers regularly exceed the 30-mile-per-hour limit in Horsemandon.
08:30The average on at least two of our approach roads, there is a consistent number of drivers who are around the 40, 45-mile-an-hour limit, where the limit is actually 30.
08:49All roads in the area seem to lead through Horsemandon, making it a common cut-through for drivers.
08:56Back in 2017, a delivery driver smashed into this building, missing a worker by just 15 minutes.
09:03And a year later, two cars collided on the very same junction.
09:08Locals say speeding is still a major problem, and you can see debris from a recent crash left by the roadside.
09:16I think unless there's significant changes, I think it's very likely that somebody, I think it's just been sheer luck and fortune that nobody's been seriously hurt up until now, or killed.
09:28The local MP visited the village to review current measures, and has pledged £25,000 for parishes across Tunbridge Wells to step up traffic calming.
09:39The junction behind me in Horsemandon is a great example. Actually, the problem that you have on this junction is one of visibility.
09:46So it's about warning drivers, you know, perhaps with red tarmac or with rumble strips, proper signage, that there is a dangerous junction up ahead of them.
09:54And that's what this programme is about. It's about improving and making changes where we can to make villages safer.
09:59A consultation runs until the end of September, and councillors want as many views as possible from the parishes.
10:08Gabriel Morris for KNTV News in Horsemandon.
10:14I'm sure many communities would like to receive that funding. It's there for parish councils across the Tunbridge Wells area.
10:21Right now, let's start to take a quick look at the weather forecast for the coming days.
10:26Tonight is looking rather cloudy with temperatures around 16 to 17 up in Margate.
10:35Into tomorrow morning, some sun peaking through in and off of the county.
10:38Similar temperatures and some moderate wind speeds there for both sides of the county.
10:44Going into the afternoon, temperatures rising to highs of 21 in the northwest, lows of 19 around our coast.
10:51And here's your outlook for the coming days. Cloudy weather, highs of 22 degrees on Sunday.
10:56Weekend starting at a low of 20 on Friday.
11:08All right, now it's time to take a quick break, but here's what's coming up for you.
11:13We'll speak to Tim Aker from the Federation of Small Businesses here in Kent to find out how they've been affected by the cost of goods and services increasing by 3.8% in the last 12 months and what this can mean for consumers in the county.
11:27We'll also take a look at Chloe Marie Astin, who's been touring around Kent riding around on a piano bike while she tries to achieve her goal of busking in every single town and city in the UK.
11:38And of course, we'll be having a look at some other headlines making the news agenda here in Kent.
11:44All that and more coming up in just a few minutes, so don't go anywhere.
12:08.
17:28Well, small businesses adapt. And small businesses got through the credit crunch. They got through lockdown. They got through the high taxes we're seeing today, the inflation, the high interest rates, and they're still here. And they're a resilient bunch, and they're the best of British they are. And they'll continue to struggle on.
17:45But a lot are in really dire straits, and they need immediate tax relief because they're getting attacked from both sides. They're getting the inflationary pressures of prices. They're getting the inflationary demands that the minimum wage, that people need higher wages. So there's that pressure. But also fiscal drag means that punters have less disposable income to spend on the high streets. So the spend per head is going down. And it's a perfect nightmare for small businesses.
18:11They really are caught in quite terrible economic conditions. And the government need to listen very, very carefully to small businesses in the next budget.
18:20And this could, of course, have a knock-on effect to the consumer, to the shopper. What would this mean for them?
18:25We all know what that means for mortgages. It means higher mortgage rates. And with inflation going up, the value of the pound goes down, and your purchasing power goes down. So there'll be pressure for higher wages.
18:34Nothing good comes from increased inflation. And the government have a target. They've set the Bank of England a target of 2%. And it's not being met. And this comes through the government borrowing money.
18:47It comes through the government increasing expenditure. And they need to get a grip on it and stop overspending so that there's room to reduce taxation so that more money from the consumer can be injected into the high street.
18:59It's basic economics.
19:01We just touched on it there, double the target from the Bank of England. What else has caused this inflation to get to that figure today?
19:09When you look at the basic way of where we're headed, with the government borrowing more, we hear constant stories about a black hole, whether it's 22 billion or whether it's 50 billion.
19:20Government's finances are on a very, very dodgy wicket. And they need to get a grip on it.
19:25Because the more they borrow, the more money is injected into the economy. The more money that is injected into the economy means that inflation goes up.
