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00:00Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
00:29I'm Bartholomew Hall.
00:31Here are your top stories on Thursday the 27th of June.
00:35Risk to life.
00:36Swanscombe residents call for measures
00:38to stop lorries entering restricted zones.
00:42Managed to come down and get himself stuck
00:44trying to turn around on this bit of green you see behind us.
00:48Is this the end?
00:49Also in Swanscombe, infamous London resort site up for sale.
00:54We need these green spaces.
00:55They are so important, not just for the wildlife,
00:58but for our mental health and well-being as well.
01:01And gallivanting griffin, Canterbury's famous cat
01:05found 15 miles away after a week-long search.
01:19Driver who's been videoed trying to turn his lorry around
01:22in a children's play area in Swanscombe
01:24has been slammed as dangerous by locals.
01:27It's thought he wasn't aware Galley Hill Road was closed
01:30because of the well-known to locals landslip
01:33and was forced to enter narrow residential streets
01:36before ending up in the park.
01:38Residents are now calling on Kent County Council
01:41to increase signage and introduce height restrictions
01:44so it doesn't happen again.
01:46As you can see, our local democracy reporter
01:48Gabriel Morris is live now from the site of the landslip.
01:51Gabriel, I want to start by asking you
01:53just to give us a reminder of exactly why
01:55that road is closed.
01:59Well, barfollow me, I've been covering this story
02:01right from the first week when that landslip happened,
02:04back in Easter 2023 in April, some 15 months ago.
02:08Now, little solution to find a resolution
02:12to getting this road reopened,
02:14but nothing has really happened so far.
02:17Kent County Council have been on in the past few months
02:19doing investigation works,
02:20and an update is expected later this summer.
02:23But what we do know, there have been lengthy diversions,
02:26particularly for HGVs,
02:28as much as Swanscombe is a restricted zone.
02:30However, as I've been finding out,
02:32not all lorries have been following those rules.
02:38It would have been the last thing these picnic goers
02:40expected to see reversing behind them,
02:42a large lorry in a children's park.
02:45The driver clearly lost, then decided to reverse,
02:50crashing into this fence.
02:52The man who shot this video didn't want to come on camera,
02:55but he's the caretaker for the park,
02:57and is now terrified this will happen when children are here.
03:01So how on earth did this lorry end up in the play area?
03:06We understand that HGV took a right
03:08into this no-lorry zone.
03:10That's because Galley Hill Road is mostly closed
03:12because of the landslip.
03:14The driver would have quickly ended up
03:15at the road closure signs here,
03:17being forced to take a left into this housing estate,
03:21not before taking out this traffic light.
03:24We then guessed the driver tried to find a way out,
03:27but he entered into Phoenix Court,
03:29and swinging around the bend,
03:31he'd realised he was quickly out of road,
03:34and he entered this park to try and turn around.
03:37Yes, it is.
03:39The cream of the crop.
03:40The cream of the crop.
03:42This is the worst.
03:43That was the worst one.
03:44Everyone else's.
03:45We've had a few shouts and hollers.
03:48Bruce lives in this no-lorry zone.
03:50He's had one reversing into his front wall,
03:52destroying it, and as a result,
03:54he's had to put this temporary fence up.
03:57There should be a barrier, height barrier,
03:59put across the road to stop the lorries coming through.
04:03They've got ample opportunity to turn right and turn round.
04:06They've got plenty of space to turn round there.
04:08That could be done.
04:09That should have been done months ago.
04:11Residents living on this street
04:12say they're constantly seeing lorries coming up and down it,
04:15and there's been more damage in the past.
04:17There's an official diversion for HGVs
04:20as a solution to the destroyed road is found,
04:23but residents are now calling on Kent County Council
04:26to increase awareness and enforcement.
04:28It's very hard to understand why the driver did what he did
04:31because he obviously got in some difficulty
04:33going down an inappropriate road,
04:35but then to drive around on the children's play area
04:38or near the children's play area and on the grass,
04:40I find just amazing.
04:42But we'll learn from it.
04:43We'll get some more signs, probably,
04:45so I can ask and I can push and my colleagues push.
