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Catch up with all the latest news across the county with Meghan Shaw.
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00:31Good evening and welcome to Kent Tonight, live here on Kame TV.
00:36I'm Megan Shaw and here are your top stories on Friday the 7th of August.
00:40Water bottle bandits. Pensioners see deliveries taken from drives as Maidstone and the Weald sees yet another outage.
00:48I think it could be down to panic or, you know, it's just not being very considerate to the rest
00:54of the residents.
00:55Fighting Back, campaigner took our local quarry over ancient woodland fears.
01:01Where is the wildlife actually going to go? Where are the children going to play?
01:05And Cultural Carnival, Royal Engineers Museum to host 6th annual carnival celebrating Medway's diversity.
01:13People from all walks of life but also all age brackets as well.
01:18So you see like eight-year-olds dancing in a samba class.
01:31But first tonight, water outages have again plagued villages around Maidstone as south-east water blim higher than usual demand
01:39for the shut-off.
01:40More than 3,000 households in Loose, Coxheaves, Sutton Valens, Kingswood, Headcorn and Ulcombe saw taps run dry on Thursday
01:48with supplies returned from midday to day.
01:50While reasonably short compared to other shut-offs, it didn't stop desperate residents taking delivered bottles off neighbours' driveways, as
01:58Chloe Brewster has been finding out.
02:00It's been yet another 24 hours of water woes for residents in Kent, with blame this time turning to low
02:08storage levels due to a naturally higher demand in this hot weather.
02:12In the Maidstone countryside, the dry taps have brought about a familiar disdain, although in Kingswood, many have received deliveries.
02:21Yeah, we lost it yesterday. And then we had a man deliver 12 bottles of water yesterday and another 12
02:28today. And, yeah.
02:31It's good, really. We're quite pleased with that.
02:33Yeah, there's not much they can do about it. Obviously, they've got a major leak somewhere, so...
02:37Not all have been as lucky. Driving around, streets are inconsistent where bottled water has been delivered. It's pushed some
02:44to take matters into their own hands.
02:46This time, the communication coming from South East Water has been a lot better. And, obviously, the distribution of water
02:53has been a lot better.
02:55However, it still needs to go further because we've been hearing from our residents that the water's being left at
03:02the top of driveways.
03:03We've got a high proportion of elderly residents in the village. They can't lift those back to their houses.
03:12And we've also had reports of water being stolen as well. I think it could be down to panic or,
03:20you know, it's just not being very considerate to the rest of the residents.
03:23I think everybody finds it quite astonishing in this day and age that we're having water shortages in the UK.
03:33This prolonged spell of hot weather has been in the media for some time.
03:39And I think people are more frustrated at the lack of foresight from the water companies in general.
03:44The nearest water station to Kingswood is around a 15-minute drive away, or an over-an-hour walk.
03:50But over in Headcorn, for non-drivers, the nearest South East Water station is a three-hour hike away.
03:57Now, it's been around 20 hours since the start of this outage.
04:01And I'm at Maidstone Leisure Centre, one of three of the core water stations set up by South East Water.
04:06And people are kind of trickling in. There's not a huge amount of people coming in and out at the
04:10moment.
04:10That's because there is mention that the water will be coming back throughout the day today.
04:14Although this station will remain open for the rest of the day.
04:17What's your reaction to these repeated water outages?
04:20At first, you get a bit fed up, but now you get used to it.
04:24It's like everything you get used to be managed somehow.
04:27Last week, South East Water's new CEO told us investment in Kent's water infrastructure was planned.
04:33But with the hot weather not letting up for several weeks, how will supplies cope for the rest of the
04:39season?
04:40Chloe Brewster for KMTV.
04:43And Chloe, you mentioned that water is coming back very slowly.
04:47So what is the latest update here?
04:49Yeah, so throughout the day, I mentioned in the report just briefly that water was coming back.
04:53It was quite unclear because, you know, I was on the ground.
04:56I went to Maidstone Leisure Centre in the city centre and then headed out to Kingswood after that.
05:00And as I got to Kingswood, some people were mentioning the water was trickling back, but it was still unclear.
