Catch up with all your latest news across the county with Abby Hook.
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00:30Hello, good evening and welcome to Kentonite, live on KMTV. I'm Abbey Hook. Here are your
00:39top stories on Thursday the 16th of January. An explosive catch. Army deployed to Ellsford
00:46home after family fishes up a live grenade.
00:50More frightening when we heard on my back camera into the garden, the army state that
00:57it was live.
00:58Roadblock. Learners struggle to book tests as Medway instructor calls for a change in
01:03the system.
01:04I don't see that any changes they're making at the moment is really going to make a big
01:09difference.
01:10And the truth uncracked. What's the right way to eat a cream egg?
01:15Probably two bites and it's gone.
01:17I would do a boiled egg. I sort of take the top off and I sort of spoon out the middle.
01:21I don't like the centre.
01:28Good evening. Army officers had to be called to a home in Ellsford after a family found
01:38a live grenade while out fishing. Chris Homden and his son unknowingly pulled up the World
01:43War Two explosive from the River Medway and brought it home alongside other more harmless
01:48finds.
01:49Finn McDermott met up with the family and was shown how their usual Sunday hobby of
01:53magnet fishing almost turned sinister.
01:56Most people think of fishing as a relaxing pastime, but for one family their fishing
02:00hobby meant the police and the army had to get involved after they unknowingly fished
02:05up a live grenade.
02:07Chris Homden and his son Leighton started magnet fishing around four years ago, throwing
02:12a powerful magnet into rivers and dragging it along the bed to see what they could find.
02:17And for the most part that would be small pieces of metal, parts of bicycles or shopping
02:22trolleys.
02:23And when they discovered something so rusted they couldn't even tell what it was yet, they
02:27were pretty excited.
02:28Well at first we was quite shocked to what it was and obviously the debris where it had
02:35been down there for so long. And even my son made a joke of it, oh it could be a grenade
02:42and I thought nothing of it. So we pulled it up and we kept it and kept it to the side
02:47and made sure everything was in a bag and then decided to take it home.
02:52And when Chris got home and cleaned the find, he recognised the raised pattern and manufacturer's
02:56initials of a World War II grenade.
02:59He called the police who had to turn off their radios so not to interfere with the grenade.
03:03They then called the army who took the explosive into a nearby field to safely detonate it.
03:08Not something you really expect on a Sunday evening. Very exciting. Turns more frightening
03:16when we heard on my back camera into the garden the army state that it was live. That's when
03:24it became a little bit more frightening than exciting. But yeah, not something you really
03:29expect to happen every day.
03:31While the family were scared on that Sunday evening, they still enjoy magnet fishing as
03:35it helps Leighton with the stresses of school and daily life as he has autism and ADHD.
03:41Chris asked if I wanted to give magnet fishing a try and although I'd never been, I didn't
03:45think it'd be too difficult.
03:46Does that even touch the water?
03:52No, two.
04:02There we go.
04:08Nothing. Well, that's a lesson. You can't just pick up magnet fishing and get a grenade
04:11on your first try, so you've got to work at it.
04:14Well, after finally actually getting the magnet into the water, I still didn't have anything
04:18to show for my efforts, much less a grenade.
04:21Finn McDermid for KMTV in Aylesford.
04:24Well, Finn joins me now. Seemingly by your efforts, it's not likely that you can catch
04:29just anything every time you go, if anything. So how common and how likely actually is it
04:34to catch something like a grenade and a live one at that?
04:37Well, from what Chris was telling me, normally he tends to find horseshoes, trolleys, old
04:42boots, just things you'd expect at the bottom of a river. But it's not unheard of. I mean,
04:46he told me of another magnet fisher further down the river, Medway, that managed to find
04:50a musket, which is a very old kind of gun from the 16th and 19th century.
