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Catch up with all the latest news from across the county with Meghan Shaw
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00:21Hello and welcome to KMT Tonight, live here on KMTV.
00:25I'm Megan Shaw and here are your top stories on Friday the 29th of May.
00:30Whitstable washes off. Residents take matters into their own hands after a week of water outages.
00:36I just want to be able to turn my tap on for water to come out.
00:39I want to pay a fair price for that water and I want to be able to go in the
00:43sea
00:43and not worry about my child getting ill from sewage.
00:46The final straw. Residents of Kemsing taking off priority lists for bottled water
00:52after four days without supply.
00:54Yes, I'm on the priority list but because none of us are bed bound
00:58that we have to go and get our own water.
01:00Problems piling up. Mountains of rubbish at Samuel's Tower in Chatham.
01:06If I look outside from here now, right now, it looks really disgusting.
01:10And I'm worried for myself, my health and my mum.
01:23But first, our top story tonight.
01:25The small village of Kemsing near Sevenoaks has entered its fourth day of water supply issues.
01:31Some residents saying they've been taken off the priority list to be delivered bottled water.
01:36Claire has caring responsibilities for her son and couldn't leave the house
01:41and had to rely on a friend to pick up supplies.
01:44Finn McDermid went down to the village to find out more.
01:47For some houses in the village of Kemsing near Sevenoaks, they've now had four days of water supply issues,
01:53having first had the problems at the very peak of the heat wave.
01:56Some residents say they've been let down by southeast water, like Claire, who has Crohn's disease,
02:01and says she should be on the priority list, but was told to collect the water from a station in
02:06the village.
02:06We've been on a priority list for quite a long time.
02:09My son has got mental health, he's autistic, ADHD, he's struggling with a mental health episode at the moment.
02:16I've got Crohn's disease, so I have to be at home with him.
02:21And I rang Southeast Water yesterday, and they said, yes, I'm on the priority list,
02:27but because none of us are bed-bound, that we have to go and get our own water.
02:31Both myself and my son are on medications where we've got to drink extra water.
02:35So again, you know, we're struggling with that.
02:40Now Claire isn't the only one who's been suffering from these water issues.
02:44Across Kemsing, I've been knocking on doors, speaking to people, and they've been telling me of their woes.
02:48It's been this horrendous heat wave, and they've been without water for up to four days.
02:53Some households do now have the supply back, others just a dribble, and some more, like Claire, completely without water.
03:01I think it started Monday evening or Tuesday morning, and I'm on the disability list because I've got ulcerative colitis
03:12and I haven't received any water as yet.
03:15My son actually emailed Laura Trott, and she got in touch with Southeast Water, and I still haven't had any.
03:22Even counsellors in the local authority have been affected.
03:25Right now, my electric shower won't actually function because there's insufficient water pressure,
03:31and quite frankly, it's unacceptable.
03:33Sevenoast District Council is actively working with our emergency teams,
03:38are actively working with Southeast Water to try and get the situation resolved as quickly as possible.
03:42So everybody who can is doing whatever it is that they can, but the truth is we all feel pretty
03:47powerless.
03:48Southeast Water said in their latest update for the area that they're starting to see tap water supplies
03:53returning to some customers across Kent, but some are still experiencing supply issues
03:58as a result of incredibly high demand during this heat wave.
04:02After four days of recycling water, showering at a local leisure centre or carrying bottles,
04:06there was one question on people's minds.
04:08When is the water going to return?
04:11And while some say it's soon to come back, there's an air of doubt and confusion in the village,
04:16as people say they just aren't sure when their taps will next run dry.
04:19Finn McDermid for KMTV in Kemsing.
04:23Now over to Whitstable, and it's their third day with patchy water.
04:27Supplies slowly starting to return for some, but 3,500 homes in the area still do not have access to
04:35running water.
04:36Southeast Water have said that supplies will continue to be intermittent over the weekend,
04:41but residents say enough is enough, and some have headed to the beach for a bath.
04:45Naila Mohamed has the story for us now.
04:48For the third day in a row, parts of Whitstable still do not have access to clean running water.
04:53So some residents have taken matters into their own hands.
04:57Or in fact, they've taken matters into the sea.
05:00Not out of protest, but out of necessity.
