Catch up with all the latest news from across the county with Kristin Hawthorne.
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00:00Hello and welcome to Kentonite Live on KMTV.
00:26I'm Kristen Hawthorne and here are your top stories on Thursday the 22nd of May.
00:56I'm Kristen Hawthorne and here are your top stories on Thursday the 23rd of May.
01:03But how do people in Dunkirk remember Operation Dynamo and what is its lasting legacy in the town?
01:09Gabriel Morris joined us from France earlier today.
01:12Well I'm still in Dunkirk. I'm on the very beach where more than 300,000 troops would have been rescued 85 years ago.
01:19And as you saw in my report this morning and last night, I recreated that journey here alongside more than 60 original little ships.
01:29They're all in Dunkirk and I'll be here over the weekend where the commemorations continue and I'll be heading back to Kent on Monday, weather permitting.
01:38Now in Dunkirk, I've been having a little walk around today and what I've seen is they too really do remember Operation Dynamo.
01:46There's lots of plaques up and about.
01:48And earlier today when I was live on the Kent Morning Show, I stood outside one of those plaques and it's the wall of allies.
01:55And it says to the glorious memory of the aviators, boats and soldiers of the French and allied armies who sacrificed themselves in the Battle of Dunkirk in May and June of 1940.
02:08You can see some of the flags there, including the German flag.
02:12Well, this is the beach where they would have all been stuck. Their only option to get back was by sea.
02:18And that's why those little ships came into their own.
02:21There were no other vessels which would get this close to Dunkirk.
02:25The landing stages where the Royal Navy would have been able to get their ships in were rendered unusable by the Nazis.
02:32So it was an absolute miracle what's happened.
02:35And that's been recreated this weekend and that crossing yesterday.
02:40And then when I was on my crossing yesterday, we did see a dinghy going across with migrants on from where I am actually here now to the Kent Coast.
02:50And the little ships did actually have to divert their course.
02:54We understand. And Nigel Farage, leader of reform, did post on X, criticizing that migrant crossing and referencing some history and how it's remembered on that.
03:05But I have to say here in France, Dunkirk is remembered.
03:10I was talking to a local French student and he's actually been studying some of the wrecks here.
03:18One in four little ships did sink during that time.
03:21Thankfully, the loss of life wasn't that considerable because, of course, there were lots of other vessels where they could swim to and be rescued.
03:28But I was speaking to her a little bit about it because she actually goes and scuba dives down to some of those wrecks, 20, 30 and even 40 meters below sea level out there.
03:39I asked her, what is it like when she sees those?
03:41For me, I did my master's thesis on the wreck of Operation Dynamo.
03:47So I'm working on them since 2021.
03:50And we started to do the geophysical survey in 2023.
03:58And we first we did the dive last year on nine wrecks of dynamo operation, plus the five on the beach.
04:07And this year we will come back in September to do the rest of them.
04:11But it's it's a lot of emotions to see the wrecks.
04:15And yeah, it's amazing.
04:17Brilliant work done by Gabriel there.
04:20But next tonight, Reform UK have announced cuts to members' alliances, as well as announcing a brand new Department of Efficiency at Kent County Council.
04:29The leader outlined the changes during the first full council meeting since the local elections, where the party came out on top.
04:35But the opposition says there's no detail behind any of their proposals.
04:39Our local democracy reporter, Olly Leader, was in the chamber.
04:43The first day of school for Reform UK's class of 2025, as the party's 57 new Kent County councillors prepared for their first full council meeting in Maidstone.
04:57Though there was still time to get a yearbook photo before they got down to business.
05:03The meeting marked the formal coronation of Lyndon Kankaran as leader.
05:09And she had clearly done her homework, announcing a new cabinet post for local government efficiency and a 5% cut to councillor allowances.
05:21What I've done is rejigged my cabinet posts and I've actually scrapped one post and redistributed their responsibilities around the rest of the cabinet.
05:31And in doing so, I've not had to spend a single extra penny in appointing my dolge, who will have free reign to look at every single part of this council.
05:38So really, it's cost us nothing, but it's going to save us a great deal.
05:42But on the opposition benches, there's unhappiness that the new leadership aren't showing they're working.
05:50And I thought there was a real absence, actually, of any proposals on adult social care, supporting children with special educational needs,
05:57which are the two big services that Kent County councillors has to provide and has been failing to.
06:02If they come back with efficiencies and savings, that doesn't affect frontline services and impact on the most vulnerable in Kent, then fair enough. I have my doubts.
06:14With the new cabinet installed today, it's hard to grade their performance just yet.
06:21But with some sharp words towards local government reorganisation, the new class could be rowdier than anticipated.
06:31Oli Leda in Maidstone.
06:34But now, don't forget you can keep up to date with all our latest stories across Kent by logging on to our website at kmtv.co.uk.
