- 6 hours ago
Catch up with all the latest news across the county with Meghan Shaw.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:26Hello and welcome to Cancer Night Live on Cain.
00:29I'm Megan Shaw and here are your top stories on Monday the 3rd of August.
00:35Relief at last as derelict Chatham's school torn down after years of safety fears.
00:42The noise is nothing what we have gone through for the past four years.
00:49Doubling down in Dover, Labour promises relentless action to tackle small boat crossings into the country.
00:56They're not relentless about anything except taxing people and taking more money off working people.
01:02And history beneath our feet.
01:05We meet the Kent archaeologists who scaring the counter for World War II era flying bombs.
01:11We know the size of crater that we're looking for that may represent a flying bomb or a rocket.
01:25But first our top story tonight. Demolition is underway on one of Chatham's biggest hotspots for anti-social behaviour.
01:34Since the old St John Fisher site closed in 2022, residents have lived in fear of arson and noise.
01:42But that is until today, when long awaited work began to remove the building once and for all.
01:48Local democracy reporter Olly Leader was there for us.
01:50It's been a fire hazard, a site of anti-social behaviour and once a beloved school.
01:57But after years of nuisance for neighbours, the former St John Fisher site is finally being demolished in Chatham.
02:04Residents say it should have happened a long time ago.
02:07The fire and that, that has really scared all the residents here, not only me.
02:16Well, there's nothing we can do but now the noise is nothing what we have gone through for past four
02:24years.
02:25Since it was closed in 2022, the fire service has been called to the site nine different times,
02:32with break-ins being a regular occurrence.
02:35And while a demolition order was granted in February last year, it stayed standing until now.
02:43It should not have taken this long and I feel this is probably where we need to look at some
02:49government changes to legislation,
02:52to the powers that local authorities have to insist that developers follow through on their plans
02:59and don't leave sites to become such a problem.
03:02Locals expect the work to be completed within the next week or two.
03:07Something that's worth a little bit of noise if it means peace of mind for the families that live here.
03:13Olly Lieder in Chatham.
03:16And we also caught up with Olly while he was at the former school earlier.
03:21And Olly, you're with me now. We've just seen your report, but you were, you know, you were there this
03:26morning.
03:26So what kind of things that you were seeing on the ground?
03:30Well, you saw the building is still towering above us.
03:34It is being demolished throughout this week.
03:37Residents hoping it will finally be gone for good.
03:40There's lots of relief in the area today.
03:42People said they've been hearing broken glass, anti-social behaviour, loud music at night.
03:49All of these things, including arson and fire, since the site closed back in 2022.
03:56This has been a long time coming.
03:59I saw the building being torn down earlier.
04:03Heavy machinery on the ground, removing debris.
04:06A whole team working to get the site cleaned up and removed.
04:12And there is no hope that this site will be turned into more than 130 houses.
04:18That's what the developers submitted plans for back in 2024.
04:23That's like two years ago.
04:25This is how long it's taken to finally see action on this site here.
04:31But finally, for people in the local area, a light at the end of the tunnel,
04:36even though it's taken a long time to get here.
04:39Thanks so much, Ali, for joining us.
04:52A coroner has ruled the death of a teenager who fell onto a live railway line in Strood was an
04:58accident.
04:59Charlie Hearn Kingsford was intoxicated when he got off the train at Strood and fell onto the tracks.
05:05The inquest into his death at Oakwood House in Maidstone heard that Charlie had returned from a rave in Tottenham,
05:11with witnesses saying they saw a man who was unsteady on his feet at the station.
05:16Tributes were left close to the railway line with a vest that had a picture of Charlie on it that
05:21said,
05:22Ah, Charlie boy, fly high, son.
05:25A historic cricket pavilion near Faversham has been destroyed by a fire.
05:30Belmont House and Gardens in Throli broke out in flames today with the cricket grounds reduced to charred debris.
05:37The estate is particularly historic, having been created around 1870 by George Harris, the fourth Lord Harris, who played for
05:46Kent and England.