04:48But at the end of the day, cases, they make the decisions.
04:51It's been nearly 15 months
04:52since Galley Hill Road was shut following the landslip,
04:55a solution still months, if not years, away.
04:59But locals hope quicker measures will come
05:02to stop lorries entering their community here.
05:10Well, Kent Police have responded
05:11to our statement requests in the last hour or so.
05:14They say beat officers are regularly attending lorries
05:17who have breached the HGV restriction zones,
05:20and they say they will continue to do so
05:21when they're not called out on emergencies.
05:23They also say they're working with Kent County Council
05:26to ensure there is clear signage in place.
05:28And talking about the county council,
05:30we did approach them for comments,
05:31but they didn't get back to us.
05:33They are responsible for the highways in this area.
05:37Now, this incident you saw in my report,
05:38then, isn't the only one.
05:40There are others, particularly in Swanscombe,
05:42where lorries go down side streets.
05:45Here is a local residence association
05:47explaining some of the cases.
05:49There are regular reports of the big articulated lorries
05:53trying to force their way
05:55through the 7.5-ton weight limit area.
05:58There has been damage, wing mirrors ripped off of cars.
06:00The latest incident was a deep gouge
06:02right the way down the side of the car,
06:03so bad that the car is likely to be written off,
06:06let alone the traffic chaos that it caused
06:08when the lorry gets stuck in very narrow road.
06:13So what do residents want to see done?
06:15Well, you saw in my report
06:16that they want to have height restrictions in place
06:18and increased signage.
06:21And somewhat, some people would say,
06:23they'd like to see a constant police presence in the area
06:25until lorries stop coming here.
06:28Constant, it's been going on for over a year now.
06:30It hasn't, since the road collapsed, it's been happening.
06:34I know the KTC have put the signs up to try and stop it,
06:36but people are not taking notice.
06:37There needs to be more restrictions in place
06:39at both the ends where the road's closed.
06:41And just to make sure they're not coming
06:42through a residential area.
06:44If we have problems on the A2, Swanscombe gets gridlocked
06:47and all the traffic, all the lorries,
06:48everything is coming through these tiny, tiny roads.
06:52Well, Gabriel, thank you very much for those details.
06:54Whilst you're there in Swanscombe,
06:55I want to raise another story with you
06:57that's been emerging today,
06:58and that's surrounding the Swanscombe Peninsula,
07:00that's just roughly north from where you're standing now.
07:03Many will remember there were plans to put forward,
07:06plans that were put forward to develop an amusement park.
07:09There's been an update on that story today.
07:12Yeah, the company who own much of the land
07:15for the multi-million pound London Resort,
07:18well, that company has put the land up for sale.
07:20Now, London Resorts themselves were given the offer
07:22to buy the land, but that deal ran out in 2022.
07:27It's unclear how much the sale will cost,
07:29but some are arguing this could be the final nail
07:32in the coffin.
07:33In fact, the company that owns much of that land
07:35actually are one of the three landowners
07:37for Galley Hill Road, for where I am now.
07:40But on the news today of London Resort
07:42possibly no longer going ahead,
07:44well, some conservation groups say
07:46they're not surprised by this decision.
07:49The plans for the London Resort theme park on the site
07:52have been dead in the water for some time.
07:55It has some special planning plans on the site,
07:59known as an NSIP.
08:01We've been fighting to have that special planning
08:03removed from the site,
08:05because we need these green spaces.
08:06They are so important, not just for the wildlife,
08:09but for our mental health and wellbeing as well.
08:12Swanscombe itself, the site is an oasis
08:15in a suburban area.
08:16It's so precious, and we really, really must protect it.
08:21It's Gabriel Morris with us there from Swanscombe,
08:23our local Democracy Reporter.
08:25Now, junior doctors in Kent have begun a five-day walkout
08:28in a dispute over pay.
08:30From seven o'clock this morning,
08:31members of the British Medical Association
08:33began the strike, which is due to last
08:35until Tuesday morning.
08:37It comes as NHS England says services could be
08:39under significant pressure during the period
08:42and have urged people to use them responsibly.