06:42There you'll find all the reports, including this one.
06:50Spring has brought an unexpected splash of colour and wonder to the Royal Military Canal.
06:55Among the quiet reflections and budding greenery, a rare and beautiful pair of mandarin ducks have made a surprise appearance and their courtship has been turning heads.
07:06The sighting has thrilled both seasoned bird watchers and casual walkers alike.
07:10With their exotic good looks and delicate behaviour, these ducks seem almost too magical for the English countryside.
07:21They originate from East Asia and were introduced to the UK in the early 20th century, but the sightings of a mating pair are still considered rare.
07:30The male is unmistakable and together they cut a regal figure.
07:35A scene that looks more like a brush stroke from a Chinese silk painting.
07:40Locals have already begun keeping a hopeful eye on the pair and watching for signs of nesting.
07:55If all goes well, this unexpected romance may result in a clutch of ducklings.
08:00Kerry King, Hive Canal.
08:03Now, keeping with the theme of animals, there's a new addition at the Port Lymph Safari Park.
08:08And it's one that has everyone porcupining over it.
08:13Have you guessed what it is?
08:14It's a baby porcupette.
08:16But he doesn't have an official name just yet that rhymed.
08:19That's because the park has teamed up with Kent Online to let you decide what it should be called.
08:24To find out more about him and where the possible names have come from, we spoke to one of the keepers at the park.
08:30Thank you so much for joining us today, Faye.
08:33We've seen the adorable pictures of the porcupette on Kent Online.
08:36Can you just start by telling me a little bit about him and when he was born and just the sort of story behind him?
08:42Yeah, of course. So he is a Cape porcupine.
08:45And he's now joined our family of now four.
08:49He was born on the 2nd of April.
08:52So he's just coming up to his two month birthday.
08:54He's a little bit of a miracle baby.
08:58Because porcupines generally only have one litter per year.
09:02Usually with only one to sort of three porcupettes.
09:05And so his sister was actually born six months ago.
09:09So he is a big surprise for our keepers here.
09:11And you've partnered up with Kent Online to let people choose the name for the porcupette.
09:17And they're quite names I've never really heard of before.
09:20How did you come up with these names?
09:22Are they from where the porcupette originates from?
09:25Or is there a specific reason why you've chosen these names?
09:27Yes, so Cape porcupines are native to South and Central Africa.
09:34And so we've chosen African inspired names and with beautiful meanings as well.
09:40And the keepers on the primate section, which look after the porcupines,
09:44have managed to narrow it down to four names.
09:47And but we've had no clear winner so far.
09:51To choose the final outcome.
09:54Yeah, so we've got four names.
09:56So can you run me through them?
09:57And you said that they have really lovely meanings behind them.
09:59So if you run me through the names and what they mean,
10:02maybe it can help people choose the one that they like the best.
10:05Yeah.
10:07So we've got labelli, which means sunshine.
10:11We've got phila, which means to live.
10:14We've got ajabu, which means wonderful.
10:17And we've got udotti, which means podge.
10:20So what's the next steps for the porcupette then?
10:22Once it's got its name and maybe in a month's time,
10:25what will its life look like then?
10:29So they grow incredibly quickly and they can be up to 35 pounds.
10:35And he's already doubled in size and just within one month.
10:39And so hopefully he'll continue to grow healthily.
10:43So this is his quill at the moment.
10:46Absolutely tiny.
10:48And actually got one from mum.
10:51Wow.
10:52So this is what he grows to be, hopefully.
10:55Wow.
10:56That's amazing.
10:57So he's got a lot of growing to do then.
10:59He does indeed, yes.
11:00So if people want to go down and visit him, what would be the best time for them to do that?
11:06So these guys come out in the afternoon, sort of between dusky.
11:10I mean, now it's hopefully, hopefully it's summer.
11:15But when the later months, when he's older and he will be starting to explore more,
11:20obviously it will get darker sooner, which means he'll come out more time in the afternoon.
11:25Well, thank you so much for joining.
11:26I'm sure it will be an incredible journey and we'll have lots of people visiting for sure.
11:30Hopefully.
11:32You can vote for the name on the article on Kent Online.
11:36And there's four different names.
11:37So just place your votes and we'll see what happens and we'll keep you updated.
11:41But just for now, it's time for a quick break.
11:43So we'll see you very soon.
11:45Bye bye.
11:56Bye bye.
12:26Bye bye.
12:56Bye bye.
13:26Bye bye.
13:56Bye bye.
14:26Bye bye.
14:57Hello and welcome back to KMTV, or Kent Tonight, live on KMTV.
15:15Now, mid-May marks the start of water bathing season, meaning more people will be enjoying the sea in this warmer weather.
15:21And during the season, the Environment Agency will be testing the waters in the UK more than 7,000 times.
