Catch up with all the latest news across your county with Abby Hook.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Hello, good evening and welcome to Kentonite live on KMTV.
00:29I'm Abbey Hook, here are your top stories on Monday the 22nd of July.
00:34On the rocks, MP calls for government support as grounded Gravesend Ferry puts businesses
00:39at risk.
00:40I mean, we are starting to look, I mean, we're actually looking to even potentially move
00:44because of it.
00:45Biden backs out, but what does the state of US politics mean for us in Kent?
00:50America's the most powerful country in the world, economically, politically, militarily,
00:57culturally.
00:58Model Margate, Hornby celebrates 70th anniversary with interactive train set.
01:04It will also help our local economy, there might be someone who leaves Margate with a
01:09really positive vibe.
01:20First tonight, Gravesend's new MP Lauren Sullivan has written to the Secretary of State for
01:25Transport in hopes of bringing back a crucial ferry link between Kent and Essex.
01:30The Tilbury Ferry has been closed since March after Kent County Council and Thurrock Council
01:34struggled to renew the contract with the operator, with many businesses now fearing for their
01:38future in Gravesend.
01:40Oliver Leader de Sacks has more.
01:43Months have passed since it last set sail, but the fight for the future of the Tilbury
01:48Ferry rages on.
01:51The service connecting Gravesend to Essex stopped operating earlier this year as Kent
01:56County Council and Thurrock Council struggled to secure a new contract with the operator.
02:04Now the new Member of Parliament for Gravesham has written to the Secretary of State for
02:09Transport, calling on her to help pave a path forward.
02:13I think what we need to be doing in the future is about how we bring together businesses,
02:19other partners, other agencies that use the river, that work on the river, as well as
02:24councils, as well as other sectors.
02:28It's really about hooking into those other links so that we can all come together to
02:32find a solution which is a return of the Tilbury Ferry.
02:35And this is a strong focus and I heard it loud and clear on the doorstep, this is what
02:38we need.
02:39Our businesses have suffered, our town centres have suffered.
02:42We really need this back to really take things forward.
02:45The Gravesend model centre has been on the high street for six years, but with sales
02:50taking up to a 15% hit since the ferry's closure, they wonder how long they can roll the dice
02:58given their tight margins.
03:01We have noticed a drop in sales, we've noticed a drop in the actual people, because obviously
03:07the sales are one thing, but you get to know your customers.
03:10And there's several customers who used to spend quite a lot of money who don't come
03:13over anymore, customers who just used to come in and buy one bit every now and again
03:18have not come over.
03:22If you look around the high street, the high street is really suffering.
03:26Zand and Mackenzie Care are another business who are thinking about relocating, with the
03:32ferry impacting their ability to recruit staff.
03:36They say footfall has massively changed since the ferry ceased operating in July.
03:44The whole point of us is that we're a community service.
03:47It's very difficult when the amount of community is minimalised because of the lack of traffic
03:52walking up and down.
03:53If it was still available, we'd have more people walking past, we'd be able to engage
03:58within the community a little bit more.
03:59We're actually looking to even potentially move because of it, because being a community-based
04:06business, it's very difficult when the community are unable to walk past your office.
04:12Both Thoracair and Cairn County Council say they have worked hard to try and secure an
04:17extension to the contract and are still trying to secure a sustainable long-term solution
04:25for the ferry.
04:26The Department of Transport has been reached for comment.
04:30The end of July will mark four months without the ferry.
04:33The question on the minds of businesses here, how much longer can they go on?
04:39Oliver, Leader of the Sacks for KNTV in Gravesend.
04:44Next tonight, a man who stabbed a woman with a screwdriver 71 times in Dartford has been
04:49sentenced to life in prison for attempted murder.
04:51Nicholas Fryers previously served 30 years for killing his partner back in 1993.
04:56The 57-year-old was working at a Sainsbury's distribution centre on day release when the
05:01assault took place.
05:03Fryers stabbed the woman after she said she would report him, something that would have
05:07led him to be sent to a high-category prison.
05:12Next tonight, President Joe Biden has announced he'll be stepping out of the election race
05:16while backing Vice President Kamala Harris to be the next Democratic nominee.
