Kent Tonight - Thursday 7th September 2023
Catch up on the latest news from across the county with Abby Hook.
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00:02 - Good evening and welcome to Kentonite live on KMTV.
00:28 I'm Abbey Hook, here are your top stories
00:30 on Thursday the 7th of September.
00:33 Manhunt shuts M20, emergency protocols in place
00:38 as enhanced checks at Doverport.
00:41 - Border force at the gateway to Europe
00:43 are joining in on the efforts to find Daniel Khalif.
00:45 I'll be live with the latest.
00:47 - Hope on the horizon, Sandwich Science Park
00:51 says EU funding will transform the industry.
00:55 And we need to be at our best.
00:58 Gillingham looked to bounce back after two league defeats.
01:03 - If you're not at your best,
01:04 then lead to the very difficult league this year.
01:07 And that's the clear, consistent message that we need.
01:10 - Increased checks have been taking place today
01:21 in the search for the missing prisoner, Daniel Khalif.
01:24 Kent's police and crime commissioner
01:26 has called for a full inquiry.
01:28 And we've also been speaking with
01:30 Thanet MP, Craig McKinley.
01:32 Well, Gabriel Morris joins us live now
01:34 from Dover with the latest.
01:35 Gabriel, what can you tell us?
01:37 - Well, Abbey, I'm stood just above
01:40 where the border force are
01:41 and I've been watching them doing those
01:43 enhanced checks today.
01:45 I can't show you for security reasons,
01:47 but they have been looking underneath cars
01:49 and in bonnets and in the boots as you might expect.
01:52 And the port of Dover says that is causing delays,
01:55 but it is manageable as they have to do
01:59 those enhanced checks.
02:01 Now to manage that, Brock Zero has come into force today.
02:06 That is similar to Operation Brock,
02:08 but the difference is, is any cars
02:11 trying to get coastbound down the M20,
02:13 well, they can't.
02:14 The only vehicles allowed on the M20
02:17 are freight traffic heading to this port.
02:20 Now they're holding it there similar
02:21 to what they do of Operation Brock
02:22 during the summer holidays, during peak traffic time.
02:26 Now for other cars, they are having to take a diversion.
02:29 I was one of those vehicles earlier today
02:31 and I have to say, it is increasing pressure
02:33 and causing buildups in some of Kent's minor roads
02:36 in mid Kent.
02:38 But for lorry drivers on the M20,
02:41 they're having to wait for some time
02:43 and it is a scorching hot day today.
02:45 I was watching some of them earlier today
02:48 and they are having to hide in the shade
02:50 of their lorries to keep cool.
02:52 And here in Dover at the port,
02:54 Dover TAP is back in force as well today.
02:57 I counted roughly 500 lorries queuing up
03:00 on their way into Dover
03:02 before going for enhanced checks
03:04 'cause of course they are searching for the 21,
03:06 Daniel Califf, who escaped from Wandsworth Prison yesterday.
03:11 And now he was in a category B prison
03:15 and there have been some questions over that,
03:17 including from Craig McKinley, the MP for South Fanet.
03:20 - He's mentioned his prison, Belmarsh,
03:24 is often used for these type of very, very high profile,
03:27 very, very dangerous offenders
03:29 to be on remand before their trial.
03:31 I assume some assessment was made
03:33 about the severity of the offences
03:35 and perhaps room in the prison estate.
03:38 But it should be any prison should be secure enough
03:42 to take any prisoner.
03:43 This shouldn't be the case of any ability
03:47 to be able to abscond in such a almost comic way,
03:51 shall we say.
03:52 - Now, prison escapes are rare
03:56 and the government and the police have both said
03:58 Daniel Califf is no threat to public safety
04:01 as far as they are aware.
04:02 However, what they are advising the public to do
04:05 is if they do see him to stay well away
04:09 and call 999 immediately.
04:12 So the 21 year old escaped HMP Wandsworth yesterday,
04:16 we believe by clinging to the bottom of a van.
