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Catch up with all the latest news from across the county with Cameron Tucker.
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00:00Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight, live on KMTV.
00:26I'm Cameron Tucker and here are your top stories on Tuesday the 30th of September.
00:31The post on pause, rage in Paddock Woods over Royal Mail delays.
00:36It's not just bits of paper that we're waiting for and can endlessly wait for, it's impacting people's lives.
00:42Esplanade evacuation, Rochester reacts to late night High Street bomb scare.
00:47I was a bit concerned, rightfully so. Everyone was confused on the High Street.
00:51We didn't really know what was going on.
00:52And waddling on the wild side, we take a stroll with Wingham Wildlife Park's colony of Humboldt penguins.
00:59Some days we'll do it and only two or three will want to go out.
01:02Other days we'll have nearly the whole group of 18 come out.
01:05Now our top story this evening.
01:17Dozens of Paddock Woods residents have contacted Royal Mail speaking of their outrage at consistent and damaging delays.
01:24According to residents, bank statements, bills, even critical medical documents and supplies are taking weeks to arrive or not even coming at all.
01:33Our reporter Alfie Rose spoke to one resident who's been affected.
01:37It's not just bits of paper that we're waiting for and can endlessly wait for, it's impacting people's lives.
01:44With mailboxes and letter holes donning the front of houses across the county, it's clear how important parcel deliveries are to our daily lives.
01:53And as the country's largest postal service, the Royal Mail is central to this process.
01:59It's easy to take the post service for granted, but when things go wrong and the letters stop coming, the consequences can be serious.
02:08Laura Jane Manuel is a Paddock Wood resident who has been particularly let down by the Royal Mail.
02:13I have a couple of chronic medical conditions.
02:17I've missed quite significantly important medical appointments.
02:23I also am reliant on medication being delivered to me and haven't received it in the time frame that it should have been delivered in or haven't received it at all.
02:36When Laura does receive a post, it's often weeks worth of letters at a time.
02:40These backlogs can be a matter of life and death.
02:45Not receiving that medication means that potentially I would need further medication administered to me if I was to collapse.
02:58Living on my own with a 10-year-old son, that responsibility falls onto my 10-year-old son to administer that medication,
03:05to make sure I stay alive or out of a coma, which a 10-year-old child shouldn't have the responsibility of.
03:14Laura's story is just one of many, with 33 residents across the area submitting a joint complaint to Royal Mail.
03:21As for comment, a Royal Mail spokesperson said,
03:24We are aware of service issues in Paddock Wood and apologise to residents affected.
03:29Our team in Tonbridge has been working hard to improve service locally and following a recent recruitment campaign,
03:35our new posties will begin training in the coming weeks.
03:39But for local residents, the Royal Mail's promises are still undelivered.
03:45Alfie Rowe for KMTV in Tonbridge Wells.
03:48Thank you very much.
04:18I hold the Chief Constable to account to make sure that they are being delivered.
04:22Every year I have used this as a litmus test for how policing is performing and what they should be focused on.
04:29So if the priorities need to change, then they will.
04:32We have done so in the past when there have been emerging issues and challenges around waste crime, retail crime, road safety.
04:40So these results do genuinely matter.
04:43But they're also a good test for me to understand what level of service the public thinks they are receiving from the police.
04:50So we use this as a satisfaction survey for victims to understand what went well when they reported crime and how we could improve things in the future.
04:59So these do make an actual tangible difference in terms of what the force's priorities should be and how we can improve the service the public receives.
05:07You were talking about the survey and reaching as wide a number of people as possible.
05:12What steps are being taken to reach maybe underrepresented groups or communities that, you know, maybe less likely will find it harder to respond to online surveys?
05:21I think the problem with many survey exercises, number one is survey fatigue, because a lot of public sector institutions are always running surveys on different things.
05:33And it's important to emphasise just how important this one is.
05:37But we make sure that we don't just rely on online responses, as many other organisations do.
05:42We're going out into communities.
05:44My team and I have been doing street stalls in town centres.
05:48We have done one in Folkestone and we've done one in Swanley.
05:52We're going to be on the Isle of Sheppey.
05:54We're going to be in Gravesend.
05:55We're going to be around the whole county in different high streets so we can actually talk to people, not just hide behind social media.
06:02Specifically relating to today, I'm sure you've seen the incident that happened this morning and overnight in Rochester with the bomb disposal scare that happened there.
06:14We saw that incident.
06:15We also saw a couple of weeks ago similar scenes around Leeds, around the village of Leeds.
06:24How do you respond to it?
06:27Are you seeing that these issues are happening more and more?
06:29Is that a threat?
06:30Are you worried about the rise in those kind of incidences?
06:33Well, the incident down at Leeds Castle was a specific, in that area, was a specific investigation into one individual.
06:43That I can't talk to because that's a live, ongoing criminal investigation, as is the case in Rochester.
06:49What I would say is that the police and the military, in those instances where there are explosive ordnance devices identified, work really closely together to protect the public and make sure that, if it is appropriate, that the person responsible is held to account.