05:48And Belmont confirmed Lord Harris would have wanted cricket to continue despite this adversity.
05:53You can see him on the screen now.
05:55And in that spirit, all remaining fixtures will go ahead as planned for the rest of the season.
06:00A fire service spokesperson said three fire engines attended and crews used hose wheel jets to extinguish the fire and
06:07prevent any spread.
06:08No injuries were reported and the cause is not yet known.
06:12Now, Reform UK's deputy leader Richard Tice is being investigated by Parliament's standards watchdog over a possible failure to declare
06:18an interest.
06:19This news comes after months of controversy over a five million donation to Nigel Farage, the leader of the party,
06:25from crypto billionaire Christopher Harbourn.
06:27But is this the latest investigation affecting how people in Kent feel about Reform UK?
06:33So we asked people in the turquoise heartlands of Maystone what they think.
06:37He wants to, you know, he kind of presents himself as this like hero of the people and he cosplays
06:42as a working class farmer.
06:43And, you know, he goes around to towns and tries to fit in with these local people.
06:47When he spends most of his time in the US with the likes of Donald Trump and other billionaires and,
06:51you know, takes their money straight into his pocket, I think it's disgusting.
06:54Nigel Farage, it's all a conspiracy thing because although he accepted five million pounds, that was outside the jurisdiction.
07:02So therefore it shouldn't have any impact on him. His philosophy and the way he is conducting himself is appropriate.
07:09I think it's good to finally see that we're wising up to what he's doing.
07:12And I think that the fact that he's finally being investigated and we're finally holding him accountable is a really
07:17good thing.
07:17Because ever since 2015, he really has just been ruining his country.
07:22You all complained about Boris Johnson in lockdown, about going to parties and all that when we were doing Covid.
07:28You know, you're not sitting here complaining that he's begged for money and then used it on something else that's
07:31a luxury.
07:32How does that not make you feel? How are you voting for this man when he's a constant liar?
07:37I don't think he's done nothing wrong. They're just setting him up because he's winning.
07:40So that's it. It's a little target, but he'll get it. He'll win it, I think.
07:45Now, John Horsall is the new CEO of South East Water.
07:48And after speaking with him last week, he promised major investment and a renewed focus on customers.
07:53But after years of supply, the problem is only getting more frequent.
07:58After another leak in Tunbridge over the weekend, however,
08:01Kristen Thorthorne spoke to the residents of Tunbridge Wells to get their reaction.
08:06We'd like to see the water more. Yeah, I'd like to see more water.
08:11John Horsall is the new CEO of South East Water after David Hinton stepped down
08:16following intense criticism over repeated water shortages.
08:19He says he's going to do better with an investment of almost two billion in the company.
08:24But before this new role, Horsall was the CEO of South West Water before resigning in 2024
08:30due to an outbreak of a parasite that causes nausea and vomiting, leading the company to be fined two million.
08:37First of all, can I just say a massive apology to our customers?
08:42Our job as a water company is to provide water to our customers 24-7, 365, and we're not doing
08:50it.
08:50It's not good enough. We need to do better. We're going to do better.
08:53We need to address lots of different small things to begin with.
08:58Because I think what customers want is they want action.
09:01They want their water. They want action rather than words.
09:04So my focus over the next six, nine months is really about doing lots of small things to make a
09:12difference.
09:12So just a few days ago, we spoke to the new CEO of South East Water.
09:16He said things like he wants to reset relationship with its customers.
09:19He wants to do better and make a change quickly.
09:22So I've come to Tunbridge Wells to speak to those customers who've just had another water shortage
09:26to find out their level of confidence in his promises.
09:30Given right now, we are currently having quite a lot of problems.
09:33And we've even been told to kind of reduce water usage where we can in the area.
09:39So, you know, I can only hope, but at the moment it's not super confident though.
09:43Mine's very low. Just on Saturday, I live in Tunbridge and there was a burst water main on Shibam Road,
09:55which covers two estates, maybe more.
09:57I think we're going to see more and more water shortages where, you know,
10:03where lots of communities are cut off. And I don't see, I have no faith in any of them.
