Catch up with all the latest news from across the county with Oliver Leader de Saxe.
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00:00Good evening and welcome to Kentonite, live here on KMTV.
00:28I'm Oliver, leader of the Saks, and here are your top stories on Tuesday the 18th of February.
00:34Reunited, Chatham man meets the paramedics that saved his life.
00:39So we're just walking to the shops from our house and then with Brenda and then I just suddenly collapsed.
00:47Ending abuse, charity calls for more regulation amidst record Kent child image offences.
00:53Even when they become aware of illegal content such as child sexual abuse material,
00:58there might be instances where they won't have to remove it.
01:01And get your groove on as we catch up with Kent's 40-something dance troupe.
01:05They got that the older generation have gone out there and they've done something.
01:10First this evening, a 78-year-old man from Chatham has been reunited with the ambulance team
01:25who saved his life near the end of last year after he had a cardiac arrest in public.
01:31The South East Coast Ambulance Service, based in Medway, are urging people to learn how to give CPR
01:37as part of their Heart Month campaign as they celebrate a record high number of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients saved.
01:45Our reporter Finn McDermott has more.
01:48As part of their national Heart Month scheme, South East Coast Ambulance Service reunited Chris Mills,
01:53who suffered a cardiac arrest at the end of last year, with the team who saved his life.
01:58So we're just walking to the shops from our house and then with Brenda and then I just suddenly collapsed.
02:06And the next thing I knew, I was waking up in hospital.
02:09So Brenda knew what was going on.
02:11He just went down like a ton of bricks and trying to get him round, feel for pulse.
02:18And luckily for us, there was an off-duty nurse coming back from Starbucks with her family and she just took over.
02:26Two paramedic crews were on the scene and the response time was particularly quick.
02:30But since Chris was unconscious throughout the process, he wasn't able to meet them until now.
02:34And they say it makes a big difference for the entire team.
02:37It's amazing every time. Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest I think is around about 9% survival rate.
02:47And for us, you can go months, even years, that you don't get anyone back.
02:54It's just a wonderful thing for everyone because it's effectively what we do our job for.
03:01The meet-up event comes after a report revealed that CCAM had their highest ever and national leading survival rate for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.
03:09The service are urging people to sign up to a local life-saving course near them,
03:13as well as an app called GoodSAM that alerts trained users to nearby heart attacks.
03:18The rate is 11.5% between 2023 and 2024 and represents 307 lives saved.
03:24But some say there's still more work to be done.
03:27We've found for years that survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is lower than it should be.
03:32And in many cases, that's because those early interventions, that early CPR, early defibrillation, isn't happening as quickly as it needs to.
03:41So after Sam showed me the basics, I had a go myself.
03:45So you found someone who may be going under a cardiac arrest. You've tried to wake them.
03:48You've now called 999 and you've got your operator there telling you what to do and walking you through the process.
03:54The next step is to actually administer CPR. You want to do it about to the tune of Staying Alive or Baby Shark.
04:00Locking your hands like this and placing them just in the centre and then just keeping that same beat.
04:08The ambulance team say that learning the skills to keep someone's heart pumping long enough for them to arrive
04:12and the early response to cardiac arrest can be the difference between a life saved and a life lost.
04:17And for them, this means they can have the chance to meet someone who they saved with their own hands.
04:22Finwick Dermott for KMTV in Gillingham.
04:25Now an update to a story we've been following quite closely.
04:28In a phone call just before a shooting outside a pub in Sevenoaks, the suspect said,
04:34she's dead, I love you, I'll see you on the other side, to a friend.
04:38That's what's been reported by the BBC.
04:41In the BBC report, the suspect phoned Leslie Thompson after Lisa Smith was killed
04:48outside the Three Horseshoes pub in Knockholt on Friday.
04:52Kent police believe the man, named as Edvard Stockings or Smith,
04:56fell from the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge that crosses the Thames at Dartford
05:01and is searching the water to try to recover him.
