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Catch up on the latest news from across the county with Abby Hook.
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00:02 - Good evening and welcome to Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
00:28 I'm Abbey Hook, here are your top stories
00:30 on Monday the 8th of January.
00:33 First snowfall of the year.
00:35 Yellow weather warning in force
00:36 as Kent hits minus temperatures.
00:39 - Bit mental.
00:40 It's just one minute we're tipping it down with rain
00:44 and the next we've got snow.
00:45 It's mental.
00:46 - A whole lot of problems.
00:49 Tented in residence say an accident's waiting to happen
00:52 as potholes double in Kent.
00:55 - This road has deteriorated in the last four or five years
00:58 to a point where it's now dangerous.
01:01 - And magic made stone.
01:04 United reached the FA Cup fourth round
01:06 for the first time ever.
01:09 - This is history.
01:10 We've created history.
01:12 - But first tonight,
01:23 health and weather warnings are out in force across Kent
01:26 as the county braces for the first snow of the year.
01:29 The amber weather alert was issued
01:31 just before the programme this evening,
01:32 upgrading the severity from the yellow health alert
01:35 earlier today.
01:36 Snow has been spotted in Faversham, Ashford and Canterbury
01:40 with commuters urged to be cautious on the roads.
01:42 Oliver Leder de Sacks has been braving the elements
01:45 here in Medway.
01:46 - The 12 days of Christmas may be over
01:49 but the wintry weather has just begun.
01:52 Temperatures across the county have dropped
01:54 to highs of just above freezing
01:56 with icy streets creating a higher risk of injury.
02:00 Here in Rochester High Street,
02:01 the reactions from residents have been just a tad frosty.
02:05 So how are you enjoying the snow on your birthday?
02:07 - Yeah, I never had a white birthday before.
02:10 Quite a shock to us today.
02:11 - It's not ideal, it's a bit cold.
02:13 It's always fun to see the snow,
02:16 but I'd rather it be a bit drier today actually.
02:20 - It's a bit mental.
02:22 It's just one minute we're tipping it down with rain
02:24 and the next we've got snow.
02:26 It's mental.
02:27 - It's fine.
02:28 We're fully dressed for it.
02:30 Little dog, he's fully dressed for it
02:33 but we're not gonna stay out too long
02:34 'cause who knows how long it's gonna last, eh?
02:37 - Well, while some people in Medway are enjoying the weather,
02:40 this blizzard and blast is expected to be short-lived
02:44 with our taste of snow set to go by tomorrow.
02:47 - Sadly, we're not set for snow for the rest of the week.
02:49 This is just a very brief sort of cold pool
02:52 that's moving across the North Sea
02:55 and then it'll be in the Atlantic
02:57 by this time tomorrow, sadly.
02:59 But we can expect things to be a lot drier and a lot,
03:04 well, colder than they have been
03:05 because recently it's really been quite mild.
03:08 And of course, that means the mild, wet
03:13 and sort of gloomy, horrible mess.
03:15 But tomorrow should be a lot better.
03:17 - Although the snow may be short-lived,
03:20 motorists are still advised to stay cautious
03:22 on the way home tonight.
03:23 - Really take that extra care.
03:25 Make sure you're a little bit more vigilant.
03:28 Everybody knows their routes back
03:31 and we tend to take them for granted
03:33 but there could still be a few slippy patches out there.
03:36 There could still be some icy patches even.
03:39 So where we've treated all of the main roads,
03:41 a lot of the rural roads, estate roads, et cetera,
03:44 could still be quite slippery.
03:46 There could still be some residue of snow
03:48 on some of those minor routes.
03:51 What we've seen is snow in particular
03:53 sort of out the Sevenoaks Way.
03:54 We've seen it in North Kempfavisham Way as well.
03:57 So it's really, those rural roads
04:00 will still be a bit slippery.
04:02 So take, please, extra care on those.
04:04 - With an amber cold health alert in place
04:06 for the rest of the week
04:07 and temperatures dropping below freezing
04:09 in some parts of the county,
04:11 the best way to stay safe is to stay warm.
04:14 Oliver Leader of the SAC reporting for KMTV.
