- 3 years ago
Catch up on the latest news from across the county with Abby Hook.
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - Good evening and welcome to Kentonite live on KMTV.
00:28 I'm Abbey Hook.
00:29 Here are your top stories on Wednesday the 30th of August.
00:34 Housing solution, but more pollution?
00:37 Environmental campaigners concerned
00:39 over government planning proposals.
00:42 - In some of the water bodies on this nature reserve,
00:45 the water quality is already poor.
00:48 - A vital service, Tunbridge Cafe offering safe space
00:53 as loneliness hits millions across the UK.
00:56 - I felt really abandoned and alone.
00:59 So I started coming into the shop
01:01 and gradually got talking to other people.
01:03 And now we've got a great support network
01:05 and a band of friends.
01:07 - And Jill's out.
01:09 Praise for Medway side,
01:10 despite three, two knockouts of the Carabao Cup.
01:14 - Teams may have crumbled against some quality opposition,
01:19 but we didn't.
01:20 (upbeat music)
01:23 (water splashing)
01:26 - First tonight, wildlife campaigners across Kent
01:32 have been criticising the government's proposals
01:34 to ease environmental planning permission
01:37 for new builds around waterways.
01:39 Ministers are looking to cut the need
01:41 for nutrient neutrality development.
01:44 If it becomes legislation,
01:45 thousands of new homes across Kent could be built.
01:48 But critics argue this would increase river pollution.
01:51 As Gabriel Morris reports.
01:54 - Trying to get into your foot on the property ladder
01:56 can be a challenging thing to do.
01:58 Many say a housing stock shortage doesn't help.
02:02 New government proposals hope to change that.
02:05 Ministers want to scrap nutrient neutrality rules,
02:09 which requires developers to offset the pollution
02:11 caused by sewage from new builds.
02:14 It currently sees house builders
02:16 having to prevent the pollution
02:18 to gain planning permission.
02:20 And have been planning restrictions put in place across Kent
02:23 because of concerns over the level of nutrients
02:26 at this nature reserve.
02:27 And if those environmental constraints are eased,
02:30 environmental campaigners are concerned
02:32 about what will happen here
02:34 at the Stodmarsh Nature Reserve going forward.
02:37 - It's a fairly large area that the Stour catchment covers.
02:42 But of course, we're only talking
02:43 about one catchment within Kent.
02:45 We're not even talking about all catchments in Kent.
02:47 We're not talking about all rivers in Kent.
02:49 So it's just literally the legislation designed
02:51 to protect sites such as this.
02:53 In some of the water bodies on this nature reserve,
02:56 the water quality is already poor.
02:59 So that's only gonna get worse.
03:01 It's not going to improve if we're not mitigating
03:03 for excess nutrients coming into the water.
03:06 - The government say the amount of nutrients
03:08 from house building is very small.
03:10 And Natural England would now offset that.
03:13 Investment would increase to 280 million pounds by 2030.
03:19 But the local council leader to Stodmarsh says
03:22 that doesn't go far enough.
03:24 - But we don't want to start building absolutely loads
03:27 of housing, which seems to be the view that they want to do
03:30 until we've started at least start building
03:32 this mitigation in place,
03:34 which can take several years to actually establish.
03:37 If we keep doing that,
03:38 we're just going to destroy our environment even more.
03:41 This mitigation should have been built years ago
03:43 and it's dither and delay for 10 plus years.
03:47 - Discharge from wastewater treatment works
03:50 contains phosphorus and nitrogen.
03:52 For concern, it promotes algae growth.
03:55 And it stopped planning permission
03:57 for many properties across Kent.
03:59 One of those is this newest state in Ashford.
04:02 The former leader welcomes the government decision.
04:05 - This site behind me is a development site
04:07 for new starter homes, one and two bedroom new homes
04:12 for people to get their first step onto the housing ladder.
04:15 And what the Stodmarsh rules have done
04:18 is they've stopped the developer
04:20 from being able to build them.