05:06Well, South East Water say that they're working on it, that drinking water tank levels in Sutton Valence, Headcorn, Oldcombe
05:12and Kingswood have kind of recovered overnight.
05:14Suppliers are returning to areas kind of as they go.
05:18So Harriet, Jim, Kingswood and East Sutton are getting the water back first, then the Orkham area, then it will
05:25be Headcorn and Orkhambury area last.
05:27So they're getting the short straw there.
05:29Pressure will be lower than you're used to, but they anticipate that the water will fully return.
05:34Normal pressure about 9pm tomorrow, today, sorry.
05:37Right, of course.
05:38And, you know, you had some residents in there, but I imagine some didn't want to speak on camera.
05:42So what was the general vibe that you got from those residents?
05:46People are generally frustrated, maybe a bit placid, actually.
05:49People kind of saying, well, we're kind of used to it now after several weeks.
05:53I mean, Kingswood specifically had this issue back in April.
05:57People, it's kind of part of daily life now, it seems.
06:01They do feel like flame is being put on them, though.
06:03There's lots of things about how we're using more water than expected.
06:06But I guess we'll just have to see.
06:08South East Water say that the infrastructure is improving.
06:10But, you know, we're going to have to go through the bad times at the moment.
06:13Of course, and something we will be following if and when it continues.
06:19Now, the leader of Medway Council has denied claims that new Chatham flats would be used as homes for asylum
06:24seekers or bought by London councils.
06:26This follows circulating rumours about the refurbished Mountbatten house in Chatham, which has undergone renovations to the 164 flats.
06:35Posts on social media have speculated that the flats would be used for housing migrants.
06:39An alleged Medway Council has an agreement with the London borough of Lewisham to house people in Medway.
06:45But Council leader Vince Maple denies this.
06:47He says there is no secret deal with Lewisham.
06:49There never has been.
06:50And I'm slightly baffled by how this particular conspiracy theory has taken on a life of its own.
06:57Now, a Westgate cinema has been evacuated due to a fire, with bosses confirming it will be shut until further
07:03notice.
07:04The Carlton cinema announced on Facebook at 1.42pm that it would be closed with immediate effect for the remainder
07:10of the day.
07:11Fire crews attended the scene at just after 1pm, with a spokesperson saying crews wearing breathing apparatus have extinguished the
07:18fire.
07:18There are currently no reported injuries and the cause of the fire is not yet known.
07:25Now, a pensioner from Folkestone has been fighting to overturn a wrongly issued fine while he was preparing for open
07:32heart surgery.
07:33Roy Mountford has issued the notice outside his home in Victoria Grove on June 22nd after the local council claimed
07:39he had breached a temporary parking suspension.
07:41But after days spent gathering evidence and appealing the decision while awaiting major surgery, the authority admitted the ticket had
07:47been issued in error and cancelled the fine.
07:50Now, he's urging residents to challenge the council if they believe they've been unfairly penalised and not been intimidated by
07:56enforcement action.
07:58My friend that lives in Twentia then said to me, by the way, Roy, you've got a ticket.
08:05And I was really, really frustrated and annoyed at the time.
08:09And I walked over, ripped the ticket off, but by this time, the traffic wouldn't have disappeared.
08:15It's to help other people out besides myself, to make other people aware that this sort of thing is going
08:22on in Folkestone.
08:23And it shouldn't be going on.
08:27It should be, we should be allowed to park here as residents without fear of having somebody come along and
08:37stick a ticket on our car.
08:40Campaigners fighting for ancient woodland outside Mason are not backing down after plans to expand the nearby quarry were approved
08:47last month.
08:48Around 40 hectares of oak and wood is included in Kent County Council's draft mineral plan designed to ensure the
08:54county's adequate resources for construction.
08:57The company who runs the quarry says there are significant economic benefits to allocating the site for mining.
09:03But supporters say the wood is invaluable for locals and wildlife, as local democracy reporter Olly Leda has been finding
09:10out.
09:11Sunlight pouring through the canopy of ancient woodland now under threat.
09:16A new mineral plan from Kent County Council, currently under consultation, could see more than 40 hectares of oak and
09:24wood cleared away for the expansion of the nearby hermitage quarry.
