Kent On Climate - Wednesday 13th March 2024
Catch up on the latest environmental news from across the county with Sofia Akin.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - Hello and welcome to Kent on Climate live on KMTV.
00:16 I'm Sophia Akin and in this show we discuss
00:18 all things related to environmental issues in the county.
00:22 How is climate change impacting Kent?
00:24 What are communities in the county doing to tackle it?
00:26 And how can you help at home?
00:28 Each week we'll be taking a deep dive
00:30 into a new environmental issue in Kent
00:32 and I'll be joined by expert guests.
00:34 In today's show we're talking about
00:36 Medway's water quality, roadworks causing air pollution
00:39 and a landslip in Folkestone.
00:42 But first an animal rescue in Rochester says
00:44 they've seen a rise in litter related injuries
00:46 in recent months.
00:47 It comes as the RSPCA says that Kent is the third worst
00:51 county for this particular incident involving animals.
00:54 Wisteria Cat Rescue wants to see more done
00:56 to reduce fly tipping in Medway,
00:58 despite the council offering free bulky waste collection.
01:02 Oliver Leder de Sacks has the story and just a warning
01:04 there may be some images some viewers might find distressing
01:07 - The cost of littering marked across the face
01:11 of one of Kent's most vulnerable cats.
01:14 Over the past four years, the RSPCA have received
01:17 thousands of reports of animals being injured
01:20 or trapped by litter with 526 in Kent alone.
01:25 So Kent, if he's either been living in rubbish
01:29 or he's, as you can see his head trauma is quite big.
01:33 That is actually got a lot better.
01:35 - The Wisteria Cat Rescue in Rochester
01:38 have seen this rise firsthand.
01:40 - Yeah, we've seen a rise in the cats
01:42 that have come into our care
01:43 that have been a result of living on rubbish
01:48 that's been fly tipped or even plastic
01:51 that's been caught around the neck.
01:53 It could be to find food.
01:55 It could be to shelter.
01:56 It could be to have kittens.
01:59 It could be due to a homely smell
02:01 that these cats are attracted to rubbish
02:03 that then start living in it.
02:05 It's not even stray cats.
02:06 It is also your domestic cats, the cats that are owned.
02:10 They are, they will go in because they're inquisitive.
02:13 - What has happened to Kenneth is not uncommon.
02:16 Kent is the third highest for litter related call-outs
02:20 according to the RSPCA.
02:22 - If we look at the statistics nationally,
02:24 we've received at the RSPCA 13,000 reports
02:28 over the last four years about animals severely impacted
02:30 by carelessly discarded litter.
02:33 And just last year alone in 2023,
02:36 we received an average of 13 reports a day.
02:39 It is something that we can control
02:41 and everyone has the responsibility
02:43 to do something about that.
02:45 And we can, and that's why it's so sad
02:47 when we see animals impacted in this way.
02:49 - But Billie says responsibility for littering
02:52 and fly tipping rests with local authorities.
02:55 - It's purely down to the fact that it's very hard
02:58 to book a appointment with the local
03:01 rubbish recycling centers now.
03:02 So people want a quick, easy fix to get rid of their rubbish.
03:06 So they're paying next to nothing to get rid of it.
03:09 And then that's been tossed out.
03:12 - Medway Council have been approached for comment.
03:15 With the Great British Spring clean starting on Friday,
03:18 there's never been a better time to help keep rubbish
03:21 out of the pores of Kent's wildlife.
03:23 Oliver Leader, the Sats reporting for KMTV.
03:26 - Now unsafe levels of E. coli and coliform
03:30 are reported to have been discovered in the river Medway.
03:33 The local Liberal Democrats have taken samples
03:35 in Gillingham Strand, St. Mary's Island,
03:37 and two other spots where they say the levels of E. coli
03:40 are around three times greater than safe levels.
03:43 They're urging the council to regularly sample the rivers
03:46 and the quality of the waterways.