05:20But what exactly does it mean to us here in Kent and across the UK?
05:24The past few weeks in US politics have been shocking after an assassination attempt on
05:28former President and Republican nominee Donald Trump just last week.
05:31But with our own election recently, which introduced a new Labour government, how relevant
05:36do people in Kent think American politics is to them?
05:39We spoke to people on the high street in Gravesend.
05:42How important do you think the US election is to us here in the UK?
05:48I think it's very important.
05:50Very important.
05:51We're intrinsically linked.
05:53We have no choice whether we link with them.
05:58It's important.
05:59They've shown that, you know, you can still make a good decision for the people, not for
06:08yourself, by stepping aside when you are no longer competent.
06:13I think it depends a little bit on, you know, who gets in, obviously.
06:18What we saw before when Trump was there before was very little.
06:22He was very concentrated on what's good for the American people and blow the rest of the
06:27world.
06:28And it worries me a little bit about what might happen in Ukraine, because he might
06:32well just pack out of Ukraine and basically the Russians would come into Ukraine and start
06:37coming into Eastern Europe.
06:38Do you know anything about Kamala Harris?
06:40Not very much, I'm afraid.
06:42But I do think she's going to be better than Trump.
06:45You've got to have a woman of colour in there.
06:48She's calm, she's stable.
06:50She comes from a very multicultural, multi-ethnic background, which I think is quite useful.
06:58Well, I spoke to a lecturer in American politics at the University of Kent, Dr Andrew Rowe,
07:03earlier to talk about those dramatic past few weeks and what it means for us in Kent.
07:08It's been an extraordinary month in American politics, beginning with Biden's disastrous
07:15debate performance at the end of June.
07:19His candidacy was already problematic.
07:23People were raising issues about his age, his competence, his mental acuity.
07:29And those worries were just magnified a thousandfold on that, with that debate performance.
07:37And then we had the events of a week ago, where President Trump very narrowly, by a
07:44matter of an inch, survived an assassination attempt.
07:51Trump's used that assassination attempt.
07:53He's a master of political theatre.
07:56He stood up and shouted, fight, fight, fight to his supporters, and they rallied around.
08:01And that was followed by a hugely successful Republican Party nomination, where we saw
08:06levels of unity and sort of hero worship we'd not seen before.
08:13And that always put pressure on Biden.
08:17It focused attention on his ability to beat Trump, as I've said, and ultimately he took
08:24the decision, I think the right one, that he needed to step down.
08:29We've been out speaking to people in the county on the high streets today and asking them
08:33if they actually care about this issue, how much they think American politics actually
08:39has an impact and influence on us here in the UK.
08:42What would your answer to that be?
08:44I would say it does.
08:47I think America is the most powerful country in the world economically, politically,
08:53militarily, culturally.
08:56Things that happen in the US affect us here in the UK and other citizens around the world
09:03as well.
09:04If I was a citizen of the Ukraine at the moment, I would be hugely worried about a Trump
09:10victory.
09:11If I was a citizen of Europe, I might be concerned about the ongoing existence of NATO, an institution
09:20which is widely regarded by experts as having kept the peace on our continent for several
09:28generations.
09:30So things that happen in America do affect us.
09:32And I think that's one of the reasons why people are interested in American politics
09:35in the UK in a way that they may be not interested in other countries' domestic politics.
09:40And what about Kamala Harris?
09:42What would you say about the position she's now found herself in?
09:47Well, I suspect she's one of the least known vice presidents in recent years.
09:53She's not been front and centre in this administration in a way, say, that Biden was himself in Obama's
10:01administration or that, say, Al Gore was in Bill Clinton's administration.
10:07She's been a relatively low profile.
10:10Now, that might be because the Biden White House didn't fully trust her.
10:17It might be a product of her own personality, that she doesn't seek the limelight, she doesn't
10:23seek attention in a way that some other vice presidential candidates and vice presidents
10:30have done so in the past.
10:32But this is her moment.
10:35She has been given an extraordinary opportunity with Biden stepping down to step up to the
10:42top job.
10:43Dr Andrew Rowe there from the University of Kent.
