Catch up on the latest environmental news from across the county with Sofia Akin.
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - Hello and welcome to Kent on Climate live on KMTV.
00:20 I'm Sophia Akin and in this show we discuss
00:22 all things related to environmental issues in the county.
00:25 How is climate change impacting Kent?
00:28 What's communities in the county doing to tackle it?
00:30 And how can you help at home?
00:32 Each week we'll be taking a deep dive
00:34 into a new environmental issue in the county
00:36 and I'll be joined by expert guests.
00:38 But coming up in the show,
00:39 campaigner protests outside Canterbury
00:42 over new housing, destroying green spaces they say.
00:45 And we hear the energy policies of the conservatives
00:48 and labor ahead of the general election.
00:50 And we visit Kent based Fox Project
00:52 to see how they're helping the county's wildlife.
00:55 But first tonight, months on from the closure
00:57 of a folksen road due to a landslip,
01:00 Kent County Council's announced the road
01:02 will not be reopening this year.
01:04 The road of remembrance is the main road
01:06 linking the town to the seaside.
01:08 Residents say the diversion route
01:09 is leading to congestion and disruption.
01:12 KCC don't have a date in mind
01:14 for when they'll reopen the road,
01:16 but say they've had to pause works
01:17 due to further checks being needed.
01:20 I've been down to the seaside town to speak to residents
01:23 and see how they're reacting to the closure being extended.
01:26 This is the aftermath of two landslips,
01:29 which happened along Folkestone Beach in January.
01:32 Months on, the road is still shut.
01:35 And now Kent County Council's announced
01:37 it won't be reopened this year.
01:40 The road of remembrance links the town center and seafront.
01:43 And it's two of eight landslips
01:45 to hit the coastal town just this year.
01:48 Well here on the road of remembrance,
01:50 it's fair to say this landslip
01:51 certainly will be remembered by the community
01:54 for a very long time.
01:55 Residents say, especially now the reopening of the road
01:58 has been pushed back,
01:59 and they say they don't know how they can put up
02:01 with a diversion route until next year.
02:03 If you're coming from the other side of town,
02:05 Sandgate Highway, you've got to do a massive detour.
02:10 And one, it's quite inconvenient,
02:14 and two, it must really annoy the people
02:17 that live on the route
02:19 that aren't used to having all the traffic, sure.
02:22 And how does it feel to hear
02:24 that it's not going to be reopening this year?
02:26 Well, it seems rather long time.
02:28 It's been shut for about three or four months now.
02:30 They want to get, pull their finger out, don't they?
02:33 Quicker they get it sorted, the better.
02:37 But because I'm in this, I don't go up it anymore anyway.
02:42 But when I was young and fit,
02:46 and I could run up that road once upon a time
02:48 and run down the thing.
02:51 It has to be safe for everybody,
02:52 which is the only reason they're keeping it shut.
02:54 They wouldn't keep it shut for any other reason.
02:56 It's not structurally safe for people to use.
02:59 So from a tourist perspective,
03:01 how did you kind of find the signage
03:03 and everything for the diversion route?
03:04 We didn't, we guessed.
03:06 Normally we would come down the road, down to the harbour,
03:10 but this time we had to guess where to go,
03:13 crossed over the roundabout,
03:14 and then thought we'd try down the alleyway.
03:16 Repair works had started to be carried out,
03:19 with hopes the road might reopen in time for summer.
03:23 But now works have been halted
03:24 as further investigations need to be done
03:27 to assess the safety.
03:28 While residents worry about the road
03:30 remaining closed throughout summer
03:32 and the rest of this year,
03:34 KCC says the works are essential
03:36 to preventing future landslips
03:38 and ensuring the safety of road users.
03:41 Sophia Akin for KMTV in Folkestone.
03:44 Now you're probably familiar
03:45 with vegetable oil's use in cooking,
03:48 but did you know that it can also be used
03:49 as fuel for lorries?
03:51 The Dartford-based Europa has made a deal
03:53 with DPD Netherlands,
03:55 which will see a specially treated vegetable oil
03:57 being used to fuel its lorries
03:59 on some of their busiest routes.
04:01 It comes after EU countries in the UK
04:03 agreed to reduce road freight carbon emissions
04:06 by 42% by 2030, from what they were in 2005.
04:11 According to Nationwide Fuels,
04:13 this vegetable oil fuel reduces CO2 emissions
04:16 by up to 90%.
04:17 They hope that half of their lorries
04:19 out of DPD Netherlands will be running off of this fuel
04:22 by the end of the year.