08:44The union says the action has been taken
08:46because no credible new pay offer
08:48has been put forward to them.
08:49Meanwhile, the government has described
08:51the demands as unreasonable.
08:54This time next week, Kent's political landscape
08:56could look very different,
08:58with polls predicting major labour gains
09:00in seats across the county.
09:02In fact, the recent poll from Electoral Calculus
09:05has predicted 11 labour gains here,
09:08particularly in the east of Kent.
09:09But how accurate are these polls?
09:11And what other upsets could we expect after polling day?
09:15Well, our politics producer, Oliver Leader de Sacks,
09:17joins me in the studio now with more.
09:19Oliver, what can you tell us about this poll?
09:22Well, judging by the polls,
09:23it may not be a good night for the Conservatives.
09:26Of the Electoral Calculus predicts
09:28they will drop around 11 seats,
09:30mainly in that north-east area of the county
09:34and on the south coast,
09:35focusing on Hythe, Ashford, Dover and Deal,
09:38that being a Labour target seat.
09:41And there are a few big seats for Labour
09:44to try and win this election.
09:45In particular, Medway and Gillingham,
09:47there's two seats there, Rochester and Strood,
09:49and Gillingham and Raynham,
09:50which has been only ever represented by Labour
09:54for around 18 years, since 1918.
09:57For the last 24 elections,
09:59in fact, the Conservatives have won 20.
10:02So it could be quite a big upset if they did win it.
10:04One of the biggest swings from one election to another.
10:08Obviously, this was Blue Wall territory here in Kent.
10:12Only Canterbury was a Labour seat at the last election.
10:16And this is a safe seat that Labour's trying to shore up.
10:19Obviously, Rosie Duffield got into power in 2017,
10:24one of Kent's very few Labour MPs,
10:26only as well as Natalie Elphick as well in Dover and Deal.
10:31She defected from the Conservative Party
10:32just before the election.
10:35But the question is, is whether electoral calculus,
10:38this poll, is actually that accurate?
10:41Because there are other polls available,
10:43and YouGov predicts that they will get less seats than,
10:50well, the Conservatives will get more seats, actually,
10:53than electoral calculus are predicting, around 100 seats.
10:59And while we're getting a bit of feedback in my ear,
11:01what I do want to say, though, is that areas like Tunbridge,
11:03Wells, these are seats that could potentially
11:06go to the Liberal Democrats.
11:09So potentially some upsets on the night.
11:12And of course, we'll be bringing you all the latest
11:14from the general election next Thursday.
11:18Well, we'll take a look very quickly now
11:20before we head to a break, exactly what you
11:23can expect next Friday, next Thursday.
15:01Hello, and welcome back to Kentonite Live on KMTV.
15:18Now, if you were with us just before the break,
15:20I must apologise for some slight technical issues.
15:22We can now show you exactly what you
15:24can expect from our special election coverage
15:27next Thursday from 10pm.
15:29On Thursday, the 4th of July, six weeks
15:32of hard campaigning for this year's general election
15:35will be over.
15:37You will have cast your vote on who
15:39you want to run our country.
15:41KMTV's exclusive 12-hour live election programme
15:46will bring you all the action from across every Kent
15:49count, the constituencies that really matter to you.
15:53The Kent politics show election 2024 special,
15:57live and exclusive on KMTV and Kent Online.
16:01Make sure you're there when Kent decides.
16:05And as Ollie was telling us, it could be a very interesting
16:07evening too, so do make sure you tune in.
16:10Now, a bomb disposal team has descended
16:12onto Herne Bay's seafront after a fisherman has
16:15caught what is believed to be a potential war mine.
16:18A Royal Navy bomb disposal unit alongside police officers
16:22from Kent Police have been at the scene at the Neptune car
16:25park near to the town's pier.
16:27The Whitstable Fishermen's Association
16:29have described the device found by one of its members
16:32as a very large, heavy and cylindrical object
16:34with what looks like a propeller at one end.
16:37The Royal Navy has been contacted
16:38for further information.
