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 12th of August.
00:33Inquest opens. Elderly couple in Sandwich died from a gunshot and poisoning.
00:39Brian and Dilys Richards were both in their 90s when they were found dead in their home.
00:45Shining a light, Maidstone Disability football champions celebrated at Wembley.
00:51Definitely something to tick off my bucket list, that's for sure.
00:55Ready or hot, Ramsgate businesses welcome record high temperatures.
01:02It's weather dependent, but the sun comes out, business comes out.
01:17First tonight, an inquest is open today into the deaths of two pensioners in Sandwich,
01:21whose bodies were found last month.
01:23Part of the town centre was cordoned off for two days as police made inquiries,
01:28with paramedics also spotted on the scene.
01:30The inquest has revealed new details, including cause of deaths,
01:34with a full inquest expected later this year.
01:38Oliver Leader de Sacks was in Sandwich earlier today.
01:41It was just over a month ago here in Sandwich that this street, the Butchery,
01:46was cordoned off by Kent police after two bodies were found on the 8th of July.
01:53Now, new details have emerged after an inquest into those deaths began in Maidstone this morning.
02:00Brian and Dilys Richards were both in their 90s when they were found dead in their home,
02:06after a carer found Mrs Richards' body on her bed.
02:10Now, Mrs Richards' death is consistent with potassium cyanide poisoning,
02:16while police found her husband, Brian Richards,
02:20with a gun underneath him and a gunshot wound to the head,
02:24which they say was self-inflicted.
02:27Now, we don't know too many details at this stage.
02:31We know that Brian and Dilys Richards have lived on this street since the early 80s,
02:37and have been married even longer, tying the knot in 1952.
02:42But we don't know too many details about what happened here a month ago,
02:47and we won't know that many details until October the 28th,
02:51when the inquest is set to restart in full.
02:56Until then, what happened here remains a mystery.
03:01Next tonight, a much-loved Faversham busker died in an accidental house fire.
03:07James Rennane lost his life after the fire on Salters Lane last Saturday morning.
03:12Ten fire engines were on the scene, a command support unit and a hype vehicle.
03:16The fire is thought to have been accidental,
03:18with the cause believed to be from an electric scooter.
03:21James, nicknamed Punky Jim, was known for his busking all over Kent,
03:25and had hoped to go on to a full-time career in the music industry.
03:28A fundraiser has been set up to help his family pay for costs,
03:32with as many as 60 people contributing so far.
03:36Now, litterers have had to pay up to nearly £7,000 in fines
03:40for dropping cigarette butts around Medway.
03:43Across November and December last year,
03:4516 offenders were caught discarding their cigarette ends,
03:48as well as dumping drinks cans in public areas.
03:51Litter enforcement agents patrol across Medway streets
03:54in areas known for their high levels of littering,
03:57such as high streets, green spaces, supermarkets and car parks.
04:01Medway Council are hoping that these hefty fines
04:03will send a strong message to anyone littering.
04:08Now, the Olympics is sadly over, but the celebrations are definitely not.
04:12Two golds for Kent, but plenty of successful athletes
04:15to commend from right across the Team GB squad.
04:19Well, our sports reporter Bartholomew Hall joins me now.
04:22We certainly have the Olympics blues in the office.
04:25Oh, we really do.
04:26What could it be like for those athletes?
04:28Well, of course, if our viewers are anything like us,
04:31it's just been Olympics non-stop over the past 16, 17 days.
04:35We've just been enjoying every moment of it,
04:37watching all of these niche sports that we usually wouldn't get to celebrate.
04:41But yeah, as you say, for those athletes who have lived with each other
04:44in the athletes' village, sleeping on those cardboard beds,
04:47getting used to that kind of day in, day out,
04:50now they've had to come home.
04:51We've seen today Kent's, GB's athletes and Kent's athletes
04:55arriving back at the Eurostar.
04:57We've seen pictures of them where Tom Daley announced
04:59that he would be retiring.
05:01And we've spotted in some of the press photos,
05:03some of our Olympic athletes.
05:05We think back to Nathan Hales.
05:07He was quite prominently in the front of the big crowd today.
05:09Of course, Kent's first Olympic medalist this year, gold medalist,
05:14winning in the shooting, setting a new Olympic record.
05:18Brilliant performance from him, followed, of course, by Emily Craig.
05:21We've spoken to both of these athletes about what it was like for them
05:24while they were still in France, of course.
05:25Yeah, of course, Emily Craig missing out with her teammate Imogen Grant
05:29back at the Tokyo Games.
