Catch up with all the latest news across your county with Abby Hook.
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00:00Hello, good evening and welcome to Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
00:29I'm Abbey Hook, here are your top stories on Friday the 16th of August.
00:34A health hazard. Expectant mother shocked by filthy closed Kent County Council Centre still being used.
00:43The reception is completely unmanned, it's filthy, all the lights are off.
00:47When my partner and I arrived with our son, our 16 month old son, we were convinced we were in the wrong place.
00:54Roadwork regeneration. Dartford businesses fear for their profits ahead of six month construction.
01:01I've already got businesses that have started trialling, doing what they did during lockdown.
01:06DAC is back. Attacking midfielder Bradley DAC returns to Priestfield in time for the new season.
01:13The last 10 or 15 years, I can't remember a squad as strong as this and it's full of goals.
01:28First tonight, a filthy and officially closed children's centre has been labelled a health hazard by a pregnant mother from Dartford.
01:36Rachel Martinball was shocked to find she'd been invited for an early pregnancy appointment at Greenlands,
01:41the centre which Kent County Council closed last year in a bid to save public money.
01:46The health charity worker has now launched a campaign to reinstate the building.
01:50Our local democracy reporter Gabriel Morris is outside there now.
01:55Gabriel, what's going on? How can something like this happen?
02:00Well there'll be a lot of questions from that expectant mother and others across the Dartford region.
02:06I'm here at Darenth Children's Centre at Greenlands. It's in fact behind that primary school you can see behind me.
02:14Not much activity going on here this evening after all it is for summer holidays so that school is pretty much empty.
02:22We thought the children's centre would be empty as well because that was included in one of the 35 children's centres
02:29that Kent County Council voted to close at the end of last year.
02:34They made that decision to save money on maintenance costs.
02:39But it turns out that the children's centre is still being used, as far as we're aware of,
02:45for only early pregnancy appointments as I've been finding out from an expectant mother.
02:51The reception is completely unmanned. It's filthy. All the lights are off.
02:56When my partner and I arrived with our son, our 16-month-old son, we were convinced we were in the wrong place.
03:02But she wasn't. This is where the NHS had sent the invite for her early pregnancy appointment.
03:08She says the building was almost abandoned with only a lone midwife present.
03:13Now that could be because last November Kent County Council made a decision to close more than 30 children's centres across the county.
03:21Greenlands was one of them. It's behind the primary school here and it's seemingly still open.
03:27On the gates there are no signs saying it's closed and in fact the only sign is saying to press that buzzer there to be able to go in for your appointment.
03:35I then start to question why are you working out of here? I was under the impression this had been closed down.
03:40She said for all intents and purposes it has. All of the rooms essentially are empty.
03:44I'm working out of one room on my own using a walkie-talkie to communicate with my colleagues and patients because there's nowhere else for me to go.
03:53The health charity worker is 11 weeks pregnant with her second child.
03:57She visited Greenlands during her first pregnancy with no concerns. She's now worried for others' safety.
04:03It's not ideal to go into that type of environment and have a needle put in your arm.
04:10For the safety of midwives that are working there, for the safety of patients that are attending,
04:15it's a real health hazard at the moment that needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.
04:23As a Dartford Borough Councillor she's launched a campaign following her experience
04:27and the local MP says his constituency is one of the fastest growing amongst young people in the UK.
04:32I know the current government is very committed to having fully functioning family and children's hubs
04:39and that might be an opportunity for Kent County Council.
04:42So rather than running these services down and now actually running services pretty inappropriately from semi-abandoned facilities,
04:51they need to be looking at a positive plan to reinstate services, meet the growing demand
04:56and make sure that we get the best possible health outcomes for everyone concerned.
05:01In a statement the authority confirmed to us the centre's closure,
05:04stating they're in talks with partners about its future use
05:07and saying service users will be informed if an agreement is reached.
05:11For Rachel and other expectant mothers it remains unclear why this centre is still being used
05:17and they worry it will only become more neglected with time.
05:21Gabriel Morris in Dartford.
05:26Well Abby we're left with a lot of questions this evening.