19:33It's a principle that goes back decades. And get a grip on the finances. Get a grip on the money supply. Inflation will come down.
19:43We need a stable economy. We need tax relief. And that's how you get a profitable and energetic private sector.
19:50Tim, thank you so much for your time.
19:53Thanks.
19:55And don't forget, you can keep up to date with all your latest stories across Kent by logging on to our website. It's kmtv.co.uk.
20:03On there, you'll find plenty of our reports. And this one about how a woman has secured a five-book series deal after suffering two life-threatening crises in the last six months.
20:14I don't know if you've seen the photograph of her in her ICU bed with all the tubes and dials and machines attached to her.
20:21And you look at that picture and you say, is this somebody who's going to write a book?
20:27And you say, no, absolutely no way that's not going to happen.
20:30But it did. And it can. And other people can do it.
20:33At 25, Nicola Hodges was hospitalised after a change in her epilepsy medication.
20:39This caused life-threatening complications and left her in a coma with just a 20% chance of survival.
20:45Just six months later, a seizure led to a fall that caused multiple brain haemorrhages and permanent brain damage.
20:51But the now 38-year-old has recently secured a five-series book deal.
20:56She told me about how this near-death experience ignited her journey.
21:00I remember feeling very warm. I remember feeling very calm.
21:04And I remember just feeling everything's okay. Just relax, chill kind of thing.
21:10It was just a feeling rather than an experience.
21:13And it was that sort of feeling that made me sort of start to believe that there was more to life after death,
21:25which was where this sort of premise for spirit born was born.
21:29When writing the book, Nicola told me that she found it difficult to stare at a computer screen for a long period of time,
21:34as it would give her migraines, tremors and the fear of a seizure.
21:37Because of this, she wrote everything down in these books, which she then later typed up and edited herself.
21:44Due to the brain damage, she often forgot her words when writing.
21:47But instead of looking it up online or asking her family, she would challenge herself to remember.
21:53Of course, that little voice in my head said, no, you are setting the bar too high.
21:59You cannot do this. You are brain damaged.
22:01What makes you think in a million years that, you know, you don't have a degree, you're not qualified to do this,
22:09you don't have any experience.
22:11So I just tried my best to just put that voice in a little box and just tell it to,
22:17shush, if you're not being helpful, just shush.
22:20And started writing.
22:23To go on the journey of picking herself up off the floor and saying,
22:31I'm going to do this, to actually get around to doing it, is just massive, absolutely huge.
22:38And the whole family is just over the moon about it.
22:41So it's a paranormal thriller series.
22:45Five books in total. I've written three already.
22:48While she writes the next two books, she uses social media to help inspire others facing similar battles with disability and mental health
22:56by encouraging them not to give up on their dreams.
22:59Kristen Hawthorne for KMTV in Etching Hill.
23:04And now, over the past week, busker Chloe Marie Askin has been touring Kent,
23:09stopping in towns like Canterbury, Favisham and many more, finishing in Maidstone.
23:14Well, she's on a mission to busk in every town and city across the UK.
23:19How's she doing it? It's turning heads.
23:21She's riding around on her piano bike.
23:23Yes, take a look at that there.
23:25She's been bringing her unique music to the streets.
23:28And our reporter Kai Wei went down to Maidstone to find out more.
23:37A busker is turning heads in Maidstone.
23:39And it's not just the music people are intrigued by.
23:41It's actually her instrument that's catching eyes.
23:44A piano mounted on a bike.
23:48My name is Chloe Marie Askin.
23:50I'm a singer and busker from North Devon.
23:52And I'm trying to busk in every town and city in the UK.
23:55Travelling across the South so far,
23:58Chloe also documents her whole journey on her various social medias,
24:01including her TikTok, where she is dubbed the Piano Bike Girl.
24:04I've been playing piano for the last six years,
24:11since I was 15 years old.
24:13And I had a few lessons to begin with, but I'm mainly self-taught.
24:17I started off just busking in my hometown in North Devon,
24:20but now I'm going all over the UK.
24:22I've really, really loved Kent so much.
24:26Everybody here is really friendly.
24:28All the local businesses and that have been really, really friendly.
24:31And, like, I've been given, like, drinks from cafes and stuff
24:34and offered shade and stuff.
24:36So it has really been a wonderful experience here in Kent.
24:39My favourite place was Faversham.