04:19 He was wearing his cook's uniform
04:21 because he works in the canteen there.
04:24 Now, there has been calls for a full inquiry,
04:27 including from Kent's police and crime commissioner.
04:30 - Well, I think after this,
04:33 there needs to be an inquiry as to how this took place.
04:35 I can't comment on operational matters at the moment
04:38 and the decisions which have been made at the moment.
04:41 Those are live ongoing policing operations,
04:43 which I cannot comment on,
04:44 but there will need to be an inquiry subsequent to this
04:47 to see how this happened, what lessons can be learned
04:49 and so that people can be held accountable for it.
04:52 At this stage, we know the circumstances.
04:55 We know that he has escaped from the prison estate.
05:00 There needs to be an inquiry subsequent to this
05:02 to understand the reasons and how he was able to do it.
05:05 But at the moment, we need to focus on
05:07 capturing this individual and the live policing matters.
05:11 - Well, Matthew Scott is right.
05:12 This is an active case.
05:14 So we don't know the full details of this
05:17 and the scale of the situation.
05:20 But what we do know, it is impacting us here in Kent
05:23 and Labour have brought up the issue of overcrowded prisons.
05:28 They say HMP Wandsworth, where Mr. Cunliffe was being held,
05:31 was taking 60% more prisoners than it was designed for.
05:35 And we have heard from the government today
05:37 and they said they will implement an investigation
05:39 to find out exactly what happened.
05:41 - No stone must be left unturned
05:43 in getting to the bottom of what happened.
05:46 Who was on duty that morning?
05:48 In what roles?
05:49 Ranging from the kitchen to the prison gate,
05:52 what protocols were in place?
05:54 Were they followed?
05:56 Second, I've ordered an investigation
05:58 into the categorisation decision by HMPPS.
06:01 Were all relevant matters taken into consideration
06:04 in determining where in the custodial estate
06:06 Daniel Khalees should be held?
06:09 In both cases, I've asked for the preliminary findings
06:11 to be with me by the end of this week
06:13 and an assessment will be made then
06:15 about what can properly be put into the public domain.
06:18 - Well, we have just heard from the Metropolitan Police
06:22 in the last few moments and they have confirmed
06:24 that there have been no confirmed sightings
06:27 of Daniel Khalees so far.
06:29 Now, here in Dover, as I've been saying,
06:31 there are delays on our motorways today,
06:32 but there is some relief.
06:34 We are out of the school holidays now.
06:37 If this was last week, it could have been
06:39 a completely different story with traffic
06:41 because there would have been added tourist travel
06:44 coming here to the port of Dover.
06:46 It seems that Brook Zero will remain in force overnight
06:49 and most likely into tomorrow.
06:50 - Next tonight, a man has been charged with murder
06:55 after a 71-year-old man was found dead in Rochester.
06:58 Kent Police was called to Mercury Close
07:00 on Tuesday the 5th of September
07:02 where they found the victim's body.
07:04 Simon Brownwell from Chatham was charged
07:06 with the murder yesterday evening
07:08 and the 27-year-old is set to appear
07:10 before Medway Magistrates Court today.
07:13 - Bin strikes in Canterbury have finally ended
07:17 after more than two months as workers agree
07:19 to a 12% pay rise.
07:21 Members of the GMB union were asking for £12 an hour
07:25 for loaders and £15 for drivers.
07:27 Today, they've agreed on that deal
07:28 with increased wages set from November.
07:31 Previously, they rejected two offers.
07:33 A third met the demands,
07:34 but the council's waste contractor, Cannon Co,
07:37 said the hike would only be introduced from January
07:39 and not backdated.
07:40 Labour Canterbury City Council leader,
07:42 Councillor Alan Bulldog says he's happy the strike is over.
07:45 He said weeks of work has gone into calculating new routes,
07:48 new efficiencies and staffing models.
