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00:32I'm Chloe Brewster and here are your top stories on Tuesday the 24th of February.
00:37Slow down. A Maidstone resident urges for new speed measures to be put in place on Sittingbourne Road.
00:43And I went across with my children and as I looked left there was a vehicle overtaken on this side
00:48of the road because he couldn't cut back in quick enough.
00:51Dumping disaster. Criminal ordered to pay £1.4 million after illegally dumping 4,000 tonnes of waste around the county.
01:00Over a million pounds that is a substantial amount of money so that will send a deterrent out that if
01:05you make money from this type of offending we will go after that money and we will take it off
01:10you.
01:10And Happy Mother Language Day. Dartford celebrates its multilingual community with celebrations for the fourth year running.
01:17We've seen lots of multinational, multicultural people coming in Dartford.
01:34And first our top story tonight. A 46-year-old resident in Maidstone is urging Kent County Council to add
01:40visual reminders of the 30 mile an hour limit on Sittingbourne Road after him and his family faced a series
01:46of near misses.
01:47Craig Parris claims that many vehicles regularly exceed the speed limit and says he's concerned for the safety of his
01:53children.
01:53Our reporter Nayla Mohamed went to the scene to find out more.
01:59This is Sittingbourne Road in Maidstone where resident Craig Parris is calling for speed enforcement measures to be introduced after
02:06a series of incidents.
02:08As it's a residential area the maximum speed limit is 30 miles an hour but Craig says drivers often exceed
02:16this limit.
02:17We went on a walk where he showed us where he and his family faced a near miss.
02:22First Westview Island is there on my right hand side there where I cross with my children and my wife
02:29across this point.
02:31And then obviously as you can see the road probably up in the distance there where there's an arrow on
02:36the post.
02:37That's where the road narrows and then vehicles come back down.
02:41I've had scenarios I was explaining earlier where we cross here and a vehicle has overtaken on this side of
02:48the road and naturally you'd be looking right if you were crossing the road.
02:53And I went across with my children and as I looked left there was a vehicle overtaken on this side
02:58of the road because he couldn't cut back in quick enough.
03:01He also says there was only one 30 mile an hour limit sign on the entire road so I went
03:08on the hunt for it.
03:09The sign is at the top of Bearstead Road where drivers were joined from the A249 and on the other
03:14side of Sittingbourne Road is in Victor Primary School.
03:17A lot of young people and children cross these roads so without a single visible reminder of the 30 mile
03:23an hour speed limit Craig is calling for some new measures to be put in place.
03:28It should be highlighted it's 30 mile an hour so more signage potential road markings 30 mile an hour painting
03:34every so often like you get in some areas.
03:37According to KCC's current framework three fatal or serious accidents must occur before a camera can be considered which Craig
03:46says is three fatalities too many.
03:48In a statement KCC said our recent correspondence with the resident shows that several issues were raised but requests for
03:56additional measures were not submitted.
03:58Current data does not indicate a widespread speeding problem.
04:03Issues such as overtaking around pedestrian islands relate to driver behaviour and on matters for enforcement.
04:08The existing limit is generally well observed.
04:11According to crash map data, in the last five years there have been 13 recorded accidents on Sittingbourne Road,
04:19including a report of an incident involving a 16-year-old boy hit by a car when crossing here just
04:26last year
04:27and a planted tree that was knocked down after a car travelling too fast clipped the kerb and knocked it
04:32down.
04:33The 46-year-old says he is concerned for the safety of his family and has even considered moving if
04:39no changes are made.
04:41Nayla Mohamed for KMTV in Maidstone.
04:45Today marks four years since the start of the Ukraine war and its impact has been felt around the world,
04:50including here in Kent.
04:52Dr Richard Pendry is a professor of journalism at the University of Kent and a filmmaker with a specialism in
04:57the Ukraine war.
04:58I spoke to him earlier to talk about being on the ground in the country and how the conflict has
05:02evolved over the past four years.
05:05So obviously we're here today to discuss, obviously it's been four years since the invasion of Ukraine.
05:11Can you tell us a little bit about when you found out about that and how you came to be
05:15involved in Ukraine?
05:20Yeah, I mean, I guess I heard the same as everybody else on the news.
05:23I was in the, you know, teaching in the Centre for Journalism and not regretting not being able to go
05:28because I was teaching.