24:41They had the market on.
24:42It was really busy, really lovely weather.
24:45And it was just an amazing atmosphere.
24:49Building the Piano Bike with her dad,
24:51she's been riding around on it for six years,
24:53creating original music and singing many covers,
24:56amassing a fan base of more than 17,000 followers on TikTok.
25:00I've always loved music from a very young age.
25:03I've always been into singing and dancing and all those things.
25:06I did musical theatre for quite a few years.
25:10And I just, yeah, now I do this.
25:13And it's just evolved from there, really.
25:15I'd really like to, like, take it to the next level
25:17and, yeah, maybe do my own shows and stuff
25:19and just maybe get a record contract.
25:22Something really big like that.
25:24I also asked Passerbyers what they thought
25:26and all the responses I received were very positive.
25:29I was online last night and I just saw it on TikTok
25:33and I thought, oh, that's really good.
25:35So I decided to come down and have it.
25:37She's got the voice of Karen Carpenter.
25:40And you don't get that very often.
25:42I've seen her on the internet and everything
25:45so I was surprised that somebody that good and creative
25:50would be here in Maidstone.
25:56Hoping to return to Kent someday,
25:58she's loaded the piano bike into her van
26:00and continues on her mission
26:02to spread her music across England.
26:04Kai Wei for KMTV in Maidstone.
26:07Time now for a quick break but when we come back
26:19we'll have a recap of today's headlines
26:21including our top story
26:22at the speed of potholes and how they're being repaired
26:25and what the council says they're doing
26:27as carriages report seeing more and more pothole damaged cars.
26:31We'd like to hear your thoughts on this
26:32so do get in touch with us on our website
26:34it's kmtv.co.uk
26:37Whilst there, you'll be able to keep up to date
26:39with all your latest stories across Kent
26:40by logging on to our website
26:42it's kmtv.co.uk
26:43And our local democracy reporter
26:45Olly Leder will be here
26:46as Kent County Council's leader
26:47has written to districts about asylum hotel
26:49planning rules following
26:51Eppin Forest's legal action.
26:53All that and more in a few minutes.
29:54Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight Live here on KMTV.
30:16Now let's take a look back at our top stories tonight on Wednesday the 20th of August.
30:48Now, we're right back.
31:03KMTV.
31:09KCC now repairing it as part of a £67 million scheme to try and make roads safer.
31:14But potholes, a massive headache for drivers, concerns about safety and the cost of repairs.
31:20Macy Walker has been finding out at just what speed KCC are taking action.
31:26Frustrated motorists facing repair bills of up to £1,000 from Kent's pothole-ridden roads may see relief.
31:32As Kent County Council announced in July a £67 million investment to fix potholes and resurface roads.
31:40So I'm outside Thorgan Wood Road in Herne Bay, finding out just what exactly Kent County Council is doing about these potholes scattered throughout roads in Kent.
31:51Thorgan Wood Road wasn't selected by chance. It was chosen by the local highways team in Canterbury after reviewing public reports and assessing the condition of the road surface.
32:03This road was full of potholes. No point coming along and patching them, so we've resurfaced it.
32:08If you've got one pothole in your street, we're going to come along and we're going to cut it out and patch it.
32:12Unfortunately, there's going to be some disruption. You can't close a road like this without disruption.
32:17It's going to happen, but we will do it as quickly and as efficiently as we can.
32:22What I want is the residents, more residents, to go on the KCC website and report the pothole.
32:28You report it, we'll fix it, but only in order of severity.
32:34You know, a crack in the road doesn't constitute a pothole. A big hole, a dangerous hole, does.
32:39And that is very, we're being more proactive rather than reactive.
32:44KCC prioritises roads based on safety, needs, traffic volume and, importantly, the views of residents and local communities.
32:52I think priority, more priority needs to be given to rural roads because, yes, they are rural, but they are used prolifically.
33:00I think as well, local residents would really appreciate it more. Like, you know, they've seen, you know, potholes there already for like a month or two instead of like a year or two.
33:10I think that would, I think people would be very pleased that they feel like their money that they're paying for their accounts tax is going somewhere.
33:15I don't think it has improved because, especially in the area where I live, which is about Rochester, Chatham area, where there's still a lot of potholes and even with repairs and everything, after a few weeks, it's still back to the same old conditions.
33:32New data reveals the cost of pothole damage is once more on the increase. Local garages are seeing more related cases every week.
