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Catch up on all the latest news from across the county with Nailah Mahomed.
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00:28Transcription by CastingWords
00:33Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight, live on KMTV.
00:36I'm Naila Mohamed and here are your top stories on Tuesday 28th July.
00:42Heifer heatwave. Ashford Cow Farm prepares their livestock to face soaring summer temperatures.
00:48If it's going to be like this every year and we've had, what, two years out of four or something,
00:53or three years out of six or something like that, we need to be adapting more.
00:58Bus Pass Battle, Ebsfleet's mum launches petition to fight back against prize hikes.
01:04Oh yeah, it will be a challenge, yeah. It's quite worrying actually, but I try not to worry because it'll
01:09make my anxiety high.
01:11And rocking the boat, Maidstone celebrates its annual river festival.
01:16It's for the people of Maidstone, put on by the people of Maidstone. It'll be fantastic.
01:31This week's heatwave marks the fourth this year and the impact isn't just felt in homes, but in farmers' fields
01:37across Kent.
01:38Higher temperatures can mean a change in the condition of their fields, a poor yield of hay and issues with
01:43grazing animals like cattle.
01:45So Finn McDermott went down to Green Farm in Shaddockshurst earlier to find out more about how farmers are handling
01:51the heat.
01:52With temperatures climbing into the mid-30s this week, the fourth heatwave of the year is definitely underway.
01:57And while us humans are able to cool ourselves with fans or air-conditioned rooms, it can present a huge
02:03challenge for farmers and their livestock.
02:06Green Farm in Shaddockshurst near Ashford has a way for their cattle to graze that keeps the grass nutritious through
02:11periods of extended heat.
02:12If it's only coming up, you know, 25 degrees, it's probably not too much of a bother.
02:18But recently, when it's getting up to 30 and over 30, that's a real problem.
02:23So when it's forecast to be that high, I have to make sure that the paddock they're in has got
02:29some shade.
02:30It's called adaptive multi-paddock grazing, known more casually as mob grazing, where the cows graze in smaller areas of
02:36the fields.
02:37They'll eat around half of the grass over two or three days when they're then moved.
02:41This means the grass stays longer, the roots are longer, and that means they're able to get moisture from further
02:46in the ground,
02:47keeping the cows hydrated over a longer period, even without rain.
02:51But this technique doesn't always work in fields that don't have a lot of shade.
02:55If the next sectioned-off area cannot get any shade, then we have to either leave them in the previous
03:02area as well,
03:04or just open up more space so that they can get to shade.
03:08And that can seriously compromise how that grazing pattern's going to work, but that's the way it is.
03:14Now this here is Heather. She's been here for about 15 years.
03:17She's sort of the matriarch of the cattle here.
03:20And as you can see, just like the rest of her family, she definitely prefers the shade.
03:25Now the heat doesn't just affect the cattle here.
03:27On the other side of the farm, there is a hay field.
03:29And Martin needs this to grow particularly vibrant and nutritious for the cattle.
03:34This year, I mean, we cut our hay 10 days ago, and actually we started on the 12th of July,
03:40and it was already very, very brittle and lanky.
03:45And we only got probably two-thirds as much hay as we would really like.
03:50If we then have to buy hay in come the end of winter, early spring, it's going to be seriously
03:55expensive.
03:56The temperature is set to cool down as we move further into the week,
04:00but the extreme weather has Martin particularly worried, since his farm sits on clay.
04:04And with a wet winter on the horizon, he says he'll have to find more solid ground to keep his
04:09cattle on.
04:10Farmers already have a lot on their plate, whether it's the cost of living keeping their bills high
04:14or the temperatures causing issues for their livestock.
04:16And Martin has advised farmers will need to be able to adapt to the changing weather, no matter the season.
04:22Finn McDermid for CAME TV in Chaddockshurst.
04:27Sticking with the hot weather, 40 firefighters were called to Milton Regis Country Park
04:32in the early hours of this morning to tackle a huge fire that broke in a field just beyond Sittingbourne.
