- 4 minutes ago
Catch up with all the latest news from across the county with Chloe Brewster.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
01:14I know that it's only going to get worse in some respects, things like Cotton Road, things
01:22like that are what scares me.
01:24And National Pumpkin Day.
01:26KMTV visits a pumpkin patch in Maidstone ahead of Halloween weekend.
01:30Well, I've planted about 85,000 seeds this year.
01:33We've planted the middle of May.
01:45First tonight, could a new employment and skills hub help you in Medway?
01:50Well, that's the thinking behind a collaboration between the Job Centre and Mid College Kent
01:55with a new service that can be used by anyone.
01:57It's been backed by Lauren Edwards, MP, who calls young people nationwide struggling
02:02to get into work a crisis.
02:04Our local democracy reporter Megan Shaw was at the opening.
02:08Passing your driving test, having that first pint and getting a Saturday job are all key
02:14milestones in adolescence.
02:16But one of these in particular has been posing quite a challenge for many.
02:21Young people nationwide are finding it harder and harder to secure work, education or training.
02:28These are known as NEETs.
02:30But a joint operation by Mid-Kent College and Job Centre are working to tackle this.
02:36They're an on-site hub offering advice, support and a pipeline to the latest local opportunities.
02:43DWP can't deliver it all, but the work coach will know that actually we're going to book you in.
02:49Come sit in a lovely environment.
02:51It's very calming.
02:53And it's not overwhelming because Chatham Job Centre is such a huge building.
02:58It can be really daunting for some of our customers.
03:01Across the UK, there are one million NEETs, with Medway's rate sitting at one percent higher
03:08than the South East average.
03:10Local MP Lauren Edwards has recognised this as an emergency.
03:15I think it's the number one crisis that the government has to be focused on,
03:18is how we support those million young people into good quality work.
03:22That is how we get the welfare bill down, is by supporting people into good work.
03:26Youth hubs like this are absolutely part of the solution,
03:29because it's all about a one-stop shop for young people to get the support and the advice that they
03:33need,
03:34so they can make really informed decisions and have the support that they need to get into work,
03:39and for it to be good quality work as well.
03:41Now, anyone can walk through the door and access support at the Medway Skills and Employment Hub.
03:46They'll be sat across from me, and a member of the Job Centre team will be able to talk them
03:51through their options
03:52and help them with their CV.
03:55Now, there weren't actually any young people for me to speak to,
03:58but if you were someone sat here struggling to find work in the five towns,
04:03what does the job landscape actually look like?
04:06Young people are finding it harder to kind of go into a workplace,
04:09potentially the impact of having COVID and their opportunities to get out,
04:15as well as the way the world's changing, employment is changing.
04:18There aren't the opportunities necessary for the Saturday jobs,
04:21and actually, our people are finding they're going to their first job slightly older.
04:25So, over time, things are changing.
04:28With the ceremony over,
04:31and the ribbon cut,
04:35there was just one thing left to do.
04:38Ensure this new hub does what it promises,
04:41and supports Medway's youth as they move into adulthood.
04:46Megan Shaw in Medway.
04:48Police have discovered a secret cannabis grow site in a Kent home,
04:52accessible by crawling through a cupboard door.
04:55Raiding the property in Ashford on August 4th,
04:57officers found five rooms which had been modified to produce a drug,
05:01and seized around 250 mature plants.
05:05Our reporter, Justine Larta, joins me now with more information.
05:08Now, Justine, what do we know about this factory?
05:11So, we know that, you know, it was in a house in Ashford,
05:14and it was accessible through a cupboard door.
05:17And so, among the changes to this house in Riverbank Way
05:20was a secret room hidden behind false walls,
05:23which, again, could be accessed by crawling
05:25through the cupboard of a living room sideboard.
05:28A statement from the force said that as officers entered the front door,
05:32Albion National Marius Darda tried to escape
05:35through the back garden, but was stopped and arrested.