33:39I would say impact, we probably see one every day that is causeway impact, whether that's a pothole, maybe a curb, to a tyre.
33:48To wheels, it's probably maybe a couple of weeks. We'll see like a crack or we'll see a buckle, but it's generally the tyre that takes the brunt of whatever you've hit.
33:58Over the last sort of couple of years, it's a lot more. It's normally the first thing we check, whereas a couple of years ago, it would be a puncture of some description.
34:06But now we check the wheel first.
34:09This wheel shows the damage caused by hitting a pothole. Repair costs can vary depending on the severity, wheel size and can reach up to £1,000.
34:19Peter Osborne added, we've already repaired more than 12,000 potholes this year, but this isn't just about numbers, it's about trust.
34:27People want to know their concerns are being heard and acted on.
34:31Maisie Walker for KMTV, Herne Bay.
34:34Now for some more news in brief, Dean Victor Harley-Davidson Chapter is gearing up to ride around Kent to raise funds for Serve Kent Blood Runners.
34:44The charity carries critical blood samples and medical equipment to hospitals and clinics across the county.
34:52Up to 30 riders will take part in a sponsored ride next Saturday, starting at Rochester Airport and finishing at the QEQM Hospital in Margate.
35:01Event organiser Simon Williams says the charity is close to the group's heart, with several members volunteering for the charity themselves.
35:08The chapter hopes the ride will highlight the vital work Serve does in the county.
35:14The 15th century pub near Ashford has gone on the market after sitting abandoned for two years.
35:22Formerly known as the Timber Bats gained fame for its museum of curiosities collected over many years, dating back to the 15th century.
35:31It's named from a nearby sawmill where timber was cut into battens or bats.
35:36The former landlords moved to a new venue in Wye, taking the name and the curiosities with them.
35:41Christie & Co say it's a fantastic opportunity for a new operator to bring the pub back to life.
35:46Have been to that pub many times in East Vineyard.
35:50I have to say it is a very interesting pub.
35:52You've got to go there yourself to go and see it.
35:55OK, the leader of Kent County Council says she's written to the county's district councils about planning laws around asylum hotels.
36:04It follows Epping Forest District Council going to court to temporarily block migrants from being placed in a local hotel.
36:11Now, some councils across the UK are exploring whether the same planning rules could help them get a similar injunction.
36:18Our local democracy reporter, Oli Leader, joins me on the sofa now to explain just what this means in more detail.
36:24Oli, can you just break down what that news we had yesterday from the High Court?
36:30Well, Gabriel, this is a quite complicated case, but it is one that can be very significant for our district councils,
36:36for whether migrants will continue to be housed in hotels and other accommodation here in the county.
36:41Let's summarise it very, very quickly.
36:44Over in Essex, Epping Forest Council went to court to seek an injunction preventing migrants from being placed at a local hotel.
36:52They argued that the hotel had become a public safety risk because it allegedly breached planning laws by ceasing to be a true hotel.
37:00They basically said it's changed its use.
37:03Now, there have been similar cases in the past by numerous judges that have never intervened.
37:08They said they haven't seen any need to.
37:10But in this particular instance, they said the council had sidestepped scrutiny.
37:16Well, the hotel has sidestepped scrutiny.
37:18And now this is to say the Bell Hotel has actually acted unlawfully.
37:21That will be decided in October when the judge looks at whether the hotel has actually changed its use.
37:27But essentially, what this ruling means for us here in Kent is that if hotels housing assignment seekers haven't gone to the planning authority,
37:34such as your local district council, to ensure that they're compliant,
37:39they could see the court temporarily stop migrants being placed there.
37:44Something which has caused a bit of alarm with the leader of Kent County Council,
37:48who's already taken to social media with some questions.
37:54That is not the leader of Kent County Council.
37:56That is Matt Borton responding to her on social media,
37:59saying that we don't actually have any asylum seekers in any hotels in the area.
38:03But we can hear some of her questions to which he was responding to now.
38:07The first thing I'd like to know the answer to is how many hotels in their divisions or districts or boroughs have been turned into accommodation for asylum seekers or illegal migrants.
38:18And the second thing I need to know is have the planning permissions for change of use from hotel to asylum seeker accommodation been correctly sought and granted.
38:29If it transpires that those permissions have not been correctly granted,
38:33then I'll be urging them in the strongest possible terms to take legal action very swiftly indeed.