04:17 - Well, Oliver joins me in the studio now.
04:20 It seems to have died down a bit now
04:23 for that rush hour commute that will be happening now.
04:25 And it's a lot warmer in here
04:27 than it looks in this picture here.
04:29 - Almost certainly, Abby.
04:30 But KK Council are still out there right now
04:32 gritting the roads.
04:33 They were out there last night,
04:35 early hours in the morning, 3 a.m.
04:37 and now gritting about one third of Kent's roads.
04:40 That's one third of 5,500 miles of Kent Highway.
04:45 That's primarily A and B roads.
04:48 Rural roads will still be icy and slippery.
04:50 As we heard from Toby Howe,
04:52 commuters in rural areas need to drive carefully tonight.
04:55 Be cautious, there could be black ice.
04:57 There could still be snow on those roads.
04:59 The primary roads that commuters use,
05:01 they will likely be safe, but still stay vigilant.
05:05 - What's the forecast looking like
05:06 for the next few days now?
05:08 - So the snow should clear up for tomorrow,
05:10 but temperatures across county are still going to be low,
05:14 although rising towards the end of the week.
05:17 There was an AMBER health alert issued
05:19 just before the programme,
05:20 just within half an hour of us going to air.
05:23 And this means that there is health issues
05:28 that like vulnerable people, pregnant women, elderly people
05:31 need to be more vigilant this week.
05:33 Just 'cause the snow is going away
05:35 doesn't mean that these health issues are going away.
05:38 There will be more ice.
05:39 There will be temperatures dipping below
05:41 minus degrees at night.
05:43 Stay warm, wear layers, have hot drinks available.
05:48 That is important to stay safe at the moment.
05:51 - Oliver, thank you for bringing us those details.
05:53 We'll certainly see what the picture looks like
05:55 across Kent in the coming days as well.
05:57 Thank you.
05:57 Now, the man in charge of Kent's highways
06:01 has admitted he isn't happy with their current state.
06:05 It comes as data from Kent County Council
06:07 reveals more than 5,500 holes were reported
06:10 in the last three months of 2023.
06:13 The authorities say they're investing £50 million
06:16 into tackling the problem.
06:17 But with weather, just like as we've reported this evening,
06:20 that tends to create potholes,
06:22 is that money going to be enough?
06:23 Well, Gabriel Morris reports.
06:25 - We all hate a pothole,
06:27 and drivers across Kent will likely tell you
06:30 there are more of them than ever.
06:32 And they might be right.
06:34 The number of reports the Kent County Council
06:36 has tripled in three years.
06:39 And the AA say they've been called out
06:43 to more puncture repairs than ever.
06:45 They say it's so bad,
06:46 they're telling drivers now to avoid potholes altogether.
06:50 - There are certain roads across the counties as well,
06:53 which are becoming hot spots.
06:55 And we're seeing a lot more, you know,
06:58 tyre-related breakdowns,
07:00 whether that's sidewall damage, cracked alloys as well.
07:05 And the only way to sort of slow this down
07:06 would be roads being repaired efficiently
07:09 and to a better state, really.
07:13 - We were last on this road in Tenterton last summer.
07:16 This is what it looks like today.
07:19 Some patch-ups have been carried out,
07:21 but potholes are forming again.
07:23 And that's angered local residents, especially cyclists.
07:28 - There are potholes down the middle,
07:29 there are potholes on the edge, there's metalwork.
07:32 And there's also the coming over the brow of the hill,
07:36 you can't, traffic can't see us.
07:37 So it's incredibly dangerous.
07:39 And just something needs to be done
07:40 because there's going to be an accident here.
07:42 - Last summer, KCC said they had six extra teams
07:46 repairing holes.
07:47 But today, the man in charge of highways told us
07:50 they couldn't get around to all of them
07:52 because of how wet the summer was.
07:55 Potholes, are you happy with the state of Kent's roads
07:58 as they stand currently?
08:00 - I wouldn't describe myself as happy
08:01 because I wouldn't want to be accused of gaslighting
08:03 the residents of Kent who see potholes on a daily basis.
08:06 I think we've got to be fair.
