KentOnline
The top stories from the KentOnline news team
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Episodes
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Podcast: Villagers in Benenden spells out HELP US with plastic bottles as water supply issues continue
Wednesday, 19 August 2026
Villagers impacted by water outages in part of Kent have gathered thousands of plastic bottles to show the environmental impact it's having. Homes in and around Benenden have had low pressure or not water at all since last Thursday. Residents have spelt out HELP US on the local cricket ground. Hear from the landlady of the village pub who came up with the idea. Also in today's podcast, a businessman says he's been left 'on edge' after masked intruders stole expensive sculptures from the garden of his home in Kent. The bronze deer statues were taken from the property in Horton Kirby near Dar...
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Podcast: South East Water staff face verbal and physical abuse as supply issues continue in Kent
Tuesday, 18 August 2026
South East Water have apologised to thousands of Kent customers who've been experiencing problems with their water supply. Bosses say they've managed to get taps running again in more than 7,000 properties after issues started on Saturday, but hundreds of homes in Benenden are still experiencing disruption. The company have also revealed some water staff are experiencing abuse as they try to fix problems. Also in today's podcast, a campaign group has welcomed news Virgin Trains are a step closer to running services from London to mainland Europe. The operator's been given permission to use ...
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Podcast: Blake's Pink Promise charity set up by mum and sister of Northfleet teenager who took her own life after viewing 'disturbing' content online
Monday, 17 August 2026
The family of a Kent teenager have told KentOnline it wasn't until after her death they realised how much disturbing content she was viewing online. Blake Gallier took her own life in October last year and the 13 year-old's mum and sister have now set up a charity called Blake's Pink Promise. Also in today's episode, a former primary school teacher from Canterbury who was stalked online by a colleague is concerned he could be eligible for the government's early release scheme. Jonathan Bates was given a five-year sentence last January after making deepfake images of four people and posting ...
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Podcast: People left out of pocket after sudden closure of swim school run by international athlete
Friday, 14 August 2026
Dozens of people have been left out of pocket after a swim school run by a former international athlete closed suddenly. All About Swimming Ltd, which operated at pools in Wilmington and Cobham, was run by former Commonwealth Games swimmer Angela Wilson. Also in today's episode, hear from residents who say dust from work on a new development has left them fearing for their health. 300 homes are being built at Ufton Court Farm outside Tunstall, and the people behind the project insist appropriate measures are being taken to minimise disruption. People in Chatham have been responding to gover...
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Podcast: Families fear there will be ‘many more deaths’ as synthetic opioid goes ‘undetected’ in Kent
Thursday, 13 August 2026
Grieving Kent families fear super-strength synthetic opioids could be responsible for far more deaths than are officially recorded. Some of the drugs, known as nitazenes, are hundreds of times stronger than heroin – you can hear from the partner of one woman who died from substance abuse in Ashford. Also in today’s podcast, thousands of Kent pupils are discovering their A-level results today - with teenagers at schools and sixth form colleges across the county picking up their all-important grades since 8am. We’ve spoken to bosses at the University of Kent about what they’ve got on offer a...
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Podcast: Drink driver sentenced after crashing into Strood grandmother’s bungalow while twice the legal limit
Wednesday, 12 August 2026
A Strood woman who was twice the drink-drive limit when she ploughed into a grandmother’s bungalow has been sentenced. The crash left 84-year-old Jill Robson, who has terminal leukaemia, living in a hotel for six months – you can hear from her about how she felt in court. Also in today’s podcast, we hear from the experts ahead of tonight’s solar eclipse which will be visible in Kent today. It’s a rare event that hasn’t been seen for nearly 25-years but there is a warning about safe ways to watch as the moon moves across the sun. A Kent veteran of the UK’s nuclear bomb testing programme ...
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Podcast: Plans to "significantly reduce" the need for Operation Brock on the M20 with new holding area at the Port of Dover
Tuesday, 11 August 2026
There are plans to reduce the need for Operation Brock on the M20 by turning a long-disused cargo terminal at the Port of Dover into a holding area. In what could be good news for drivers, Kent County Council says reconfiguring the Eastern Docks will create increased queuing capacity for the equivalent of more than 500 lorries. Also in today’s podcast, drought has been declared across all of Kent as another heat health alert comes into force. You can hear from one local leader on what this means for the county and how they’re dealing with the challenges. Plans to bring a dozen “pods” for...
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Podcast: Wildfires and water disruption as Kent braces for fifth heatwave of the summer
Monday, 10 August 2026
Wildfires have broken out in Kent and residents have been experiencing more disruption to their water supply, as we get ready for the fifth heatwave of the summer. A yellow heat health alert is in force across the county, which will be upgraded to amber from 9am Tuesday. In today's episode, hear from a man who witnessed flames spreading towards a farmer's fields on the Isle of Grain and reports of bottled water being stolen from people's doorsteps during an outage. The boss of South East Water has also issued an apology to customers following a weekend of supply issues. It comes amid growin...
