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Catch up with all your latest news from across the county with Finn Macdiarmid.
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00:38Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight, live here on KMTV.
00:41I'm Finn McDermid and here are your top stories on Tuesday, the 29th of September.
00:4642 million cash splashed on new Tunbridge flood defence scheme.
00:51Significant taxpayers' money has gone into this and I hope that local residents will be one of the beneficiaries of
00:56that.
00:56Saving Hearts, a Kent amateur footballer highlights the life-saving importance of defibrillators.
01:02You can't do anything wrong by doing a defense.
01:05You can do something massively right if you give someone that extra time that can save their lives.
01:11And Celebrating Support, Chatham Domestic Abuse Charity holds the Women of the Year Awards.
01:17Awareness is always great. Awareness is the beginning. Awareness is the beginning of change.
01:31First tonight, a £42 million defence designed to stop continued flooding along the River Medway has officially opened.
01:39The expansion of the Lee flood storage area has been in the works for some time.
01:43And the new capacity hopes to protect more than 1,000 homes in the Tunbridge area from future devastation as
01:49flood risks continue to grow.
01:51Chloe Brewster went down to the opening earlier.
01:54The River Medway flows for 57 miles across the county.
01:58But when weather isn't quite so serene, it can pose a threat to nearby communities, as Tombridge and Hildenborough know
02:06all too well.
02:08Flooding devastated here in 1968 and then again in 2013.
02:14So today's unveiling of expanded water storage is a welcome enhancement to the countryside.
02:20Any resident who remembers some of the big flooding events we've had, whether that would be 1968, which resulted in
02:27the construction of the live flood storage area originally,
02:30or at Christmas 2013, will very much appreciate all of the work that's being taken to best defend us from
02:38flood water.
02:38This structure and the one at Hildenborough that I'm intending to go to later are the facilities that we've really
02:46been looking for to protect those areas downstream from flooding.
02:51Here, they monitor rainfall and decide when to open the storage area to mitigate any flood risk.
02:58The £42 million expansion has increased the amount of water that can be held here by 23%.
03:05This flood defence structure is one of the biggest of its kind in Europe.
03:10The amount of water it can store is actually equivalent to 3,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
03:17For the last three years, the Environment Agency has been working with partners to actually replace all the gates here
03:24for this phenomenal flood storage area,
03:26so that it's ready to operate 24-7 going into the winter.
03:31This winter, residents and businesses will know that they are going to be far better protected.
03:38Flooding is a threat, and obviously the more we build, the more we cover our land, the less water gets
03:47back into the aquifer.
03:48So builders, farmers, local planners all need to bear this in mind.
03:54With climate change continuing to raise the risk of flooding in the county, residents here will be hoping any concerns
04:01will be washed away as winter approaches.
04:04Chloe Brewster for KMTV in Tombridge.
04:08A drink driver has been imprisoned after causing the death of a Kent Highways worker on the M23.
04:13I'm going to require you to provide a specimen of breath for roadside analysis, because I believe you've been involved
04:19in a road traffic collision.
04:21This was taken just after the moment where Vilius DeMarcus drove into a coned-off area of the motorway near
04:26Crawley in the early hours of the 8th of July,
04:28hitting Anthony Howe, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Apologies, Anthony Howe.
04:32He called 999 to report a damaged windscreen, but didn't know why, later testing at double the legal alcohol limit.
04:40He was sentenced to 10 years at Lewis Crown Court, alongside a 16-year and 8-month driving ban.
04:46A transgender pensioner from Sevenoaks has appeared in court after showing her probation officer an illegal taser.
04:52Natasha Crist said she bought the device for her own protection, seeing an advert for one on YouTube.
04:57She said in court she didn't know it was illegal to have one, later charged with possessing a weapon designed
05:02for the discharge of an electrical incapacitation device.
05:05She pleaded guilty at magistrate's court, but said she bought the taser as she's experienced hate crimes previously, claiming the
05:12police took two weeks to respond to her 999 call.
05:16Medway council leader Vince Maple has welcomed a new plan from the prime minister, all to create a national care
05:22service, the equivalent of an NHS for social care.
05:25But Annie Burnham says he'll have to adjust the pension triple lock to fund it if he's re-elected in
05:302029.
05:31Sophie Denny joins me to tell us a little bit more. So what more can you tell us, Sophie, about
05:37this policy and about some of that local reaction?
05:39Yes, so Andy Burnham was speaking at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool.
05:43There's a photo of him there that was taken yesterday, but in his speech today he announced this national care
05:48service.
05:49So like the NHS it would be universal care, free at the point of use, but for social care.
05:54So it's support for people who need help with living independently due to age, illness or disability.
06:00But there have been some questions about how it would be funded.