05:02Because they say without their running water, they can't shower,
05:05they can't wash their hands, and they cannot flush the toilet.
05:08So they're taken to Whitstable Beach to shower and bathe.
05:12The water issues have grown significantly since Bank Holiday Monday,
05:16where other areas across Kent were hit with supply issues.
05:19Supplies started to return to Whitstable last night,
05:22but now 3,500 households in the area are still without running water,
05:28and single mother Caroline has had enough.
05:31Water is not a luxury, it's an essential item,
05:33and it's actually a health and safety risk at the moment in this heat.
05:37And it's incredible in modern day Britain that we're having to live like this.
05:41You know, change needs to come, and we need the government to listen now and do something.
05:45I just want to be able to turn my tap on for water to come out.
05:48I want to pay a fair price for that water,
05:50and I want to be able to go in the sea and not worry about my child getting ill from
05:54sewage.
05:54So we don't want more of this.
05:56We want accountability and we want action now.
05:58In a smaller-than-expected turnout, other residents vented very similar frustrations.
06:03If this is happening now, in the first hot week of the summer,
06:07what does that mean for the rest of the summer?
06:08What does that mean for summers to come?
06:10Is this going to be the new norm?
06:11Just in shocks, really.
06:13Even the flushing the toilet was a celebration this morning, which it shouldn't be, really.
06:18So it's hard, knowing that we might not be able to be in school over, obviously, not having water.
06:25People don't realise the impacts of just not having water can impact so many businesses,
06:31obviously school, education, qualifications, everything.
06:34This is just so frustrating and so debilitating, and it makes you feel, like, worthless,
06:39like our lives don't really matter because we can't function.
06:45And with hundreds of new homes planned for Whitstable,
06:48a local councillor believes the target must be reconsidered.
06:51It's not realistic to build houses somewhere where there isn't water to accommodate them.
06:56What is the point of building a house where people won't be able to turn on the taps and get
06:59fresh water?
07:00In a statement, South East Water said,
07:03remaining customers will see water supplies start to return later today,
07:06and tap water is likely to remain intermittent across the weekend.
07:11We support in the local hospital and those with livestock,
07:14but we ask customers to use water for essential purposes only.
07:18So with the heatwave continuing over the weekend,
07:21will more people take their rubber ducks to Whitstable Beach?
07:25Naila Mahamud for KMTV in Whitstable.
07:28And now let's take a look at the weekend forecast.
07:35This evening, clear skies across the county.
07:38Highs temperatures in East Kent reaching 18 degrees,
07:41lows of 16 down in Tunbridge Wells.
07:43Into tomorrow morning, those clear skies remaining,
07:45and that sunshine, highs of 21 in the south of the county,
07:49lows of 19.
07:51Temperature peaking up in the afternoon,
07:5325, 26 degrees are your highs,
07:55lows on the coast there.
07:57And your outlook, sunny skies remaining into Sunday.
08:00Clouds coming in on Monday, staying at 24 degrees,
08:03and overcast on Tuesday with 21 degrees.
08:12Now, residents at Chatham Tower block
08:15say they're living with piles of rubbish,
08:17broken lifts, leaks and fire safety concerns.
08:20The management company says it inherited long-running problems
08:24at Samuel's Tower and clearing them is far from simple.
08:28Kristen Hawthorne went to meet those caught in the middle.
08:32At Samuel's Tower in Chatham,
08:34residents say the problems are piling up.
08:37From broken lifts since 2022,
08:39reports of antisocial behaviour and leaks,
08:41to a potential rise in service costs to pay for the repairs,
08:45the problems are layered.
08:46But one of the biggest issues they have
08:48is just a few feet away from their front door.
08:52So, down by their front door,
08:53there is this huge pile of rubbish,
08:54which some residents say has not been collected for a few weeks,
08:58and some say not for a few months.
09:00So, it's an issue that they say
09:02is not being dealt with or listened to.
09:04If I look outside from here now, right now,
09:07it looks really disgusting.
09:10And I'm worried for myself, my health,
09:12and my mum, who lives with me as well.
09:15Currently, she is with her son in Wales.
09:19It's been like a couple of weeks,
09:20she's been away now.
09:21And it's disgraceful.