05:04Mr Thompson told the BBC he believes his friend had suffered a breakdown
05:08and had been greatly affected by the death of his father two years ago.
05:12Meanwhile, outside the spot where Lisa Smith was killed,
05:15tributes have been paid by family and friends.
05:20Now a house fire in Canterbury has tragically taken the lives of a man
05:23and his two beloved dogs.
05:26Ian Jameson, who was previously hospitalised for a Covid-induced coma back in 2020,
05:31passed away after his home in Hurston caught on fire,
05:36which firefighters determined was caused by a stove turned on by mistake.
05:41Benson and Luna, his two dogs, also sadly died in the fire.
05:46A fundraiser has been set up to support the family
05:49and has already raised £4,000, with tributes being left at their door as well.
05:56Now, Kent County Council is having to make huge cuts,
05:59Kent Council in fact, to its budget to pay for a controversial planning inquiry
06:03starting next month.
06:05Last year, the government stepped in in the last minute,
06:08stopping Swell Borough Council from deciding where more than 8,000 homes
06:12can be built on farmland.
06:14That's now triggered an inquiry at the cost of the district council.
06:19Local Democracy reporter Gabriel Morris joined me on the sofa earlier
06:22to give me all the details.
06:24Well, Gabriel, what more can you tell us about this quite controversial development?
06:298,000 homes proposed for fields all around Sittingbourne,
06:34joining up many different villages.
06:36We'll get a graphic onto the screen now just to show the scale of this.
06:41Now, to remind viewers, this development was originally going to be decided
06:45by Swell Borough Council last year.
06:48But at the last minute, just three hours before the planning committee
06:51were going to come to a decision, they were set to refuse it.
06:54Government stepped in and said, nope, we're going to make the decision.
06:58So that now means a planning inquiry is going to have to happen
07:01at the local council's expense.
07:04Now, they're going through their budget proposals at the moment.
07:06And because of this, they are saying that they're going to have to make
07:09a few cuts to be able to pay for this because they're saying it could cost
07:12upwards of £700,000.
07:15It's going to take 12 weeks, so it's a long process.
07:18So we could see funding to playgrounds being cut, staffing changes,
07:22cuts on their loneliness projects and community grants.
07:24That's funding that councillors get to give to different projects
07:28in their wards. That will be cut back down too as well.
07:32They might also have to take some £400,000 from reserves.
07:35That's part of their total budget.
07:37And they're saying that the Heisted Park development isn't helping them one bit.
07:40So what are local councillors saying about this?
07:43Because I'm assuming they must be quite up in arms given the cost here.
07:47Well, Swell Independents are blaming the local MP, Kevin McKenna.
07:51It was the MP, the Labour MP, recently elected,
07:55who actually asked Angela Rayner, call this in,
07:58because this is going to be a game changer for the local area.
08:01We want this to go through.
08:02Currently, the councillors are saying, no, we don't want to approve it.
08:05Now, there are people who do want this. Kevin McKenna is one of them.
08:08Some pressure groups say, actually, this is going to bring a lot of investment
08:12into Sittingbourne, which they say is needed,
08:14particularly in the north of the county.
08:16The local football club in Sittingbourne, they're set to benefit from this too,
08:20getting a brand new state-of-the-art grounds,
08:22plus facilities for themselves too.
08:24But villagers vary up in arms about this.
08:27They say, actually, no, it's not needed.
08:30It's going to change the way of life, and we won't be able to support it.
08:33Just to bring in what Kevin McKenna is arguing for why he called it in,
08:37he says the council made bad financial decisions,
08:40stating calling in the application was backed by residents,
08:44businesses and community groups.
08:45And he said even without government intervention,
08:48the council would still face costs down the road,
08:50what he said would be inevitable developer appeals.
08:54And what is next for the situation in the future?
08:57Well, it's going to go to the planning inquiry, as I was saying.
09:00That's set to start on the 11th of March, Tuesday the 11th of March,
09:05lasting around about 12 weeks.
09:08The council remains tight-lipped on the exact costs,
09:11but insists it will be fighting the plans to get this refused.
