Catch up with all the latest news across your county with Mahima Abedin.
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00:00Hello and welcome to Cancer Night live on KMTV.
00:28I'm Mahima Abedin and here are your top stories on Wednesday the 4th of September.
00:33Tipping point, Canterbury resident furious as a state becomes hotspot for illegal waste.
00:39And they very clearly came and put the CCTV cameras here but unfortunately those cameras
00:47they did not work.
00:48Tap and travel, new contactless system introduced for train tickets but campaigners call for
00:54more accessibility.
00:56Let's have more people on at the train stations ready to assist disabled people.
01:02And a futuristic solution, meet the robots that could help Kent's shortage of fruit pickers.
01:09I'm capable of picking probably as much fruit during the course of the day as a person.
01:13First tonight, fly tipping on a housing estate in Canterbury is becoming so common that some
01:29areas are being treated as a junkyard.
01:32That is according to a resident in Hell's Place who says a state of nearby garages makes
01:36him want to move away.
01:38Paul Babra has lived in the area for almost a decade and is now calling on the city council
01:43to do more.
01:44However, it claims nothing more can be done due to the garages being classed as private
01:49land.
01:50Our local democracy reporter Gabriel Morris has more.
01:55Paul's lived in this housing estate in Canterbury for some 30 years.
01:58His property coming with one of these garages.
02:01But he says fly tipping is getting worse and worse in Kemsing Gardens.
02:05This is just becoming a junkyard or a tipping yard, you know.
02:09It is very, very disappointing.
02:12He's so fed up he wants to leave Hell's Place, but says waste is stopping him from doing
02:17that.
02:18A few years back we had the valuation done by our property by a local estate agent and
02:24we were getting a good fair amount.
02:26We got it recently valued by another reputable local estate agent and the value has gone
02:32down very, very much.
02:34And they clearly identified that because of the state of the neighbourhood Kemsing
02:40Gardens, Canterbury, is the big issue.
02:44We came here around a month ago and this is what it looked like then.
02:48Today more rubbish, little cleared.
02:51Part of the issue is that these garages are privately owned, with the council saying fly
02:56tippers are taking advantage of this derelict land.
03:00It's just, it has been a really, really massive headache, the whole thing and as I've said
03:07again before, there's just so much complicity to it to get to find a solution, but we are
03:12working our way through it and that's all I can say really.
03:15Personally, I brought this issue back to the local authorities and they very clearly came
03:20and put the CCTV cameras here, but unfortunately those cameras, they did not work and they
03:28have been removed now for some time.
03:30Canterbury City Council told us they sympathise with the plight of people living in Kemsing
03:35Gardens and they've been working hard to find a solution, but preparations are underway
03:40to clear the land.
03:41But say it's expensive, but if they catch any future fly tippers, they'll be hit with
03:45the biggest possible punishment, with the amount of fly tipping increasing and little
03:49being removed.
03:50And he says if he had the money, he'd clear it himself or take legal action.
03:56Gabriel Morris, in Canterbury.
03:59A teenager has admitted to killing a 19-year-old in a motorcycle crash in Chatham.
04:04Scott Chapman was 16 when the incident happened in Lordswood back in October 2021.
04:10He crashed with John Treby, who later died on the 3rd of November.
04:14The 19-year-old, who also suffered from injuries, was riding an off-road motorcycle at the time
04:19and pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving while unlicensed and uninsured.
04:25He's not yet been sentenced and has been released on bail.
04:29Members of an archery club near Sevenoaks say they're devastated after their storage
04:33container was broken into and thousands of pounds worth of equipment was stolen.
04:38The Fox Archers Club in Otford says up to 500 arrows and 40 bows, which they describe
04:44as possible weapons, were taken from their grounds on Saturday night.
04:48It means the club's tournament on Sunday, as well as its adults' beginner classes, have
04:52been cancelled.
04:54The group has been running since the mid-1970s and is staffed entirely by volunteers.
04:59Kent Police is investigating the break-in and enquiries are ongoing.