04:24 Now Canterbury residents have been dazzled
04:26 by hundreds of lights appearing in a vineyard overnight.
04:29 The neighbours of Bar and Wine Estate
04:31 were awestruck and baffled,
04:33 with some likening it to an alien landing site.
04:36 The owners of the vineyard say the lights
04:37 are actually a special type of candle,
04:40 which is used to combat frost forming
04:42 on the vines overnight.
04:44 This comes after the plants leaving winter hibernation early
04:47 possibly due to climate change over the last decade,
04:51 with the vineyard claiming they've lost
04:52 around 70% of their crops because of frost in 2017.
04:57 With the candles costing eight pounds each
04:59 and only lasting for 12 hours,
05:01 the vineyard says it's huge undertaking
05:03 and costs could increase
05:04 as the climate becomes less predictable.
05:06 Now the University of Kent has come under public scrutiny
05:10 after allowing Canterbury City Council
05:12 to use its countryside land in a plan
05:15 to build 2,000 homes, shops and offices.
05:17 The university says it's committed to biodiversity,
05:20 but the Save the Bleen campaign organised a march
05:22 to protest against the plans.
05:24 Finn McDermid was there.
05:26 The University of Kent has landed itself in controversy
05:29 after giving permission for land they own
05:31 to Canterbury City Council to build 2,000 houses,
05:34 shops and offices in the heart of the Bleen,
05:37 a rural countryside and ancient woodland
05:39 only three miles north of the city centre.
05:42 Protesters say what would essentially be a new town
05:44 on areas like Tyler Hill, Bleen and Rough Common
05:47 could have an extremely detrimental effect
05:49 on the wildlife and woodland
05:51 and would take until 2040 to be finished.
05:54 The University of Kent say they're committed
05:56 to biodiversity and environmental issues,
05:58 but the people behind me don't believe them.
06:00 Save Our Bleen aim to stop 2,000 homes being built
06:03 in the Bleen countryside just outside of Canterbury.
06:07 Public consultation is open until the 3rd of June,
06:09 so this Saturday 25th,
06:11 concerned citizens alongside Kent Wildlife Trust
06:14 marched from the Dane John Gardens
06:16 to the University of Kent's registry,
06:18 crossing through the city centre for a total of two miles.
06:21 So we're calling the march
06:23 in order to really raise awareness for the university
06:27 to how people feel,
06:28 but also to urge them to work with us.
06:30 They've got a new VC in place.
06:32 We urge her to show some bold leadership
06:34 and actually work with us, with residents,
06:37 with the council and other stakeholders
06:40 like Kent Wildlife Trust
06:42 to come up with a better solution
06:44 and use this land in a different way.
06:46 Other issues with the site include the landscape,
06:49 which suffers from poor drainage and flooding,
06:51 several heritage sites, including an Iron Age settlement,
06:54 and the increase of traffic and people through the area.
06:57 This is all against what the university themselves
06:59 have stated for their sustainability policy.
07:02 The development company, Allison Young,
07:04 have been quoted as saying there is an economic need
07:06 for the sites to be delivered
07:07 to ensure the future success of the university.
07:10 The university has been known to have financial issues,
07:12 shutting down several courses on their Medway campus
07:15 to save money.
07:16 The 2,000 buildings in Blean
07:18 aren't the only expansions planned by the council,
07:21 with the Brooklands Farm area in Whitstable
07:23 earmarked for 1,400,
07:25 leading people like Emily to also join the march
07:27 against the council's plans.
07:29 We know what's down there.
07:30 There's so much rare wildlife, birds, fish.
07:35 And I've had a report from the Environment Agency
07:39 speaking about eels being up there.
07:42 And if both developments go ahead, or either one,
07:47 they will kill those streams with concreting.
07:50 The streams won't be filled from aquifers.
07:55 You know, it's a really dangerous thing
07:58 that they're proposing to do.
08:00 Questions will be raised on whether the march
08:02 has any effect on the council's plans,
08:04 but only time will tell.
08:06 Finn McDermid for KMTV.
08:07 Now, the Secretary of State for Energy, Security
08:11 and Net Zero has visited Dartford
08:13 as the Conservatives announce their election energy policy.
08:17 It would see an extension of the energy price cap
08:19 while Labour is planning a public-owned
08:21 green energy company.
08:23 But some Kent voters aren't convinced.
08:25 Oliver Leeder de Sacks has more.
08:27 The Dartford British Gas Academy,
08:29 where the Secretary of State for Energy, Security
08:32 and Net Zero hopes to deliver more than just hot air.