15:28The data collected will help classify a beach on whether or not it's excellent or poor.
15:32But campaigners are calling for more to be done to protect our seas.
15:36Daisy Page went down to hide the beach to find out more.
15:41The 15th of May marked the start of open water bathing season.
15:45Across the UK, there are over 400 designated beaches and the county is home to 29 of them.
15:52Water bathing season has begun, meaning people may be coming to the sea to take a dip.
15:57But organisations are checking the waters to make sure that it's safe to do so.
16:01The Environment Agency will be testing the waters across the UK more than 7,000 times until the season ends.
16:08Uploading their data to Swimfo to help the public make informed decisions on where they swim.
16:13We test for E. coli and intestinal enterococci because they're the bacteria that can make you ill.
16:20All of that sample data at the end of the season is analysed alongside the three years' worth of previous data.
16:27And that's what gives us our bathing water classification at the end of the season.
16:31Bathing beaches are incredibly important for our health, for our wellbeing and also for local economies.
16:36So it's really important that we're able to do the testing and to highlight to people what the quality of the water is where they swim.
16:45While the tests show that Hive has excellent quality, just along the coast we are seeing a different story.
16:51Dimchurch's latest classification is poor and it is advised that no bathing takes place there.
16:56Sewage and agricultural runoff are just a couple of sources which contribute to water pollution.
17:03And there are growing concerns of water quality across the county.
17:07Paddling out in protest is Surfers Against Sewage, who have taken to Kent Coast to call for an end to sewage pollution.
17:13So with actually water quality testing, we want to call for year round testing.
17:17We use the water all year round.
17:19We want to see lots of different things being tested for, not just bacteria, but other kinds of chemicals like forever chemicals, things like that.
17:27But beyond that, we just want to see an end sewage pollution.
17:30We think that, you know, communities, citizens should be able to have a voice in how water systems are governed.
17:36We think the regulator needs to be strengthened.
17:38We think that environmental health and public health should be, you know, top of the political agenda, you know, and people shouldn't be, you know, profiting from pollution, essentially.
17:47These, you know, polluters themselves shouldn't be able to profit from pouring sewage into our waterways.
17:53So before heading to the beach this summer, make sure to check the water quality ahead of your day so you can make an informed decision before taking a dip.
18:01Daisy Page for KMTV in Hive.
18:03Now onto a new story, a Medway councillor is calling for five historic oak trees in Huw to be protected in the face of plans to build nearly 800 new homes near Christmas Lane.
18:16Michael Pearce says the trees, some of which are 100 years old, are vital for wildlife and for heritage, warning that widening the road puts them at risk.
18:25Our local democracy reporter, Ollie Leader, went up to the peninsula to see the risks for himself.
18:30Five historic oak trees now potentially at risk.
18:37Here on Christmas Lane in the Huw Peninsula, concerns are mounting in response to a nearly 800 new home development, which could see the road widened and trees potentially felled.
18:53Now one local councillor has launched a petition to put in place a tree protection order to stop the oaks being chopped down.
19:05I think culturally and historically they are part of us, part of this nation, part of the local community.
19:13People have seen these for generations. I've had one resident mention to me that they used to see that tree, this tree specifically on their paper rounds when there was a young lad.
19:21In terms of climate change and biodiversity, these trees must be protected. They're more important than smashing a cycleway right down Christmas Lane, which hardly anyone's going to use.
19:30A Red Road spokesperson said it was continuing to work with Medway Council on its planning application and make any updates as necessary.
19:43While the council say the proposals are still in the consultation phase, which comes to an end in June.
19:53That means while the petition has gained more than 2,700 signatures, these oak trees aren't out of the woods just yet.
20:05Olly leader in who?
20:09Now, something that happened earlier today was police have cornered off some shops in Court Wharton, South Ashford,
20:15after a driver lost control of their vehicle when trying to park, causing them to crash into scaffolding.
20:22The crash left the structure balancing over the pavement, causing a safety concern.
20:26Police were called at 11.50am this morning and were later joined by the fire service.
20:31No one is believed to have been injured in the incident, but information will be published on Kent Online as it becomes available.
20:38Now it's time for the weather forecast.
20:40OK, tonight is looking pretty calm with clear skies and highs of eight degrees in Dartford and Medway.
20:52Tomorrow morning, the sun coming up with a few clouds in Margate, temperatures of 11 and 12 degrees with low wind speeds.
20:59Into the afternoon then, temperatures are ranging from 14 to 18 degrees as the weather warms up and clouds overtake the skies.
21:06For the weekend then, it's looking quite warm with highs of 21 degrees on Sunday and no rain.
21:12Slightly bit of rain on Saturday, but again, cloudy skies on Monday.
21:22OK.
21:24All right.