07:05And tensions are obviously really running high across quite a lot of the country with those marches and with a lot of the rhetoric politically and what we see online as well.
07:14How successful do you feel Kent Police have been in defusing those tensions and what are you and your colleagues looking to do going forward to try and continue to defuse those tensions?
07:25I think, broadly, Kent Police have done well.
07:30We have learned a lot from protests over the last decade or so, going back to what happened in Dover in 2016 when we had significant disruption, assaults, crimes and thefts against businesses, etc.
07:45We learned a lot from that and that model has been applied going forward.
07:49We've seen a number of protests across the county, Dover in recent years, but also in the last few weeks in different towns across the county as well.
07:57And they have largely been going off peacefully.
08:02There have been a few arrests and those will be dealt with.
08:05But Kent Police does have a very good response to dealing with protests to make sure that those who wish to have their say can do so in a fair and proportionate way that doesn't cause any harm to the other side.
08:16Matthew Scott there.
08:19Now, an unidentified package led to a large section of Rochester High Street being cordoned off and evacuated.
08:26A bomb disposal unit was seen at the scene from Northgate to the Esplanade at around half past six last night, leading to congestion and disruption in the town, which only cleared this morning.
08:37Megan Shaw has this report from the scene.
08:39It seems quiet now, but last night a bomb scare forced Rochester High Street to grind to a halt.
08:46Where I'm stood now just yesterday was cordoned off by police, but now the streets look back to normal.
08:53Around half past five last night, police cordoned off a section of Rochester High Street from Fish at 55 to the Royal Victoria and Bull Hotel as a so-called suspicious package was found and posed a threat.
09:06The Ministry of Defence deployed a bomb disposal team, businesses, many of them busy restaurants and pubs in the middle of serving patrons were forced to evacuate and close.
09:16When it all started, it was around eight, no, not eight o'clock, it was around six o'clock.
09:22The police started going around.
09:24I'd received the message that people were evacuating the local area.
09:27I was very concerned.
09:28I didn't know what was going on.
09:29So I asked the police officer.
09:31He didn't give me too much information.
09:33And then I asked another one and he mentioned that they received a strange device, a picture of a strange device or something along those lines.
09:42I was a bit concerned, if rightfully so.
09:45Everyone was confused on the high street.
09:47We didn't really know what was going on.
09:49Surrounding flats were also evacuated and many were left confused.
09:53It has since been confirmed that an e-bike battery was responsible for the panic.
09:57At around 8.15, the item no longer posed a threat to the public and police tape was removed.
10:04Many businesses still remained shut for the rest of the night, losing valuable customers.
10:08Get Ready Comics has already been a victim of an arson attack just last month.
10:13The bomb scare poses another challenge for customer traction.
10:16It is worrying.
10:18Levels of crime seem to be going up.
10:21We notice little things as well.
10:23There's more graffiti, there's more littering, there's more antisocial behaviour.
10:26So it's one of those things, it is a concern.
10:30For me as a local resident as well, it is worrying because you're like, really?
10:37But, you know, it's like it everywhere, isn't it?
10:39We contacted Kent Police for a statement.
10:43They informed us that...
10:45Kent Police was called at 5.23pm on Monday 29th September
10:49to report of a suspicious item at a residential property near Corporation Street on Rochester.
10:54The item was found not to pose a risk to the general public and the cordon was removed at around 8.15pm.
11:01With the Ministry of Defence having confirmed the culprit was an electric bike battery,
11:06it's a relief to say that nobody was harmed.
11:09Megan Shaw for Kame TV in Rochester.
11:12Now it's time for a quick break.
11:16But coming up after the break, we speak with Ashford MP Sojan Joseph up in Liverpool for the Labour Party conference.
11:23And we talk to him about how the conference is going,
11:25as well as news of a new online NHS hospital service,
11:29which the Prime Minister, Sakhir Starmer, says will create millions of extra appointments.
11:34We'll keep you updated with the latest weather forecasts, as always.
11:38And we also send our reporter Maisie Walker down to Wingham Wildlife Park
11:42to take a look at their colony of Humboldt penguins.
11:44All that and more after this short break.
16:22I'm really pleased with his speech.
16:38wait for your appointments. You can get an appointment with the doctors straight away
16:44with this commitment that came out from NHS 10 year plan about using digital technologies
16:52with AI is everywhere now. This is a great news that it will transform our healthcare
16:59in this country. The people will not lose the opportunity to have a face-to-face meetings
17:05with their doctors. We will still have all that. This is addition to that. Using the technology
17:12when you need a doctor, not all the appointments need to be in face-to-face. You can talk to a
17:18specialist somewhere in the country that will transform. We don't have to wait for weeks and
17:23weeks for a specialist appointment. This is brilliant news. I do want to talk about some
17:28of the criticisms of this news, though. We've seen some people saying that there's potential
17:33security breach risks for older adults and those in socio-economically deprived groups
17:39in rural areas that, you know, accessing digital services currently is hard. This might also prove
17:47to be hard as well. What would be your response to some of those criticisms? And are those criticisms
17:52founded? So this new online hospital, we're still waiting for more details to come out. This is not
18:01for everyone. This is for people who can access through online. So what will benefit the rest of the
18:09people is this will take the pressure on our existing system. So many people will be able to access
18:15online health, while the others will have the existing system to have face-to-face appointment.