04:37The video on screen shows the extent of the flames, which could be seen from nearby houses,
04:41with Kent Fire and Rescue telling people to keep their windows and doors closed.
04:46The fire has been put out, but firefighters were still on the scene first thing this morning,
04:50when Kristen Hawthorne was there for us earlier today.
04:54So, Kristen, we can see a bit of the aftermath of the fire behind you there,
04:57but tell us, what is the atmosphere on the ground?
05:01Yeah, well, I'm stood on near Green Porch Close in Milton Regis in Sittingbourne.
05:07And as I'm stood here, I'm currently stood on a huge pile of ash,
05:10and I have to be careful not to kick my feet because it just really pulls that up into a
05:14cloud,
05:15a cloud of ash.
05:17Around me is an expanse of burnt area.
05:21Behind the camera, it stretches out to the road,
05:23and then behind me, it goes past the hill.
05:27The first thing I noticed when I stepped onto the land itself
05:30is the fact that we've got some burnt-out burrows as well,
05:34and at the top of the trees, we've got a lot of burnt leaves.
05:37So, from the bottom of the ground to the top of the trees, we have damage here,
05:42and it is a huge expanse of an area that has been affected.
05:46And as I've been here, there have been fire engines passing,
05:48I'm assuming just seeing that everything's okay.
05:51And, yeah, I mean, we did, as I was walking here,
05:55a resident stopped me and mentioned about how he was quite sad
05:59about the fact that a lot of wildlife would have been injured in this fire,
06:03and how he's disappointed that it seems to be coming more common.
06:07And what are some of the details?
06:08What do we know about what happened?
06:12Well, eight fire engines were called to the scene here last night,
06:15just before 11 p.m.
06:17The fire went on for about four hours before it was extinguished at about 3 a.m.
06:22During that time, Kent Fire and Rescue sent out a statement
06:25to nearby residents to close their windows and doors,
06:28and they have released a statement and said,
06:30crews extinguish the fire and will shortly be leaving the scene.
06:33No injuries were reported, and the cause is not yet known.
06:37However, with these fires happening,
06:40especially during these heat waves that we've been having,
06:42Kent Fire and Rescue are urging people to be extra vigilant
06:45when they're out and about.
06:46We do see fires alongside roadways,
06:49especially on motorway embankments and hedgerows alongside country lanes.
06:53Many of these will be started from discarded smoking materials soon.
06:57So we'd ask members of the public to always make sure that they extinguish
07:02smoking materials, cigarettes, don't throw them from car windows.
07:09And it's not just near Sittingbourne that fires are broken out,
07:12with firefighters being caught to Swanscombe
07:15after a port of flames in a nearby wasteland.
07:17The video shows huge plumes of smoke rising about the town's high streets,
07:21with two fire engines being caught to Pilgrims Road this morning
07:24as the fire spread to a nearby industrial premise.
07:27Footage seen by the Kent Messenger showed crews putting the fire out at an outbuilding.
07:31No injuries were reported and crews extinguished the flames by midday.
07:36The cause is not yet known.
07:40And with more hot weather expected in the coming days,
07:43let's have a look at the weather.
07:50Starting off tonight, we have clear skies across the county
07:53with lights of 25 degrees in the north and lows of 20 in Ashford
07:56into tomorrow morning.
07:58Clear skies again throughout the county,
07:59highs of 18 degrees in the east, lows of 16 in the west.
08:03And finally, in the afternoon continued throughout the county
08:05with heights of 31 in Dartford, Canterbury.
08:08Slightly cooler temperatures along the coast.
08:10And your outlook for the week shows continued
08:12sunny weather throughout the week.
08:13Slightly lower temperatures as we head into the weekend.
08:15But tomorrow till Thursday,
08:17an amber heat health alert has been put in place.
08:26With the dust settling on a new Prime Minister and a new political map for Kent,
08:31is business in Kent ready to boom or bust?
08:34With four new councils set to replace our existing authorities
08:37and Andy Burnham giving some relief to venues and pubs
08:40while promising to put emphasis on technical training,
08:43the potential economic opportunities and pitfalls are growing every day.