09:23I want the agency,
09:24whoever is looking after this apartment,
09:27because I'm paying my monthly month
09:29to my landlady.
09:31And the thing is,
09:32it's not been sorted out.
09:35So, I want them to please collect the beans.
09:37The property manager says
09:39the company inherited the long-running problems
09:41and says the situation is far from simple.
09:44One of the biggest issues this site faces
09:46is fly-tipping,
09:48which is a mixture of contribution by residents
09:51and people living outside the site as well.
09:54You know, and it's constantly building up,
09:56constantly building up.
09:57And we'll spend a few thousand pounds
09:59every, you know, now and again,
10:00getting it cleared up.
10:01And then within a week, it's back again.
10:04Unfortunately, this site has a need
10:07to address items like this
10:09in the form of antisocial behaviour,
10:12as opposed to looking after
10:14what the residents really want to see,
10:16which is, you know,
10:17improvements to the building
10:18and repairs and maintenance
10:19to more aesthetic items,
10:22like, you know, redecorating,
10:23which has to be put on hold.
10:26Ultimately, the landlord can only do so
10:27with payment of service charge.
10:30A Medway Council spokesperson said
10:32we are aware of the issues at Samuels Tower
10:35and have been liaising with the management company,
10:38which is responsible for both securing access
10:40to their bins and clearing excess waste
10:43to encourage them to clear the site
10:45so our waste crews are able to access it going forward.
10:48The authority has been in touch
10:50with the management company
10:51to ask for a date for when this waste will be cleared
10:54and has advised it may consider using powers
10:56under the Environmental Protection Act 1990
10:59and the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949,
11:03if it's not cleared.
11:05For residents here, though,
11:06the problems are not hidden in paperwork
11:08or service charge disputes.
11:09They are outside their front door,
11:11in the stairwells,
11:13and part of everyday life.
11:14The question here is how quickly things will change.
11:17Kristen Hawthorne for KMTV in Chatham.
11:21Now, it's time for a short break,
11:22but don't go anywhere
11:24as we've got more news right here for you
11:26across the county.
11:28Kristen Hawthorne has been incredibly busy today.
11:30She'll be back on your screen soon
11:32investigating a resident from Favisham
11:35campaigning for emergency catheter awareness.
11:38We'll also be speaking to a woman
11:39who has fostered over 50 children
11:41over the last two years.
11:43Don't go anywhere
11:44because you've got all that and more after the break.
11:46See you then.
11:53See you then.
15:08Hello and welcome back to Kent's Nightlife here on KMTV.
15:12In the ongoing trial for the alleged murder of Charlie Belsham, one of the two accused has denied involvement in
15:19the fatal stabbing.
15:20Giving evidence at Maidstone Crown Court, Shane Rule denied wielding a bread knife as alleged and instead told the court
15:27he heard commotion and went downstairs to the basement where Mr. Belsham died on Castle Road in Chatham.
15:33When his lawyer asked if he intervened, Rule replied, not once I knew there were tools involved. It would be
15:40too stupid to go down there.
15:42Mr. Rule is one of three men to be accused of involvement with the alleged murder of Mr. Belsham alongside
15:48co-defendants Mark Jesse and Ashley Robinson.
15:51The trial into the death of Mr. Belsham, who died on the 1st of November last year, continues.
15:57Sea Scrub Sauna in Folkestone has been forced to close after a break in left glass in the plunge pools.
16:04CCTV footage captured the moment a group of young people broke into the county's biggest seaside sauna, leaving glass scattered
16:11across the venue.
16:13Co-owner Robin Bartlett said, the safety of our visitors and our team always comes first, which is why we
16:19had to close for the day.
16:20Cousins Luke and Robin are looking to bring Scandinavian sauna culture to the county, but said the incident was frustrating.
16:30Now, a Faversham woman with a spinal injury says she was left struggling to access emergency catheter care after hers
16:37came out unexpectedly.
16:39Sarah Jane says what should have been a straightforward replacement became a stressful fight to be seen.
16:44Now, she's campaigning for better awareness of the gaps disabled patients with spinal injuries can face and has already received
16:51just under 400 signatures on her petition.
16:54Kristen Orthon reports. Sarah Jane uses a catheter due to her spinal injury, which causes urine retention.