03:49 Gillingham Strand is a popular area for dog walking,
03:52 family trips out, and strolls along the water.
03:56 But after testing samples from the river Medway,
03:59 the local Liberal Democrats say the levels of E. coli
04:02 are three times greater than what's considered safe.
04:06 - We really want to do something about
04:08 tearing off what to get to the air together
04:11 and make sure that our waters are clean.
04:12 - These kind of tests when you're sampling them yourself,
04:14 how accurate can they actually be?
04:16 - Well, of course, there are limitations that we can do here.
04:21 This is something that local champions can do.
04:23 So that's why I'm asking Medway Council
04:25 to do monthly tests here.
04:27 I'm sure if you do professional scientific laboratory tests,
04:31 the results are actually even more challenging
04:33 than it seems here.
04:35 - Medway Council were unavailable for an interview.
04:38 The river Medway doesn't just go through Medway.
04:41 It also goes through Tunbridge, Maidstone, Sheerness,
04:44 and even as far as West Sussex.
04:46 And this is the concern of the local Lib Dems.
04:49 They fear this surrounding water is polluted.
04:52 And if their findings are accurate,
04:54 we could have a much larger problem at hand.
04:58 While most cases of E. coli are harmless,
05:01 in some situations, the bacteria can make you quite unwell.
05:05 - We all have E. coli in our guts.
05:07 And when it's there, it generally doesn't cause
05:10 any problems other than a couple of types of E. coli.
05:13 The difficulty is when you get it
05:15 into other bits of the body.
05:17 And so if you dump sewage in rivers
05:18 and then you go swimming or you get contaminated water,
05:21 you can get things like eye infections, ear infections,
05:25 urinary infections, and so on.
05:27 And some of those can be quite serious.
05:29 - This comes as nearly 600 million litres of sewage
05:33 is believed to have been spilt into the river Medway in 2022.
05:38 An investigation by Unearth revealed Medway
05:40 had the second highest number of sewage overflows
05:44 across the southeast.
05:45 While the Environment Agency will issue permits
05:48 allowing water companies to discharge sewage
05:50 in some circumstances, Ofwat regulates the investment
05:54 and finance side of things.
05:56 Ofwat says they've pushed companies to take action
05:59 to cut sewage discharges and have announced new measures
06:02 to penalise companies failing to monitor storm overflows.
06:06 The Environment Agency say they take all pollution incidents
06:09 extremely seriously.
06:10 If they find evidence of wrongdoing,
06:12 they'll take appropriate action,
06:14 keeping enforcement options under constant review.
06:17 With locals concerned for the condition of the river Medway,
06:21 they're hoping to see the quality of the water
06:23 at safe levels, and they're hoping to see change soon.
06:27 Sophia Akin for KMTV in Medway.
06:30 Well, Nicholas, we heard from In That Piece there,
06:33 joins me to tell me a little bit more about this.
06:35 Thank you for joining us again.
06:36 - Thanks for having me tonight.
06:38 - Yeah, you're welcome.
06:38 So I just wanted to start off by asking your findings,
06:43 the quality of the water showing unsafe levels
06:46 of E. coli and coliform.
06:48 What does this mean?
06:50 Just wanted to say, of course, it's a sample.
06:52 So these aren't always 100% accurate,
06:55 but by your findings, what would this mean
06:57 for the river Medway?
06:59 - Well, it actually shows that more testing needs to be done
07:02 first of all, and it kind of also show that Ofwat
07:06 isn't really paying attention to the discharge
07:08 that softened water has been discharged
07:11 and sewage into our waterway.
07:13 So what I really want to hope is that we really,
07:18 local communities up and down the country has a budget
07:21 whereby local communities can do better water testing.
07:24 And in fact, we can sort of overhaul the system
07:27 to protect our waterways.
07:29 - Well, we spoke to Ofwat kind of following your comments,
07:32 and they said that they oversee the regulation
07:34 around investment and finance.