04:21 And it's really important that people have the opportunity
04:24 to get on the housing ladder.
04:26 And it's just not right that this is having an effect
04:30 on the quality of people's lives.
04:32 - But it has long been concerned
04:33 about the amount of new building across Kent.
04:36 A greeting from the leader
04:37 of Tombridge and Morningborough Council.
04:39 He welcomes this new move.
04:41 - We've got significant pressures
04:43 to deliver affordable housing in particular.
04:46 And we know from our own waiting lists
04:49 that it's really difficult for families in need of housing
04:51 to be able to find places for them to stay.
04:55 That means we do need to get on and build some more houses.
04:59 And that needs to happen across the county.
05:01 We can't just have those authorities
05:02 who weren't affected by the nutrient neutrality issues
05:06 taking the brunt of development.
05:07 It needs to be spread fairly.
05:09 - The proposals will be added
05:10 to the leveling up and regeneration bill
05:12 that's currently going through the House of Lords.
05:15 So it needs to be passed by them before becoming law.
05:18 Gabriel Morris, The KMTV.
05:19 - Well, Gabriel joins me in the studio now.
05:22 Gabriel, could you explain to us in a bit more detail
05:24 what exactly nutrient neutrality is?
05:27 - Yeah, it's not a phrase I think many people
05:29 will be familiar with unless you're a councillor
05:32 or a property developer.
05:34 What it essentially is, it's for new bills, new housing,
05:37 is to prove that they're not adding extra nutrients
05:40 to surrounding waters.
05:42 As you saw in my report there, Abby,
05:44 there have been concerns since around about 2020, 2019,
05:47 that there was an increased amount of nutrients
05:50 going into the River Stour catchment area.
05:53 And as you can see on the screen there,
05:54 that is an algae buildup,
05:57 which can be caused because of phosphorus and nitrates.
06:01 And that has impacted the amount of new builds.
06:03 You can see on the screen now
06:05 that is a development in Ashford
06:07 and not all the properties there.
06:09 Some haven't, didn't manage to get planning permission
06:12 because of this issue.
06:13 And this is because of a 2019 ruling
06:16 by the European Court of Justice
06:17 and it protects areas across England.
06:19 Now, the government set, want to change this
06:22 with 100,000 new homes being built by 2030
06:25 and some funding to mitigate for this.
06:27 Essentially, it'll be now down to Homes England
06:29 rather than, rather than, sorry, Nature England,
06:32 rather than down to the property developers.
06:36 So it's gonna be on the taxpayers now to resolve this.
06:38 And that has caused,
06:40 that has created criticism from certain parties.
06:45 - I'm afraid that the situation today
06:49 sounds rather like a couple of teenagers
06:51 who've heard that their parents are coming home
06:52 after a weekend party a bit sooner than they expected
06:56 and they're trying to get the house in order.
06:58 I'm not trying to be rude about them,
07:00 but it's not a big joined up plan.
07:02 It isn't conscious of long-term requirements.
07:06 It is just picking on two potential easy wins.
07:10 Let's have a go at EU regulations
07:12 because we've left the EU, so nobody likes that anymore.
07:15 And let's give out a big cheer for house builders
07:19 because we all know that we need more houses.
07:21 Well, it's just not good enough.
07:24 - Next, in the past five years,
07:28 Kent Police has seen more than 200,000 reports
07:31 of domestic violence,
07:32 something one Tunbridge cafe hopes to combat.
07:35 Gorgeous George offers a safe place
07:38 for those from all walks of life,
07:40 whether someone's fleeing domestic abuse
07:42 or just wanting a coffee and a chat,
07:45 like the crowd Sophia Akin went to see today.
07:47 A safe space, a place to chat,
07:52 learn new hobbies and have a morning coffee.
07:56 But for Gorgeous George in Tunbridge,
07:58 it's much more than just a weekly meetup.