21:25The Tug of War Association, English National Outdoor Tug of War Championships, that's a lot of words,
21:31to be held at the Chapel Village Park Hall near Tunbridge Wells on Saturday the 21st of June.
21:37On the day, various teams will be competing for gold, silver and bronze medals.
21:41The Oxney Tug of War team are from Sussex and are assisting with the organisation of this year's championship.
21:47Alan Knott, that's a good name for this, isn't it?
21:50From the Tug of War Association, joined us earlier today to tell us a little bit more about the Tug of War.
21:55Well, Tug of War has been sort of a traditional sport that's been around for, you know, hundreds of years actually.
22:01You know, we think it traces back to Egyptian times, but sort of in the UK perhaps started more between villages
22:11and it's also been a big thing in the military as well.
22:14So the Tug of War Association was founded in 1958 and before that it was actually a sport run by the Amateur Athletic Association.
22:22So we've sort of been running the sport since 1958 and we've had national championships every year.
22:29And sort of from the mid-1960s, we've been running international competitions as well.
22:35So this year we're actually hosting the World Championships in Nottingham as well.
22:39Hi there, it's Daisy. I've been really excited for this chat today.
22:42I've never been very good at Tug of War growing up when we've played it.
22:45So I wanted to ask, what makes a Tug of War team and what gives you the best chance of winning?
22:51So on an individual basis, if you're training as an individual, you will be doing your strength training in the gym,
23:01cardiovascular work, running, cycling, et cetera.
23:05But then twice a week you'll train as a team or at least twice a week.
23:09So you'll be honest with most clubs have like what we call a training gantry,
23:14which is a big pulley system of weight on the end that teams will lift up and down to develop teamwork.
23:20It just, it takes a lot of practice to get there.
23:24But you know, a few years a team will gel together and then they'll progress through the sport
23:30and all the way to the top. It does take a lot of practice like any sport does.
23:35And you mentioned about the training. Is it a bit like, do you need people for different things?
23:39A bit like rugby, you have people for different things. Do people do different types of training for their different types of placement in the rope?
23:45I don't know too much about it. So sorry if that sounds a bit like a silly question,
23:48but it's just interesting to know whether people do different things for whereabouts.
23:51Like if they're at the end of the rope, do they need to be a bit more sturdier and hold the place?
23:56I suppose when you look towards him, like you've seen the footage there, your objective really is to be like a rowing team.
24:03Everyone, you want everyone in the same position, doing the same things at the same time.
24:07And they're the most effective teams that will, when you'll see, yeah, you'll see the foot foot is there.
24:12Everyone sort of leaning back with an angle and they're all pressing through the ground with the legs.
24:17It actually requires a lot of leg strength.
24:19People think it's all just arms and shoulders and stuff, but no, it's a whole body thing.
24:25And you know, exactly like rowing, but also we're in a weight category as well.
24:29So people are having to make weight. So, you know, all the teams all weigh the same.
24:35So, you know, you're not getting a weight advantage.
24:38It's all down to teamwork and strength.
24:40I mean, it really looks fascinating.
24:42I suppose when you're in that moment, when it's a really, really close fight between two teams or two individuals,
24:48I suppose that's where the excitement comes from because they are using all of that sort of brute strength,
24:53that whole body mechanism.
24:55Yeah, that's right.
24:58And, you know, you do, you can actually get matches as well that can last several minutes.
25:04Like we had the world championships in Germany last year and the ground was really, really sandy.
25:07So it's very hard for teams to move.
25:09So you had ends going on several minutes, whereas the ground is very hard.
25:12There's quite a lot of attacking competition there.
25:15And that's when the competition gets really close and exciting.
25:19Take us through what the tournament will look like.
25:22It's about a month away now.
25:24Obviously we mentioned being held here in Kent.
25:27What would it look like on the day?
25:29What type of people can take part?
25:33Well, all the teams that will be taking part are registered with the Tug of War Association.
25:38So it's all, everyone's pre-registered to take part.
25:41The sport's held in weight categories.
25:43So we've got weight categories for senior men, senior women, and also junior men, junior women.
25:50And we also have a mixed weight category as well.
25:52So each team will have four men and four women taking part.
25:55The competitions will start at half past nine in the morning and they'll run through the day.
26:00Each weight category has its own slot.
26:03So once one weight category is done, then the next one and then the next one.
26:06So it'll be a long day for quite a few people, but spectators can come along at any time they like to come and watch.
26:14And it's free of charge as well.
26:15We want very much encourage people to come along and see what it's about.
26:18And then the winning teams from this competition will be selected to represent England at the World Championships in Nottingham in September.
26:26Well, that's all from us tonight, but you've been watching Kent Tonight Live on KMTV.
26:32There's more news made just for you for Kent throughout this evening.
26:37Don't forget you can keep us on your social timelines by liking us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
26:44Thank you so much. We'll see you soon.