07:51 He said, "We've had to dip into the council's savings
07:53 "which are there to get us through shocks
07:55 "like unforeseen emergencies
07:57 "and a full waste collection service
07:59 "will resume as soon as possible."
08:03 Next, one science park in Sandwich
08:06 says new fundraising will be industry changing.
08:09 It follows the government's agreement
08:11 that the UK can rejoin the EU's flagship
08:14 scientific research scheme, Horizon.
08:17 Scientists and institutions can now apply for money
08:19 from the £81 billion fund from today
08:22 that they missed out on since we left the EU.
08:25 Jane Kennedy from Discovery Park says
08:27 they're well on their way to becoming a world-class science hub
08:31 and access to this fund will only boost Kent's scientific innovation.
08:35 Well, Jane joins me on the line now.
08:37 Jane, thank you so much for joining us today.
08:39 It's really great to speak with you about this,
08:41 as you say, industry changing ability
08:46 to now be able to use this fund
08:48 to not only those in the field of science,
08:50 but what does it mean?
08:52 It's been a long time coming, three years without this funding.
08:56 It has been a long time coming
08:59 and I think it's evident from all the press coverage
09:02 and all the LinkedIn posts that I've seen from our sector today
09:05 about how welcome this return to this global fund is.
09:08 And as you said, it's an £81 billion fund.
09:12 It's the world's largest research collaboration fund.
09:16 And the ability for UK scientists and UK companies
09:19 to rejoin that fund and collaborate with the brightest minds
09:24 throughout Europe is really a game changer
09:26 for the science and technology sector.
09:29 And what you do, what you do yourself, Jane, as part of this
09:34 is you house companies that can now apply for this at Discovery Park.
09:39 What does it mean to those companies, I suppose?
09:41 And what can they be achieving now?
09:44 Well, a lot of the money that's put forward into this fund
09:49 is to address global societal challenges.
09:52 So everything from carbon reduction
09:56 right through to the latest cancer technologies.
09:59 And I think, you know, as a science park that's based in Kent,
10:03 we're effectively the gateway to Europe.
10:06 And this opportunity to collaborate with our partners
10:10 in the European nations is transformational.
10:13 It allows us to attract and retain top talent in the UK.
10:18 And it's really a catalyst for the UK government's ambitions
10:23 to create a science superpower in the UK.
10:26 We see that at Discovery Park, we can be a soft landing
10:29 for researchers or companies who want to engage
10:33 with the best and brightest minds in the UK.
10:35 And for our companies, it means access to talent.
10:40 It means an ability to grow, ability to recruit,
10:43 and ability to find the best collaborative partners
10:46 to really drive their research.
10:48 Very quickly, we don't have long left at all, Jane,
10:50 but three years without access to this big pot of money,
10:53 has it been detrimental very quickly?
10:55 Yes, I think most people in the sector
10:59 would agree that it has been.
11:00 You know, this is a real game changer for the UK
11:02 and particularly for Kent.
11:04 And we're really excited to see the opportunities
11:07 that it might present.
11:08 Jane, thank you very much for your time this evening.
11:11 That's all we've got time for for this half of Kent Tonight,
11:14 but we'll be back after this very short break.
11:16 See you then.
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14:28 - Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
14:40 Now Kent's missing out on millions of pounds
14:42 and it's down to actors and writers
14:44 striking in Los Angeles.
14:46 Actors say they want better pay
14:48 and want security against unauthorised use
14:50 of their images by AI.
14:52 But this is impacting more than just the big Hollywood names
14:55 our county of Kent seems to be taking a hit
14:58 of 4 million pounds in fact
14:59 that usually comes in to help support local economies.
15:03 Well, our film presenter and expert Chris Deasy
15:05 joins me in the studio now.
15:07 Chris, thank you so much for joining me.
15:09 Every Thursday we talk about the Kent Film Club episode
15:12 that you have coming on right after the break
15:14 but today something a little bit more unusual.
15:17 Hollywood may seem a million miles away
15:19 but it's impacting us right on our doorstep.
