Kent Tonight - Tuesday 15th October 2024
Catch up with all the news from across the county with Abby Hook.
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00:00Hello, good evening and welcome to Kent tonight, live on KMTV.
00:29I'm Abbey Hook, here are your top stories on Tuesday the 15th of October.
00:3670,000 homes at risk, nearly 40 years on from the Great Storm.
00:41How prepared is Kent for flooding?
00:44We are actually quite a flat county, so that does mean that we do have quite a large number of properties are at risk of flooding.
00:50Dangerous and unregulated.
00:52Chair of David Fuller Inquiry calls for funeral sector rules after serious failings in Kent hospitals.
01:00Obviously there are these extraordinary, depraved, horrible cases like the David Fuller one.
01:07But the vast majority of funeral directors are caring.
01:12The future of Medway's history.
01:15900 year old wall to be built back up by the council.
01:19This is a national monument right in the heart of the village of Hauling.
01:24It deserves not to be forgotten about.
01:37First tonight, more than 70,000 homes in Kent are at risk of severe flooding, the highest number in the south east.
01:44And fears are only increasing nearly 40 years on from one of the most devastating weather events, the Great Storm.
01:50Lives were lost, homes were destroyed and across England 15 million trees came down.
01:55Now a report has been released highlighting the number of homes still at risk.
02:00Finn McDermott has been looking at how well Kent will weather the next storm.
02:07Good afternoon to you.
02:08Earlier on today apparently a woman rang the BBC and said she heard that there was a hurricane on the way.
02:12Well if you're watching, don't worry, there isn't.
02:15It's been 37 years today since the Great Storm on the 15th of October 1987.
02:20When hurricane force winds of up to 120 miles per hour hit the south east hard, particularly Kent.
02:27It's estimated that 15 million trees from across the country fell, including six of the seven that Sevenoaks gets its name from.
02:34Well plenty of buildings were destroyed during the storm as well, just like St Justice Church here in Rochester.
02:39After the storm had passed, it was photographed as only having a few walls left standing.
02:45Medway councillor Vince Maple was 10 years old at the time of the Great Storm and lived in Luton Road, Chatham.
02:51So I remember this quite vividly, I remember waking up the Friday morning.
02:57I remember it was a Friday morning, I was 10, I was in what is now year six.
03:02We often now talk about once in a generation, once in a lifetime weather events,
03:07which of course are now happening every 10 years or more regularly.
03:12But back in the 80s I would say that was a genuine kind of once in a lifetime situation.
03:18People at the time just weren't prepared for the damage that would follow.
03:21And nearly 40 years on, is Kent better prepared than it was?
03:25Well this week also marks the anniversary of Storm Babbitt and Flood Action Week,
03:29launched by the Environment Agency to ensure every person is aware of the flood risk in their area.
03:35The awareness campaign comes after the wettest three-day period for England and Wales since 1891.
03:41And with more extreme weather on the horizon thanks to climate change,
03:44heavy rainfall has led to flooding this autumn, with 2,000 homes flooded across the country.
03:50According to their findings, Kent has more than 70,000 houses at risk of flooding, the most of any south-east county.
03:57There's a number of reasons why Kent has so many properties at flood risk.
04:00We are actually a very big county when you compare us to some other counties out there.
04:03We are actually quite highly populated as a county as well.
04:06And we have some major rivers, like the River Medway, the River Darren and the River Stour.
04:10And a lot of those run through our larger towns and cities.
04:13And as you said, we do have a lot of coastline, and a lot of that coastline is low-lying as well.
04:18We are actually quite a flat county, so that does mean that we do have quite a large number of properties that are at risk of flooding.
04:24Well, with the Environment Agency warning us of the potential for extreme weather events,
04:28hopefully we as a county and a country are prepared to not let history repeat itself.
04:34Finn McDermid for CAME TV in Medway.
04:37Finn joins me in the studio now.
04:39Some shocking pictures that we're seeing from right across Kent 37 years ago today for that great storm.
04:45But tell us more about the homes at risk now.
04:49So what we know now is that 79,000 homes across Kent are at risk of major flood damage.
04:56And across the southeast, Kent has the highest numbers for this.
04:59Surrey, I believe, is about 10K less, and it's the second highest.
05:03The Environment Agency have released this service that allows you to gauge how susceptible your property is to this flood damage.
05:10For instance, I picked a random house in Hawkins that was particularly vulnerable when it came to flooding from surface water,
05:17which is rainwater that's unable to wash away through poor drainage.
05:22But it's very inland, so it's not going to suffer from the sea.
05:25I checked our studio as well.
05:27We're going to be fine very low on both counts.
05:30But somewhere like houses along the Rochester Esplanade is particularly vulnerable to both the sea and to that poor drainage
05:37simply because of how close it is to the river Medway.