18:22So I don't have any concerns. The concerns about security breach, yes, we will have to look into that.
18:30And as we know, the whole world is changing to technology, and we don't want to stand behind.
18:36We need to be ahead of this. And this is going to transform our health system.
18:41And we were talking about, you've just come out of listening to the Prime Minister's speech. Just
18:47some of those words that he said in his speech, I'm just reading off my phone now. He says Nigel
18:52Farage doesn't like Britain. He wants to turn the UK into a competition of victims. He warns against
18:59the politics of grievance and criticises those who sold Brexit lies. With that in mind, how,
19:07there's a lot of rhetoric there, there's a lot of talk, but how is he, how is the party,
19:15how, you know, and your role in that as well, how are you going to turn the tide that's very much
19:21reform seem to be riding at the moment? How are you going to go about changing that?
19:25So we all know that during the Brexit, things were promised to the public, which was not delivered.
19:31After 10 years of Brexit, we haven't seen any benefit from that Brexit. So what we're talking
19:39about is fighting against division. We talk about using our strengths. This country is not broken,
19:48as Nigel Farage claims. About 18 months on from the election, like we said, do you feel you
19:53and the party are delivering on your promise of change?
19:57There are lots of positives happened so far, but it's not gone, everything gone well as we expected.
20:03People are not seeing the benefits of some of the changes, some of the difficult decisions that
20:08this government has taken. But this is going to change the country. It will take time. That's what
20:14the prime minister was saying. Yeah, we have to make some difficult decisions. It's not popular. It is
20:20going to, people will find that difficulty. Some of the labour colleagues find it difficult. But this is
20:27going to change. This is going to take time. But we will not give up. This country is great. We have a great
20:32talents here. We will deliver what we promise to the people. If you look around in our country, the
20:37potholes are getting better. Energy's waiting lists are coming down. So there are some glimpse of
20:43positive changes already happening. So we don't have a magic wand to change everything overnight. But
20:51some of the changes are already happening. And the rest of the changes will be coming on its way.
20:57Now, don't forget, you can keep up to date with all your latest stories across Kemp by logging on to
21:01our website, kmtv.co.uk. There you'll find all our reports, including this one.
21:05Five Acre Wood is making waves. Radio waves. The special needs school has just launched a brand new
21:16radio station, bringing their voices and more to Kent. I just need to be quiet because I'm standing
21:25outside the headquarters of Maidstone Radio for All. But luckily I've been invited inside to take a look
21:33at this exciting new project. This undertaking has been in the works for years, facing challenges
21:41such as the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it's finally arrived at the Maidstone Community Support Centre
21:49and will provide students with some incredible experiences on air.
21:55They just loved being at the recording studio, being able to use the equipment and also they
22:01loved listening to their programme back at school. It was a really good opportunity for them to use
22:07their oracy skills and also it built their confidence and their self-esteem and we're really
22:13looking forward to our next visit. So far, Radio for All has become one of the pupils' greatest hits.
22:21Definitely the first time I ever spoke on air, like introducing that Sam Ryders song and talking
22:27about the Eurovision and like how UK came second in that year and just having a good time talking
22:34about it for the first time ever in Radio for All.
22:37Can you remember, what was your favourite part of your visit to the recording studio?
22:40It was struggling with the light switches.
22:43And can you remember which song you presented live on air?
22:48No.
22:48No, no. It was quite a long time ago, wasn't it?
22:50Yeah, because I was year six and I'm year seven now.
22:53What's been your favourite part about rooming this?
22:57Probably telling everyone about where I'm going for my holiday.
23:02With Five Acre Wood delivering radio for all, this scheme is looking to be a chart topper.
23:10Henry Luck for KMTV in Maidstone.
23:15Now it's time to take a look at the weather.
23:22Tonight's looking partly cloudy with temperatures in the low teens. Wind speeds of between two and four miles per hour.
23:28Into tomorrow morning, much the same weather with temperatures between 12 and 15 degrees down in Dover.
23:34Similar wind speeds and into the afternoon, the sun disappearing in the west with temperatures rising to around 18 degrees, 17 along the coast.
23:41Now for your outlook, highs of 19 on Thursday with sunshine expected, light rain on Friday with dropping to 17 degrees on the weekend.
23:49Now Kent zoos and animal sanctuaries are used to being filled with visitors of all ages, but Wingham Wildlife Park had a rather different footfall.
24:07Their colony of Humboldt penguins are being taken on daily walks around the park to encourage natural behaviours and for vital enrichment.
24:14Maisie Walker has more.
24:16Finn-tastic. These Humboldt penguins from Wingham Wildlife Park show off their graceful moves in the water, native to coastal lines of Peru and Chile.
