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Catch up with the latest news from across the county with Nailah Mahomed.
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00:11Hello and welcome to Kent tonight live here on KMTV. I'm Naila Mohamed with your top stories
00:16on Monday the 12th of October. Britain closed for help. Nigel Farage has been in Kent to say
00:23he'll suspend the UK's asylum system. A bubble, a bubble. There is a growing feeling in this
00:29country and a growing sense of anger and you can see it down the road in Dover. Closing time?
00:37Are Kent charity shops facing a financial crisis? I get what they're doing. They're going more for
00:43the bigger warehouses and trying to get more things in. However, I think we need to support
00:49the high street. And striking a pose. Nigerian artists put together a fashion show to celebrate
00:56Black History Month. I would love to celebrate my culture and I'd like to show how important it is
01:01to my family and me.
01:11Well, Kent's been back on the front line of British politics today as Reform UK leader Nigel Farage
01:17was in the county. He was here to announce a major new party policy around asylum seekers.
01:22Reform say if they get into power, they will suspend the right for anyone to seek refuge in
01:27our country. Our reporter Chloe Brewster was in Hive to watch the MP for Clacton on Sea
01:32take to the stage.
01:35This industrial estate in Hive filled with media this morning as Nigel Farage docked into Kent's
01:41to announce his latest pledge for a future reform government. Taking his place at the podium,
01:47it's easy to note the sheer size of the boat placed behind him.
01:51There is a growing feeling in this country and a growing sense of anger. And you can see
01:57it down the road in Dover. You can see it in Portsmouth. You can see it in Gosport. And
02:04by the way, I don't approve of anybody wearing Balaclan, as I never have and I never will. But
02:13it's not just of unfairness, not just that it's wrong, but that frankly, we treat people
02:20who come here illegally better than we treat our own people.
02:26He vowed he'd effectively closed down the UK's asylum system for up to five years, with
02:32Zia Youssef backing up claims that Britain is full. The plan is called Operation Restoring
02:38Justice, and will also ban British visas for countries if they refuse to allow deportation
02:43flights to land in their country. It will also push forward plans to leave the European
02:48Convention of Human Rights, and repeal the Human Rights Act to replace it.
02:53Naturally, to people who don't know your party well, that brings up that fear of what human
02:58rights can be taken away from me in the next election. The ECHR protects things like equality
03:03between spouses, for example. Can you reassure that you're not going to...
03:06We're going to give them back liberty and freedom.
03:09Are you saying we don't have liberty and freedom now?
03:11Well, actually, I think frankly, given there are more doors knocked on for what people say
03:16on Facebook every year than there are in Putin's Russia, I'm not so sure that we do. Look, even
03:23if the Human Rights Act was well intended, it has now led to a situation where we can't
03:28even get rid of people who are potential terrorists, of people who have committed mass rapes and
03:35grooming gangs. We have to get back that control. And this happens in life sometimes. Sometimes
03:41something can be very well intended, but it turns out to become a barrier to what's right
03:45for even more people. And look, when it comes to freedom and free speech, we don't need any
03:50European conventions. We've led for centuries on this sort of thing.
03:56Farage was supported by Kent County Council's reform leadership, who unsurprisingly echoed
04:02his calls to stop the boats.
04:04Well, I didn't like the balaclavas. That made me feel very uncomfortable. But I can
04:07completely understand why those people took to the streets to protest. You know, the anger
04:11that is felt by most ordinary people out there, that our borders are no longer secure, that
04:17the boats are arriving in great numbers. And you can see the boat behind me here is a scale
04:20model of one of the boats that arrived just a few weeks ago, carrying hundreds of people.
04:26I mean, the situation is out of control. As Nigel said, there is a national security emergency.
04:31A lot of the people on the boats will come here to do us harm. And at the moment, they're
04:35just being let in. And we're giving them free board, free bed and lodging and pocket money
04:40and phones and allowing them to roam freely around the country. I mean, the situation is just
04:44ridiculous. Since the start of 2026, we've only seen reform move down the poles. So will
04:50Farage's announcement today in Kent actually leave a lasting impact here at the port of
04:55Dover? Chloe Brewster for KMTV in Dover.