09:17On the budget side of things, that's tomorrow evening.
09:20Well, Gabriel, thanks for joining us in the studio.
09:24We'll be following that story closely in the coming weeks and months.
09:28But now a hostel in Gillingham celebrates the one-year anniversary
09:31of its new surgical robot with local legend Jules Holland.
09:35The event at Medway Maritime Hospital saw the musician and presenter
09:39give a speech on the life-saving robot dubbed Hugo,
09:43in which Jules stated the future is looking great.
09:46The robot itself specialises in minimally invasive surgery,
09:50performing hysterectomies or even carrying out surgeries
09:53for those with kidney and prostate cancer.
09:55Hugo has performed surgery on more than 140 patients,
09:59many of whom were at the event,
10:01and shared stories of how the robot sped up their recovery.
10:05And now, just before the break,
10:07it's time for a little bit of Kent history trivia
10:09about one of Canterbury's most well-known buildings, the Crooked House.
10:13The house was built in 1617,
10:16but apparently didn't become quite so crooked until around 1850,
10:20when the chimney wasn't properly aligned,
10:22forcing them to remove it and causing the house to lean,
10:25as you can see on the screen.
10:27There's even been some historical figures linked to the famous building,
10:30like Charles Dickens, Pocahontas,
10:32some even believe it's referenced in David Copperfield.
10:35Now it's a second-hand bookshop for the homeless charity Catching Lives.
10:39It's the second most pictured structure in the city,
10:42beaten only by Canterbury Cathedral.
10:44But why has it captured the public's imagination?
10:47Well, we spoke to one Canterbury historian all about it.
10:51Well, it's a very good story.
10:53The central chimney breast was demolished for whatever reason.
11:00There was some structural damage to it,
11:02and unfortunately, in 1850, it started to fall down.
11:06The building itself started to lean,
11:08and they removed the chimney breast,
11:10and they built a steel collar around that,
11:13and there's a steel collar around the house itself as well.
11:16So it's a very stable house now,
11:18but it was a structural problem, and it's been rectified.
11:22But that was about 1850, this took place,
11:25and ever since, it's sort of kind of held its shape,
11:29despite the fact that the door looks wonky,
11:31but that's just been made to look that way.
11:34Now it's time for a very quick break,
11:36but coming up, the NSPCC are urging the government
11:39to protect more children after a record offence
11:42has raised child sexual abuse images,
11:45and campaigners are urging King County Council
11:47to install more speed cameras.
11:49We'll see you in a few minutes' time.
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15:12Welcome back to Kentonite, live here on KMTV.
15:15But now, in the south, these police forces
15:17have recorded more than 6,000 offences
15:20related to child sexual abuse images.
15:22That's an average of more than 16 every day.
15:25Out of the five police forces in this part of the UK,
15:28Kent recorded the highest number of offences.
15:31The NSPCC is now urging the government
15:34to make sure children are better protected,
15:36sending a joint letter to the Home Secretary
15:38calling for stronger regulation.
15:42The regulator Ofcom, who are regulating the online world,
15:48have recently published their final codes of practice,
15:51and in that there is a carve-out for private messaging services,
15:54which means that even when they become aware of illegal content
15:58such as child sexual abuse material,
16:00there might be instances where they won't have to remove it at all
16:03because they'll say it's technically infeasible.
16:06So we're calling on the government to take steps
16:09to make sure this doesn't happen,
16:11and as part of that, that means identifying troubling behaviour,
16:19suspicions, patterns of behaviour,
16:22making sure that it's a lot harder for adults
16:25to connect with children in the first place.
16:29While an Ofcom spokesperson says their codes of practice
16:32must be technically feasible,
16:34however, they expect the vast majority of platforms
16:36will take content down and they will hold them to account
16:39if they don't.
16:40But now, a road in Westgate-on-Seas
16:42has been labelled one of Kent's most dangerous,
16:44as campaigners are asking Kent County Council
16:47to implement more cameras where a woman was killed
16:49at a pedestrian crossing.