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Podcast: Medway boss rejects claims of "secret deal" to use redevelopment for asylum seekers and London boroughs
Friday, 7 August 2026
Local bosses in Medway have hit back at claims that new town centre flats will be homes for asylum seekers or bought by London councils. Rumours have been circulating around the refurbished Mountbatten House in Chatham which is due for completion later this summer. Also in today’s podcast, plans to shut fire stations and cut jobs across Kent have been overwhelmingly rejected by councillors. Members of the governing body threw out proposals to radically shake up the way the service is run – you can hear from the Fire Brigades Union who have called it a win for the community. A mum who beca...
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Podcast: Medway Maritime Hospital staff "pulling pints" to cover costs as bosses hike parking charges
Thursday, 6 August 2026
Staff at Kent's biggest hospital say they’re having to pick up shifts in pubs following a decision by bosses to raise parking fees by 60 percent. Changes came into force at Medway Maritime at the start of the month – you can hear from a 19-year-old student midwife on how it’s impacted her. Also in today’s podcast, fire bosses from Kent and Medway are meeting today to discuss plans to make cuts to services, just days after a noisy protest outside County Hall drew hundreds of supporters. It comes as fire crews have dealt with a number of blazes as the hot and dry weather continues. A viole...
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Podcast: Kent family's plea for "the truth" after son dies following 12-year coma
Wednesday, 5 August 2026
The family of a man left in a coma for more than a decade after being restrained at a party are pleading for answers following his death. Denby Collins was left critically ill after five people held him down after he entered a home in Gillingham 12 years ago – you can hear from his father. Also in today’s podcast, firefighters from across Kent have staged a noisy protest against proposed cuts to services. Around 300 people blew horns and waved flags during the mass show of strength, over plans to slash part-time “on-call” crew members and shut stations to divert resources to daytime cover....
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Podcast: Judge "ruins summer" of men involved in shocking brawl outside flats near Aldi in Cliftonville in Margate
Tuesday, 4 August 2026
Two men embroiled in a street fight involving a woman being knocked unconscious and the brandishing of a golf club have had their summer "ruined" by a six-week tagged curfew. A judge told pair, who were on opposing sides of a brawl, that while their friends enjoyed their evenings over the coming days, they would have to stay indoors reflecting on their shameful behaviour. Also in today’s podcast, one of the worst cases of fly-tipping a council says it’s ever seen has resulted in the culprit walking away from court with a suspended sentence — leaving the authorities to foot the whopping £15...
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Podcast: Walderslade teenager fell onto live track at Strood Railway Station in tragic accident
Monday, 3 August 2026
An inquest has heard a “charming and determined” teenager tragically fell onto a live railway line and died after a weekend of partying with his friends. The 18-year-old was intoxicated when he got off the train at Strood before stumbling to the exit and falling onto the tracks in March. Also in today’s podcast, water is being restored to thousands of homes after a burst pipe damaged a large water main over the weekend. More than 2,000 households in Tonbridge have been without supplies since Saturday – you can hear from the local MP. People forced out of a tower block after fire safety fe...
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Podcast: Flats without parking planned for Sittingbourne, Ebbsfleet stadium project rejected and plans to close planning loophole in Maidstone
Friday, 31 July 2026
We're starting today's episode with development news as there are plans to build 115 flats in Sittingbourne - without a single car parking space. An application's been submitted for land off Fountain Street, near the town's railway station. Elsewhere, plans to build a new football stadium and 3,500 homes in north Kent have been rejected. The £40 million development was put forward by Ebbsfleet United. And, bosses in Maidstone are going to try and stop developers from being able to convert office blocks into flats. It's after a prohibition notice was issued and residents forced to move out o...
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Podcast: Anger at plans to close Tuesday and Saturday markets at Lockmeadow in Maidstone
Thursday, 30 July 2026
There's been an angry reaction to plans to close down a market in Maidstone. Stall holders currently set up in the Market Hall at Lockmeadow on Tuesdays and Saturdays - but the council's looking for new uses for the site. A dog handler's told the KentOnline podcast that crime gangs are using 'James Bond style concealments' to try and hide illegal cigarettes in shops... It's after more than 58,000 were discovered in stores in Medway - along with hand rolling tobacco. Trading Standards officers teamed up with police to search sites in Chatham, Strood, Gillingham and Twydall. Government fundin...
