Episodes
A “handsy” Kent police officer once praised for bravery has been barred from all forces for life after groping two colleagues.The Folkestone-based PC would have faced dismissal this week had he not already resigned after his lurid actions.Also in today’s podcast, Ofwat has announced it has opened an investigation into South East Water following the major water outage in Kent.It comes as thousands of homes and businesses across the county continue to be left without supplies – we’ve spoken to a farmer who’s criticised a lack of provision for livestock. Utility companies who flout the rules w...
Kent and Medway’s best-performing secondary schools have been ranked from best to worst by GCSE results. However some education experts warn a legacy of Covid means the latest league table isn’t the “fairest” measure of performance. Also in today’s podcast, a man has died in a crash involving a car and a water tanker.The motorist was travelling on the A2070 Ashford Road in Hamstreet yesterday afternoon when it collided with a purple tanker heading the opposite way.Pressure is piling on the boss of South East Water with more local leaders calling for his resignation following water supply ou...
New figures which show even primary school children in Kent are being suspended for substance misuse have been described as “heartbreaking”.More and more students are being pulled out of the classroom as shock new statistics reveal a significant rise in under-18s being treated for addiction problems — including use of cannabis, ketamine, cocaine, ecstasy. Also in today’s podcast, schools are closed again today and thousands of residents are still without supplies as the Kent water crisis continues.South East Water confirmed 25,000 customers still have issues including in Tunbridge Wells, Se...
A major incident has been declared as disruption to water supplies has forced some Kent schools to close.Homes and businesses in areas including Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone and Canterbury have been affected. Hear from a Pembury resident who didn't have water over the weekend.Also in today's podcast, bosses in Medway could be pushed into using exceptional financial support from the government after their funding increase wasn't as big as expected.Under the new Fair Funding Settlement, the council anticipated a significant increase, but the provisional one still leaves a shortfall of almost £8...
Huge waves smashed into cars as Storm Goretti brought wild weather to the Kent coast overnight.People living along Sandgate Esplanade, near Folkestone, woke up to see vehicles strewn across the road - which was flooded and covered in shingle – we’ve spoken to a witness and bosses in charge of the clean-up. Also in today’s podcast, there’s been plenty of reaction from the news Kent County Council is proposing increasing council tax by 3.99% in its draft budget.The authority is recommending a hike of a full 1% below the cap set by the government but there are concerns it could lead to cuts to...
A campervan has been torched in a suspected arson attack just an ‘arm’s length’ away from where a young family was sleeping in Sittingbourne. Firefighters were called to battle the on-fire Volkswagen in the residents' car park outside the Litmus House flat block off Vellum Drive in the early hours of Monday morning. Also in today’s podcast, a man accused of repeatedly stabbing a uniformed British Army officer in the street has pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted murder.Appearing at Maidstone Crown Court via video link from high security psychiatric hospital, he admitted trying to kill L...
A waste company has apologised after workers were filmed taking a homeless woman's possessions from outside a store in Dover, and dumping them in their truck.Footage at KentOnline shows the Veolia staff removing a mattress and personal items from outside the Boots store in the town centre. Hear from reporter Millie Bowles who has been covering the story.Also in today's podcast, people living in Tunbridge Wells woke up to another day of water issues earlier. South East Water say a series of bursts at one of their sites was to blame.It comes after boss David Hinton faced MP's yesterday over a...
A pub landlord says government changes to business rates mean he will need to sell an extra 130,000 pints a year.He has four venues across Canterbury and says he will have to cough up an extra £64,000 annually to cover increased costs.Also in today’s podcast, police have confirmed a 17-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl were killed when a blue Ford Fiesta left the road in Iwade. We've spoken to someone who works nearby to where the crash happened on Saturday night. The boss of a water company which left 24,000 homes and businesses without drinking water over a two-week period has faced MPs...
Thousands more customers than previously thought have been left out of pocket after a Canterbury-based online store went into administration.Documents show almost 5,000 people are owed around £160,000 pounds following the collapse of Huh. Ltd.Also in today's episode, it's feared bird flu could be continuing to spread in Kent as more cases of dead swans are reported.In the latest distressing video a bird can be seen refusing to leave the side of its dead partner. More than 50 swans are now understood to have died in Canterbury and Thanet.We've been asking Kent's MPs what their priorities are...
Three siblings have starred in a Christmas music video after being discovered on Instagram.Lola, Arlo and Noah Micallef appear in the latest music video by The Florin Street Band, after their mum posted a video of them singing one of the band’s Christmas hits. Also in today’s podcast, there are calls for Royal Mail to improve its service after people living near Folkestone say they're only receiving letters every couple of weeks - often in large batches.Residents say important post such as driving documents, medical letters and bills is regularly delivered late.You can hear from a mum from ...