15:21 - Yeah, it's something that we wouldn't have expected
15:23 because it was only a few months ago
15:25 that the actors who were promoting Oppenheimer
15:28 were doing all the publicity in the days
15:30 before the film's release
15:31 and we were told that that would be the last time
15:34 until this dispute is resolved
15:36 that they'd be in a position to do the rounds
15:39 because for a film to really have maximum impact
15:43 and considering of course we've just come out of a pandemic
15:45 when people have not been going to the cinemas
15:47 to the same extent
15:48 we really need all hands on deck.
15:51 We need every opportunity for the film studios
15:54 to be able to promote their works.
15:55 So this strike has actually been quite counterproductive
15:58 over the last few months
15:59 and we don't know when it's going to be resolved.
16:02 - And we have things like the Chatham Dockyard
16:04 just down the road from our studio in fact.
16:07 Big names film there.
16:08 We have big stars coming in, it's blocked off,
16:10 it's used as a real point of filming
16:13 and I suppose all the money that goes into
16:15 those big film production companies
16:16 doesn't quite compare to local producers
16:19 if we were to support them more in Kent
16:21 but it's still not that same amount of money I suppose.
16:24 - I think that's right because there are some
16:27 homemade programmes for TV for example
16:29 which can go ahead
16:30 but when you consider that often American finance is there
16:35 then you think of Empire of Light
16:36 which was made by British director Sam Mendes.
16:38 It was filmed in Margate.
16:39 I think it brought four million pounds alone
16:41 to the local economy
16:43 as they closed off Margate for a period of time
16:46 and of course they used the hotels,
16:47 they used all the local amenities.
16:48 So films like that can't go ahead.
16:50 So I think it's causing a lot of ruffles in the local economy.
16:53 Who would have thought?
16:54 It's like the butterfly effect.
16:55 Something all the way over on the west coast of America,
16:57 well the whole of America
16:58 is now impacting us here in East Kent.
17:00 - It's incredible.
17:01 And is there space?
17:03 I just mentioned, we just talked about the local filmmakers.
17:06 Is there now space to help them come through the cracks
17:09 and say well we need to have a backup plan.
17:11 Perhaps we need to ourselves utilise these spaces more
17:15 and try and channel some of that big funding,
17:18 I don't know how but through our sort of UK
17:20 and local Kent means too.
17:22 - Well I think when you consider that there's a lot of heritage sites,
17:25 a lot of heritage films that are being used,
17:26 I mean the facilities are certainly there
17:29 and I know that for like the Chatham Dockyards
17:30 they very much use that site for all sorts of purposes,
17:33 not just for big international films.
17:36 But I think they're in trouble at the moment.
17:37 I mean I think one solution to this,
17:39 which is kind of what they did during lockdown
17:41 when people weren't going to the cinema,
17:43 is to show films like Jurassic Park
17:44 which are showing at the moment,
17:46 it was showing in 3D this very week.
17:48 So there are things that they can do to keep cinemas going
17:50 but that's not, that's going to just crack over,
17:52 that's a plaster you can put on the wound.
17:55 It's not actually going to heal the wound
17:57 and so what you're going to find is that all these wonderful films,
18:00 you know Mission Impossible was filmed partly at the Chatham Dockyards,
18:03 are not going to be made
18:04 and even if this is resolved even in the coming months,
18:06 it'll be several months before the actual filming
18:09 is able to resume in these wonderful Kent locations.
18:12 - As we said, fascinating to see how the butterfly effect is impacting us here.
18:16 We'll be discussing this more as the weeks go on
18:19 and another episode of Kent Film Club right after the break.
18:21 But thank you very much for joining me tonight, Chris.
18:24 - Thank you, Abi.
18:26 - Next tonight, from generous donations in Dover
18:29 to trains off track in Ashford,
18:30 many businesses in Kent are building up their budgets
18:33 and perfecting their profits.
18:34 Sheldon Dragwich has this week's Business Roundup.