05:38Police later found photos and videos on the 33-year-old's phone,
05:42which suggested he had been involved in supplying the Class B drug
05:46since September 2025.
05:49Darda, of no fixed address, later pleaded guilty to charges
05:52of being concerned in the production of cannabis,
05:55and on Tuesday, October 20th, last week,
05:58was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment.
06:01Investigating officer, Detective Constable Heather Walkden,
06:04said in the house there were a lot of adjustments
06:06to create these illicit grow rooms,
06:08and any other space seemed to be used for cultivation waste storage.
06:12She also said that, as a result, the house was in a poor state,
06:16and the bypassing of electrics to run the cultivation
06:19could have posed a serious safety risk for the neighbours as well.
06:23Cultivations such as these are created to help fund serious crime
06:26and overall has a noticeable detrimental impact on the wider community.
06:31Officers are skilled at locating such cultivations,
06:34so quickly found the hidden room behind the sideboard's cupboard door.
06:38Unfortunately for Darda, the only door he will now see for the time being
06:41will be the one of a prison cell.
06:43Well, thank you, Justine, for bringing us that update.
06:47Thank you very much.
06:50A police helicopter was used to search for a drone
06:53around a prison in Sheppey last night.
06:56The force says it received reports of a drone hovering
06:58in the East Church area at 10.20pm.
07:01The prison had had issues with drones being used
07:04to deliver drugs to prisoners in the past,
07:06with window barriers being compromised,
07:08allowing drones to drop off packages to prison cells.
07:11A police spokesperson confirmed officers attended last night
07:15and carried out a search of the area, but nothing was found.
07:18No arrests have been made so far,
07:20and the investigation is still ongoing.
07:24A Dover carer who stole thousands has been spared jail.
07:29Sarah DeFriend repeatedly used the bank card of a vulnerable man
07:33after two years of caring for him,
07:35drawing out a total of almost £10,000.
07:38The court heard she was using the money to fund her addiction
07:41and cover personal expenses.
07:42DeFriend then covered her tracks by writing up the spending
07:45in the victim's personal finance sheet.
07:47At her sentencing hearing at Canterbury Crown Court,
07:50she was told she'd walk free, instead paying her victim £2,000 in compensation.
07:57Hundreds of homes across Kent are without power
07:59as Storm Bulow brought strong winds and heavy rain
08:02to the county over the weekend.
08:04Widespread disruption began on Friday
08:06when strong winds brought down trees and caused traffic chaos.
08:11Despite the rain warning having been lifted,
08:14gusts continue to cause problems.
08:16More than 70 homes in Gillingham are among those without power this morning.
08:20The Environment Agency has issued six flood alerts
08:23covering large stretches of Kent's coastline.
08:27A mum from Chatterndon has launched a fundraiser
08:30for the National Deaf Children's Society
08:32after discovering her baby boy, Beau, was born with hearing loss.
08:36She says greater awareness could have helped her feel less alone
08:40following the diagnosis and is raising money for the charity,
08:43which will support Beau as he gets older.
08:45Our reporter, Maisie Walker, went to meet the pair.
08:52It does get lonely, you know, sitting in the hospital room,
08:56sitting in the hospital corridors, waiting for results, waiting for tests.
08:59A woman from Chatterndon is raising awareness of deafness
09:03after her son was found to have permanent hearing loss
09:06less than a week after being born.
09:08So at this age, most children just want to play and explore,
09:12and Beau is no different for his family.
09:15Raising a deaf child comes to his own challenges,
09:17including learning the best way to communicate
09:20and finding the support that he needs.
09:22Beau wears a hearing aid on a headband
09:24to support the hearing in his right ear.
09:27And Alicia says hospital appointments and equipment
09:30cost the family between £200 and £300 a month.
09:34Initially, it did feel like the end of the world.