05:04Train stations across Kent are set to see a new tap-in and tap-out system introduced
05:09later this month, designed to make rail travel easier and more simple.
05:14However, one disabled man from Strood in Medway tells us there's far more that could be done.
05:20Jason Vardy suffers from Functional Neurological Disorder, or FND, and says the process of
05:25buying a ticket could be further simplified.
05:29The dread of running late for a train and then remembering you have to print off your
05:33ticket is something that affects us all.
05:36But for Jason in Medway, who lives with a disability, it's more than just that.
05:41He suffers from Functional Neurological Disorder.
05:44That means he often experiences movement problems and printing off a ticket can add that extra
05:49bit of stress to his journey.
05:51But with a new contactless payment system being introduced across some stations in Kent,
05:56he says it could make his travel easier.
05:58It does benefit me in a few ways, because of my mobility and my handling of cards as
06:05such I find it a bit of an issue to carry a lot of things around with me.
06:10I'm wanting myself to do functions and my body doesn't do it all the time.
06:15I generally just like would prefer a quick and easy method for me in order for me to
06:21get through the gates and that could be one of the ways for me to help me out.
06:27There's six stations across Kent that will have this new tap-in and tap-out payment system
06:31introduced.
06:32That means that commuters will no longer have to wait to print off their ticket in order
06:36to get to their next destination.
06:38But those stations are all located around the Sevenoaks area.
06:41Although this scheme will benefit Jason, he asks for more to be done to make travel accessible
06:47for all.
06:48For disabled people we do need to have a better system in the public service in order to help
06:54us out.
06:55Whether it's the little things too, paying for something, the process is sometimes too
07:01much for us.
07:02We need something that will help us.
07:03For me, we need that part of the process to be made a lot easier than what it is.
07:10But it's not just Jason who's calling for change.
07:13Disability Assist is a charity that supports people with disabilities in Kent live more
07:17independent lives and is urging for the system to be introduced across all stations in the
07:23area.
07:24I think all stations need to have this available.
07:27Why can't we have it here in the UK where when the train pulls up it's level with the
07:34platform.
07:36We wouldn't need any help at all.
07:38Let's have more people on at the train stations ready to assist disabled people.
07:44In a statement, a spokesperson from the Department for Transport said transport systems should
07:48be truly accessible and inclusive for everyone and this is something we will prioritise as
07:53part of our reform of the railways.
07:56The tap in and tap out system will come into effect from the 22nd of September and while
08:01it will help make travel for those living with a disability like Jason that little bit
08:05easier, he says there's still improvements to be made.
08:09Mahima Abedin for KMTV.
08:12A winter virus vaccine is being rolled out in Kent and across the country to newborn
08:16babies and the elderly.
08:18It's to protect them from a common virus that causes coughs and colds in winter called Respiratory
08:23Syncytial Virus or RSV.
08:27It's the first time it's being offered to pregnant women and elderly people.
08:31Well joining me now to tell us more is our KMTV's health expert, Dr Julian Spinks.
08:42Dr Spinks, thanks so much for joining us today.
08:44So this new vaccination that's being introduced to protect newborn babies and the elderly
08:49from RSV, we know that's a common virus but can you tell us more, what is that?
08:54Well it's a virus that's been around for a very long time and in the elderly it causes
08:59a pneumonia, that's infection of the air sacs in the lungs and particularly in very
09:04small babies it causes a condition called bronchiolitis which is inflammation of the
09:08very smallest tubes leading to those sacs and the problem is in both of those groups
09:13it can cause significant ill health and harm.
09:16It's about 5,000 admissions to hospital for babies, around 2,500 for older people and
09:21because of that we want to vaccinate to prevent it and the way we're going to do that is to
09:26vaccinate the elderly people who are aged 75 to 79 plus anyone who's turned 80 after
09:31the 1st of September and also we're going to give pregnant mothers because the very
09:35young babies don't respond as well to vaccines so vaccinating the mother means the antibodies
09:41go into the baby and they're protected for several months.