08:07 It's winter, we've got the gritters out,
08:09 we're at a nine-year high of pothole reporting.
08:12 It's very cold, it's very wet.
08:13 We've got the perfect conditions
08:14 where it is at the very worst.
08:16 So I'm not happy with the roads.
08:17 I'm happy that we have people out there
08:19 on a constant basis in all weathers,
08:22 reporting, acting upon the inquiries we get.
08:25 I want to see the roads better.
08:27 They will get better at the moment,
08:28 they're not where I'd like them.
08:29 - KCC says they won't have access
08:32 to central government funding till April,
08:34 but they are currently investing in new technology
08:37 to repair highways quicker and for longer.
08:40 And it's no secret money is tight
08:43 for councils across the country.
08:45 - Well, I think they are certainly under budget pressures,
08:49 but the government did announce last year in the budget
08:51 an extra six million for funding for KCC.
08:55 And in the autumn statement,
08:56 there was a very grand claim
08:58 that they were going to devote 8 billion
09:00 to improving potholes.
09:01 So I don't really think there's an excuse now.
09:04 Money should be available to fix these big problems.
09:08 - The winter so far has been fairly mild,
09:10 but today has seen snow showers falling across the county.
09:15 That's going to freeze potholes
09:17 and possibly make them bigger.
09:19 Although emergency repairs are being carried out
09:22 in the winter, the bulk of the winter damage
09:25 won't be fixed till the weather becomes mild.
09:28 Gabriel Morris for KNTV.
09:30 - Well, Gabriel joins me in the studio now.
09:33 Gabriel, you got caught in the snow earlier today
09:35 as well as Oliver.
09:36 And as you say, some key weather for creating potholes.
09:39 - Yeah, there are a number of different ways,
09:41 in fact, potholes can be formed.
09:44 One of them is water getting into potholes.
09:48 When it freezes in days like today,
09:50 that essentially spreads the pothole and pushes it
09:54 and it cracks away and you'll see gravel
09:56 falling around the pothole.
09:57 If you have a look at them, you quite often see gravel
09:59 on the side of the road from where the pothole is formed.
10:01 One of the other big ones is traffic,
10:04 heavy traffic over a weak bit of road.
10:07 That will force that gravel and road material
10:12 to crumble apart.
10:13 And the other one is a weak concrete,
10:16 a weak surface, a weak asphalt as well.
10:19 That can be quite damaging as well to the road.
10:23 - And many people say that roadworks
10:26 can cause some of these issues
10:28 and make them even more prevalent.
10:29 - No, exactly.
10:30 And I put this today to the man in charge of highways
10:32 at Kent County Council,
10:34 because many people will often tell us,
10:35 well, it's contractor utilities workers
10:38 who will repair the road quickly,
10:41 maybe not to a good standard.
10:42 And I put this to him earlier and this is what he said.
10:45 - I mean, as people often say,
10:46 we have an ageing road network.
10:47 The utility companies have ageing utilities.
10:50 They have the right to access them
10:51 and they can come to us and ask to close the road.
10:54 But sometimes if we were to say no,
10:55 they could then decide it's an emergency.
10:57 They don't have to tell us
10:58 until two hours after the closure already happening.
11:01 This is something that a lot of people
11:02 are getting incredibly frustrated by.
11:04 And my deputy cabinet member, David Robey,
11:06 is currently leading on a review
11:07 about how we can actually look at
11:08 what the utilities companies are doing,
11:10 what powers we currently have,
11:12 what powers we may need,
11:13 and what conversations we may need
11:14 to have with central government
11:16 so we can reclaim control of our roads.
11:18 - And there we go.
11:19 That's what he had to say.
11:20 We'll be following that closely
11:21 to see what the review of that is.
11:24 It's interesting that Kent County Council
11:25 are picking up on utility workers
11:27 potentially poorly repaired roads
11:29 after roadworks have happened.
11:31 - And we'll see how that develops,
11:32 especially after some of this bad weather
11:34 we've been seeing.
11:34 Gabriel, thank you for giving us those details.
11:37 Now it's time for a very quick break,
11:39 but we've got more news from right across the county
11:41 and a look to Maidstone United scoring success
11:45 as they're through to the fourth round of the FA Cup
11:47 for the very first time.