05:31And so since I've had a bit more time recently, I went to Ukraine last year and I did a
05:37story with the military.
05:38So I embedded with the military and went out with people from the recruitment office who are much hated in
05:44Ukraine
05:45because they round up men who don't want to be drafted and send them to the front and some of
05:50them get killed.
05:50So this is, you know, very unpopular.
05:52And you visited there recently, didn't you?
05:54So last year you were there reporting.
05:56What was the atmosphere like on the ground?
06:00When I was there, it was not cold and so quite relaxed where I was.
06:08I was in Lviv.
06:09So that's in western Ukraine near the Polish border.
06:11It doesn't look like there's a war on.
06:13But really not too many bomb damage, you know, buildings like you see in the Donbass.
06:18So people are very tired, fed up.
06:21They want the war to end.
06:24They don't really see any alternative to carrying on fighting.
06:28So they just keep going because they think that if the Russians win, then Ukraine will cease to exist.
06:36I mean, you've seen the most tragic elements of this war.
06:40I mean, you were there.
06:41You reported on someone who was delivering death knocks and telling families where their loved ones had passed away.
06:47What was it like being there on the ground and filming that and seeing that for yourself?
06:52Right.
06:52So every time the guy, so he's a guy called Major Lazuk.
06:56So I've done reports in The Telegraph and the BBC about this guy.
07:01There are a lot of people like him in Ukraine and they just basically knock on your door unannounced and
07:07tell you that they've got a sealed letter they need to give to you.
07:11And it's quite hard to film something like that.
07:14But it's also quite hard not to film it, because if I don't film it, then why am I there?
07:17But I think it's important to show the reality of what is happening there, because the reality of the war
07:24is that it is about loss and it's about having to do things that you don't want to do.
07:31So it's just a very difficult situation and they don't see an end in sight.
07:37We're talking about this and obviously it's taking place so far away from us here in Kent.
07:43People who are watching this might be wondering, why does this matter to us, to you?
07:48Why does it matter that we're talking about this and we're reminding people it's now been four years since the
07:54invasion?
07:56Well, there are plenty of Ukrainian refugees in Kent and many of them are still living with host families in
08:03Kent.
08:03So that's one thing.
08:05Another thing is that Russia thinks it's at war with us.
08:09It's not just something that is happening in the abstract.
08:11I mean, there's lots of attacks on this country from cyber attacks to, I mean, we've seen chemical weapons used
08:21on the streets of London this century twice by the Russians.
08:27So there's lots of acts of sabotage.
08:29They happen every week.
08:30You know, this is a kind of different kind of conflict, but we are already at some sort of a
08:36war.
08:36So I guess that's why it matters to me and maybe that's why it should matter to the viewers, to
08:44the KMTV audience, I guess.
08:46Thank you so much for joining us.
08:49A prolific criminal at the centre of a complex illegal waste dumping network that stretched from Margate to Lancashire was
08:55recently ordered to pay over £1 million in compensation.
08:5936-year-old Varun Datta received a four-month suspended prison sentence for his role in illegally dumping over 4
09:05,000 tonnes of waste around the country.
09:07That's equivalent to 600 elephants.
09:10One of the illegal dumping sites he used was at the Westwood Industrial Estate in Margate, and Tessa Delaney-Martin
09:16has that story.
09:17The man at the centre of a complex fly-tipping network that spanned from Margate to Lancashire has been ordered
09:23to pay over £1.4 million in fines and compensation for illegally dumping over 4,000 tonnes of waste across
09:30the country.
09:30I spoke with Emma Viner, Enforcement and Investigations Manager at the Environment Agency about the case.
09:35Yes, so this was a complex investigation that revealed 16 sites linked to the offending group.
09:44So the role those that were prosecuted played, they played the role of a broker.
09:48So they would contact waste producers, they would ask to take their waste away, they would tell them it was
09:53going to a legitimate site, and then it would ultimately be deposited at one of these illegal sites.
09:59Varun Datta, of Belgravia, London, brokered illegal waste dumping at the Westwood Industrial Estate in Margate, which caught fire in
10:062018, after over 6,000 bales of household and construction waste were left to rot in the warehouse.
10:13At the height of the blaze, we had 14 fire engines, each fire engine carrying a crew of four at
10:17the height of the blaze.