08:35 The Conservatives plan to introduce a new code of practice
08:38 for smart meters, attempt to make it easier
08:41 to compare energy prices and keep the energy price cap
08:45 for another five years to lower the cost of bills.
08:48 But with nearly 10% of people in Kent
08:51 living in fuel poverty, according to Kent County Council,
08:54 does it go far enough?
08:56 Well, I think the first thing is that our priority
08:59 is going to be on cheap energy,
09:01 and that's very distinct to the Labour Party.
09:03 So what I want to do is,
09:05 whether it's the energy that we're putting in
09:07 or the way that people are experiencing their bills,
09:09 is absolutely prioritise low costs of energy for people.
09:12 But yes, you're right, we've got to do more,
09:14 and that's why in post and during our time in office,
09:17 we've set out plans to increase competition.
09:18 I'm taking that further today by making sure
09:21 that people will be able to compare different suppliers,
09:24 really hold them to account for their service,
09:26 customer service as well.
09:28 Meanwhile, the Labour Party aims to set up
09:30 Great British Energy,
09:31 a new state-owned renewable energy company
09:34 with the goal of cutting energy bills.
09:37 The Labour Party's sedentary policies
09:40 are just a bunch of empty buzzwords.
09:43 But the Conservatives say Labour's plan
09:45 takes us back to square one
09:47 by making voters pay more for net zero.
09:50 Down the road in Rochester,
09:52 Kent voters have mixed feelings
09:54 about whether either policy will fuel their electoral fire.
09:59 It's a start.
10:00 Do you not think it goes far enough then?
10:04 Not really, like I say, I think the whole...
10:07 I would rather it was set up non-profit.
10:09 That's what I like.
10:10 You know, it's difficult to do
10:12 because the genie's out the bottle,
10:13 but actually that as a system would be preferable.
10:15 Particularly for the lower end of wages and things like that,
10:20 they should have a larger price drop and cap.
10:25 Yeah, just, it's not enough
10:28 considering how much it's already gone up.
10:30 It's not even getting back down
10:31 to what we would consider reality, I would guess.
10:34 Smart meters should be more enforced.
10:36 It does let you see what you are actually using.
10:39 I'm only two people in our family.
10:41 If you've got eight people in a family,
10:43 they've all got phones, they've all got tablets,
10:45 you've got a lot of energy going out.
10:46 While the two largest parties
10:48 are talking about very different energy policies,
10:51 it's clear they will have to go a lot further
10:54 to convince Kent that they will keep the lights on
10:56 after the election.
10:58 Oliver leaves the sacks for KMTV.
11:02 Now, just before the break,
11:02 let's get a quick check at the weather.
11:05 (upbeat music)
11:07 This evening we'll see temperatures
11:11 of 12 to 13 degrees across the county,
11:13 some cloudy skies but staying dry.
11:16 Tomorrow morning, pretty overcast,
11:18 some showers in Folkestone, highs of 15,
11:21 lows of 14, dry elsewhere.
11:23 Through to the afternoon,
11:24 rain turning into thunderstorms across most of Kent,
11:27 some sun through the clouds in Maidstone and Margate.
11:30 And for the weekend, that rain will continue.
11:33 But for the calm after the storm on Sunday,
11:36 expect sunshine and 19 degrees.
11:38 (upbeat music)
11:41 Well, it's time for us to take a quick break now,
11:49 but coming up, we'll have plenty more climate news,
11:51 so do stick around.
11:52 We'll be hearing some great news about some foxes in Kent.
11:55 I'll see you in a few minutes.
11:57 (upbeat music)
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15:06 Hello and welcome back to Kent on Climate live on KMTV.
15:14 Now a woman from a village near Canterbury says she's devastated
15:17 after finding out a family of birds that had nested inside her letterbox
15:22 were killed by a council worker who had ignored warnings not to use the box.
15:26 Kent County Council since apologised for the incident but Lindsay Gorham
15:30 says more people should be aware of how to care for nesting birds.
15:34 Bartholomew Hall has more.
15:35 Kent County Council is apologising after one of its workers killed
15:40 eight birds which were nesting inside a letterbox.
15:44 Lindsay Gorham found a nesting great tit alongside eight eggs by accident
15:49 when looking for letters at her village farmyard in Staple near Canterbury.
15:53 The 61-year-old says she quickly took measures to protect the birds
15:57 by taping the letterbox shut and adding a sign to deter any posties from using it.