11:49 All that and more.
11:50 See you then.
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15:06 - Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
15:16 Now, Eurostar Services won't be returning to Kent this year.
15:20 It sparked anger among some passengers
15:22 who have to travel to London from the county,
15:24 hoping to get into Europe.
15:26 A spokesperson for the train company said
15:28 Eurostar Services will not stop at Ebbsfleet
15:31 or Ashford International or go direct to Disney in 2024.
15:35 And we cannot make any commitment for 2025.
15:38 No trains into Europe have pulled into either station
15:41 since the start of the first lockdown in March, 2020.
15:44 But they say borders have become more complex
15:46 and the EU's entry and exit system
15:49 has meant they're being cautious.
15:50 Today is the last day of junior doctor strikes across Kent
15:55 and the rest of England in what marked
15:57 one of the longest in NHS history.
16:00 Members of the British Medical Association
16:02 will finish their 144 hour walkout
16:04 tomorrow morning at 7 a.m.
16:07 It comes during the busy winter period,
16:09 prompting a warning from NHS England director, Stephen Powis
16:12 that the health service has faced its toughest start
16:15 to a year since it was created.
16:17 Members of the BMA say they want the government
16:19 to make a credible pay offer, asking for a 35% increase.
16:23 But the government says it's waiting
16:25 to get back round the table.
16:26 Well, now that no further industrial action has been called,
16:29 it's hoped talks will resume.
16:31 Now in football, and Maidstone have made history
16:35 by reaching the fourth round of the FA Cup
16:38 for the first time.
16:39 It comes after they beat League One side, Stevenage,
16:42 who sit 69 places above Maidstone in the football pyramid.
16:45 The Stones now wait eagerly to find out
16:48 who they will face next with the draw for the fourth round
16:50 due to take place just before 8 p.m. this evening.
16:53 Well, our sports reporter, Bartholomew Hall, has more.
16:57 It was the biggest game of their careers.
16:59 Sixth tier Maidstone United went into Saturday's game
17:02 against League One's Stevenage with nothing to lose.
17:05 They'd already reached the third round of the FA Cup
17:08 for the first time since the club reformed in 1992
17:11 and were the lowest ranked side still in the competition.
17:14 The 12.30 kick-off was met with a sell-out crowd
17:17 at the Gallagher Stadium and the action got underway quick
17:20 with both sides putting in their all
17:21 and struggling to settle on the ball early on.
17:24 69 places between these two sides on the football pyramid
17:27 and Maidstone held their own in the first 20 minutes,
17:30 negotiating well against a stronger and bigger opposition.
17:33 United's big moment came in first half added time
17:36 when Jacob 'Berkeley' Adepong was tripped in the box.
17:39 The referee pointed to the spot and Sam Corn stepped up for his club.
17:42 A confident smash put the Stones ahead going into the break
17:46 and the upset was on.
17:47 Maidstone weathered a heavy second-half pressure
17:50 with Steve Evans making two changes to his Stevenage 11,
17:53 but the visitors just couldn't get past the stone-walled offence
17:57 of Lucas Cavagnari in goal.
17:59 Jubilation at the Gallagher with hundreds of Maidstone fans
18:02 storming the pitch to enjoy the win with their club
18:04 as they reached the fourth round for the first time.
18:07 We did the work in pre-season with them
18:14 and we set out today to make sure history was made.
18:18 We told our players, I told the players before they came out today
18:21 to enjoy every bit of it, leave everything on the football pitch
18:25 and have no regrets at the end of it.
18:26 But I told them there was one more step,
18:28 there was one more step and we could cause an upset today, a big one.
18:32 Meanwhile at Priestfield, Gillingham didn't have quite the same luck
18:35 against their Premier League opposition, Sheffield United.
18:39 Another Kent upset looked unlikely at half-time
18:41 with Will Sula scoring twice to put the visitors two goals up.
18:45 A near-miss header from Max Eamer almost brought Gillingham back into it
18:48 before James McAtee added a late double for a 4-0 scoreline.
18:53 Probably a little bit disappointed with the goals we conceded today.