10:19Rapidly, we reduced that down to around eight fire engines, and to date now we've got three fire engines at
10:23the scene.
10:24It's likely that we'll have three fire engines at the scene during most daytimes until the end of this week.
10:28The fire burned for 25 days, and the extra costs of hiring a contractor and specialist equipment to deal with
10:34the blaze exceeded £160,000.
10:38The men operating the warehouse, David Weeks and Lee Brooks, were ordered to pay just over £6,000 in legal
10:44costs and victim surcharges combined.
10:46And all of the men found guilty in this case were given suspended prison sentences.
10:51I asked the Environment Agency whether these sentences were enough to deter criminals from fly tipping.
10:57Over £1 million, that is a substantial amount of money, so that will send a deterrent out that if you
11:03make money from this type of offending,
11:05we will go after that money and we will take it off you.
11:08It may sound like a significant sum of money, but clean-up costs can often be much higher.
11:13The Environment Agency estimated it will cost £15 million to clean up the 30,000 tonnes of waste
11:19at another of Kent's infamous fly tipping sites, Hodes Wood in Ashford.
11:23Tessa Delaunay-Martin for KMTV.
11:27Now it's time for a short break, but coming up we'll be taking a look at the moment
11:31when an 18-year-old drug dealer tried and failed to run from officers in Canterbury
11:34with our reporter Kristen Hawthorne.
11:36We'll also be speaking to our resident business expert Tudor Price
11:39about the Employment Rights Bill that's set to come into force this year,
11:42about the impact that might have on the rising numbers of zero-hour contracts.
11:46We'll also be discussing Donald Trump's tariffs on the UK
11:48and how that will impact us here.
11:51Stick around, we've got way more coming for you.
11:53See you in a bit.
16:02Body cam footage we can see now.
16:04Despite claiming he had no drugs on him, officers found two sealed packets containing the suspected drugs, along with a
16:11burner phone, an iPhone and £80 in cash.
16:14A later search of his home on the same road uncovered a further 300 wraps of cocaine, around £2,000
16:20in cash and weighing scales with white powder residue found on them as well.
16:25Right, OK. And, you know, I know he'd claimed he'd been forced into dealing. Did the court hear any evidence
16:33to support that? Is that true? Why did he do this crime?
16:36Well, at the moment we're not too sure what was said in court in relation to the evidence, but Selmay
16:43told officers he'd been coerced into drug dealing due to family debts in Albania.
16:47But he wasn't able to provide names or details of anyone involved, claiming that it would put him at risk.
16:54He also claimed he didn't know what drugs he was carrying, but they were later confirmed to be cocaine.
16:59And his phone contained multiple messages consistent with drug dealing.
17:02So that was the evidence in of itself, really.
17:05He pled guilty to possession of the charges placed against him, which was intent to supply Class A drugs.
17:12And that was at Margate Magistrates Court.
17:15Obviously, this is a shocking case on its own, but what is the wider impact of this on the community
17:20here in Kent?
17:22Yeah, well, he was brought to the Magistrates Court the day after he was arrested.
17:27So that in of itself is quite a quick turnaround.
17:30And the Detective Constable Tom Dempster described drug dealing as a blight on the community and said the sentence sends
17:37a clear message that they will pursue tough outcomes for those supplying drugs and profiting from harm.
17:43Those are his words.
17:44Selmay has now been jailed for two years and four months at Canterbury Crown Court.
17:49Thank you so much for talking to us, Kristen.
17:51It's clearly a really important story there.
17:55Now, don't forget, you can keep up to date with all your latest stories across Kent by logging on to
18:00our website, kmtv.co.uk.
18:02There you'll find all of our reports, including this one about a Medway school trying to improve literacy rates to
18:08keep up with the national average.
18:10Reading is more than just a classroom skill.
18:14It's considered a building block for learning, confidence and opportunity.
18:18But here in Medway, the latest figures show that the literacy rates of students between the ages of 7 and
18:2511 are below the national average.
18:28Written evidence submitted by Medway Council says that this is a lasting effect from COVID, including lost learning times and
18:36high levels of students not attending school across the country.
18:40And as the government prepares for the national year of reading, Paul Cowell emphasises just how important libraries are in
18:48encouraging young people to read.