05:28It's worth noting we have reached out for comments from the local NHS Trust, that's Croatian and Dartford,
05:34but they are yet to respond.
05:37Gabriel, the mother in your piece there, she's now started a campaign to reinstate the building.
05:44Yes she has indeed.
05:45She was actually campaigning and protesting against the proposed closures when they were proposed last year
05:50and now she's started a change.org petition to reinstate this building.
05:55She says that she heard reassurances from Kent County Council last year when this building closed
05:59that the services here would be co-located in the family hub model to other areas.
06:04She says that clearly hasn't happened.
06:06This centre for the time being needs to be closed and then reinstated when it can be opened fully and fully staffed.
06:14Gabriel, thank you very much for those details.
06:18Now earlier today a derelict school auditorium in Ordnance Street in Chatham caught fire.
06:23Firefighters were alerted at around 2.20pm after thick black smoke could be seen rising from the building.
06:30Crews managed to contain the flames at St John Fisher School, the former site,
06:35and reduced the amount of smoke just after 3pm, so about 40 minutes later.
06:40This is the second time this year the site has been set alight,
06:43with the last incident in June deemed deliberate.
06:46This time the cause remains unknown.
06:49Here you can see the crews on the scene.
06:51Advice was given for people to keep their windows and doors closed, but that has now lifted.
06:58Dramatic pictures show a fire which has broken out at a graveyard in Tunbridge.
07:02This was the scene at St Peter and Paul's Church yesterday afternoon.
07:06The area has been partially taped off.
07:08Much of the ground remains blackened and burnt.
07:11It's unknown what caused the fire and if any of the headstones are damaged, but shocking images there.
07:17Three men involved in a Ramsgate cannabis plant centre have been sent to prison.
07:23It's reported the site could produce up to £2 million worth of the drug,
07:27with Kent Police finding more than 1,700 plants.
07:31The three men admitted their charges of producing cannabis and dishonesty in obstructing electricity.
07:39Victims who suffered physical and sexual abuse at a Great Stone children's home
07:43are planning to sue Kent Police, Sky News have reported.
07:46Survivors of Sandy Ridge, which operated for almost 30 years,
07:50say the force failed in its investigation of Dennis and Anne May, who ran the home.
07:54Victims, all sent to Kent by London councils, reported the abuse to authorities
07:59and the couple were arrested in 1996.
08:01However, no charges were ever brought and the pair have since died.
08:05The Shirley Oaks Survivors Association, who have supported the victims,
08:08say this coverage has been a long time coming.
08:11The most recognisable feeling coming off the phone with them is at last,
08:16at last we've got our bit out.
08:18And that's also part of the healing.
08:20Eventually, people speaking out and being able to say their piece once and for all
08:26and being believed is part of people getting over this.
08:30But the final justice has to be the police.
08:34They messed up big time.
08:37Kent Police say that between 2017 and 2022,
08:41they carried out a full and thorough investigation into reports of abuse.
08:45They say that in 2022, the CPS gave its final decision
08:48that due to fundamental weaknesses in the evidence presented
08:51and uncovered by Kent Police, there was not a reasonable prospect of conviction
08:55and the case did not proceed to charge.
08:57To date, Kent Police has received no formal challenge
08:59to the conduct of the investigation or its outcome.
09:02Now, Dartford's town centre has been earmarked for a range of upgrades
09:05to its infrastructure as part of a £12 million regeneration scheme.
09:09But local businesses fear that the construction works
09:12will have an impact on their business.
09:15As part of a set of upgrades around central Dartford,
09:18the West Hill Junction at the top of Spittle Street is now going to see roadworks.
09:23But the time frame given by the council is raising some issues with locals.
09:27I'm here at the West Hill High Fields.
09:30I'm here at the West Hill High Field Junction,
09:33which could see up to six months of construction lasting until June 2025.
09:38So it's no wonder that local business owners are concerned
09:41about what the construction might mean for their profits.
09:44The upgrade will make minor changes to the junction,
09:47such as changing the pedestrian crossings to make them simpler
09:50and installing new traffic-like technology.