10:12Halsal says he knows residents want action over words and that he intends to be more visible to customers.
10:17But many in Tunbridge Wells remain unconvinced, saying they want water, not words.
10:23Kristen Hawthorne, KMTV, Tunbridge Wells.
10:29Just to be clear, though, Kristen there was speakeable in Tunbridge Wells, which was very affected last year.
10:35That leak happened in Tunbridge.
10:38And just before the break, a freak dust devil tore through an athletics track in Dartford,
10:44lifting tables, chairs and even people into the air.
10:48The small whirlwind was said to have come out of nowhere at Central Park Athletics.
10:53And while it happened before a race, several elderly officials were thrown into the air with one taken to hospital
10:59after a chest injury.
11:00It also damaged some electronic timing equipment that's expected to cost a few thousand pounds to repair.
11:08Tony Dury is the chairman of Central Park Athletics, said it all happened before our eyes and then it was
11:14gone right in the middle of summer.
11:16It was really strange.
11:20And that's all we've got time for for this part of the show.
11:23But stay with us.
11:24Coming up after this quick break, we'll be heading down to Dover, where our new Prime Minister has pledged his
11:29government will be relentless in tackling small boat crossings.
11:33We'll be hearing more about the University of Kent's confirmed merger with the University of Greenwich as they form one
11:39of the biggest university groups in the country.
11:42And a Mepham village has rallied together to save a toilet block from closing.
11:46All sounds very interesting.
11:47So stay with us and you'll find out all about that and more.
11:50Catch you later.
12:01See you later.
12:30Bye.
12:51Bye.
12:53Bye.
13:22Bye.
13:24Bye.
13:51Bye.
13:53Bye.
14:21Bye.
14:23Bye.
15:16Hello, and welcome back to Kent Tonight live here on KMTV.
15:20And in a visit to Dover yesterday, Andy Burnham, the new Prime Minister, has pledged Labour will be relentless in
15:27tackling small boat crossings.
15:29The Prime Minister said the government is changing its approach, with more officers targeting people smuggling gangs on both sides
15:36of the channel.
15:37Our reporter Naila Mahamad was down in Dover today, finding out more.
15:40For the second time in a month, new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has visited Kent, but this time to Dover
15:47to discuss the small boats.
15:50We're just going to be relentless. People want to see this issue addressed. I heard that on the doorsteps in
15:55Makerfield.
15:55But we also need to build a system that offers safe routes for people as well, because that also takes
16:00away the selling point of the gangs.
16:03So on every level, we've got to come at this.
16:05But his visit quickly drew criticism, with Kent County Council leader Lyndon Kim-Kerran questioning the Prime Minister's priorities in
16:12a post on social media.
16:14Meanwhile, Reform UK say that if they were elected, they would deploy Royal Navy ships to intercept small boats in
16:20the channel and send back to France.
16:22Since becoming Prime Minister two weeks ago, over 2,000 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats.
16:29And the latest figures show the small boat crossing are down by 43%.
16:33Immigration is one of the biggest issues still debated in politics today.
16:38And during a recent visit to Dover, Prime Minister Andy Burnham gave his strongest message on the topic yet, saying
16:44that the new administration would be relentless in tackling the small boats.
16:48So now, for many people, the focus is shifting to whether or not the new Prime Minister can make good
16:54on his promise.
16:55I don't believe it.
16:57They're not relentless about anything except taxing people and taking more money off working people.
17:04I don't think he'll succeed unless he has a great deal more help from the European nations.
17:13Obviously, France don't want them there, so they're quite happy for them to come over to us.
17:17I think it's like a massive diversion from what the real problems are.
17:23We want to misdirect our attention for how things are getting expensive, how hard life is getting, rather than taking
17:34responsibility for themselves.
17:36As a strong supporter of Burnham's policies, Medway's own council leader says the government's focus is the right one.
17:43I mean, it was only last year that Nigel Farage was on the clifftops himself singing the same message.
17:47So how is this any different?
