Catch up with all the latest news across your county with Abby Hook.
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00:00Hello, good evening and welcome to Kentonite live on KMTV.
00:29I'm Abbey Hook.
00:30Here are your top stories on Wednesday the 3rd of July.
00:34Ticking time bombs, Swanscombe residents fearing for the worst as lorries drive in restricted
00:40zones.
00:41Something's going to happen, someone's going to get run over, something is going to happen.
00:45SEND blind spot, Rainham mother says more needs to be done after 30 schools turn away
00:51her autistic son.
00:53When, when is he going to have that school, like there will be a school, but when?
00:58And we'll catch up on Kent's health headlines with KMTV's expert Dr Julian Spinks.
01:05First tonight, some Swanscombe residents say it's only a matter of time before someone
01:19gets hit by a lorry.
01:21A key trunk road for HGVs in the area has been closed for more than a year because of
01:25a recent landslide.
01:27But locals say lorries have been avoiding the official diversion, opting instead to
01:31cut through narrow streets.
01:33There are now calls for greater restrictions in case someone gets hurt.
01:37Our local democracy reporter Gabriel Morris has more.
01:41It's been more than a year since the Swanscombe landslip.
01:44Investigations might be underway, but when this major A road will reopen remains a mystery.
01:51But a message from locals is clear.
01:53It's causing them a nightmare, with lorries cutting through their neighbourhood instead
01:57of using official diversions.
02:00They're not meant to come down here, and when they do, they sometimes cause damage.
02:05My first reaction was really upset.
02:07I just went, oh no, oh no.
02:10You just don't expect to be able to park your car over your drive just for a short while
02:14and then a lorry comes along and takes the side of it off.
02:17My wing mirror has been taken off as well.
02:18I mean, my husband has put it back on with silver tape, so it doesn't look so bad, but
02:23obviously I would have lost my wing mirror.
02:25But when you open the door to the car, you can see in here it's all crumpled, which means
02:33that this whole panel, this whole lot would need to be replaced because it's one big panel.
02:40She worries there'll just be too many repairs needed to her car, and her insurance will
02:44simply write it off.
02:46But this isn't her greatest fear.
02:48I'm saying that something's going to happen, that someone's going to get run over.
02:51Something is going to happen, whether it's a lorry or if it's a car, but we all share
02:58the same concern that we think someone will eventually get run over because of what's
03:01going on.
03:02Earlier this year, her neighbour's fan was written off, and just last week we reported
03:06on this lorry that seemingly got lost and had to turn around in this children's playpark.
03:13It hasn't, since the road collapsed, it's been happening.
03:16These are very, very tiny roads, very residential roads, and the lorries are reversing through.
03:21They're not taking any notice of the signage.
03:23People's cars and people's properties are being damaged, and as we saw what happened
03:26in Phoenix Park, it's only a matter of time before something more dangerous happens.
03:31Kent police say they're looking at preventative measures with Kent County Council, who are
03:35in charge of roads.
03:37There are now calls for height restrictions to stop these incidents from happening.
03:42We know it's difficult.
03:43There's got to be room for access.
03:44The buses have got to get through, dust guards have got to get through, legitimate deliveries
03:49to the co-op and so on have got to get through, but the big lorries can't.
03:52A lot of residents would like to see some form of height restriction put in, because
03:56it can be pitched at a height that lets the buses through, but stops the big lorries coming
04:01through.
04:02KCC says they'll ensure there is clear signage, and they'll continue to work closely with
04:06partners to find a solution to the issue.
04:09There were no lorry signs already up.
04:12Residents say it's a ticking time bomb before something major happens.
04:17Gabriel Morris in Swanscombe.
04:21And we did approach the lorry company who hit Ray's car, but they declined to comment.
04:25Well, in the last half an hour, a YouGov poll has predicted Labour will get the largest
04:29majority of any party in a UK election since the 1800s.
04:34But what does that mean for Kent?
04:35Well, a few surprises regarding Kent's seat predictions.
04:38Our politics producer, Oliver Leader de Sacks, joins me now in the studio to make sense of
04:42it.
04:43This has just come out, Oliver, but what can we take from it that matters to us here in
04:47the county?
04:48Well, it is pretty shocking.
04:49Obviously, it's only been half an hour since it came out, a lot to digest, but it is shocking.
04:56Labour could get the largest majority since 1832, a 212-seat majority, with the Conservatives
05:05getting the lowest in their history.
