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00:21Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight, live here on KMTV. I'm Finn McDermott and here are
00:26your top stories on Wednesday the 27th of May. Further failures from southeast water as
00:32Herne Bay sees another day of water issues. Monday evening we went to have the water for
00:39our tablets and there was nothing in the tax. Couldn't take any tablets. Heat wave havoc.
00:45Hot weather brings anti-social behaviour to Broadstairs beaches. I think we ended up leaving
00:50at around sort of half past four or five o'clock but it was already starting to get a bit
00:53of
00:54an aggressive vibe. And lights, camera, action. We see the accolades of Canterbury's very
01:00own student film awards. Yeah, I really owe it to my crew, genuinely. I said it in my speeches
01:06but they made the film so much better than it could have been.
01:19Now, southeast water have struggled to keep taps flowing as temperatures remain high, leaving
01:25hundreds of households across the county without water over the past few days. Residents have been
01:29left in the sweltering heat and relying on bottled water handouts to drink, shower and flush their
01:35toilets. Megan Shaw went down to a collection centre in Herne Bay to gauge some of the reaction.
01:40It's ridiculous. Seems to be the underlying sentiment from residents queuing in Herne Bay to
01:47receive bottled water after supplies under southeast water failed again. This is one of many moments the
01:55company has found themselves in hot water after outages around the county struck during the hottest
02:02May bank holiday weekend ever recorded. Queues formed in Altera Business Park where the water
02:08collection was situated while residents grew hot and bothered in their cars. How long have you been
02:28returned there? The queue this morning was over the other side of the phallic way. I'll come to get it
02:32at nine o'clock and I'll give up the deal.
02:35I've got a wife at home, she's just come out of hospital, she's had a bowel operation so
02:40she needs to flush the toilet so I need water.
02:45It's definitely not as hot today as it has been throughout the bank holiday weekend but it's still
02:50very warm and residents have been telling me they've been waiting in their cars for up to 20 minutes
02:56until they're given bottled water. My car's telling me it's 22 degrees inside and I've only been sat
03:02here five minutes and I'm definitely sweating and these conditions aren't ideal if you've not had
03:07much water to drink in the first place. And for vulnerable residents who qualified to have their
03:13water delivered, Faith has also gone down the drain. Monday evening we went to have the water for our
03:22tablets and there was nothing in the tanks. We couldn't take any tablets we just didn't have
03:26anything else to take. And we didn't have any water until last night we had a friend bought some
03:33rounds and then they actually delivered last night on 11 o'clock. South East Water explain that the
03:40outages are due to increase demand in hot weather. They apologise and have asked for customers to only use
03:47water for essential purposes. That is drinking, washing and cooking. But with rising temperatures
03:54here to stay, it seems likely that this summer could be the hottest on record. If South East Water are
04:01already struggling in May, could they remain in the hot seat all the way until September?
04:07Megan Shaw for Kane TV in Home Bay.
04:11The bank holiday weekend in Broadstairs saw businesses forced to close and police issuing
04:16a dispersal order after a horde of hundreds of teenagers were said to be behaving antisocially.
04:22Many were captured drinking alcohol, sorry, captured on police video I should say, drinking alcohol
04:27and causing disruption with some being arrested. Kristen Hawthorne joins us live from Broadstairs.
04:33Kristen, tell us a bit about the weekend. I mentioned there that dispersal order,
04:38what have residents and businesses been saying?
04:42Well, Finn, I've been here all afternoon and I was speaking to every business that lined the sand
04:48on the beach today, as well as many residents that were at the beach huts. The business owners
04:53and the residents together were collectively shocked and disappointed at what they saw,
04:58but not surprised. It has to be remembered that this happened in years previous as well.
05:03Some say that this year was the worst of it though. While they were concerned about the
05:08antisocial behaviour and the litter and glass left behind, they all told me they're worried that
05:12this is going to damage the town's reputation for being family friendly and want to urge people that
05:17outside of these incidents that Broadstairs is still a great place to go. I did speak to one business
05:22owner who said that the effect that this is having on her business is really quite shocking.
05:27We have a window of time for us to open our business. We rely on the sun and everything coming
05:33together. We worked really hard to get to this point. For them to come here and behave the way they
05:41have,
05:44it's not just soul destroying, but for my business, it's devastating.
05:55We do actually have footage as well of what happened on the Monday, the Easter or the bank holiday Monday,
06:02sorry, just gone. In terms of the residents I spoke to as well, which reflect what was seen on Monday,
06:12they said that they had to go home early and were worried about their young children becoming unsafe
06:16because there was vapes on the ground, glass everywhere. There's also the aspect of those with
06:20disabilities in the area who maybe weren't able to leave as quickly as they wanted to
06:24or becoming unwell and overwhelmed. Here's what the residents had to say.
06:30And at the end of the day, which was about seven o'clock, just left so much rubbish behind
06:37and that then had to be cleaned up either by the council employees or by other people who volunteer.
06:43I saw it, it was outrageous, honestly. It was just terrible that our lovely beaches are just getting
06:48ruined. It's such a lovely beach, it's a nice place. How did you feel?