05:00Three burglars have been imprisoned after a targeted attack on an elderly couple's home
05:04in Medway. Footage from the police shows the moment Jesse Eastwood, Thomas O'Sullivan and
05:09Christopher David, hid in the shadows outside the couple's home in Rochester before attacking
05:14them and stealing watches and jewellery. The three men then escaped in a stolen car, locking
05:19the couple in their home and stealing their phones to prevent them from calling for help.
05:24All three were arrested and charged with aggravated burglary, which they admitted in Maidstone
05:29Crown Court. They will serve sentences of varying lengths from two years and five months to
05:33seven years and eight months.
05:36A man in Dover has described seeing a huge fireball behind his home after an explosion
05:41in an underground tunnel. This video shows the scene at Gary Barker's house in Athel Terrace,
05:47close to the port of Dover late on Friday evening, as Kent's Fire and Rescue Service extinguished
05:52the fire, remaining at the property for about three hours. The fire is believed to have originated
05:57from a tunnel connected to Dover Castle, which starts in Mr Baker's garden and is being treated
06:02as deliberate. There were no injuries reported, though residents told Kent Online that the
06:07explosion shook their houses.
06:12A man has been charged with attempted murder after a serious assault in Swanley last week.
06:18Our reporter Justine Latter was there for us last week and joined me on the sofa earlier
06:22to tell me more.
06:23So, Justine, what is the latest update?
06:26So, a man has been arrested following the shooting in Acacia Walk last week. What happened
06:32on Thursday was basically that police, paramedics and the air ambulance were called to the area
06:37around 8.50pm, where a man in his twenties had sustained injuries consistent with gunshot wounds.
06:44He was taken to a hospital in London for treatment and has since been discharged. Two men were arrested
06:49that same evening and two further men were arrested on Friday in connection with the incident. The man
06:55charged with attempted murder is 28-year-old Connor Heffernan, of no fixed address, who has
07:01also been charged with possession of a firearm and intent to endanger life. Two of the other
07:07men who were arrested have since been released on bail and one remains in custody while police
07:11investigations are ongoing.
07:13Well, you were there at the scene with the police cordon. What was the atmosphere like?
07:18So, there was a very tense feeling at the cordon last week. There were some residents who were
07:23completely unaware of what had happened and others who were quite anxious about the incident. I spoke
07:28to one woman who was so frightened she wanted to remain anonymous and she had showed KMTV footage of
07:35her doorbell where a person who had walked past carrying what looked like a large gun and I spoke to
07:41another person, Gemma Jarvis, who's lived in the Acacia Walk area for over 30 years and she said the
07:48situation made her feel very anxious.
07:51What's worrying me is that my child, what if he's outside playing, you know, we've never had to worry
08:00about guns ever. Me and my sister would go out and it was, you know, it was only the knives
08:05you hear
08:06about. So now it's guns. How are we getting guns in the country and what's going on? So what's going
08:10to
08:10change? And is there going to be more guns that are used? Because like, you've never heard of a gun
08:16being used in this country, not really. So what do we, how are we, how are we going to keep
08:22our
08:22children safe? How are we going to keep each other safe? How can we leave the house and feel
08:27comfortable that nothing's going to happen?
08:29So Kent police are still appealing for witnesses and they want to hear from those who have private
08:35CCTV, dash cam footage, or who may have been in the area at the time of the incident and they're
08:40encouraging those people to get in touch. Thanks so much, Justine. With some charity shops closing and
08:47others expanding, Kent high streets are changing. But is this a sign of a sector in crisis or simply a
08:53change in how charity shops operate? Maisie Walker reports. Charity shops in Kent remain popular for
09:00affordable, sustainable shopping. However, rising running costs have forced some stores to close,
09:06while others are expanding into larger shops. Walk down any high street and you've probably noticed
09:12charity shops closing their doors. But despite this, industry leaders are saying that the charity sector
09:17isn't in crisis. So what's actually happening behind the counter?
09:21Recently, well, last two years, we opened up The Hangar, which is our huge warehouse shop.
09:28With that, we've had sales soaring in there. And it's also been able to help the smaller shops in
09:35funding, etc, where we may fall short, the larger shops are able to help us out. And we're also looking
09:41to expand further later on down the line, hopefully to possibly another warehouse store or something.