05:07As you can see, 39 per cent of voters say they will be voting Labour nationally, with
05:12just 22 per cent voting Conservative and 15 voting for Reform, making them the third party
05:18in terms of voting intention.
05:21And it wouldn't be a bad night for the Liberal Democrats either, actually.
05:24They're predicted to get around 72 seats nationally.
05:27And there are some surprises regarding Liberal Democrats in Kent, because Sevenoaks, a seat
05:32which for more than 100 years has been in Conservative control, bar one year, is now
05:38a toss-up between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives.
05:41Laura Trott, a current minister in the Treasury, could potentially lose her seat to Richard
05:47Streetcliff.
05:48Of course, there are candidates, and you can get a full list for the seat on Kent Online.
05:53But that is pretty shocking and might give her a bit of a restless night tonight, because
05:57she might have assumed that she might be a bit safer than she actually is.
06:02Meanwhile, in Chatham and Aylesford, this was previously a toss-up by the pollster,
06:09but now it's leaning slightly towards Labour, according to the poll.
06:11So it's going to be an interesting one tomorrow.
06:13Obviously, the only poll that matters is tomorrow, and polls open at 7am.
06:18And of course, Oliver, I think Richard Stretfield, the Liberal Democrat there in Sevenoaks, but
06:22a huge thing.
06:23And just very quickly, you've been out on the streets speaking to plenty of Kent voters.
06:27People are asking for different things.
06:29Different things matter to people in different constituencies, different areas.
06:33But I suppose, does this result reflect any of that that you've heard on the streets,
06:37these numbers that we're seeing and the shift?
06:40That's a really interesting question, Abby, because every single seat is different, has
06:44different voters that care about different issues.
06:46But the one thing I keep hearing is change.
06:50Voters want to see a change of some description, a change in how government is run.
06:55Maybe that means sticking with the Conservatives under Richie Sunak and their new manifesto.
07:00Maybe it means more votes for reform, the Liberal Democrats and, of course, Labour,
07:04who are, according to these pollsters, now predicted to get a sizeable majority.
07:09So it remains to see whether those views on the street actually materialise at the polling
07:13booth tomorrow.
07:14But of course, you can get all the latest with KMTV on that tomorrow.
07:17Oliver, thank you very much for all those details.
07:21Now that was interesting in the last half an hour, that YouGov poll.
07:24We just heard we're seeing previously safe Conservative seats threatened by the Liberal
07:29Democrats and in other places, Labour.
07:31Kent is also welcoming a new formed constituency, the Weald, and it will all make for a very
07:37interesting dynamic in this election for the county.
07:40But what does the data actually tell us about which way it could go and what do voters care
07:45about?
07:46Nahiba Ahmed has this analysis.
07:49Here's a map of Kent.
07:51Once the election votes are declared, we'll know how to colour it in.
07:55But how could it differ from the 2019 election?
07:58Before Parliament was resolved in June, Kent was home to only two Labour constituencies,
08:03Canterbury and Dover and Deal.
08:05The latter was only because former Tory MP Natalie Elphick defected to Labour earlier
08:10this year.
08:11But numerous polls, including one by the Electoral Calculus, predict a red majority in Kent.
08:17Labour is set to win 12 of 18 constituencies, including those true blue seats.
08:22Let's look at one constituency that may no longer be safe for the Tories.
08:27Ashford has been a Conservative constituency since 1931.
08:32But boundary changes have been made to constituencies which alters the dynamics of this election.
08:36Whilst Ashford is usually as blue as it comes, Labour has a 78% chance of turning it red.
08:43Kent will also welcome an extra MP for a predominantly rural constituency.
08:48And according to the polls, it's likely to be a Tory one.
08:51The Weald of Kent is the newest and largest geographical seat in the county.
08:56It is mostly formed of what used to be part of Ashford and Maidstone.
09:00Despite these seats having different voter profiles, they share similar concerns.
09:05Affordable housing and reducing NHS waiting lists are priorities across the county.
09:10Also, rural crime is a concern for locals, particularly for farmers in the Weald.
09:16Another issue is around the Eurostar terminal in Ashford.
09:19It was closed in 2020 and many voters want it reopened.
09:23It will be up to the incoming government to address these issues.
09:27Naveeha Ahmed, KMTV.
09:30And don't forget, tomorrow evening, once the polls close, we'll be live here on KMTV
09:34throughout the night for special coverage of all the results.
09:37From 10pm to 10am, a 12-hour Kent Politics Show special will bring you detailed analysis,
09:43live reports from all 18 constituencies and every Kent result as they happen.
