Catch up with all the latest news from across the county with Finn Macdiarmid.
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00:00Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight, live here on KMTV.
00:28I'm Finn McDermott and here are your top stories on Tuesday the 8th of April.
00:34Waterside waste. We visit Sheppie's worst spot for fly tipping since the site's closure in 2023.
00:40Just keep them on their lead. Dog owners are being urged to take control of their pets after a goat in a protected nature reserve was injured by a dog's bite.
00:49And the country's biggest ever Easter egg. Weighing in at 300 kilos and standing at 7 foot tall,
00:55Rochester's own chocolate factory have made the monolithic egg for charity and to break a record.
01:01Now, fly tipping is a major issue across Kent, with infamous sites like Hodeswood subject to tons of waste.
01:08Another site has received lengthy closure from the public is the East Church Gap on the Isle of Sheppie.
01:14It was used as an illegal dumping ground with shredded household and builder's waste discarded there, causing it to be closed all the way back in 2023.
01:21Well, Josh McMinn went down to the closed off site to find out more.
01:26We're here at the East Church Gap on the Isle of Sheppie, which became a fly tipping spot in 2020 after a local house fell into the sea.
01:33Shortly afterwards, dozens of lorries a day were seen dumping rubbish onto the wreckage.
01:36You can see here that there's different layers in the pile of rubbish.
01:40That's because when the lorries dumped their trash here, they would dump a layer of earth on top of it to cover up their tracks.
01:46As you look across the beach, you can see different layers of tyres, of plastic and building rubble, depending which lorries dumped what.
01:54Right here, the smell is terrible from all the rubbish that's been dumped.
01:58On my dog walks, I see lots of rubbish and quite regular here, we have regular rubbish cleaning, which is really sad.
02:07It used to be like, when I moved back here when I was like three or four, I used to walk up here with my family and all that.
02:12And it was just, it was so beautiful, but now it's just completely ruined and upsets me a bit.
02:17But what's the driving force behind dumping like this?
02:20Could the problem be the high cost of getting rid of waste legitimately?
02:24Local farmer Paul Vickery told us that most of the waste dumped on his land is tipped by licensed waste companies.
02:30They're generally, yeah, licensed tippers, but it's still cheaper not to go to the tip and just chuck it in a gateway.
02:39To find out about the high cost of getting rid of rubbish legally, we spoke to Perry Kemp, who runs Rubbish Master in Herne Bay.
02:46Perry told us that the things you see fly-tipped most often are the things the council charges most for at the local dumps.
02:52Tyres, fridges, mattresses and sofas. They're the main things.
03:00The licenses Perry needs to do his job cost around £6,000 a year, and yet there are no mandatory checks to make sure companies like his are operating legitimately.
03:10If you as a cab driver, once a year you have to take your cab to the council and get it inspected.
03:18Why can't we do that to people taking rubbish?
03:20How often do they check you at the moment?
03:23I don't.
03:24Whilst greater oversight could help prevent future crimes, it would still be too late for the people of Shappie, who've been waiting nearly two years to see their beach cleaned.
03:31Now, a driver near Maidstone has avoided a serious injury after a ladder fell through his windscreen from a passing vehicle.
03:42Now, George McBride's car swerved following the incident on Yolding Hill.
03:45He says he was left particularly shaken, but was thankful that the steering wheel endured the main force of the impact.
03:52We do, in fact, have dashcam footage of the moment where he had to swerve his car to avoid the ladder.
03:58Now, the driver of a van where the ladder is believed to have fallen off didn't stop, but police are now appealing for anyone with further information to come forward.
04:07Now, lecturers at the University of Kent are calling for stability following a year of job losses and financial uncertainty, with students joining protests during strike action in recent weeks.
04:19It comes as the university looks to save £20 million.
04:22More than 50 members of staff have been issued risk of redundancy notices, and Kent says it's working through its options.
04:29Our reporters have been speaking to union members at a picket line on its Canterbury campus.
04:38There's a festival atmosphere here on the picket line at the University of Kent, but for these lecturers, there's little to celebrate.
04:45We've been in a state of flux at Kent for four or five years. Staff have left in their hundreds, year upon year upon year, and all we're asking for is a bit of stability.