17:01But when it recently came out, she needed an emergency replacement.
17:04This is something that might sound simple, but her experience of getting that done was far from easy.
17:10If I'm retaining urine for too long or it can happen if you have a cut or anything the body's
17:17not used to, it sets off the autonomic nervous system with a spinal patient and it can make the blood
17:23pressure shoot up, which can cause a stroke or a heart attack.
17:27So it's a real thing.
17:29I had to wait ten hours to have a new catheter put in when mine came out for no apparent
17:37reason.
17:37It's something that happens occasionally.
17:40The problems she faced were layered.
17:42For example, Sarah Jane uses a mobility scooter, so was told that she would have to make her own way
17:47from Faversham to a Canterbury hospital.
17:49She told me she was unable to do this and usually gets transport for pre-booked appointments.
17:55Apparently, because I have that, I don't meet the criteria of being housebound.
18:01That would all be absolutely fine if I could get on my scooter, go to one of the two health
18:07centres or the walk-in centre and get a catheter put in.
18:11Nobody in Feversham does it.
18:14It's in this room that Sarah Jane said she made eight phone calls and waited more than eight hours to
18:18be able to get access for an emergency catheter to be put in.
18:21The experiences left are determined to find a solution and raise awareness.
18:26All I want is either to have a service in Feversham who will do it or to get the district
18:33nurses to come and do it.
18:34That's all I'm asking. One of those two things.
18:37I spoke with the Spinal Injuries Association to find out if this is a common problem.
18:41It's something that nationally a lot of people with spinal cord injury do have an issue with when they need
18:48an emergency catheter change rather than a routine one.
18:52So if a solution could be found that could be rolled out nationally, that would make us very happy.
18:56A spokesperson for the NHS Kenton Medway said they are sorry to hear about Sarah Jane's experience and said it
19:02recognises the need for timely catheter care.
19:05It says most GP practices in Kenton Medway do not change catheters for patients who are not housebound, who are
19:12instead advised to use hospital urology services or community care where available.
19:17Some patients might also qualify for free non-emergency hospital transport.
19:22Catheter care is due to be reviewed as part of wider plans to move more services closer to home.
19:28As Sarah Jane continues to face the challenges of her injury every day, she is determined to campaign for awareness
19:34for those in similar situations and bring a change to the gap in services.
19:43A Maystone family are calling for more people in Kent to get involved with fostering.
19:48As figures reveal, the county was short of 820 carers last year.
19:53Over just two years, Joanne and partner Neil have looked after 49 children through the emergency fostering provision scheme, having
20:00previously brought up three more foster children long term.
20:03They say more families could find joy in providing short term crisis care for children.
20:08Chloe Brewster visited her at her home to find out more.
20:12After raising her two children, Joanne and her partner Neil decided to begin fostering.
20:1817 years later and three foster children raised, Joanne decided to take a slightly different route, getting into short term
20:25respite care.
20:26Two years on, she's looked after more than 49 children in Kent.
20:31I'll either have no one for a couple of weeks, a month, and then I will have children that come
20:38in and out the door, so revolving doors.
20:40I enjoy it. I know that when they come in, they're usually in, you know, crisis, you know, it's not
20:48nice to come into foster care.
20:49And I hope that I can bring a little bit of calm in their lives and also make it not
20:55so traumatic.
20:57There's a huge lack of foster placements in Kent.
21:00Kent County Council stated that in 2025, the region was short of approximately 820 foster carers slash placements, leaving many
21:08children without local homes.
21:10The national picture isn't much brighter.
21:13There are approximately 80,000 children living with foster parents and 70,000 approved foster families, but fewer than one
21:20in five places are vacant at any time.
21:23I get it. It's a hard step to take to say you're going to be a foster carer.
21:29It's a big step. And I think, you know, there's lots of things that could put you off doing it.
21:36But I think a lot of people would be surprised at how much actually, how good they would be.
21:44If you're 21 or over, have a spare bedroom and the legal right to work in the UK.
21:48The company Joanne Foster with's anchor says you can apply to foster.
21:52While fostering a child can apply for years, weeks or just days, Joanne says the positive impact on vulnerable children
21:59can last a lifetime.
22:01Chloe Brewster for KMTV.
22:04Ludicrous.