24:31They are strong swimmers, reaching speeds of up to 30 miles per hour, despite their awkward movement on land.
24:50Here, keepers encourage the penguins to display natural behaviours, such as nest building, by offering them a daily walk where participation is entirely up to them.
25:00So I've wandered over to Wingham Wildlife Park to see their penguins in action during their morning exercise. And let's just say, they're really ringing it.
25:11They begin their morning walk with some encouragement, usually in the form of fish. Then the penguins follow a path around the grassy area near the enclosure, collecting treats as they go.
25:22The morning exercise is really important for them. It gives them a chance to have a mooch about and go out and about.
25:28So it's good for enrichment for them. It's something that's completely up to them.
25:32So some days we'll do it and only two or three will want to go out. Other days we'll have nearly the whole group of 18 come out.
25:39So it's something which they do enjoy doing it. But yeah, especially around breeding season, they love going out and just picking up leaves and little stones and things to bring back for their nests.
25:53In the wild, Humboldt penguins live on rocky coasts and islands. They like to make their nests in places with guino because they can dig burrows there.
26:01It might sound gross, but the waste helps them build safe homes. The real problem is that guino is also a great fertilizer. So people collected a lot of it in the 1800s.
26:12This ruins many penguin nesting spots and disturbed the birds, causing their numbers to drop.
26:18But Wingham Wildlife Park has been successfully breeding Humboldt since 2013, aiding the survival of their species.
26:25So it seems that all it takes to make a penguin happy and healthy is water, food and a daily waddle. Happy feet indeed.
26:34Maisie Walker for KMTV, Canterbury.
26:38A quick break, but coming up, we recap our top stories, including one about dozens of Paddockwood residents who've contacted Royal Mail about their outrage after consistent and damaging delays.
26:49All of that in a few moments time.
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30:21The Post on pause. Rage in Paddock Wood over Royal Mail delays.
30:27Esplanade evacuation. Rochester reacts to late night high street bomb scare.
30:32And waddling on the wild side.
30:33We take a stroll with Wingham Wildlife Park's colony of Humboldt penguins.
30:38A look back at our top story this evening.
30:41Dozens of Paddock Wood residents have contacted Royal Mail
30:44speaking of their outrage about consistent and damaging delays.
30:49According to residents, bank statements, bills, even critical medical documents and supplies
30:54are taking weeks to arrive or not even coming at all.
30:58Our reporter Alfie Rowe spoke to one resident who's been affected.
31:01It's not just bits of paper that we're waiting for and can endlessly wait for.
31:06It's impacting people's lives.
31:08With mailboxes and letter holes donning the front of houses across the county,
31:13it's clear how important parcel deliveries are to our daily lives.
31:17And as the country's largest postal service, the Royal Mail is central to this process.
31:23It's easy to take the post service for granted,
31:26but when things go wrong and the letters stop coming, the consequences can be serious.
31:32Laura Jane Manuel is a Paddock Wood resident who has been particularly let down by the Royal Mail.
31:37I have a couple of chronic medical conditions.
31:41I've missed quite significantly important medical appointments.
31:48I also am reliant on medication being delivered to me
31:52and haven't received it in the time frame that it should have been delivered in
31:58or haven't received it at all.
32:00When Laura does receive her post, it's often weeks' worth of letters at a time.
32:05These backlogs can be a matter of life and death.
32:09Not receiving that medication means that potentially I would need further medication administered to me
32:20if I was to collapse, living on my own with a 10-year-old son,
32:24that responsibility falls onto my 10-year-old son to administer that medication,
32:30to make sure I stay alive or out of a coma,
32:34which a 10-year-old child shouldn't have the responsibility of.
32:38Laura's story is just one of many,
32:40with 33 residents across the area submitting a joint complaint to Royal Mail.
32:45Asked for comment, a Royal Mail spokesperson said,
32:49We are aware of service issues in Paddock Wood and apologise to residents affected.
32:54Our team in Tonbridge has been working hard to improve service locally
32:57and following a recent recruitment campaign,
33:00our new posties will begin training in the coming weeks.
33:04But for local residents, the Royal Mail's promises are still undelivered.
33:10Alfie Rowe for KMTV in Tonbridge Wells.
33:15And Alfie's had a look at this story.
33:17Alfie, what's the full extent of the problem?
33:19Well, we saw just one example in that clip,
33:22but in total, 33 local residents have been affected enough
33:26to submit a joint complaint to Royal Mail.
33:28But the issue was first brought to light by one Tom Abbey,
33:31a resident of Cherry Avenue in Paddock Wood,
33:33who went four weeks without receiving any post.
33:36Noticeably, this was just from the Royal Mail
33:38and not private couriers like Every and Yodel.
33:41So he decided to send out a survey to the area
33:43and see the extent of the problem among local residents.
33:46And the result was 33 people responded,
33:49showing different forms of outrage.
33:51They missed out on medical appointments and supplies,
33:53as we saw there in the clip,
33:55as well as delays in bank cards and PIN numbers,
33:57and important bills even didn't arrive as well.