07:37 So the kind of distribution of permits for companies
07:41 to be able to discharge sewage into the waters
07:44 is more one for the environment agency, they said.
07:48 But kind of looking at this a bit more widely,
07:50 people use this water to swim in.
07:53 You can see people sailing on the water.
07:54 People walk their dogs around here.
07:56 So why is this a concern if people are using these water
08:01 and could potentially get quite unwell
08:03 from swimming in the sea?
08:04 - Now, the best way to protect our rivers,
08:07 our coastal areas is always to enjoy it.
08:10 I grew up in Singapore,
08:12 and I live quite near to my local reservoir.
08:16 And reservoirs in Singapore,
08:18 you can easily assess them by bus, public transport cycle,
08:22 or even just running over there.
08:24 And the concept for the country was that
08:27 if people, communities can enjoy,
08:31 people can enjoy on a daily basis,
08:33 they will appreciate that water quality
08:35 needs to be protected.
08:37 And then that actually flows on to local government levels.
08:41 And for example, the Westminster here in the UK,
08:44 whereby we really take a look at all levels
08:46 to make sure it's protected.
08:48 And that's the reason why I actually want
08:51 our rivers to be clean,
08:53 so that people can enjoy it in a better way.
08:56 - And I wanted to ask,
08:57 you've been using these sort of sample kits,
08:59 and you've looked at a few areas of the Medway.
09:04 We know the River Medway is huge.
09:05 It runs through Tunbridge, Maidstone, even West Sussex.
09:09 So there will be some people watching,
09:10 wondering kind of the accuracy of these tests.
09:12 So your tests showed that the levels
09:15 were three times greater than the safe levels.
09:18 So what would you say to those who are saying,
09:21 well, it might not be too accurate, your findings?
09:24 What would you say to them?
09:25 - Well, there is always a limitation
09:27 on what we have already done.
09:29 But the most important part of all
09:32 is that we wanted to point out
09:33 that there is a potential issue here.
09:36 And that potential issue is not currently really scrutinised.
09:40 And that's why actually I actually wanted
09:44 a better regulatory framework,
09:47 and even local champions can actually participate
09:50 in maybe bringing water companies to justice.
09:54 - I guess the concern is the way
09:57 that the water systems are designed in our country
10:00 is that it combines rainwater and wastewater,
10:03 and companies are allowed to discharge this sewage,
10:06 because if not, it's gonna get backed up
10:07 into people's homes and businesses.
10:09 So yeah, I guess that's what people would say
10:12 is that if it's not gonna go into the ocean,
10:15 it's just gonna ruin people's homes and businesses,
10:17 isn't it?
10:18 - Well, for example, Thames Water
10:23 has a huge infrastructure project over the past decades,
10:28 whereby they bring all the stormwater and sewage
10:32 and process it in Bacton.
10:35 That is kind of the infrastructure practice
10:38 in many cities around the world.
10:41 But it can actually be done better.
10:45 Like for example, the rainwater could actually be separated
10:48 like they've done in Amsterdam, for example.
10:51 And the point is that we have been increasing water bills.
10:56 It will be increased again next month.
11:00 And all these water measures,
11:03 all these scrutiny measures has actually been costed for.
11:08 So originally, we should have a final stage
11:11 of ecology protection program in our waterway system,
11:16 which should be ready by 2077.
11:19 That was actually pushed back by 36 years.
11:22 The final stage was supposed to help us
11:25 prevent a deterioration of our river system,
11:28 which if we don't really scrutinize right now,
11:33 it's going to deteriorate.
11:34 That only 6% of our rivers are able to be part.
11:39 - The design of the waterways is it's a Victorian framework.
11:42 And the kind of argument they say is it would be a big job
11:45 to kind of rip it up and change it all.
11:47 But I'm sure you're not the only one
11:49 kind of feeling this way about the water in Kent.
11:52 It's time for our break now though.
11:53 Thank you for joining us.
11:54 See you in a few minutes.