06:54Worried. Worried. Were you scared? Yeah.
07:02And talk to us about some of the potential solutions that have been said.
07:08Well, the people I spoke to gave me an array of solutions. They think that it should be preventative
07:13though instead of reactive. So some of those preventative things that they mentioned were
07:17the turnstiles and ticketing machines at the train station, which would, they think, prevent a lot
07:22of people from coming down. They say that not a lot of people buy tickets and so having those machines
07:27there could prevent people from going through. They also say that security checks, like a festival,
07:34should happen as there was hundreds of people on the beach and it did look quite like a festival
07:38and that there should also be drinking bans on the beach like they have over in Australia. So
07:43a lot of solutions, more preventative though.
07:50Kent police also mentioned that they've been out meeting and talking to residents and were deployed
07:56as you saw in that footage there. Now CCTV cameras in an Ashford mother's home have revealed months of
08:01abuse in a court case that ended without a prison sentence. We aren't going to show you the videos
08:05because of their graphic nature. They showed her mum enduring months of violence at the hands of her
08:10partner, Spencer Dean. Before we go into the chat with Heidi Munn, I would like to warn, we do talk
08:16about
08:16domestic violence in this next piece. Heidi Munn told us more about the case earlier. Well, thank you so
08:21much for joining me, Heidi. First of all, tell us a bit about this case. What was the result and
08:25how did it
08:26start? So the case has wrapped up now and Spencer Dean has received a 12-month community order and I
08:32will get to
08:33that in more detail in a second. But for now, I'll go back to the beginning. So he was caught
08:37on CCTV
08:38multiple times violently attacking his partner, who will call Marie for the sake of keeping her
08:43anonymous. And those CCTV cameras were in her home in Ashford. And this was unveiled in March when the
08:50police actually went to her house for a separate thing. They found cannabis in her loft that was owned
08:55by Spencer Dean. And she had never reported this because Dean had told her if she were to, she would
09:01lose
09:01custody of her two children. And so when the police did find this, she decided to come forward and speak
09:06up. And she secretly texted her neighbour to say she was at the end of her tether and that she
09:11wished
09:12to speak to the police. I see. And tell us a bit more about what the CCTV cameras actually captured.
09:17So they captured months of violence and it was actually very upsetting footage. It was hitting,
09:22kicking, spitting, and at one point even saying that he hopes she dies. And some of these actually
09:28happened when her children weren't too far away from the scene of the abuse, which is something
09:33she actively tried to avoid. She never wanted them to witness any of the abuse happening and had
09:39learned even when she would say she wanted him to leave the home, he would get violent. So she would
09:45always avoid doing that when the children were around because she never wanted to affect them.
09:50I see. And tell us a little bit about the outcome of the case. You mentioned that a community
09:55order there. Can you expand on what exactly that means? So the community order is 180 hours of unpaid
10:01work as well as rehabilitation. And this came after the magistrates agreed with his defence that he was
10:07remorseful and that he had done the equivalent of 12 weeks in custody already. And so they spared him
10:14from prison. And that includes he's also banned from contacting Marie or going anywhere near her home for
10:22two years. And so Marie was shocked by that outcome and says that the cameras saved her. And she's also
10:31urged other victims to come forward, get help and know that they can also escape. Thank you so much
10:38for bringing us that story, Heidi. If you think you may be in a difficult situation or a similar one
10:43to
10:44one you just heard, their help is available on the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808-200247.
10:52Now, a father from Sandgate has just won his prolonged appeal to keep a lit up tribute to his
10:57late son standing after a lengthy dispute with the local council. Last year, William Brown,
11:01senior converted Queen's house in Folkestone into 32 flats in tribute to his seven year old son who passed
11:07away two years prior. On the converted building, he installed a lit display of William Brown,
11:11Jr. The council argued the sign would be a detriment to the wider street scene, but the planning was
11:16eventually approved. Now, drivers have been facing delays due to a sinkhole that's opened up on
11:23Littlebourne Road in Canterbury. Because of this, three-way traffic lights have been installed at the
11:28junction with Warwick Road, with long queues of traffic having built up on both sides of it. It's
11:32not yet clear what this cause of the sinkhole is or when it opened up, but yellow barriers have been
11:36put
11:37in place. That's all the time we have for now. We'll be back in just a few minutes. See you
11:42then.
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15:17Caroline Headley said on Kent County Council's changes to 16-plus Send Provision,
15:22which will take arranging transport to schools out of their hands and give the responsibility to parents.
15:27Caroline says her 18-year-old son Thomas will be distressed at a new routine,
15:31but the council say that children like Thomas have an automatic right to free transport after age 16.
15:37Our local democracy reporter Megan Shaw went to Tunbridge Wells to meet them.
15:41You know, they're taking costs from disabled children.
15:44I mean, you can't get much worse than that in terms of the people to pick on.
15:47Fury and frustration from one Bidborough mother,
15:51who's at a loss on how to get her 18-year-old son with complex needs, Thomas, to school.
15:58Now that Kent County Council are set to change 16-plus transport provision
16:03for children with special educational needs or disabilities.