06:03And as you said there, it's going to be funded through an adjustment to the state pension triple lock.
06:08Now this triple lock secures people's pensions so that they will always increase year on year by whichever is highest
06:15between wage growth, inflation or by 2.5%.
06:19But in 2030, Andy Burnham says if he's re-elected to fund this new care service, he will remove the
06:26clarification, I guess, and that the wage growth, sorry, he will remove that component of the triple lock.
06:36And I spoke to Vince Maple, he's the leader of Medway Council, earlier today, and he was very happy about
06:41this.
06:43Councils like Medway has been well documented.
06:46A large chunk of our current budget goes on adult social care.
06:49So, of course, we will be a key part of that conversation, along importantly with residents in our community and
06:55communities across Kent and Medway and across the country.
06:57Look, for too long, the conversation about adult social care has not happened in the way that it should have
07:03done.
07:04So, I'm incredibly proud of our Prime Minister for asking the nettle.
07:08The easy thing would be to not try and look at the issue of adult social care.
07:12And I really welcome he's taking that forward in his speech today.
07:16And what are people here in Kent saying about it?
07:19Yes, so it directly affects people in Kent.
07:21As you heard Vince Maple say, it takes a big impact on Medway Council's budget.
07:26It takes up three quarters of their budget and is expected to increase by over £100 million by 2030 to
07:3331.
07:34And, again, it's crucially not happening unless Andy Burnham is re-elected.
07:38So, it's very important to see what voters think about this.
07:41And I spoke to a few of them earlier.
07:45There's not enough resource put behind social care in this country.
07:52And so this would have improved it?
07:53Yes.
07:55Well, I mean, yeah, to be honest, yeah, I think that would be right.
08:01I mean, tax the rich and then go from there.
08:06I would be less keen on that, but I do understand the thoughts behind it,
08:13because people of my age will benefit from the social care.
08:18So, I guess if we reduce our pensions, it might help to pay towards the social care.
08:26It's going to be a huge cost.
08:27I just don't know how they're going to do it.
08:29It's going to be interesting.
08:33A Kent man who suffered a cardiac arrest during a football match in Chatham earlier this year
08:38says he wants more people to feel confident using a defibrillator.
08:42Kevin Smith was resuscitated by his teammates after collapsing on the pitch.
08:46Now, on World Heart Day, he spoke to my colleague, Sophie Denny.
08:50This is the pitch where amateur footballer Kevin Smith suffered a cardiac arrest in March,
08:57something he says he wouldn't have survived without a defibrillator.
09:01I did say to one of the paramedics who was working on me,
09:05am I going to die?
09:08And the paramedic was really very professional,
09:11and he just looked at me and he said,
09:12I'm doing everything I can, mate, to save you.
09:14I just thought, I hope my wife gets here before I pass.
09:17And I was just glad that my daughter wasn't here watching.
09:22Kevin was playing in a local derby match when his heart stopped and he collapsed,
09:27effectively dying for 15 minutes.
09:30But his friends and teammates saved his life,
09:34performing CPR and shocking him with a defibrillator until help arrived.
09:38The first thing the lady asked me, she said, how many shots has Kevin had?
09:41I said, I've just done the third.
09:44And she put her finger there, felt a pulse,
09:53realised that he'd recovered.
09:55Well, we brought him back, a shot of adrenaline,
09:59and they performed their miracle.
10:01It took three shots from a defibrillator to bring Kevin back round,
10:05but new research from Every Minute Matters shows that 64% of people here in the southeast
10:12would be too afraid to use one.
10:15Now, Kevin's hoping that sharing his story will encourage others to become more confident.
10:20Please don't be frightened.
10:22The defib is so beautifully structured as a tool that it shows you everything you need to do.
10:30And you can't do anything wrong by doing a defib.
10:33You can do something massively right if you give someone that extra time that can save their lives.
10:40In an emergency, the 999 call handler will inform you where the nearest defibrillator is.
10:45And the British Heart Foundation also has an online tool which shows you where to find one.
10:51For Kevin, the football grounds defibrillator gave him a second chance at life.
10:56And he says the game will always play a vital role for him.
11:01My wife had always said to me, football will be the death of you.
11:04In the early hours of the 7th of March, I was able to say, football saved my life.
11:09So football saved my life because of a defect.
11:11Kevin is living proof that the sports we give our hearts to
11:15might just be the very thing that saves them.
11:18Sophie Denny for KMTV in Chatham.
11:22And just before we go for the break, a man has been charged with arson
11:26in connection with a fire at a restaurant in Ramsgate.
11:30This was the Royal Harbour Brasserie on Sunday
11:33and seven fire engines were called to the scene in the evening
11:35while police arrested a man who was recovered from the water by the Coast Guard.