16:01 But when she discovered the hatchlings had died as a result of a council letter
16:07 which she said had been forcibly delivered inside of the box, Lindsay was devastated.
16:12 Absolutely so sad because the nest must have taken her weeks to make.
16:18 It was absolutely beautiful, all moss, the nest was to one side
16:23 and it's obvious from the letter that she'd been trying desperately to get it off of the
16:28 babies so she could feed them which she couldn't do because she'd have to stand on the letter
16:32 and while trying to flick it over and she obviously gave up and left them and they died.
16:37 The letter was a notice from KCC about drainage works taking place in Ripple,
16:43 a village more than 10 miles away from where she lives in Staple.
16:47 Lindsay's now calling for people to be more aware of nesting birds during the spring.
16:53 Just have a look, stop and look and think ah they've obviously written that on there and taped
16:59 up their post flap to stop anything going in. The postman he was good with it straight away
17:07 and then the irony of it is when you look at the letter that killed these birds it wasn't even for
17:14 this area it was for about 15 mile away so that makes it even more sad that it needn't
17:20 have gone in there at all. A spokesperson for the council says it's written to Lindsay to offer its
17:25 sincere apologies for the incident and that it wants to assure Lindsay that this was a genuine
17:31 mistake and that council staff had no intent of causing any harm in any way. So as it may not have
17:38 been a happy ending for this family of birds, Lindsay hopes that with their story shared around
17:43 more can be protected in the future. Bartholomew Hall for KMTV.
17:48 Now with summer fast approaching and weather set to get a lot hotter, some scientists are
17:53 concerned a changing climate is causing an increase in skin cancer. It comes at a time
17:58 when the number of melanoma skin cancer cases in the UK are rising and research so readily
18:03 available about sun damage. Why are we still exposing our skin to high levels of UV? I asked
18:10 Michelle Baker from Tunbridge Wells based charity Melanoma Fund. Firstly we're an aging population
18:16 and a growing population so there's going to be more incidents but when it comes to melanoma
18:21 obviously people are more aware of it now. So there's more campaigns, so people are checking
18:27 their skin and so really now people are aware that if it's a dodgy mole you check it and you
18:34 go to the doctor so there's going to be more awareness. Secondly people are now paying the
18:40 price of years of sunbathing, you know after cheap package holidays boomed in the 60s we are now
18:47 getting to the case where you know this is this is now coming to the fore. And our bodies and our
18:51 skin it all changes over time right up until our 30s so how are we supposed to tell between something
18:58 that's unusual and something that's very normal? I can imagine people will be worried at home,
19:04 do they need to get this checked? Especially if they have quite a lot of different moles on their
19:08 body trying to determine what's worth going to the doctors reaching out for help for.
19:13 Absolutely and I can imagine a lot of people are thinking about their skin more looking at their
19:18 moles thinking well is this good or not? I think the most important thing to remember is that
19:23 if first of all if you have a history of melanoma then you really have to be aware of it and
19:29 hopefully you'll be on the case. But the most important thing is knowing that a mole if it's
19:34 itchy, if it's scabbed over a bit, if it's bled at all or if it's got a crusty edge, you know the
19:41 ABCD rule is really important here. So A for asymmetry if it's got an odd side so it's not
19:48 symmetrical. B the border if the border is ragged. C if there's any change as I say with regards to
19:56 bleeding or itching. D the diameter obviously if it's bigger than a normal mole so just a little
20:03 bit bigger than you have to you know obviously keep an eye on it. And E evolution so have a check
20:08 on the ABCDE rules and you will have a better idea whether or not you have a problem mole or not or
20:14 a lesion it can be a mole or a lesion. And something you've been looking at in particular is protecting
20:20 people from the sun while playing sports as well. Do you think enough's being done within the
20:25 industry within sports clubs the federations to actually highlight this as a really key issue
20:30 because the amount of time athletes may spend outside playing football, rugby, these different
20:35 outdoor sports, they have a lot of sun exposure. Absolutely and the thing is that a lot of people
20:42 believe that SPF or sunscreen is reserved for the beach and we've got to get over that. You know if
20:47 you're outside for a long period of time you need to wear sunscreen and other forms of sun protection
20:53 and that means when you're playing football, rugby, tennis, any sports. With regards to the question
21:00 is the industry doing enough, no I don't believe they are. We have free resources that we send out
21:06 to sports clubs and we are supported by a lot of national governing bodies but more needs to be done.
21:12 Now don't forget you can keep up to date with all your latest climate and environmental stories
21:17 across Kent by logging on to our website kmtv.co.uk. There you'll find all our reports
21:24 including this one about the impact of suspected deaths from a Sevenoaks nature reserve.