05:30So a brilliant redemption story for her.
05:33But of course, lots of debuts as well from some of our Kent athletes.
05:36We think to Erin McNeice, who got all the way to the final
05:39in the boulder and lead, got to the fifth position,
05:42just fell out of the medal places.
05:45But something to absolutely be proud of indeed.
05:49And she's so young as well to watch.
05:51What an incredible moment there.
05:54But also we've had quite an exciting moment over the weekend at Wembley
05:58for someone here in the county, stepping slightly away from the Olympics.
06:02Yeah, stepping to football now.
06:03Lorraine Humm, who we've had on on KMTV many times in the past.
06:07You remember when Maidstone United made it to the fifth round of the FA Cup.
06:10We followed her team, the Maidstone United Raiders Disability Team.
06:15She's a coach with them all the way up to Coventry.
06:19And she's done some brilliant work.
06:21It's now their 20th year running.
06:23And I spoke to her earlier about being able to take the Community Shield
06:27out onto the pitch at Saturday's Community Shield match.
06:31It was I was really nervous.
06:33It was really, well, magic moment.
06:37You know, I'm probably the envy of a lot of people because obviously
06:41it's definitely something ticked off my bucket list, that's for sure.
06:46But yeah, when you are so concentrated on not dropping it,
06:50obviously you've got 20 seconds to walk out, place it
06:54to make sure that you fit in with all of the schedule and everything.
06:58So, yeah, it was quite surreal.
07:01We'll have that full interview on Invicta Sport
07:03after the break at 6pm this evening.
07:05But elsewhere in sport, Kent threw away their chances
07:07at reaching the One Day Cup knockout stages after a dramatic collapse
07:11at Canterbury on Sunday.
07:12A bumper crowd of more than 2,400 fans packed into the Spitfire ground
07:17to watch Kent take on Durham, chasing the huge target of 308.
07:21Kent seemed to be chasing down a win, thanks to a firm century
07:24from wicketkeeper Harry Finch, alongside an 81 from captain Jack Leaning.
07:28But things changed quickly at the 223 mark, with Kent losing seven wickets
07:33in the space of 70 runs and eventually being run short by just seven.
07:37It leaves them seventh in the table
07:39and now mathematically unable to reach the knockouts.
07:42British Touring Car Championships title is hotting up as Kent's Jake Hill
07:46took another win at Knock Hill over the weekend, leaving him second overall.
07:50After qualifying seventh, the Platseith racer climbed to fifth
07:53in the first race of three before a dominant performance in his
07:57career, 250th BTCC race, as he charged ahead by almost eight seconds,
08:02sending him to the top of the championship standings.
08:04However, that lead would just last just one more race
08:08as a fifth place finish in round three meant Hill was again
08:10knocked off the top spot and now sits three points off Tom Ingram in second.
08:15The championship continues at Donington Park in two weeks.
08:19And that is it from the sport for now.
08:21As I said, we'll have plenty more in Invicta Sport after the break.
08:24Bartholomew, thank you very much for all those details.
08:27Plenty more to discuss about the Olympics.
08:29We won't stop talking about it, I don't think. I definitely won't.
08:32Thank you very much.
08:34Now, don't forget, you can keep up to date with all the latest stories
08:37across Kent by logging onto our website.
08:39That's kmtv.co.uk.
08:41There you'll find all our reports, including this one,
08:44one of our latest stories about charities urging more people
08:47to foster animals and pets to help those fleeing domestic violence.
08:51Take a look.
08:5395% of professionals who help those facing domestic abuse
08:57say that some survivors won't leave without knowing their pet would be safe.
09:01But many refuges and shelters don't allow pets.
09:04And the Dogs Trust say this is another barrier to finding freedom.
09:08It's a scheme led by the charity providing foster care for dogs
09:12whose owners may be in emergency or temporary accommodation,
09:16especially for those fleeing domestic violence.
09:18With a rise in referrals being made,
09:21they are urging more people to welcome a dog into their home.
09:24The knowledge that their pet will be safe
09:28and looked after and loved
09:31is sometimes the final piece of the puzzle
09:34to enable someone to leave that dangerous situation.
09:37And whilst they're with us, it's a completely free service.
09:40So the survivors don't have to, you know, we cover all of the veterinary fees.
09:45We provide all of the food, provide all of the equipment,
09:47and that goes for the foster carers as well.
09:49So it's a completely free service for both sides.
