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.
00:30Here are your top stories on Friday the 2nd of August.
00:34Ban the barbecues, fears of fire risk on Folkestone's beach as councillor calls for more fines.
00:41No child should have to worry about where they put their feet on the beach.
00:46Discovering Sandwich, Kentown welcomes 100 jobs to former Pfizer site.
00:51Helps secure the future of Discovery Park which is a major centre of innovation and
00:58investment particularly here in East Kent.
01:01Medway Mixes, local bars boosting business with cost-cutting cocktail week.
01:07Definitely helps but we try to push the cocktails because obviously we love the cocktails, love
01:10to make the cocktails and I think cocktails are fun.
01:23First tonight a Folkestone and Hythe councillor is calling for a barbecue ban on the district's
01:27beaches over fears of children being burnt.
01:31It wouldn't be the first time a local authority in the county has stopped the use of disposable
01:35barbecues in specific areas.
01:37With Canterbury City Council prohibiting them in Whitstable and Herne Bay and the district
01:42council banning them at the Lower Lees Coastal Park back in 2020.
01:46But the council in Folkestone says a general ban would be difficult to enforce and would
01:51require a public consultation.
01:53Oliver Leeder de Sacks has more.
01:56School's out and the sun with it here on Kent's south coast but seagulls and sandcastles aren't
02:03the only thing to keep an eye out for on Folkestone's beaches.
02:07With the Harbour Ward councillor increasingly concerned about the risks posed by disposable
02:13barbecues.
02:15These barbecues that we're seeing more and more of on our beaches, especially the disposable
02:21ones are causing issues.
02:24You know when you go home, if you take your barbecue with you that's great but when you
02:30leave them on the sand, even buried in the sand, they gather heat and children and dogs
02:36and adults have burnt their feet badly on these contraptions.
02:41With children at the seaside all August, the local Labour representative wants to see a
02:47ban to ensure barbecue free beaches.
02:50Barbecue bans are nothing new for people living here in Folkestone.
02:55Just up the road from Sunny Sands, right here at the Lower Leeds Coastal Park, barbecues
03:00have been banned since 2020 after visitors were leaving behind lit barbecues posing a
03:07fire risk.
03:09But our beach goers here convinced a ban is the way to go.
03:14I think if you're sensible enough, I think it's a good idea to do.
03:19If you dispose of them correctly, obviously if you're putting them in the correct bins,
03:23making sure they're all out, you know, and not on fire.
03:26Yeah, I'm not in favour of having them on the beach.
03:31I think they're a nuisance to smoke, you know, if you have a barbecue do it at home, that's
03:36my opinion on it really.
03:38I think if they're left, it can be quite dangerous for young children because of the coals remaining
03:43hot and things like that but I think we want people to come to these areas and we want
03:48people to have staycations in this country so I think people are having a nice time and
03:53a barbecue is a nice thing to have.
03:54The potential of a barbecue ban has been raised with Folkestone and Hyde District Council,
04:00which noted that enacting a general ban on barbecues would need an amendment to the existing
04:07public space protection order, or more likely a new standalone PSPO requiring public consultation.
04:16As Councillor Polly Blakemore, the Green Cabinet member for Transport, Regulatory Services
04:22and Building stated, enforcing a ban effectively along our coastline at the height of summer
04:29would need a significant increase in staffing and budget and I think we're still in practice
04:35struggle to implement.
04:37A ban then seems unlikely in the short term but when you're next on the coast, keep an
04:43eye out for embers, coals and disused barbecues. The marks they leave behind won't disappear
04:50with the tide.
04:51Oliver Leader of the Saks for KMTV in Folkestone.
04:56Well Oliver joins me in the studio now. Oliver, we heard in your piece there a lot of concerns
05:01about barbecues on the beaches in Folkestone but is this more of a Kent-wide issue? We
05:06have so much coastline here.
05:08Obviously the council wanted to ban barbecues in Folkestone. It wouldn't be the first local
05:12authority in Kent to actually do that. Notably, Canterbury City Council last year put in place
05:18a public space protection order that prohibits certain activities happening in areas and
05:26they prohibited the use of disposable barbecues on a 14-mile stretch of coast. That includes
05:32areas like Whitstable, like Herne Bay, like Redolva. Beautiful beaches in that area, very
05:40well used and you could face a maximum £1,000 fine for using disposable vape on these beaches.