18:37 [Music]
18:42 - Hello and welcome to this week's KMTV Business Roundup.
18:46 First tonight and house builders Barrett Homes
18:48 have given Dover District Council more than £200,000.
18:52 It was agreed as part of an ongoing development at Aylsham Village.
18:56 The money will be invested into the local economy
18:59 to improve social services
19:01 and help vulnerable people to improve independence.
19:04 Natalie Perry from Barrett Kent said
19:06 they'll continue to work with diverse community groups across Aylsham
19:10 as well as investing in the surrounding infrastructure.
19:13 Next, an international rail service, Eurostar,
19:16 have said they want to bring back their services to Kent,
19:19 but they say Brexit and COVID still stand in their way.
19:22 The high-speed service has not had any of its trains
19:25 pulled into Ashford or Ebbsfleet since lockdown.
19:28 Later, more than 30,000 people petitioned for the services
19:31 to return to the county.
19:33 Gareth Williams, the firm's general secretary,
19:36 said they are unable to commit to trains once again
19:38 stopping in Kent due to the after-effects of Brexit
19:41 and hundreds of millions of pounds of COVID debt.
19:44 Eurostar have confirmed it won't be running services in Kent
19:47 for the next two years, with a review due in 2025.
19:51 Next, an afford dealership in Maidstone
19:53 has applied to extend its premises.
19:56 Haynes Ford at Ashford Road want to add a new two-storey annex
20:00 to its main workshop,
20:01 with the first floor housing a new reception area,
20:04 offices and a call centre.
20:06 But in applying to Maidstone Council,
20:08 the firm said no extra jobs would be created.
20:11 And finally, architects behind a controversial seafront development
20:15 in Folkestone say they'll refine plans after backlash from residents.
20:19 The criticism came after a new computer-generated image
20:22 showed the entire seafront undergoing a massive change,
20:25 with flats and homes lining the beach.
20:28 A more recent consultation showed pictures of tar blocks
20:31 destined for the harbour arm.
20:32 Residents were left horrified as they described the proposed blocks
20:36 as something out of the Flintstones.
20:38 And that's your Business Roundup for this week.
20:40 (music)
20:43 Now, with a look at sport,
20:46 Angeling MFC will be hoping to win this weekend,
20:49 as Kent's only EFL side take on Harrogate Town in League Two.
20:53 It comes after the Medway outfit have lost their last two league games,
20:56 dropping from first to third in the standings.
20:59 Well, with a preview on Saturday's fixture,
21:01 I caught up with our sports presenter Bartholomew Hall earlier.
21:05 (music)
21:09 (music)
21:12 Bartholomew, Gillingham are facing Harrogate Town this weekend.
21:15 So, how are things looking going into that game?
21:18 Well, for Gillingham, they're coming off the back
21:19 of quite a successful game in the EFL trophy.
21:22 They took on Leyton Orient away,
21:24 and both sides conceding an own goal on both halves of the game,
21:27 and then Gillingham getting a very successful penalty
21:30 to secure the deal for them.
21:32 But, I mean, in terms of their league success,
21:34 they're currently sitting third in the standings,
21:35 with six games in now,
21:37 and they're in a position that many fans,
21:39 if you ask them last year what things are going to look like in 12 months' time,
21:42 none of them would have told you this.
21:44 I mean, four wins on the card,
21:46 thanks to that brilliant opening run of form at the beginning of the season.
21:49 It was a record as well,
21:51 one nil in all those games, never been done before in the EFL.
21:54 But since the 26th of August, now that's two weeks ago,
21:57 Gilles haven't been able to get a win in their league games.
21:59 Now, honestly, that is only two fixtures,
22:02 so it's not really something to be worried about at this stage,
22:05 but even manager Neil Harris was very critical of his side
22:08 following that two nil defeat against Grimsby last weekend.
22:12 So, of course, they'll be looking to bounce back,
22:14 get a bit of that cup magic.