34:00Yeah, we saw Laura's story there, like you said,
34:02replicated in many of the other residents as well.
34:05What is the cause of the delays?
34:09Well, we believe it's due to staffing shortages at the Royal Mail.
34:14In their statement featured in the piece,
34:16the Royal Mail highlighted their ongoing recruitment campaign
34:19and noted they're training new employees in the coming weeks.
34:22And as someone who went to Tunbridge Wells recently,
34:25you can see staffing signs for the Royal Mails all over the place.
34:28However, this isn't really a short-term phenomenon.
34:31Last year, Kent Online in February posted that people in the area
34:35then were expressing outrage about delays due to the Royal Mail.
34:38And at that time, they cited staffing problems as the root cause.
34:42So this suggests this is an ongoing systemic problem
34:45with the Royal Mail, at least in this area.
34:47Yeah, and especially with Tunbridge,
34:49we've covered about Royal Mail issues in there, like you said,
34:51for quite some time.
34:53Has there been any local government reaction to this news?
34:57Well, Mike Martin, who's the Liberal Democrat MP for Tunbridge Wells,
35:00has come out in response and issued a statement.
35:02He said,
35:03I met with the Royal Mail exec last weekend
35:05to understand why they've been failing to meet their targets
35:08and they conceded that the Postal Service
35:10has recently faced terrible problems with leadership and recruitment.
35:14The Royal Mail has agreed to address the problem in the Tunbridge area
35:16and I'll be sending them brief constituent issues.
35:19Now, earlier on, Mike Martin also joined a coalition
35:22with Tom Tuganad and Laura Trott
35:24cancelling a new Royal Mail scheme
35:26and calling for it to be scrapped
35:27after widespread complaints about customers
35:29reporting terrible delivery rates.
35:31So this seems to be a problem which extends beyond Kent
35:34and is one which has frustrated politicians and the community.
35:37And one that's received bipartisan support as well, interestingly,
35:41like all three major parties there,
35:43like you said, giving support to that.
35:45So, like you said, we'll be covering this going forward.
35:50Alfie Rowe, thank you very much for coming in.
35:53Another news, an unidentified package
35:56led to a large section of Rochester High Street
35:59being cordoned off and evacuated.
36:01A bomb disposal unit was seen at the scene
36:04from Northgate to the Esplanade
36:05at around half past six last night,
36:08leading to congestion and disruption in the town,
36:10which only cleared this morning.
36:12Megan Shaw has this report from the scene.
36:15It seems quiet now,
36:17but last night a bomb scare forced
36:18Rochester High Street to grind to a halt.
36:21Where I'm stood now, just yesterday,
36:23was cordoned off by police.
36:25But now the streets look back to normal.
36:28Around half past five last night,
36:30police cordoned off a section of Rochester High Street
36:33from Fish at 55 to the Royal Victoria and Bull Hotel
36:36as a so-called suspicious package
36:39was found and posed a threat.
36:41The Ministry of Defence deployed a bomb disposal team.
36:44Businesses, many of them busy restaurants and pubs
36:48in the middle of serving patrons,
36:49were forced to evacuate and close.
36:52When it all started, it was around eight...
36:55No, not eight o'clock.
36:56It was around six o'clock.
36:57The police started going around.
36:59I'd received the message that people were evacuating the local area.
37:02I was very concerned.
37:04I didn't know what was going on.
37:05So I asked the police officer.
37:06He didn't give me too much information.
37:09And then I asked another one.
37:11And he mentioned that they received a strange device.
37:14A picture of a strange device or something along those lines.
37:17I was a bit concerned.
37:19Rightfully so.
37:20Everyone was confused on the high street.
37:22We didn't really know what was going on.
37:24Surrounding flats were also evacuated
37:26and many were left confused.
37:28It has since been confirmed
37:29that an e-bike battery was responsible for the panic.
37:33At around 8.15,
37:34the item no longer posed a threat to the public
37:37and police tape was removed.
37:39Many businesses still remained shut for the rest of the night,
37:42losing valuable customers.
37:44Get Ready Comics has already been a victim
37:45of an arson attack just last month.
37:48The bomb scare poses another challenge for customer traction.
37:51It is worrying.
37:53Levels of crime seem to be going up.
37:56We notice little things as well.
37:58There's more graffiti, there's more littering,
38:00there's more antisocial behaviour.
38:02So it's one of those things.
38:04It is a concern.
38:05For me as a local resident as well,
38:08it is worrying because you're like,
38:09really?
38:12But, you know, it's like it everywhere, isn't it?
38:15We contacted Kent Police for a statement.
38:18They informed us that...
38:19Kent Police was called at 5.23pm on Monday, 29th September
38:24to report of a suspicious item at a residential property
38:27near Corporation Street on Rochester.
38:30The item was found not to pose a risk to the general public
38:33and the cordon was removed at around 8.15pm.
38:37With the Ministry of Defence having confirmed
38:39that the culprit was an electric bike battery,
38:41it's a relief to say that nobody was harmed.