09:29You know, only two and a half percent of the land cover in England is ancient woodland.
09:34It's irreplaceable.
09:36It's been here hundreds of years.
09:39And what has sort of evolved together in that time is totally unique.
09:44One of the big reasons campaigners feel so strongly about this woodland is simply because of how old it is.
09:52Oaken wood has existed in some form or other since the 1600s.
09:57The sweet chestnut caucuses let light flood the woodland floor.
10:01That's a boon for biodiversity.
10:04And campaigners say all of that could be lost if the mineral plan goes ahead.
10:09We have so much overdevelopment in the locality.
10:14Where is the wildlife actually going to go?
10:16Where are the children going to play?
10:18Where are the people going to cycle off the roads?
10:21Where are families going to gather together?
10:23Where are people struggling with their mental health going to be able to go to find solace?
10:27The quarry run by Gallagher mines Kentish ragstone, a material used in heritage buildings and construction.
10:36The county is facing a 17 million tonne shortfall in ragstone.
10:41And the company says alternative sources of the stone aren't economically viable.
10:47If the site isn't expanded, Gallagher warns imports from abroad will have to be used, resulting in significant amounts of
10:56carbon dioxide emissions.
10:58We are offering twice as much woodland in compensation to add to that process.
11:07So we're very confident that we can operate in a very sustainable way.
11:13It's effectively, we've worked out as nine moat parks would have to be planted in with broadleaf woodland
11:18to compensate for the additional carbon that would be created as a result of hermage is not existing.
11:24The draft plans were pushed through at KCC last month.
11:29The authority is now getting feedback from the public before going to the planning inspectorate for an independent decision.
11:37The deadline for feedback is the 10th of September and the next month will prove crucial in what happens next
11:44to these woods.
11:45Olly Lieder, outside Maidstone.
11:49That's all we've got time for now, but stay with us.
11:51We'll be bringing you some breaking news about a fire broken out on the Isle of Green,
11:55as well as looking at the pan tiles in Tunbridge Wells.
11:58All that and more after the break. Catch you then.
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15:21Welcome back to Kent's Nightlife here on Kane TV.
15:25And the Pantiles in Tunbridge Wells has been put up for the market for just the second time in 250
15:30years
15:30in what's described as a rare opportunity.
15:33The historic shopping arcade is home to specialist shops, art galleries, restaurants and weekend stores
15:38and is being sold at an undisclosed price.
15:41And Kristen Hawthorne joins me now for some more details.
15:44So Kristen, tell me what exactly is happening here?
15:47Well, like you said, Megan, the Pantiles is one of Kent's most recognisable landmarks
15:53and it's up for sale for only the second time in 250 years.
15:57The estate is being marketed by BMP, Paribas, Real Estate, Strutt & Parker and Target Follow for an undisclosed price.
16:05And agents are describing it as a once in a generation opportunity.
16:09What's particularly unusual about the sale isn't just the commercial estate.
16:14It also includes the Tunbridge Wells and Rustall Commons, as well as the historic title of Lord of the Manor
16:19of Rustall.
16:21You can obviously see some pictures there on screen.
16:23People from the area will be well accustomed and will well know the Pantiles area.
16:28It's very, very popular every time I've been down there.
16:30It's hustling and bustling.
16:31The estate currently generates almost one million a year in net income
16:35and visitor numbers are expected to continue growing.
16:39Tunbridge Wells Borough Council has confirmed it won't be bidding
16:41because of its current financial commitments and local government reorganisation.
16:45But it says there are strong legal and planning protections in place
16:49to safeguard both the Pantiles and the Commons, whoever the new owner turns out to be.
16:53So for people worried at home that it's going to change because of this, it likely won't.
16:57Of course.
16:58And I'd say this is one of the most recognisable parts of Kent.
17:02People from Tunbridge Wells, around the county, around the country will know the Pantiles.
17:05I imagine they've got quite a bit of history to them.
17:07Yes. So it was previously known as the Walks and the Royal Parade
17:10because it was once a well-known holiday destination for gentry and royalty.
17:15It was created after the discovery of a Columbine spring, I think is how you pronounce it,
17:20with distinctive reddish-tinted mineral deposits thought to be good for your health.