18:49We're in Gillingham Library today and we've got a dance company who will be doing a free dance performance based
18:55on several books for children between the ages of three and six years old.
19:00So we're constantly finding ways to engage people in our libraries and in the 15 libraries that we have that
19:08are in every town and every village across Medway to engage in all sorts of different ways.
19:13But while these programmes aim to raise the raising standards in Medway, one school in Gillingham is already outperforming the
19:20national average.
19:21And no, it's not Hogwarts.
19:23I'm currently in the library of Napier Primary School, a school whose literacy rates are above the national average and
19:30improving year on year.
19:32They encourage pupils to read both in and out of lessons through a series of initiatives.
19:36But what exactly are the types of things that they're doing to encourage pupils to read for pleasure?
19:41We have a really good kind of reading diet.
19:45So a lot of the curriculum is based around that reading.
19:49So as soon as the children come in, we're reading straight away.
19:52We do in the mornings what we call a reading party.
19:55They read a book together, discuss the book, quiz on the book in a comprehension style quiz.
20:01So it's kind of promoting that reading for pleasure because they're picking the books that they are reading collaboratively.
20:07They're discussing the books collaboratively.
20:09It's not the teacher facilitating it.
20:11It's completely the children.
20:13So we also emphasise just how important it is for young people to feel represented in the literature that they
20:18read.
20:19The community in our school is incredibly diverse.
20:21So if the children have access to books which are diverse, that they can relate to, it makes the literature
20:29more enjoyable.
20:30With the National Year of Reading now in place, Medway faces both a challenge and an opportunity.
20:36How do they ensure more children leave primary school not just able to read, but wanting to?
20:46The number of workers on zero-hour contracts has hit a record high ahead of the Labour Party's planned crackdown
20:52on them by next year.
20:53So how will Kent actually be affected?
20:56To answer that question, along with all the latest news on the United States President Donald Trump's trade tariffs,
21:01I was joined earlier by Tudor Price from the Invicta Chamber of Commerce.
21:06So Tudor, can you tell me exactly what are zero-hour contracts?
21:11So zero-hour contracts have been around for quite a while.
21:13And this is normally certain sectors where they're certainly in seasonal work, for example, or hospitality,
21:19where an employer can't guarantee a certain amount of wages every single week or every single month.
21:25And so they come to an arrangement with the employee where, as and when work is available,
21:30they will offer that out to the employee and then they can come and work and obviously get paid accordingly.
21:34So it's been a very flexible and a really suitable way of employers keeping that balance between offering what they
21:41can
21:41and employees, in some cases, working the hours that they can spare,
21:45depending on their own sort of childcare or sort of personal care circumstances.
21:51So what kind of people tend to go for zero-hour contracts then?
21:56I think it depends.
21:57We obviously see certainly in the younger sort of age bracket, really,
22:00because it fits in around sometimes students or sort of new people into work
22:06or even people in caring positions as well where they're looking after family members and things like that.
22:11So it provides a degree of flexibility.
22:13And this is the challenge really around the Employment's Right Act.
22:17Now they're looking to sort of make zero-hours contracts, sort of move into more permanent contracts,
22:25really guaranteed hours over a sort of 12-week period.
22:28So it's great.
22:30It's a good ambition here.
22:32But we're worried a little bit that actually there, for many people, the zero-hours bit works perfectly well.
22:37But what we are aware, of course, is there are some employers who are taking advantage of that particular piece
22:43of legislation,
22:44that type of contract, and we recognise that there's a need for people to police, if you like, more effectively,
22:51those people who are using it exploitatively, as opposed to those who actually work really well for both employer and
22:57employee.
22:58So if Labour do decide to do away with zero-hour contracts, where does that kind of leave young people,
23:05as that is sometimes one of the only ways they can really get into the workforce?
23:10Yeah, exactly.
23:11And you're quite right to ask the question, because it does raise a problem.
23:14You know, employers at the moment are sort of struggling with national insurance employer contributions
23:18that went up in the last budget.
23:20We're seeing business rates grow as well this 1st of April, so that's another on cost.
23:24And what we're seeing, of course, is employers are actually not recruiting.
23:27They're going to freeze on recruitment.
23:29As existing or ageing members of staff leave, they're not being replaced.