38:44Megan Shaw for Kame TV in Rochester.
38:47Kent Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott
38:51has launched the annual policing survey,
38:54giving residents the chance to share their views
38:55on safety, crime, antisocial behaviour
38:58and police performance.
39:00The survey asked people to rate their trust in Kent Police
39:02and how satisfied they are with any contact
39:04they've had with the force.
39:06I spoke to Matthew Scott earlier
39:07and here's what he had to say.
39:08Going back to what happened in Dover in 2016
39:13when we had significant disruption,
39:16assaults, crimes and thefts against businesses, etc.
39:20We learnt a lot from that
39:22and that model has been applied going forward.
39:25We've seen a number of protests across the county,
39:27Dover in recent years,
39:29but also in the last few weeks
39:30in different towns across the county as well.
39:32And they have largely been going off peacefully.
39:37There have been a few arrests
39:38and those will be dealt with.
39:40But Kent Police does have a very good response
39:42to dealing with protests
39:44to make sure that those who wish to have their say
39:46can do so in a fair and proportionate way.
39:49And we've been speaking to Ashford MP
39:52Sojan Joseph at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool.
39:56He gave us his response
39:58after Sikir Starmer's speech earlier today
40:01and talked about where Labour have been going right
40:05and where they've been going wrong
40:06in the last 18 months.
40:08People are not seeing the benefits
40:10of some of the changes,
40:11some of the difficult decisions
40:12that this government has taken.
40:14But this is going to change the country.
40:18It will take time.
40:19That's what the Prime Minister was saying.
40:20We have to make some difficult decisions.
40:23It's not popular.
40:24It is going to...
40:27People will find that difficulty.
40:28Some of the Labour colleagues find it difficult.
40:31If you look around in our country,
40:32the portholes are getting better.
40:35Energy waiting lists are coming down.
40:37So there are some glimpses of positive changes
40:40already happening.
40:41So we don't have a magic wand
40:44to change everything overnight.
40:46But some of the changes are already happening
40:48and the rest of the changes
40:49will be coming on its way.
40:51Residents in Joyce Green Walk in Dartford
40:55have voiced their concerns
40:57about neighbours' garden
40:59after mounds of hoarded items
41:01were set alight.
41:02Leslie Master and her husband
41:04have stated they were being put at risk
41:06due to the state of their neighbour's yard.
41:09On September the 19th,
41:10the pair noticed huge flames
41:12outside their window in the evening
41:13and fire engines managed to put out the fire
41:15after an hour.
41:17Mice and foxes have since been reported
41:19in the area and they've kept their pets indoors
41:22in fear of entering next door.
41:24Meanwhile, Dartford Council stated
41:26that they appreciate the neighbours' concerns
41:28and that relevant risk assessments
41:30and appropriate notices have been served.
41:34Time for a quick break now.
41:36But coming up,
41:37we speak to one of the co-founders
41:39of Medway Culture Club.
41:40Since tomorrow marks the start
41:42of Black History Month,
41:43the time taken to commemorate
41:45and celebrate the history
41:46and contributions of black people globally.
41:48We'll hear a bit more about that
41:50in a few moments' time.
44:48Welcome back to Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
45:15Now, tomorrow, Kent will join in commemorations
45:18marking the start of Black History Month.
45:21Observed annually across the world,
45:23the month commemorates and celebrates
45:24the history, achievements and contributions
45:27of black people globally.
45:29Here in the county,
45:30there are a variety of events
45:31taking place throughout October,
45:33from music production workshops
45:35to documentaries.
45:36We caught up with Camelia Xavier Chilotta,
45:39one of the co-founders of Medway Culture Club,
45:41to find out why these events
45:43are still so important.
45:44I think it's important that people understand
45:48that although people from the Caribbean migrated,
45:51largely they were British citizens
45:53who had helped Britain.
45:54And sometimes it is that sort of history
45:57that's not communicated
45:58through your mainstream education,
46:01and it can create ignorance.
46:03So I think it's important to share.
46:06Also, I'm excited to give a platform
46:09to that generation to be heard.
46:12In sport, Kent Cricket has announced
46:15the departure of several men's first-team players
46:18following the conclusion of the 2025 season.
46:21Fast bowler Nathan Gilchrist is moving on,
46:23joining Warwickshire on a three-year contract.
46:26All-rounders Mo Rizvi and Marcus O'Riordan
46:29have also made their Kent exits.
46:31But the main headline is arguably the retirement
46:33from professional cricket
46:34of 25-year-old Seam bowler George Garrett.
46:37The Wright Armour joined in October 2023
46:40and took 39 wickets in his 23 appearances for the side.
46:44He's now decided to take up a law conversion course
46:47and in a statement said he wanted to thank everyone
46:49at Kent for the opportunity and the warm welcome.
46:53Now, don't forget, you can keep up to date
46:54with all your latest stories from across Kent
46:56by logging on to our website, kmtv.co.uk.
46:59There you'll find all our reports, including this one.