17:25Because of this, during Georgian times, many would travel to the area
17:28to get away from the hustle and bustle of London and to make the most of those waters,
17:33which obviously they thought would really benefit them.
17:35Today, much of that historic character remains and the Georgian buildings are largely unchanged,
17:41which could make it quite an exciting prospect for those hoping to buy it.
17:46Absolutely. Well, thanks so much for bringing us that story, Kristen.
17:49Definitely something we'll be, you know, keeping up to date on and following that one.
17:53Yep.
17:55And some breaking news for you now.
17:58A wildfire has broken out on the Isle of Grain in Rochester,
18:02with residents being told by Kent Fire and Rescue Service to shut their windows and their doors.
18:08At nine minutes past four this afternoon, Kent Fire and Rescue Service shared that 10 fire engines,
18:14a bulk water carrier and a utility terrain vehicle are in attendance,
18:18and crews are working hard to extinguish the fire.
18:22I'm now joined by Finn McDermid, who's there at the scene on the Isle of Grain.
18:28You can see the smoke just behind you, Finn.
18:30What's going on?
18:38Oh, some connection issues.
18:40Oh, he's with us.
18:42The only sound.
18:47Oh, I apologise for you at home.
18:49We've got some connectivity issues in the Isle of Grain.
18:53Let's take a look at the weather across the county until then.
19:04OK, for tonight's forecast, it's looking clear.
19:08A chilly night there in Ashford, 16 degrees.
19:10A bit warmer towards Medway and Dartford in the low 20s.
19:13Into tomorrow morning, those clouds disappearing.
19:15A heat warning, yellow in operation there.
19:18Highs of 23 into the afternoon.
19:21Highs of 27, that's sun persisting throughout the county.
19:24Lows of 24 on the coast.
19:26And your outlook for the rest of the week.
19:28That heat warning will persist until Tuesday.
19:31Highs of 31 on Sunday.
19:33And that cloud, nowhere to be seen throughout the start of next week.
19:43And now it's time to take a look at all the sports headlines from across the county.
19:48From football to cricket and then over to martial arts.
20:01Kicking off with football first, and the Gilles boss has told his fans he won't be asking for any more
20:07patience.
20:08Gareth Ainsworth, who took over Gillingham FC in March 2025, finished 17th in his first full season at Priestfield, which
20:14was marked by his open heart surgery.
20:16On the pitch, results didn't turn around and that led to a summary shuffle of his squad, with 17 players
20:22leaving and 11 new faces joining.
20:25He said, I'm not really the chameleon sort of manager that can adapt to a squad.
20:28I need to have my players in to go this way for me and that's how I play.
20:32Patience is now, I think, something I don't need.
20:34I need the boys to step up now, understand that I'm playing and the fans to get behind us.
20:40Now to cricket, and the retiring Joe Denley has said he remains keen to stay involved in Kent.
20:46The batting all-rounder enjoyed a fitting send-off to his professional career as he helped Kent to a two
20:51-wicket, one-day cup win against Somerset and Canterbury last Friday.
20:55Although he might have hung up his boots, he said, nothing is set in stone yet and I'd love to
20:59stay involved and help out where I can.
21:01I guess there are discussions that will take place over the coming weeks and months.
21:07Next, a Pembury martial artist has ended her career with Commonwealth Games Bronze before playing an emotional tribute to her
21:13late sister.
21:1531-year-old Jemima Yates Brown dedicated her win to her sister Jenny, who died of brain cancer in September
21:212022.
21:22She said, my sister is always on my mind through the good and the bad.
21:27Days like today, it's always sad that she's not here, but it does give me an edge.
21:31Yates Brown finished fifth at the 2023 World Championships and represented Team GB at the Paris Olympics.
21:39Finally, Downs Sailing Club in Worma welcomed 171 boats as part of the P&B National School Sailing Association National
21:46Regatta.
21:47The regatta is running to the sailing club near Dill for the first time since 2014, welcoming more than 200
21:53young sailors from across the country.
21:55Over five days, sailors aged 1919 completed four courses with Kent Crown winner at the end.
