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Catch up on all the latest news from across the county with Nailah Mahomed.
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00:35Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight, live here on KMTV.
00:39I'm Laila Mohamed with your top stories on Tuesday, the 15th of September.
00:44Unbearable bins.
00:45A family in Ashford opened up for how the stench of their communal bins affects their lives.
00:50This summer was very hot and at night we couldn't even open the windows.
00:55Together, through loss, a new group for young people experiencing grief starts up in Maidstone.
01:01It actually helps with the feeling of, oh, actually there are people that understand me. I'm actually not alone.
01:07And one foot forward, a Kent resident is walking 550 miles to face awareness for Alzheimer's.
01:14Exercise on a daily basis cannot be overemphasized.
01:40A family in Ashford have spoken up after enjoying 10 months of unbearable smells from the communal bins in their
01:47road.
01:47Harry Zimpas and his wife Simona said the stench was so bad during the recent heatwaves that they were not
01:53able to open their windows at all.
01:55Their child has asthma and needs fresh air coming in through the windows and has been struggling to deal with
02:00the smell.
02:01Justine Lata went down to find out more.
02:03Imagine being unable to open the windows of your house because of an unbearable smell.
02:10For Harry Zimpas and his wife Simona, this is their everyday life.
02:15These communal bins were placed right outside of their building in November 2025.
02:21They have been moved once by Ashford Borough Council in July this year, but were returned soon after.
02:28The lady said that it will be temporary, only for two months.
02:33And it was November, so my wife said, ah, it's okay.
02:36It's now cold. We have all the time. The windows are closed.
02:40The smell here really isn't great.
02:42You've got used nappies on the top of the bin, poo on the floor and more litter surrounding the bins.
02:48And it's this smell that Harry said has really affected his family.
02:52We have a little kid with asthma and we told them two months now, more than two months,
02:59that they need to remove the bins because we can't have our windows open because of the smell and the
03:06mouses and everything.
03:08We need to have all the time our windows open because of our little kid to take fresh air.
03:14He's coming back from school or whatever. He's like holding his mouth and running because he can.
03:20It's disgusting. He keeps saying, let's go away from this place because I can't breathe.
03:24He's very struggling, his life as well, but it's about him and he's only nine years old with asthma.
03:31So this will put the priority, come and help the people.
03:37But with record high temperatures this summer, the smell from the bins has worsened.
03:42We couldn't even open our windows to take some fresh air at night.
03:48I mean, because this summer was very hot and at night we couldn't even open the windows.
03:55It was so bad. The smell was so crazy.
04:00Nobody can live in this kind of situation.
04:05In a statement, Ashford Borough Council said they're aware of concerns that have been raised about these communal bins.
04:12They said they take all complaints raised by residents seriously and will work directly with Harry through the council's complaints
04:20process.
04:21For now, the bad smell remains and Harry is continuing to wait for a decision on where the council will
04:27move the bins to at the end of September.
04:3618 people have been arrested by Kent Police during a two-day-of-life facial recognition operation in Chatham.
04:43Two camera vans were deployed alongside local officers as part of Kent Police's ongoing Clear Hold Build campaign,
04:50aiming to reduce crime and deter offenders in Chatham Town Centre.
04:54Out of the 18 arrests, Leavenroy was a direct result of people being identified through the use of cameras.
05:02Medway's district commander said that officers spoke to residents and shoppers and found that the response to the technology was
05:08positive,
05:09with many saying they felt safer.
05:13The state pension is expected to top £13,000 a year, reigniting the debate about its long-term affordability and
05:21generational fairness.
05:22The full, flat-rate state pension is expected to rise by £488 a year in April,
05:29based on the latest official earnings figures released on Tuesday.
05:33Today, we spoke to residents in Rochester about their thoughts.
05:36I don't think it's going to be enough, no way.
05:40I think people are just going to have to start saving from a younger age,
05:45because if they need care in the care sector, I work in the care sector as well,
05:49people are going to have to pay their way, aren't they?
05:52I don't think I'll get a pension.
05:54Even though I've worked for 30-odd, 40 years, I don't think I'll get a state pension.
06:00And a lot of 50-somethings will say that.
06:03They need to, otherwise you've got a whole class of people who can't afford to survive.
06:07I can just about afford to survive, which doesn't do anybody any favours.
06:11It doesn't put money back into the economy if people are struggling to actually live and eat.
06:16A woman in Maidstone is organising meet-ups for young people going through grief
06:21in an attempt to reduce feelings of isolation.
06:24Sian Travis-Spencer lost her best friend to suicide last year
06:27and is now trying to help others who have also experienced bereavement,
06:30part of a wider movement across the county aiming to connect young people
06:34with others with a similar experience.