04:55But when it comes to grenades, it's also not that uncommon because obviously Medway and
04:59its river have such a deep naval and maritime history, you're going to find sunken ships,
05:03sunken weapons. People might know of the, I think it was called the SS Richard Montgomery,
05:08also known as the Doomsday Wreck, which was a sunken ship that has, I think, 1,400 tonnes
05:14of explosives on board. That's enough to, you know, have a 30-foot tidal wave go over
05:19Sheppey. So it's rare, but it's not unheard of.
05:22Yeah, you're definitely not pulling up a ship or anything like that with a magnet, that's
05:26for sure. But I mean, it's quite, you heard from, in your report there, that it's exciting,
05:32but also really quite scary when they heard on that doorbell footage that we had from
05:36the Garden that actually the army saying, oh yeah, it's in fact live, and they detonated
05:40it in a nearby field.
05:42I mean, yeah. I can't even imagine how that would feel to pull something up and you're
05:46thinking, oh, I've got this great find, bring it home, you know, show everyone, wow, look
05:49at this. Clean it a bit and go, that's a World War II grenade. You know, that's got to be
05:53really scary. And I mean, even more so, like you say, when they heard over their back door
05:57camera, the army going, well, it's live. You know, my blood with the wrong cold, so I can't
06:01imagine how they were feeling.
06:02Yeah, it's absolutely fascinating, that find as well. And to check things before you bring
06:06them home, if you find them in the River Medway. Finn, thank you very much.
06:09Dozens of big cats have been rescued from a man dubbed the UK's Tiger King by an Ashford
06:14Animal Park after an investigation into mistreatment. The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Hertfordshire
06:20Zoo, police and vet teams all joined forces to make sure the animals were healthy and
06:24kept in good conditions. The 28 that needed rehoming include the UK's only Asian golden
06:31cat. Bartholomew Hall has more on the rescue operation.
06:34The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden has given a new home to two big cats and supported 26
06:40others after a Hertfordshire Animal Trust director was found guilty of causing his animals
06:45to suffer. When Hertfordshire police visited the Cat Survival Trust in 2022, they found
06:51multiple animals with diseases and others which had been deceased in the site's freezer.
06:56So they began a long investigation that eventually led to the director, Terence Moore's conviction.
07:01Now the Big Cat Sanctuary, working with its sister zoo Hertfordshire, are working with
07:06the police, local authorities and vet teams to rehome and take care of the 28 rare and
07:11endangered cats in their biggest rescue operation to date.
07:15With this particular case, I mean it's a huge, huge rehoming operation of 28 cats that are
07:20on the site, all with different health issues and problems as well. So it's been a huge
07:25It's been a huge task, but I mean our teams have been absolutely brilliant. We've worked
07:30night and day to obviously get the facilities, make the facilities better for the cats that
07:35were on the site, but also finding all of these homes and working with brilliant, good
07:40zoos, good sanctuaries and good rescue centres and places that are able to take the cats on.
07:45The process was a long one and included getting the cats onto the right diet, cleaning the
07:50enclosures, making sure they were medically healthy and distributing the details out to
07:54different sanctuaries and zoos. This modern sanctuary did take a couple of animals of
07:59their own of course. Frank, the UK's only Asian golden cat, and Bosun, the fishing cat.
08:05In Frank's case, he's part of an endangered species.
08:08He's such a rare species. It was quite an exciting moment when obviously we were given
08:13the opportunity to rescue him from the Cat Survivor Trust and bring him to the Big Cat
08:17Sanctuary. So we're going to be conducting quite a bit of research because little is
08:22known about the Asian golden cat.
08:24The efforts to re-home the 28 cats is reportedly going well, with many already off-site and
08:29others soon to find their forever homes. Bartholomew Hall for KMTV.
08:35What an incredible rescue effort. Now, just before we go to a break, I'm joined by Kent
08:39Film Club presenter Chris Deasy to give us an idea of what's to come on tonight's show
08:43and to fill us in on all the latest film news following the BAFTA nominations. Chris, thank
08:48you very much for joining us. BAFTA nominations, any surprises? What are your main takeaways?