22:01The club's Commodore Phil Holdren said welcoming so many young sailors to Worma and seeing Kent Crown, the winning team
22:07on home waters, it made an unforgettable week.
22:11And that's all for your sports news across the county.
22:23And finally, did you know Medway's own slice of Notting Hill, where the Medway Culture Club's carnival is coming tomorrow,
22:31as I found out early today.
22:33We've obviously covered the Medway Club carnival a couple of times in the past few years, but for anyone unfamiliar
22:39with your organisation, tell me a bit more about what Medway Culture Club does.
22:43Absolutely. Well, thanks for having me on, Megan.
22:46I wanted to tell you about Medway Culture Club because we started out in 2020 amid the pandemic, just a
22:54group of volunteers who got together with a shared sense of needing unity in the community and also, you know,
23:02helping the next generation to raise their aspirations and just supporting the multicultural melting pot.
23:08But that is Medway. So with Medway becoming a lot more diverse, a few of us got together and we
23:16decided to start a social enrichment and cultural education service.
23:21And that's what Medway Culture Club is at its heart. Every month we put on a different workshop for young
23:27people to come together to learn about different cultures and celebrate diversity.
23:32Once a year, we have our fundraiser, which is our big flagship event, which we call the Medway Culture Club
23:39Carnival.
23:40So this year will be our sixth annual carnival and we are having it at the Royal Engineers Museum tomorrow
23:46between 12 and 5.
23:48So the reason for the carnival, well, who doesn't like a party?
23:53But what it does do is it brings multiple generations and different cultures together to celebrate, have a good time.
24:02It's so diverse. There's people from all walks of life, but also all age brackets as well.
24:09So you see like 80 year olds dancing in a samba class with 80 year olds.
24:14And that's a thing to behold. It's a beautiful sight to see.
24:18So that's what we're having tomorrow at the Royal Engineers Museum.
24:23Absolutely. And this picture here is from a previous carnival.
24:26It looks like there's all sorts of fun to be had. What kind of things can people get stuck into
24:30tomorrow?
24:31So there's so much on offer at one of our carnivals. We've got something for the kids.
24:36So lots of face painting, henna design this year, but also dance classes.
24:42There's performances actually, which is a new element this year.
24:46So we've got a few different performance troops coming along, including Shah Bangra Dee,
24:50who are a Bangra dance club who are bringing their drummers and their dancers to show us what Bangra is
24:57all about.
24:57We've had a workshop about it before and worked with them before.
25:00So it's nice to have them come to our carnival and be part of our parade.
25:04Other things to behold will be the cultural food corner and we'll have crafts.
25:11So there's make your own carnival headdress or rep your region and colour in a flag from a country around
25:18the world.
25:19And then you can parade it with us in one of our two carnival parades.
25:23There'll be carnival classics playing very loud and proud from our resident DJ and Sound System Intention Studio.
25:32And the last time we spoke actually was during one of your Mardi Gras events, which is also a carnival.
25:37So what would you say it is about the carnival that, you know, you feel really embodies that sense of
25:43community and harmony?
25:45Well, I think who doesn't love a party?
25:48And the carnival is the ultimate party.
25:50So if we think back to the early days of the Notting Hill Carnival, which is currently about to celebrate
25:58its 60th year of taking to the streets in London.
26:01And it's now the world's second largest street festival.
26:05So we are inspired by the origins of that, the Windrush generation, namely like Claudia Jones, who's godmother of Notting
26:14Hill Carnival,
26:15but also the legacy of Asquith Xavier, as well as one of the local pioneers of the Windrush generation.
26:22Absolutely. And if there's anyone sat at home watching this thinking, wow, I'd love to come along.
26:28Are there still tickets available? How do people get involved?
26:30Absolutely. You can definitely walk in on the day, but we do encourage that you sign up via our website
26:36for your free tickets.
26:37You're able to make a donation to our charity to help us to continue the vital work that we're doing
26:44throughout the year.
26:45And so or you can just come along and enjoy the celebration.
26:48So, yeah, we look forward to seeing nearly 2000 people who have already signed up joining us at the Royal
26:55Engineers Museum tomorrow between 12 and 5.
26:58That's great. Thank you so much.
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