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15:00 (upbeat music)
15:03 - Welcome back to Kent on Climate Live on KMTV.
15:10 Now months of roadworks have begun this week
15:13 at Frinsbury Hill with businesses and residents
15:15 worried what this will mean for congestion
15:17 and air pollution.
15:18 The road will be closed until June
15:20 while construction's underway
15:22 on a brand new secondary school
15:23 being funded by the government.
15:25 But locals in Strewd say businesses
15:27 will bring in less footfall
15:28 while diverted routes will cause traffic chaos
15:31 going into the Medway Tunnel.
15:32 Oliver Leeder de Sacks went down to the roadworks
15:35 to find out more.
15:37 - A popular Strewd pub facing unpopular roadworks.
15:41 This part of Frinsbury Hill is set to be closed
15:44 until the end of June
15:45 while a new multi-million pound secondary school
15:48 is being built across the road.
15:51 But while the new Maritime Academy
15:53 will mean more than 1,000 new school places in Medway,
15:57 the Sands Parallel are worried what the roadworks
15:59 will mean for their finances while traffic gets diverted.
16:04 - The estate on the back of us here,
16:06 I think it's gonna be chaotic.
16:08 Strewd, Rochester is bad on a good day.
16:13 If they can't get here, then they're not gonna come.
16:15 It's as simple as that.
16:17 A lot of our custom comes off the Medway City Estate
16:20 and with it being closed from the Medway City Estate,
16:23 people aren't gonna come.
16:26 - As you can see on my shoulder,
16:27 traffic chaos here on Frinsbury Hill.
16:30 Cars confused about where the road is supposed to be closed,
16:33 where it's supposed to be open,
16:35 where they're supposed to get through to the other side.
16:38 And this will continue for the next 15 weeks
16:41 with many locals concerned about what this means
16:44 for congestion in Strewd.
16:46 - Well, for a start, everyone's gonna be going around
16:48 down Cliff Road, using Brompton Farm Road.
16:52 And when the tunnel was being rebuilt,
16:54 it was chaotic at certain times.
16:57 Also, the businesses down here, like the local butcher,
17:00 the dog groomers, the takeaway places,
17:03 they're all gonna lose business.
17:04 - The one sign that really gets me
17:06 is the one at the bottom of the hill,
17:08 just by Station Road, which says,
17:11 Frinsbury Hill is closed.
17:14 Well, Frinsbury Hill ain't closed
17:15 'cause people can still gain access to the shops.
17:18 But if someone reads that sign and it says,
17:22 Frinsbury Hill, diversion this way,
17:25 they're gonna go and follow the diversion, ain't they?
17:28 And they're not gonna come anywhere near this hill at all.
17:30 - Local campaigners want to see the opening
17:33 of a single lane to allow traffic flow
17:36 in order to minimize disruption,
17:39 with safety and pollution the primary concern.
17:43 - The traffic going off into the side roads,
17:45 which are being used on the diversion route,
17:48 there's gonna be a buildup of air pollution.
17:51 They're probably gonna get, well, probably certainly,
17:53 they're gonna get congested.
17:55 And the main concern of mine is all the traffic
17:59 going on and off the Hoo Peninsula.
18:01 And that includes emergency vehicles,
18:04 which people rely on on the peninsula.
18:06 And as we all know, in the case of an emergency,
18:09 time is crucial.
18:11 - We did approach Medway Council
18:13 for an interview and fresh statement.
18:16 Councillor Simon Currie, the portfolio holder
18:19 for climate change and strategic regeneration,
18:22 previously said, "The school is essential
18:25 if we are to keep providing the best education facilities
18:28 with adequate capacity for children in the area.
18:31 A complete closure of a main road is always a last resort.
18:36 And we apologize for the impact on the whole community
18:39 and all those who use this route for work, school,
18:42 and to access the peninsula."
18:44 With months of disruption expected,
18:46 school can't come fast enough for businesses and residents
18:50 living near what was once one of Strude's busiest roads.