09:37Just because of, I suppose, the stigma around it,
09:41there isn't a lot about children's deaf awareness.
09:46And it's not until I've had a child myself that's deaf
09:49that I've found out this information.
09:52I don't think a lot of people know what sort of resources
09:54and support there is.
09:56I know that it's only going to get worse in some respects.
10:00Things like crossing the road, things like that,
10:05are what scares me at the minute he's too young.
10:08Alicia is raising money for the National Deaf Children's Society,
10:12which gave her advice and reassurance when she needed it the most.
10:16They support children from all different ages,
10:19from birthright up to 18 years.
10:20So I know that they're going to be there probably
10:23for a big chunk of Beau's life.
10:27Just being able to speak to someone on their helpline
10:30is just a huge help.
10:33Obviously, they know what they're talking about.
10:35They can give you advice.
10:37They're able to guide you in the right direction.
10:40She hopes to raise more than £1,000
10:42to help other parents in similar circumstances
10:45feel less alone and access the support she did.
10:48Maisie Walker for KMTV, Chatterndon.
10:5323 crashes have been recorded at Broadstairs Roundabout
10:57since Jan van Niekerk moved into the area in 2006.
11:01He described spending well over £10,000 on repairs
11:05to his garden wall and repeatedly urging the local authority
11:08to install cash barriers at the intersection.
11:11Niekerk said that the next time somebody could get killed,
11:14a driver or a pedestrian or even me,
11:16sitting in my lounge.
11:18The council have introduced additional road and warning signs
11:21to make the layout clearer to drivers.
11:23However, the land available limits what further changes can be made,
11:27according to a Kent County Council spokesperson.
11:34Coming up after the break, KMTV will be celebrating 30 years of local broadcasting
11:39by asking people to choose what they want to hear on the airwaves
11:43on KMFM local radio.
11:45We'll also talk about how locals are suffering unfair changes
11:49to parking issues with major keying areas
11:53from parking machines in Kent country parks.
11:56Kent County Council are also holding their annual gritting parade
11:59where names of, some quirky names actually,
12:03of some gritters will be chosen by children.
12:05All those updates and more after this short break.
12:07See you then.
12:34We'll see you then.
12:48We'll see you then.
13:18We'll see you then.
13:48We'll see you then.
14:19We'll see you then.
14:47We'll see you then.
15:09We'll see you then.
15:09We'll see you then.
15:10We'll see you then.
15:10We'll see you then.
15:11We'll see you then.
15:11We'll see you then.
15:12We'll see you then.
15:14We'll see you then.
15:18We'll see you then.
15:48We'll see you then.
15:48We'll see you then.
16:04We'll see you then.
16:27We'll see you then.
16:43We'll see you then.
16:49We'll see you then.
16:55We'll see you then.
17:12We'll see you then.
17:28We'll see you then.
17:34Stop in briefly to get directions, a broker ticket machine, or for any emergency, medical emergencies.
17:42For smaller slip-ups, the maximum charge will be capped at £20.
17:46Great, so hopefully a more affordable situation if you do end up with a fine.
17:51Thank you so much, Tinesh.
17:53Now, don't forget, you can keep up to date with all of your latest stories by logging on to our
17:57website, kmtv.co.uk.
18:00They will be able to find all of our previous reports, including this one.
18:05Heating homes, boiling water, the gas running through our pipes could soon be coming from somewhere slightly closer to home.
18:12The government has given the green light to Project Jackdaw, which allows drilling for gas in a new area of
18:18the North Sea.
18:19But what could this mean for people in Kent?
18:22Jackdaw is one of the largest unexploited gas fields in the North Sea,
18:26and this approved drilling means that its gas could start supplying British homes and businesses by as early as the
18:32end of this month.
18:34Now, some say they're concerned about the plant's environmental impact,
18:38while those in favour emphasise the need for Britain to improve its energy security.
18:43But what do people here in Rochester make of the plants?
