Episodes
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...
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...
Podcast: Man appears in court after escaped Rottweiler in Canterbury bit passerby and police officer
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
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....
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...
With an amber heat health alter coming into force for Kent today, a farmer says the warm weather could be disastrous for this year's harvest.
We're into our third heatwave of the summer with temperatures again in the 30s. There's hardly been any rain either.
Hear from Jos Jones who runs a farm near Meopham and has been speaking to Lucy.
Also in today's podcast, the Reform UK leader of Kent County Council says she supports Nigel Farage's decision to trigger a by-election in Clacton.
He's standing down and will run to re-gain his seat following scrutiny over undeclared donations.
He denies an...
A Kent singer who featured on the hit song Party Rock Anthem has died at the age of 36.
Lauren Bennett was born in Meopham, and appeared on the X-Factor as a teenager.
Also in today's podcast, two people have been arrested during a crackdown on organised crime across Kent.
One man was detained in Dartford on suspicion of modern slavery offences, while another near Sevenoaks was wanted for theft. Police have been telling us more about the operation.
As part of Alcohol Awareness Week, a Kent man has revealed how he lost everything after becoming addicted.
Trevor Smith started drinking when he...
A mum-of-two from Deal who was stalked by her ex-partner says she's worried he won't stop, after a judge said he was powerless to send him to prison.
Hugh Kennedy subjected Vicky Mickford to four months of harassment after their five-year relationship ended.
The 63-year-old from Sandown Road has been given a restraining order. Hear from reporter Millie Bowles who has been covering the story.
Also in today's episode, we've been hearing more about how Pride in Place funding could be spent on Sheppey.
The east end of the island is getting a £20 million cash injection as it's one of Kent's most...
Ahead of another heat health alert coming into force tomorrow, there is a warning not enough is being done to protect care workers in Kent during the hot weather.
The UNISON union is concerned about staff who are trying to care for people in the scorching temperatures.
Also in today's episode, an Ashford woman who grew up in Venezuela has told us the devastation in her country following a double earthquake is hard to comprehend.
Tingy Simoes Lopez is collecting emergency kit to help rescuers as tens of thousands of people are still missing.
Donations can be dropped off at the Free Shop in A...
The owners of a boat trip service in Maidstone have called for action to tackle anti-social behaviour after they were targeted with rocks and bottles.
The couple, who run Kentish Lady Cruises, have also reported being abused while out on the river in the town.
Hear from Reporter Davina Jethwa who has been covering this story.
Also in today's podcast, another heat health alert has been issued for Kent ahead of what's expected to be a scorching weekend.
Temperatures could hit 30 degrees and the yellow health warning will be in force from Saturday until next Wednesday.
We've been speaking to D...
A mum has called for “empathy, support and safe spaces” for the trans community following the death of her teenage daughter.
Sigrid Taylor was born in Ashford and went to school in Canterbury before relocating to America with her family when she was 7.
The 19 year-old had moved back to Herne Bay about a year before her death and a fundraiser's been set up to pay for a headstone.
Also in today's podcast, dozens of pupils are having to find a different school to go to in September after a new one near Thanet failed to get approval in time.
It was hoped Turner Schools Carbon 6 Pathway would be...
A major review into NHS maternity services has found the system is not fit to consistently deliver high-quality care and requires urgent reform.
It's been led by Baroness Amos in a bid to drive urgent improvements.
Families who'd received treatment at East Kent Hospitals were among those who contributed to the report. They reported that maternity care is still “fragmented” - but staff say morale has improved.
Hear from a mum whose baby was stillborn at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford.
Also in today's podcast, a leading Kent politician has told us Andy Burnham is the right man to lead...
Our top story today is developing news regarding a major emergency response in Headcorn.
People living on Lenham Road have told us they heard lots of sirens at about 5pm yesterday.
Police and ambulance crews had arrived at the scene and set up a cordon, with other motorists being turned away.
Also in today's podcast, a man in his 30s has been seriously injured after a stabbing outside a pub in Maidstone.
He was taken to a London hospital after a police were called to the the High Street near The Stag.
It's hoped a new college campus in Margate with courses in animation and visual effects wi...
A Kent woman fears her son could be left without either of his parents unless she's able to travel abroad for cancer treatment.
Candice Powell from Swanley was first diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2019 following a smear test.
After treatment, she was given the all clear the following year, but started to feel unwell in May 2025. The 39 year-old has been sharing her story.
Also in today's podcast, the ambulance service covering Kent say they've seen a 20% increase in calls this week because of the hot weather.
A red warning for extreme heat is in force across the county today, with temper...
A young woman from Gravesend has been charged with murder after a man was found dead in Dubai.
23-year-old Brooke George, who's an influencer on TikTok, is being held in custody.
She's accused of killing a 26 year-old but claims to have been acting in self-defence following a violent assault. Hear from senior reporter Joe Crossley who has been following the story.
Also in today's podcast, firefighters in Kent say they can't rule out strike action, as they fight plans to close some on-call stations.
Changes to the service are being discussed at a meeting in Maidstone today, and the Fire Brig...
A red warning for extreme heat has come into force in part of Kent on what could be the hottest day of the year so far.
This is only the second time the most severe alert has been issued.
Some schools in the county have decided to stay closed today, while others are shutting early as temperatures could reach around 35c. Hear from Kent's deputy director of public health.
Meantime, dispersal orders have been put in place across Thanet to try and stop antisocial behaviour on the coast.
Police have been given extra powers to break up groups of people in Ramsgate, Margate, Westgate and Broadstai...
A new poll's found one in four people in Kent who voted for Brexit would now back Remain if the referendum was held again.
More than 1,300 residents across the county have been asked for their opinion 10 years on from the vote.
Back then, 59% of people in Kent chose to leave the EU, according to the survey 57% would now vote to stay.
We've been speaking to people across the county and also have the thoughts of the chief executive of the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, and a man leading a Rejoin campaign.
Also on today's podcast, a day after Sir Keir Starmer announced he was quitting as Pr...
Sir Keir Starmer has announced plans to resign as Prime Minister.
Speaking outside Downing Street, he said he was proud of everything he had achieved since taking over as head of the Labour Party six years ago.
He's confirmed a leadership contest will be held over the summer. Lucy's been getting reaction from local democracy reports Simon Finlay and Robert Boddy.
Also on today's episode, with another amber heat health alert in force across Kent, a campaign is underway to keep us safe by the water.
Temperatures are expected to hit the mid 30s this week, and it's feared some could head to a r...