22:05That's how the public in Rochester have branded internal guidance from a Medway museum that's highlighted Charles Dickens' offensive views
22:13on race.
22:14The Victorian author who grew up and died in Kent may be known for his musing on poverty, which shaped
22:20social attitudes off his times.
22:22But the Guildhall Museum, ran by Medway Council, hopes the guidance for staff will lead more accurate and sensitive conversations
22:28with visitors.
22:30Local democracy reporter Olly Leda has been reading up on all the drama.
22:35Charles Dickens, you've probably heard of him. Famous author, chat him raised and a bit of a racist?
22:41Well, that's what one Medway Council-run museum has told its staff in internal guidance according to The Telegraph.
22:52Slamming the Victorian maestro behind Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol as having opinions that wouldn't hold water today on
23:00racial superiority and the British Empire.
23:04And that's despite his relatively progressive writings on class and poverty.
23:09There were people with far, far more extreme views than him at the time.
23:13You know, he, at the time, he was seen as, you know, very much a progressive, a liberal, you know,
23:18particularly, as you said, all his work with championing the poor and so on.
23:22He was, he was very much on, you know, really on the left of politics in the day. But time's
23:29moved on. It's 170 years.
23:31Medway Council says the museum is not doing away with Dickens or his importance and that the new guidance will
23:39help staff address historical issues accurately and sensitively.
23:44There's a certain irony in the guidance that staff have received here at the Guildhall Museum, because Guildhall is actually
23:51mentioned in Great Expectations, one of Dickens' most well-known novels.
23:57And it is something that you notice about Rochester, the Dickens' memorabilia, the signs, their businesses inspired by the author.
24:09Can we really judge him by the standards of the modern day? Well, that's why I've been asking people here
24:15on the High Street.
24:16It is a bit silly. I mean, he was writing of his times.
24:20Just doing what they did in those days, wasn't he? Yeah.
24:23So, I don't, I just think it's all gone a bit mad, to be honest.
24:26Things have moved on, but I don't think we should discredit him for that.
24:30You know, Dickens is history, isn't it? And you want to remember history and what happened.
24:35There's no doubt Dickens encapsulates the best of times and the worst of times when it comes to the Victorian
24:42era.
24:43But whether he meets modern society's great expectations in the 21st century is far more questionable.
24:52Olly Leader in Rochester.
24:54Now, Jaffa biscuit or Jaffa cake?
24:57It's a wild debate that's happened in offices and homes across the county, the country and even the world.
25:03But now, have McVitties crumbled the debate once and for all after releasing Jaffa cake flavoured digestive biscuits?
25:11What do people in Rochester think? Well, Jude Morton went to find out.
25:15Now, the age old debate. Jaffa cakes. Are they biscuits? Or are they cakes?
25:20Well, McVitties have decided to end this debate with the introduction of their new digestive, which is a Jaffa cake
25:26digestive.
25:27Calling them cakes. Well, I'm down here in Rochester to see what the people think.
25:32I think they're biscuits. I don't know. I just, I don't know. I just feel like I would never, I
25:37feel like a cake's more of a proper dessert. I feel like a biscuit's more of a snack.
25:41I think they're on the cusp of both. It's kind of a biscuit with a cakey surface.
25:46It says cake on the box. That's good enough for me.
25:48I don't know. Jaffa cakes. Biscuits.
25:51Cakes. Cakes. Cakes. Cakes. Why?
25:54It's in the name. It's in the name, yeah.
25:56It's a cake because biscuits get softer when they go off and cakes get harder.
26:00Cakes. I think we decided that they're cakes because they go hard when they're stale rather than soft like a
26:06biscuit.
26:07Definitely cakes. Well, it says they're cakes. I feel they're more like biscuits because cakes...
26:12A bit more extravagant, I think. Well, I would go for cake.
26:16For me, Jaffa cakes and cake.
26:19So the debate is still heavy here in Rochester. Most people do believe these are cakes and some believe these
26:26are biscuits.
26:27But what do you think at home? Are these biscuits or are they cakes?
26:31Jude Moulton for KMTV.
26:34We went searching and couldn't find the new Jaffa biscuits. If anyone watching finds them, give us a taste test
26:40and let us know.
26:40But for now, good night. We'll see you later.
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