08:53I think the biggest surprise was Hugh Grant getting a nomination. I mean, it was thought
08:57that he was perhaps in with a shot for Heretic, something that hasn't been recognised in all
09:03of the awards ceremonies so far, although we do still have the Oscar nominations to
09:07come. And I mean, he won for Four Weddings and a Funeral back in 1995 and a phenomenally
09:13good film in a way and playing completely against type, which I think he's really showing
09:17his acting chops in this film.
09:19Yeah, I mean, to go from something like Wonka as well, people would have seen him recently
09:23as well. I've actually watched this film. It's fascinating and he sort of takes us through
09:28the whole film pretty much. It's him, the two girls there as well.
09:32Yeah, and deconstructing.
09:34Yeah, he has such control.
09:35Yeah, but sort of deconstructing all the things you see in a horror film and having his character
09:38as a theologian who's almost like lost his faith but trying to then deconstruct it but
09:44playing that against sort of the backdrop of what you'd expect in a horror film. It's
09:48pretty inventive.
09:49It provokes a huge amount of questions as well about sort of religion as a whole as
09:53well. It really does poke at that too.
09:56But they, without giving too much away, the girls obviously, who we think at first might
10:00be a little bit naive in his company, actually turn the tables on him and so it's a real
10:05meeting of minds and a very good psychological film.
10:08Yeah, my favourite type of film as you know, Chris. And also, you're off to Sundance next
10:13week as well. Tell us about that. Tell us more about the festival, what you're expecting.
10:17Well, Robert Redford set this up 30-odd years, well more than that now, back in the 80s.
10:22And it's championing independent film. So it's the sort of films, there'll be lots
10:27of big stars there. There's a rumour that Quentin Tarantino might be there. There's
10:31a rumour Juliette Lewis might be there. There's all sorts of stars.
10:34Is you.
10:35That was me last year. Not that I did. I'll do the same this year. I'll film myself in
10:39the studios, in the theatres. And I think what is really exciting is that you get to
10:43see films that may never see the light of day, but often it's like a year before they
10:47come out over here. And I've noticed there are quite a few British films, actually a
10:51few Welsh films I noticed, in contention there. So it's a chance to see films that are really
10:56good. Often, if you like a really good story, it's not the place to go if you're into
11:00Marvel or the other DC, obviously. Superhero films. And it's the kind of thing that you
11:06come away feeling that you've watched the cream of the crop. People who've really invested.
11:10Really good screenplays.
11:11And any if tenuous Kent links in there?
11:13Well, there might be. Because last year, for example, in South London, there was a film,
11:19A Drag Queen, that comes to mind, that was made I think in South London. So it's entirely
11:23possible. But these are films which really are the crop of the independent films.
11:31And very, very quickly, who have you got on the show?
11:33Oh, we have...
11:36..which has come up at least three times now on the programme as one of the choices. And
11:40Chariots of Fire.
11:43In 1978, the Harold Abrahams passed away.
11:46You know everything about...
11:51See you then. More news soon.
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16:59have no plan on using. Census data shows over half of workers in Medway use a car to commute
17:04to work and with one in six jobs requiring a car, the issues waiting times are presenting
17:10have lasting impacts. Anya Desai is a student in Medway and failed her test at the Gillingham
17:14Test Centre before booking a test elsewhere. I couldn't get one in Gillingham. I was like I want
17:20to do it now so I'm going to try and find some other place that was close by so I did another
17:24area which was not a good idea for me because I don't know that area so I studied it like the
17:31night before on Google Maps trying to figure it out but then when I did it in person I still wasn't
17:36confident enough because I didn't know that area so I failed that one as well. In a statement given
17:40to KMTV the DVSA's chief executive Love Day Rider says they hope their seven point plan to reduce
17:47driving test waiting times will make the driving test booking system fairer for learners and better
17:53protect them from exploitation. With these being long-term changes to keep the traffic flowing
17:58for the meantime many learners remain stuck at a standstill. Josh McLaughlin for KMTV in Medway.
