Kent Tonight - Wednesday 9th October 2024
Catch up with all the latest news across your county with Abby Hooks.
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00:00Hello, good evening and welcome to Kentonite live on KMT.
00:29I'm Abbey Hook, here are your top stories on Wednesday the 9th of October.
00:34Double trouble? Medway City estate workers say yellow lines will drive business away.
00:40Everywhere around here is really going to struggle.
00:42If we get to that stage we'll probably have to get the train in.
00:46Waiting out the storm, Canterbury man stocking up on supplies ahead of Category 4 hurricane in Florida.
00:53Looks like it might hit a bit north of us but we shall see.
00:57You know how they're unpredictable, they could go north or south.
01:00And history repeats itself. Gillingham Museum hosts biggest history showcase to date.
01:07I think the sign that it is so large is because history is so healthy.
01:24First tonight, businesses on the Medway City estate are expecting parking chaos
01:28as the council plans to increase the number of yellow lines.
01:31Thousands work at and visit the industrial estate every day.
01:34Many park on main roads due to a lack of spaces.
01:37To try and reduce traffic jams in the evening, Medway council may bring in enforcement.
01:42Workers say it might solve one problem but cause another
01:46as local democracy reporter Gabriel Morris has been finding out.
01:53It's just gone 5pm on the Medway City estate.
01:56Many of the 5,000 workers are clocking off for the day.
01:59But they won't be home any time soon.
02:02The influx of traffic often grinds the industrial estate to a standstill.
02:06Parked cars effectively creating single lanes is the issue according to Medway council.
02:11So they're now looking at putting yellow lines in to stop this.
02:15But that will impact clients parking for the Box City retail complex according to businesses there.
02:20They say there's often nowhere else to go.
02:23And this tattoo studio is concerned about what impact that might have on their custom.
02:27The car is awful. I mean it's only bad enough as it is.
02:30Like without that main road or place to park on.
02:33And I don't just mean for Box City, I mean everywhere around here is really going to struggle.
02:37If it gets to that stage I'll probably, yeah, just have to get the train in.
02:41And say to my clients to do the same or they're going to have to walk down.
02:43Which is going to massively impact, you know, obviously clients and me.
02:49For the most part there will be time limited restrictions at rush hour.
02:52But this is one stretch where the council are putting double yellows in.
02:56This means a parking ticket can be issued at any time.
03:00It's to stop these lorries from parking back to back.
03:04It's at this cafe where some workers come together for lunch.
03:07Traffic chaos usually leads for small talk.
03:11It's shocking. It's always busy. It's chaos.
03:15It's really dangerous, especially lorries park along here.
03:18They're always bibbing.
03:20Yeah, and the cars try and pull out and then accidents nearly happen here all the time.
03:24So do they think enforcement will change that?
03:27Drive around and there's cars on lines as well.
03:29There's double yellows over there as it is. They still park there.
03:32So yeah, it's not going to help it. No.
03:37The council says these enforcement measures are as a result of feedback from locals.
03:42I'm afraid that the old adage is true. It's safety first.
03:46If it's the choice between making things slightly less convenient for individual businesses
03:52or individuals who have previously been able to park where they please
03:57versus making things safer for all road users,
04:01I will always err on the side of safety.
04:05Increasing yellow lines may clear the roads.
04:08But will businesses be right?
04:10And will parking chaos become the new hot topic at this cafe?
04:15Gabriel Morris in Medway.
04:19Next tonight, a man has been convicted of murder
04:22after a stabbing outside a village pub near Canterbury.
04:25William Cozier, pictured here, claimed he was only trying to scare Adam Pritchard
04:29who responded by shooting him with a BB gun outside the Queen's Head
04:32in Boughton-under-Bleen earlier this year.
04:35The Canterbury Crown Court heard Mr Pritchard was stabbed twice
04:38with a knife from the pub kitchen after a fight broke out
04:41and that Cozier was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time.
04:45You can see the police cordon back earlier this year.
04:48And he'll be sentenced next month.
04:52A Canterbury man says he's prepared for the worst
04:54as Hurricane Milton approaches Florida
04:56with wind speeds of more than 150 mph expected.
05:00The Category 4 hurricane hits the west coast tomorrow morning.
05:03The eye of the storm is expected to pass over areas like Tampa and Orlando.
05:07Many have been told to flee, but some tourists are stranded.
05:10Jacob Gallagher is hoping the full force of the hurricane will miss his town.
05:14But the advice given to many in the US state is to evacuate.
05:18Yeah, so basically put up the window shutters
05:21which are, you know, like aluminum corrugated metal.
05:25And that way, just in case you get some bad wind here,
05:29the debris flies through the window into the house, of course.
05:32As well as do some grocery shopping, make sure we have water.
05:36And we've got toilet paper, of course, flashlights, candles.
05:41Just so we can see in the dark if we lose power,
05:43which is a possibility, you know, depending on the miles per hour of wind we get.
05:48So, yeah.
05:55Next tonight, did you know World War II rockets
05:58are being found across the county, or that interactive maps are being made
06:01showing Kent's past and present side by side,
06:04while the Royal Engineers Museum hosted 25 different history groups
06:07to promote their findings, as Finn McDermott has been finding out.
06:11From archaeology to archives, Kent has a lot of different historical societies.
