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00:00Hello and welcome to Cancer Night live on KMTV. I'm Mahima Abedin and here are your
00:29top stories on Thursday the 5th of September. It's killed my business. Dartford shop says
00:35council's six month long roadworks are forcing them to close. It's not sustainable if it
00:41carries on like this so I reckon I'll be closed by the end of the year. Down the drain. Kent
00:46reacts to law that could put water bosses behind bars and take away bonuses. It does
00:51not go far enough. It doesn't go near enough far away. Large gaps are missing. And seabirds
00:57in decline. Beachgoers blamed as Kent birds put on red alert. It's all about educating
01:03the public to understand why this is such an important place for wildlife. First tonight
01:18the boss of a cafe in Dartford says he'll have to close his doors as roadwork from the
01:23town's regeneration scheme are cutting off access for customers. The works on West Hill
01:28Junction are due to continue for the next six months in which time a number of businesses
01:33have told KMTV they're worried about the future. From a lack of customer parking to difficulty
01:39receiving deliveries. Finn McDermid has the story. Many people in Dartford believe their
01:45high street needs change and the borough council responded to that with their rejuvenation
01:50scheme which aims to improve junctions, pedestrian crossings to the station and bus journeys.
01:55In doing so, however, they may have hurt local businesses' profits. The morning trade has
02:01almost vanished because the law is having problems coming down and then there's no room
02:04for them to turn around. So rather than have the hassle, they're obviously going elsewhere.
02:11So that's mega impacted. And because they've now restricted parking along here, which was
02:17going to happen, it's made it even worse. So it's now becoming more evident that it's
02:23not sustainable if it carries on like this. So I reckon I'll be closed by the end of the year.
02:28Allison's Pantry is a small cafe that also sells art, knickknacks and other goods from
02:33local vendors. And its location to the Spittle Street Junction used to be a selling point.
02:38But now customer parking, deliveries and even regular customers will all be affected. The
02:42roadworks are set to last for 23 weeks, meaning that in cases where businesses need to be
02:47prepared to spend money in advance, such as renewing a lease or buying stock in bulk,
02:52they may have to weigh up costs and choose where to cut them. Just two minutes down the
02:56street, a bicycle shop called Cycle King are also having some issues with the scheme.
03:02So our deliveries on Fridays have been affected. Basically the truck driver can't park up outside,
03:07which obviously affects us because then we have to either park him right up the top or
03:11a bit further down. And then obviously we've got to drag bikes off the truck, which then
03:16means dragging them up the road and into the place.
03:18While these businesses are struggling with the roadworks, they say it's the communication,
03:22or lack thereof, that makes it all the more difficult. While some have received letters
03:26telling them of the oncoming changes to the junction, others who wish to remain anonymous
03:30told us they received no correspondence at all. In a statement, Dartford Council's leader,
03:35Jeremy Kite, stated that that's the whole period of work, so not everything will be
03:39closed and interrupted for that whole period. Roadworks are never particularly welcome,
03:44but we will try to get them done as quickly as possible. While the time frame of the roadworks
03:48will provide a harsh ultimatum for local businesses, with some, like Alison's Pantry, having to
03:53fully close, some may argue it's just the price of improvement.
03:57Finn McDermid for KMTV in Dartford.
04:01So Finn joins me now. Now Finn, we heard from you there in your report, but what does the
04:05future look like for these businesses that aren't closing?
04:09Well, they told me they are convinced that this will be a burden on their profits, but
04:15I think it really depends on the business. So Alison's was hit particularly hard because
04:19it's a small, locally owned shop that relies on a lot of foot traffic, whereas on the other
04:24hand, Cycle King, as you saw there, is a larger company with multiple chains, so it's not
04:30going to affect them as much, they told us, in terms of profits, but it might have an
04:34impact because of deliveries, for instance. But we're not too sure, it might not have
04:39an effect on all businesses. For instance, there was a school uniform supply shop that
04:43looked particularly busy, so it's not a blanket statement, it looks by business, you can sort
04:49of judge it.