21:29 A Kent wildlife charity has been left shaken up after they say thousands of pounds worth of
21:35 gardening equipment has been stolen from their Sevenoaks premises this week. Police are now
21:41 investigating after reports of two of Sevenoaks wildlife reserve's equipment containers being
21:47 damaged between 4pm on Sunday and 9 Monday morning. This was the moment they noticed the damage
21:53 and realised their equipment had gone missing. Yeah tables been cut out the way so there's the
21:59 cones and those bits there. They've cut their way through there, haven't been inside yet but by the
22:04 look of it it's the brush cutters and the chainsaws they've gone for. And to replace the lost equipment
22:08 and repair the shipping containers it's estimated to set the charity back £20,000. What we do as a
22:16 conservation charity is ultimately for the benefit of not just the wildlife but then you know the
22:23 ongoing impacts that that has in terms of affecting things like climate change and having
22:29 to continuously sort of have to fork out for the replacement, for the repairs, the impact on us as
22:37 an organisation in terms of insurance. It just impacts on what we can do so ultimately it impacts
22:42 them as well. It's frustratingly short-sighted. And it's thought this is how it was all possible,
22:48 this hole that was made on the side of the container is what was used to gain access to
22:53 the shed where those involved then went on to steal thousands of pounds worth of equipment.
22:57 But you'll notice there are also several cameras dotted around site too. Well some of those were
23:02 also taken in the process and the cameras that weren't taken, well those involved somehow managed
23:08 to evade them. Kent Police is urging witnesses to come forward regarding any suspicious behaviour
23:14 in the area. The force is also appealing for CCTV and dash cam footage which may assist.
23:20 The Sevenoaks Nature Reserve says its doors will remain open to the public
23:24 during police investigations. Sophia Akin for KMTV in Sevenoaks.
23:29 Well as I said before you can find all our latest environmental stories up on our website that's
23:35 kmtv.co.uk. And finally this evening, when you think of endangered animals, foxes probably aren't
23:43 what would come to mind. But as they coexist with us in our towns and cities, how can we learn to
23:48 protect them? Our climate reporter Bradley Walters visited animal welfare charity the Fox Project
23:54 in Kent to find out a little bit more about this. Take a look. Foxes are one of the most
23:59 recognisable creatures in the country but you may not have heard of the Fox Project and its
24:04 volunteers who do their best to protect the foxes in Kent and the south east. I visited Paddock
24:10 Woods where the Fox Project is based to speak with Nicky Townsend to find out what the Fox Project do
24:16 and how they look after the local foxes.
24:20 We're looking to educate the public on what foxes are like, what foxes need, the support they need
24:34 and the support they don't need. It's all about because we're coexisting with them it's all about
24:40 educating and keeping the environment safe for them. We are also all about rescuing and releasing
24:47 these foxes, whether they be adults that rehabilitate with us for a couple of weeks or
24:52 the cubs that will stay through our foster system and we release them in come August, the natural
24:57 dispersal time. After chatting with Nicky in the adult fox unit, we moved on to the cub unit where
25:04 we joined Nicky in bringing a family of cubs to a new home. Hello babies, you got your new home.
25:10 We've just introduced the Ringos to their new foster pen. They are a group of five siblings
25:22 that were rescued a few weeks back when their den was disrupted and we were unable to reunite them
25:28 with their mother. They've been through our cub unit, they've been assessed, they've been out in
25:33 an outdoor pen, a small outdoor pen at the cub unit until today when they've got a fantastic
25:40 area now to explore and play. So this is in one of our volunteer fosterers gardens and she will
25:47 take on overseeing the feeding, the cleaning of them. It will still be a really hands-off process
25:53 to keep them wild. The cubs will be looked after in this volunteer's back garden until August,
26:00 where once old enough they will be slowly released and that will be their future in the wild.
26:05 This has been Bradley Waters for KMTV.
26:08 So adorable those foxes and so nice to hear that they've been rescued. That's all we have time for
26:15 on this week's episode of Kent on Climate. We'll be back next week with a brand new episode
26:20 discussing more matters relevant to environmental issues in the county. In the meantime you can keep
26:25 up to date on all things climate related in Kent by visiting our website that's kmtv.co.uk. You can
26:31 also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X by searching KMTV Kent. I'll see you next week but
26:37 for now have a lovely evening. We'll be back at eight o'clock with our evening news bulletin.
26:41 Have a lovely evening and good night from me.
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