09:52So you can have that joy of having a dog for around six to nine months
09:56without the financial commitment, the lifelong commitment of,
09:59you know, potentially 14 years for a dog.
10:01And for volunteers, it can benefit their own mental well-being, too.
10:05And this is not the only reason why there has been a call
10:07for more people to foster animals in Kent.
10:09I'm here at the Second Chance Animal Rescue
10:11to find out why animals are being brought to them.
10:14Lots of animals are brought to us.
10:17Either somebody's died
10:20and the family have got nowhere for the animals to go.
10:24A lot of it, especially post lockdown, is the cost.
10:31So we've had reptiles in because the electricity went up
10:35and a lot of people are finding it quite difficult to
10:40feed the animals now.
10:42We understand people have to sometimes,
10:47circumstances are they have to get rid of their animals.
10:52And we're quite understanding.
10:53We don't always ask for the circumstances.
10:57Founded in 2011, this rescue centre takes in animals where they have space.
11:02With the work of volunteers, they work on rehoming pets,
11:05caring for long term residents and rehabilitating animals back to the wild.
11:10Working from donations, they have helped a variety of species
11:13from cats, horses and rabbits.
11:16Charities in Kent are working to bring a second chance
11:18to both people and their pets. Daisy Page for KMTV.
11:24Now it's time for a very short break, but when we come back,
11:27we'll be talking about the upcoming heat wave today.
11:30We saw the hottest day of 2024 so far.
11:32Many people still out on the beaches,
11:35many heading to those coastal towns we have here in Kent
11:38and from sun to stars.
11:40We discussed the incoming Perseid meteor shower crossing our horizon.
11:44The easiest to see from right here in the east of the country.
11:48Well, we'll have all that and more after this very short break.
11:50See you then.
15:07Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
15:16It's time for your pick of the papers,
15:18taking a look at what's making the headlines in Kent's newspapers,
15:22online and radio.
15:23Earlier, I was joined by Elisa Opare with the headlines.
15:26Elisa, what's your first story for us this evening?
15:28So Ashford Borough Council has denied Rob Pollock's request
15:31to move into his late father's home.
15:33Pollock wants to take the property in Charing,
15:36which he says is a light flight swap with his current council home.
15:38His sister, Tracy, said that there's a lot of memories
15:40attached to this family home.
15:42Their father lived in it for 34 years before,
15:44unfortunately, passing away in his sleep on June 30th.
15:46The council said he cannot have the bungalow,
15:48as it must be offered to others on their housing register.
15:51And Pollock does suffer from osteoarthritis
15:54and has been told by doctors that it's likely
15:56that he will need a wheelchair in the next few years.
15:59He also has PTSD and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
16:02and sleep apnea.
16:03And because of his condition,
16:04he says the council should show more compassion,
16:07as the house of his father has a bigger driveway,
16:10bigger doors and a sloped entrance,
16:11which obviously will improve his quality of life.
16:14He says, I have even offered to buy it
16:16and would literally go skint if it meant I could have it.
16:18But they won't let us do it,
16:19as dad's signature is not on any paperwork.
16:21He said that is their policy, and he believes it is quite heartless.
16:25And you can hear from him now as well.
16:27If it's like for like,
16:29then I don't see what the problem is, because they've still got...
16:33It's like mine, I've got a two bedroom bungalow.
16:35And this is a two bedroom bungalow.
16:38Mine's just been updated.
16:40It hasn't been updated for years.
16:42And I've offered to pay to update this one and pay
16:46to have my one redecorated.
16:48So all they've got to do is let it out.
16:50They haven't got to spend no money whatsoever.
16:53But they're just not entertaining it at all.
16:57They won't even sit down.
16:59Well, they haven't even sat down and spoke to us about it.
17:02They just said it's got to go back up.
17:04When I'm here, I feel he's still with me.
17:08And of course, you can find more about that story on Kent online.
17:11But your next story for us this evening.
17:14Yes. So the Amphibian and Reptile Club,
17:17which holds meetings all across Kent, has been accused by the Animal Protection
17:20Agency of not looking after the animals currently at their exhibitions,
17:23which they completely deny.
17:25There was even an event recently at Lee Academy in Raynham last month.
17:28It got cancelled after the APA contacted the host.
17:31They accused them of not taking care,
17:33not requiring basic needs for the animals at their shows.
17:36But Marwin Marv-Elbort, who set up the exhibition in 2023,
17:40has said that this is completely untrue, that they make sure everything's
17:44set to standard, even higher standards.