04:56I asked some of those on strike what message they had for the university's senior leadership team.
05:02Stop the cuts, talk to us, and we can come to a solution.
05:07We cannot afford to lose more staff, especially professional services staff.
05:12Do not cut our staff and make sure we can do the work we are here to do.
05:18Many fear these cuts threaten the future of higher education in Kent, a feeling shared by the incoming leader of the local trade union, which has called these strikes.
05:27I think there's a really bright future for the University of Kent if management starts to listen to its staff and to its students.
05:31It's an excellent university. It's a key part of the local economy.
05:35It delivers a huge range of courses. It's got a really rich history.
05:37There's so much more this university can offer, but under the current management, it is being run into the ground.
05:42Last year, the University of Kent announced extensive cuts to its offering for students, with subjects phased out and staff laid off.
05:49A voluntary redundancy scheme was opened earlier this year, while 58 members of staff have been issued with risk of redundancy notices.
05:57According to the UCU, the university has refused to rule out compulsory job cuts beyond December, and that's why they're on strike.
06:03For staff, these cuts are existential. Six courses are being completely phased out, including the Religious Studies course in Canterbury, the home of the Church of England.
06:14Although students already enrolled are being taught through to the end of their course, the impending closure looms large over their educational experience.
06:22Many staff have already left, and those who remain are concerned about the impact on their workload.
06:28Kent Centre for Journalism here at Medway Campus is one of those facing the axe.
06:31I spoke to the head of the centre about the impact this is already having.
06:36There's no sense hiding it, that students are very aware that they're on a course that's dying, they're very aware they're on a campus which has shrunk,
06:43and that makes motivation very difficult, it makes engagement very difficult.
06:48If you're a young person like I was when I grew up in Kent wanting to be a journalist, there is now nowhere in Kent that will train you how to do it.
06:55The sector's in crisis, and at the moment, there doesn't seem to be a compelling answer how to fix it.
07:02With neither side appearing willing to compromise, this dispute is likely to rumble on long after the music has stopped.
07:08Harry Craig, KMTV, Canterbury.
07:11It's now just one month to go until Kent marks 80 years since Victory in Europe Day, and the countdown to celebrations is officially underway.
07:21From World War II storytelling in Rochester to 1940s-style parties at Fort Amherst, in Medway a range of free events are being put on to honour the anniversary.
07:29It's set to be a time for community spirit, with road closure fees waived for those wanting to host their own street parties.
07:35Joining us earlier on the line was Councillor Nina Gurung.
07:38It's very important that here in Medway we celebrate it even further because of our rich naval and military history and our significant contributions during the World Wars.
07:50We have really, really compelling reasons to celebrate VE Day here spectacularly, and it's going to be an uplifting and very joyous sort of range of programs that will be spread throughout Medway, and we are very, very excited about that.
08:07The other thing is, in Medway, we believe in collaborating with one another.
08:12There's no competition.
08:13It's all about one Medway approach, and the council will be collaborating with the key stakeholders, such as the Royal Engineers and the Historic Dockyard, because Medway is home to both.
08:25And also the Royal Engineers and the Royal Engineers and Rochester Cathedral, and three POWRR Regiment, the Royal Naval Association, Fort Amherst, Fort Slough, our cadets, and of course the parish councils as well.
08:45So, yeah, alongside that, we have a range of programs that is going to be fully published next week on our Visit Medway page.
08:53So, I would really encourage everyone in Medway and friends of Medway, outside and beyond, to go to our Visit Medway page and look at all the lists of celebrations you can join in.
09:07Definitely. I mean, it sounds like a lot is happening, and it's a lot to be excited about, to celebrate and sort of commemorate all these things that happened.
09:14And it's not very often that people are allowed to have street parties.
09:17So, how have the residents sort of responded to the council's call for the community involvement and the free road closures and everything?
09:24I mean, that must have been taken quite well.
09:27Yeah, it has been taken up really well, and thanks to our departments as well, the traffic management.
09:35And you are right, we are waiving the fees as well.
09:37And it has been a straightforward process for communities to come together and apply for street parties.
