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  • 23/06/2025
Catch up on all the latest news across the county with Isabelle Miller.
Transcript
00:00Hello and welcome to Kent and I live on KMTV.
00:30I'm Isabel Miller and here are your top stories on Monday the 23rd of June.
00:35Coastal chaos.
00:36Fanit fears more violence after a weekend of anti-social behaviour across the seafront.
00:43There were a lot of them.
00:44We thought they were going to start pushing in this direction as well
00:47because we didn't know what had caused this.
00:49We thought it was just mindless, you know, chaos.
00:53Housing, boat commutes and more housing.
00:56We unpack the plans for Medway's future.
00:59We've got a sort of housing need identified with government of around about 25,000 homes.
01:05That's a huge amount of development and it cannot take place in one particular place.
01:09Commemorating legacy.
01:11Medway honours Windrush Day with music and community.
01:15Without diversity Britain wouldn't be what it is today.
01:18And I think many people forget that, you know, many people during the war had to migrate to places of safety.
01:26First tonight, teenagers smashed windows, shoplifted and fought on beaches, leaving parts of Kent's coast shaken this weekend.
01:46Much of the anti-social behaviour focused on broad stairs, where many businesses were forced to close.
01:52Kent police arrested five people and charged one teenager.
01:57They've been promised, they have promised the community a stronger presence.
02:01Gabriel Morris has been in broad stairs getting the reaction.
02:04This video has now been viewed hundreds of thousands of times online.
02:13Late last week, a large group of young people erupted into violence outside this Italian restaurant.
02:20And opposite this pub worker watched the chaos unfold.
02:24She's now worried for her own safety.
02:26But it's been consistent, so now I'm worried every time I, like, wait outside work, either for a lift or for the bus.
02:33There were a lot of them.
02:35We thought they were going to start pushing in this direction as well, because we didn't know what had caused this.
02:40We thought it was just mindless, you know, chaos and that sort of thing.
02:45So we were quite worried about them pushing their way in here.
02:50But even this seafront gift shop wasn't spared.
02:54Vandals smashing their window.
02:55It's not just to repair costs the owners are worried about.
02:59It's how the violence might damage the town's reputation.
03:03It's the jewel in the crown of the Thanet.
03:08And it's going to stop people from coming down.
03:12You know, it really will do some damage.
03:15It's putting people off already.
03:18People are saying, you know, we can't come back, we can't come back.
03:21And, of course, it's the tourists and the students alike that help bring big income to our town.
03:30Across the district, beach fights broke out.
03:33And one local convenience store reported a spike in shoplifting, having to shut early over the weekend, losing thousands of pounds in trade.
03:42As a business, I can say we nearly, if it's until nine o'clock we keep open on Saturday, we're going to do more than what we've done.
03:51So it's nearly four, three thousand pound, three, four thousand pound business we lost on Saturday.
03:55As the new week begun, the parish council started assessing the impact on local businesses.
04:02We can't accept this.
04:04What we do about it, I don't know.
04:07But we're going to get round the table and we're going to do our best.
04:10We owe it to the residents of Broadstairs, the ratepayers of Broadstairs.
04:14And most of all, we owe it to the visitors that come here and support our local businesses.
04:19Kemp Police say they're still investigating, but so far they've arrested five people and charged one teen.
04:27Officers remain highly visible in the area.
04:30We want you to take responsibility for the actions of your children.
04:34Do you know where they are? Do you know what they're doing?
04:37And if you've seen them online, what are you doing about it?
04:40Because we need to work together to solve this.
04:43I've been speaking to some businesses today and many say they would like to see more police officers on the streets of Broadstairs.
04:49What would you say to that?
04:50What we have done in response to this is we've uplifted our officers and we've added additional resources.
04:56And we will continue to add those additional resources and bring in whatever we need to do to improve the situation.
05:02With teenagers finishing their GCSEs and A-levels, Broadstairs is bracing for more disruption.
05:08But authorities insist they'll crack down, determined to restore the town's picture postcard image.
05:15Gabriel Morris for KMTV in Broadstairs.
05:19Medway Council have revealed their new plans for a Medway makeover.
05:24Today, the local authorities set out their new plan for the area at a council briefing.