23:33And we're worried that this clamping down on zero-hours, on essentially a few bad actors rather than everybody,
23:39is actually going to sort of worsen the situation and, again, prevent many people from sort of starting their first
23:44job.
23:45So kind of looking at what's going on on a more global scale, tariffs.
23:50So Trump has announced a 15% tariff on all countries from Tuesday.
23:55Downing Street has said no reciprocal action is off the table if the U.S. doesn't honour its tariff deal
24:00with the U.K.
24:00Could you explain a little bit more about why America's doing this and what does it actually mean for us
24:06here?
24:07It's really, really frustrating.
24:10Trump sees tariffs as a way of generating income for the U.S., but that's flawed, and also sees it,
24:19in his view, as a way of levelling out the playing field.
24:22So where a country, say China, for example, is charging 10% import tariff to American goods,
24:27he thinks there should be an equivalent tariff for importing goods from China into the U.S.
24:33Now, there's been, for a variety of years, there's been different levels depending on the size of the country
24:37and sort of the resources they have available.
24:39So there has been an imbalance over the years.
24:41But generally speaking, most countries are trying to head towards zero tariffs,
24:45so no one charges anybody for import or export.
24:49Donald Trump has decided that, you know, he was going to put in these original tariffs.
24:53So if you send products to the U.S., when they arrive, the company that's bringing those products in has
25:01to pay a further 10% or 15%, depending on what's been set.
25:04So actually, it's the U.S. consumer that will be paying the price.
25:08So he's sort of shooting himself in the foot, and this is what everyone's a bit confused about.
25:13It's been a wet February for us all across Kent, and I've had to take my brolly out on almost
25:18every story so far.
25:19But is it coming to an end?
25:21There was much-needed sun peeking through today, and I left my winter coat at home for the first time
25:27this year.
25:28But what will the rest of the week entail, should you take a beach trip?
25:31Well, let's take a look at the weather for the coming days.
25:42The county with temperatures staying around 9 to 10 degrees and winds between 5 and 9.
25:47Tomorrow morning, we'll also see a sunny morning across Kent, with a temperature of 7 degrees and Maidstone and 10
25:52in Dover.
25:53The afternoon will stay the same, with temperatures climbing up to 16 in Maidstone and Dartford.
25:57Winds will be between 10 and 11 miles per hour.
26:01Note for our outlook, Thursday will be cloudy, rain on Friday and sunny spells on Saturday, with temperatures reaching 14,
26:0713 and 11 degrees.
26:17Now time for a short break, but please don't go anywhere, as we've got plenty more to come.
26:22We'll return to our top story of the evening, about speeding cars in Sittingbourne causing havoc for locals,
26:28and raising concerns about pupils crossing the road to a nearby school.
26:32We'll also discuss a water outage causing problems in Kent, a familiar story to us here on KMTV.
26:40And we'll learn about some of the top sports stories of the day with Finn McDermott.
26:44And of course, we'll be revisiting the weather again, although it may not change much from the last time.
26:49Looking forward to leaving my umbrella at home again.
26:51All that and more coming to you after the break.
26:53See you soon.
30:28Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight, live here on KMTV.
30:32I'm Chloe Brewster and here are your top stories on Tuesday the 24th of February.
30:36Slow Down. A Maidstone resident urges for new speed measures to be put in place on Sittingbourne Road.
30:42And I went across with my children and as I looked left, there was a vehicle overtaken on this side
30:47of the road because he couldn't cut back in quick enough.
31:20Dumping disaster.
31:33A reminder of our top story.
31:35This is Sittingbourne Road tonight, a 46-year-old resident, a 46-year-old resident, a 46-year-old resident
31:37in Maidstone is urging Kent County Council to add visual reminders of the 30-mile-an-hour limit on Sittingbourne
31:42Road, after him and his family faced a series of near-misses.
31:46Craig Parrish claims that many vehicles. Craig Parrish claims that many vehicles regularly exceed the speed limit and is concerned
31:50for the safety of his children.
31:52Our reporter Naila Mohamed went to the scene to find out more.
31:57This is Sittingbourne Road in Maidstone, where resident Craig Parrish is calling for speed enforcement measures to be introduced after
32:05a series of incidents.
32:07As it's a residential area, the maximum speed limit is 30 miles an hour, but Craig says drivers often exceed
32:15this limit.