47:02Every year, Canterbury Cathedral
47:04sees thousands of students graduate,
47:07but there's something quite special
47:08about this particular ceremony.
47:11The students at the Kent and Medway Medical School
47:13will be the first group to graduate
47:15since the joint partnership between the University of Kent
47:18and Canterbury Christchurch University
47:20began back in 2020.
47:23In September 2020,
47:25Kent and Medway Medical School officially opened,
47:28making it the only medical school in the UK
47:31to open during a global pandemic.
47:33For many students,
47:34this unique opportunity was something
47:36that drew them to study here in Kent.
47:39Yeah, well, for me,
47:40it was very much the selling point
47:41of coming to this medical school.
47:43They sold it as having the opportunity
47:45to be a part of shaping the school
47:48and what it would become.
47:49And that was very much why I wanted to come here.
47:51I wanted to be a part of the school
47:53and the process
47:55and what the training would be like
47:57to help mould it for the future years.
47:58And that is what it has felt like throughout my time here.
48:01Today, there are over 500 students
48:04across the five years
48:05studying to become future healthcare workers
48:08here in the county,
48:09aiming to address
48:10what the school are calling
48:12a chronic shortage of doctors within the region.
48:15Why are we here in Kent and Medway
48:17is well-grounded in the experience
48:20of lots of other countries
48:21and lots of other healthcare systems
48:23where we know that medical students
48:24and medical graduates
48:25tend to stay closer to their own medical school.
48:29And so by feeding that workforce pipeline
48:32in Kent and Medway,
48:33we really hope that we'll make a difference
48:34to the medical workforce here in the county.
48:37And for many students,
48:38they look forward to joining the workforce
48:40in an area they've already taken on placements.
48:44Yeah, I think it's really good
48:46to be on the other side of things
48:47and be the doctor now.
48:50So I'm part of East Kent Hospitals Trust,
48:52which includes Ashford, Margate
48:54and Kent to Canterbury.
48:55My placements are mostly going to be
48:57between Kent to Canterbury
48:58and William Harvey.
48:59So my first placement's
49:01only five minutes away from where I live,
49:03which is excellent.
49:04And then I'll be doing some commuting
49:06to William Harvey.
49:07But yeah, it's been really good.
49:08It's been quite good to see
49:10very familiar faces
49:11because I've done placements there before as well.
49:13So a lot of support.
49:15So yeah, it's been good.
49:17It's clear to see
49:17that the students have not only studied locally,
49:20but are also joining
49:22the local workforces as well.
49:25Despite only being five years old,
49:27the Kent and Medway Medical School
49:29is offering opportunities
49:30to those who may have not even considered
49:32a profession in healthcare initially.
49:35Etterley Reynolds for KMTV in Canterbury.
49:39Etterley Reynolds there.
49:40Now it's time to take a look at the weather.
49:43Tonight's looking partly cloudy
49:49with temperatures in the low teens.
49:51Wind speeds of two to four miles per hour
49:54into tomorrow morning.
49:55Much the same weather
49:56with temperatures between 12 and 15 degrees
49:59down in Dover with similar wind speeds.
50:01And into the afternoon,
50:02the sun disappears in the west
50:04with temperatures rising to around 18 degrees,
50:0617 along the coast.
50:08Now for your outlook,
50:09highs of 19 on Thursday
50:11with sunshine expected light rain on Friday
50:13and dropping to 17 and overcast over the weekend.
50:24Now Kent zoos and animal sanctuaries
50:26are used to being filled with visitors of all ages,
50:29but Wingham Wildlife Park
50:31had a rather different footfall.
50:33Their colony of Humboldt penguins
50:35are being taken on daily walks around the park
50:37to encourage natural behaviours
50:39and for vital enrichment.
50:41Maisie Walker has more.
50:42Fint-tastic.
50:59These Humboldt penguins
51:00from Wingham Wildlife Park
51:02show off their graceful moves in the water,
51:04native to coastal lines of Peru and Chile.
51:07They are strong swimmers,
51:09reaching speeds of up to 30 miles per hour,
51:12despite their awkward movement on land.
51:16Here, keepers encourage the penguins
51:18to display natural behaviours,
51:20such as nest building,
51:22by offering them a daily walk
51:23where participation is entirely up to them.
51:26So I've waddled over to Wingham Wildlife Park
51:29to see their penguins in action
51:32during their morning exercise.
51:34And let's just say,
51:35they're really winging it.
51:37They begin their morning walk
51:38with some encouragement,
51:40usually in the form of fish.
51:42Then the penguins follow a path
51:44around the grassy area near the enclosure,
51:46collecting treats as they go.
51:48The morning exercise is really important for them.
51:51It gives them a chance to have a mooch about
51:53and go out and about.
51:54So it's good for enrichment for them.
51:57It's something that's completely up to them.
51:58So some days we'll do it
52:00and only two or three will want to go out.
52:01But other days we'll have
52:03nearly the whole group of 18 come out.
52:06So it's something which they do enjoy doing it.
52:09But yeah, especially around breeding season,
52:13they love going out and just picking up
52:15leaves and little stones and things
52:17to bring back for their nests.