09:44There will be 13 big street parties across Medway, across, like, different parts of Medway.
09:51And also, there will be other little celebrations at the parish councils as well, which the council has funded.
09:57And thanks to the administration as well as the full council approving the special VE 80th anniversary celebrations in February,
10:06we have been able to support community events as well as local organizations that are also putting forth their own, like, VE celebration event.
10:17So, it will be bringing the communities together, and we will be raising the VE day flag at our council headquarters.
10:24There will be a separate flag-raising ceremony at our museum, and our libraries are going to be opening up the peace commemorative poetry sort of invite to everyone here in Medway,
10:38so that all the poems that will be collected from our residents of all ages will be displayed at our local libraries very proudly.
10:49And later on, all of them will be commemoration of Medway's tribute and will be accessioned at our archives.
10:58So, it will be a really, really significant way in which we will be marking this really, really special day for all of us here in Medway.
11:08Now, in Medway, Chatham particularly has a huge naval connection, and 80 years on, unfortunately, lots of the veterans are no longer with us, sadly passed away.
11:22So, how important is it to preserve these stories for future generations, particularly with this 80th anniversary celebrations that will be held in Medway?
11:30Absolutely. I think it is very, very important that we join the nation in marking the commemorating the sacrifices and contributions of our World War II generation.
11:47Now, it's time for a quick break. See you in a few minutes.
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15:54The lights that I've just come, you can see that it is quite badly injured and it's quite stressed.
15:59It's okay with me at this sort of distance.
16:01You can see from here with the sun on it how badly injured this goat is.
16:04The entire ear has been torn off by the dog.
16:08This is one of those instances where it's really sad for us to come here
16:11and see one of the animals that we care for in this state
16:14because of negligence on the part of dog owners.
16:18So Sally, we've just seen the moment Ranger Maddy found the goat.
16:22This isn't the first time one of your animals in your care has been attacked.
16:26It must be quite heartbreaking now.
16:30Yes, well, Kent Wildlife Trust has over 800 grazing animals
16:34and unfortunately as a result of the sheer volume of animals that we have out there
16:38we do quite frequently suffer attacks on our livestock.
16:43Yeah, and as you're saying, this goat is part of your wider grazing programme.
16:48Why are these animals so vital to Kent's nature reserves?
16:51And why do you have these in the first place?
16:56So our livestock is really important to us
16:59and really important to helping us reach our objectives as a charity.
17:03They are a nature-based solution to management of our nature reserves
17:07and we use them to holistically manage our reserves.
17:11Yeah, and picking up on what you're saying about dogs fair,
17:14Maddy mentioned that in that video, pretty raw video to be honest.
17:18And you've got signs all over the place telling people to keep dogs on their leads.
17:23Why are some owners ignoring this then?
17:25What's costing wildlife here in Kent?
17:27I think it's, as a pet owner, it's really easy to assume that your dog wouldn't do that
17:34and they might just be chasing an animal and having a bit of fun and it's all very playful.
17:39But as I've mentioned before, they could actually, even if they don't nip and bite that animal,
17:44they could chase it to exhaustion and result in that animal's death.
17:48So it's really important to us that people take responsibility for their pet,
17:52put their dog on a lead when they're around a livestock, especially this time of year.
17:57We are seeing our sheep lambing now, so they're incredibly vulnerable.
18:03Yeah, no, of course.
18:04And what more are you guys going to need to do?
18:06Because if owners are starting to ignore these signs, as you're saying, trusting in their dogs,
18:14what more can you do as an organisation to try and prevent this?
18:17Well, we work very closely with Kent Police's Rural Task Force
18:22and we do report incidents of livestock worrying to them.
18:25This is a crime. It is an offence.
18:28And the Rural Task Team now actually carry DNA kits where they can swab the injured animal
18:33and match that with the offending dog.
18:37So if someone believes that their dog hasn't attacked the sheep,
18:41there is a very quick, surefire way of proving if it was involved in a bite incident.
18:47No, indeed, as well. I mean, is this becoming a growing problem for the charity?
18:53Are you starting to see more incidents like this?
18:55I certainly see, you know, when the press releases are landing on our desk,
18:58maybe you're sending them more often to us, or is this actually just increasing in numbers
19:01and more and more owners perhaps becoming more irresponsible?
