22 minutes | Friday, 9 January 2026
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 local services. Major plans to redevelop a town centre street into a car-free zone with al fresco dining are finally moving ahead.The creation of a “cafe culture” in Earl Street, Maidstone, from Week Street down to its junction with Pudding Lane, is a long-held ambition of the local authority.A campaign's underway to recycle hundreds of Christmas trees in Kent - while raising money for charity.Heart of Kent Hospice in Aylesford picked up almost 700 trees last year and this year they’re hoping to make it 1000. And England rugby player Rosie Galligan will be hoping to inspire the next generation when she returns to Kent this weekend. The 27-year-old, who's from West Malling, will be taking coaching sessions at Aylesford Rugby Club's recruitment drive Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.