09:52Local businesses, like Allison's Pantry,
09:55are concerned that the roadworks could affect their long-term profits.
09:58The pantry mainly receives business between breakfast and lunch,
10:01so foot traffic is essential to its income.
10:04There are also concerns with the construction
10:07potentially affecting deliveries and parking.
10:09Yeah, so deliveries, so they're turning this road,
10:12which is a one-way street, into a two-way road.
10:15To do that, they're going to have to suspend a lot of parking.
10:19There's not a massive amount of easy parking anyway.
10:22And then large lorries and arctics have got to turn round.
10:26Jason mentioned that the communication from Dartford Council was particularly poor,
10:30with him only today being informed that a preliminary road closure
10:33would be happening for two days.
10:35In a statement, Dartford Council said that we're working hard
10:38to transform Dartford's town centre
10:40to help improve the quality of life for both residents and businesses.
10:44Through easing traffic flow and providing civic and green spaces for the community,
10:48our goal is to create a sustainable and high-quality environment
10:51that will encourage investment to our town.
10:54Many local people had heard of the Dartford Regeneration Project,
10:57but didn't understand why it would take so long.
11:00I think construction is a good thing,
11:02but with the length of time, it becomes disadvantageous.
11:06Yeah, I believe it will create a lot of congestion around the local town,
11:10make it awkward for everybody to go shopping.
11:13It's going to make it awkward for me to go to the gym.
11:15So, yeah, I don't think six months is fair.
11:17I reckon, yeah, it shouldn't take long.
11:20As soon as I heard about that, they're going to close it,
11:24which is definitely affecting my business,
11:27and then it is difficult to the customer as well.
11:31Well, as time goes on, more and more of Dartford could be worked on,
11:35including developments on Hyde Street, Spital Street and Overy Liberty,
11:39which, according to the scheme plan, are either on hold
11:42or are dependent on further funding.
11:44Finn McDermid for KMTV in Dartford.
11:47Time for a very short break now. See you in a few minutes' time.
14:50Hello, and welcome back to Kent tonight, live on KMTV.
15:17Now, the government is set to provide compensation payments for life
15:20to thousands impacted by the infected blood scandal
15:23across Kent and the country.
15:25More than 30,000 people contracted HIV or hepatitis
15:28after being given contaminated blood during treatments in the 1970s and 80s.
15:34Joining us to discuss this further is Tim Ratten from Ashford,
15:37who sadly lost both his father and uncle in the scandal.
15:40Tim, thank you very much for joining us again.
15:44What do you make of the government's compensation plans?
15:48So, at the moment, I'm happy.
15:50Obviously, the compensation is sort of out there,
15:53but it's very sketchy of, basically,
15:56a document's going to be released soon to explain who can claim what, et cetera,
16:01because at the moment no one's got clarity.
16:04So, it's really positive, but nobody knows what they're getting.
16:09So, they might be worse off than they would have been if someone was still alive.
16:13So, like I said, it's a really positive step forward,
16:17but until the government release further information,
16:20nobody knows what they're going to get.
16:23So, you haven't had any clarity yourself on any compensation?
16:28Only as an affected person.
16:31I would be illegible in 2025,
16:34but that could be the early part, the late part,
16:38but facts and figures, nobody knows.
16:42Obviously, I'm happy that people infected
16:45are obviously going to get their money, basically, very soon.
16:50So, that's a really positive step,
16:52but hopefully it's what they would have lost out on
16:56if they were still in work and et cetera.
16:58So, we can hope that it's going to really be positive.
17:02And I know that the worry was a few months ago
17:05when a general election was called,
17:07right at the time when there was this discussion of compensation,
17:10that it would be pushed to the side,
17:12but it seems that this has become something
17:14at the forefront of the new government
17:16and something that's been actioned.
17:18So, are you surprised in that?
17:20I am, actually.
17:22Obviously, Keir Starmer seems to be holding his word
17:24because I was worried we'd be back in the streets,
17:27campaigning, back at government, going back sort of 10 years ago,
17:32and that was stressing everyone out, thinking this isn't fair,
17:35but we're waiting to see, obviously, beginning of October,
17:40once people start getting money in the bank,
17:43then for them that would be wonderful.