05:48So it is quite a significant issue and it did actually meet quite a lot of backlash
05:52as well. More than 500 people actually went against the public consultation for the PSPO.
06:02And it's not actually the only coastal community to do this. Stanwick District Council implemented
06:06a disposable ban on its beaches using another PSPO and actually prohibits barbecues in
06:11general after 6pm on its beaches and they're quite far away from the buildings as well.
06:17So obviously a lot of concern for Kent's coastal communities on this issue.
06:22What can people do if they are going to an area where you're allowed a barbecue, allowed
06:26a disposable barbecue, what can they do to ensure that they're being safe when they're
06:30using them?
06:31That's a really great question. I think one we asked the Kent Fire and Rescue Service
06:35earlier this week. Obviously with the beautiful weather we've been having recently, lots of
06:40concerns about the type of weather we've been having. And we asked them, what can we do
06:44to be safe on the beaches and when we're out and about?
06:48During these warmer months, we find that the ground is much more dry because of the higher
06:51temperatures. So grass and wildfires tend to start and spread more with greater severity.
06:58So if you're a smoker and you're discarding smoking materials, that we look to discard
07:02those suitably and not discard those onto the ground. If you're having a barbecue, we'd
07:08request that you look at where you site the barbecue. So to make sure that it's not going
07:12to spread to any fencing, shrubbery, property, anything like that. If people are using disposable
07:17barbecues, again, we'd ask them to look at where they're siting the barbecue, but also
07:22make sure it's very cool before they then dispose off that barbecue itself.
07:26Well, Abbie, it's not an exhaustive list of things you can do to protect yourself. Other
07:31things you can do include avoiding using petrol and accelerants because you can't keep control
07:36of a fire using petrol. Be mindful of other people around you, children, wildlife. That's
07:41what we heard a lot about in the piece I did earlier. And make sure the barbecue is on
07:45a flat surface. Don't want it tipping over and potentially setting on fire those dry
07:50scrubs, that dry foliage. Obviously, when I was in Folkestone, there was lots of dry
07:54plant matter. So it's worth keeping an eye out for that. But plenty you can do on the
07:59beaches. But do enjoy yourself. It is lovely weather at the moment. And stay safe out there.
08:03It's not all doom and gloom. But of course, the huge agricultural spot that we are here
08:06in Kent, it does spread to those wildfires, those grasses too. So you need to be really
08:11careful when disposing of barbecues, disposing of things like cigarettes too. Oliver, thank
08:15you very much for those details. Very important, especially during the summer holidays.
08:19Now, another headline and warning from the fire service. A mirror was believed to be
08:24the cause of a house fire in Rochester after sunlight reflected onto the bedroom curtains.
08:30Two fire engines arrived at the scene using hose jets to extinguish the fire. Crews also
08:35rescued the family cat, luckily. He's called Tigger. As the bedroom door was closed, it
08:40meant no other parts of the house were damaged, luckily. Kent Fire and Rescue Service are
08:45reminding people to keep mirrors and shiny objects out of direct sunlight. You can see
08:49here on the screen just what that damage did to the back of the TV there. Homeowner
08:54Michael added that it's one small preventable thing that can have devastating effects, adding
08:58that the family were incredibly lucky. Now, Sandwich has become the first manufacturing
09:04facility in Europe for Acinchem. Today, Discovery Park opened their new facilities, which was
09:09formerly used by Pfizer, the company known for producing a vaccine during the COVID pandemic.
09:15This new investment to the Kent town will also mean around 100 new jobs, many for the
09:20former Pfizer employees. Daisy Page has this report.
09:25A familiar sight in 2020, when the world faced a global pandemic. You'll recognise Pfizer
09:31as one of the companies who produced a vaccine given to the nation. And Sandwich is a part
09:35of that story, with a centre of pharmaceutical research and development since almost 70 years
09:40ago, and a hub for the production of the vaccine. But today at Discovery Park, the
09:45opening of Acinchem. They have acquired some facility formerly used by Pfizer. It hopes
09:51to be a part of more scientific breakthroughs. We've got 1.3 million square feet of office,
09:57laboratory and manufacturing spaces on site. And some of our buildings have recently become
10:03available and we were approached by Acinchem about opportunities to collaborate together.