08:47So we caught up with our business experts to the price earlier today.
08:51We do have a new Prime Minister in number 10
08:53and we have seen some relief on energy bill VATs
08:56and for business rate cuts as well for venues and for pubs.
09:00Are these policies a good start, do you think?
09:04Yeah, I think so.
09:05I mean, of course, anything that helps us to reduce the sort of tax burden
09:09or the cost base for any business is going to be a positive.
09:13It's business rates, which is one they're working on,
09:16obviously with sort of hospitality and things.
09:19That's really helpful.
09:20But actually what it doesn't solve is the bigger issue,
09:23which is around business rates system at the moment,
09:26which is really not fit the purpose.
09:27It hasn't been for many, many years.
09:28So we're grateful for that sort of intervention,
09:32that support for particular sectors within the industry.
09:34But we do need a longer term solution for business rates as a whole.
09:38It'd be nice to see that VAT rates coming a little bit early.
09:42We're talking about April next year.
09:44Of course, businesses, they will make most of their money now
09:47with a build-up to Christmas
09:48and then they have to hit that lean period throughout winter,
09:51which is where most hospitality businesses struggle.
09:53So if they can sort of try and bring that forward,
09:55that would also be very helpful.
09:56But you're never going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
09:59This is really, really useful.
10:01And so it's not going to be sneered at.
10:03And continuing conversation with the new prime minister,
10:05we've heard today about the expansion
10:07of this new technical training for 14-year-olds.
10:10Is this something that Kent needs?
10:14Yes, it does.
10:15So the chamber is involved in the local skills improvement plan,
10:19which is a sort of a strategic piece of work
10:21that we do on behalf of the Department for Education
10:23and working with education providers and businesses here in Kent.
10:25And we see specifically that there are issues
10:28around that technical skills provision.
10:31Obviously, we have three great universities in the county.
10:34They produce a great academic content and output.
10:38But we still have a huge need for those technical skills,
10:42which to some degree has sort of been bypassed
10:44in favour of university education.
10:46And of course, we now understand some of the challenges
10:48around university degrees, student debt and things like that.
10:52So actually, this is a very welcome change.
10:54I think it'll be really suitable for a lot of students
10:56who are currently going through the education system
10:58and aren't really that sort of academically gifted.
11:00So I think this will be a really, really positive outcome.
11:03And it'll take a while, but ultimately the results will be good.
11:06Well, thank you so much for joining us today, Tudor.
11:09You're very welcome.
11:11Thousands of patients across Kent and Medway are facing disruptions
11:14as GP surgeries are experiencing IT issues affecting clinical software.
11:19Doctors and medical staff are struggling to access patient records
11:22and logging details, with several practices across the county
11:25reporting they've been hit by the problem.
11:27A spokesperson for NHS Kent and Medway said
11:30the network provider is currently investigating
11:33and teams are working hard to maintain services
11:35while the issue is resolved.
11:41Now it's time for a quick break, but don't go anywhere
11:44because coming up, we'll be taking a look at a petition
11:47launched by an absolute mum in a bid to reduce the cost
11:50of school bus passes and a conversation earlier today
11:53with a cancer patient fundraising for new fans in the hospital.
11:56All that and more, don't go anywhere.
11:58We'll see you soon.
12:17We'll see you soon.
12:47We'll see you soon.
13:17We'll see you soon.
13:47We'll see you soon.
14:17We'll see you soon.
14:47We'll see you soon.
15:32We'll see you soon.
15:37But the price of the pest has shot up in recent years,
15:39something the county council says it has to do to ensure the scheme is sustainable.
15:44Local democracy reporter Olly Leder caught up with the women behind the campaign.
16:17Checking bus times,
16:26The scheme is a lot of people who have a lot of people who have a lot of people who
16:40have a lot of money.
16:40The scheme has seen significant price rises over the past four years.
16:45Back then for most families, it was £1.
16:48Back then for most families, it was £450.
16:50Now it's £615.
16:52Even low-income parents, even low-income parents who receive big discounts on the bus pass will have to fork
16:59out £170 for this coming academic year.