52:19In the wild,
52:20Humboldt penguins live on rocky coasts and islands.
52:23They like to make their nests in places with guino
52:25because they can dig burrows there.
52:27It might sound gross,
52:29but the waste helps them build safe homes.
52:31The real problem is that guino
52:33is also a great fertiliser,
52:35so people collected a lot of it in the 1800s.
52:38This ruins many penguin nesting spots
52:40and disturbed the birds,
52:42causing their numbers to drop.
52:44But Wingham Wildlife Park
52:45has been successfully breeding Humboldt since 2013,
52:49aiding the survival of their species.
52:51So it seems that all it takes
52:53to make a penguin happy and healthy
52:55is water, food and a daily waddle.
52:58Happy feet indeed.
53:00Maisie Walker for KMTV, Canterbury.
53:03Maisie's here in the studio with me now.
53:06Not every day you get to meet
53:07a colony of Humboldt penguins.
53:08What was that like?
53:10Yeah, so it was so fun.
53:11Genuinely one of the most fun things
53:14I've ever done in my entire life.
53:15You know, the penguins are my favourite animal.
53:18They were so hyperactive,
53:20like just jumping in and out of the water.
53:22They also seemed to encourage each other.
53:27So if one jumped in,
53:28then the other one would follow.
53:30And in regards to the walk,
53:31it was really wholesome,
53:32watching them kind of stumble out very slowly.
53:34And as you can probably see,
53:39their coat looks quite fair and thin at the moment.
53:42And this is because the penguins
53:43have just finished their catastrophic malt.
53:47Sounds quite dramatic, that.
53:48Very dramatic.
53:49It's like insane.
53:50So they basically just drop it all.
53:53And it's to kind of prep
53:54for the changing of seasons.
53:56It happens once a year.
53:58So they replace all their feathers at once,
54:00which lasts for about two to four weeks.
54:03And the keepers at the zoo were like,
54:05yeah, no, it was definitely a scene.
54:08So they eat excessively in kind of build up to this.
54:12So they can kind of establish their fat reserves
54:14as they can't swim or hunt
54:16due to their new non-waterproof feathers
54:19and must stay on land during the process.
54:22But once these have grown in,
54:24they can return to the water and feed.
54:26And let me just say, they were so fast.
54:28Watching them in that water was just insane.
54:31I was going to ask you that,
54:32because they sort of amble along the side
54:33when they're on land,
54:34but they're a completely different animal almost
54:36when they're in the water.
54:37How fast can they go?
54:38Well, they can go up to 30 miles per hour,
54:41which kind of makes sense
54:42when you consider that they,
54:43in the wilds, live off the coast of Chile.
54:46Because obviously the aquatic predators,
54:49you need to outrun them.
54:51But yeah, no, absolutely.
54:52On the land, there's no chance at all.
54:55And you said a few moments ago,
54:57they're your favourite animal.
54:58What is it you like so much about them?
55:00Well, not specifically this breed of penguin.
55:03I love Gentoo penguins,
55:05because what they do,
55:06and that's super cute,
55:07they give their partner a pebble
55:09as symbol of their devotion
55:11when they're kind of expecting a child.
55:13And they use that pebble to build the nest,
55:16which is just so, so adorable.
55:18It's really, really sweet.
55:19And I think there's a film from the 80s, 90s
55:22about that as well.
55:24Now, there's other news coming from
55:26Wingham Wildlife Park as well
55:27that you bring us.
55:28Fresh, hot, off the press today.
55:30Yeah.
55:31So a couple, a little while ago,
55:34they had a baby orangutan that was born.
55:37And I did speak to Marcus Wilder,
55:39who can tell us a little bit more about that.
55:42He's doing really, really well.
55:44So he's, yeah,
55:47we've not really had to do anything with him.
55:50He's growing well,
55:52and she's an absolutely incredible mum,
55:53considering that it's the first time she's had a baby as well.
55:57We couldn't ask for the two of them to be doing better.
56:00And then the dad, he's sort of keeping to himself,
56:02so he's doing what he should be doing as well.
56:05But yeah, overall,
56:06it's absolutely brilliant, really good.
56:09I know everyone's been very jealous
56:10about your visit down there, Maisie.
56:12Thank you so much for coming in
56:13and telling us all about that amazing adventure.
56:16But that's all we've got time for
56:17on this edition of Kent Tonight,
56:19live on KMTV.
56:21There's more news made just for Kent
56:22throughout the evening.
56:24Don't forget, you can always keep up to date
56:26with the latest news across your county,
56:28logging on to kmtv.co.uk.
56:30You can keep us on your social timelines
56:32by liking us on Facebook,
56:34following us on TikTok and Instagram.
56:36And if you have a story you think we should be covering,
56:38then get in touch.
56:39We'll be back tomorrow
56:40with more news from across the county.
56:42But in the meantime,
56:43have a very good evening,
56:44good night,
56:45and we'll see you tomorrow.
56:47We'll see you tomorrow.