04:51So it sounds like a mixed reaction, but those businesses that say they are going to be impacted
04:55say it's because of this regeneration scheme. Now, what does that mean? Can you give us
04:58some context?
05:00Sure thing. So here we have a map of the regeneration scheme supplied by Dartford Council. Now, it
05:05looks like there's a lot to see here, but essentially Dartford Council are just making
05:10improvements to these specific areas. For instance, down here on the high street where
05:15they put up streetlights, as well as resurfaced parts of the roads. And the reason that local
05:20businesses feel the way they do about certain parts of these roadworks is simply because
05:25of the timeframe of six months. Well, Dartford Council themselves say the project is going
05:31ahead to accommodate for future growth of the town, to provide an accessible and high
05:36quality town centre. They published some aims and objectives of this, which were to, for
05:42instance, reduce local car travel in the area to improve air quality and encourage a shift
05:48to bus and rail travel. According to the council, they want to maintain the current highway
05:52network and create an attractive public space. So it's all sort of to see how that goes.
05:57Thanks for those details, Finn. Well, staying in Dartford, a man has been charged with attempted
06:02murder after reports of a stabbing. Police were called to reports of an assault on Spital
06:07Street on Saturday evening. Two men and one woman are now said to be in stable condition
06:12after being treated for their injuries at a London hospital. Twenty-nine-year-old Eric
06:17de Silva-Sawes has also been charged with grievous bodily harm with intent and is now
06:22due to appear at Medway Magistrates Court. It's understood that this incident is being
06:27treated as isolated. A footballer from Dover has pled guilty to supplying cocaine to an
06:34organised crime group. Boston United player Trey Mitford appeared in court alongside a
06:39former team-mate where the pair told Swindon Crown Court they'd used the code name Dusseldorf
06:45to describe the operation. The 19-year-old from Hamilton Road in Dover was caught by
06:50Wiltshire Police when the force was carrying out enforcement actions across four locations
06:55in the south-west. He's now expected to face a potential lengthy prison sentence. Water
07:02companies that discharge raw sewage into Kent's rivers and coastlines could be banned from
07:07receiving bonuses following newly announced government measures. The proposed laws will
07:12give increased powers to water regulators to tackle polluting companies, making it easier
07:19for them to be fined. Our reporter Oliver Leeder-De Sacks joined me here in the studio
07:23earlier with more. So Oliver, what can you tell us about these new water measures? Well,
07:30sewage discharge is a huge issue for Kent. It was the talk of the election. We've seen
07:35no swim bans near Romney Marsh. We've seen campaign groups eager to get sewage out of
07:40rivers and seas near Whitstable. So it's quite a significant issue and Kent last year saw
07:46a significant amount of these discharges, overflow discharges, which water companies
07:51say is due to high levels of rainfall. In Kent alone, there were nearly 4,000 spills
07:57last year for a total of more than 20,000 hours. So that's kind of telling you the scale
08:03of the issue right here in the county. And that's why they're putting forward new regulations
08:09to tackle these water companies on these issues. Obviously, water companies have received quite
08:15a lot of heat for the amount of bonuses their executives have received despite the sewage
08:21overflows. And that is why the government are putting forward regulations that could
08:26see executives sent to prison for disrupting investigations and could see them even stripped
08:32of those thousands of pounds of bonuses. Steve Reid, the minister for DEFRA, which is the
08:39Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, gave a speech in Putney earlier today
08:44outlining some of those plans. Water chief executives have paid themselves over 41 million
08:50pounds in bonuses, benefits and incentives, despite the damage their companies have been
08:57causing. This bill will give off what new powers to ban bonuses for the executives and
09:04senior leadership of water companies unless they meet high standards when it comes to
09:10protecting the environment, their consumers, financial resilience and criminal liability.
09:16So are campaigners happy about these new measures? I'd say it's a mixed bag. Some campaigners
09:21are happy that the government are taking action on this. But they say that regulators like
09:26Ofwat already have powers to fine companies, but it's more the ability to enforce it. They
09:34say that these measures may not be going far enough. In fact, I spoke to one local liberal
09:39Democrat in the area, Stuart Bourne. He says that this is a good first step, but there could
09:47be more action in the future. Looking at what Labour put forward, it does not go far enough.