10:48Now, wildlife rescuers in Dartford are outraged after a gaggle of geese were allegedly mowed
10:52down and killed by a car in Dartford.
10:55This is the moment Carly Allen, the founder of Gabbo Wildlife Foundation, arrived after
10:59being called by a member of the public.
11:01She says it was intentional, but the full details on exactly what happened are not yet
11:05clear.
11:06Somebody has just come down and killed purposely all of these geese here that have died in
11:15the most horrific way.
11:17Me and Joelle are crushed down here.
11:20It's absolutely not acceptable at all.
11:24Just look at this.
11:27It's reported another driver pulled over to put the geese on the side of the road there.
11:32Carly said the birds all had open fractures.
11:34A statement from Kent Police says the informant believed the geese had been involved in a
11:37collision with a car.
11:39Officers from the Rural Task Force have been made aware and appropriate inquiries will
11:43be carried out.
11:44The National Wildlife Crime Unit is also said to be investigating and is trying to get hold
11:48of CCTV.
11:49Time for a very quick break now, but I'll see you with more news for Kent shortly.
15:01Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
15:16Now to sport and Gillingham's pre-season schedule continued this weekend as the Medway side
15:20claimed a victory over opposition that usually plays two leagues above them.
15:24Elsewhere, Kent's T20 season has ended on somewhat of a high and there's just a few
15:29days before our attentions turn to the Olympics, of course.
15:32Well, I'm joined by our sports reporter Bartholomew Hall now.
15:35A great win for Gillingham.
15:37Absolutely.
15:38I mean, I love this part of the year, not just because it means I can come and sit on
15:41the sofa and talk about football again, but because you see these match-ups that you usually
15:45wouldn't.
15:46So yeah, Gillingham, first of all, playing Millwall a week ago, that wasn't the most
15:49exciting game, ended nil-nil.
15:51But playing Watford, another championship side, a team that was playing in the Premier
15:54League just two years ago and beating them two nil.
15:57It might not have been, you know, their usual starting eleven, but still to beat them is
16:01fantastic.
16:02We can take a look at the highlights of some of the goals here.
16:03Trialist, Ewan Williams, getting that goal in there and brilliantly worked.
16:07You can clearly see that had been practised, that set play there from the free kick.
16:11And then in the second half, new signing Jack Nolan getting this goal just here inside the
16:16box.
16:17Brilliant.
16:18That's what the fans wanted to see when they turned up on the Saturday afternoon.
16:20It was a really sunny weather as well, so to top it off.
16:22But another real positive from these early pre-season games is because the fans of Gillingham
16:26are able to see kind of the early workings of Mark Bonner.
16:30Of course, he hasn't played, he hasn't managed a competitive match yet for Gillingham coming
16:33in at the beginning of the summer as the new manager.
16:36So it's been really kind of exciting for them to see kind of what kind of side Gillingham
16:40is going to be as the season commences at the start of August.
16:44And we can hear from Mark Bonner now praising his team after that win.
16:47Yeah, really, really pleased with some of the individual performances, especially when
16:51you're playing a team that, you know, I think that was their fourth game.
16:54That was our second.
16:55And we've got a bit of a mixed match of players still, quite a few young boys getting good
16:59minutes, some out of position and some for the first time.
17:02So really good exposure for them.
17:04That's what it's all about, seeing who can step up at the moment in the early part of
17:07the season.
17:08So, yeah, nice.
17:09Halfway through pre-season, we're in a decent enough spot, but a long way to go yet.
17:13And a long way to go indeed.
17:14Lots of fixtures left for Gillingham before, as I say, League Two kicks back off on the
17:1910th of August with an away match to Carlisle.
17:22Next for Gillingham is Dartford.
17:24That's tomorrow night, 7.45, not at Priestfield.
17:26Back to Princess Park.
17:27So an away game for those Gilles fans.
17:29One more piece of Gilles news to bring you is about new signings that was announced today.
17:33Marcus Wiley will be joining.
17:35He's made a name for himself in the past season in non-league.
17:39He played for Enfield Town.
17:41Some viewers of Invictus Sport who've been following some of our Chatham reporting, Chatham
17:45Town, they'll know that they were knocked out of the playoffs of the Ismian Premier
17:49by a really, really good performance from Marcus Wiley.