06:36Sophie Denny has a report, and this does contain some details which viewers may find upsetting.
06:41Sian Travis-Spencer didn't know where to turn
06:44after losing her best friend to suicide last year.
06:48I really didn't cope very well with it at all.
06:51I felt very isolated, very alone, because Jess and my best friend,
06:57she, we were very much joint at the hip, so it really kind of felt like
07:00I had lost a part of myself in losing her.
07:03Yeah, it really felt quite lonely.
07:08And, yeah, I just didn't know where to go, who to turn to.
07:12She did try attending some groups set up for those who had lost loved ones to suicide.
07:17But Sian felt that none of the groups here in Kent really understood
07:21what it was like to go through this grief as a young person.
07:25That's when she discovered Too Young to Grieve,
07:28a community for young people going through loss,
07:32set up by Luke Alfano after the deaths of his father and grandmother.
07:36Essentially, the purpose is just to get people together.
07:39We're not therapy, we're not a support group,
07:41we're just literally a community of people who, as we like to say,
07:45get it and understand it. And the idea is just to get you moving a little bit,
07:49but also just to be able to connect with others who've been through a similar experience.
07:54There's no pressure to talk about anything about your grief, about your story.
07:58But if you do ever mention anything about it, it's not looked at as awkward or weird.
08:03You can just share your story or share something about it or share a thought about grief
08:07and everyone around you sort of understands.
08:09According to Charity Let's Talk About Loss,
08:13more than three quarters of 18 to 35-year-olds go through a bereavement
08:18and one third feel uncomfortable talking about it,
08:22which can lead to feelings of isolation.
08:25This is what Luke hopes to tackle through Too Young to Grieve.
08:29The community has groups across the country
08:32and after going to a couple of meetups in London,
08:35Shan decided to start her own group here in Kent.
08:39Young people, I think, tend to interact best with other people their own age.
08:45And I feel like when we can form communities because of that,
08:50it actually helps with the feeling of,
08:53oh, actually, there are people that understand me.
08:55I'm actually not alone.
08:56So far, the group has met in Maidstone,
08:59but Shan is keen to expand it across the county
09:02so that no young person in Kent has to go through grief alone.
09:07Sophie Denny for KMTV in Maidstone.
09:11If you're affected by any details in that report,
09:13you can contact the Samaritans on 116 123.
09:18I'm very confident we won't need exceptional support in 2028's budget.
09:24That's what Medway Council leader Vince Maple said in February.
09:27But just seven months later, Medway Council's overspend isn't going anywhere.
09:31With a budget gap of over £65 million predicted for the next budget.
09:36With conversations with the government over the situation still continuing,
09:40will the council break their promise?
09:42Local democracy reporter Megan Shaw has the story.
09:45I'm very confident that when it comes to 2027-28's budget,
09:49we won't be seeking exceptional financial support.
09:52And our medium-term financial outlook shows that.
09:55Words from Medway Council leader Vince Maple, only seven months ago,
09:59promising that the council's third year of government support would be its last.
10:04Now, in September, five months before its annual budget,
10:08and it looks like he's already starting to go back on his promise.
10:11Well, of course, we continue to be in regular dialogue with MHCLG,
10:16the government department that looks after councils,
10:18and also with SITFA, who are the sector experts on local government finance.
10:23Medway Council is looking at a shortfall of over £65 million going forward
10:28into its next annual budget,
10:30and looking down the barrel of a cumulative shortfall
10:33of almost £360 million by 2031.
10:37It isn't just Medway having adult social care eat into the majority of their budget,
10:41but it has increased rapidly here,
10:44clearing £140 million in this financial year.
10:48Look, we know as a council, it costs us £1.35 million every single day
10:53to take forward adult social care, children's services, and temporary accommodation.
10:58We need to pay for that, and some of that will come through savings
11:01that we'll continue to make as best as we can, but also income generation as well.
11:06To make up the shortfall, the council will need to both make efficiency savings
11:10as well as inevitably hike-up costs for residents.
11:13It was only in February when the budget controversially passed car park hikes across Medway.
11:19The war on motorists has to stop.
11:22Every time they raise parking charges, every time they issue fines for doing anything,
11:27I mean, I've paid two in the last two months just for trying to drive around the place,
11:31it actually reduces footfall. It's not the answer. It's like a quick fix.
11:35They're reaching for quick fixes left, right and centre.
11:38What they actually need to do is get back to basics
11:40and focus on the front-line services that people actually care about.
11:43Finer details are set to be discussed in a cabinet meeting next week,
11:47and the next budget is a while away.
11:49But for residents already feeling the pinch from higher car park tariffs,
11:53it hardly seems like a shift in gears from the council.
11:57Megan Shaw in Medway.