10:09So over the last few months, we worked on various different technical challenges and
10:13plans and we've been able to find the right space for Acinchem, both in terms of research
10:19and development labs, but also in terms of pilot development. So that's where you take
10:25your molecules that you develop within your laboratory space and you scale them up. And
10:31Acinchem are taking those facilities and will be able to manufacture drugs for the UK, for
10:37the European markets. This investment will be Acinchem's first manufacturing facility
10:42in Europe. But what does this mean for Kent? Helps secure the future of Discovery Park,
10:49which is a major centre of innovation and investment, particularly here in East Kent,
10:55but in fact, as a relevance to Kent and indeed the country, because it really is a major
11:00centre of activity, particularly in life sciences. And we've seen it develop in a big way over
11:06the last 10 years. What we now see is that there is, as I say, a major commitment to
11:12it by Acinchem and we believe that that's part of what we hope will be a very strong
11:18and bright future for Discovery Park. And this investment here in Sandwich will be creating
11:24around 100 jobs, which they are expected to employ by the end of 2024, including many
11:29individuals who were previously employed by Pfizer. With the new facility in Kent, they
11:34hope to bring new jobs and protect scientific talent. Daisy Page for KMTV.
11:39Now it's time for a short break, but coming up we'll be discussing the success of Team
11:44GB's Kent-born Olympic athletes today. Pembrey's Emily Craig won gold in rowing with Imogen
11:50Grant. We'll hear all that and more after the break.
12:34. .
12:35. .
12:36.
13:04.
13:05.
13:34.
13:35.
13:36.
14:05.
14:06.
14:35.
14:36.
15:04.
15:18.
15:19.
15:20.
15:21.
15:22.
15:23.
15:24.
15:25.
15:26.
15:27.
15:28.
15:29.
15:30.
15:31.
15:32.
15:33.
15:34.
16:00.
16:01.
16:02.
16:03.
16:04.
16:05.
16:06.
16:07.
16:08.
16:09.
16:11.
16:12.
16:13.
16:14.
16:15.
16:16.
16:17.
16:18.
16:19.
16:20.
16:21.
16:22.
16:23.
16:24.
16:25.
16:26.
16:27.
16:28.
16:29.
16:30.
16:31.
16:32.
16:33.
16:34.
16:35.
16:36.
16:37.
16:38.
16:39in the trap shooting, securing gold and the Olympic record.
16:42Amazing stuff for our Kent athletes.
16:44Well, tell us all about Emily's success
16:47and an update on some of our other Kent Olympians.
16:49I'm joined now by Alex Skaith.
16:52Alex, this was pretty incredible.
16:54You can see how much it means to her
16:56and it's been a long road to get here.
16:58So the achievement is pretty good,
17:00but the story to get there is what's really remarkable.
17:04So if you remember about four years ago in Tokyo 2020,
17:08she finished 0.01 seconds behind the Dutch
17:12and she didn't get the bronze, there were no medals.
17:14Now, they did manage to break the world record
17:17during the heats, but to walk away from that competition
17:20with no medals was really disappointing.
17:22So since that time, she's managed to keep the photo
17:25of that incident, of the photo finishes,
17:27that was so close, on her wall as inspiration.
17:30And what inspiration has given her?
17:31What a way of motivation.
17:32Because over the past four years,
17:33she has won every single competition
17:35with her partner Imogen that she has entered into.
17:38And now she's gone on to win the gold medal
17:40at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
17:43And she did it in a very dominant display.
17:45It was fairly close, I'd say, to the 1500 to 2000 metre line,
17:49but from that point, they absolutely pulled away.
17:50The Romanians in behind,
17:52but they were never gonna get close.
17:54And yeah, I mean, just to put that heartache behind you,
17:57to come back as a gold medal winner at the Olympics,
18:02yeah, it's a remarkable story.
18:04And also, not the only remarkable story we've had this week
18:07that we've been discussing, Alex.
18:08No.
18:09Some incredible stuff from Nathan Hales.
18:11Nathan Hales.
18:12So she was the second Ken athlete to win a gold medal.
18:16Nathan Hales won in the men's trap shooting.
18:19He broke the Olympic record.