17:03The price is astronomical for many families and unaffordable.
17:08And fundamentally, families have to essentially pay almost £1,240 if they have two children, but £615 a year to
17:19get their kids to school.
17:20And worse than that, the kids can't even use it throughout the year.
17:24They can only use it during term time until 7pm.
17:28Kent County Council says the price increases help ensure the scheme is sustainable
17:32and that they are continuing to provide significant subsidies for families.
17:38The authority warns changes to how the scheme works could push up prices further
17:43as KCC reimburses private operators for every journey made using the pass.
17:49For some families, that simply won't be enough.
17:53Hundreds have already signed a petition to support price reversals.
17:58And as term time approaches, there will be plenty that feel like they're being taken for a ride.
18:06Olly Leader in North Kent.
18:10Donors have smashed the fundraising target for a data cancer unit
18:14after a patient appealed for fans to cope with 28-degree treatment rooms during the heat waves.
18:18Anna Jaws is undergoing cancer treatment at the Pine Therapy Unit at Darren Valley Hospital
18:23and says the department has no air conditioning.
18:26The rooms regularly reach 28 degrees and she wants to give something back to the team that she describes as
18:31extraordinary.
18:32I spoke to her about this earlier today.
18:34I want to ask a little bit about how it came up to the point where you had to donate
18:38or fundraise yourself to get these funds.
18:43I have been unfortunately diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year.
18:48And my journey has been a little bit of rollercoaster.
18:54I've started chemotherapy in April this year at the Pine Therapy Unit at Darren Valley.
19:02And as you can imagine, that was the period where the heat wave started.
19:08The world where I'm going to have my chemotherapy has unfortunately only a few funds available in the treatment rooms.
19:19And it gets very hot.
19:21And for us patients that already have this burden of being ill and then going through the chemotherapy
19:29and being seated or treated in a room that is very, very hot, it's not really comfortable.
19:35How have the nurses and patients received these donations?
19:40They were extremely happy.
19:42They just were on top of the world because it would just bring them comfort as well.
19:46These are the people that work very long shifts.
19:52And the Pine Therapy Unit is unfortunately located at the bottom level, which is almost like a basement level.
20:01So it gets really hot there.
20:03Yes, there's windows.
20:04Yes, there's doors.
20:05But when there's a heat wave, obviously all those have to be shut to prevent the obviously hot air to
20:13get inside.
20:14So they were extremely happy.
20:16It was just amazing to be able to deliver such a small thing, making such a huge difference.
20:24You delivered some of the fans this morning, but what's next?
20:27Are you going to continue fundraising for more fans or are you planning to fundraise for something else?
20:33I actually bumped into Lady this morning by the Dove from Stroke Woods and they were desperate for funds as
20:41well.
20:41So I'm hoping to raise more fans for these guys as well.
20:46Well, since doing the interview earlier today, we have heard from Anja that they will manage to get some fans
20:51for the Stroke Woods as well after all.
20:53And in response to the donations, Darren Valley Hospital said,
20:56We're very grateful to Anja for her generosity and kindness in raising funds to support the unit.
21:01We're pleased to accept the donated fans, which will provide additional comfort for everyone during periods of hot weather.
21:07The temperature within the unit is routinely monitored and during periods of high temperatures,
21:11we follow national hot weather guidance and put appropriate measures in place to help keep everyone as comfortable as possible.
21:19A town has celebrated its annual River Festival.
21:24Maidstone hosts a celebration in July every year to allow boat owners and the community to enjoy the river medway
21:29and raise money for charities.
21:31But this year also marks the 65th anniversary of the relationship between Maidstone and Beauvais in France.
21:37Our community reporter Henry Luck has more.
21:39It's that time of year again for Maidstone's annual River Festival.
21:45The event invites boat owners and the public to celebrate the river medway and raise money for charities across the
21:54town.
21:54Did you know that Maidstone's town bridge was built by Sir Joseph Bazalgette in 1879 to replace an old and
22:04unsafe medieval one?