09:53It doesn't go near enough far away. Large gaps are missing about the ultimately the
10:01fact that Ofwat is still in place. I mean, a lot of the proposals they're putting forward,
10:07the regulations, the new laws, they're already there existing on some level,
10:11but Ofwat have not got the teeth to really go after the water companies.
10:18With the Paralympics underway, a sports club in Kent is hoping to coach hundreds of children
10:22and adults with disabilities to inspire the next generation of athletes. Inclusive Sport
10:28has secured a loan of more than £170,000 to open up its new headquarters in Whitstable.
10:36Now it plans to use that to create a level playing field so sport is accessible to everyone.
10:41We spoke to Tom Sangorides, who's the director at the club.
10:45The funds that they lent to us as an organisation, yes, it's great now, but I think will really pay
10:50off in five years when everything here is operational, running and seeing the home of
10:55inclusive sport and fitness really flourish. The more publicity the Paralympics get, like it is
11:00now, getting daily updates and things, there's more likely those people in communities like what
11:04we serve that might think that can be for them. But without that exposure, which is getting now,
11:09that opportunity might not happen. Did you see the event at the weekend? Let's try and do that
11:13in our sessions. And there might be one person out of the hundreds we work with that actually
11:18bites onto a sport and that means they believe they can be an athlete.
11:23Now it's time for a short break, but coming up, we'll hear about the rising concerns of
11:27conservationists after sites of dogs and speedboats disrupting birds at local beaches.
11:33And Kent Film Club's presenter Chris Deasy will join me in the studio to discuss the
11:37long-awaited sequel to the 1988 dark fantasy Beetlejuice, which premieres tomorrow.
11:44All that and more after the break. We'll see you soon.
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15:12Hello and welcome back to Kentonite live on KMTV. A school in Herne Bay has come under fire after it
15:18was discovered a gate has been installed to block pupils from accessing toilets during lesson time.
15:25More than a hundred people have signed a petition calling for Herne Bay High School
15:29to reverse the measures with some parents describing the policy as a human rights violation.
15:35However, the school has defended the decision saying the gate is part of measures to ensure
15:39the safety and well-being of students and that other toilets are available during the school day.
15:46Reckless beachgoers are being blamed for endangering species of birds at Beach in East
15:52Kent after a speedboat was caught on camera speeding through Sandwich and Pegwell Bay.
15:57Kent Wildlife Trust says that such recreational pressures are adding to the decline of seabirds
16:02that have joined others like the puffin on the UK's red tier list meaning they're in danger
16:08of becoming extinct. Kristen Hawthorne went down to Pegwell Bay to find out more.
16:13Footage of dogs chasing endangered migratory birds at Pegwell Bay as well as speedboats
16:19tearing through the area has sparked environmental concerns from conservationists protecting the site.
16:25Kent Wildlife Trust says an influx of visitors during the summer period to the area may be
16:30unaware of their impact on the wildlife here as restrictions are commonly ignored adding to the
16:36problem. The birds rely on this site, there's these wonderful nutrient-rich mudflats behind me,
16:42the salt marsh to roost in. They need this area to rest while they're on the migratory route
16:47between their breeding grounds and their overwintering grounds and people aren't
16:50always aware that when they scare a bird or then maybe their dog scares a bird or whatever
16:55recreational activity they might be doing causes a bird to fly off that can have a long-term impact
17:00on it so if birds continuously are disturbed they lose energy, they aren't able to feed.
17:06As five new species of seabirds are added to the UK's red tier list,
17:1073 birds are now at risk of becoming extinct. Pegwell and Sandwich Bay, Kent's largest protected
17:18area supports two of these species, the common gull as well as the black-backed gull as they
17:24travel here on their flight path from the Arctic Circle. Things like disturbance that can push
17:29these birds over the edge, it can you know have an impact for example on the nesting birds here
17:36and that's going to impact their long-term population success. There's lots of places
17:41that we can go and we can enjoy, we can do recreational activities. The few areas that
17:46we have left that are protected for wildlife need to remain so, so that the wildlife can enjoy it
17:52and we can also enjoy watching the wildlife at the same time. Pegwell Bay has a public space
17:57protection order. Anyone who lets their dog off the leash could face a fine of up to £100.