38:41And how Kent Council has been reacting to this today?
38:44Well, we already heard what Matt Borton has to say, but he's not alone.
38:47We reached out to several different councils in Kent.
38:50Dover, Canterbury and Foote and Hyde all said they didn't house asylum seekers.
38:55So this precedent being set in the courts has absolutely no bearing on what they will do.
39:02Meanwhile, over in Gravesham, they say they have no plan to take any legal action.
39:07They need to confirm whether they actually have any hotels or not that contain asylum seekers or migrants.
39:12But the one that does, Ashford, says they haven't caused any problems so far, so why go to court about it?
39:19All these strong words from the leader of Kent County Council, this will not potentially translate to any real action here in the county.
39:26Arnie, thank you for bringing us those details.
39:27Of course, the Labour government say they will end asylum hotels by the end of the decade.
39:32Now, people in Hospitance say it feels like a fatal crash is just waiting to happen as speeding drivers continue to tear through the village.
39:40To try and stop it, parish councils across Tunbridge Wells have been giving thousands of pounds in funding for new traffic calming measures.
39:46The local MP has been there to meet some of the locals to find out how it could make a difference, as I've been finding out.
39:52It's one of Kent's most picturesque villages, but instead of slowing down to take in the view,
39:58many drivers regularly exceed the 30mph limit in Horsemden.
40:03The average on at least two of our approach roads, there is a consistent number of drivers who are around the 40, 45mph limit, where the limit is actually 30.
40:22All roads in the area seem to lead through Horsemden, making it a common cut-through for drivers.
40:29Back in 2017, a delivery driver smashed into this building, missing a worker by just 15 minutes.
40:36And a year later, two cars collided on the very same junction.
40:41Locals say speeding is still a major problem, and you can see debris from a recent crash left by the roadside.
40:49I think unless there's significant changes, I think it's very likely that somebody, I think it's just been sheer luck and fortune that nobody's been seriously hurt up until now, or killed.
41:01The local MP visited the village to review current measures, and has pledged £25,000 for parishes across Tunbridge Wells to step up traffic calming.
41:13The junction behind me in Horsemden is a great example. Actually, the problem that you have on this junction is one of visibility.
41:20So it's about warning drivers, perhaps with red tarmac or with rumble strips, proper signage, that there is a dangerous junction up ahead of them.
41:27And that's what this programme is about. It's about improving and making changes where we can to make villages safer.
41:33A consultation runs until the end of September, and councillors want as many views as possible from the parishes.
41:41Gabriel Morris for KNTV News in Horsemden.
41:46Well, we're taking a break now. By coming up, we'll be finding out about how Kent Wildlife Trust have been victim of anti-social behaviour and taking a check of your weather.
41:53All that and more in a few minutes. Don't go anywhere.
42:11Bye!
42:27.
42:30.
43:00.
43:30.
43:32.
43:34.
43:36.
43:38.
43:40.
43:42.
43:44.
43:46.
43:48.
43:50.
43:52.
43:54.
43:56.
43:58.
44:00.
44:02.
44:04.
44:06.
44:08.
44:10.
44:12.
44:14.
44:16.
44:18.
44:20.
44:22.
44:24.
44:26.
44:28.
44:30.
44:32.
44:34.
44:36.
44:38.
44:40.
44:42.
44:44.
44:46.
44:48.
44:50.
44:52.
44:54.
44:56.
44:58.
45:00.
45:02.
45:04.
45:06.
45:08.
45:10.
45:12.
45:14.
45:16.
45:18.
45:20.
45:22.
45:24.
45:26.
45:28.
45:30.
45:32.
45:34.
45:36.
45:38.
45:40.
45:42.
45:44.
45:46.
45:48.
45:49So some of the things that they're seeing they've seen a bird viewing or a bird watching station
45:52has been trashed for the third time in a row.
45:55If they are thinking about not replacing it or replacing it for something smaller.
46:00The damage one is what we can see on the screen now.
46:04And because it's disheartening for volunteers who put these things up and they're just constantly
46:08seeing it getting trashed, so that's unfortunate.
46:13They're also seeing camping equipment just discarded.
46:18Steve Wicks, who we can see on the screen now, the area manager, has said that this
46:23is also quite disheartening, seeing all this camping equipment, which I believe is there
46:27on the screen now, as camping sites are quite expensive, they're thinking people are just
46:32trying to camp for free on the Wildlife Trust grounds, and they don't actually permit camping
46:37on any of their sites.