17:53The Gillingham fans will absolutely be excited to have him in the ranks.
17:5730 goals he scored last season, getting the golden boot in that Ismian Premiership.
18:02So yeah, an exciting one from the non-league.
18:05But moving on to cricket now.
18:06The Kent Spitfires finished their disappointing T20 Blast campaign with an emphatic win over
18:11the top of the Southern table, Surrey.
18:14Kent lost the toss and were put into bat first by Surrey, where Kent posted a huge score
18:19of 217 runs with Twyndam and Wye, scoring an impressive 61 from just 31 balls.
18:26Kent won by 86 runs.
18:28And despite, of course, finishing bottom of the South table, Vice-Captain Jack Leaning
18:32spoke to the media after Friday's victory, where he reflected on the T20 season and looked
18:37forward to the 50-over cup.
18:39Yeah, I think we said this morning when we came together at training yesterday that actually,
18:44look, it's not been our comp so far, but actually if we can finish with a bit of a high, they're
18:48obviously a very good side.
18:49So it gives us a bit of momentum going into the 50-over comp, which is nice.
18:52Like you said, it's just a shame it didn't quite happen a little bit earlier because
18:56I think tonight really showcased what we can do when we play as a team and actually when
19:00we all come off together.
19:02And with the 2024 Paris Olympic Games set to get underway this Friday, 12 athletes in
19:07total from Kent will be gearing up to compete for gold medals this summer.
19:11Here's the list of them.
19:12They include Cate French from Mepham.
19:14She'll be looking to defend her modern pentathlon title.
19:17There's 23-year-old sailor Freya Black from Goudhurst, gymnast Georgia Mae Fenton from
19:22Gravesend, 20-year-old sport climber Erin McNeice from Sittingbourne.
19:26We spoke to her on Invicta Sport a few weeks ago, and 25-year-old hockey player Ollie Payne
19:31from Holcomb.
19:32A real mixture, Abby, of sports stars to be looking forward to as they all head to Paris
19:37this summer.
19:38It's a very exciting time, lots to look forward to.
19:41As you say, it's nice to be talking about football after, of course, not mentioning
19:46the disappointment at the Euros.
19:47It's nice to be talking about some football success more locally as well.
19:50And plenty more to come after the break on Invicta Sport.
19:52Exactly, Bartholomew.
19:53Thank you for the sports.
20:03Now, don't forget, as well as catching us here at 5.30 every evening, don't forget you
20:07can keep up to date with all your latest stories across Kent by logging onto our website, kmtv.co.uk.
20:13There you'll find all our reports, including this one about Network Rail's safety campaign
20:17with increasing numbers of near-misses on Kent's tracks.
20:20A young couple dashing to safety, a near-miss for a dog and its owner, cyclists in too much
20:27of a rush to consider the danger.
20:31Just some of the shocking footage released by Network Rail showcasing the reckless behaviour
20:35around Kent's railways.
20:38Network Rail, which owns, operates and maintains Kent's railways, have released these never-before-seen
20:43clips as part of their summer safety campaign, which hopes to increase awareness around rail
20:49safety.
20:50Usually, we see a rise during the school holidays with children being, you know, bored, wanting
20:58to find something to do, thrill-seeking, so now is a great time to try and, you know,
21:07capture that.
21:10These events have been reported all across Kent with 258 incidents of misuse and 33 near-misses
21:17at level crossings recorded across the county from 2023 to 2024, and whilst these numbers
21:23do represent an 18 and 13 percent decrease respectively from the previous year, the numbers
21:29are still staggering.
21:30Some trains can travel up to 140 miles per hour, and with rails carrying enough electricity
21:36to seriously injure or even kill a person, reckless behaviour around level crossings
21:41can have devastating consequences.
21:43The other thing to bear in mind, when you're driving a car, you can swerve, you can, you
21:49know, try and move around an object or a person, but you can't do that in a train.
21:54You can't swerve.
21:55The braking distance is a lot, lot harder than a car as well, so it takes the train
21:59a lot further to stop.