19:04We are seeing more and more incidents on our livestock.
19:09I mean, our livestock has, herds have been growing by number,
19:13but I understand through the stats that are released by the NFU
19:16that livestock worrying incidents are on the rise nationally.
19:20So unfortunately, we're experiencing that trend as well in Kent.
19:24I mean, could it get to the stage where you might actually have to just stop dog owners
19:27walking through some of these areas where there is livestock grazing like this goat?
19:34I mean, should there have even been a dog walker there in the first place?
19:38Many of our sites do have public access and rights of way,
19:42and we would hate to have to reroute those because of a few irresponsible people.
19:46The vast majority of people use our nature reserve with no negative impact whatsoever
19:51and leave nothing but footprints.
19:54But we hope that by putting some publicity around these incidents,
19:58people just take that extra step of putting their dog on a lead
20:01and thinking about the damage that their animal may cause.
20:05Now, don't forget, you can keep up to date with all your latest stories across Kent
20:08by logging on to our website, that's kmtv.co.uk.
20:12There you'll find all our reports, including this one,
20:15about when seven-year-old Rue Jackman, who has autism spectrum disorder and ADHD,
20:19grew out his hair after not visiting the barbers for two years
20:21and decided to donate his hair to the Little Princess Trust.
20:25He went to the Hairy Bear in Maidstone,
20:27who specialise in giving those who are neurodivergent an inclusive space
20:30where they can feel comfortable while they get their hair cut.
20:33Can you tell me the story of why you started to grow your hair out?
20:39Because I want to raise it to charity.
20:43Now, it might be hard to believe, but two years ago, Rueben,
20:45or as he likes to be called, Rue,
20:47became afraid of getting his hair cut.
20:49He has ADHD and autism spectrum disorder,
20:52so the sensory overstimulation of being touched,
20:55hair falling across his face,
20:56and the sounds of scissors in his ears was too much for him.
20:59Since then, he's grown his hair out,
21:01and with the help of his mum, Amy,
21:02decided to fundraise and donate his hair towards the Little Princess Trust.
21:06He became fearful of having his hair cut,
21:09and it started to grow out,
21:10and then it's very long now,
21:13and it makes him hot, and it's tangly,
21:16and we said, you know,
21:17maybe it's time to think about having it cut off.
21:20It's very long.
21:21And in the beginning, he didn't really like the idea,
21:23but, you know, we talked to him more,
21:24and then we showed him suggestions of,
21:28you know, instead of just throwing his beautiful hair away,
21:31actually that it could be donated to somebody
21:34and treasured by somebody.
21:37The fundraised money currently stands at £800
21:39and will go towards the Little Princess Trust as well,
21:42while Rue's hair will be used to make wigs
21:44for those who've lost theirs
21:45due to cancer treatment or other conditions.
21:48But Rue's former dislike of going to the barbers isn't rare,
21:51with many who have additional needs
21:53struggling to get their hair cut.
21:54In fact, it's such a big problem
21:56that families with neurodivergent children
21:58from London, Essex, and all over the country
22:00have come down here to Maidstone
22:02simply because it's that difficult
22:03to find an accommodating barber.
22:06The hairy bear does things slightly differently, though,
22:08whether that's giving a child goggles
22:09so they don't have to feel hair going across their face,
22:12or even giving haircuts at the tops of slides.
22:15I asked Martin, one of the barbers at Hairy Bear,
22:17why they started offering longer slots
22:19to accommodate those with neurodivergencies.
22:22It's things like pictures on the wall they give me
22:24from that young kid who's been with me for a year.
22:28Very awkward to start off with,
22:29but now enjoys, loves to come and get his haircuts,
22:31and on that one year of anniversary,
22:33come to see me, do you mean it or no?
22:35It means immense to them.
22:36They find satisfaction that Charles
22:38actually getting a haircut rather than Skinhead,
22:40to be honest with you,
22:41and the gratitude is seeing the kids come back
22:43not scared anymore and smiling all the time.