16:07So it's a lot of stress for the parents and a lot of stress for the children as well,
16:12who are understandably really upset by not knowing what arrangements they're going to have
16:16next year.
16:18My son Thomas loves his taxi, he loves his transport, and he really doesn't want this to change.
16:23Thomas is used to getting a familiar bus to school with all his friends,
16:27arranged by the council.
16:29But from September, Caroline will be given £4,000 to figure out how to get him to school herself.
16:37He didn't want to be filmed, but told me a change in his routine will be difficult to manage.
16:43Whilst that might seem like quite a good deal for a lot of people,
16:46I'm sure that seems like an awful lot of money,
16:47but actually it's not when you think about having to get a disabled person to the school.
16:56Booking a taxi every day, twice a day, for five days a week,
17:01can quickly rack up well above the allocated spending allowance by the council and travel.
17:07So what some families might be forced to do then is put their child on the public bus,
17:13which of course is much cheaper.
17:15For Thomas, this would mean it was 20-minute walk to a stop,
17:19and suddenly a 15-minute car journey would now take over an hour if he commutes this week.
17:25Thomas told me he didn't think he'd be able to do it on his own.
17:30Beverley Fordham, Kent County Council Cabinet Member for Education and Skills,
17:34declined an interview, but she did send me a response
17:38where she outlined that there is no automatic right to free transport after age 16,
17:44and that travelling independently, where safe,
17:47is an important step towards further education, employment and greater self-reliance.
17:52But Caroline's ward councillor, John Morland, disagrees.
17:56So do you think the council should be in charge of arranging and paying for this transport for send children?
18:03Short answer is yes.
18:05I would caveat that saying there is no one-size-fits-all,
18:08but the council have a legal duty to ensure that a child accesses education.
18:15And where a child's needs are more specialised, where they are more vulnerable,
18:20then the council's obligations to that child increases.
18:24It's a long wait for Caroline to see if her appeal would be accepted.
18:29But for Thomas, who is distressed to a change to his familiar routine at school,
18:34it's a bumpy road from here on out.
18:37Megan Shaw in Bidborough.
18:40A secondary school in Maidstone has been taken to court over complaints around noise outside of school hours.
18:46The 3G £700,000 all-weather sports pitch says has been causing issues for neighbours,
18:52with them saying it's causing a statutory nuisance as it's being used by students and members of the local community.
18:59Neighbours have started legal proceedings against Cornwallis Academy,
19:02who deny the existence of a noise nuisance,
19:05and claim the space is an environment where youth teams and community clubs can play, develop and thrive.
19:10Deal Pier are observing investigations carried out by experts, including scuba divers.
19:16Coming after the pier was deemed as needing urgent repairs.
19:19Dover District Council approved a £1 million budget to repair the historic pier,
19:23with storm damage being found last year.
19:25Fishing was also temporarily suspended from the lower deck,
19:27while divers were surveying the pylons at the end of the pier, but it's since reopened.
19:32A Dover District Council spokesperson said the main part of the pier will remain open as usual,
19:37going on to say these works are set to take place over the summer months,
19:40with the pier set to remain open or works take place.
19:43Now, let's have a look at the weather.
19:50Tonight, the weather's going to be a little bit more mild.
19:52Most of the county's measured to be around 14 and 15 degrees.
19:55Into the morning now, it's picking up again clear skies and temperatures,
19:59measuring around 20, highs of 23 over Maidstone.
20:02By the afternoon, the weather will become a little bit more cloudy all across the county.
20:05Temperatures are still high, highs of 30 degrees in Medway and Maidstone,
20:09lows of 25 in Margate.
20:11And here's your outlook.
20:12Friday is full sun, 28 degrees.
20:14Saturday, still sunny at 25,
20:16and a drop in temperatures by Sunday of 21 degrees and cloudy.
20:27Last Sunday marked the 85th anniversary of the sinking of the HMS Hood,
20:31a Royal Navy battlecruiser that housed 1,418 crew, many of whom were from Kent.
20:38They sadly passed away when the ship sank 85 years ago.
20:42Earlier today, I spoke with Darren Riley to learn more about the commemoration held at the weekend.
20:47Well, thank you so much for joining us, Darren.
20:49Can you talk us through the service for the 85th anniversary of the sinking of the HMS Hood?
20:55Yes, certainly.
20:56At the Bellingham Service Club, Ex-Servicemen's Club in Catford,
21:00a group of veterans and civilians come together yearly to commemorate the sinking of the Hood.
21:07And to remember the 1,415 souls that went down within four minutes after being hit by a shell
21:14from the German battlecruiser Bismarck,
21:17we think it's important that this biggest loss in naval history is remembered.
21:22And to be part of it, it's awesome.
21:24As a veteran, remembrance is very dear to me.
21:27Absolutely.
21:28You mentioned it was in Catford, but I'm aware there's a lot of links.
21:31There were plenty of Kentish naval officers on board.
21:34Can you tell us a bit about that?
21:37A number of the crew come from the South London boroughs, Kentish towns.
21:46The captain's chef lived on the south coast near Lyd.
21:50And they realistically was dragged in from all over their home counties.
21:55But I believe they're somewhere in the region of 300 crew members of the Hood
22:00came from Kent and London and the southeast.