17:46But at the moment, like I said,
17:48I'm really happy that we haven't had to go back 10 years
17:52and start from scratch because that would just be so terrifying for everyone.
17:57I suppose it's a real difficult conversation to have
18:00because although you're pleased with the compensation
18:03and waiting to see what does happen
18:05and what actually comes in from now onwards,
18:08but nothing will bring back the people that you've lost.
18:12That's the big problem
18:14because where we've been fighting for so long,
18:17for the inquiry, like six years,
18:20and then for myself, obviously, I've been there 14 years now,
18:24fighting, when it got to the end of the inquiry,
18:28I did some press, I had a bit of a breakdown
18:31because it hit me that you think you're fighting and fighting
18:35and it's like, no, but nobody's coming back
18:38and that's the real heartache.
18:40It would be nice if the government pays out their money
18:43and then everyone could be left alone, get counselling,
18:47get on with their lives and try and rebuild what they can,
18:50but that's the thing for some people.
18:54Certainly, that rebuilding is the key part to your story as well.
18:57Thank you very much for speaking with us
18:59and for always sharing your story.
19:01It's definitely helping the many people out there impacted by this.
19:04Tim, thank you very much.
19:06Brilliant. Thank you.
19:09Now, parents have been left shocked and scared
19:12after a kitchen knife was found by children playing in Milton Regis.
19:15The blade was dug up from a sandpit at Milton Creek Country Park
19:19and later handed to the police.
19:21Parents are calling for swift action.
19:30We showed you the wrong... Apologies there.
19:32I think we showed you the wrong thing.
19:34We're going to hear from those parents now.
19:37At first, we thought it was a toy knife or some sort of thing
19:40that's just been lobbed in there from the pound shop or something.
19:43It wasn't until the kids picked it up,
19:45you could see it was a real proper knife,
19:47but it was also stained at the bottom with a bit of rust.
19:50We're not sure what the rust was.
19:52Obviously, it has been handed in to the police.
19:54But it was just really scary, more than anything,
19:57because children that play in there, they're so little.
20:00If they sat on that knife, or even if they cut themselves worse on it,
20:04they roll around in there on their stomachs all the time,
20:07and it was only in a sand about that deep.
20:09So I think that's what makes it even more scary.
20:12I think it's put a lot of fear in everyone now,
20:14and everyone's really wary about coming here.
20:16It was apparently disgusting, finding that in a sandpit,
20:19because, like I said, I always tell them to be careful
20:22with sharp objects in the woods, not in a sandpit.
20:25I don't really think I need to tell them to be careful
20:28with knives being in the sandpit, or needles, or anything like that.
20:32In Sheerness, they rake the sandpit every morning.
20:36So if they'd done something like that here,
20:38that would be really beneficial for all the children that play here as well,
20:41and the parents, knowing that they're probably safe,
20:43because it's checked every morning.
20:45Well, Swale Council, which runs the park,
20:47said it was also shocked by the discovery and reassured visitors
20:50it had an extensive programme of cleansing in place.
20:54The statement goes on to say there are also play inspectors
20:57that visit the areas regularly
20:59to make sure they're a safe place for children to play in,
21:02and actually have a dedicated ranger on site.
21:04The council says it condemns the reckless actions of whoever did this,
21:07and Kent Police confirmed they did receive a report
21:10of a kitchen knife found,
21:12and that it was handed in at Sittingbourne Police Station.
21:15After being released from Charlton Athletic aged 15...
21:18I'll cue that up before we play it.
21:20Sport, and huge news for Gillingham.
21:23It's the return of the Prodigal Son.
21:25Bradley Dack is back.
21:27He was part of the squad that won promotion back in 2013,
21:30and fans hope this will be the last piece of the puzzle needed
21:33to push them to the next flight again.
21:35I caught up with David Garth from the Gillingham Supporters Club earlier,
21:39but first, let's take a look at just why this move is so special.
21:51CHEERING
22:01Oh, now! Chance!
22:04It's another one!