06:16And the Royal Engineers Museum hosted their Medway History Showcase,
06:20where those societies could show their research activities and findings
06:23for free to the public.
06:25The event was started after Covid, when these smaller groups
06:28believed they might not be able to survive
06:30due to their small funding and low member count.
06:33This is the third annual running of the event
06:36that aims to promote smaller societies
06:38and shed light on pieces of Kentish history you might not be aware of,
06:42like V1 rockets from World War II being found in the county.
06:47Hawkins, Cuxton and Hauling.
06:49Now, these are small areas in Kent, but they've got big history
06:53when it comes to the significance of the county.
06:56It's hard, though, when you're part of these smaller areas' historical societies
07:00to not be overlooked.
07:02But having a table at an exhibition is one way to get your name out there.
07:06You also might not have known that the first aircraft factory in the country
07:10was in Sheppey, or that the Chatham Historical Society
07:13made an accurate recreation of a daily diary
07:16kept in the town during the Second World War.
07:19The Kent Defence Research Group,
07:21dedicated to finding, logging and preserving the architecture
07:24of British military sites,
07:26have been participating since the very first showcase.
07:29We're a group that looks at all of Kent architecture,
07:32military architecture, over the years.
07:34We've been coming to this event for the last three years,
07:37this is the third year we're here,
07:39and it's just a Medway History Showcase,
07:41so it shows all the different groups in the area come here
07:45and display their...
07:47Also the members of the public can come and have a look
07:50at the museum on it, and it's free today.
07:52And it's very interesting because you network with people,
07:55you can meet people, people have oral history they can share with you.
07:59The event has grown across the three years,
08:01with 300 people in attendance on the weekend.
08:04I think the sign that it is so large is because history is so healthy.
08:10I think that's what you can take about it,
08:13because a lot of people will say,
08:15oh well, history's dead, all the books have been written,
08:17we know all there is about the First World War,
08:19we know all there is about the Second World War,
08:21we know what Oliver's Workhouse looked like, and all of this.
08:25And yet, there is so much history.
08:28You chat to any table in this room today,
08:31and I can guarantee you they've got at least three or four stories
08:35that you've never ever heard of.
08:37Well, with more of Kent's history being dug up every day,
08:40the museum's focus will likely shift to next year.
08:43So for now, the eye is on the future instead of the past.
08:46Finn MacDermid for CAME TV in Gillingham.
08:50Now it's time for the latest health headlines with Dr Julian Spinks.
09:01Julian, firstly, the increase in human life expectancy is slowing down.
09:06Explain that to us.
09:08Unfortunately, after going through a long period
09:12where we dealt with diseases like infections and so on,
09:16what's happening now is things like obesity
09:19and other poor health behaviour is turning it round,
09:23so we're slowly going to live less long unless we change our habits.
09:27And that, child obesity.
09:29Medway Council recently have tried to curb it
09:31by limiting the opening hours of fast food restaurants,
09:34but some say it isn't working.
09:36Who's the responsibility with here?
09:38Is it our council, our schools, or is it parents?
09:41Firstly, it has to be parents,
09:43but also you've got to support children and their parents
09:46by teaching them how to cook fresh food,
09:49how to avoid things that are less healthy.
09:51And I'd sort of support the council
09:53because it was at least an attempt to reduce the chance
09:56that children were going to pick up takeaways on the way home.
09:58And what about the restaurants themselves?
10:00They're the ones producing this food.
10:02Of course, we know that a lot of restaurants,
10:04then it comes with a cheaper price and it's more affordable,
10:07but it's unhealthy and it attracts young children.
10:10So that is a problem.
10:11Even sort of things like lasagne,
10:13which you might eat at home or at a restaurant,
10:15it'll be less healthy in the restaurant
10:17because they'll increase the amount of sugar and fat
10:20because it tends to make it taste nicer
10:22and it stays, if it's one of those hot plates,
10:24it will stay fresh longer.
10:25And as a GP, are you seeing more parents,
10:27more children coming to you struggling with obesity very quickly?
10:31Yes, it's an increasing problem and we want to try and help people,
10:35but we've got to start even at very young children.
10:37And across all the boards as well and all the bodies and authorities responsible.
10:40Julian, thank you very much.
10:43And finally this evening, straight after the break,
10:45we'll be bringing you the Kent Tonight special, Life Beyond Bars.
10:49We've been finding out what Kent is doing to reform prisoners
10:52and stop people reoffending.
10:54Here's a sneak peek.
10:56As soon as I left prison, I was homeless because I had nowhere to live.
10:59I was left with £60.
11:01One prison that's standing empty is Blantyre House.
11:03It's a shame it's not here anymore
11:05because it was a great sort of asset to the community.
11:07We and the community would all very much like to know what the plans are,
11:10if there are any plans at all.
11:12Well, we believe in humans being around nature
11:15and the benefits of working with plants and being around plants,
11:18that we are all ready to look at second chances
11:22and look at what is capable for these people.
11:25It's just a whole pack of complex issues
11:27as to what happens when someone's trying to change
11:30and if the resources are not there, it's very difficult.
11:35That full Kentonite special, Life Beyond Bars,
11:37will be airing straight after this very short break.
11:40But that's all from me for now.
11:42Back again at 8pm with our News Bulletin with Finn McDermott.
11:45But that's all from me. I'll see you soon. Bye-bye.
12:05.