09:45So it sounds like it's very serious and it's the first time that we're seeing this injection
09:49being given to the elderly, you mentioned they're 75 to 79 and pregnant women, why is
09:54it being introduced now?
09:56It's because it's taken a long time to produce the vaccine, I think if we'd had it 10 years
10:00ago we would have been using it 10 years ago, the research has shown that it reduces your
10:06risk of needing to be admitted to hospital if you're either a small baby or an elderly
10:10person by about 70% and that's going to make a very big difference, not only does it help
10:16those patients and prevent them from becoming very ill or even dying but also it takes some
10:20pressure off the health service as we go into the winter.
10:23Now it's said that 20,000 babies are hospitalised in England each year with illnesses linked
10:28to this virus, you mentioned that earlier, but with the injection coming out will we
10:34see a difference in this figure changing?
10:36Yes, absolutely and the big thing is we've got to encourage mothers who are more than
10:4128 weeks pregnant to ask to get that vaccine, they should be offered it but if you haven't
10:46ask for it because you need to get those antibodies into your baby because unfortunately the death
10:52rate is highest in the newborn and then gradually gets lower as you go on and for older people,
10:57particularly those who have a history of things like chronic lung disease, the quicker they
11:01get that vaccination the better.
11:04And what do the figures look like for older people, we've spoken about the babies there
11:07but how does it affect them?
11:10Well what happens is that unfortunately their lungs are more susceptible, if they've been
11:15previous smokers or have had other lung diseases then their lungs may actually respond more
11:20poorly to having the virus and it will then give a pneumonia and pneumonia is a very nasty
11:25infection, at the best it makes you feel terribly ill but often in older people it means their
11:31oxygen levels drop and they end up in hospital.
11:34Thanks so much Dr Spinks, that's all we have time for now.
11:37It's time for a short break but coming up we'll be hearing from Oliver Leder de Sacks
11:41who'll give us all the latest updates on the Tory leadership race as well as a round up
11:45on all the latest business news.
11:47We'll see you soon.
14:50Hello and welcome back to Kentonite live on KMTV and now after a bruising set of election
15:18results for the Tories in Kent, the first round of Conservative leadership contest
15:23to replace Rishi Sunak has wrapped up today, with Priti Patel being the first to get eliminated.
15:30But with Kent's own MP Tom Tugendhat finishing near the back of the pack and a surprise front
15:35runner emerging, how will the race play out?
15:38Well our politics producer Oliver Leder de Sacks is here on the sofa with us now.
15:42Oliver, what's been happening?
15:43Can you catch us up?
15:44Well you said it was a race there Mahima.
15:47It's more of a knockout with Priti Patel being the first Conservative leadership candidate
15:52out today.
15:53She only had 14 other Conservative MPs backing her and that put her at the bottom of the
15:59pile meaning she won't go through to next week's round on Tuesday.
16:03There is a surprising lead though.
16:06Robert Jenrick with 28 votes.
16:10Apologies Oliver, we've got some issues with your microphone so we're just going to head
16:15to the Business Roundup now.
16:17From a farm in Kent turning to robots as a solution for the county's shortage of fruit
16:22pickers to a business in Dover that's shutting its doors due to fears of increased traffic.
16:28Many businesses in Kent are building up their budgets and perfecting their profits.
16:32Here's Elisa Paré with your Business Roundup.
16:40First on your Business Roundup, farmers have found it increasingly hard to recruit labour
16:45to pick their summer harvests but now technology may be coming to their rescue.
16:49One farm in Kent is having a large part of its strawberry crop picked by robots.
16:53The tech has been developed by a small start-up company called Dogtooth Technologies.
16:58And so we think it's inevitable that robotic automation will help to fill the gap left
17:04by a shrinking workforce.
17:06We've built several generations of picking robots.
17:11Our fifth generation robot is increasingly able to make a meaningful difference to the
17:17harvest requirements on the farm.
17:20It's very productive, capable of picking broadly as much fruit during the course of the day
17:24as a person.
17:26Each robot has two eyes that allow it to see the colour of the fruit and judge whether
17:29the berry is ripe for picking.