17:49Well, look, of course, we are in governance.
17:51We've got to deliver.
17:52And if you look at the numbers, both the numbers of prosecutions, but the number of people travelling across the
17:57English Channel, the numbers crossing are down.
18:00The numbers being enforced are up.
18:02For Kent, when many of these crossings first reach British shores, the Prime Minister insists a new approach will work.
18:09But with small boats continuing to arrive, pressure remains to turn those promises into results.
18:15Nayla Mahamud for KMTB in Dover.
18:18And the country's first super university is set to launch this September, with Kent and Greenwich forming the new London
18:26and South East University group.
18:28The group will be the third largest higher education institution in the UK, with more than 50,000 students on
18:34four campuses across the South East.
18:36I'm now joined by our reporter, Finn McDermey, to tell us a bit more.
18:40Obviously, Finn, September's coming up.
18:42So what could this mean for prospective students?
18:44Well, it's as you say, Meg, this new super university is set to be formed by September.
18:50By that point, there'll be plenty of students across the whole country that have put down Kent or Greenwich as
18:55one of their choices.
18:56I'm here to reassure them not much is going to change for them.
18:59You will still graduate from your chosen university, whether that be Greenwich or Kent, rather than both institutions.
19:06It's only really meaning that staff from both schools will be employed by the same university group.
19:11And the way that the group has been set up is actually means that the other universities around the country
19:16could do the same.
19:17So it's not anything to worry about for any prospective students.
19:20I suppose the big question here is why?
19:23Well, it's no secret, Meg.
19:25Universities across the country have been really struggling with their finances and Kent and Greenwich are no different.
19:30I myself studied at Kent and I can remember in my third year of study, they closed several courses, journalism,
19:36art and history, art history, sorry, and music.
19:39And universities in the UK, they're facing these financial pressures.
19:42The Office of National Statistics suggests that 24 providers were at risk of closing by November last year.
19:50So this hopefully could be a solution to those issues.
19:52I see. Well, thank you so much for bringing us that update there, Finn.
19:57Now, Mepin villagers have rallied together to save a toilet block from closure, which were originally put forward to be
20:04demolished.
20:05What followed next was a drama of protests, resignations and £50,000.
20:10As our Kent Online senior reporter, Joe Crossley, has been finding out.
20:14This block of public loos has been the source of village controversy.
20:19Pitfield green toilets were closed in April 2024, after Mepin Parish Council voted for them to be demolished due to
20:27a lack of use, running costs and the need for a revamp.
20:31But villagers were in uproar about the decision.
20:3430 of them gathered outside the loos in January 2025 to protest the decision.
20:39They demanded a vote on the matter, which took place in June 2024 and cost the council up to £15
20:46,000.
20:47605 people voted, with 569 of them wanting the block reopened.
20:53Due to the controversy, five councillors resigned, including Chairman Cheryl Price.
20:58In July 2025, the council voted to reopen the toilets and carry out up to £30,000 worth of works.
21:05The loos finally reopened on July 1st this year.
21:10Here's the new council chairman explaining the decision.
21:12I think that the residents felt underheard when this was just closed.
21:18There wasn't really any notice about it.
21:20It was done for, I think, a viable reason.
21:24You know, the costs, this was just thrown at us by Gravesham Borough Council.
21:28And it is a significant part of our budget to keep these toilets, A, maintained, and B, to actually regenerate
21:35them.
21:36So they were afraid of that cost and their feeling was that way.
21:42Then there was the poll, which showed overwhelming support for them to be kept open.
21:47Some villagers are pleased to have won the battle.
21:50I think it's great.
21:52The council ended up, under a new tenure or a new leadership, ended up listening to the local population.
22:01And they've refurbed them.
22:03The local chap, Duncan, has done a great job of refurbing them.
22:06And it now means that people that use the green, that use the windmill, because there's a lot more family
22:12events going on at the windmill,
22:14now have a place to spend a penny.
22:16And not only that, it also means that delivery drivers, postmen, ramblers, locals, everybody now has that opportunity there.
22:24Now let's take a look at the weather.