09:49On Thursday 4th July, six weeks of hard campaigning for this year's general election will be over.
09:57You will have cast your vote on who you want to run our country.
10:01KMTV's exclusive 12-hour live election programme will bring you all the action
10:07from across every Kent count.
10:10The constituencies that really matter to you.
10:13The Kent Politics Show Election 2024 special, live and exclusive on KMTV and Kent Online.
10:21Make sure you're there when Kent decides.
10:26Very exciting stuff just a day to go.
10:28Well, if you want to make your voice heard in Kent tomorrow,
10:31don't forget when polling booths open tomorrow at 7am across Kent,
10:34you will need to bring ID or you'll be turned away.
10:37Well, accepted forms of ID include passports, both provisional and full driving licence,
10:44blue badges, older person or disabled bus passes too.
10:48Also, as well as proof of age, cards and voter authority certificates.
10:53And for a full list, just go to the Electoral Commission website or search online,
10:57but make sure you are bringing your ID as you head to vote tomorrow.
11:04Well, next this evening, a woman has been left petrified after her sunroof unexpectedly shattered
11:10and it's cost her nearly £1,500.
11:13Shanice Dawson says she was lucky not to be in her Mercedes E-Class
11:16when the window exploded on top despite not being touched.
11:20Believing that a brick was thrown at her car, which at the time was parked in her driveway,
11:24she watched back the CCTV, hoping to find the perpetrator,
11:28but was stunned when she saw no actual reason or cause for the glass breaking.
11:32Ms Dawson was dealt another blow as Mercedes said they would not repair it.
11:37She's planning on selling the car as soon as it's fixed.
11:41Well, now it's time for a very quick break, but when we come back,
11:43we'll have more news from across Kent.
11:46I'll see you in just a few minutes' time. Don't go anywhere.
15:03Welcome back to Kent tonight, live on KMTV.
15:07Now, a woman has been charged with murder after a 25-year-old man was stabbed to death in Maidstone.
15:12Police were called to Southfields Way in the village of Harrietsham
15:15in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
15:17The victim, who has been named by police as Jack Cadwalader,
15:21was taken to hospital and is now in intensive care.
15:24Police are still working to find out what happened to the man.
15:27On Tuesday morning, the victim, who has been named by police as Jack Cadwalader,
15:32was taken to hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
15:35In the days since, friends and family have taken to social media to share their tributes.
15:40Well, joining me with the latest on the story is our reporter, Bartholomew Hull.
15:43Bartholomew, what can you tell us about today?
15:46Well, first of all, let's just recap and go back to yesterday morning.
15:49So, it was 1.30am when officers and paramedics were called to the scene in Southfields Way.
15:5525-year-old Jack Cadwalader, as he's now been named, was then taken to hospital.
16:00And then a police cordon was set up at both the hospital and in the village in Southfields Way.
16:06Police later confirming that that cordon at Maidstone Hospital was linked to this incident.
16:12Many residents on this road, Southfields Way,
16:15telling us that they were absolutely shocked that an alleged murder could happen on their doorstep.
16:20Many saying it's usually a very quiet and pleasant street to live on.
16:24Some even going as far as to say that they're nervous about letting their children out to play,
16:28as they usually would do on a daily basis.
16:30But one thing is certain about that road is that it has been far from quiet in the past day or so.
16:36As you can see in these pictures taken around about yesterday lunchtime,
16:41very large police presence on the road.
16:43Forensics teams, sniffer dogs and officers searching.
16:46You can see they're in quite a large group looking through a grassy area just off of the road.
16:52Now, initially, police had arrested a man and a woman, we're told, who were known to Jack.
16:58Today, the latest on that is that a 19-year-old woman has now been charged with his murder.
17:03Her name is Paige Poulton.
17:04She's from Haringey in London and was due to appear before magistrates court today.
17:08Now, the other person arrested, the man, has not been charged and has since been released.
17:13Of course, investigations are still ongoing.
17:15And as we said yesterday, the investigation is being carried out by the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate,
17:21who deal with some of the most intensive searches and investigations of crime in the county.
17:28Now, tributes have been surfacing on social media today for Jack,
17:32with many family and friends saying that they can't believe they're writing this RIP.
17:37Another wrote, we will miss you.
17:39And obviously, as you can see, they're sharing pictures of him
17:42and sharing their memories of him as well on social media.
17:45So, for the friends and family, for now, the attention is turning to remembering Jack.