05:30This includes new houses, infrastructure and services like supermarkets.
05:34It could be the first local plan successfully passed for the area since 2003.
05:41Our reporter Daisy Page has all the details.
05:4437 years old is the average age of someone able to buy a new home in Medway.
05:49Today, Medway Council held a local plan briefing which looked at the ways Medway could be changing over the years.
05:55It included the potentials of new housing and services.
06:00And it also discussed the use of the river being used for transport.
06:04The need for housing has led to discussions of controversial developments on land in the borough,
06:09including on the Chatham Dockyard, which councillors and developers are looking at keeping its historic connection
06:15while making it an area of employment and housing.
06:18We've got a sort of housing need, identify the government, of around about 25,000 homes.
06:24That's a huge amount of development and it cannot take place in one particular place,
06:28i.e. the Hoon Peninsula or Rainer.
06:30It has to be spread equally across the community.
06:33So we've gone for this, particularly sort of a split between as much of the community as we can
06:38to balance out how the development takes place.
06:41In addition to that, we really feel that regeneration of our brownfield land should take priority.
06:46So the split is 40% of our brownfield sites, so that's the whole of Medway,
06:50will take the priority of the redevelopment for housing.
06:53Then it's 30% on the rural fringe and then it's 30% in the rural area.
06:57With it set to be discussed this Thursday, the opposition will be set to question the plan.
07:03We're really concerned about the local plan that the administration have announced,
07:07which will be coming to full council on Thursday.
07:09We've got lots of concerns, not only about the policy aspects of the plan,
07:14including critical parts of the plan as it relates to infrastructure,
07:17but we're also concerned about a number of broken promises that the administration
07:20have made to the people of Medway, including on the Chatham Dock,
07:23that they defended whilst in opposition, and other rural parts of the authority
07:27that will see significant numbers of housing over the local plan period.
07:31But what do residents think about the idea of housing development on the Chatham Dockyards?
07:36Chatham Dockyards is a very historical site,
07:39so I think there is something about keeping it pure for residents to understand about the historical nature.
07:45But however, we know we are in a housing crisis,
07:48and I think if we can just make sure that maybe not all of the space is used for residential
07:54and we still have the historical element, then that's fine.
07:56I think we've got to have a balance because there is a massive need.
07:59Well, there's already housing at Chatham Dockyard.
08:01It works very well.
08:03If you're going to keep it a thriving, bustling place,
08:05I think you should have people living there as well.
08:09The future of Medway will be discussed by the end of this week,
08:12but a decision is still far away.
08:14Daisy Page for KMTV.
08:15Our reporter, Daisy Page, joins us now to tell us a little bit more.
08:20So you mentioned maybe the use of the River Medway, as we can see here.
08:25Tell us more about that.
08:26Yes.
08:26So Medway population has actually gone up 6% from 2011 to 2021.
08:33Now, that's a decade, so 6% in a decade.
08:35And it said it's estimated to increase by 3.9% by 2040.
08:43So they're kind of planning for an increase of population here in Medway.
08:48And it said that it's the top 40% most densely populated local authority area.
08:53As we heard in my report, it was highly focused on the need for housing
08:57and the placement of this being all across Medway, not in just one place.
09:04And with houses, it comes with the need for more services,
09:07which was discussed, like supermarkets, but also more cars on the road.
09:14And one way that they've kind of talked about this might be using the River Medway.
09:19And when you kind of go to London, you can get on a boat, hop across the river,
09:24go to somewhere else.
09:25So that might be a plan that they're looking at this Thursday, is using the River.
09:30And what they described it as is getting to work on the River.
09:33How would you like to get to work by a boat?
09:34I mean, I could do with commuting on a boat.
09:37It might be a nice view.
09:38Well, it depends on the weather, I guess.
09:40If it's a sunny day, then, well, maybe.
09:44It's something a little bit different, other than your boat.
09:47I drive ages in the morning, so maybe something,
09:50a nice, fun river tour in the morning might be quite nice.
09:53So that's something that they discussed and they mentioned about the planning of this
09:57as a new mode of transport.
09:59But I spoke with Councillor Simon Currie to find out a little bit more about what he thinks.
10:04But the river itself is what we're named after.
10:07It runs through our heart.