18:54 Oliver Leader of the SAC reporting for KMTV.
18:57 - Well, the roadworks don't stop there
19:01 as a children's playground in Folkestone
19:03 has been cordoned off with fears for the safety of visitors
19:06 after the cliffs above have collapsed.
19:08 It's one of five landslips to have happened
19:10 in the town since November.
19:12 It means some businesses have shut their doors
19:14 as their trade's been impacted.
19:16 Folkestone and Hyde District Council
19:18 put it down to heavy rainfall
19:20 and say they're investigating the matter.
19:22 - Men at work as passengers in Kent struggle to get to work.
19:27 Last Friday, network rail found a 40-meter crack
19:31 in the rail embankment next to Newington,
19:34 leading to emergency repairs this week.
19:37 The landslip has left passengers in the county
19:40 who rely on the train line
19:41 between Gillingham and Sittingbourne
19:43 stuck between a rock and a hard place.
19:46 - So tens of thousands of passengers are using this line,
19:49 some to commute to London,
19:51 some to go down to the coastal towns,
19:53 and some to go into Canterbury for the universities
19:56 and shop in there.
19:57 So we know this has hugely affected our passengers
19:59 and we do thank them,
20:01 but this is all about getting our passengers
20:03 home safe every day.
20:05 And as you can see by the works behind me,
20:07 it's been a serious safety incident here at Newington
20:10 and the works have been vital
20:11 to actually stabilize the line
20:13 and make it safe for the future.
20:15 You can see the scale of the work being done here
20:17 in Newington just over my shoulder.
20:19 The embankment is five meters high.
20:23 That is taller than a two-story building
20:26 and 4,000 tons of gravel is being used
20:29 to stabilize this embankment.
20:32 But network rail says that sites like these
20:34 could become more common
20:36 with climate change getting worse in the county.
20:39 This is the wettest 12 months on record on Kent,
20:42 so our embankments are saturated
20:45 and unfortunately over the last few years,
20:47 we have seen quite a big increase
20:49 in embankment or earthworks.
20:51 These types of works are hugely costly
20:56 and as I've already said,
20:57 we've spent massively more than we planned to
20:59 in this control period.
21:01 The railway, probably like everywhere else,
21:04 is facing growing challenges around climate change
21:09 and it will need a lot of investment
21:13 to ensure that actually we are able to manage that
21:16 as we move forward.
21:18 Works are on track to come to a halt by Monday
21:21 with services resuming at the beginning of next week.
21:25 But with these emergency repairs becoming more common,
21:28 Kent commuters will have to dig in
21:30 and brace themselves for future disruption.
21:32 Oliver Leeds of the SACS reporting for KMTV.
21:36 Well, you might have been able to tell
21:37 that wasn't the report I introduced,
21:39 but that was another report about a landslip in Newington,
21:43 the one I was originally referencing
21:44 in Folkestone you can find on our website, kmtv.co.uk.
21:48 And you can find all our other pieces like this one
21:51 about plans for an 150 megawatt battery
21:54 at the UK's largest solar park in Faversham
21:56 being pushed back.
21:58 It's divided the local community
22:02 and it's set to become even more controversial.
22:05 This will soon be the biggest solar farm in the UK
22:09 and Cleve Hill will cover the equivalent
22:11 of nearly 700 football pitchers.
22:15 But much of the power will be generated in the daytime
22:18 when demand is lower.
22:20 So what do you do with all that energy?
22:22 Well, it needs to be stored in a battery
22:25 and it's a big one, a 150 megawatt battery.
22:29 The proposed location, just over my shoulder.
22:33 This former NASA rocket scientist and local
22:35 believes there's a high probability
22:38 there could be a major incident.
22:40 In the 40 year life of the solar power station,
22:45 there is likely to be an explosion.
22:49 The fire can propagate from a single small battery
22:53 and there are millions of small batteries in this.