17:31The robot picks the berry, lowers it onto an on-board monitoring system that checks
17:35for fruitful disease or insect damage.
17:37Kent grows about 40% of the UK's soft fruit, an entry worth £755 million to the UK economy
17:43last year.
17:44Secondly, an antique shop boss has blamed new EU border rules for the closure of his
17:49store, just months after another trader quit for the same reason.
17:53Burkhard runs the old QRC shop in Snargate Street, Dover, but says repeated delays mean
17:58customers already struggle to reach his business because of the long queues blocking the roads.
18:02We have enough problems with the A20 as it is.
18:05When it goes wrong, it goes really wrong and we are always affected the worst on Snargate
18:11Street.
18:12I've been on to Kent County Council asking are they prepared to compensate the traders
18:18on Snargate Street.
18:19We are the worst affected street in the town and we get nothing at all.
18:24He fears the situation will worsen when new entry and exit system checks come in on November
18:2910th as there are concerns they could cause 14-15 hour delays.
18:33Mr Burkhard is yet to confirm an exact closure date for his store which has been based in
18:37Snargate Street along the A20 for two and a half years.
18:41And finally, new brunching spots set to open in the form of bills will create 30 new jobs.
18:46Deckhouse is opening in Blythe's Meadows Shopping Centre in Sevenoaks on September
18:4918th.
18:50The 3,000 square feet venue will serve breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner.
18:55It also has a bottomless brunch experience where diners receive free-flowing Prosecco,
18:58cocktails or beers for 90 minutes.
19:01This has been Elise O'Pare for your Business Roundup.
19:10Sorry about that, we had some issues with the mic there but Oliver's back on the sofa
19:13to continue telling us about the leadership race.
19:16Well sorry for the false start there Mahima but it's not the worst false start today as
19:20Priti Patel, the Conservative leadership candidate, was knocked out in the first round.
19:24She only got the backing of 14 of her fellow MPs meaning that she won't be going through
19:30to the next round.
19:31But you know who will be going through to the next round?
19:34That's Robert Jenricks, the former Immigration Minister.
19:37He got a surprisingly high number of his fellow MP support at 28 votes beating out some of
19:45the forerunners like Kemi Banadok and James Cleverley who had 22 and 21 votes each respectively.
19:52And at the bottom of the pile was Kent's own Tom Tugendhat, Tunbridge's MP.
19:58He only got 17 so he will have to do a lot more to win over the support of his colleagues
20:03while Mel Stride is right at the bottom with 16 votes.
20:08But obviously we'll find out next week who's going to be knocked out, it's back on Tuesday
20:14and after that we'll be going to conference with four being whittled down from the current
20:19six you can see on screen and after that there'll be a speedy round of three days of hustings
20:26bringing us to the end for the 2nd of November.
20:30Oliver, thank you for those details.
20:32Now it's been confirmed a pregnant woman and six children died as a fatal small boat crossing
20:37to Kent has become the deadliest channel disaster so far this year.
20:42A total of 12 people died yesterday after their boat sank trying to cross the English
20:47Channel with more than 50 being rescued after their boat capsized.
20:51Several people needed emergency treatment and a temporary medical post has been set
20:55up at a port about 28 miles southwest of Calais.
20:59Home Secretary Yvette Cooper branded the incident horrifying and deeply tragic.
21:04She said it's vital to dismantle dangerous and criminal smuggler gangs.
21:09Now a reminder of your top story today.
21:12Fly-tipping on a housing estate in Canterbury is becoming so common that some areas are
21:17being treated as a junkyard.
21:19That's according to a resident in Hales Place who says the state of nearby garages makes
21:24him want to move away.
21:26Paul Babbra has lived in the area for almost a decade and is now calling on the City Council
21:31to do more.
21:32However, it claims nothing more can be done due to the garages being classed as private
21:37land.
21:38You can read more on that story at Kent Online.
21:42Now to sport.
21:43And as Mark Bonner suffers his second defeat as Gillingham manager, Kent's Paralympians
21:48continue to impress in Paris.