22:02They're also much higher up, so their visibility, they can't always see directly, you know,
22:08below, so their visibility is also reduced.
22:11Over the summer months, Network Rail will be hoping this campaign gets young people
22:15to seriously think about their safety.
22:18This has been Alex Skaife for KMTV.
22:20Well, now it's time to take a very quick look at the forecast for the coming days.
22:32Tonight, we'll see some cloudy skies, temperatures between 16 and 17 in Dartford and Dover.
22:38Tomorrow morning, some sunny spells, but some rain and showers around Tunbridge Wells and
22:42Folkestone, highs of 19 across the board.
22:46Tuesday afternoon, it'll be a bit warmer up in Dartford, highs of 24, but rain down
22:50by the coast there.
22:51And here's your outlook for Kent as well.
22:53Wednesday, some sun and cloud, Thursday and Friday, some rain.
23:08And finally, this evening, the printing press, Calculus and the first ever sandwich are some
23:13of the most famous inventions here in Kent.
23:16But Margate is especially home to one of the UK's oldest model trainmakers, Hornby, who
23:22chose to celebrate their 70th anniversary being based on the beach town in a fun new
23:28way.
23:29Instead of tea and scones or fish and chips, the celebration saw members of the public
23:33able to be scanned, 3D scanned, shrunk down and actually placed on a model recreation
23:40of Margate, complete with a railway, beaches and roller coasters.
23:44Well, Finn McDermid was one of them.
23:47Margate is well known for its beaches, music scene and iconic Lido, but it's also home
23:52to one of the oldest model train companies in the country.
23:55Hornby, who have been making trains in miniature since the 1920s, have celebrated their 70th
23:59anniversary of being in Margate, with competitors Triang Railways having built a factory there
24:04in 1954, which would later become Hornby's HQ.
24:08To honour the event, they created their mini Margate train set to be opened and kept in
24:12Margate station for a number of weeks.
24:15We've had a relationship with South Easton for a long, long time because we produce models
24:20of their trains, along with many other trains across the global network, but when we started
24:25thinking about what could we do, how could we make something special about this anniversary,
24:32it was the first people we called because we're railways, they're the local station
24:36and they were brilliant.
24:38They were very welcoming to ideas and also gave ideas of inspiration and for us to be
24:42able to put this layout and this model actually in such a prominent position in one of the
24:48busiest stations is absolutely amazing.
24:51In order to involve people travelling through Margate who use the trains, the model boasts
24:55the feature where commuters can get 3D scanned and placed somewhere on the train set, thanks
25:00to a 3D rig set up by Model U, so I just had to give it a go.
25:04And here's the result I think my good looks translated well into miniature form, though
25:09I probably should have tucked my shirt in.
25:10Well despite the heat, many have come to see the unveiling of Margate's miniature station,
25:15a miniature railway featuring Margate's most iconic landmarks such as Dreamland, the oldest
25:20roller coaster in the UK and Margate's only but ultimately iconic beach.
25:25The aim of the project isn't just to promote Hornby, but to promote Margate as well.
25:31The atmosphere in the station is electrifying, everyone's happy to have a layout, especially
25:38the passengers.
25:39We'll have thousands of people coming through throughout the summer and just seeing children
25:44smile just makes it worthwhile, but it also helps promote the railway in general and there
25:50might be someone who leaves Margate with a really positive vibe and think actually I
25:55might want to visit again, so it will also help our local economy with that.
25:59With Margate's place in the far east of Kent, it can be overlooked, but the beach town has
26:04so much rich history that is often forgotten or not known about outside of Margate.
26:09So hopefully locals and visitors will enjoy being part of Margate's history to come.
26:13Finn McDermid for KMTV.
26:17Quite fancy, a miniature KMTV studio now, I think that would be quite fun.
26:20Well, that's all we've got time for this evening on Kentonite, live here on KMTV.
26:24There's of course more news made just for Kent throughout the evening, Bartholomew Hall
26:28will be back here at 8pm with your news bulletin.
26:31You can keep up to date on our website as well, that's KMTV.co.uk and on our social
26:37timelines too.
26:38But of course, stick with me for a few minutes, we'll have Invicta Sport, see you then.