09:47I think it's a huge benefit for the charity. It will increase sales, donations. On top of that,
09:53it gives a lot of charities like a hub space where they're able to distribute certain things to certain
10:00shops. So this shop is like our boutique shop. So we try to use The Hangar as a way to
10:07navigate
10:07certain suppliers to come to the shop. The decision to close smaller branches and invest in larger stores
10:13has come as a surprise to local communities. But with the cost of running a shop continuing to rise,
10:20more charities are adopting this approach to stay afloat. But what do local residents actually think?
10:27I get what they're doing. They're going more for the bigger warehouses and trying to get more things
10:33in. However, I think we need to support the high street and the local shops in the high street. And
10:39I think that's what brings people from the charity shops into that aspect.
10:44If they need the space, if there's the demand for it, then yeah, I don't see why they shouldn't
10:52get bigger properties. I think it's a big shame because the smaller branches are often more
10:57accessible to people. I think it's probably a positive thing overall. I mean, I'm not really
11:01sure, but I'm glad there's more interest in charity shops. As shopping habits change and prices continue
11:08to climb, Kent's charity shops are being forced to adapt. But with bargain hunting and sustainability
11:13still in demand, the question is whether bigger stores are the future of charity retail across the
11:20county. Maisie Walker for KMTV, Rochester. Now it's time for a quick break, but coming up we'll have
11:27plenty more. We'll take a look at Kent County Council's decision to spend millions of pounds upgrading
11:32around about. All that and so much more. We'll see you soon.
14:57Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight Live here on KMTV.
15:01Now, Kent County Council has spent £46.5 million on upgrading a roundabout near Sittingbourne, over £13 million more than
15:10originally planned.
15:11Work to the Groveshurst roundabout started in September 2023 and has faced numerous delays, but was completed in June this
15:19year.
15:19And one local councillor said residents will not be happy about this additional cost.
15:24And Sophie Denny joins me now to tell us more. So, Sophie, tell us a little bit about the roundabout
15:28and why it's costing so much.
15:30Yeah, so you can see it there, Groveshurst roundabout, and as you said, works to upgrade it started three years
15:37ago.
15:37Now, this was to increase its capacity as thousands of homes, about 4,600, are set to be built in
15:46the area.
15:46And so it's called a two-bridge system. As you can kind of see on the screen there, it's running
15:52over a major road underneath.
15:54So that's what we call a two-bridge roundabout.
15:58And Kent County Council gave the contractors £32.8 million to complete this upgrade by June 2024, but the work
16:07didn't finish until June this year,
16:09although they do say that these additional costs were expected.
16:12And what are the locals saying about it? What are their reactions?
16:15Yes, so they've been reported as being frustrated by the work.
16:19Kemsley Ward councillor Ashley Wise, he's a Labour representative,
16:22he said that residents in the area he's suffered have faced prolonged disruption,
16:27and he claims they're now having to find more money, this additional £13 million, to fund these delays.
16:33And he said that anyone living in the surrounding area has faced increased traffic, as well as businesses losing out
16:39on money.
16:39And what has the council response been to this?
16:42Yeah, so they said that they can't confirm whether the costs will be recovered.
16:46And in a statement, they said that in relation to Jackson Civil Engineering,
16:50the final commercial position has not yet been agreed.
16:54It remains subject to the final accounts process.
16:57And until that process has been completed,
17:00they're not in a position to confirm whether any monies and compensation will be able to be delivered.
17:06Well, thank you so much for joining us today, Sophie.
17:12Now, don't forget you can keep up to date with all your latest stories across Kent
17:16by logging on to our website, kmtv.co.uk.
17:19There you'll find all our reports, including this one.
17:24It's been over three years since these seats have seen performers on stage at Dartford's Orchard Theatre.
17:32Fears about rack, a dangerous concrete which was found in the theatre's roof,
17:37brought the curtain down on productions back in September 2023.
17:43And the theatre's been undergoing refurbishments ever since.
17:47Initially supposed to cost £16.8 million,
17:51this total has now been pushed up to £28.4 million.
17:56It's an investment, not a cost.