18:03Police and volunteers will be closely monitoring this area to prevent the extinction of birds and
18:08help the area to flourish. This has been Kristen Hawthorne for KMTV. Now don't forget you can keep
18:15up to date with all your latest stories across Kent by logging on to our website kmtv.co.uk.
18:21There you'll find all our reports including this one about the division amongst Kent's landlords
18:26over a new rumoured pub garden smoking ban, with some thinking it could lighten up
18:32hospitality and others worried about it going up in flames. Earlier today, Sir Keir Starmer confirmed
18:38the government was considering a ban on smoking in a range of outdoor venues. But despite the
18:44Prime Minister's concerns about the burden on the NHS, the plans have drawn criticism
18:50from the hospitality industry, including one Thanet landlord. We have really nice outdoor
18:57smoking areas, we have heaters, we have televisions there for people to be out and watch the sport,
19:02we have nice comfortable seating and it works and I don't find that there is a need. You know
19:10sometimes you go okay there may be a need that wants to get sorted out here, I don't see where
19:14the need or the driver is coming from. But not all landlords are convinced the potential ban is a
19:20bad thing. I think so, I think it's a great idea but it might differ. But everyone said that about
19:25the smoking ban, said it's a worse thing for pubs and whatever, didn't really affect it that much,
19:30made restaurants a lot better, a lot nicer places to go to. And actually I think there are even some
19:35smokers that agree that especially now that you don't smoke inside pubs, they find it a better
19:40environment. But high street pubs whereas sports bars places like that perhaps have a designated
19:45area for smokers, as long as it's just smokers and it's not interfering with anyone else,
19:49so it doesn't upset anyone. If the ban does come into force, ashtrays like this one here at the
19:54Tudor Rose could become a thing of the past. But it's not just pub gardens on the potential
20:00ban list, smoking outside football stadiums, near children's parks, outside hospitals and
20:06universities and even on restaurant terraces could all potentially face the axe. What do people
20:14in Medway make of all of this? I think it's a good thing because it's a lot to do with people's
20:19health and that as well. You shouldn't ban people from doing stuff outside, it's ridiculous. I don't
20:24really think there's a need to stop people smoking, especially in pub gardens. There's nothing worse
20:30than trying to eat something and somebody's smoking at the next table and it blows over, so
20:35in a way it would be a good idea. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care told
20:41KNTV that while they do not comment on leaks, smoking claims 80,000 lives a year and costs
20:49taxpayers billions. They say they are considering a range of measures to finally make Britain smoke
20:57free. Oliver leads the sats for KNTV in Rochester. A quick reminder that a yellow weather alert for
21:06rain has been issued for the whole of Kent with the chance of power cuts and flooding.
21:11Now with that in mind let's take a quick look at the weather.
21:19Tonight it's cloudy skies and rain across the whole of the county with highs of 19 and lows of 17.
21:26Tomorrow morning that rain persists but temperatures warm up slightly to 21 in the
21:31Margate and Canterbury areas and tomorrow afternoon remains about the same with temperatures of 21
21:36degrees in Dartford and in Chatham. Now the outlook for the upcoming days, the rain continues
21:42into the weekend and next Monday with temperatures of 21.
21:46Now for a look back at our top story today. The boss of a cafe in Dartford says he'll have to
21:52close his doors as roadworks from the town's regeneration scheme are cutting off access for
21:57customers. The works on Westhill Junction are due to continue for the next six months in which time
22:04a number of businesses have told KNTV they will be closed.
22:08And finally, fans of the 1988 cult classic Beetlejuice are set to flock to cinemas across Kent as the mischievous character returns 36 years after its first release.