05:40Friends of Rochester Esplanade told me some advice how people can prevent floods in the first place,
05:49such as disposing of wastewater responsibly to prevent blocked drains,
05:53supporting local green initiatives, and designing their gardens using better materials so that rainwater can be absorbed.
05:59And what about some of the larger areas in Kent, obviously?
06:02We have a lot of coastline.
06:04Well, that's one of the main reasons, is the pure amount of coastline that Kent just happens to have.
06:09So areas like Sheppey, Folkestone, Dover, Margate,
06:13these places are going to be very easy to flood, susceptible to flood along those areas.
06:21And the worry that the Environmental Agency has is that areas with a lot of rivers that people just won't realise can flood.
06:29So areas like Favisham, Tenham, anywhere near that kind of swale estuary is particularly vulnerable.
06:36But I want to make sure that no one's panicked because this is all chance.
06:41This is a yearly, annual chance of flooding.
06:43So I'm not saying there will be a flood, but the Environment Agency have told us there is very likely to be one.
06:48And it's very important to look at when we've had so much rain recently and 37 years on from that great storm.
06:55Finn, thank you very much for those details.
06:59Next this evening, the Chair of the Independent Inquiry into Crimes of Kent Murderer and Necrophile, David Fuller,
07:06is urging the Government to bring in new rules for funeral directors,
07:10who, until now, have not had to work under any statutory regulation.
07:15As part of an interim report released today, Sir Jonathan Michael warns under current rules,
07:20anyone could set themselves up as a funeral director.
07:23Bartholomew Hall's report contains details some viewers may find distressing.
07:28David Fuller is currently serving a whole life prison sentence
07:32after being convicted of sexually abusing the bodies of at least 101 women and girls
07:38whilst he was working at two Kent hospitals.
07:41In November last year, the first of a two-part inquiry into his case
07:45found serious failings at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust,
07:50which enabled Fuller to commit his crimes.
07:52Now the inquiry has shifted its focus to explore the wider national picture of settings where the deceased are found,
07:59such as in the NHS and funeral parlours.
08:02In an interim report, the Government has been urgently recommended
08:06to set up an independent regulator for the funeral care sector,
08:09something the inquiry's chair says many will be surprised to find out doesn't exist.
08:15There are no standards required for the care of the deceased.
08:20There's no licensing or registration of funeral directors.
08:25There is no inspection regime.
08:28There are no minimum qualifications for people to become a funeral director
08:33and, as I say, significant variation in practice.
08:38It comes after the inquiry heard evidence of worrying cases
08:41such as where litter was left inside coffins,
08:44personal belongings not being disposed of correctly or even instances of sexual abuse.
08:50Obviously, David Fuller's crimes were committed by an electrician in an NHS setting,
08:56but as funeral directors, we care about deceased wherever they are,
09:00whether they're in a hospital setting or a care home or a funeral director's own premises.
09:06So what we would like to see is that the standards and the requirements
09:12of members in our trade association apply across the whole piece.
09:18I wouldn't go so far as to say it's a Wild West.
09:20I mean, obviously, there are these extraordinary, depraved, horrible cases like the David Fuller one,
09:27but the vast majority of funeral directors are caring.
09:33We're not talking about heavy over-regulation here,
09:35but simple checks and balances in the system to make sure that these sorts of transgressions
09:43are much less likely to happen in future.
09:45I think that's just good common sense.
09:47In its response, the government says it is committed to preventing any similar atrocities happening again
09:53and ensuring that the deceased are safeguarded and treated with dignity.
09:58It's hoped now, as phase two of the inquiry continues,
10:01that lessons can be learned to make sure the security and dignity of those who have passed
10:06is protected from harm.
10:08Bartholomew Hall for KMTV.
10:12Next tonight, a man from Tunbridge Wells has been sentenced to three years in prison
10:17after trying to use a fake online profile to abuse a child.
10:22Because we have suspicions you've been attempting to communicate sexual communications with a child.
10:27Okay, so you're under arrest for that offence.
10:30That was the moment Peter Johnson was taken into custody
10:33after repeated efforts to contact a girl he believed to be 13 using Snapchat.
10:37But the account was fake, and when police seized his phone,
10:40they found an illegal image of a child in the most serious category.
10:44Johnson pled guilty last week and will be on the Sex Offenders Register for life.
10:50Now, what do you think it takes to get a one-star hygiene rating?
10:54Well, this is what council officers found at Ho Ho Chinese in Folkestone.
10:58Mouldy chopping boards, flies in egg fried rice and chicken being kept at room temperature.
11:05This isn't the first time the business has received a poor score,
11:08getting a zero last September when bloodstains were found on the floor.
11:12They now have a list of improvements they need to make,
11:15including storing food in clean containers.
11:18Police and Kent Online have contacted the business for further comment.