17:57You either have a theatre or you don't have a theatre.
18:00It's a binary thing.
18:01And if you're going to have a theatre, you've got to invest in it,
18:04you've got to spend, there's no getting around it,
18:06you've got to make it happen.
18:07So that's what we did.
18:08Yes, it has been expensive, but bear that, you've got to put it in context too.
18:12£6 million is the amount of money this building generates for the local economy.
18:16It doesn't take very long to get that back.
18:17The theatre was due to reopen in May last year,
18:21but was delayed after more work was needed to meet safety regulations.
18:26I'm sat in the newly refurbished stools of the Orchard Theatre.
18:31But as you can hear from the noise around me and all of the protective gear I'm wearing,
18:35it's still very much a building site.
18:38But those in charge say they are confident that they will be ready for the reopening.
18:44You know, there's an awful lot of work still to do,
18:45but it will happen in the time period that we've got.
18:49We've got so many contractors on site working, you know, kind of around the clock.
18:52So, yeah, we will be here for Christmas.
18:54Performers are set to return to the Orchard Theatre in December for pantomime season,
18:59bringing a tale of transformation into a newly transformed space.
19:04It's, yeah, it's so lovely to be sort of part of that first cast
19:07that gets to kind of reignite that theatre.
19:10So, yeah, really special one.
19:12To have a story about transformation as well, it's really fitting for the Orchard Theatre.
19:15The pantomime will star comedian Joe Pasquale,
19:18who is currently on voice rest, but who will take to the stage as Baron Harder.
19:23I'm super excited to be working with Joe Pasquale this year.
19:27I've looked up to him as a comic for so many years.
19:29I've seen him on tour, and it's so exciting for me to be learning off a master.
19:35He is a comedy genius, and we're going to be doing a lot of comedy stuff together.
19:40Can't tell you too much.
19:41As December approaches, cast and crew are hoping that Curtains Up on Cinderella
19:47will mark the start of the theatres happily ever after.
19:52Sophie Denny for KMTV in Dartford.
19:55Well, Invictus Sports is back on our screens again tonight.
19:58And what can we expect?
20:00Well, they had a group of teachers and students from a Gravesend school
20:04who saw their staff take on a 24-hour cycle ride.
20:07Well, here's a sneak peek of that conversation that Noah and Ayla from the Bronte School
20:11had with presenter Finn McDermott.
20:14Noah and Ayla, tell us a bit about it from your side.
20:17Was this something you guys were really looking forward to?
20:20Yes.
20:21I thought it was like I'd never seen like...
20:24I would have never thought that our teachers would be riding a bike
20:28for 24 hours for fundraising.
20:32But I thought it was very good.
20:34And we had to do some like assemblies and we had singing
20:40whilst we were watching one of our teachers on the bike.
20:43Brilliant. I bet that was an interesting sight,
20:46not something you'd expect to see on a crisp Monday morning at assembly.
20:48And Ayla, what was it like for you?
20:49What was it like to watch your teachers do this?
20:51So then the following day we had another assembly
20:54which halfway through we had to do a huge countdown
20:58because the 24 hours ended up ending.
21:01Wow, so it was sort of like a big kind of final ending moment,
21:05almost like a finish line.
21:06The whole school were there, weren't they?
21:08The children did keep us going though.
21:10They supplied lots of snacks and things to us very, very gratefully receive.
21:15Well, a 24-hour bike ride is certainly impressive
21:18and not one I think I can do.
21:19But Invictus Sports will be on the screens at 6.30pm tonight.
21:23But in the meantime, it's been a bit of a drizzly day here in Medway.
21:26But what's in sight for the coming days?
21:28Well, let's have a look at the weather.
21:35We'll have some cloudy skies this evening.
21:37Temperatures drop into 16 degrees in Darford and Tunbridge Wells.
21:41Highs there of 18.
21:42Heading into the morning, cloud will stick around.
21:44Temperatures reaching 18 degrees in Margate.
21:47Rain expected across the county in the afternoon there
21:50before clearing an even more cloud and highs of 20 degrees.
21:53And looking ahead to the coming days.
21:56On Thursday, temperatures will dip slightly,
21:58reaching 20 degrees there in the cloudy skies.