16:5171-year-old Julia Thomas died earlier this year
16:54when a Ford Fiesta hit two adults on the A28 Canterbury Road.
16:58A second woman was seriously injured.
17:01With all the details, Kristen Hawthorne joins me in the studio now.
17:04Kristen, what can you tell me about this petition?
17:07So, Mike Grantham, who is a resident on Westgate-on-Sea,
17:11he started a petition to bring about better safety measures
17:16on the A28 where it meets Minster Road
17:19and St Mildred's Road in the town.
17:21This does follow on, as you mentioned,
17:24following on after the death of 71-year-old Julia Thomas,
17:28who died on the crossing,
17:30died on the light-controlled crossing last month.
17:35Mr Grantham said this is focused his attention on the junction
17:38and he hopes that through the petition and through the signatures
17:41that the council are going to make better improvements
17:44to slow down vehicles on the approach to the junction.
17:47While there is a speed camera already there in place,
17:49he says that this clearly is not enough.
17:52We can't hear from him now.
17:55So, we're talking 70 miles an hour, certainly,
17:59probably even faster for the bikes.
18:03The issue there is we have a number of turns onto the main road,
18:07so people turning right onto the main road from side roads,
18:11and if one of those is heading for them
18:15and they don't register how fast they're going,
18:18one day there will be a serious accident.
18:23Kristen, it's a very tragic situation.
18:25What more can you tell us about the woman who died last month?
18:29So, when she crossed the junction,
18:31as we can see in this picture here,
18:33she was crossed with five people.
18:35Amongst these people was two children.
18:37The light was green when they crossed.
18:39However, due to the speed that people are going on the road,
18:43Julia did die on the scene,
18:45and as you mentioned, another one was seriously injured.
18:49That was the initial inquest.
18:51This has all been found out.
18:52The full details have not yet been released
18:57until the initial final inquest has been made.
19:00There's no set date for that final inquest,
19:03and police are still investigating what's happened at the moment.
19:07No arrests as of yet.
19:09What have Kent Council said about all of this?
19:12They say they are reviewing the detailed report from Kent Police
19:15following the crash, and once the petition is submitted,
19:19they will undertake a review of what's being requested
19:22and process it in accordance with their petition scheme.
19:25Obviously, more on this story on Kent Online.
19:27Thanks so much, Kristen, for all of those details.
19:30Now, in slightly more positive news,
19:33we do love our climate stories here on KMTV.
19:36With a brand-new episode of Kent on climate airing earlier today,
19:40you head over to the KMTV.co.uk website
19:43to keep up to date with all things nature here in the county.
19:46It's our series where you'll find fantastic reports like this one
19:50about a golf course in Hithe helping the planet.
19:58Golf courses are more than just fairways and greens.
20:01They're a haven for wildlife.
20:03However, maintaining them with outdated methods
20:06can harm the environment and put local species at risk.
20:10Here at Hithe Golf Course, the management accepts the problem
20:14but is on a mission to make changes.
20:20Grass-cutting equipment is just one of the changes being made by the club.
20:25One of our ideals would be to use robotic electric mowers
20:29to cut all of our fairways and, in time, the rough as well.
20:33So how will a small members club fund such an ambitious project?
20:38We've been working on a crowdfunding bid.
20:42That bid will fund, we hope, the mowers.
20:48It will fund other green initiatives that we're putting together.
20:51Led by one of the youngest head greenkeepers in the UK,
20:55the team prepares to place the newly built hotels on the course.
20:59So what we're doing is we're placing bird boxes by our bug hotels
21:03in an effort to encourage and develop wildlife here on the course.
21:07Do golf courses truly benefit local wildlife?
21:11I spoke to a leading bug expert.
21:13But yes, we can all make a difference in the same way that
21:16by doing it in your garden you can make a difference,
21:18particularly if your neighbours do it as well.
21:20If we added all the gardens in the UK together,
21:22you've got half a Serengeti nature reserve.
21:25So these areas added up can make a huge difference.