18:47Awful. They shouldn't be doing it.
18:48And why is that?
18:49I just understand that it massively impacts the climate, and it shouldn't be happening.
18:53I understood it had been banned, that was the end of it.
18:56Just understanding that it's been completely flipped the opposite direction is terrible.
19:01We need the gas. We're going to need it for some time,
19:03because there's not enough electrical capacity in the country at the moment.
19:06The solar and wind power isn't good enough yet, so we still need gas.
19:12And the fact that we're using it for the UK, rather than selling it onto the open market,
19:17I think that's a good idea.
19:18Obviously, if we have energy, that will probably boost the economy, which would be good.
19:24Obviously, fuel prices are crazy.
19:26But, on the other hand, the more that we just kind of use the earth in that way,
19:32it's going to be worse for climate change, and we need to think about the future and future generations.
19:36The government says they are also investing in renewable energy projects through a new energy wealth fund,
19:42but Councillor Mark Hood says he isn't convinced.
19:44It's absolutely climate vandalism.
19:49It's incomprehensible.
19:51And again, this nonsense with the wealth fund.
19:54This is too little too late.
19:56It's a sob to the environmentalists who have been campaigning against this.
20:00It will achieve almost nothing.
20:03Energy Secretary Miata Fambula has said the decision will support the country's energy security
20:08and will help minimise the UK's use of imported higher emission fuels.
20:12She added the decision is compatible with climate commitments,
20:16and they remain resolute in ending new licences for oil and gas and achieving net zero by 2050.
20:22But one energy researcher says the impact of Project Jackdaw will be limited.
20:27I think in the short term, it's not going to really change things for people very much.
20:32They've said it's not really going to affect the needle in terms of how much our energy prices are at
20:37the moment,
20:37and it gives this tiny little bit of improvement perhaps to our energy security.
20:41As we begin to turn the heating on, the debate over where our gas should come from continues to heat
20:47up.
20:47Sophie Denny for KMTV in Medway.
20:50Now it's time to take a quick look at the weather.
20:59Well, this evening we're going to be seeing temperatures between 16 and 17 degrees across the county with clouds sticking
21:05around.
21:06We'll then get the familiar sight of lots of rain tomorrow morning with temperatures from 13 to 14 degrees across
21:13the county.
21:13The sun will begin to come out towards the afternoon with temperatures staying largely the same,
21:19although we're not getting the same kind of wind we've been getting over the weekend,
21:22going into the end of the week with temperatures ranging between 11 and 13 degrees with clouds and rain all
21:28across the board.
21:38National Pumpkin Day is all about finding different ways to recycle and reuse your pumpkin this Halloween.
21:44Our reporter Maisie Walker went down to a farm in Maidstone to find out the best ways to do so.
21:49It's National Pumpkin Day and I'm here on Pumpkin Moon to talk all things pumpkin with Charlie.
21:56Charlie, thank you so much for joining me.
21:59It's a pleasure. Thank you very much for coming down today.
22:01And obviously there's a lot of pumpkins here.
22:04How is it that you take care of them all and how many do you actually have?
22:07Well, I've planted about 85,000 seeds this year.
22:10We planted in the middle of May.
22:13Taking care of, I give them fertiliser and basically I just hope that it rains.
22:18They get enough moisture to get established and then leave them to it.
22:22There is a lot of waste that comes with pumpkins this time of year.
22:26How is it that we can reuse and recycle our pumpkins instead of just throwing them away?
22:31Well, what we do here is, once we finish for the Halloween period,
22:36we open our gates to both food banks and the Felix Project.
22:41And we also have a lot of animal sanctuaries coming in.
22:44So we're trying to donate as many squash and the orange pumpkins as possible.
22:49And this is quite a seasonal business, if you will,
22:52in terms of everyone wants a pumpkin during Halloween and it dies off in the during January times.
22:58How do you manage kind of as a business on that behalf with the cost of living?