22:45Parents have said that haircuts can be especially difficult,
22:48both for their children and for them,
22:50so hopefully Roo will be one of many children
22:53who feel they can get their haircut
22:54and raise money for charity all at the same time.
22:57Finn McDermid for KMTV in Maidstone.
23:01Now it's time to take a look at the weather forecast.
23:03Well, this evening it looks like highs of seven,
23:12so quite a mild one tonight.
23:14Then going into tomorrow morning,
23:16again, some of the same, some clouds,
23:18a little bit of sun, seven, eight and,
23:21yes, seven and eight degrees across the board.
23:22Then into tomorrow evening,
23:24it's heating up just a little bit,
23:25highs of 13 in Dartford,
23:26lows of nine in Margate with some cloud.
23:28And here is the rest of the week.
23:31Thursday, cloudy, 13 degrees.
23:33Then the sun will come out on Friday,
23:35rising to 20 degrees then and Saturday.
23:45Now with Easter just around the corner,
23:47many people will be expecting a visit from the Easter Bunny.
23:50Now with Easter nearly upon us,
23:52most of us are hoping for maybe a modest chocolate treat,
23:55but one factory in Rochester certainly didn't get the memo.
23:58They've gone extremely big,
24:00crafting what could be the country's largest Easter egg,
24:03a seven-foot, 300-kilogram chocolate colossus.
24:07I cracked the case at Medway's answer
24:08to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory earlier.
24:11Come with me and you'll be
24:14in a world of pure imagination.
24:19Take a look and you'll see into your imagination.
24:28Now there's no chocolate river and no Oompa Loompas,
24:35but that doesn't mean this chocolate factory
24:36is any less magical.
24:38I'm standing next to a seven-foot, 300-kilogram egg
24:41that boasts the record of being the biggest chocolate egg
24:44ever in the UK.
24:46Now the Easter Bunny mostly delivers plenty of small eggs,
24:49whether it's dark chocolate, milk chocolate,
24:51white chocolate, Hershey's, Kinder, Cadbury,
24:53or any other type.
24:54But they might struggle to get this one to homes
24:56across the world, seeing as it's seven-foot tall.
25:00It's called the good egg,
25:01and Kakara in Rochester decided to create the enormous egg
25:04after making two and four-kilogram Easter eggs.
25:07But when one review challenged them to go big
25:09or go home this year to around six or seven kilos,
25:12they instead decided to beat that
25:13by nearly 40 times the weight.
25:15It's also in fact the biggest chocolate Easter egg
25:17that's ever been made in the UK.
25:20So we have a mould made for us,
25:22and then we basically, normally with an Easter egg,
25:24you fill the mould with a hollow mould with chocolate,
25:27you put it on a spinning machine,
25:28and it just like rotates around.
25:30Obviously, you can't quite do that with an egg this size.
25:32So we decided to get a mould made for us,
25:35which was basically, almost looks like a bathtub,
25:37is probably the best way to describe it.
25:38And then just like basically filling it by hand
25:40and using tools to just get the thickness of the chocolate
25:43even all the way around.
25:45We made one half, then made the other half,
25:47and then basically glued them together.
25:49After Easter, the company realised
25:51it might be a bit too much chocolate for one family.
25:54So instead, they'll be melting it down
25:55into limited edition chocolate bars,
25:57the proceeds of which will all go to charity.
26:00How are you going to top this next Easter?
26:01Are there any plans in the works?
26:02Well, we need to look at it.
26:03We might need a slightly bigger factory,
26:05slightly taller factory to go bigger.
26:06I think this is about as large as we can go in here.
26:08So yeah, we'll have to spend the next year
26:11planning what we'll do next year.
26:13Well, for anyone looking for eggs
26:14for a particularly easy Easter egg hunt,
26:16you've found the best one.
26:18And it's up to Kokobo's chocolate engineers
26:20to try and beat their own record
26:21without breaking any more eggs.
26:24Finn McDermid for KMTV in Rochester.
26:26You've been watching Kent Tonight live here on KMTV,
26:36but don't forget there's more news made
26:38just for Kent throughout the evening.
26:40Thank you so much for watching
26:41and I'll see you very soon.
26:43Good night.
26:43I'll see you next time.
26:51KMTV
27:05KMTV