16:41Next, a Chinese restaurant in Chatham
16:43could be set to lose its licence following an investigation
16:45from the Home Office.
16:47Five people were arrested on suspicion
16:49of working illegally after government officers visited
16:51Jade Garden on the High Street in December last year.
16:55Concerns about exploitation and modern slavery
16:57have surfaced, with claims that food and accommodation
17:00was used in exchange for labour.
17:02The restaurant has been served a civil penalty referral notice,
17:05which could mean the business faces a fine of up to ÂŁ60,000
17:09per illegal worker.
17:12Moving on, it's time now for your pick of the papers,
17:14taking a look at what's been making the headlines
17:16in Kent's newspapers, online and radio.
17:19Earlier, I was joined by Jack Darkin,
17:21where he told me about a famous cat in Canterbury
17:24and all the troubles he's been getting into.
17:26Well, yes, of course, Canterbury residents will know
17:28about this cat very well.
17:29It's Griffin. He's very famous amongst the students.
17:32And the reason why he's very famous
17:33is because he's so friendly
17:34and he often gets himself into a little bit of mischief.
17:37And, for example, this is another example
17:38of him getting into mischief.
17:40He went missing about a week ago now,
17:41but yesterday he was found a whopping 15 miles
17:44away from his home, spotted by pub-goers in Newton Green.
17:47That's all the way out in Ashford.
17:48That shows how far he managed to get away from his home.
17:51So Kerry Gale, who works at the Alfred Arms,
17:53said that she could hear him meowing outside
17:55and noticed that he sustained a few minor injuries.
17:57She brought him inside and posted to social media
18:00where she was contacted by his owner.
18:02Thankfully, he has been returned to his hometown
18:04after a quick visit to the vets, of course,
18:06and he is recovering very well, apparently.
18:09Well, I must say, I'm from Canterbury
18:11and I've seen Griffin a few times.
18:12There's a certain supermarket.
18:14If you're from Canterbury, you'll know exactly
18:15which supermarket, which you actually find him in
18:17and he's so friendly.
18:18And he's friendly with all the staff there.
18:19I've actually seen him on the shelves before.
18:21So yeah, Griffin, he gets himself in a lot of trouble,
18:23but good news that he's back home
18:25where he should be in Canterbury.
18:27Absolutely.
18:28Tell us, what is your second story for us today?
18:29So my second story involves a derelict shop
18:31in St. John's Hill in Sevenoaks.
18:33It's been transformed into a retro sweet shop.
18:36So the abandoned newsagents had been left empty
18:38for nearly 30 years until it was purchased by Zoe Barnes.
18:41So the 44-year-old said that she'd always aspired
18:43to open her own shop and that when she was a child,
18:46she used to visit a sweet shop called the Chocolate Box
18:48and that's where her inspiration came from.
18:50So it's not the first time she's been selling sweets though.
18:53Since 2020, she's been selling them online.
18:56But now that she has her own shop,
18:57she says that she's been really feeling the love
18:58from the local community and really do wish her
19:00the best of luck with it.
19:01Well, I suppose everyone loves a sweet shop, don't they?
19:03Especially when they were growing up.
19:04Tell me, Jack, what was your favourite sweet growing up?
19:07Has to be Tangfastics.
19:08Tangfastics, all right, good choice.
19:10All right, tell us your final story for us.
19:11It's about the beads, which we reported on a few days ago,
19:15which surrounded a Primark store in Canterbury.
19:18Yes, I wanted to just give you a quick update
19:20involving those beads around the Primark.
19:23As you said, it happened a few days ago
19:24and it caused the store to be evacuated
19:26and it forced to close for a few hours as well.
19:28Well, I can bring you some very good news
19:29regarding their safety.
19:31As I've been told, they've been relocated
19:33to a new and a safe home where they'll be looked after
19:35and hopefully not causing any distractions or delays
19:38to any other businesses in Canterbury anytime soon.
19:40It was quite an astonishing video, wasn't it?
19:41Having closed the entire store, evacuated everybody there.
19:45And I know it's been shared
19:47around all the different social media groups,
19:49but good to hear that it has a happy ending.