22:04I see.
22:04And tell us a bit about the emotion on the day and what these kind of services and commemorations
22:09really do to preserve the memories of the fallen.
22:15Obviously, it's quite a sombre day because it was a very big hit for the Navy to experience
22:22in a single loss.
22:23To have all of these people from cadets up to veterans to current service personnel,
22:31you all come together with the same ambition to remember with dignity and pride the loss that occurred on that
22:39day.
22:41Because we had to go through quite a lot of hoops to actually get the parade going.
22:45And there's just so many people to thank and without their help, this would not have happened.
22:50So on behalf of myself and the Hood Committee at Bellingham, a huge thank you to everybody.
22:56I see. Thank you so much for your time, Darren.
23:01And now the annual KTV Film Festival has returned to Kent,
23:05showcasing a range of different student films selected from a screenwriting competition.
23:09The ceremony aims to shine a spotlight on student projects and creators getting a start in the filmmaking industry.
23:15Josh Colombell went down to Canterbury to find out more.
23:18It's showtime in Canterbury with the annual KTV Film Festival taking place on the University of Kent campus.
23:24The event is a way of highlighting all the different kind of creatives that get involved in a film
23:29and celebrates the hard work that goes into a production.
23:32I'm here on the red carpet of the Gulbenkian Theatre at the University of Kent
23:36and there are all sorts of people here from directors to costume designers and everything in between.
23:41But what do the attendees think of the film festivities?
23:45I remember the last two festivals last year, how much it meant for me,
23:48because they were my first festivals, my first red carpet, first awards.
23:51It was sort of like my first step into this whole world after doing the score for a film in
23:56first year.
23:57And I remember how much winning my first award meant for me,
23:59so I'm just really excited to be able to give that to a bunch of new filmmakers.
24:03I feel like there's quite a nice community here at the Uni of Kent, and especially with KTV.
24:07A lot of people have worked on these films all a part of the film course
24:11and who I know through my course and KTV itself.
24:15It's quite nice for everyone to come together and just sort of celebrate the films they've worked on.
24:19It's quite special.
24:20It was lovely to see everyone supporting every single film.
24:22You know, everyone got some great applause.
24:24Everyone had the moment to speak and be thanked for, you know, that hard work.
24:28Because at the end of the day, you know, there was eight long films of, you know,
24:32so many different passing through going into it.
24:35And so, you know, it was lovely to see everyone.
24:37There are eight films up for a variety of awards,
24:40with a committee getting the decision of the title of Best Picture.
24:43So, let's find out who was the star of the show.
24:47And the winner of Best Picture for the KTV Film Festival 2026 is...
24:52She was...
24:54Thanks for all the support before the film festival as well.
24:57I've had people coming up to me and saying they're excited for the film,
25:00and that's just...
25:01Obviously, it's made my year.
25:02I've had so much fun.
25:03It's my favourite project I've ever worked on.
25:05I feel amazing.
25:06Yeah, I really owe it to my crew.
25:09Genuinely, like, I said it in my speeches,
25:11but they made the film so much better than it could have been if,
25:15like, just from the screenplay.
25:18I'm so thankful to them.
25:19They really shocked me every day on set and post-production.
25:22It's just been so amazing.
25:24And that's a wrap for the KTV 2026 Film Festival.
25:28From what we've heard today,
25:29it's clear that the event is a way for newcomers to enter the film world
25:33and feature their work.
25:34It can be difficult for students to find the right opportunities,
25:36but this ceremony is a direct way into the spotlight.
25:40Josh Colombell for KMTV in Canterbury.
25:45And finally, Blue Water has welcomed a new six-metre water slide
25:48at their very own Hangloose Adventure Park.
25:51The aqua park's new addition for the warmer weather, named El Hafer,
25:55will be joining the floating inflatable course
25:57for those seeking thrill this summer.
26:00Water activities include inflatable climbing obstacles,
26:03balance challenges, as well as splash zones.
26:06Now, it's time for another break.
26:08But don't go anywhere.
26:10Coming up, we'll be taking another look at our headlines,
26:13which includes water outages that are causing chaos around the county.
26:17Megan Short went down to Hearn Bay,
26:18seeing one water bottle station where it was particularly hot
26:22when plenty of people having to wait for a long time in their car.
26:25We'll also be taking a look at businesses in Broadstairs.
26:28We've heard from them after they were forced to close
26:30during the heatwave during the bank holiday weekend,
26:32which are peak business times and very important for them.
26:35All this and more after this very short break.
26:38So we'll see you in just a few minutes
26:40with more of your news from across the county.
26:42Thank you for watching and see you in just those few minutes.
28:01We'll see you in just a few minutes.
28:31We'll see you in just a few minutes.
29:01We'll see you in just a few minutes.
29:31We'll see you in just a few minutes.
30:01We'll see you in just a few minutes.
30:24Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight live here on KMTV.
30:28I'm Finn McDermott and here are your top stories on Wednesday 27th May.
30:33Further failures from South East Water as Hearn Bay sees another day of water issues.
30:38Monday evening we went to have the water for our tablets and there was nothing in the tax.