18:07Plans for a huge bicycle factory which is set to provide two and a half thousand jobs have been
18:12approved. Brompton Bicycle which is due to be built near Ashford Designer Outlet will produce
18:18fold-up bikes and be built on stilts due to its place in a flood zone. The 100 million pound plans
18:24which are approved by Ashford Borough Council this week have been criticised though by councillors
18:29as only 30 parking spaces will be provided. Now police had to be called to a street near
18:35Sittingbourne after a lorry became stuck between width restriction bollards. Here's the moment the
18:41HGV was captured by other road users in Merston. It's understood the vehicle was unable to be moved
18:46for hours. It comes after a large number of vehicles have become stuck between the bollards
18:51in Church Road in the past. Here's the moment a white Vauxhall van and Salvatore truck also fell
18:56victim in November. Now don't forget you can keep up to date with all your latest stories across
19:03Kent by logging onto our website. It's of course kmtv.co.uk. There you'll find all our reports
19:09including this one about plans for a 200 bay lorry park in Rootham. This greenbelt land could
19:16soon be a HGV park catering for 200 lorries at any time. Proposals for moto hospitality have been
19:24in the works for almost three years but refused twice by Tunbridge and Morling Borough Council.
19:31The outcome was based on the setting of the area but that decision is being appealed and will now
19:36sit in front of an inspector at a public hearing this week. They will obviously give their last
19:42chance to try but i'm confident that we have strong grounds for refusal for the aspects of
19:49greenbelt and area of outstanding natural beauty next door to this site. So i would say that those
19:54those two areas would be really really strong refusal grounds for this development.
20:01If approved it'll see an amenity building, a fueling station and a new roundabout just off
20:08junction 2A of DM26. But locals say this area is heavily congested already and an accident black
20:16spot. And take a look at this. Just last week a lorry crashed into the verge of the motorway
20:22next to where the service station is proposed. There are fatalities on quite regular occasions
20:28on a Friday afternoon where the lorries are joining and any traffic is joining the motorway
20:32just on that junction. It can take us sometimes five to ten minutes to even exit our driveway
20:36because the traffic is coming down here at speed and then comes off that roundabout at speed. So
20:41again adding more to that will just add more congestion, more trouble to us. In a statement
20:45Moto Hospitality says their proposals are aimed at helping to alleviate the national shortage
20:50of HGV spaces nationwide and within the county on a nightly basis. Kent County Council Highways
20:58originally objected to the plans but have recently changed their mind. The local KCC member disagrees.
21:05He says a lorry park is needed but Rutan is the wrong location. The likely coming and it will be
21:11decided next May by the minister of the third Thames crossing means that the traffic from that
21:17is likely to join the M20 at junction 6 and a services, a moto type or an HGV facility,
21:26an enlarged facility at junction 8 specifically for HGVs is the obvious way to go. The plan
21:32inspector will decide whether or not to give planning permission to this location. If not it'll
21:38be back to the drawing board but there are currently known proposals from Moto for a location
21:44further down the M20. Gabriel Morris in Rutan. Now for a quick look at the weather.
21:51Tonight's looking relatively tame an average temperature of five degrees four in Margate and
21:57Ashford then into tomorrow morning cloudy weather all around highs of five in Dover four elsewhere
22:03across the county wind speeds relatively low there at four miles per hour same into the afternoon
22:07it will warm up slightly though reaching seven in Dover some sun peeking through the clouds in parts
22:13and for your outlook the weekend is looking a little bit dull as well.