18:20He got 48 out of 50 hits.
18:23The previous record was 43.
18:26The Chinese competitor came in just behind at 44.
18:30Here you can see on your screen now,
18:32the moment that he won it.
18:33There must've been such an incredible feeling as well,
18:36to be able to do that.
18:38And I think it just goes to show,
18:40Ken's producing some wonderful athletes.
18:42It's pretty impressive.
18:43And we spoke to him the other day,
18:44that the full interview's on our website,
18:46and he just couldn't quite believe it.
18:49How have our other Ken athletes been doing as well?
18:52Because the list just doesn't end there.
18:53No, I mean, Team GB should be thanking us, really.
18:56We've got Georgia Mae Fenton.
19:00She does gymnastics.
19:03She's a gymnast.
19:04She was in the artistic gymnastics with Team GB.
19:08Now, they managed to come in fourth,
19:11just barely, just missing on the bronze, just barely.
19:16And Georgia Mae Fenton herself,
19:18unfortunately coming 18th in the individual competition.
19:22Now, when you've got the Americans being Simone Biles,
19:25obviously competing there as well,
19:27then there's no shame in losing to that.
19:30So yeah, she did really well.
19:32Yeah, you can't quite match that American spirit
19:35and the story that's followed the US team in the gymnastics.
19:39But as you said, Team GB should be thanking the county
19:43for some excellent athletes.
19:45We've certainly been enjoying it and cheering them on.
19:47Alex, thank you very much.
19:50Now, don't forget, you can keep up to date
19:51with all your latest stories across Kent
19:53by logging onto our website, kmtv.co.uk.
19:57There you'll find all our reports, including this one,
20:00about concerns for the rise in antisocial behaviour in Sheppey
20:04now that the school's summer holidays are here.
20:08The summer holidays are just beginning on the Isle of Sheppey,
20:12but it's not the fear of a rainy August on locals' minds.
20:15They're worried about troublesome teenagers.
20:17Sheppey's one of the best places you want to come,
20:20but the antisocial behaviour,
20:21we're the third thing in Kent for antisocial.
20:24So basically, I've got a broken nose from antisocial behaviour.
20:28What do you reckon?
20:30If you stop someone in the high street,
20:32they'll likely tell you they've rarely seen a police officer,
20:36something the force says they hope to change.
20:38We will increase patrols over the school holidays
20:41and we also now have child-centred policing officers
20:43in every area in Kent Police.
20:45So they will be out on patrol in the town centres
20:47and areas where we do have sort of ASB hotspots.
20:50But unless we're getting the reports, we don't know where else it is.
20:53So we need to know about it and then we can go and deal with it.
20:56When it comes as Kent's Police and Crime Commissioner
20:59released a survey to 25 crime hotspots, Sheerness being one.
21:04It'll ask a series of short questions
21:06to see if targeted local patrolling can drive down crime.
21:11And in this area, there are often reports of shoplifting
21:14and just a couple of years ago, this children's park was set on fire.
21:20And Brian lives opposite.
21:22He believes firmer action is needed.
21:26Criminality is not treated properly.
21:30Too many people are getting away with it with a slap on the wrist
21:35and that's not good enough.
21:37So if that's all they're going to get,
21:38people don't care whether they get caught or not.
21:43The senior youth worker at this centre says
21:45they've been a victim to funding cuts over the past 10 years,
21:48reducing their operation to a fragment of what they once were.
21:52And if you want to put one word on it,
21:54there's a lack of positive activity in young people today.
21:57And that's why we've got a problem.
21:59Because young people have got more energy than we have.
22:03And if you don't channel it in the right place,
22:04they can be a problem, you know.
22:06But you give them the activity,
22:09they will put that energy and burn that energy up
22:11and they will enjoy themselves and keep themselves out of trouble.
22:15The questionnaire from Kent Police has been sent
22:17to more than 75,000 households across the county.
22:21Ever what action the force chooses to make
22:23will then be reviewed by residents in a follow-up survey,
22:26this time next year.
22:28Gabriel Morris in Sheerness.
22:31Now it's time to take a look at the weather forecast.
22:40Tonight, clear skies across the county.
22:42Lows of 17 degrees down in Tunbridge Wells.
22:45Highs of 19 up in Dartford.
