00:00Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight, live on KMTV.
00:28I'm Cameron Tucker, here are your top stories on Thursday the 4th of December.
00:33Still unsafe, Tunbridge Wells enters sixth day of water crisis.
00:38I think it is absolutely diabolical and that the bloke that works for South East Water should be fired.
00:44A witch hunt. Maidstone Council leader who called for historic pardon survives no confidence vote.
00:50My style is my style. The fact I crack the occasional joke at the start of a meeting I think is a good thing.
00:58Yippee-ki-yay or nay? Is Die Hard a Christmas film?
01:02Kent Film Club's Chris D.C. is here to put the debate to bed.
01:05Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's a Christmas film.
01:07Do I think it's a Christmas movie? It has Christmas in it.
01:10But first, our top story this evening.
01:22A crushing blow for business in Tunbridge Wells.
01:25As the water crisis enters its sixth day, business owners and leaders in the town have spoken of how crippling it has been in the run-up to Christmas.
01:33South East Water have said more than 23,000 of the 24,000 properties impacted were now reconnected.
01:40But for many, the damage has already been done.
01:43Chloe Brewster has been following the story all week and joins us from the town now.
01:48Chloe, we'll come on to the business impact shortly.
01:51But what updates have you got for us today?
01:52Yeah, so as you say, water has returned to several properties here, though that water isn't necessarily drinkable.
02:02The head of South East Water actually spoke to us.
02:06No, he didn't.
02:07Dr Neil Hudson, head of water quality at South East Water, spoke to us earlier about some of the lessons that he learned from a similar issue which took place three years ago.
02:16I think it is a very different issue.
02:19We have done a lot.
02:20We've put an awful lot of investment into our alternate waters, to our tanker fleet, which has been helping to support the area in terms of our bottled water stations set up.
02:29Also, investment in the network as well.
02:31Obviously, this is something that takes a period of time to deliver.
02:34In our most recent business plan, the need for investment across our whole network has been recognised through the regulator off-wap by a significantly increased amount of money.
02:42So this is something that does take time and money to fix, but we are fixing this issue.
02:48In terms of compensation, that is definitely something we're looking at.
02:51We have guaranteed standards of service in terms of providing a wholesome supply to customers.
02:55That's set out on our website.
02:56So we will be upholding that, definitely.
03:00But I think the key message at this point is really making sure that everyone's aware of that need from the public health point of view to boil water before it goes into, before they drink.
03:08Yes, the water has returned here.
03:13And while chemically safe, a fault in the disinfection process meant that all the water here must be boiled before drinking, eating or cooking.
03:20Support is still available.
03:21There are water bottled stations around the town.
03:24And if you can just see behind me there, those are the portaloos.
03:26I'm in the town centre and those are still available for people to use.
03:29We were saying earlier on there's been a significant impact to businesses.
03:40We've been talking to business leaders today.
03:42I know you're going to be exploring the story as it continues as well.
03:46But just give us a bit of an idea of, you know, there on the ground, what the impact on businesses has been.
03:51Yeah, so just walking up here, Cameron, it was clear that so many businesses haven't been able to open.
03:58You know, it's about half and half.
03:59I'm stood opposite a Pret-a-Manger and that's closed.
04:02But there's a cafe nearer behind me that's open.
04:03So it's clearly on the decision of the hospitality businesses.
04:07But it's not just businesses that have been affected.
04:09It's schools, it's nurseries, it's health settings.
04:12They all remain closed.
04:13It's obviously going to be a huge impact if these businesses stay closed for up to a week.
04:17And we spoke to Alex Green, the CEO of local business lobby Royal Tunbridge Wells Together.
04:24And he told us about the real impact on businesses here.
04:27It's a really challenging scenario that ourselves and the Borough Council are working hard to give as much advice and guidance as possible
04:34to really help them get them to reopen and operate as effectively as possible.