10:09And it's an incredible resource.
10:11It's hugely valuable from an environmental point of view.
10:14And we've got to do something about the water quality, which we're trying to do our best with.
10:17But equally, it's a transport corridor.
10:19It's got an economic benefit.
10:21And that's one of the exciting things we can do.
10:22There's a number of piers and wharfs which we want to refurbish.
10:25And utilising the river as a corridor for transport means it takes the burden off our roads as well.
10:31So that's a win-win.
10:32And also quite exciting with the Medway City Estate proposals is putting a couple of bridges over there
10:37for pedestrians and cyclists to be able to walk back and forth.
10:40It would be quite an exciting thing to do as well.
10:43So would you say there were some common themes in the discussions?
10:46Well, one thing that really stood out to me, and I'm not sure if it's just because I'm the climate producer,
10:50but it was actually the discussion around climate change, and the strategies that they discussed
10:56also looked at implementing things about that to try and help with climate change
11:01and the future of plans of roads and buildings around this.
11:05And if we have a quick time to take a look at a SOT, we can see what Simon said about that as well.
11:11I don't actually think we have time for the SOT, but maybe you could describe to us what they said.
11:16No, that's fine.
11:16So he talked about, obviously, the planting of trees.
11:19Now, trees play a very important role.
11:21They've said that they've started seeing a rise in the River Medway already due to heavy rainfall
11:26and also just impacts and some things that we're seeing from the impact of climate change.
11:33They want to be planting more trees because trees play an important role.
11:36It's obviously sucking up water and kind of mitigating and acting as a natural defence in that as well.
11:42So they're just a few things, but maybe we can get that sorted in a bit later for you.
11:45Absolutely.
11:46Here's to more councils looking at climate change.
11:49We'll see you right after this break.
12:23Thank you for coming.
22:38And let me and I'm really moving to the.
22:40Okay.
22:42It's a grand forward from Bristol City...
22:43And he's looking forward to making those young players really, you know, a vital asset to
22:44the squad with these older players sort of leading the charge.
22:46Speaking of young players, we've also got some volleyball news.
22:50news. So, yeah, it's very exciting. So here in Kent, if you don't know, we have our National
22:57Volleyball League team. They are Invicta, Kent Invicta. And it's specifically, they have one
23:04player on a professional contract. He's Mickey Horny. I believe he's around 19. And he's actually
23:08just been accepted onto the Under-22s England squad. And he's, like I said, he's the only player
23:14on a professional contract. I myself have actually seen him play. He's very, very good. I interviewed
23:19him when he was joining the Under-19s team. I think he did a tournament, I believe, in
23:23Iceland. And so now he's moving on to bigger and better things. So, like I say, always more
23:28sports news. Oh, thank you very much, Finn. How very interesting volleyball. Something
23:32that I will hopefully give a try in the future myself. You never know. But you can't forget
23:36that we can look at the website to keep up to date with all the latest stories going on
23:40in Kent. And you can watch this one.
23:42On the 8th of May, 1945, Germany officially surrendered. And after nearly six years of
23:53fighting, World War II came to an end. All across Kent, towns have been celebrating VE
24:00Day. And the community of Feathersham has come together today to celebrate the 80th anniversary
24:06of VE Day. There's a variety of stalls and even some familiar faces walking around.
24:13Many were dressed the part for Fathersham in the 40s. There was singing, dancing, and even
24:18a historical figure wandering around. Well, it's a marvellous event, obviously. You
24:23only have to look just up this little street and there are people, all the stall holders are
24:28all appropriate. But it's the visitors that are dressed up. They're bringing back the spirit
24:33of the 40s. Whilst remembering those who lost their lives
24:37fighting, the event also celebrated the work of the British people on the home front. And
24:42one group that stood out was the women. They kept the nation going by knitting things, looking
24:47after children, digging in the fields, going to the factories, things that they were never
24:52allowed to do before. And I think it all brought the country together. Over three million women
24:58volunteered for the Red Cross, and six million worked in factories. The friends in the 40s
25:04group were helping to shine a light on some other home front efforts, including the local
25:10defence volunteers.