11:23One of Kent's worst schools has been reportedly changed for the better
11:26after a new trust took over the site.
11:29The Oasis Academy was rated inadequate after it was discovered students
11:33were regularly threatening and assaulting staff members
11:36who protested last year over the conditions.
11:39Now the school was reopened as Lee Academy Minster after a refurbishment
11:43and many changes to the rules as well.
11:46Time for a very quick break now, but more news from across the county in a few minutes' time.
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15:14Hello and welcome back to Kentonite live on KMTV.
15:18Former Medway MP Tracey Crouch unveiled a brand new machine
15:22that will help doctors diagnose cancer earlier.
15:25As a breast cancer survivor herself, she joined seven other women
15:28to track up Kilimanjaro to raise more than £150,000 to fund the equipment.
15:34This advanced machine will mean quicker diagnoses and reduce anxiety
15:38for women across Kent who are waiting for results.
15:41Kristen Hawthorne met with them at the breast cancer unit in Maidstone Hospital.
15:45A new state-of-the-art piece of equipment has now been introduced
15:49to the breast cancer unit at the Maidstone Hospital.
15:52This is thanks to a determined group of women that trekked the Kilimanjaro mountain in Africa
15:57raising over £150,000.
16:01For the women that took part, this was not however the first difficult challenge that they had been on
16:05as many have trekked through their own journeys with breast cancer.
16:09Among them was former Kent MP Tracey Crouch.
16:12I was a patient here at Maidstone and Talmage Wells Trust
16:15and I went through the Peggy Wood Centre and had two lumpectomies
16:19and chemotherapy and radiotherapy as a consequence of breast cancer.
16:23So it's rather interesting now to be able to see the machine
16:27that people who have been diagnosed today will benefit from.
16:30The idea of Kilimanjaro 2 actually climbing the mountain
16:33was based on my sister being diagnosed with breast cancer
16:36and it was really early days of Covid, we were on Zoom at home
16:40and she was going through her chemotherapy treatment
16:43and I just said to her, when this is all over, shall we climb a mountain?
16:47And she said, absolutely.
16:49We were an amazing team, there were several challenges
16:52and I wouldn't lie, it was very, very tough eight days.
16:56We were singing quite a lot, we had our own Spotify playlist,
16:59we listened to podcasts together and we just kept putting one foot in front of the other.
17:04There were some incredible life-changing moments
17:07and there were some times where we just wanted to give up
17:10and we couldn't stay another night in a freezing cold tent
17:13but it was the team that got us through it.
17:15Thanks to Tracy and the rest of the women who took part in the trek up the Kilimanjaro,
17:19this piece of equipment has now been introduced to the breast cancer unit
17:22at the Maidstone Hospital.
17:24The equipment makes surgeries more efficient, targeted and quicker
17:28and really helps a lot of people and will help a lot of people into the future.
17:32The most challenging part of the breast cancer journey is waiting for results
17:36whether it is to find out whether they have breast cancer,
17:39especially after surgery, when they are waiting for results
17:42to find out whether they need more surgery or what other treatment they would need.
17:47This machine is hopefully aiming to reduce that waiting time
17:51that we currently have for pathology results to come back.
17:54Now we can expedite that process, speed up the results
17:58and hopefully impact the outcome for these patients.
18:03So thanks to these women, the new advanced equipment will help speed up diagnosis,
18:07reduce waiting times and ease anxiety for women facing breast cancer across Kent.
18:13Kristen Hawthorne, KMTV in Maidstone.
18:18Now don't forget you can keep up to date with all your latest stories across Kent
18:21by logging on to our website.
18:23It's kmtv.co.uk
18:25There you'll find all our reports, including this one about Black History Month.
18:33Black History Month has just kicked off in Kent
18:36and here at KMTV we're looking to shine a light on members of the community.
18:40We started off by speaking to Diversity House in Sittingbourne
18:44which supports people from all walks of life.
18:46But while people from diverse backgrounds go to them for advice,
18:50it has a different take on what this month means to them.
18:53I'm not a fan of Black History Month, I'm sorry to say,
18:57because my history, my heritage is not a one month thing.
19:02I live it every day.
19:04So just to assign one month of the year to my history doesn't make sense.
19:13We should talk about my history all the time
19:16and let it be something that people study.
19:20And if we do that, believe me,
19:22people will get to understand who you are,
19:25get to understand your history
19:27and all the fears that people have and the suspicion will not be there.
19:31So after speaking to Christine,
19:33I found out that not everyone believes that there should be just one dedicated month
19:38to celebrating a specific community.
19:41Instead, she showed me around this room here
19:43and on these shelves there's loads of different toys.
19:46And she showed me these dolls in particular.