46:39And one more thing that they've seen that can actually be quite dangerous is an increase
46:43in barbecuing and people lighting fires on their sites.
46:47And as it's been quite a dry summer, not a lot of wet weather, this can cause an increased
46:51fire risk, which can be dangerous to not only the wildlife, but people involved.
46:55Steve Wicks, Yeah, no, really interesting, and of course, having to eat into their own
47:00profits, which they could be spending on conservation, so how much is all of this anti-social behaviour,
47:05camping and littering, costing the organisation?
47:07So they gave specific figures for one thing, nitrous oxide cans.
47:12They cost about £7.50 to dispose of properly and sensibly.
47:17And they've had to dispose of £120, which has cost them over £900.
47:23We actually caught up with Steve Wicks to hear how frustrating this is for the Wildlife Trust.
47:28Well, Kent Wildlife Trust is a charity, so we're conscious that every penny that's donated
47:33to us, we want to be using for conserving and improving wildlife across Kent, not having
47:38to spend it on clearing up rubbish and replacing damage, things like that.
47:43So any money would go towards maintaining 80-odd nature reserves across the county for helping
47:51to equip our volunteers who do a wonderful job helping us maintain those nature reserves,
47:55providing them with tools and equipment and safety, clothing, and just helping Kent Wildlife
48:02Trust build a better wildlife in Kent.
48:05And they're just urging people to observe the signs they put up around their grounds.
48:11Well, Natalie, thank you for bringing us those details.
48:14Now, keeping with conservation, a rare animal centre in Gravesend is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
48:21Adam Hemsley opened the Hemsley Conservation Centre, I wonder where he got that name from, when he was just 22.
48:27And over the past decade, the centre has rescued 43 species and some 140 animals, even saved some from extinction.
48:36The Hadley College graduate calls the last 10 years an incredible journey, as Joe Crosley reports.
48:42I originally sent out letters to places that I thought might be a good site.
48:51And I think probably for those people having a letter land through the letterbox with a 22-year-old that says,
48:57hey, I want to open a zoo, they probably thought I was joking.
49:01And I only got one reply, which was where we are now.
49:06That was the founder and boss of Hemsley Conservation Centre, Adam Hemsley, who is celebrating 10 years of the Kent Zoo being open.
49:15The now 32-year-old started the centre aged just 22 in 2015.
49:21Since then, he has bred rare animals such as Brazilian porcupines, spider monkeys, rusted spotted cats and black-tailed marmosets, to name just a few.
49:32He's been telling Kent Online about some of the success stories over the last decade.
49:36Yep, so we focus on lots of lesser-known species that some of the larger collections would sort of overlook or may not sort of push forward.
49:46So we've got quite a few that I would say that we've done really well with, that we're quite proud of.
49:52Our Prohensitea porcupines, we started with two and we've lost and bought in a few over the years.
50:00But we're now at six, and our offspring are now producing their own offspring.
50:05And we're now in a position where we can send them to other collections that want them.
50:10Our rusty spotted cats as well, we've sent all around the world, America, UAE, Germany, and we've bred about 15 of those now.
50:18Three landed armadillos, black-tailed marmosets.
50:23And we're going to keep with the conservation theme now as we take a look at a redbird that's taken to the skies.
50:30The baby red-billed chuff has taken flight right here in Kent for the first time in more than 200 years.
50:35We're going to take a look back at this story, and you can find more on our website at kmtv.co.uk.
50:40It's a flying success for Kent's red-billed chuff population, as one of the baby birds has become the first to fledge in more than 200 years.
50:49Fledging is where the chuff grows enough to develop feathers that then allow it to fly.
50:54And the fact it's taken to the skies is a promising site for the reintroduction project.
50:59So having a chick come out of the nest and survive and get through to that stage is in itself such an achievement.
51:08And I think because it's learnt and it's learnt its flying skills in those Dover winds, it's quite a good flier.
51:15So hopefully it will survive winter and go on itself to start be a breeding pair in the wild with another bird.
51:22The chuff has plenty of ties to Kent, being on the Canterbury Coat of Arms, part of the legend of Thomas Beckett,
51:28and having their reintroduction project in a secret Dover location.
51:32So these are captive rear birds that are experiencing the outside world for the first time, like I said, experiencing those winds,
51:39challenges of the peregrine, but also just the general sights and sounds of Dover and getting used to that area.