30:45Couldn't take any tablets.
30:46Heatwave havoc, hot weather brings anti-social behaviour to Broadstairs beaches.
30:51I think we ended up leaving at around sort of half past four or five o'clock but it was
30:55already starting to get a bit of an aggressive vibe.
30:59And lights, light, light, camera, action we see the accolades of Canterbury's very own student film awards.
31:05Yeah, I really owe it to my crew, genuinely.
31:08I said it in my speeches but they made the film so much better than it could have been.
31:22Now South East Water have struggled to keep taps flowing as temperatures remain high,
31:27leaving hundreds of households across the county without water over the past few days.
31:32Residents have been left in the sweltering heat and relying on bottled water handouts to drink, shower and flush their
31:38toilets.
31:38Megan Shaw went down to a collection centre in Hearn Bay to gauge some of the reaction.
31:44It's ridiculous.
31:45Seems to be the underlying sentiment from residents queuing in Hearn Bay to receive bottled water,
31:52after supplies under South East Water failed again.
31:56This is one of many moments the company has found themselves in hot water,
32:01after outages around the county struck during the hottest May bank holiday weekend ever recorded.
32:08Cues formed in Altera Business Park where the water collection was situated while residents grew hot and bothered in their
32:16cars.
32:16How long have you been waiting for?
32:18About 20 minutes for now, but that's for now and see what happens.
32:24It just seems to be too much development and not enough investment of infrastructure but I think the reservoir of
32:30Waldo is well overdue in there.
32:32The queue this morning was over the other side of the phallic way.
32:35I'll come to get it at 9 o'clock and I'll give up the deal.
32:38I've got a wife at home, she's just come out of hospital, she's had a bowel operation so she needs
32:44to flush the toilet so I need water.
32:48It's definitely not as hot today as it has been throughout the bank holiday weekend but it's still very warm
32:54and residents have been telling me they've been waiting in their cars for up to 20 minutes until they're given
33:00bottled water.
33:02My car's telling me it's 22 degrees inside and I've only been sat here five minutes and I'm definitely sweating
33:08and these conditions aren't ideal if you've not had much water to drink in the first place.
33:13And for vulnerable residents who qualified to have their water delivered, Faith has also gone down the drain.
33:21Monday evening we went and had the water for our tablets and there was nothing in the tax.
33:27Couldn't take any tablets, we just didn't have anything else to take with.
33:32And we didn't have any water until last night when a friend walked some round.
33:38And then they actually delivered last night on 11 o'clock.
33:41South East Water explained that the outages are due to increased demand in hot weather.
33:47They apologise and have asked for customers to only use water for essential purposes, that is drinking, washing and cooking.
33:55But with rising temperatures here to stay, it seems likely that this summer could be the hottest on record.
34:02If South East Water are already struggling in May, could they remain in the hot seat all the way until
34:09September?
34:10Megan Shaw for Kane TV in Herne Bay.
34:14The bank holiday weekend in Broadstairs saw businesses forced to close and police issuing a dispersal order after a horde
34:22of hundreds of teenagers were said to be behaving antisocially.
34:25Many were captured drinking alcohol and causing disruption with some being arrested.
34:33Kristen Hawthorne joins us live from Broadstairs.
34:36Kristen, tell us a bit about the weekend.
34:39I mentioned there that disperse order.
34:41What have residents and businesses been saying?
34:45Well, Finn, I've been here all afternoon and I was speaking to every business that lined the sand on the
34:51beach today, as well as many residents that were at the beach huts.
34:55The business owners and the residents together were collectively shocked and disappointed at what they saw, but not surprised.
35:03It has to be remembered that this happened in years previous as well.
35:06Some say that this year was the worst of it, though.
35:10While they were concerned about the antisocial behaviour and the litter and glass left behind,
35:14they all told me they're worried that this is going to damage the town's reputation for being family friendly
35:18and want to urge people that outside of these incidents, that Broadstairs is still a great place to go.
35:24I did speak to one business owner who said that the effect that this is having on her business is
35:28really quite shocking.
35:30We have a window of time for us to open our business.
35:35We rely on the sun and everything coming together.
35:38We worked really hard to get to this point.
35:42For them to come here and behave the way they have, it's not just soul destroying, but for my business,
35:51it's devastating.
35:58We do actually have footage as well of what happened on the Monday, the Easter, or the bank holiday Monday,
36:05sorry, just gone.
36:07In terms of the residents I spoke to as well, which reflect what was seen on Monday,
36:15they said that they had to go home early and were worried about their young children becoming unsafe
36:19because there was vapes on the ground, glass everywhere.
36:22There's also the aspect of those with disabilities in the area who maybe weren't able to leave as quickly as
36:26they wanted to
36:27or becoming unwell and overwhelmed. Here's what the residents had to say.
36:33And at the end of the day, which was about seven o'clock, just left so much rubbish behind.
36:40And that then had to be cleaned up either by the council employees or by the people who volunteer.
36:46I saw it, it was outrageous, honestly. It was just terrible. Our lovely beaches are just getting ruined.
36:52It's such a lovely beach, it's a nice place.
36:54How did you feel?
36:59Worried. Worried.