23:05It's kind of tricky, but as you say, it's very seasonal.
23:08So we just hope that we get a good October and the weather holds out.
23:13But I do also have to have a maize, maize and some flowers in the summer.
23:17So at least I can sort of spread the income stream slightly over the year.
23:21But like any farmer, it's a seasonal thing for all farmers in the summer is when you get your prop
23:27in.
23:27And that's where basically you're getting your income from.
23:30And with your pumpkins, what is the biggest pumpkin you've ever had on this farm?
23:36Biggest one I got was 85 kilo.
23:39It was an Atlantic giant.
23:40It was huge.
23:41It was great.
23:42Today was Kent County Council's annual gritting parade,
23:45where a fleet of new gritters make their debut road appearance ahead of the winter season.
23:50I spoke to Toby Hauer from Kent County Council Winter Services about the gritters and the new names local children
23:57have been giving them.
23:59Around about 3,000 kilometres of road that we grit.
24:03What you'll find is that we have 59 different routes that we cover.
24:09So for each of the districts, the boroughs, et cetera, we deal with all of the A and B roads
24:15plus some other key routes.
24:17So it's a lot of routes, a lot of time.
24:20Out of those 62 gritters that we have, three are standby and replacements, so if we do have a breakdown.
24:26The reason it's a brand new fleet is that Ringway, our contractor, actually started this contract back in May this
24:34year.
24:34And because it's going to be about a 14, up to 21-year contract, it's more cost effective for them
24:42to actually purchase the fleet,
24:43whereas previously contractors rented those vehicles.
24:47So it's more cost effective for the contractor, which ultimately means it's more cost effective for Kent County Council and
24:55all our taxpayers.
24:57And the new gritters, they're not just a technical benefit, there has been some fun with them as well.
25:03There's been a naming competition of the gritters, is that right?
25:08That's right.
25:08So it's always a nice little bit, you know, to have a name on them.
25:12So when people see it and go, oh, I've seen such and such and I've seen such and such.
25:16It's a bit like we used to have Eddie Stobart lorries around the country and people used to then look
25:21for the name on them.
25:22So it just adds a bit and it's been really fun getting school children involved to have a competition to
25:29actually name them.
25:30And then we've had to pick from the selection of all those names to find the 62 names.
25:34So, yeah, it's a bit of fun, really.
25:36Just it makes it a bit less boring, doesn't it?
25:39Well, what's your favourite name that you've seen so far?
25:44There are quite a few, actually.
25:45I'm showing my age here from an old Monty Python film.
25:48So there's one called The Life of Brine.
25:51But then also up to more up to date, there's one called Control Salt Delete.
25:56So nice sort of technological age.
25:59We've got a number named after various celebrities.
26:02So Claudia Sprinkleman, who, yeah, there are lots more off the top of my head.
26:10I can't remember, but there are some really good names out there.
26:12That have been chosen by youngsters from Kent.
26:16Well, my favourite out of the names was Sleetwood Mac, which, I mean, in the theme of the next report
26:21I'm about to bring you is pretty similar there.
26:23So to celebrate 30 years of local broadcasting, KMFM has launched a countywide survey asking people to choose what they
26:30want to hear on the airwaves.
26:32The four potential new music stations in the running are Kent's Dance Anthems, Kent's All Time Hits, Kent's All New
26:38Music and Kent's Biggest Rock.
26:40The survey will help KMFM understand which types of music styles are most popular with its listeners.
26:46Any potential new station would also aim to retain the local flavour audiences have come to expect,
26:51such as Kent travel updates, news, community events and familiar presenters.
27:00You've been watching Kent Tonight Live on KMTV. See you soon. Goodbye.
27:03KMTV.
27:09KMTV.
27:14KMTV.
27:15KMTV.
27:16KMTV.
27:18KMTV.
27:19KMTV.
27:20KMTV.
27:21KMTV.
27:21.