18:55 I wouldn't like to concede them in League 2.
18:58 We can always moan about goals, etc.
19:01 But I think the boys will be disappointed in them as well.
19:03 I've mentioned that to them in the dressing room.
19:06 But Sheffield United, they're worthy winners
19:08 and good luck to them in the next round.
19:10 Elsewhere and League action continued for Kent's sides
19:13 with Ebbsfleet starting the new year with a much-needed three points.
19:16 They beat Weldstone at Stonebridge, marking the relegation-threatened side's
19:20 first clean sheet in 26 games and their third win in 21 National League matches.
19:26 In the National League South, just Tunbridge won out of Kent's playing sides,
19:29 beating Weymouth 2-1.
19:31 Bottom sitters Dover lost out 2-0 to Truro City
19:34 and Dartford levelled with Western Supermare
19:36 with Gillingham loanee Matty McArthur making his scoring debut for the Darts.
19:40 And finally, down in the Yidsme and Premier, no winners this week
19:43 with second-place Chatham Town failing to find an equaliser against Bognor Regis.
19:48 Folkestone found a draw with Wingate and Finchley
19:50 and ten-manned Margate suffered a last-minute own goal to deny them a point.
19:57 Well, Bartholomew, you've joined me in the studio now.
19:59 Some really exciting news for Maidstone.
20:01 Absolutely. I mean, we're now down to the last 32 teams in the FA Cup.
20:06 This is huge for Maidstone.
20:08 Now, we're going to find out who they'll be playing in Round 4 this evening.
20:11 As you mentioned earlier, that's just before 8pm this evening
20:14 on all the usual Emirates FA Cup channels.
20:17 They've got Ball 30, so keep your eye out for 3-0.
20:22 Now, there's lots of Premier League sides still in the competition.
20:25 They did pretty well over the weekend.
20:27 Bar Arsenal, who were beat by Liverpool last night.
20:30 So, Liverpool have Ball 3, if you're a Liverpool fan
20:32 or you're looking out for them potentially taking on Maidstone.
20:36 But for Georgie Lacobie, of course, the manager of Maidstone,
20:39 he'll be looking out for one team, his former Premier League side, Wolverhampton Wanderers.
20:43 They actually drew against Brentford on Friday.
20:45 So, they've still got to go through another match
20:48 before they can secure their Round 4 place.
20:50 But if they do, they have Ball 28.
20:52 So, Ball 28, Ball 30, and Georgie Lacobie will be facing his former side.
20:57 We can actually hear from him now.
20:58 I managed to catch up with him earlier today about that possibility
21:02 and what it would mean for him.
21:04 I always have to lean towards Wolverhampton Wanderers.
21:07 That's my former club.
21:10 I call that my second home.
21:13 But definitely, they are at the top of my wish list, I'm sure.
21:18 But mostly, it's to give our players that experience of going away
21:23 and playing against a Premier League club.
21:27 And for them to be able to experience the feel and learn from that experience.
21:34 That's why I'm hoping it's a big one for us today.
21:38 So, again, fingers crossed.
21:40 And we'll hear more from George in our Invicta Sport programme,
21:45 which is coming up just after the break.
21:46 And if you're wondering as well, Gillingham, obviously, beat by Sheffield United.
21:49 They've got Ball 23.
21:51 So, that's the one to look out for for them.
21:53 And very quickly, a snippet of what else is to come in Invicta Sport this evening.
21:56 Yeah, we'll be speaking to one of our local squash champions,
21:59 who's just come back from the British Junior Open in Birmingham.
22:02 And we're also talking a bit about active transport with a group from Tunbridge.
22:06 There we go. Lots coming up on Invicta Sport, as always.
22:09 Bartholomew, thank you very much.
22:11 Now, just before we go, another look at the weather forecast.
22:15 Tonight, there are cold temperatures between zero to two degrees,
22:25 with cloudy skies, a bit of wind too.
22:28 The wind's sticking around for Tuesday morning.
22:30 Temperatures between zero and three.
22:32 A bit of rain in Margate.
22:34 Tuesday afternoon, sunshine right across the county,
22:37 but sticking with those cold temperatures, a bit of wind too.