37:01Were you scared?
37:02Yeah.
37:06And talk to us about some of the potential solutions that have been said.
37:11Well, the people I spoke to gave me an array of solutions.
37:14They think that it should be preventative though, instead of reactive.
37:18So some of those preventative things that they mentioned were the turnstiles and ticketing machines
37:22at the train station, which would, they think, prevent a lot of people from coming down.
37:27They say that not a lot of people buy tickets.
37:29And so having those machines there could prevent people from going through.
37:33They also say that security checks, like a festival, should happen as there was hundreds of people on the beach.
37:39And it did look quite like a festival.
37:42And that there should also be drinking bans on the beach like they have over in Australia.
37:46So a lot of solutions, more preventative though.
37:53Kent police also mentioned that they've been out meeting and talking to residents and were deployed, as you saw in
38:00that footage there.
38:01Now, CCTV cameras in an Ashford mother's home have revealed months of abuse in a court case that ended without
38:06a prison sentence.
38:07We aren't going to show you the videos because of their graphic nature.
38:11They showed her mum enduring months of violence at the hands of her partner, Spencer Dean.
38:15Before we go into the chat with Heidi Munn, I would like to warn, we do talk about domestic violence
38:20in this next piece.
38:22Heidi Munn told us more about the case earlier.
38:24Well, thank you so much for joining me, Heidi.
38:26First of all, tell us a bit about this case.
38:28What was the result and how did it start?
38:29So the case has wrapped up now and Spencer Dean has received a 12 month community order.
38:35And I will get to that in more detail in a second.
38:37But for now, I'll go back to the beginning.
38:39So he was caught on CCTV multiple times, violently attacking his partner, who will call Marie for the sake of
38:46keeping her anonymous.
38:48And those CCTV cameras were in her home in Ashford.
38:51And this was unveiled in March when the police actually went to her house for a separate thing.
38:56They found cannabis in her loft that was owned by Spencer Dean.
39:00And she had never reported this because Dean had told her if she were to, she would lose custody of
39:05her two children.
39:06And so when the police did find this, she decided to come forward and speak up.
39:10And she secretly texted her neighbour to say she was at the end of her tether and that she wished
39:15to speak to the police.
39:16I see. And tell us a bit more about what the CCTV cameras actually captured.
39:20So they captured months of violence and it was actually very upsetting footage.
39:25It was hitting, kicking, spitting, and at one point even saying that he hopes she dies.
39:30And some of these actually happened when her children weren't too far away from the scene of the abuse,
39:36which is something she actively tried to avoid.
39:38She never wanted them to witness any of the abuse happening
39:41and had learned even when she would say she wanted him to leave the home, he would get violent.
39:48So she would always avoid doing that when the children were around because she never wanted to affect them.
39:53I see. And tell us a little bit about the outcome of the case.
39:57You mentioned that community order there. Can you expand on what exactly that means?
40:00So the community order is 180 hours of unpaid work as well as rehabilitation.
40:07And this came after the magistrates agreed with his defence that he was remorseful
40:11and that he had done the equivalent of 12 weeks in custody already.
40:14And so they spared him from prison and that includes he's also banned from contacting Marie or going anywhere near
40:24her home for two years.
40:26And so Marie was shocked by that outcome and says that the cameras saved her.
40:34And she's also urged other victims to come forward, get help and know that they can also escape.
40:41Thank you so much for bringing us that story, Heidi.
40:43If you think you may be in a difficult situation or a similar one to the one you just heard,
40:48their help is available on the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808-200247.
40:55Now, a father from Sandgate has just won his prolonged appeal to keep a lit up tribute to his late
41:00son standing after a lengthy dispute with the local council.
41:03Last year, William Brown Sr. converted Queen's house in Folkestone into 32 flats in tribute to his seven year old
41:09son who passed away two years prior.
41:12On the converted building, he installed a lit display of William Brown Jr.
41:15The council argued the sign would be a detriment to the wider street scene, but the planning was eventually approved.
41:23Now, drivers have been facing delays due to a sinkhole that's opened up on Little Bourne Road in Canterbury.
41:29Because of this, three-way traffic lights have been installed at the junction with Warwick Road,
41:32with long queues of traffic having built up on both sides of it.
41:35It's not yet clear what the cause of the sinkhole is or when it opened up, but yellow barriers have
41:40been put in place.
41:42That's all the time we have for now. We'll be back in just a few minutes. See you then.
41:58We'll see you then.
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45:10Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight, live here on KMTV.
45:14They're taking costs from disabled children.
45:17That's what Caroline Headley said on Kent County Council's changes to 16-plus SEND provision,
45:22which will take arranging transport to schools out of their hands and give that responsibility to parents.
45:27Caroline says her 18-year-old son Thomas will be distressed at a new routine.
45:31But the council say that children like Thomas have an automatic right to free transport after age 16.
45:38Local democracy reporter Megan Shaw went to Tunbridge Wells to meet them.
45:41You know, they're taking costs from disabled children.
45:44I mean, you can't get much worse than that in terms of the people to pick on, can you?
45:48Fury and frustration from one Bidborough mother,
45:51who's at a loss on how to get her 18-year-old son with complex needs, Thomas, to school.