25:11Yes, I think TV with Dad's Army, very comical as it is, does give a slightly false impression
25:19of how things would have been. But it was about the time when the threat of German invasion
25:25was particularly high, with Dunkirk happening as well. If things had gone the wrong way,
25:32then Britain would have lost its army effectively. And local defence volunteers would have been
25:38called upon, if needs be, to sacrifice themselves to help defend the country.
25:43The group was made up of men aged 17 to 65, who, for a variety of reasons, were unable to
25:50fight on the front line. Up and down the streets, the spirit of the 1940s was as present today
25:57as it was 80 years ago. A brilliant atmosphere celebrating such an important time and day
26:02in British history.
26:12Etelie Reynolds for KMTV.
26:15A lovely celebration there for the victory in Europe Day. But after the break, we'll be looking
26:21more about Windrush Day, which was on Sunday, and talking about how we can honour that and
26:28remember the generation who came to Britain to rebuild after World War II. We will see you
26:34right after this break.
26:51The return of the UK is one of the UK and what other university in the UK and what other international
27:05institutions have done before and that is the UK which was on Sunday in September. So, the
27:09purpose of the UK, that our teacher and I will continue to build up with the UK, which is that
27:13the majority of the UK instead of the UK and all of the UK. We will be looking for the UK.
31:16That's a huge amount of development and it cannot take place in one particular place.
31:21Commemorating legacy, Medway honours Windrush Day with music and community.
31:26Without diversity, Britain wouldn't be what it is today and I think many people forget
31:32that, you know, many people during the war had to migrate to places of safety.
31:37Now for our top story this evening.
31:49The teenagers smashed windows, Kent police, Kent police arrested five people and charged
32:07one teenager.
32:08They've promised the community a stronger presence.
32:10Gabriel Morris has been to Broadstairs getting the reaction.
32:19This video has now been viewed hundreds of thousands of times online. Late last week a large group
32:24of young people erupted into violence outside this Italian restaurant. And opposite this pub
32:31worker watched for chaos unfold. She's now worried for her own safety.
32:36But it's been consistent. So now I'm worried every time I like wait outside work either for
32:42a lift or for the bus. There were a lot of them. We thought they were going to start pushing
32:46in this direction as well because we didn't know what had caused this. We thought it was
32:50just mindless, you know, chaos and that sort of thing. So we were quite worried about them
32:57pushing their way in here.
33:00But even this seafront gift shop wasn't spared. Vandals smashing their window. It's not just
33:06the repair costs the owners are worried about. It's how the violence might damage the town's
33:12reputation.
33:13But also it's the most, it's the jewel in the crown of the Thanet and it's going to stop
33:19people from coming down. You know, it really will do some damage. It's putting people off
33:27already. People are saying, you know, we can't come back, we can't come back. And of course
33:32it's the tourists and the students alike that help bring big income to our town.
33:41Across the district, beach fights broke out. And one local convenience store reported a
33:46spike in shoplifting, having to shut early over the weekend, losing thousands of pounds
33:51in trade.
33:52As a business, I can say, we nearly, if it's until nine o'clock we keep open on Saturday,
33:58we're going to do more than what we've done. So it's nearly four, three thousand pound, three,
34:03four thousand pound business we lost on Saturday.
34:07As the new week begun, the parish council started assessing the impact on local businesses.
34:12We can't accept this. What we do about it, I don't know. But we're going to get round
34:18the table and we're going to do our best. We owe it to the residents of Broadstairs, the
34:22ratepayers of Broadstairs and most of all we owe it to the visitors that come here and support
34:28our local businesses.
34:29Kemp police say they're still investigating, but so far they've arrested five people and
34:35charged one teen. Officers remain highly visible in the area.
34:40We want you to take responsibility for the actions of your children. Do you know where
34:45they are? Do you know what they're doing? And if you've seen them online, what are you
34:49doing about it? Because we need to work together to solve this.
34:52I've been speaking to some businesses today and many say they would like to see more police
34:57officers on the streets of Broadstairs. What would you say to that?
35:00What we have done in response to this is we've uplifted our officers and we've added additional
35:05resources and we will continue to add those additional resources and bring in whatever we
35:09need to do to improve the situation.
35:12With teenagers finishing their GCSEs and A-levels, Broadstairs is bracing for more disruption.
35:18And authorities insist they'll crack down, determined to restore the town's picture postcard image.