22:41 And the next few days look like this.
22:43 Wednesday, some sunshine.
22:44 Temperatures hiking up to eight degrees by Friday, but cloudy.
22:48 And don't forget, you can keep up to date with all your latest stories across Kent
22:59 by logging on to our website, kmtv.co.uk.
23:03 There you'll find all our reports, including this one,
23:05 about the leader of Medway Council saying the local plan will be delivered,
23:10 after the levelling up secretary deemed it one of the worst councils in the country
23:14 for housing planning back in December. Take a look.
23:17 In the final working week of the year, those at Medway Council had hoped for a quiet one.
23:23 This all came tumbling down when the levelling up secretary branded Medway Council
23:28 as one of the worst local authorities for housing planning.
23:31 Today I'm issuing a direction to seven of the worst authorities in terms of plan making,
23:35 who failed not just to do a doctor plan, but even to submit one to examination since 2004.
23:42 St Albans, Amber Valley, Ashfield, Medway, Upplesford, Basildon and Castlepoint
23:48 will all need to provide me with a planned timetable within 12 weeks.
23:53 Today Medway leader Vince Maypool has called on Michael Gove to visit the town
23:57 and insists they will meet housing targets in the 2040 local plan.
24:01 And you've got 12 weeks now to come up with a plan, so do you have a plan?
24:05 Look, we've got a clear plan. We were clear before the election this is going to be a priority for us.
24:10 The previous Conservative administration failed to deliver this for more than two decades.
24:16 We're getting on with the job that we've been given to do.
24:19 It's really unfortunate that Michael Gove didn't recognise any of that in his letter to me,
24:23 didn't recognise that in his speech yesterday.
24:25 I hope they'll take this opportunity to come and engage,
24:28 see the positive approach the new administration are taking.
24:31 The opposition has been approached for comment.
24:33 And earlier this year the levelling up department scrapped £170m of housing infrastructure funding in Medway,
24:41 something the leader says has made the local plan a challenge to deliver.
24:45 Local homeless charity Gillingham Street Angels deemed Gove's comments as harsh,
24:50 but said Medway does need more affordable housing.
24:53 Obviously housing is a massive problem at the moment across the country.
24:56 The houses being built in Medway, I'm not completely sure myself,
25:00 but are they for social housing? Are these affordable houses for people to go into?
25:03 Or are we bringing more people out of area who, you know, we're struggling to look after our own people.
25:07 What we don't want is people coming out of the area, putting more resources under pressure.
25:13 There's a lot of problems as it is, you know, whether the NHS, the rail services, the buses,
25:17 all these things are already under pressure.
25:18 The last thing we want to do is we put more pressure on them.
25:21 We need to be looking after the people we've already got here, housing them.
25:24 Why build houses to bring in more people? It just seems to be pointless.
25:27 Michael Gove said that developments could be resisted if they didn't fit within an area's character,
25:32 harm the environment, or if there isn't infrastructure sufficient to support it,
25:37 a change which some say effectively relaxes housing targets.
25:41 Medway Council has a commitment to build almost 30,000 homes by 2040,
25:45 and said they'll continue to work at their local plan to deliver this.
25:50 2023 may be drawing to a close, but Medway Council's to-do list certainly isn't.
25:54 They now have 12 weeks to put together a housing plan to present to the levelling up secretary.
25:59 Michael Gove has said if they don't do this within the 12 weeks, central government will intervene.
26:04 So it seems Medway Council definitely has their work cut out for them for 2024.
26:08 Sophia Akin for KMTV in Medway.
26:11 Well, that's all we've got time for this evening on Kent Tonight, live here on KMTV.
26:17 Now, there is more news made just for Kent throughout the evening with our 8pm news bulletin,
26:21 but of course, right after this short break, we'll be back with a brand new episode of Invicta Sport with Bartholomew Hall.
26:27 But in the meantime, you can keep up to date with your latest news across your county
26:31 by logging on to our website, kmtv.co.uk.
26:34 That's all from me, handing over to Bartholomew Hall and the Invicta Sport team this evening.
26:39 See you soon. Bye bye.
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