17:46They make sure there's reptile vets, enthusiasts and experts
17:48that attend these shows to make sure that everything is maintained
17:51at the best possible standards for the animals.
17:53And schools all over the country visit Marv-Elbort's classroom.
17:56He also goes to other schools
17:57to make sure the pupils know how to take care of the animals
18:00and children all love it.
18:01And they always want to be in his class.
18:03We can hear a little bit more from Marv as well.
18:04And Python Burma, by far the best pet that you could have here with me
18:10now is Burma, a Burmese python native to Burma, the island of Burma.
18:14We haven't been very creative with her name.
18:16Amazing animals.
18:17And as you can see here, I am handling Burma.
18:20She is in shed.
18:22She is a very, very intelligent animal.
18:24She will tell me when she's had enough by hissing.
18:28And they are mostly all bark and no bite.
18:31These animals are misrepresented typically as being aggressive predators.
18:37In captivity, however, they are intelligent enough as well,
18:40which we don't often give them credit.
18:42They're intelligent enough to understand between prey and handler
18:45and race correctly with the right equipment, with the right knowledge.
18:50They can be absolutely amazing animals.
18:52Lisa Opari joining me earlier and more on those stories over on Kent Online.
18:57Now, a high of 32 degrees in Kent means today is the hottest day
19:01of the of twenty twenty four so far across the country.
19:04And with the heat, many are heading to the coastal towns,
19:07many here in Kent to enjoy the weather by the sea.
19:09But a yellow heat health alert has been issued, meaning that those
19:13who might be more vulnerable, like the elderly or children,
19:16should take necessary precautions.
19:17While Firmit Dermott has been speaking to people down in Ramsgate.
19:21While Northern England, Northern Ireland and Scotland are getting thunderstorms
19:25here in the southeast, we're being blessed with another flash of heat this month,
19:29with today pinned to be the hottest day of the year so far.
19:33This follows a trend of periods of high heat becoming more frequent
19:36in recent years.
19:37We kind of take the period between 1970 and 2000.
19:41We had three years in that whole period where we saw a temperature
19:44of thirty five degrees being reached somewhere in the UK in a specific year.
19:49Twenty two thousand to twenty twenty four.
19:52We've already seen seven years.
19:53So that shows you that kind of increase in frequency of these hot bursts.
19:58And as I said, as we go into the next 50 to 100 years,
20:03that will probably increase further.
20:04So these hotspots, what we've got at the moment
20:07certainly probably will become much more common.
20:09Temperatures are set to reach 32 degrees in Kent, along with a high humidity,
20:14prompting a yellow heat health alert.
20:16The Met Office also recommended keeping curtains closed
20:19during the hottest times of the day, between 11 a.m.
20:22and 3 p.m., as well as drinking lots of water.
20:25Well, even though I'm supposed to be the one telling you
20:27how to enjoy this nice summer weather, I think the people of Ramsgate
20:30might be a bit more used to it than me and maybe a bit more qualified
20:33to tell you what you can get up to.
20:35Come to the beach. Yeah.
20:36And sun ourselves.
20:39Going to Wetherspoons.
20:40Have a fish and chips, David.
20:42Where it's hot when the weather's decent, I actually go for a cycle ride.
20:46And now we're going for a little bike ride.
20:48Well, the beach goers aren't the only ones enjoying the hot weather.
20:51Business owners on the coastline are always hoping for the sun
20:54to come out in its fullest, meaning more people can get out
20:57and enjoy the weather and hopefully look for something to keep them cool.
21:02It's weather dependent, but the sun comes out, business comes out.
21:06We sell the beach inflatable, buckets, spades, ice cream, slush.
21:11We do hot food as well.
21:13Toasties, paninis, a bit of everything.
21:15Here in the UK, it can only be classified as an official heat wave
21:19if it lasts at least three days and hits temperatures above our normal threshold,
21:23which would mean more than 25 degrees anywhere outside of London,
21:27which has a slightly higher threshold.
21:29A yellow heat health alert means those who are particularly vulnerable,
21:32such as the elderly or those with underlying conditions
21:35should take extra care when they are in the sun and to not overexert themselves.
21:40So if you're planning to enjoy this weather outside,
21:42make sure you stay nice and hydrated.
21:44And if you're selling ice creams, I'd stay open a little later than usual.
21:48Finn McDermid for KMTV in Ramsgate.
21:52Well, plenty of things to do in Ramsgate and plenty of places to go as well.