35:25Gabriel Morris for KMTV in Broadstairs.
35:29Next, through music and community, Medway came together in honour of Windrush Day. The Medway
35:36African and Caribbean Association, along with Medway Council, held events to remember the
35:43generation who came to Britain to rebuild after World War II.
35:47My reporter, Kai Wei Wendt, to find out more about what the importance of Windrush Day
35:53is to the Medway towns.
35:56Windrush Day was celebrated on the 22nd of June. It commemorates everyone from the Windrush
36:01generation who came over to Britain just after World War II.
36:04There was a ship called the Windrush that people came over on, but it's also important to recognise
36:09that there have been many people from Africa and the Caribbean that have been here for
36:14decades and centuries, way before the Windrush arrival. I feel a great sense of pride, particularly
36:22when I'm second generation Windrush. My parents came over in the early 50s. Like many of that
36:30generation, they answered the call.
36:31Founded around the late 80s, Macca started as a small community of people supporting each
36:36other until they found a temporary home in the sunlight centre where they stand today.
36:40Well, when I first came to Medway many, many years ago, there was not such a big African-Caribbean
36:49community, but it has built up from people who have come from all different areas in England.
36:58Celebrating Windrush for us in Macca, it recognises what, not just us, but our parents and our parents'
37:05parents who have been here, the contributions that they have made to Medway.
37:10Here in Medway, we've got a fantastic organisation in the Medway African and Caribbean Association
37:15known as Macca, and they are great champions for that community and particularly Dr.
37:19Carol Stewart does a phenomenal job working hard, working with partners like ourselves,
37:23the police and others, to really raise the profile, raise the voices and make sure those
37:29individuals are heard.
37:30Macca, also known as the Medway African and Caribbean Association, raised a flag this morning
37:36right outside of the Medway Council building. And here at the Community Hub this afternoon,
37:40a special talk is happening to commemorate those from the Windrush generation and the impact
37:45that they've had on Britain.
37:49What we're doing is we're chronicling and we're telling the history and stories of some
37:54of the families of the Windrush that came into England back in the 1950s and 60s. We're concentrating
38:01on many, many family members, but my family's involved in that as jazz musicians and klebsonians.
38:07We need to remember the history and we need to remember the journey. Many of them were told
38:14stories of picking money from trees and money off the ground and all these kinds of things
38:19and it was very exciting for them. So it's important for us to pass these stories on for
38:25our children and children's children.
38:26As Macca continues to grow in numbers and as time passes all too quickly, the importance
38:32of remembering the past and the rich history of our nation shines through on days like this.
38:37Kai Wei for KMTV in Chatham.
38:42And joining us down the line is David Lawrence, the star of Sunday's Windrush talk, would you say?
38:48Yes, absolutely. And can you tell us a little bit more about the talks and how the community came together?
39:00Well, the talks are really a part of the history of our family members and our friends that came
39:09into England back in those days. And, you know, these are stories that the public never had any
39:17opportunity to learn about. They didn't know what went on behind club's doors. They just saw these
39:23people coming from the Caribbean and join the British society and just got on with the work.
39:30But there was a lot that went on behind the scenes and we tell a little bit of that history
39:35through our exhibition and through the projects that we're doing. It's very, very important for us to
39:42remember the fantastic work and foundations that these elders built. My family in particular
39:52were jazz musicians. They came in from the island of Antigua and they joined British society and did
39:58various strokes. But, you know, in the evenings they played out in the public. They played rock and roll,
40:06rhythm and blues. We're talking about the 1950s and 1960s. And so, you know, to my dad, who's a jazz
40:13trumpeter, he'd come home and he'd tell my mother, oh, you know, we just did a little job for this group
40:20and that group of people. But when we did the research, we looked into it, you know, names like
40:25Manfred Mann and Dave Clark Five and, you know, the London Palladium. These are names that came up with
40:33my father and his brothers. They actually played and joined the orchestra there and played. And so,
40:39we inherited the photographs. We got all of the information. And so, we're celebrating those
40:45triumphs. And that's what Windrush, the Windrush celebration is about. My family, family stories
40:51and others. Yeah. And it's always about sharing a piece of you to then pass on to future generations
40:56too. Can you tell us about the Windrush generation's influence on music and culture as a whole in Britain?