51:45So we're trying to keep disturbance to a minimum for their benefit so that they've got the best chance of success.
51:51The species only began their rewilding in Kent three years ago after they vanished in the 1800s
51:57due to a loss of their natural habitat, chalk grasslands, which was hurt by farming practices at the time.
52:03But efforts have been made to restore the natural environment.
52:06The chuff rely on chalk grasslands for them to survive.
52:11They need the habitat to forage on insects.
52:16They also rely on the grazing animals that thrive, that we use on the chalk downland.
52:22So the grazing animals provide dung, which a lot of insects then use and populate and breed in,
52:30which the chuff also used for foraging, particularly in winter months when the insects aren't necessarily around in the grassland.
52:37The project's five-year plan is to introduce up to 50 birds in the southeast, including the Kent population,
52:42with the goal to eventually link chuff populations across southern England.
52:46But with the county now having new chuffs in its clear blue summer skies,
52:50there's no longer the same dark cloud that once hung over Kent's most iconic bird species.
52:55Finn McDermid for KMTV.
52:59And finally, over the past week, busker Chloe Marie Astin has been touring Kent,
53:04stopping in towns like Canterbury, Margate and finishing in Mainstone.
53:08She's on a mission to busk in every town and city across the UK,
53:12and she's doing it in a way that's turning heads, riding around on her piano bike.
53:19Well, she's been bringing her unique music to the streets, and our reporter Kai Wei went down to find out more.
53:26A busker is turning heads in Mainstone, and it's not just the music people are intrigued by.
53:36It's actually her instrument that's catching eyes, a piano mounted on a bike.
53:42My name is Chloe Marie Astin. I'm a singer and busker from North Devon,
53:46and I'm trying to busk in every town and city in the UK.
53:50Travelling across the south so far, Chloe also documents her whole journey on her various social medias,
53:55including her TikTok, where she is dubbed the Piano Bike Girl.
54:03I've been playing piano for the last six years, since I was 15 years old,
54:07and I had a few lessons to begin with, but I'm mainly self-taught.
54:11I started off just busking in my hometown in North Devon,
54:14but now I'm going all over the UK.
54:17I've really, really loved Kent so much.
54:20Everybody here is really friendly.
54:22All the local businesses and that have been really, really friendly,
54:25and I've been given drinks from cafes and stuff, and offered shade and stuff,
54:30so it has really been a wonderful experience here in Kent.
54:33My favourite place was Faversham.
54:35They had the market on, it was really busy, really lovely weather, and it was just an amazing atmosphere.
54:43Building the piano bike with her dad, she's been riding around on it for six years creating original music,
54:49and singing many covers, amassing a fan base of more than 17,000 followers on TikTok.
54:54I've always loved music from a very young age.
54:57I've always been into singing and dancing and all those things.
55:00I did musical theatre for quite a few years, and I just, yeah, now I do this, and it's just evolved from there really.
55:09I'd really like to take it to the next level, and yeah, maybe do my own shows and stuff,
55:14and just maybe get a record contract, something really big like that.
55:19I also asked Passerbyers what they thought, and all the responses I received were very positive.
55:24I was online last night, and I just saw it on TikTok, and I thought, oh, that's really good,
55:30so I decided to come down and have it.
55:32She's got the voice of Karen Carpenter, and you don't get that very often.
55:37I've seen her on the internet and everything, so I was surprised that somebody that good and creative would be here in Maidstone.
55:51Hoping to return to Kent someday, she's loaded the piano bike into her van,
55:55and continues on her mission to spread her music across England.
55:59Kai Wei for KMTV in Maidstone.
56:02Crazy little thing of love.
56:10Fantastic. Now for a look at the weather.
56:18Tonight is looking rather cloudy. Temperatures around 16 and 17 up in Margate.
56:23Into tomorrow morning, some sun peaking through the north of the county
56:26with similar to temperatures and wind speeds of 11 miles per hour.
56:29Into the afternoon, temperatures rising up to 21 degrees, 19 around the coast.
56:37And here's your outlook for the coming days.
56:41And that's all we've got time for this evening.
56:43I'll be back with your late bulletin at 8pm.
56:45But for me and the rest of the Kent tonight team, goodnight.
56:47I'll be back with our Katyn tonight team. Good night.
56:53Transcription by CastingWords
Comments