21:29Records show that fewer than 1% of greenkeepers in the UK are female.
21:34What was it that attracted Holly Hurst to the profession?
21:38It's definitely not as hard as you would think it is physically.
21:42You do build up your strength.
21:44But I think there's an idea that it is a man's job
21:48and only men can do it.
21:50But I've definitely proved that I can do it
21:52and females can definitely do it.
21:54It's really good fun.
21:55Green by name, green by nature.
21:57I'm assuming you welcome this type of project.
22:00Yes, absolutely.
22:02It's a terrific initiative that the golf course has kicked off.
22:06Golf courses take up a lot of land in this country
22:10and anything that they can do to make themselves more biodiverse
22:14and to welcome wildlife has got to be welcomed by everybody, I'm sure.
22:20The club's CEO is fully aware of the challenges that lie ahead.
22:25Yes, it's a bit of a leap in the dark because we're a small club.
22:29250 members, just under.
22:32It is a big project with a challenging path ahead.
22:36But if successful, it will enable nature and sports to live side by side.
22:42Kerry King, KMTV, Hithe.
22:47And while we're discussing all things climate,
22:49what's the weather looking like here in Kent for the rest of the week?
22:57Well, tonight is going to be a slightly chilly one.
23:00Some clouds scattered across the sky.
23:03Temperatures between 2 and 3 degrees.
23:05Tomorrow morning, slightly rising at 4 degrees in the south of the county
23:09near Dover and Ashford.
23:11Cloudy and sunny.
23:12Those clouds still persisting into the afternoon.
23:15Slightly warmer, though, 8 to 7 degrees across Kent
23:18and for the rest of the week.
23:20Cloudy on Thursday and Friday.
23:22A bit more sunshine on Saturday.
23:24Temperatures between 12 and 14 degrees.
23:35And finally this evening, do you fancy a boogie?
23:38Well, I know one unusual dance group that's always down to disco.
23:42The Midlife Move was originally started as a way to bring women over 40 together
23:46to tackle loneliness later in life.
23:49You might recognise them from their viral appearance on ITV last year.
23:53Perhaps dancing on your local high street,
23:55one of their many flash mob performances.
23:58What does the group mean to those cutting shapes here in the county?
24:02That's something I've been finding out.
24:09When you think of a Kent-based dance group, you probably don't think of this.
24:15The Midlife Movers may have shot to fame on Britain's Got Talent,
24:20but they originally started getting their groove on
24:23to help people over 40 get in touch with their more youthful side.
24:39We have a fair day at the office.
24:41You just come to work, come to Midlife Movers
24:44and you just feel part of the community.
24:47And I've made some good friends.
24:49Midlife Movers is just so much fun.
24:52It gets you out of the house, gets you to meet different people,
24:55make new friends and just proves that older people can still have fun.
25:02Now ahead of the new season,
25:04Now ahead of the new season,
25:06the grooving grandma founder of the troupe
25:09explained what bringing their dance class to national TV meant for them.
25:14What they do, they pull it off and they work hard.
25:18And what Simon and the other judges did was they got it.
25:24They got that the older generation have gone out there and they've done something.
25:29And to get four yeses, we walked away from that on cloud 100
25:38with our pride intact and people's families have made memory books for them.
25:45You know, the pride from not only the people that took part,
25:50and for me with looking at them, like, look what you've just done.
25:55It is extremely emotional.
25:58The group have since expanded their disco and dance classes across the entire county
26:04and even a year on from storming the stage.
26:07They still have a spring in their step.
26:10Oliver Lee to the sacks for KMTV.
26:21Fantastic moves there by the Midlife Movers.
26:24What an amazing story for them.
26:27That's everything tonight on Kent Tonight.
26:30There's more news made just for the county throughout the evening.
26:33Don't forget, you can always keep up to date with the latest news across the county
26:37by logging on to our website, KMTV.co.uk.
26:40We'll be back tomorrow with all the news at 7am on our morning show.
26:44I'll see you very soon.
26:57KMTV.com