19:51Jack, thank you very much for those details.
19:53Thank you.
19:54Now for a quick look at the weather.
20:01Tonight brings very mild temperatures
20:03with just 13 in Tunbridge Wells, 15 in Canterbury.
20:08Tomorrow, warming up slightly to 18 degrees in Dartford.
20:11Some cloudy skies, slightly cooler
20:13than we've been experiencing some of our mornings this week.
20:15But that warmer temperature is coming around
20:17as we reach the afternoon highs of 23
20:20in the north of the county.
20:21Here's the outlook for the next few days.
20:23Kent showing sunny spells on Saturday,
20:26Sunday, turning cloudy on Monday.
20:37And now don't forget, you can keep up to date
20:38with all your latest stories across Kent
20:40by logging on to our website, kmtv.co.uk.
20:43There you'll find all of our reports, including this one
20:46about how a football tournament is helping
20:49to keep young men fit and help them lose weight also.
20:53Chipswitch Town, FC Copenhagen-Das,
20:56Eintracht Frankfurter, OB City, Margate Flandermann,
21:01and Monster Munchen Gladbach.
21:03Yes, you are hearing me right.
21:04Man v. Fat football is a national organisation
21:07with 150 clubs around the country bringing in members
21:10who want to change their weight and their lives.
21:13Before the 30-minute six-a-side matches,
21:15the players are weighed and goal bonuses are given
21:18to teams based on how much weight they've lost.
21:20The organisation also provides them with fitness tips
21:23and healthy recipe ideas.
21:24And last season, one team, Olympic Mayonnaise,
21:27lost a total of 154 kilograms, or 24 stone,
21:31between the 10 of them.
21:32This earned them the nomination for Team of the Year
21:35at the Man v. Fat Football National Awards
21:37at the National Football Museum in Manchester.
21:40Yeah, I mean, obviously it was an honour.
21:43We've sort of done quite a lot outside of the sort of
21:47normal MPF things, you know, raising money.
21:50We raised about two and a half grand.
21:52We had four lads turn up, you know,
21:56in an overweight health range and ended up in BMI.
21:59And yeah, we all sort of bonded as friends as well.
22:02So even though the teams have reshuffled now,
22:05and I'm part of a different team,
22:07so are the rest of the lads.
22:08We're all still friends.
22:09The old, you know, group chat's still going
22:12and all the rest.
22:13Margate's Man v. Fat are up for 10 of the 12 nominations,
22:16including the Most Active Member, Coach of the Year,
22:19and Community Hero.
22:21They also participated in the National
22:22One Million Steps Challenge for Diabetes UK,
22:25where they walked an average of 1.7 million steps each
22:28and raised ÂŁ2,345 for the charity.
22:32Olympic Mayonnaise's weight loss has also impacted
22:34their players' lives significantly.
22:37Yeah, so when I first joined, I was about 22 stone.
22:41And since then, I've lost three stone.
22:43I've still got a bit to go, but as a process,
22:45obviously it's helped me lose weight.
22:47And along with the Monday nights that we normally do,
22:50we also have an 11-a-side team and a couple of days
22:54during the week, we do social games as well.
22:57So there's the opportunity for players to play
23:00up to four times a week, which is fantastic.
23:02And our 11-a-side team this season
23:04entered the national tournament
23:06and managed to get to the semifinals.
23:07So sort of really positive in terms of competitive football
23:11and going to sort of another level in a way.
23:14Talking to the community here,
23:16everyone describes it as friendly.
23:18And even though fouls are pretty common,
23:19the team reshuffling means everyone knows each other
23:22and is here to help one another on their weight loss journey.
23:26Well, that was the end of Chipswitch Town
23:28versus Eintracht Frankfurt.
23:30Back to you in the studio.
23:31Finn McDermid for KMTV.
23:35Well, that is it from us this evening.
23:36Right after the break, we'll have a brand new episode
23:38of Kent Film Club, where Chris Deasey will be joined
23:40by model, actor and fight scene coordinator, Jay James.