22:16 I mean, they've had such a success run of form in their cup games.
22:19 You look at the Southampton game, where they beat them 3-1,
22:22 they went up against a Premier League side,
22:24 Luton Town narrowly lost out to them,
22:26 and of course earlier this week as well against a League One side.
22:29 They need to bring some of that magic into their league games, of course,
22:32 and find out what happened at the start of the season,
22:34 what was working to get them four wins in a row, and bring it back.
22:38 But I mean, going up against Harrogate, this is a team that just won two of their first opening six games,
22:44 so depends what way you want to look at it.
22:46 They'll be looking to bounce back as well, just as much as Gillingham are,
22:49 so it could be quite a close game this weekend.
22:51 But don't take it from me.
22:52 Let's take a listen to what Neil Harris had to say at the press conference today.
22:56 Yeah, Harrogate, they're a team that League Two side can compete,
23:01 they've got some experience, a defensive mindset,
23:05 they stand strong and defend their goal,
23:07 and then they've got some ability as well, certainly on the counter-attack threat.
23:11 But as we found at Greensby, as we found in culture here,
23:14 as we found in all the games that we've won, but very narrow victories,
23:18 that if you're not at your best, then League Two is a very difficult league this year.
23:24 And that's the clear, consistent message that we need within house,
23:29 is that we have to be at our best to gain results.
23:32 But of course, one thing that both sides are going to have to deal with,
23:35 as we all are at the moment, is the heat.
23:36 30 plus degrees expected at Priestfield on Saturday.
23:39 So, I mean, you can just imagine the amount of strain that's going to be given to the players
23:43 when they're playing on the pitch.
23:44 But also, we've seen this increase of added time,
23:48 injury time being added at the end of both halves.
23:50 So, kind of, how is that going to affect the approach to the game?
23:53 Well, we asked Robbie McKenzie earlier today about how him and his teammates will cope with the heat.
23:58 It's going to be hot in it, so we're going to have to hydrate properly
24:01 and really look at that side of the game, as well as the pace of the game, maybe a little bit.
24:06 But yeah, we'll have to manage that. At the start of the season,
24:08 I did notice a bit of, like, that obviously added time was a bit long.
24:12 I think it has calmed down, maybe a little bit, apart from Tuesday night, obviously.
24:15 But yeah, you've just got to manage the game a little bit more
24:19 when it gets to the later stages. It's obviously going to be there in the back of your head,
24:23 because you know you're not going to be playing just 90 minutes or 92 minutes.
24:26 You're going to be playing five or six extra, which obviously can lead to scoring goals or conceding goals.
24:33 Bartholomew with the sport there. Another hot day for us in the county and the South East,
24:38 and for those boys this weekend. An Albert Heat health alert is still in place for the whole of Kent,
24:43 while September records have been broken with 30 degree heat four days in a row.
24:48 So, let's take a look at the forecast for the next few.
24:51 [Music]
24:57 Warm again tonight. Highs of 19, lows of 17. Clear skies.
25:03 Tomorrow morning, warming up. Very warm for 10am. Highs of 24.
25:09 By the afternoon, warming up to 29 by 4pm. Clear skies, a bit of wind.
25:16 And the next few days look like this. A really hot weekend in Chatham.
25:21 31 degrees both days. Stay safe everyone.
25:24 [Music]
25:31 But there's a heat health alert in place for a reason of course.
25:34 The hot weather can be dangerous for us and our pets too.
25:37 A festival for dogs in Deal has been postponed over welfare fears.
25:42 Pawfest was set for Betts Hanger Park this weekend,
25:45 but on social media they said the welfare of our customers and more importantly their dogs is our top priority,
25:51 with temperatures forecast above 27.
25:53 The festival hosts stalls and dog competitions,
25:56 which those who have purchased tickets will be able to enjoy at the rescheduled event on the 7th and 8th of October.
26:03 That's all we've got time for tonight. We'll be back again tomorrow for another episode of Kentonite.
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