17:50Bartholomew, thank you very much for those details.
17:54Now, next tonight, a mother from Raynham has applied for 30 schools across Kent
17:58in search of one that can meet the needs of her autistic son.
18:02She says there's a blind spot in the provision provided
18:05and is worried her son will regress when primary school ends in a few weeks' time.
18:10But there are concerns that this is a problem beyond Kent and Medway.
18:14Oliver Leader, De Sacks, has more.
18:16Thirty special needs schools and counting.
18:19That's the number of schools Kelly Adams has applied for
18:22on behalf of her 10-year-old autistic son, Harley.
18:26Kelly is worried there's a blind spot within the system,
18:29with many of the schools being unable to meet Harley's needs,
18:33as outlined in his education, care and health plan.
18:37The anxiety is real.
18:39Like, I've never suffered with anxiety at all,
18:40but the anxiety at the moment is very, very real to the point of,
18:44it's when, when is he going to have that school?
18:47Like, there will be a school, but when?
18:49Where is it going to be? How far is it going to be?
18:51That is the problem.
18:52And where Harley obviously gets on his school bus every day,
18:55he enjoys going on the school bus, being with the other children,
18:58but then it will go from that to if he's, I don't know,
19:01in another county that he's got to go to, he'll have to get on his taxi.
19:05Then it's more isolating because he's a bit like,
19:06OK, where am I going? What am I doing?
19:08Having searched as far as Swanley and Broadstairs,
19:10the mother of two from Raynham is worried
19:12they could even have to look beyond Kent's borders.
19:15We noticed when the schools obviously kept saying no and no and no,
19:19and we knew there was going to be a battle on our hands,
19:20but I think because Harley doesn't meet, like, the textbook, like, autism,
19:25he's in the middle. He's not, like, high-functioning, low-functioning.
19:28He's just in the middle.
19:29He's very, very complex, obviously, with his ADHD.
19:31He can communicate to a certain degree.
19:34He needs a lot of help with every aspect of his life,
19:36but he is able to do things.
19:38So where he's not anywhere on the spectrum as such that they could say,
19:41oh, well, this is what we could do for him,
19:43it is just a case of, like, him being in the middle of the spectrum.
19:47That is the problem.
19:49While Kelly continues to fight for her son,
19:52access to special needs support is an increasing issue.
19:56We're increasingly hearing about schools not having the resource,
19:59not having the capability and the capacity,
20:01and not getting the support they need from external services
20:04to be able to meet all the needs of children
20:06with special education needs and disabilities.
20:08And it is really depressing,
20:10because if you have an education, health and care plan,
20:13that is supposed to set out clearly and specifically
20:16what additional support your child needs to support them in education
20:20as well as in health and from social care.
20:23And that support should then be provided.
20:25A spokesperson for Medway Council says they are working to ensure
20:29there are sufficient places in the right provision
20:33for our children and young people.
20:35They say they are continuously developing further provision
20:39to meet growing needs
20:40and where necessary, commissioning independent providers.
20:44Tomorrow, Kent goes to the polls.
20:47For Kelly and parents like her,
20:49their fears about special needs education here in the county
20:54will be at the top of their minds.
20:56All of the leaders of SACS for KMTV in Raynham.
21:01Now it's time to catch up on some of the latest health headlines
21:04with KMTV's health expert, Dr Julian Spinks.
21:11Julian, thank you very much for joining us today.
21:14Now, according to experts,
21:15children with cancer are getting better treatment
21:18and it's because of a genetic test
21:20the NHS has been offering, whole genome sequencing.
21:24What exactly is that? What does that mean?
21:26That's literally looking at the whole genetic blueprint of the cancer
21:31and of the person, of the child.
21:34And what that does is it allows you to, number one,
21:36identify if there's any genetic cause of the cancer,
21:39and so, for example, they can offer screening for the rest of the family,
21:43but also it means they can perhaps tailor the treatment.
21:46And so it may be that they can find a particular gene
21:49is more responsive to a type of chemotherapy,
21:51so they get better treatment.
21:53And finally, they're just starting, not in children yet,
21:55but it's going to come, doing things like vaccines against cancer,
21:59where you're using that genetic sequence to make a vaccine,
22:02which can then stop it.
22:04So it's a very positive move,
22:05and what they're trying to do is get all hospitals to do it.
22:08To get all hospitals to offer it to children with cancer.