04:37From a financial perspective at the moment, it is very limited that we, along with the Borough Council and our local MP,
04:44are working hard to see if we can do something different.
04:46But as it stands, the water company is not forthcoming with offering any significant compensation,
04:51which I think is quite disappointing because if South East Water were told none of their customers are going to pay them anything for two weeks,
04:59for facts beyond the control, I'm sure they'd want to get some compensation.
05:02So personally, I think they should be compensating the businesses which have really lost out from this.
05:07Thank you, Chloe.
05:08Now, elsewhere in the county, Affinity Water has confirmed there's no water around several areas of Folkestone High than Ashford due to a burst pipe.
05:17Villages and residential streets have been affected, leaving households relying on bottled water while engineers work to isolate the damaged section.
05:25Authorities say the break has caused significant pressure drops across the network and warn that full restoration may take some time.
05:32Workers are currently carrying out emergency repairs, with temporary water stations being set up for most affected.
05:39More than 250 flats in Ashford have been left abandoned after the developer behind them walked away from the project.
05:46Viddy Construction had signed a £62.3 million contract to build the homes in Victoria Road close to the town centre.
05:53But the company fell into administration in September, and the site has sat abandoned ever since.
05:59Once marketed as a modern housing solution, the buildings have been left empty and unfinished, prompting concern among local residents.
06:07A 19-year-old driver has been jailed after crashing a stolen car into an ambulance in Medway, injuring two paramedics.
06:14Police say the blue Volkswagen Golf was being driven dangerously on the M2 and reached speeds of more than 100 miles an hour during the pursuit.
06:22The driver left the motorway at Junction 4 before ploughing into an ambulance on a Gillingham roundabout, causing it to overturn.
06:29The driver, Harry Foster Smith, fled on foot but was found in a nearby woodland carrying Class B drugs.
06:35He admitted multiple offences, including dangerous driving and aggravated vehicle taking,
06:40and has been sentenced for two years and eight months and banned from driving for three years.
06:46Here is a clip from the scene.
06:52The role of General Manager, a leading Kent,
07:22attraction has been axed amid rising costs and expansion plans.
07:25The Kent and East Sussex Railway, based in Tentadon, has announced Dr. Robin Coombs,
07:30who took up the role in August 2022, will leave his post in January.
07:34As part of the railway's budget review, it's decided a restructure that will see the position of General Manager removed,
07:40and its duties handed out to other existing directors and managers.
07:43Dr. Coombs has stated he isn't disappointed in the decision,
07:46and that he'll remain a passionate supporter of KESR.
07:53Maystone Borough Council's leader has survived a no-confidence vote called by the Conservative opposition.
08:00In recent months, Stuart Jeffrey has been in the spotlight after calling for witches to be posthumously pardoned,
08:05and for calling for rights for rivers.
08:07His critics say these motions don't reflect serious leadership,
08:11as our local democracy reporter Olly Leder heard during a heated council meeting.
08:17A motion like this is never taken lightly, but when leadership repeatedly drifts from its core mission,
08:22when priorities become misaligned, and when residents feel the consequences every day,
08:27we have a duty to act.
08:28A war of words over pardoning witches and rights for all rivers,
08:34as the usually collaborative atmosphere of Maystone Borough Council was shattered
08:40by a no-confidence vote in the Green leader Stuart Jeffrey,
08:47called by the Conservative group over what they described as a focus on thematic motions
08:54rather than real council business.
08:57Whilst residents begged for improved community safety, bins to be collected,
09:03we debated writing a letter to the government about reducing the voting age to 16.
09:08Frustrations with foreign conflicts.
09:11Maystone Witches Memorial, which did put us on the map because it made us an embarrassment.
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09:22because we actually didn't have right us to make everything that weground
09:24and the system is substantial.
09:32So, we tried for that and the vaccinated movement,
09:35uitenquis of the non- Ști interviewed a few years to teach us,
09:37zmian in the discarding of our communities and people inентов.
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