22:37Joining me now to tell us more ahead of the brand new episode of Kent Film Club
22:41is the show's presenter Chris Deasey. Chris, great to have you here. Thanks Mahima. So Chris,
22:47Tim Burton films, they're always a hit but I mean this one in particular, it's a 1988 classic,
22:53it's a horror and a comedy all in one but before we get into it, can we talk about the genre? How
22:58can it be a horror and a comedy in one? Well when this came out people didn't know what to make of
23:03it because it's a real sort of hybrid. I always remember the Harry Belafonte song at the beginning
23:09and it's like a haunted house film with touches of looking at the afterlife, so lots of life after
23:14death themes and all these scares and Tim Burton's managed to get the cast back for, you know, Tim,
23:19I think actually it's Michael Keaton's birthday today and Winona Ryder as well. So this is before
23:24we made Batman and before Edward Scissorhands. And so of course I imagine fans are going to be
23:29running to the cinemas ready to get their tickets. Now what about yourself? Are you a
23:33fan of Beetlejuice yourself? Well I am. I remember when it came out people said if you like The
23:37Witches of Eastwick which came out the year earlier, which is one of my favourite films,
23:40so if ever I'm a guest on my own programme I might pick that one, but Beetlejuice, it's in that same
23:44sort of genre and I did a lot of work on afterlife films a few years later so I need no excuse to go
23:50and revisit this film as I will in the next, well it's released tomorrow so I'll be watching it
23:53very soon. So you'll be watching it tomorrow. Now I haven't actually watched the 1988 one and
23:58that's only because I didn't grow up with it being on my screen. But now with the likes of
24:03General Ortega, young stars coming up and going into the movie, I'm thinking of going. So I guess
24:08my question to you is what do you think these new viewers are going to look like? Do you think
24:13there'll be a difference in who actually goes to watch these films? Well because you've got the
24:18children of the children I guess because Winona Ryder was only a teenager when this came out and
24:22so you'll see the same characters but playing roles obviously a generation apart and this film
24:28is very sort of based on generations. This young family move in and they upset the ghosts so I
24:33can't wait to see what Tim Burton, who's a very imaginative filmmaker, is going to do with that.
24:37But also as you say a new cast and a cast of a much younger generation so I think it'll really
24:43work for those who grew up like me in the 80s and also those who will be watching this afresh.
24:49Now like you mentioned it will be a blast to watch but now it's not the first time we've
24:53seen a film being rebooted. For example Ghostbusters, there's loads of them. There's
24:57one where it's even got a whole female cast. So it's not a new thing but what about yourself
25:02Chris? Have you ever thought about a movie that you think needs to come back again? What film
25:06would you want to see? Well I know there are some that they should never make and they did try like
25:09It's A Wonderful Life but Mrs Doubtfire, when Robin Williams was alive he was always asked
25:14that question. Will you redo Mrs Doubtfire? And of course sometimes you don't want to
25:18tread on an original and make it look a little less impressive. But I mean personally I mean
25:24John Updike who wrote The Witches of Eastwick, the novel in which the film was based, also made
25:29some years later he wrote The Widows of Eastwick. So you know there is scope. Ghostbusters is a good
25:34example because they redid it often with some of the cast but with a completely new generation
25:39of actors so similar to Beetlejuice and of course it says I dare you to say it a third time so I'm
25:45not going to say it three times because anything could happen. It's live TV but yes I'm sure there
25:49will be a third in the offing at some point. I definitely wouldn't dare say it a third time
25:52either but really quickly what's coming up on Kent Film Club tonight? So we have Alex Marsh who's a
25:57local filmmaker based in Dover and he's, well two of his films have got star at the beginning,
26:02one Stargate, one is Star Trek and also Twisters which is a film that I saw at the cinema
26:08only two months ago. Sounds very exciting Chris, well thank you for joining us. Now you've been
26:13watching Kent Tonight live on KMTV. There's more news made just for Kent throughout the evening and
26:19don't forget you can always keep up to date with the latest news across your county by logging on
26:24to kmtv.co.uk. You can keep us on your social timelines by liking us on Facebook and following
26:31us on Twitter and if you think you have a story we should be covering then get in touch. We also
26:36have special programs available on the website but that's it from Kent tonight today, we'll see you soon.
27:06you