23:44Well, joining me now is Chris Deasey.
23:46We have just enough time to chat with you this evening.
23:49So thank you very much for being here once again.
23:51Now, before we get on to talking about tonight's episode,
23:54Glastonbury Festival has just begun.
23:55Everyone's talking about it.
23:57It's obviously a huge event, very popular,
23:59but it's got me thinking about films
24:01and the music that's involved in the films
24:03and in particular, Bohemian Rhapsody and these biopics,
24:06which have just risen in popularity
24:09in the past kind of decade or so.
24:11And going through my head as we speak,
24:12I think of the Amy Winehouse one, Bob Marley,
24:16Aretha Franklin, Respect, of course,
24:17Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocket Man,
24:19and I'm thinking there've been so many
24:22and also the clever interpretations of them
24:25where the music of an artist,
24:26whether it's Bruce Springsteen in Dancing in the Dark
24:29or the Beatles music in Yesterday
24:31is used in a different sort of context
24:33to inform a completely different kind of story
24:37whereby it's like without the influence of these artists,
24:39we wouldn't be where we are today.
24:41So there's some very creative rechanneling.
24:44I think as well, there's something about,
24:45I mean, the fact that these are all true stories
24:47or at least based on the true stories
24:48of these great musicians,
24:50but people are not just watching it
24:52for the kind of history element of it.
24:54It is that music and it's enjoying those eras
24:56that have gone by.
24:57And what happened, when I saw Bohemian Rhapsody,
25:00I was 12 when I saw Live Aid.
25:02I didn't see it at Wembley.
25:03I wish I'd be one of the 72,000,
25:04but I watched it in my living room at home
25:06in South Wales.
25:08But watching the film,
25:08the last was it 20 minutes or so
25:10when it recreates that moment on stage.
25:12And I was transported back to my 12-year-old self.
25:14So that was something,
25:15I came away just thinking
25:16this is the most bewildering thing I've ever watched.
25:18I mean, sometimes with these films,
25:20and the Elvis one is like that,
25:21they try and cover everything.
25:22It's quite scattershot.
25:23Or they're very good at trying to condense things
25:25into one or two scenes.
25:26Actually, the Rocket Man is a good example
25:28where he hasn't even finished singing
25:29Don't Go Breaking My Heart with Kiki D
25:31and suddenly he meets the next love of his life.
25:34And then suddenly he's in this new relationship
25:35and the song hasn't even finished.
25:36They're not even at the studio.
25:38And the Amy Winehouse one that she says,
25:39I'm gonna go alone.
25:40And then she goes down the pub
25:42and then she meets her to-be-husband
25:44and he puts her record on the jukebox,
25:46the Sharanki Lars,
25:46and also actually playing Amy Winehouse.
25:48So it's that sort of idea
25:49of everything being consolidated
25:51into just a few scenes.
25:52But also that's kind of why it works
25:53because music has that impact on us.
25:55We listen and we say,
25:57yeah, that takes me back to a certain period in my life.
25:59So these films are saying,
26:00for these artists concerned,
26:02it's like trying to get the bits
26:03that really resonate with us.
26:04Absolutely.
26:05The power of music is just incredible.
26:07Tell us about tonight's programme.
26:09You've got a stunt coordinator coming on.
26:12But not just that
26:13because he's chosen a few gangsters,
26:14and that's Jay James.
26:15But also, a star is born.
26:17So you've just given me another one.
26:18So that couldn't be a better fit.
26:20And it's not the Barbra Streisand one,
26:22it's the one with Lady Gaga from, what was it, 2018.
26:24Fantastic.
26:25Well, we'll be watching very closely, Chris.
26:27Thank you very much for that.
26:29Now, you've been watching Kentonite Live on KMTV.
26:32There's plenty more news made for Kent
26:33just throughout this evening.
26:34And of course, starting with a brand new episode
26:36of Kent Film Club straight after the break.
26:38Don't forget, you can always keep up to date
26:40with the latest news by logging on to our website,
26:42kmtv.co.uk.
26:44Plenty to watch back there on demand too.
26:46For now, bye-bye.