08:01 More than three and a half million people in England
08:03 reported feeling lonely between November last year
08:06 and February this year.
08:08 And for those here, combating loneliness is not only vital,
08:12 but pretty close to home.
08:14 - I was poorly during lockdown
08:17 and I got pancreas failure and type 3C diabetes,
08:20 and I was very isolated.
08:23 When my friends returned to work,
08:25 I couldn't return to work
08:27 and I felt really abandoned and alone.
08:30 So I started coming into the shop
08:32 and gradually got talking to other people
08:34 and now we've got a great support network
08:36 and a band of friends.
08:37 - For those who come along to these sessions,
08:40 there's lots to do, whether it's making a brand new bag,
08:43 doing some needle felting,
08:44 or for some who just want to come along to have a chat.
08:47 - Before, obviously, this group on a Wednesday,
08:49 when we used to pop in for coffee and stuff,
08:51 and it was often like little old ladies on their own
08:54 having a coffee and we'd always have a chat to them.
08:56 It's really nice.
08:56 Yeah, there is quite a few that just come in on their own.
08:59 - I've got girls with special needs,
09:01 so I tend not to make myself go out very often.
09:05 - Like to force her to come today.
09:07 - Karen's very good at making me come
09:09 and I feel better for coming.
09:11 - I'm an only child, okay,
09:13 so I don't have to sit on brothers.
09:15 I live with my nan.
09:16 Love my nan dearly, but you do feel quite alone.
09:20 If I get stuck indoors,
09:23 I feel like it's just too much for me,
09:25 so I have to get out and about.
09:27 - But for some who go along,
09:28 it's not just loneliness they're facing.
09:31 Between 2017 and 2022, across Kent,
09:35 there were more than 200,000 reports of domestic abuse,
09:39 with a little more than 35,000 every year.
09:42 - We've seen less reporting most recently.
09:46 We are looking at whether that is a change in our processes
09:50 or actually if we've got less offences taking place.
09:54 I would say once fleeing
09:56 and when you're in a safe environment
09:57 and able to do so, it's very important that you contact us
10:00 because we can assist with that ongoing safeguarding.
10:04 So you can do that via phone, email, online chat.
10:09 If you call in 999 and it's appropriate
10:12 and it fits a certain criteria,
10:14 we can talk to you via video at the time.
10:17 - As well as contacting Kent Police,
10:19 you can also get in touch
10:21 with the National Domestic Abuse Helpline
10:23 on 0808 2000 247.
10:28 Sophia Akin for KMTV.
10:31 - Now, a man has been charged
10:35 with causing death by dangerous driving
10:37 after a 69-year-old army veteran was killed
10:40 in an alleged hit and run.
10:42 Motorcycle trike rider Glyn Clark died
10:45 following a collision on the A2050
10:47 in Harble Down in Canterbury on Saturday the 26th of August.
10:51 Mr Clark, who has been described by his family
10:54 as a very well-liked man,
10:55 had been travelling from Canterbury on the day.
10:58 The crash happened shortly before 1pm.
11:00 44-year-old Claudiu Petrascu from Faversham
11:03 was arrested the following day
11:04 and charged with causing the death of Mr Clark.
11:07 He was remanded in custody
11:08 and due to appear at Folkestone Magistrates Court today.
11:12 Next, a house has been damaged
11:15 after a lorry in Tentenden caught a power line
11:17 attached to the home in Shoreham Lane.
11:20 The tenant, Debbie Garnham, had said she came home
11:22 and half her house was missing.
11:24 She said a truck with a large load of hay
11:26 caught the electric cable and took it down the road
11:29 with some of her home's cladding.
11:31 Mrs Garnham is liaising with the house owner
11:33 and waiting for builders to repair the damage.
11:36 UK Power Network's engineers said the team made equipment safe
11:40 and restored the power supply just before 8pm.
11:42 Police and the fire service were also called to the scene.