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Podcast: Man appears in court after escaped Rottweiler in Canterbury bit passerby and police officer
Wednesday, 29 July 2026
A Canterbury man's been ordered to do unpaid work and make sure his dog wears a muzzle after it attacked two people, including a police officer. Rottweiler Obie escaped after a delivery driver left a gate open in June last year. Also in today's podcast, a rehab charity in Kent says the number of young people seeking help for ketamine addiction has more than doubled in the past year. The drug is thought to be growing in popularity, and can cause serious complications including bladder damage and long-term mental health issues. Hear from Jack who started using it when he was 16 and is now get...
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Podcast: Firefighters issue advice to reduce number of wildfires after being called to more than 300 in Kent since the first heatwave of the year
Tuesday, 28 July 2026
Firefighters have issued advice to try and reduce the number of grass fires in Kent as we're told 300 have broken out since the first heatwave of the year. Stats show 130 of them were in July alone - and 30 were tackled over the past weekend. Smokers are being told not to throw cigarettes out of car windows and there's guidance around disposable barbecues too. It comes as major wildfires continue to burn in parts of Europe. We've been speaking to a travel agent from Tunbridge Wells who's got advice for anyone due to travel to France and Spain this summer. Also in today's podcast, a woman's ...
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Podcast: Baby taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries after falling from flat above Best-One shop on Woodlands Road, Gillingham
Monday, 27 July 2026
A baby's been taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries after falling from the window of a flat above a shop in Gillingham. Emergency crews were called to Woodlands Road after the little boy landed on the pavement outside a Best-One convenience store just after 6 last night. Hear from our reporter Joe Crossley who has been at the scene. Also in today's podcast, the owner of a convenience store in Rochester says he's seen a spike in shoplifting during the hot weather. CCTV footage shows children stealing ice cream and drinks from the Premier store on Delce Road four times in the space...
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Podcast: Calls for EES at Port of Dover and Eurotunnel to be suspended as former Folkestone racecourse on standby to hold holiday traffic
Friday, 24 July 2026
A former Kent racecourse could be used to queue holidaymakers if there are major delays at the port of Dover or Eurotunnel. The site at Westenhanger near Hythe has been earmarked by the government as a holding area for up to a thousand tourist vehicles. It's amid fears new checks brought in as part of the European Union's Entry/Exit System could cause disruption this summer - and this weekend could be the busiest of the summer getaway. Hear from our reporter Alex Keir and the Lib Dems who're calling for EES to be suspended. Also in today's podcast, the family of a man who died following a b...
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Podcast: Man taken to hospital following stabbing at Brenchley Gardens in Maidstone
Thursday, 23 July 2026
A man has been taken to a London hospital with stab wounds following reports of an attack in Maidstone. Police and paramedics were called to Brenchley Gardens in the town centre yesterday evening. Also in today's episode, a Kent man has been telling us how he spent 19 hours in his wheelchair in a hospital reception after his patient transport failed to materialise. Kevin Taylor from Sheppey had an appointment at Medway On Call Care earlier this month, following concerns about sweeling to his left leg. But after he'd been seen by medics, he was left waiting to get home. A Kent pub boss is we...
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Podcast: Off-duty police officer caught on camera 'smiling' while grabbing woman's hair at Cuban nightclub in Canterbury
Wednesday, 22 July 2026
Footage has revealed the moment an off-duty police officer pulled a woman's head towards the ground by her hair at a nightclub in Canterbury. PC Thomas Odell, 30, from Allhallows Road in Lower Stoke, lost his job following the assault outside the Cuban in February. Also in today's episode, the KentOnline Podcast has been told as many as 150 children in Swale could be without a secondary school place by September next year. Kent's assistant director of education has made the admission at a meeting of councillors and residents on Sheppey. It comes after more than 50 families on the Island wer...
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Podcast: Inquest hears from survivor of crash on Old Ferry Road in Iwade near Sittingbourne which killed two teenagers
Tuesday, 21 July 2026
A teenager's told an inquest how she was trapped for three hours after the car she was in flipped into a ditch, killing her two friends near Sittingbourne. 17-year-old Adam Dudzinski was driving the vehicle, and drowned along with his girlfriend 16-year-old Chloe-Ann Naylor when the vehicle landed upside down in a ditch full of water on Old Ferry Road in Iwade on January 3rd. Also in today's podcast, a 28-year-old man's been charged with the murder of former Maidstone MP Ann Widdecombe. She was found at her home in Devon earlier this month after suffering serious injuries. The boss of a Ken...
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Podcast: Andy Burnham takes over from Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister, the UK's seventh in just over a decade
Monday, 20 July 2026
The UK has got a new Prime Minister. Andy Burnham is taking over at Number 10 from Sir Keir Starmer and will be the country's seventh PM in just over a decade. He's promising to offer ‘breathing room’ over the cost-of-living and visited Gravesend just hours after becoming Labour leader on Friday. Hear what he had to say and you can also hear the thoughts of Medway Council leader Vince Maple. Also in today's episode, Year 13 students in Kent and those starting uni for the first time this autumn can now get the first dose of a Meningitis B vaccine. It's being made available following the deat...