22:01But on Friday, temperatures will drop to loads of 15 degrees
22:04and the cloud will stay.
22:11A witsable man has found his wedding ring after losing it last month
22:16while swimming with his wife of 55 years.
22:19Chris Harper realised the ring was missing after leaving the water
22:22and returned the next morning to look for it.
22:24He told brothers Kevin and Barry Jeeves who were metal detecting on the beach.
22:28One week later, the brothers arrived at his home with the ring.
22:32Mr Harper said he burst into tears of joy.
22:35Kevin said it was the first valuable item they had found
22:38since starting metal detecting earlier this year.
22:43And Canterbury Festival is returning this month with 130 events
22:48and famous faces including Craig Revel, Horwood, Jacqueline Wilson and Mary Portis.
22:54Mary will be opening the festival this Friday at Augustine Hall
22:57for a talk about her career.
22:59Among the festival's standout attractions are Australian circus company
23:03circus eternity featuring acrobatics high above audiences in the Cathedral nave
23:08and the Empathy Museum's free installation A Mile in My Shoes
23:13which comes to Kent for the first time
23:14and will be based in central Canterbury throughout the festival.
23:18The festival will take place from Friday the 16th of October
23:21to Saturday the 31st.
23:24Now most of us have probably dreamed of attending a fashion show
23:28and for me that dream became a reality.
23:30Well on Saturday I attended my very first one.
23:33An artist living in the county organised a catwalk
23:36showcasing Nigerian culture in honour of Black History Month.
23:40It was a day full of bright colours, music and Nigerian fashion.
23:45Let's have a look.
23:55The red carpet has been rolled out in Gravesend
23:58with models taking to the catwalk to show off the latest fashion
24:01as a way of celebrating Black History Month this October.
24:05As you can see the fashion show is still going behind me
24:08and they're now walking down in pairs
24:10with the aim to just showcase African culture, African history
24:14namely Nigerian culture and art and history and patterns
24:18to celebrate Black History Month.
24:21And for one artist the aim of the event was to show the culture behind the country
24:26in a way that he believed would also educate others.
24:30People are scared of what they don't know
24:31so we have to enlighten, educate.
24:34For me as an artist my job is not just to create beautiful artwork
24:37it's to educate people, I am an educator.
24:40We can't just tell the story of Black History Month
24:43without experiencing or giving people the ideal experience
24:47and having people have a taste of what it really feels.
24:50The materials, colours, even the style of the outfits
24:53highlight a different part of Nigerian culture
24:56with some of the outfits representing authority
24:58and other outfits representing the different cities within the country.
25:02And for some of the models this was their first time walking down the red carpet
25:07and it was their way of showing pride in their country.
25:10I love this one, this is really good because it's like my culture I'm expressing myself
25:15where I'm from so it really, it feels really great honestly.
25:19Even to be a representative of my culture it feels, it feels amazing to me.
25:22I feel like I'm the chosen one at this point.
25:25I felt quite connected to what my ancestors were doing.
25:29I felt really proud of myself as well.
25:31It really felt nice embracing my culture.
25:33Our culture has gone through so much.
25:35I don't think we should have a dedicated month just to appreciate people's culture.
25:38That should be something we should do on the daily, every second of the day.
25:42I would love to celebrate my culture and I'd like to show how important it is to my family
25:47and me.
25:48Some people might be naive and they might not know what the culture is.
25:52They might think it's like what it was back then but like now, when you learn about it
25:57you realise how beautiful it is.
25:58I feel very proud.
25:59Abuluri says each year he'll focus on a different African country for Black History Month, sharing
26:05the fashion, the food and the culture.
26:07But for this year, all eyes are on Nigeria.
26:10Nayla Mahamid for KMTV in Gravesend.
26:14You've been watching Kent Tonight live here on KMTV and there's more news made just for Kent
26:19throughout the entire evening.
26:20Don't forget you can always keep up to date with our latest news by logging on to our website
26:24kmtv.co.uk.
26:26But that's all the time we have for now and we'll see you again tomorrow evening.
26:29Bye bye for now.
26:59Bye bye.
26:59Bye bye.
26:59Bye bye.
27:00Bye bye.