22:06This year also celebrates the 65th anniversary of the relationship between Maidstone and Beauvais in France.
22:18We are twinned with Beauvais. This is our 65th anniversary.
22:22We have guests coming over. There's six of them. Two of them are deputy mayors of Beauvais.
22:28We went over the other week to their genre jet, as they say, where the whole town shuts down and
22:34everyone gets involved in the festival for the weekend. It's fantastic.
22:37And of course, there are plenty of favourite memories and moments for people who visit the River Festival.
22:45Seeing all the people go past and smiling with the music. Yeah, just a fun day.
22:50I think all the boats that we've seen today, we've had some, we've seen some lovely boats all the way
22:56along here.
22:58Atmosphere is amazing. So that's what I love about it. The river, just being on the boats. Everyone just has
23:04so much fun in it. Everyone gets on. The kids love it. Yeah, brilliant.
23:09It was also the Bacon Butty Brigade who won the raft race this time, even earning a second award for
23:18outstanding sportsmanship.
23:20Incredibly proud. This is our fifth year. I think this is our third win of the five years.
23:26And they worked so hard by my team to build the rafts, to make something creative, make something fun, to
23:32make people laugh.
23:33And following the race down the riverside, all the fans that are cheering is fantastic.
23:40But as well as this, the Maidstone River Festival is about having summer fun and celebrating the community.
23:49Henry Luck for KMTV in Maidstone.
23:54Well, it looks like a very lovely event. Now, how often do you notice murals on buildings?
23:59And do you think you see more graffiti in some places than in others?
24:02Well, in our latest Kent Tonight special, Criminal or Creative, our reporter Ronnie Glastel explores the street art community in
24:09Kent
24:10and discusses with councils and artists how the social perspective of graffiti has changed over the recent years, or if
24:16it even has at all.
24:17It will be airing on the channel this evening at 7pm, but ahead of its premiere, let's have a look
24:22at the trailer.
24:24Imagine walking down your local high street to see a wall like this.
24:34Or this. Or this.
24:36Would you think about them all the same way? Would you see a clear difference between each of them?
24:41Graffiti and street art have a long history here in the county, but how have public perspectives of it changed
24:46over the years?
24:47As a council, we see a huge benefit in working with the skills and the talents of artists.
24:53Because the power of artists means that they can come together, they can show off their talents, they can tell
24:58a story about Ashford.
25:00Now, while some councils are investing in the recreation of their towns, others are putting their funds to preserving theirs.
25:06A request through the Freedom of Information Act shows the following figures the council has spent over the last ten
25:12years,
25:12with the figure growing significantly each year over the last five years, amounting to the most recent being more than
25:18£130,000.
25:20£130,000, that's an awful lot of graffiti removal, and that's because we've got a rapid response team now, and
25:27that costs money.
25:28When people are graffitiing on ancient monuments, that takes some skill and proper expertise in making sure in taking the
25:37graffiti off,
25:38we're not damaging those ancient monuments.
25:41We've heard a lot of terms in these conversations, murals, street art, graffiti, but what defines them and differentiates them
25:47from one another?
25:48I think it's kind of key as an artist to just do the things you want to do and express
25:52yourself,
25:53and not try to steer it to a box on purpose, but just kind of do what feels right and
25:59let people decide what it is afterwards.
26:01Some people see graffiti as like the pure art form and street art as like a watered down version of
26:08it,
26:08but then, you know, some street artists might say that street art is the fully developed art form
26:14and that graffiti is like the brutish, kind of primitive version of it.
26:18I think the line would be, they are different, but the line is very grey, very blurred.
26:24If someone goes in to pay on land and buys a spray paint, a can, and does a tag,
26:30they would get in trouble if they were caught, and it would be called graffiti and vandalism.
26:34If painting comes down and does a massive thing, the whole world is celebrating and getting mad.
26:43Well, that will be airing at 7pm tonight, but you've been watching Kent Tonight live here on KMTV.
26:49Thank you so much for watching. We'll see you again tomorrow evening.
26:51Goodbye for now.
26:54Bye for now.