45:58Now that Kent County Council are set to change 16-plus transport provision for children with special educational needs or
46:06disabilities.
46:07So it's a lot of stress for the parents and a lot of stress for the children as well,
46:12who are understandably really upset by not knowing what arrangements they're going to have next year.
46:18My son Thomas loves his taxi, he loves his transport, and he really doesn't want this to change.
46:23Thomas is used to getting a familiar bus to school with all his friends, arranged by the council.
46:29But from September, Caroline will be given £4,000 to figure out how to get him to school herself.
46:37He didn't want to be filmed, but told me a change in his routine will be difficult to manage.
46:43Whilst that might seem like quite a good deal for a lot of people, I'm sure that seems like an
46:47awful lot of money,
46:48but actually it's not when you think about having to get a disabled person to a school.
46:56Booking a taxi every day, twice a day, for five days a week, can quickly rack up well above the
47:04allocated spending allowance by the council.
47:07So what some families might have been forced to do then, is put their child on the public bus, which
47:13of course is much cheaper.
47:15For Thomas, this would mean a 20-minute walk to the bus stop, and suddenly a 15-minute car journey
47:22would now take over an hour if he commutes this week.
47:26Thomas told me he didn't think he'd be able to do it on his own.
47:29Beverly Fordham, Kent County Council Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, declined an interview,
47:36but she did send me a response where she outlined that there is no automatic right to free transport after
47:43age 16,
47:44and that travelling independently, where safe, is an important step towards further education, employment and greater self-reliance.
47:52But Caroline's ward councillor, John Morland, disagrees.
47:56So do you think the council should be in charge of arranging and paying for this transport for centre children?
48:03Short answer is yes. I would caveat that saying there is no one-size-fits-all,
48:09but the council have a legal duty to ensure that a child accesses education.
48:16And where a child's needs are more specialised, where they are more vulnerable,
48:21then the council's obligations to that child increases.
48:24It's a long wait for Caroline to see if her appeal will be accepted.
48:29But for Thomas, who is distressed at a change to his familiar routine at school,
48:35it's a bumpy road from here on out.
48:38Megan Shaw in Bidborough.
48:40A secondary school in Maidstone has been taken to court over complaints of auditory disruption,
48:46aka noise complaints outside of school hours.
48:48The 3G £700,000 all-weather sports pitch has apparently been causing issues for neighbours,
48:54who claim it's causing a statutory nuisance, as it's been accessed not only by students,
48:59but also members of the local community.
49:01Neighbours have started legal proceedings against Cornwallis Academy,
49:04who deny the existence of a noise nuisance,
49:06and claim the space is an environment where youth teams and community clubs can play, develop and thrive.
49:12Deal Pier is currently having investigations carried out by experts,
49:15including scuba divers, coming after it was deemed needing urgent repairs.
49:19Dover District Council approved a £1 million budget to repair the historic pier,
49:23with storm damage being found last year.
49:25Fishing was temporarily suspended from the lower deck,
49:28while divers were surveying the pylons at the end of the pier, but has since reopened.
49:32A Dover District Council spokesperson said the main part of the pier will remain open as usual,
49:36going on to say these works are set to take place over the summer months,
49:40with the pier set to remain open while those works are ongoing.
49:43Now let's have a look at your weather.
49:49Well, got a little hasty there.
49:51Well, tonight the weather is going to be a bit more mild,
49:54as most of the counties measured to be around 14 and 15 degrees.
49:57The morning, picking up again, clear skies, temperatures around 20, highs of 23 over Maidstone.
50:02Lucky them.
50:03By the afternoon, the weather a little bit more cloudy all across the county.
50:06Temperatures are still high, 30 degrees in Maidstone, lows of 25 there in Margate.
50:11Here's your outlook.
50:11Friday is full sun and 28 degrees.
50:14Saturday staying just as sunny at 25.
50:16By Sunday, we'll see a drop in temperatures of 21 degrees, but it's getting a bit cloudy.
50:27Last Sunday marked the 85th anniversary of the sinking of the HMS Hood.
50:31This Royal Navy battlecruiser housed 1,418 crew, many of whom were from Kent,
50:37and sadly passed away when the ship sank back in 1941.
50:41Earlier today, I spoke with Darren Riley to learn more about the commemoration and service they held.
50:46Well, thank you so much for joining us, Darren.
50:48Can you talk us through the service for the 85th anniversary of the sinking of the HMS Hood?
50:53Yes, certainly.
50:55At the Bellingham Service Club, Ex-Servicemen's Club in Catford,
50:59a group of veterans and civilians come together yearly to commemorate the sinking of the Hood.
51:05To remember the 1,415 souls that went down within four minutes after being hit by a shell from the
51:13German battlecruiser Bismarck.
51:16We think it's important that this biggest loss in naval history is remembered, and to be part of it, it's
51:22awesome.
51:23As a veteran, remembrance is very dear to me.
51:26Absolutely.
51:27You mentioned it was in Catford, but I'm aware there's a lot of links.
51:30There were plenty of Kentish naval officers on board.
51:33Can you tell us a bit about that?