11:40He was later taken to the QEQM hospital in Margate.
11:44Adam Hudson has been charged with arson, criminal damage and assaulting an emergency worker.
11:48He was remanded in custody to appear before Margate Magistrates Court today.
11:54Coming up after the break, we'll be speaking to business expert Tudor Price
11:58on the diesel price rises and the Women of the Year awards.
12:01All that and more in just a few minutes.
16:26Thank you for joining us, Tudor. First of all, can you simplify some of the causes behind
16:30these high prices we're seeing?
16:32Yes. So I think it's been well documented, the crisis in the Middle East, the US and
16:38Iran are sort of upset with each other. We've obviously seen and learned a lot about the
16:42Straits of Hormuz, which probably some of us never knew where that was, but now we do.
16:46And the challenges that has presented in terms of getting fuel, oil out of the Gulf of Arabia.
16:54We were sort of cushioned from that slightly because there was a pipeline that ran across
17:00Saudi Arabia and came out on the other side. So ships could load up with oil and then come
17:05up through the Suez Canal. And obviously, so we still had a supply line available to us.
17:09The trouble is that's now been hit by the Houthis who are in Yemen and are part of the Iranian
17:15sort of issue. So all of this conflict is now expanding and widening, and this has shut down
17:20another route supply chain for the oil.
17:24So what that means, of course, is that there is less oil available. And so that's just going to
17:29push the prices up for those that are dependent on it. And of course, diesel and petrol are
17:34sort of the main sort of products produced from oil, a lot of plastics, fertilisers,
17:38and other bits and pieces as well. So yeah, it's definitely the Middle East prices on 40s,
17:43not a lot that we can do domestically other than put pressure on the US and Iran to try and
17:47to come to some arrangement.
17:48And these higher prices will affect drivers. But are there areas of Kent's commerce that
17:53might be hit particularly hard?
17:55Yeah, so we're big on transport and logistics down here in Kent, as you'd imagine, you know,
18:00we've got Port Dover, we've got Ramsey, we've got Sheerness, you know, Tempsport, we've got
18:03loads of different sort of entry points and exit points for trade. And all of that's moved via
18:09vehicle and invariably will even trade to some degree. Now, whilst we've got a growing electric
18:15vehicle force here in Kent, the vast majority still runs off diesel. And of course, that is
18:20really, really expensive. You know, many people have seen the pump prices and, you know, that's
18:25carried through to wholesale prices, which many haulage companies are using. So it is incredibly
18:29damaging. There are some things that can be done. And again, you know, we're having to talk about that
18:34with the government to sort of try and address some of that. Fundamentally, it's the scarcity of
18:39supply, which is driving the prices up. And yes, it will have an impact on the economy.
18:44And could petrol be hit as well? Is that in our future? It is currently on the rise.
18:49It is. It's essentially made from the same refining products. So, you know, the oil goes
18:53into refinery. It's then gone through various processes, chemical processes, and then either
18:58diesel or petrol is produced the other end. So it's all part of the same story. It tends to sort
19:05of lag
19:06behind slightly. Diesel is a sort of slightly more expensive product because it's used so more widely
19:11in industry. Generators, you know, power plants, you know, ships, and all these other elements.
19:17You know, they are a big part of that usage supply chain. And so that tends to sort of have
19:22the impact
19:23sooner. There's another element here, which we may have come across in the news recently, which is
19:28around because of this scarcity, we get a third of our refined diesel from the US. And they're thinking
19:35about holding on to theirs so that they aren't shortchanged over in the US. But that means it could
19:42be an impact for us. So at the moment, the forecast does not look good for the provision of oil
19:48and
19:49petrol here in the UK. It's been quite chilly this weekend. So let's have a look at the rest of
19:55the
19:56week's weather. Tonight, we'll see temperatures of 20 degrees across the board. Dover only a degree
20:06higher, definitely a cloudless night. Into the morning, slightly colder lows of 18. Some heavy rain there
20:11in Tunbridge Wells, lighter rain and 19 and 20 degrees everywhere else. Afternoon coming with
20:17some sun in the west, clouds in the east, areas between Dartford and Maystone at 23, Dover only 20.
20:23Here's your outlook, nice and sunny on Thursday and Friday, bringing some clouds, some of that partial sun
20:28greeting us for the weekend, getting warmer as we get closer to the end of the week.