22:11And we talk about these things,
22:13and they sound incredible medical breakthroughs,
22:15we often talk about, and what impact that can have,
22:18but what's the time we're looking at here?
22:20How likely can this be?
22:22How likely can it be that we can start looking at other family members
22:26if we're looking at the children as well?
22:28Because that's a huge step.
22:30Unlike a lot of things I talk about, this is starting to happen right now.
22:33And whilst all the developments aren't there yet,
22:36actually, rather than saying,
22:37oh, this is something that will be available in 10 years' time,
22:40it's starting to happen right now, and people should be asking for it.
22:43And how beneficial could this be
22:45to looking at the risk family members could be at as well?
22:49Is there much else that is comparable to this in the medical industry as well?
22:54Well, we're looking with lots of diseases,
22:56because there's a genetic element to a lot.
22:58Being able to look at the family is really important,
23:00because if you've got more than one child,
23:02is that second child more likely to get the same cancer?
23:05If they are, you can look at them much closer.
23:07If they're not, you can reassure the family
23:09that they're much less likely to have a cancer.
23:12And you mentioned vaccines there.
23:14We're going to move on slightly.
23:15The US government has given Moderna $176 million,
23:20equivalent to nearly £140 million,
23:23to develop an mRNA pandemic influenza vaccine
23:27that could work against bird flu.
23:29It seems like an awful lot of money to look into something like bird flu
23:33that's not particularly dangerous for us as humans.
23:36It's an awful lot of money.
23:38Well, at the moment,
23:39there isn't very much in the way of bird flu crossing over into humans.
23:43But every time a virus divides,
23:45there's a chance you get a mutation.
23:47And most of those actually are not helpful to the virus.
23:49Occasionally, they do something like give it the ability to move over into humans.
23:54And the worry we have is that something like that will happen.
23:57The last big flu outbreak we had across the world was swine flu.
24:01So that came from pigs into humans.
24:03And what we're doing now is we've got this ability to produce vaccines relatively quickly.
24:07We can have it in place ready.
24:09So if you do get an outbreak, we can start that vaccination program.
24:12If you remember with COVID, it took several months to get that.
24:15And I suppose, dare I say positives from COVID,
24:18but I suppose lessons learned from COVID.
24:20Is this the, the government said,
24:22the US government is that they want to be better prepared
24:25and that could be reflected over here too.
24:28Post COVID, looking at ways that we could start to stop things and curb them.
24:32Absolutely. We now know how important it is to be ready.
24:35And it pushed the development of this type of vaccine
24:38because it was in the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for COVID as well.
24:42And just very quickly, Julian, I wanted to ask you, of course, polling day tomorrow.
24:46We've been talking about that a lot on the show.
24:48Just saw that YouGov poll that come out as well.
24:50But how key will policies on the NHS be to influencing those votes tomorrow?
24:54People walking up and putting those ballot papers in,
24:57are they going to be thinking their vote relies heavily on policies directed towards our health service?
25:03Well, the health service is something that people meet on a day-by-day basis.
25:08It's not as theoretical as some of these economic analysis.
25:11A typical person sees their GP practice seven times a year.
25:14So there's very few of us who don't actually see the problems the NHS is in.
25:18And so they're very keen to see if things can be improved.
25:21And that's why all the parties have been promising an awful lot in the manifestos.
25:25Julian, thank you very much.
25:26Some important topics there for sure.
25:28Thank you.
25:30Now it's time for us to take a very quick look at the weather.
25:40Cloudy this evening, lows of 14, mostly 15 degrees across the county.
25:45By tomorrow morning, warming up slightly, bringing a bit of wind with it too.
25:49Highs of 17, lows of 16 and some mixed sunshine.
25:53By the afternoon, warming up to highs of 21 in Dartford.
25:57That wind coming in a bit stronger too.
25:59And here's your outlook for Kent into the weekend.
26:02Slightly sunnier by Saturday, but rain coming in on Sunday.
26:15Well, you've been watching Kent Tonight live here on KMTV.
26:18There's more news made just for Kent throughout the evening as well with our 8pm news bulletin.
26:22But don't forget, you can keep up to date with the latest news across Kent
26:26by logging on to our website, kmtv.co.uk.
26:30And of course, we'll be bringing you our very special Kent Politics show,
26:34a 12-hour live programming of the election tomorrow.
26:38We're all very excited here at KMTV.
26:40But stick around for our 8pm news bulletin.
26:42But that's all from me for now.
26:43See you soon. Bye bye.
26:52Kent Politics www.kntpolitics.org