11:46 Coming up after this very short break,
11:50 we'll be joined by KMTV's health expert, Dr Julian Spinks,
11:53 after he's been caught up in some bank holiday flight driving.
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15:13 Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
15:17 Air traffic troubles continue to cause chaos for Kent holidaymakers.
15:22 These pictures are from a busy Rhodes Airport in Greece
15:25 where KMTV's Allegra Webb is still stuck.
15:27 We'll hear from her shortly.
15:29 More than 2,000 flights have been cancelled in the past few days.
15:32 Many passengers have had minimal contact from airlines
15:35 while others have been stranded at foreign airports,
15:38 sleeping on floors and forking out on food.
15:41 It's all down to a data processing glitch
15:43 which the head of National Air Traffic Services says shouldn't happen again.
15:48 Despite the issue now being fixed, it's left a huge backlog of flights.
15:51 Airlines are desperate to get passengers back on.
15:54 Well, KMTV's health expert Dr Julian Spinks was one of these passengers
15:59 who's now been safely flown home and joins me in the studio now,
16:03 albeit on a lot of coffee to keep you up
16:05 because you got in quite early this morning, Julian.
16:08 Tell us, you were in Copenhagen. When were you meant to fly home?
16:11 How delayed were you?
16:12 I was supposed to fly home just after lunch on Monday.
16:16 At 6am my phone went off and there was a text from British Airways
16:20 saying your flight has been cancelled.
16:22 I have to say they immediately offered me the replacement flight that I came home on
16:26 but there was nothing to say why this has happened.
16:28 So, I'm saying later in the day I picked up the news saying that there was a problem
16:32 and then there was the worry over the next day whether I could find somewhere to stay
16:36 and also whether actually the flight last night would happen anyway
16:39 and I only really knew that was the case less than a couple of hours before it did.
16:43 What impact has this had on you?
16:47 You're a GP, you work for the NHS.
16:50 I've had loads of reports in other parts of the South East,
16:53 consultants being stuck abroad and appointments at hospitals having to be cancelled.
16:58 Well, obviously it was a bank holiday weekend
17:00 so people took the opportunity to go abroad because they could have a longer time and come back
17:04 and that's why my plans were to come back on Monday because I could start Tuesday again
17:08 which is always a really bad day in general practice after a bank holiday.
17:11 But, you know, I was stuck.
17:13 I had to send messages to everybody to cancel things and move things back to today.
17:17 So, even though I'm really tired I've spent most of the day doing emails and so on.
17:21 And we have colleagues elsewhere, even within the small group that I work in, who are stuck abroad.
17:27 Gosh, what sort of delayed impact do you think this is going to have on the NHS?
17:30 We have a lot impacting the NHS. You wouldn't think that this would be one of them.
17:34 Well, exactly. I mean, if you lose a GP you're looking at 30 or 40 appointments.
17:38 If it's a consultant it could be an outpatient or worse if they're surgeons it could be a surgical list
17:43 and that puts people back down on the waiting list again.
17:46 Were there many people in your position when you got to the airport?
17:49 Was it chaos when you were there in Copenhagen?
17:52 There was a lot of people milling around.
17:54 Luckily most people actually, like me, had heard before they got to the airport
17:58 so you hadn't got people sleeping on the floors.
18:00 But I met people who'd actually been bumped off three or four flights.
18:04 And my niece, who was at the same event that I was, is actually coming back to England by train
18:09 because she could not find any way to actually get a flight back this week.
18:13 Gosh, well I mentioned earlier in the introduction, Allegra Webb.
18:16 Now, she works for CAME TV. Yesterday her flight was delayed.
18:19 Initially had great contact with the airline but then didn't hear from them at all.
18:24 Thankfully, in the last hour she's found out she's flying home today.
18:27 But that last minute, I spoke to her earlier. Let's hear a bit from her now.