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Podcast: Dad, 42, from Newington near Sittingbourne given months to live after skin cancer spreads to brain
Friday, 17 July 2026
A Kent dad who's been told he has months to live after skin cancer spread to his brain is hoping to marry his long-term partner and take his family on one last holiday. Sam Street had been treated for melanoma, but collapsed shortly after moving into a new house in Newington near Sittingbourne earlier this month. A scan revealed the cancer had reached his brain and his case is terminal. Also on today's episode, plans to overhaul how councils are set up and run in Kent have taken a big step forward. It's now been confirmed that when the current 14 local authorities - including KCC and Medway...
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Podcast: Kent parents urged to make sure their children have had both doses of the MMR vaccine following a rise in cases of measles
Thursday, 16 July 2026
Experts are urging parents in Kent to double check their children have had both doses of the MMR jab following a measles outbreak. Nine cases have been reported in the county since the start of the month. Vaccination rates in Kent are currently less than 83% which is much lower than the World Health Organisation recommended level of 95%. Also in today's episode, an Albanian national who's thought to have travelled to the UK each winter to burgle homes has been locked up for crimes committed in Kent. Gledis Uka, 30, was arrested after blood was found at the scene of break ins in Edenbridge a...
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Podcast: Football fever grips Kent ahead of England's World Cup semi-final against Argentina in Atlanta
Wednesday, 15 July 2026
Football fever is gripping Kent ahead of England's World Cup semi final tonight. The Three Lions are taking on Argentina in Atlanta. We've been chatting to Darryl Haden who is the chief exec of the Kent FA. Also in today's podcast, we've got an update on the investigation into the death of former Maidstone MP Ann Widdecombe. In yesterday's episode we told you how anti-terror police are now leading the inquiry. They've now said 78-year-old Miss Widdecombe - who represented part of the county in parliament for 23 years - was killed in a targeted attack. We've also got more on South East Water...
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Podcast: Masts of SS Richard Montgomery bomb ship off Sheppey to be removed in September and preserved at Chatham's Historic Dockyard
Tuesday, 14 July 2026
It's been confirmed today that work to remove the masts of a famous bomb ship that sank off Sheppey will get underway in September. The SS Richard Montgomery ran aground during the second world war and has 1,400 tonnes of explosives on board. The vessels masts can be see protruding from the water and will be taken to Chatham's historic dockyard to be preserved. Also in today's podcast, Andy Burnham says police must be given the 'space they need' to investigate the death of former Maidstone MP Ann Widdecombe. The incoming Prime Minister, who'll be confirmed as Labour leader on Friday, says t...
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Podcast: Man charged with murder after body found in suitcase at Borstal Recreation Ground in Rochester
Monday, 13 July 2026
A man's due in court later charged with murder after a body was found in a suitcase in woodland near Rochester. Police were called to Borstal Recreation Ground on Friday and it's thought the victim was initially attacked in London. Hear from reporter Joe Crossley who has been covering the story. Detectives have been given more time to question a man arrested on suspicion of murdering former Maidstone MP Ann Widdecombe. The 28 year-old was arrested in Rotherham on Saturday night, 200 miles from her home in Dartmoor. A Kent MP has warned British holidaymakers could potentially die in 12-hour ...
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Podcast: Ann Widdecombe who was the MP for Maidstone and Weald for 23 years and famously appeared on Strictly Come Dancing has died aged 78
Friday, 10 July 2026
Former Kent MP Ann Widdecombe has died at the age of 78. She was the Conservative representative for Maidstone for 23 years, and famously appeared on Strictly in 2010. In recent years she became an advisor for Reform UK. Hear the time she appeared on the Kent Politics Podcast. Also on today's podcast, a report out today has raised concerns about 27-hour waiting times for A&E patients at a Kent hospital. Inspectors visited the William Harvey in Ashford in February, and found "unacceptable" overcrowding. Urgent and emergency care has been rated as requires improvement. Hear from the watchdog....
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Podcast: Top lawyer says new evidence will clear Michael Stone of 1996 Chillenden murders
Thursday, 9 July 2026
A top human rights lawyer says she is convinced one of Kent’s most notorious killers is innocent and should have his conviction quashed. Michael Stone was jailed for murdering Lin Russell and her daughter Megan in a brutal attack in Chillenden in 1996, but has always denied being responsible. Also in today's episode, a major route has been partially shut due to a serious collision involving a lorry and a female pedestrian. Police were called to the A20 Snargate Street in Dover in the early hours of this morning. A Rochester man who physically and mentally abused a woman - then hid in a frid...