22:56 The problem is that a fire or overheating in one battery
23:03 can actually spread to enabling batteries
23:05 and that's called thermal runaway.
23:07 For the batteries, work can't commence
23:09 till local councillors approve the safety management plan.
23:14 And as they came to vote on Wednesday evening,
23:16 they were met by protesters.
23:19 The residents there at Graveney wouldn't say
23:22 that the solar farm itself is a problem.
23:24 The problem is the safety of the batteries.
23:27 The battery safety plan as it stands
23:30 does not have any warning system in place.
23:33 It doesn't have any evacuation plans
23:36 for approximately 30,000 people who could be impacted.
23:41 Inside the chamber, councillors heard
23:43 from a battery consultant who reassured members
23:47 the local fire service will be ready.
23:50 But discussing batteries proved to be a confusing topic.
23:55 I know when we sit in the planning committee,
23:57 we look at the lots of things to do with the planning,
24:00 but as Councillor Birkin said,
24:02 I think this is way beyond the realms of planning.
24:06 So I'm having a bit of difficulty with the chair, sorry.
24:12 But after a lengthy four-hour debate,
24:15 the management plan was voted down.
24:18 And I think it was the right decision this evening
24:20 to reject the officer's recommendation
24:23 and not proceed with this plan.
24:25 Could be expensive now for the council.
24:27 Well, we have a robust reason for not running
24:30 with the officer's recommendation
24:32 and I'm very confident that we will win at appeal.
24:35 The decision is a victory for now for the protesters,
24:39 but they know the battle will continue.
24:42 Gabriel Morris, near Graveney.
24:44 Find a bit more about that report up on Kent Online.
24:48 And finally this evening, each week,
24:50 we'll be taking a look at a different species
24:52 of Kent wildlife, explaining where you can find them,
24:55 what they look like, and what you can do
24:57 to help look after them.
24:58 This week, Bartholomew Hall is taking a look
25:00 at a furry friend from Scotland,
25:02 keeping Kent's unruly greenery at bay.
25:05 Stubborn, long-living, and hardy.
25:09 The Highland cow has been a UK breed for hundreds of years.
25:14 Their iconic shaggy appearance is the result
25:16 of a double coat of hair to help insulate
25:18 against the elements and keep them waterproof,
25:21 with the outer layer being the longest of any cattle breed.
25:24 While these cows aren't native to Kent,
25:27 they've been deployed across the county
25:28 to restore woodland pasture
25:30 and to keep unwanted vegetation under control.
25:33 You can spot them all around Kent's nature reserves,
25:36 such as in Cobham Wood and Ashford Warren,
25:38 with the Kent Wildlife Trust employing dozens
25:41 in their conservation efforts.
25:43 Now, these cows aren't particularly picky eaters.
25:46 They chow down on a wide range of vegetation,
25:49 but it does make them susceptible to litter
25:52 in Kent's nature reserves,
25:53 which is why it's ever more important
25:55 to take your rubbish with you when you're out and about.
25:58 - Well, we're gonna be having a few more
26:02 of those explainer reports up on Kent on Climate.
26:05 So let us know if there's a particular species
26:07 across Kent that you want us to look into,
26:08 and we'll definitely do that.
26:10 But that's all we've got time for
26:11 on this week's episode of Kent on Climate.
26:13 We'll be back next week with a brand new episode
26:15 discussing more matters relevant
26:17 to environmental issues across Kent.
26:20 But in the meantime, you can keep up to date
26:21 on all things climate-related in Kent
26:23 by visiting our website, kmtv.co.uk.
26:27 You can also, of course, follow us on Facebook,
26:29 Instagram X, and TikTok, just search for KMTVKent.
26:33 And if there are any climate-y stories
26:34 that you want us to cover,
26:35 then please do get in touch on social media
26:38 or on our email, kmtvdesk@kmtv.co.uk.
26:42 But I'll see you next Wednesday
26:43 for a brand new episode of Kent on Climate.
26:45 Have a wonderful evening and good night.
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