22:17And finally this evening it might be a little early to celebrate Easter but if you've been to
22:23the supermarket you wouldn't know it with walls of Easter eggs chocolate bunnies and confectionery
22:27there's a question on everyone's lips apparently how do you eat Easter eggs? Well the answer is
22:33you eat them with your fingers. You can't eat them with your hands. You can't eat them with your
22:38hands. You can't eat them with your fingers. You can't eat them with your hands. You can't eat them
22:43There's a question on everyone's lips apparently how do you eat your cream egg? Well that's
22:49according to a new survey by Cadbury's who say there are some pretty cracking methods from
22:54devouring it in one go to using a straw though not everyone we spoke to in Rochester is a fan
22:59as our egg loving expert Oliver Leder de Sacks has been finding out. The humble cream egg love it or
23:06hate it you'll be seeing it a lot more often over the next few months as all the supermarkets and
23:13shops gear up for Easter. What do people here on the streets of Rochester think about the
23:21confectionery and how do they eat it given all the weird and wacky ways Cadbury's says
23:26people are enjoying their cream eggs? Take the wrapper off when I put it in my mouth probably
23:32two bites and it's gone. It's a love hate relationship I'm not too sure if I like them or not
23:39but I just sort of half at a time. I don't like the centre I don't like the centre of them
23:48the actual chocolate's fine but not that yellowy yolky centre. They are yummy I probably could eat
23:56six in a in a go but they're so sickly I don't think I can eat them. In fact I've ignored them
24:01recently because they're ATP but generally I'll just bite it eat it in two two bites. Well I just
24:09sort of like how you would do a boiled egg I sort of take the top off and I'll sort of spoon out the
24:14middle yeah that's how I like them. In one go really just pop them don't you because I've got
24:18trouble with my feet you see can't keep them out of chip shop have a good day. Well you know what
24:24they say if you can't beat them join them. That's good. Well it's safe to say people in Rochester
24:36know their stuff they love a cream egg. Oh they're obsessed Abby I had no trouble speaking to people
24:40today everyone has an opinion obviously other eggs are available poached scrambled omelettes but you
24:46know cream eggs talk to town. Right and my question today the one that's gripped the newsroom as well
24:51is how are we meant to be eating them what's the most popular way I want to know if I've been doing
24:55it right. I think you have Abby I think one in four people have bitten the top off and they will
25:00use like their tongue to scoop out all the filling it's quite like a it's not the method I would
25:06normally go for but there are some really quite out there ones breadsticks for example straws even
25:13a spoon I'm not sure about that it feels a bit off to me there are some weird ways as you can see.
25:18Yeah definitely but it's not actually the only way people are even using cream eggs.
25:23Abby have you thought cream eggs for breakfast like I've seen them on like
25:27croissants here like that looks good it looks good I mean it'd be weird on toast but I think
25:32on a croissant makes sense right also in baking also makes sense look at those brownies. Looks
25:38good. I'm not happy with the next one it's quite upsetting it hurts my soul slightly. Okay let's
25:43oh no I agree I'm well upset. On pizza it's like pineapple but somehow even worse. No that should
25:49be illegal that should be a fineable offence that can't be nice surely. I don't know why
25:54they'd ruin a perfect it looks like a good pizza it's like a good like cheese pull there. I'm not
25:59I'm not sure if that's going to convince you of it Ollie because you started the day not a fan
26:03of cream eggs where are you at now? Abby I was an egg skeptic I've eaten enough of them for this
26:07piece to kind of be one round but obviously our viewers they quite like them about 76% 74% in a
26:14poll we did like the cream eggs 26 not a big fan and more than half agree with your method Abby so
26:21that that'll make you happy at least. The people of Kent have spoken our viewers are doing it right
26:26as they should the exact same as me well I mean I won't be having that for dinner tonight but if any
26:31of our audience do send us a picture if there's any weird way that you do eat a cream egg let us
26:36know join in on our poll on Instagram but for now we'll finish off there maybe share them around
26:40with the news team as well that's all we've got time for this evening on Kent tonight have an
26:44excellent evening.
27:06you