22:47Some clouds coming in for your Saturday morning.
22:50Highs of 21.
22:51A bit of wind from the west as well there into the afternoon.
22:55Rain across most parts of Kent.
22:56Sunshine too.
22:58Some rainbows might be in sight.
22:59Highs of 24.
23:01And here's your outlook until Monday.
23:02Some sunshine and clouds.
23:04Tuesday, the rain again.
23:15Dark and stormy.
23:16Purple rain and a sunrise.
23:18No, not still doing the weather forecast.
23:20These are all drinks having their prices cut
23:23as part of Medway's Cocktail Week.
23:25More than 40 local bars and pubs are choosing and creating
23:28their own concoctions of flavour fun
23:31with 79 different drinks on offer.
23:33It's part of a scheme to hopefully boost business
23:36in the Medway towns and support the local economy.
23:39What a Friday story for Vim McDermid.
23:42Well, it's Medway Cocktail Week,
23:44meaning more than 40 venues are offering cheaper concoctions
23:47from Aperol Spritz to Zombies,
23:49there's 79 drinks in total to choose from.
23:52From the 1st of August to the 11th,
23:54each bar will have chosen or created
23:55at least one unique cocktail
23:57that those with a pre-bought wristband can buy for less.
24:01The event is now in its fifth year,
24:02having been started in 2020
24:04as a way for the hospitality industry of Medway
24:07to recover after the COVID pandemic.
24:09The venues do not have to pay any fees to sign up
24:11and are able to keep all profits from their sales,
24:14making it a unique business opportunity.
24:17You know, you really look to the summer months,
24:19especially if you've got an amazing terrace like this,
24:21to get that boost in sales.
24:24And of course, the beginning of the summer,
24:25as we all know, was horrible weather.
24:29So it's great to A, have some nice weather come back,
24:32and also then Medway Cocktail Week to boost that sales
24:38and provide a bit of a fillip to everybody
24:41in the trade in Medway.
24:43Cocktail making is a skill
24:45and knowing how to model, strain, garnish,
24:47twist, wheel, or zest can seem a bit intimidating
24:50to those new to mixology.
24:52Well, I'm going to teach you how to make
24:54some of the cocktails you're going to see
24:56throughout Medway Cocktail Week.
24:57Now, bear in mind, I did used to work at a bar.
25:00We had a lot of cocktails and I could only make two of them.
25:04This is not one of the ones I could make.
25:05So fingers crossed, it all goes well.
25:08The recipe sees dockyard gin, passion fruit puree,
25:11lime juice, and sugar syrup mixed in a glass,
25:14stirred with ice, topped with soda water,
25:16and garnished with half a passion fruit.
25:20And that's how you make a passion fruit Tom Collins.
25:23Over in Rochester, the Mike, together with the Sully
25:26from Disney's Monsters, Inc.,
25:27makes up the George Vault's new exclusive drinks,
25:30specially for Cocktail Week.
25:32It definitely helps, but we try to push the cocktails
25:35because obviously we love the cocktails,
25:36love to make the cocktails,
25:37and I think cocktails are fun to drink and make.
25:40So yeah, but Cocktail Week definitely helps
25:42to promote the cocktails all over the area.
25:44So yes, absolutely.
25:45For the Cocktail Week, this year we've done two cocktails.
25:47Usually it's one, but if people want,
25:49we do over 50 cocktails whatever they want.
25:51If you have ingredients, we can make it.
25:53The Vaults hope the event will promote
25:55their newest bar, Affinity 35, that was opened last month.
25:59And if you end up missing this week,
26:01Canterbury, Rochester, and Maidstone
26:03will have their own Cocktail Weeks
26:05in October, February, and May.
26:07Finn McDermid for KMTV.
26:10Looks like we've got our own in-house bartender in Finn.
26:13I reckon he can stay.
26:14Well, you've been watching Kent and I live here on KMTV.
26:18There's of course more news made just for Kent
26:20throughout the evening.
26:21I'll be back with your 8pm news bulletin.
26:23But in the meantime, you can keep up to date
26:25with everything going on in your county
26:27by logging on to our website.
26:29It's kmtv.co.uk.
26:31But that's all from me for now.
26:33I'll see you at 8pm with more news from across Kent.