21:56Well, after a day of squinting up at the sun, hopefully we can sightsee
21:59among the stars tonight, as Finn was mentioning,
22:01with the Perseid meteor shower crossing our horizon.
22:05The spectacle is formed from the Earth orbiting debris and is easiest to see
22:08from right here in the east of the country.
22:10Earlier, I spoke more to Craig Snell from the Met Office
22:14about what we could see in the sky tonight,
22:16but also the hot weather we're seeing this week.
22:18Craig, thank you very much for joining me today.
22:21Now, can you explain to us why is it so hot at the moment?
22:25Of course, we've had quite a rubbish summer.
22:27It's been quite miserable.
22:28We've not seen much sunshine at all, and now we're getting it all in one hit.
22:32And it's sometimes a little bit unbearable to be outside.
22:35It's so humid.
22:38Yeah, so we've kind of had a bit of a topsy turvy summer this year.
22:42Certainly got off to a quite cold start in June, and it was quite wet.
22:46But the last couple of days, what we've seen is some hot air
22:50coming up from France.
22:52And with that heat is also coming quite a bit of humidity, too.
22:56So it's been very uncomfortable.
22:58For Monday, we've seen highs reaching around 32, 33 in a few spots.
23:03So certainly the warmest spell of the year so far.
23:06And for some of us, probably the warmest spell since August 2022.
23:12So quite a significant warm spell for most of us.
23:15But if you don't like the heat and humidity, the good news is
23:18it is turning fresher as we go through the next couple of days.
23:21And of course, we were just reporting the other day
23:23that it was the hottest day of the year so far.
23:26Now we're in the same position again and it's getting warmer.
23:29Will we be reaching any higher temperatures into
23:33what seems to be high 30s?
23:37No, today I think will be the peak.
23:40So across parts of Cambridgeshire, actually, is probably where we're
23:44going to see the highest temperatures there.
23:45We probably maybe will see 34, 30, 35 degrees.
23:50But as we go into tomorrow, we're back down into the high 20s
23:53and then come Wednesday, probably mid 20s, which is where we should be
23:58for the time of year.
23:59So as I said, if you certainly don't like the hot and humid weather,
24:03then just bear with it for another day or so,
24:05then it should feel a little bit more comfortable middle of the week.
24:09And for those out enjoying the sun today, there's also something else
24:12to look up into the sky for this evening.
24:16A really interesting meteor shower.
24:19I was reading online that it's dust debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle
24:24and it orbits the sun every 133 years.
24:28So a once in a lifetime opportunity.
24:30Will we be able to see it in Kent skies?
24:33Well, hopefully the skies should be clear enough as we go through
24:36the evening and overnight tonight.
24:39So we could just see some debris from some thunderstorms move over
24:42as we kind of head towards the end of this afternoon
24:46and into the early part of the evening.
24:47But I think as dusk forms later on around nine, ten o'clock this evening,
24:53the skies should start clearing again.
24:55This time of year with any kind of space event,
24:58you've really got to wait for the really dark skies.
25:01I know we have gone past our longest day, that was back in June,
25:04but it's still fairly light out there in the evening.
25:07So your best viewing opportunities are always the other side of midnight,
25:12really, between midnight and dawn.
25:13So if you are prepared to stay up late, then also the good news is
25:18it's not going to be cold outside as well.
25:20So, so, yeah, so probably best viewing conditions as we move
25:23into the small hours of Tuesday morning.
25:25And I said, hopefully most of Kent should see some clear skies.
25:28Well, all eyes to the sky then,
25:30and now to the weather forecast for the coming days.
25:33Let's see what the temperature is looking like where you are.
25:42As Craig said, clear skies this evening.
25:44To look at those meteors across the sky, highs of 21 overnight.
25:48By the morning, warming up to 23 over in Margate.
25:52Sun right across the county, not a cloud in sight.
25:54By the afternoon, highs of 27 in Dartford and by the coast again.
25:59Lows of 23 down in Dover.
26:01And here's your outlook for Kent over the next few days.
26:03Some cloud coming in on Wednesday, right up until Friday.
26:06Some wet weather.
26:16You've been watching Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
26:19There's, of course, more news made just for Kent throughout the evening.
26:22And tonight, of course, a brand new episode of Invicta Sport
26:25right after the break.
26:26And in the meantime, you can keep up to date with all your latest stories
26:29across the county by logging on to our website.
26:32It's kmtv.co.uk, and you can keep us on all your social timelines as well.
26:38But I'll see you in just a few minutes' time
26:39for a brand new episode of Invicta Sport.