32:16We went on a walk where he showed us where he and his family faced a near miss.
32:20First Westview Island is there on my right-hand side, there, where I cross with my children and my wife
32:28across this point.
32:30And then obviously, as you can see, the road probably up in the distance there where there's an arrow on
32:35the post, that's where the road narrows and then vehicles come back down.
32:40I've had scenarios I was explaining earlier where we cross here and a vehicle has overtaken on this side of
32:47the road.
32:48And naturally, you'd be looking right if you were crossing the road.
32:52And I went across with my children and as I looked left, there was a vehicle overtaken on this side
32:57of the road because he couldn't cut back in quick enough.
33:00He also says there was only one 30 mile an hour limit sign on the entire road, so I went
33:06on the hunt for it.
33:08The sign is at the top of Bearstead Road, where drivers were joined from the A249.
33:12And on the other side of Sittingbourne Road is on Victor Primary School.
33:16A lot of young people and children cross these roads.
33:20So without a single visible reminder of the 30 mile an hour speed limit, Craig is calling for some new
33:25measures to be put in place.
33:27It should be highlighted it's 30 mile an hour, so more signage, potential road markings, 30 mile an hour painting
33:33every so often like you get in some areas.
33:36According to KCC's current framework, three fatal or serious accidents must occur before a camera can be considered, which Craig
33:45says is three fatalities too many.
33:47In a statement, KCC said,
34:10According to Crash Map data, in the last five years, there have been 13 recorded accidents on Sittingbourne Road,
34:18including a report of an incident involving a 16-year-old boy hit by a car when crossing here just
34:25last year.
34:26And a planted tree that was knocked down after a car travelling too fast clipped the kerb and knocked it
34:31down.
34:32The 46-year-old says he is concerned for the safety of his family and has even considered moving if
34:38no changes are made.
34:39Nayla Mahamed for KMTV in Maidstone.
34:43A school in Kent has remained closed for a second day due to a water outage.
34:49Barming Preschool and Primary School, which looks after around 500 children in Belmont Close,
34:55discovered that they had no water around 10am yesterday and made the decision to close the school.
34:59Head teacher Ashley Crittenden said that the biggest challenge was trying to contact South East Water.
35:04This comes after 24,000 households in Tunbridge Wells were left without drinking water for 14 days in November last
35:10year.
35:11A group of regular swimmers have raised fears over rising sewage discharges off the Kent coast.
35:19Members of the Swimming Yoga Group from Ashford regularly swim in the sea at Hive.
35:23However, they are increasingly concerned about the safety of the water due to sewage discharge from southern water.
35:29Statistics collected by the Surfers Against Sewage Charity show that Hive's beach has triggered 991 sewage alerts this year,
35:36almost double the amount seen across the entirety of last year.
35:39Members of the group have described the situation as ridiculous and are upset that their wild space is becoming increasingly
35:45dangerous.
35:48Now, major changes are coming soon for anyone planning to catch a ferry from the port of Dover to mainland
35:53Europe.
35:54New border checks could change the way drivers use the port.
35:56And our reporter Maisie Walker is here to tell you about what you need to know.
36:01Now, Maisie, there are obviously major changes coming.
36:05What are those changes?
36:07Well, here are the key things that you'll need to know.
36:09From early April, the European Union's entry-exit system, which is also known as EES,
36:15will begin biometric checks for all passengers and vehicles, including cars.
36:20This means motorists will register things like fingerprints and a facial image before boarding.
36:26These checks will be handled in a new location at Western Docks before drivers travel to Eastern Docks for a
36:33final check-in.
36:34The rollout date may shift, but port bosses insist preparations are complete.
36:39The idea is that it will replace passport stamping for non-EU travellers.
36:44So, how will this actually affect drivers here in Kent, then?
36:49Well, drivers and passengers in vehicles will need to complete, obviously, the biometric registration before boarding their ferry.
36:56At Dover, this means motorists will be directed to dedicated processing areas before heading to the usual check-in at
37:04the Eastern Docks.
37:05And this system is intended to tighten up border security.
37:09So, why is this actually happening, then?
37:11Why has the EU decided to do this?
37:14Well, the system is obviously designed to strengthen that border security, as I just said,
37:18and improve tracking of short-stay visitors entering and leaving the area.