18:31 We were very blisteringly unaware, I think, when I had an interview with you yesterday
18:35 and we got to the airport and it seemed like there was no sense of communication at all.
18:39 When we went to the airport yesterday, our flight that we were supposed to take,
18:44 it was still going but it was for people who'd missed their flights on the Monday.
18:48 So everything just completely bowled over.
18:50 We had to obviously fund this ourselves and obviously it's been said that we compensated
18:54 but obviously we have no tunnel of when that might come back,
18:57 if it's going to come back and get assorted.
19:00 Well, it's been a nightmare for a lot of people but now that we've got you,
19:03 we've got to bring you one of the health headlines.
19:06 The 48-hour walkout by consultants in England last week
19:09 saw more than 45,000 appointments being cancelled.
19:12 Very quickly, can this go on?
19:14 No, there's got to be some way to bring this to an end.
19:17 The consultants had a bigger impact than the junior doctors
19:20 because you can't replace a consultant with a junior doctor
19:22 and they're doing all those outpatient appointments.
19:24 So that's why strikes are not good news for the NHS.
19:28 Thank you, Julian, for getting to us safely
19:30 and we'll be back with you next week as well discussing more health headlines.
19:34 Now, eyes on the sky in Kent.
19:37 Well, the brightest and biggest moon of this year will be visible both tonight and tomorrow.
19:43 It will be a rare chance to see what is known as a blue supermoon.
19:46 The last one was in 2009.
19:49 It happens when the pattern of days in the year means there are 13 full moons
19:54 instead of the usual 12.
19:56 It will appear larger and brighter than usual
19:58 because the moon is near the closest point in its orbit around Earth.
20:03 Make sure to send in your pictures to kmtvdesk@kmtv.co.uk
20:07 or on social media @kmtvkent.
20:11 Next, a fierce-looking Gillingham FC have been knocked out of the EFL Cup
20:18 showing a heartbreaking 3-2 loss against Premier League side Luton Town.
20:22 Well, with more on this and the rest of today's sports update, here's Bartholomew Hall.
20:27 Bartholomew, heartbreaking loss. What more can you tell us about the game?
20:40 Well, yeah, as you mentioned, Gillingham are now out of the EFL Cup.
20:43 In recent history, Gillingham fans have had this special relationship with the EFL Cup.
20:48 You'll remember last year they beat Brentford in Round 2, a really narrow tie there.
20:53 One all, went to penalties and they beat them.
20:56 Even just a few weeks ago, beating Southampton 3-1.
20:59 But don't let me tell you that this is anything other than really tough fixtures.
21:04 Luton showed exactly why last night.
21:06 They're Jacob Brown, 96 seconds into the game and the hosts are up 1-0 thanks to him.
21:12 It wasn't long before they doubled their advantage.
21:15 Alfie Doughty scored a brilliant free kick.
21:18 Going into half-time, 2-0 up for the hosts.
21:21 Something happened at half-time with Gillingham.
21:23 They came back onto the pitch with this new fire in their belly.
21:26 They come back on the pitch, Jadon Clarke gets his first goal for the Gills since joining in January.
21:31 Then Luton get another one back.
21:33 Neil Harris makes a few changes, brings on the likes of Tom Nicholls, the number 9 for Gillingham.
21:38 He scores this brilliant header.
21:40 You're thinking at this point, not long left, about 15 minutes.
21:43 If Gills get one more goal, they'll be in the same situation they were last year.
21:47 They'll go straight to penalties at full-time.
21:49 Where will they be then?
21:51 Unfortunately for many fans, it didn't happen.
21:54 The game ended and Gillingham got kicked out.
21:56 Let's hear now from Neil Harris after the game.
21:59 Really proud of the group.
22:01 Fantastic second-half effort.
22:03 We put a Premier League side under real pressure at moments of the game.
22:07 To show the character and personality we did, we went 2-0 down after 35 minutes.
22:13 Teams may have crumbled against some quality opposition.