21:50Plus, a former Gillingham legend has returned to management for the 13th time.
21:55Here's our sport reporter Bartholomew Hall with all the latest headlines.
22:09Hello there, Gillingham manager Mark Bonner is admitting there was frustration from his
22:13players after losing out 2-1 to Peterborough in the EFL trophy.
22:18A goal in either half from the League One visitors for Tuesday's meeting at Priestfield
22:22won them the three points and put them top of the Group D south standings before a consolation
22:26goal was claimed by Elliot Nevitt for Gillingham in stoppage time.
22:30It comes after nine changes for Bonner's squad who used the match to bring players back from
22:34injury and to give game time for younger players.
22:38Here's the Gills boss speaking after the match.
23:05Well over to Paris now.
23:09Will Bailey is guaranteed another Paralympics medal after reaching the Class 7 semi-final
23:14of the men's table tennis in Paris.
23:16The 2016 gold medallist from Tunbridge Wells booked a place in Friday's final four with
23:22a 3-1 win over Germany's Bjorn Snake.
23:25It comes as Maidstone-born Callie-Anne Warrington has claimed silver in the woman's 100 metre
23:29butterfly S10 on her Paralympic debut.
23:32And it's all eyes to the men's T13 long jump final on Saturday where Tunbridge's Zach Skinner
23:37will be hoping to bounce back from his Tokyo games where he missed out on a medal place
23:41by just two centimetres.
23:44Well on the medal table, Great Britain is currently where they've been for most of the
23:47games so far in second place behind China.
23:50It comes after recording GB's most successful medal winning day at a Paralympic Games this
23:56century last weekend.
23:58One of those hoping that success will inspire the next generation of Paralympians is Gravesend's
24:04John Boy Smith who competed as a wheelchair sprinter at Tokyo 2020.
24:08We caught up with him earlier.
24:10I really do hope that what myself and the rest of the, not just the British team, but
24:14the rest of the world, what we are doing inspires the younger generation to come through and
24:19do something whether Olympic, Paralympic, able-bodied, disabled, whichever.
24:23It's so good to see that us old boys, if you will, us old boys and girls are inspiring
24:28this younger generation to carry the flag for us.
24:31It's inspiring for us because how I look at it is, if I've inspired one person to say,
24:39you know what, if John Boy can do it, a working class fella from Kent, if he can do it, I
24:44can certainly do it.
24:45And that's how we all want to be.
24:47We want to inspire.
24:48That's all we can ask for.
24:49And it makes us appreciate what we're doing and gives us a bit more inspiration.
24:56And finally from me, we head back to football because Gillingham legend Steve Bruce has
25:00returned to management after landing a role in League One.
25:04The former Newcastle and West Bromwich boss will be taking up his 13th management role,
25:08this time at Blackpool.
25:09He was rumoured to take over from Neil Harris at Priestfield when he was sacked, however
25:13was later revealed to have greatly recommended his long-time assistant coach Stephen Clements
25:18to take the Gillingham role instead.
25:20Blackpool are currently 22nd in the league after four games, they're yet to record a
25:24win this season.
25:26That's it from me, don't forget there's a brand new episode of Invicta Sport coming
25:29this Monday at 6pm.
25:40Before we go this evening, a yellow weather alert for rain has been extended for the whole
25:44of Kent.
25:46With more than a month's worth of rain predicted to fall within a day, so don't forget those
25:50umbrellas.
25:51With that in mind, let's take a look at the weather.
26:00This evening will be cloudy with rain in Dartford and Chatham.
26:06Tomorrow morning brings rain across the county with slight sunshine, highs of 19 in Dover
26:11and Folkestone.
26:13Tomorrow afternoon continues to be rainy in most areas with highs of 20 in Maidstone.
26:19And the outlook for the rest of the week sees cloud on Friday, more rain on Saturday
26:23and Sunday.
26:35You've been watching Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
26:38There's more news made just for Kent throughout the evening, but for now that's it from us,
26:42we hope you have a lovely evening and see you soon.