37:22It's part of a wider modernisation of the EU border controls.
37:27And earlier on, Kent Online actually spoke to the Port of Dover Chief Executive, Doug Bannister, to find out a
37:33little bit more.
37:35So, obviously, we know you have someone talking about this.
37:41Can we just see that now?
37:42Let's see what he says.
37:45So, we invested in a brand new coach hall where all the coaches travelling by ferry across to the continent,
37:51they all go through there.
37:53We have eight permanent border positions in there for Police Off Frontier to operate from.
37:59And it's a dedicated facility purely for coach traffic that enables coaches to go through in the best possible way.
38:09Next, a former building in Sheerness that has sat empty since the COVID-19 lockdowns is set to reopen as
38:15a sports lounge.
38:16Tommy Holland's amusements were shut down during the pandemic and has not reopened.
38:21Now, Neptune Sports Lounge is set to open in early June after their current lease ends.
38:25And we spoke to owner Charlie Minter about his plans for the building and his projects at the club.
38:36We're just going to move on, okay?
38:37So, now dentistry is a need.
38:39It's not a want.
38:40So, people can't...
38:42...has expanded to the prep rooms in Eppsfleet.
38:44Smile Tech Dental has opened a branch in Castle Hill as part of the prep rooms which launched last summer.
38:49Residents in the area asked for a dentist, GP, beauty aesthetics, a nail bar and a hair salon.
38:55So, Sam Botts decided to combine those services in one room, creating the prep rooms.
39:00This dentist is the latest addition in the building, making dental surgery more accessible for the local community.
39:09We spoke to Sam Botts about this expansion.
39:13You know, dentistry is a need.
39:14It's not a want.
39:15So, people come to the hairdressers, you know, to make their hair look nice.
39:18But it's not actually a need.
39:20These kind of communities really need GP and dental services, especially with, you know,
39:25it's very difficult sometimes to get in with NHS, especially if you've just moved to the area.
39:30They can't accept any more patients because they're quite overwhelmed.
39:43Sorry about all of the technical dilemmas there.
39:45So, next we'll return to the story we're just talking about.
39:47So, the arcade building in Sheerness that has sat empty since the COVID-19 lockdowns is set to reopen as
39:52a sports lounge.
39:53Tommy Holland's amusements were shut down during the pandemic and has not reopened.
39:57Now, Neptune Sports Lounge is set to open in early June after their current lease ends.
40:02We spoke to the owner, Charlie Minter, about these plans for the building and his projects at the club.
40:07Tommy Holland's amusement arcade in Sheerness was shut during the coronavirus lockdowns.
40:12Years later, it is set to reopen as a sports lounge.
40:16With Charlie Minter, Neptune Sports Lounge is moving in.
40:21Its current home is the Neptune Terrace, but after a decade, his lease is ending.
40:25The 40-year-old, who has lived in Kemp for his whole life, was on the lookout for new venues
40:30when, by chance, he struck up conversation with Tommy Holland and decided to take on the challenge.
40:35When I had the news that the property may be sold, I went around the island just to have a
40:41look to see where we could possibly move to.
40:45And just by a fortunate chance, I passed Tommy in the street.
40:49And I asked to have a look at the bowling alley and, yeah, the next step's getting in and seeing
40:54what we can do.
40:55The new sports lounge is aiming to have 12 pool tables, an American 9-ball pool table and two snooker
41:01tables.
41:02Charlie has also expressed his excitement for bringing more darts to the building.
41:07I'm quite excited about the project of doing the dart balls as well.
41:12Having a section of five balls will allow us to run bigger, better comps and stuff like that, be more
41:19consistent in running competitions and things as well.
41:21The popular pool competition on Wednesday nights is here to stay, and with more than 200 members, the addition of
41:27more pool tables will certainly help.
41:29The project is seen by Charlie as a community project to create a family-friendly space, and it is set
41:34to open in early June.
41:36It's a coming together of a community to help open this place.
41:39And what I'm doing is, you know, we've got community youth projects going on at the minute that we are
41:48working with the police and stuff like that,
41:50getting kids off the streets, come and play pool.
41:54Sorry for the technical difficulties there, but we've got more for you now.
41:59Thank you very much.
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42:23Thank you very much.
56:47Thank you so much for watching.
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