12:01We'll see you after this break for more.
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20:17the road and and we're safe and another thing is in today's climate the cost of
20:25living is also too high and if if you cut a two school runs that saves you a lot
20:34of money and now the weather
20:45it's clear skies across most of the county tonight lows of 13 in royal tunbridge wells highs of 17
20:50in dover and market heading into the morning temperatures staying about the same lows of 14
20:55degrees highs of 16 in dover partly cloudy skies some jewel sweeps into the east of the county in
21:00the afternoon 19 degrees across most of the county lows of 18 in tunbridge wells and this will stay
21:06steady over the next few days partly cloudy there on thursday sunshine on friday and the clouds
21:10returning on saturday at 21 degrees
21:23an 82 year old alzheimer's survivor has been walking through dover and canterbury as part of a 550 mile
21:30journey across britain raising awareness of brain health and the importance of early intervention
21:35dr judy benjamin is campaigning for greater support for people living with the disease
21:39particularly those diagnosed at a younger age and we spoke to her earlier about her experience so far
21:46so you did a 550 mile journey across britain this is a huge amount of miles to walk why was
21:53this so
21:53important to you i wanted to have a message out to people in the uk that age is just a
22:03number and you
22:04shouldn't let it hold you back from doing things that you want to do and also i specifically have
22:11followed a process of reversing symptoms of alzheimer's 15 years ago i was diagnosed with alzheimer's
22:21and i've been able to take care of and remove all of those symptoms so i'm now 16 3 and
22:29i want to let
22:29people know that and so far in the uk in the uk you've walked through dover and you've walked through
22:35canterbury do these areas have any significance to you personally very much so i'm very fond of the
22:44course of dover it gave people a hope of a brighter future a brighter tomorrow and that's my message as
22:53well that you can have a brighter future even if you do get a diagnosis of alzheimer's
23:01and for uh canterbury i have a very strong connection with my ancestors who were from the
23:10area in fact they were members of the saint mulch church in canterbury where i had the pleasure of
23:19visiting and um i i think that was really a special reason for me to be here and by the
23:26time you reach
23:26london what do you kind of hope people will take away from your journey and your experience in
23:31raising this awareness i would like people to think that again age if you're 82 years old there's
23:39no limit really to what you can do i mean i suppose i'm not going to go to the moon
23:44at this point but
23:45um i can walk most people can walk and i'm not suggesting people have to walk across the country
23:51but i am saying the importance of exercise on a daily basis cannot be overemphasized well thank
23:59you so much for joining us today judy thank you so much for having me it's a pleasure
24:06and don't forget you can watch all our other news on our website kmtv.co.uk
24:10while you'll see reports just like this one
24:16this is grace she lives in gedding near canterbury and she's currently studying to take her a levels
24:22but when she walks onto this field she goes from student to teacher she's a sheepdog handler who's
24:28earned herself a spot on the england national team yeah it felt very like surreal because i sort of
24:36watched the live stream before and you see everyone walking up at the presentation and you just kind of
24:41think like oh i wonder how that feels and so like when you're standing there like in the line with
24:46the whole team it feels like it feels really cool when she's away from competitions her dad takes care
24:52of the dogs while mum travels with her yeah it's absolutely amazing um i never ever thought that grace
24:59would make the english team um i think the um worst feeling of the day was just watching her go
25:06from
25:07second and then watching the scores come down thinking hang on there grace hang on there she's
25:13able to tell the dogs how to move the sheep using a special whistle and depending on the frequency and
25:17length of the blows she can give specific instructions yeah so every dog really has a different whistle like
25:23they can be the same but um they're different whistles for different commands so uh sweeps come by which
25:30is left and then his say like gentle stop is and then a walk on and if you want it
25:39to be a bit quicker
25:40you can sort of now it's my turn grace has kindly given me some instructions on some of the commands
25:46that sheepdog handlers tend to give so let's see if i've got any potential come by
25:56wow he's really doing it he's really running stand come by
26:05that is just amazing grace says the most important thing is to understand the dogs and their habits
26:13so maybe i shouldn't quit the day job just yet come by come by come by well whether they're learning
26:22from grace ahead of the national competitions or taking a breather with me the dogs definitely
26:27deserve a chance to cool off finn mcdermid for kmtv in gedding
26:34yet somehow i feel like finn did a better job than i would have done
26:37but that's all we have time for on kent tonight and there's more news made for the county throughout
26:42the evening don't forget you can keep up to date with our latest news by logging on to kmtv.co
26:47.uk
26:48that's our website and you can keep us on your social timelines by liking us on facebook and
26:52following us on tiktok and instagram and that's all we have time for tonight and we'll see you again
26:57tomorrow evening bye-bye for now
27:18so
27:18so
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