51:36A number of the crew come from the South London boroughs, Kentish towns.
51:45The captain's chef lived on the south coast near Lydd, and they realistically was dragged in from all over their
51:53home counties.
51:54But I believe there's somewhere in the region of 300 crew members of the Hood came from Kent and London
52:01in the southeast.
52:02I see.
52:03And tell us a bit about the emotion on the day and what these kind of services and commemorations really
52:09do to preserve the memories of the fallen.
52:13Obviously, it's quite a somber day because it was a very big hit for the Navy to experience in a
52:21single loss.
52:23To have all of these people, from cadets up to veterans, to current service personnel, you all come together with
52:32the same ambition to remember, with dignity and pride, the loss that occurred on that day.
52:39Because we had to go through quite a lot of hoops to actually get the parade going.
52:45There's just so many people to thank, and without their help, this would not have happened.
52:48So, on behalf of myself and the Hood Committee at Bellingham, a huge thank you to everybody.
52:55I see. Thank you so much for your time, Darren.
52:59The annual KTV Film Festival has returned to Kent, showcasing a range of different student films selected from a screenwriting
53:06competition.
53:07The ceremony aims to shine a spotlight on student projects and creators getting a start in the filmmaking community.
53:13Josh Collenbell went down to Canterbury to find out more.
53:16It's showtime in Canterbury, with the annual KTV Film Festival taking place on the University of Kent campus.
53:23The event is a way of highlighting all the different kind of creatives that get involved in a film and
53:27celebrates the hard work that goes into a production.
53:30I'm here on the red carpet of the Gulbenkian Theatre at the University of Kent, and there are all sorts
53:35of people here, from directors to costume designers and everything in between.
53:39But what do the attendees think of the film festivities?
53:43I remember the last two festivals last year, how much it meant for me, because they were my first festivals,
53:47my first red carpet, first awards.
53:49It was sort of like my first step into this whole world, after doing the score for a film in
53:54first year.
53:55And I remember how much winning my first award meant for me, so I'm just really excited to be able
53:58to give that to a bunch of new filmmakers.
54:01I feel like there's quite a nice community here at the Uni of Kent, and especially with KTV.
54:05A lot of people who have worked on these films all are part of the film course, and who I
54:10know through my course and KTV itself, it's quite nice for everyone to come together and just sort of celebrate
54:16the films they've worked on.
54:17It's quite special.
54:18It was lovely to see everyone supporting every single film, you know, everyone got some great applause, everyone had the
54:23moment to speak and be thanked for, you know, that hard work.
54:27Because at the end of the day, you know, there was eight long films of, you know, so many different
54:31paths and through going into it, and so, you know, it was lovely to see.
54:35There are eight films up for a variety of awards, with a committee getting the decision of the title of
54:41Best Picture.
54:41So, let's find out who was the star of the show.
54:45And the winner of Best Picture for the KTV Film Festival 2026 is She Wants Life.
54:53Thanks for all the support before the film festival as well.
54:55I've had people coming up to me and saying they're excited for the film, and that's just, honestly, it's made
55:00my year.
55:00I've had so much fun.
55:02This is my favourite project I've ever worked on.
55:03I feel amazing.
55:05Yeah, I really owe it to my crew, genuinely.
55:08Like, I said it in my speeches, but they made the film so much better than it could have been
55:13if, like, just from the screenplay.
55:16I'm so thankful to them.
55:17They really shocked me every day on set and post-production.
55:20It's just been so amazing.
55:22And that's a wrap for the KTV 2026 Film Festival.
55:26From what we've heard today, it's clear that the event is a way for newcomers to enter the film world
55:31and feature their work.
55:32It can be difficult for students to find the right opportunities, but this ceremony is a direct way into the
55:37spotlight.
55:38Josh Colombell for KMTV in Canterbury.
55:42And, finally, Blue Water has welcomed a new six-metre waterslide at their very own Hangloose Adventure Park.
55:49The aquapark's newest addition for the warmer weather.
55:52I didn't read this quite right last, so I'm going to give it a go here.
55:56It's named the El Jefe.
55:58We'll be joining the floating inflatable course for those seeking thrill this summer.
56:03Water activities available are inflatable climbing obstacles, balance challenges, as well as splash zones.
56:10You've been watching Kent Tonight live here on KMTV.
56:14As always, there's more news made just for Kent throughout the evening.
56:18And don't forget, you can always keep up to date with the latest news across your county by logging on
56:23to our website, kmtv.co.uk.
56:26You can also keep up with us on your social timelines by liking us on our Facebook and following our
56:32TikTok.
56:32And if you have a story that you think we ought to be covering, please don't hesitate, do get in
56:37touch.
56:38But from me, for now, that's all the time we have.
56:40Thank you so much for watching, and we'll see you soon.
56:42Goodbye.
56:42Bye-bye.
56:43Bye-bye.
56:45Bye-bye.
56:46Bye-bye.
56:53Bye-bye.
56:54Bye-bye.
56:54Bye-bye.
56:55Bye-bye.
56:57Bye-bye.
56:59Bye-bye.
56:59Bye-bye.
57:00Bye-bye.
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