41:03Wow. I don't know how much time you have, but you know, it is phenomenal. You're talking about
41:12the influence within popular music culture from rhythm and blues, rock, right away through to modern
41:23music today. You're talking about the influence within mod culture, the skinhead culture. You're
41:30talking about even the rock and roll Teddy boys from the 60s going right the way through to the early
41:38Britpop, Brit soul, reggae. I'm so sorry, David. You're right. We don't have enough time to talk
41:45about this, but it's so rich and beautiful. And thank you so much for talking about it.
41:49Absolutely. We'll see everyone after this break.
41:57We'll see you next time.
42:06We'll see you next time.
51:00You know,
51:30thank you.
53:21I'm going to be a bit of a
53:22conservation effort.
53:23So, this is the white-tailed eagle.
53:24And it is currently on the red list for the UK, which means that it's very much in danger
53:25of being extinct.
53:28It did used to be entirely extinct. But now due to this, there's, they released, I believe,
53:3519 of them in the Isle of White in 2019. And since then, there's been a few sightings of
53:43the eagle in Kent. This is due to just them passing. Apparently they've been going to France as well.
53:51I was speaking to, oh, I've forgotten now.
53:56Well, so they've been flying across. And what the conservationists hope now is that they're
54:02going to start breeding in Kent, which would mean that we'd have our own species of the eagle.
54:08That'd be great to see.
54:09Yes, certainly. So, the last one that was spotted here was in March. But it has been flying all across Kent.
54:16We've seen this due to different maps that the Roy Dennis Foundation has provided. Roy Dennis, that's who I was speaking to earlier.
54:26But yes, so if you're looking out for them and you want to spot them and let people know that you've seen it,
54:31something very interesting, they have a wingspan of up to 2.5 metres. Now, if you don't know that, that's over eight foot.
54:38I was about to say, I'm not that tall.
54:40Yes, it's certainly...
54:41Not that I'm that tall.
54:42And they have a yellow beak, golden eyes, yellow legs. So, yeah, if you see them, make sure to log it and let people know.
54:50And you can find the map and then add to it, basically.
54:55Yeah, yeah, yeah.
54:57Amazing. So, what else has been seen around? I feel like this weekend there's been quite a lot of animals.
55:02Maybe it's the rising heat. Maybe it's the lovely weather. A few people may be seeing a few aquatic creatures.
55:08Well, I was out on the River Medway on Saturday and I seen some dolphins. There was also seals.
55:15I might have seen one of these birds, but I think it was a bit too far away for me to be 100% certain.
55:20But we did see a dolphin. We have a little... Yes, here it is now. Now, this is a video that Vince Maple took from KCC.
55:28As council of Vince Maple, leader of Medway Council.
55:31Yes. This was at the boat. Now, dolphins, for a while, they weren't seen very regularly,
55:37but due to more conservation efforts in the river, removing pollution,
55:42they've now been spotted again and that is along with the seals as well.
55:46I'd love to see dolphins. Yes. And seals. I need to live maybe closer...
55:50Well, you don't even need to live closer to the coast because you just need a body of water.
55:55River Medway. That's so exciting. What else can we see here in Kent?
55:59Yes. So, we should have some other pictures of things that were spotted over the weekend.
56:04So, yes, where do you think this was?
56:08Where do I think that was? This is a snake. Spotting a snake. Where in Kent would I see a snake?
56:12No, it's not an alive snake. I'll have to give you that, but either way.
56:15Oh, it's not a live snake. You could have fooled me.
56:18Although, maybe that's embarrassing to say.
56:21Shall we say Gravesend? Because, you know, I live near Gravesend.
56:25This was in Ashford. Ashford? Ah.
56:27Yeah, yeah. Somebody was cutting the grass. They found this in their garden.
56:32So, there is lots of different. We've got dolphins, snakes.
56:34Oh, well. Well, I must say, I've been seeing a lot of bees and that makes me feel very thankful.
56:38Oh, and this we can see. Where was this? Where was this?
56:40Oh, I'm not sure, but that's it for the end of the programme. We'll leave you in suspense.
56:44Thank you for watching Kent tonight.

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