22:29This evening, clear skies across the county.
22:32Temperatures reaching highs of 20 in Dover.
22:34Lows of 18 towards Royal Tunbridge Wells.
22:37And in tomorrow, an amber weather warning is in heat.
22:39It's in place from today for extreme heat.
22:43Apologies.
22:44Into tomorrow afternoon, highs of 28 there.
22:48Clear skies across the board.
22:49Lows of 25.
22:51And for the rest of the week, those clouds are staying away.
22:54As you can see, that amber heat warning in place on Wednesday.
22:58Dipping down to lows of 21 there on Friday.
23:11An archaeologist who works across the county has unearthed a new piece of a flying bomb from World War II.
23:17Colin Welch used GPS tracking and metal detecting to find the large part of the V-1 bomb and examining
23:25it to find out exactly how it was brought down back in the 1940s.
23:30And a warning, this piece does contain visuals of weaponry.
23:34And Vim McDermott has more.
23:36Back in World War II, Kent was the country's first line of defence.
23:40And with flying bombs being sent over the channel towards London, plenty landed here in the Garden of England.
23:46And this man, Colin Welch, has been dedicating his time to finding these bombs, with the tail end of this
23:52V-1 flying bomb found in private farmland in Eyewade near Sittingbourne, now on his front garden.
23:58To the untrained eye, this might just look like a hunk of old metal, but it's actually a rare piece
24:03of Kent's military history that shows a special method pilots would use to alter the course of the bombs.
24:09It doesn't involve metal-to-metal contact. It's about disturbing the airflow between the wings of the flying bomb and
24:17the aircraft.
24:18So the pilot has got to gently get close to the wing, underneath the wing, or on top of it,
24:25possibly.
24:26But the records I've read talk about underneath.
24:30So it disturbs the airflow to confuse the gyros, because they'll be working hard to try and keep the flying
24:37bomb level and true.
24:39Eventually, it tips the flying bomb over.
24:42And that wing tipping brought it down in Sittingbourne, where Colin and his team managed to find it using GPS
24:48tracking and metal detecting, as well as combat reports to connect it to specific pilots.
24:53In an aerial archive, there was a survey after the Second World War, where you can see a crater.
24:59Because we've done this quite a lot, we know the size of a crater that we're looking for that may
25:05represent a flying bomb or a rocket.
25:07So we begin to drill down into that information, looking for accurate records that support our guess that that is
25:16what we think it is.
25:17Now, here it is. This is part of the V-1 flying bomb.
25:21This is only about a third of the length of the full thing, so you can imagine the scale of
25:26what one of these would have looked like.
25:27Now, what makes this find particularly special is, obviously, we know that it was wingtipped, thanks to those combat reports.
25:33But what's interesting is it also has a bullet hole in the side of it, which adds another layer to
25:39the research that Colin's been doing.
25:40This is because flying bombs were typically brought down by wingtipping, air defence artillery, or by balloons sent up to
25:47alter its course.
25:48But an intact part of the bomb that shows signs of both wingtipping and artillery damage is particularly rare.
25:54According to Colin, the part that comes next is plenty of paperwork and cleaning for the conservation of the bomb.
26:00He needs to make sure it's in a good enough condition to be further examined.
26:03So, wherever you may be in Kent, there could be a London-bound bomb from the 1940s beneath your feet,
26:09waiting to be discovered.
26:11Finn McDermid for KMTV in Sittingbourne.
26:14Well, you've been watching Kent Tonight live here on KMTV.
26:18If you're hungry for more, there's more made just for Kent throughout the evening.
26:22You can catch us at 8pm for the Evening Roundup.
26:25But don't forget, you can always keep up to date with the latest news across your county by logging on
26:30to our website.
26:31That is, of course, kmtv.co.uk.
26:34You can also follow us on your social timelines by keeping up to date with us that way.
26:39And if you've got a story you think we should be covering, do not hesitate to get in touch.
26:44But, for now, from me, it's goodnight and we'll catch you later.
27:03We'll see you later.
Comments