22:06It's a calamitous...
22:09Oh, now! Chance!
22:11It's another one!
22:13It's a calamitous error at the back from Arneson.
22:20CHEERING
22:32It's another one!
22:34It's a calamitous error at the back from Arneson.
22:37CHEERING
22:50It's a calamitous error at the back from Arneson.
23:01WHISTLE BLOWS
23:06CHEERING
23:13David, thank you so much for joining us today.
23:15I know you expected our call.
23:17What was your reaction to seeing Bradley Dack signing?
23:20Re-signing?
23:22Yeah, I think we're all pleased about the whole thing.
23:25It wasn't that big a surprise in the end
23:28because there'd been such a lot of rumours about it happening,
23:31so I guess it was just,
23:33oh, he's here, he's back, you know?
23:35So, yeah, bring it on, really. Really pleased.
23:38For someone who doesn't follow the Gills,
23:40doesn't know them as well as you do,
23:43what does this mean to the club?
23:45How big is this news?
23:49I mean, potentially, a fully fit Bradley Dack
23:53is going to be probably the best midfield player
23:56in the lower divisions, without a doubt.
23:59I mean, if he was fully fit,
24:01he would still be playing at least at Championship level.
24:04So, if Gillingham can get him fully fit,
24:07as seems to be the case,
24:09then it's going to be really running the show
24:12and probably getting a few goals on the way as well.
24:16And this is the real talking point
24:18when we bring up Bradley Dack.
24:20A lot of injuries.
24:22He's seen issues with both knees.
24:24How much will that influence him moving forward with the Gills?
24:30Well, hopefully.
24:31I'm sure the club has done its checks,
24:34its due diligence on Bradley.
24:36Yes, he's had two ACL injuries to both knees.
24:41So, that has clearly stopped his progress
24:44probably into the Premier League.
24:46And there's always a bit of a question mark.
24:49But let's face it,
24:50you can take on a player who is fully fit
24:53and in the very first game he plays,
24:55he could end up with a serious injury.
24:57So, there's always a bit of a risk.
24:59But I'm sure that the club has worked everything out
25:01and it seems to be a good deal for everybody,
25:04for the club and for Bradley and for the fans as well.
25:07And that risk versus reward,
25:09what do you think the fans can be sort of treated to?
25:12What makes Bradley so special?
25:16What makes Bradley special?
25:17He's just got that extra...
25:20He runs harder than anybody else.
25:22He's got real skill.
25:24He gets into the box and takes up great positions
25:27and he puts the ball away with a fair degree of regularity.
25:31In fact, the first goal he gets back for Gillingham
25:34will be his 100th career goal.
25:36So, that's something to savour for any footballer
25:39and for a midfielder as well.
25:41And firstly, a trip to Morecambe this weekend.
25:44What's your take on the weekend's game?
25:46How do you think it's going to go?
25:50Well, Morecambe have had a lot of troubles.
25:52Well publicised, they had to re-sign quite a few players.
25:55So, they're not in the best of shapes
25:57but they're there to be beaten.
25:59They are going to put up a good fight.
26:01But I would think that we should be looking for
26:04a win by a couple of goals, hopefully.
26:06David, thank you very much for your time today.
26:10And finally this evening, from War Zone to Forever Home.
26:14Two out of five Lions are on their way to Kent
26:17all the way from Ukraine.
26:19Male Rory and female Una have crossed the Polish border
26:22and will be travelling more than 1,400 miles to safety.
26:25For Una, finding her new home at the Big Cat Sanctuary in Smardon
26:29with Rory being dropped off in Belgium.
26:31The sanctuary is working alongside cross-border animal services
26:34who moved them from the Wild Animal Rescue Centre in Kiev
26:37after suffering shell shock during the ongoing conflict with Russia.
26:41The charity, Near Ashford, has raised more than £300,000
26:45in donations from the public
26:47which goes towards things like transport, veterinary care
26:51and the Lion Rescue Centre.
26:54A lovely new story for those Lions being safe here in the county.
26:58That's all we've got time for. Have a wonderful weekend. Bye-bye.