22:17 But we regrouped at half-time and had a right-go second-half.
22:22 To get back to 2-1, then 3-2 and build a bit of pressure and momentum, we just didn't have that next moment.
22:29 They're the margins that when you go against top players, you can fall the wrong side on.
22:36 Elsewhere in football, Ebbs Fleet's manager Denis Kutryb said his side has to be better
22:40 following their 3-2 loss to Gateshead earlier in the week.
22:45 The Fleet, currently eighth in the National League standings, have won three of their six games so far this season.
22:51 Striker Dominic Poulian has continued his top-scoring form from last season
22:55 when the North Kent squad were playing in the National South, scoring six so far, highest in the league.
23:01 However, speaking after the match, Kutryb said he was massively disappointed going home
23:05 to think he could have got a win and that it's always frustrating to concede goals.
23:10 And It's Me and Premier side Margate United boss Rhys Prestige has questioned his players'
23:16 second-half work rate following their derby defeat at Folkestone.
23:20 2-0 was the final scoreline at Cheriton Road as the Gate fell to their second successive league loss in just three days.
23:26 Following the match on Tuesday, Prestige said three or four of his players just weren't working hard enough.
23:32 The boss says the 15th-placed team have to take their league break, regroup and go again.
23:37 Next up for Margate is the FA Cup first-round qualifying against Hendon FC this weekend.
23:42 And finally from me, the Tornadoes, Corfball Club and Academy's second team have celebrated a successful
23:48 sporting season after winning the South East Regional League.
23:51 The Chatham-based team are one of the most successful in the UK at the mixed-gender sport,
23:56 supported by some of England's first team in their coaching staff.
23:59 Reflecting on winning the league, squad captain Rebecca Hanks said doing so brought lots of joy
24:04 and feeling of accomplishment to the whole team.
24:06 The Tornadoes train at Chatham Grammar School every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
24:11 and play their matches on Saturdays.
24:13 Well, congratulations to them. That's it from me with the sport for today.
24:26 Well, following me with the sport there, now it's time for us to take a very quick look at the weather.
24:30 Looking fairly mild this evening. Lows of 12 in Tunbridge Wells, highs of 14 near Dover.
24:42 Tomorrow morning, pretty wet and rainy. 16 degrees in North Kent, lows of 14 in Tunbridge Wells.
24:49 By the afternoon, warming up slightly to 17 degrees in some places in parts of Kent.
24:54 Still raining and the next few days look much the same.
24:57 Friday, some thunderstorms in Chatham, but Sunday should be sunny.
25:01 Straight after the break, we'll be bringing you another episode of Kent on Climate,
25:15 where we discuss environmental issues and matters impacting the county.
25:19 I speak to expert guests and find out what you can do to help at home too.
25:23 Today we have a full show covering our latest eco-adventures,
25:26 but also we'll be discussing new data and analysing fresh initiatives.
25:31 We'll meet the woman leading the charge to make more eco-friendly batteries.
25:37 She joined me all the way from South Africa to tell us about her research over here at the University of Kent.
25:47 We also hear from the Motorcycle Action Group who say bikes could be the answer to reducing air pollution,
25:53 as the expansion of the ultra-low emission zone comes to Kent border.
25:57 They say they're more eco-friendly as they don't idle in traffic,
26:02 but the government says all non-compliant vehicles need to be charged.
26:05 And we find out what data has been revealed about our bug population in Kent.
26:10 Are numbers increasing or decreasing?
26:13 You citizen scientists have been counting splats on number plates, logging them online.
26:18 Today we'll find out some of those results.
26:21 All that and even more to come.
26:24 But that's all we've got time for, for this week's episode of Kent Tonight, live on KMTV.
26:30 There's more news made just for Kent throughout the evening.
26:33 And don't forget to keep up to date with the latest news by logging on to kmtv.co.uk.
26:38 But stick around, I'll be here for Kent on Climate in just a few minutes' time. See you then.
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