20:38For one domestic abuse charity, there was a lot to celebrate after raising around £8,500 from an
20:45awards night. Petronella's Hope supports women and children going through domestic abuse, loneliness,
20:51or financial problems. The women of the year's Western-themed night recognised the hard work of
20:56women across Medway. Our community reporter, Henry Luck, went down to meet them, share their stories,
21:02and find out more. For many domestic abuse charities, like Petronella's Hope, oftentimes their difficult
21:10work can go unnoticed. But this year, the charity have put on a Western-themed night to highlight the
21:20achievements of their community. The event celebrated Women of the Year and included an awards ceremony
21:27for their incredible work. Awareness is always great. Awareness is the beginning. Awareness is the
21:33beginning of change. Because with creating the awareness and the impact of how much the work can
21:40influence and support others out there, and that there is somewhere where everyone can go to,
21:46can turn to and be at. And with the celebrations, came of course, plenty of music. I was invited to
21:54try
21:54some Chuckles vacuum dancing myself. And as you can see, it's very high energy, and took me some time to
22:02get used to, but it was still very fun. The winners of tonight's event are a helpline for women, not
22:10only
22:10helping them through domestic abuse, but loneliness as well. It's actually been really incredible surprise,
22:19because none of us is doing this for the rewards, for the recognition. We literally, we just do
22:26something from our heart for the community that we feel that is needed. So it was a really big surprise.
22:32Well, I feel incredibly happy, because I feel I am supporting every single woman in life, and I am
22:41standing behind the women also. And I feel like if you don't change it, you choose it. So I feel
22:49really
22:49like thankful for all of them. Nearly £9,000 was raised through tonight's event, which will go towards
22:59providing more support for women in need. Henry Luck for CAME TV in Chatham.
23:08Well, we saw the Women of the Year awards there, but the charity that won it supports survivors of
23:13domestic abuse. So for this next chat, we will be discussing topics of that nature.
23:19We caught up with Petronella Zilic, who organised the event and runs the charity. Let's take a look at that.
23:26The charity night was for those victims and survivors of domestic violence, and which Petronella's Hope
23:33was organised. And yeah, we were raising money for those victims and survivors of domestic violence.
23:41The event was fantastic. We raised more than £11,260, which is amazing. And I'm so proud of my team,
23:50and very grateful. Absolutely. Where did this all get started? What inspired you to set up the event?
23:58I am actually, I'm helping and supporting victims of domestic violence since 2021.
24:04And I am actually a survivor. But, and it started, I always started doing like some volunteer job,
24:12work in a community. So it's now actually fourth event I organised for the victims of domestic violence.
24:20So I started since 2022. So yeah, so it was the fourth time now. And yeah, once a year,
24:26I always doing something for the victims of domestic violence or some event. Yeah.
24:30Right. And this year it was Women of the Year awards. Am I right? Tell us a bit about that.
24:34Was there a specific woman of the year that was chosen? Yes, you're right. Yes. A woman was chosen from
24:41Czechoslovakia, who they actually also, I was also nominated and I'm very grateful. And
24:50what was really amazing for us that also Czechoslovakian ambassadors came there. So, and other guests,
24:57who was a part of the judge panel. I see. And with that in mind, you know, an event all
25:03about
25:03celebrating women and their successes. How important is that, especially within the context of what your
25:08charity does? Yes. Yes. There were so many women came from Slovakia or from Czech who actually,
25:15first time they've been nominated, they never received before like some nomination or just let
25:21them know you are also important, you are worthy, you are, you know, and this is also what the event
25:27is
25:27all about. And I'm really grateful for the judges and the chair of Dr. Wynett, who was actually
25:32the chair of the judges panel. And she also like, one of us, for all of us, she was to
25:40make sure that
25:41they choose the woman who actually, all of them, they've been inspired, but they choose who actually
25:47won the, and I'm so pleased from Slovakia, Donna Klamparova, who she won. And actually she, they focus
25:54about the community impact, which one Donna and she's doing for the community. And I'm so pleased that she
25:59wants the judges, the chair, the soul, the work of the Donna Klamparova, which one she's doing for
26:06Slovak community more than 10 years here in the UK.
26:10And just before we go, there's plenty of pantomimes ahead of us here in Kent, right ahead of that
26:15Christmas season. Chatham's Central Theatre will see EastEnders own Zahra Abrams as the Wicked Stepmother,
26:21and CBBC's Ellie Clayton as Cinderella. There'll also be Mr. Maker, he'll be joined by Strictly Come
26:28Dancing's Jeanette Manara in the all-new Adventures of Peter Pan. And Dartford's Orchard Theatre and
26:33Folkston's Leescliff Hall will both host their own versions of Cinderella as well.
26:40But that is unfortunately all the time we have. The clock has struck midnight. That's a Cinderella
26:45reference if you don't know. Well, you might have to go and see. Anyways, you've been watching Kent
26:49Tonight live here on KMTV. More news made for Kent just throughout the evening, so stay tuned and see you
26:55very soon. Goodbye.