19:48And what these dolls are, they're all of different ethnicities
19:51and she said that this shows that everybody should be celebrated every day, in fact,
19:55and any topics or issues that matter should be brought up in day-to-day life,
19:59not just in one particular month.
20:02But then after speaking to her, that made me wonder, would everyone agree?
20:06Patience uses the Diversity House facilities to learn new skills.
20:10She was busy sewing an African bubble dress.
20:12It's a traditional piece of clothing.
20:14As she told me, it's also her country's Independence Day.
20:19I agree with it because this month reminds us that we have our independence.
20:26Like today in Nigeria is the first of October, which is our Independence Day.
20:31So every year, in October 1st, we remember Independence Day,
20:36where we have our freedom.
20:38So here we celebrate men and women that gave their life for the war.
20:43Whether or not you agree that there's a need of the month,
20:45whether or not you agree that there's a need of the month,
20:47October will undoubtedly shed a light on the black community,
20:51not only in Kent but across the whole country.
20:54Mahima Abedin for KMTV in Sittingbourne.
21:03Next this evening, a forgotten about 900-year-old Medway wall
21:07that's been left in a sorry state is set to be preserved once more.
21:11The Hailing Historical Society has been pushing a local authority
21:15who own the remains of Bishop's Palace to take care of it.
21:19Medway Council say they've agreed to the felling of a tree
21:22and the annual upkeep of £365 a year.
21:26Local democracy reporter Gabriel Morris has been to meet the people
21:29protecting this landmark.
21:33At the edge of Medway, along the river, and in a small community of hauling,
21:38there's a historical monument you may never have heard of.
21:41The Bishop's Palace.
21:43A 12th-century summer residence for the Bishop of Rochester
21:46for around 300 years.
21:49It's currently owned by Medway Council,
21:51but the local history society says they too seemingly didn't know about this.
21:56Until recently, it was in this sorry state.
22:00Two and a half years, we just were getting nowhere.
22:04I mean, they look after the likes of Apna Castle, Rochester Castle.
22:08They get the attention.
22:10This has been forgotten about.
22:13I guess they might argue and say they'd get a few more visitors
22:16going through it than this might.
22:18I'd agree with them, but this is a national monument
22:21right in the heart of the village of Hauling.
22:24It deserved not to be forgotten about.
22:27What you see today is the remains of the Great Hall,
22:31a small section of what was the palace for Bishop Gundulf,
22:34the architect responsible for Rochester Cathedral
22:37and the White Tower of London.
22:40This monument began to be demolished in the 1600s,
22:43and from the 19th century, much of Hauling was quarried,
22:46with railway line just about leaving the section you see today.
22:50And the local community doesn't want to lose any more.
22:53The Bishop of Rochester at one time had five palaces.
22:58Ludstown, Trosley, here, etc,
23:02as well as his main palace in Rochester.
23:05So he moved around between them.
23:08This was important in that when the Bishop was in residence
23:11during the summer, much of the administration
23:14of the Diocese of Rochester was dealt with from here.
23:18Medway Council will soon have to remove the rest of the vegetation,
23:22with this large branch needing to be removed carefully
23:26to ensure there's no more damage.
23:28Gabriel Morris in Hauling.
23:34Now, with flu season right around the corner,
23:37are Medway residents taking their hand hygiene seriously?
23:40During the tight regulations of the pandemic,
23:43we were given strict guidelines to follow when washing our hands,
23:46many of us singing Happy Birthday twice
23:48as a way to remember those crucial 20 seconds.
23:51However, four years on from the pandemic,
23:53are we still as disciplined?
23:55On Global Handwashing Day, we spoke with students
23:57on the Medway University campus for their perspectives
24:00and personal handwashing habits.
24:04I try to wash as long as possible.
24:06It's not... Like, as long as I've done the back of my hands
24:09and the front of my hands, going between my fingers,
24:12it's not... Like, I don't really count it.
24:14I did, I did during Covid.
24:16I did the Happy Birthday twice and everything for the...
24:19..up until...
24:22..up until, like, we had the restrictions lift.
24:25I never, like, really sang Happy Birthday, like, even during Covid.
24:29It's just, like, made sure to get in between the spots.
24:32I still wash my hands for two minutes, but I don't do it at all
24:35because I work in health and social care.
24:37I work in the care home.
24:39So those practices, I think,
24:43they became, like, normal things for me to do.
24:46I just wash my hands.
24:48So I think I usually just wash my hands when I come back home.
24:52I used to carry hand sanitiser.
24:54I kind of don't do any more since the end, but...
24:58Yeah, but we should do that. We should.
25:00Yeah, after this interview, we're going to do that.
25:02I bring hand sanitiser with me everywhere as well.
25:05So, yeah.
25:06I think people know that it's important to wash your hands, like, thoroughly,
25:09but I don't think people stick to it as much.
25:11Especially in the health and social care industry,
25:13to actually be more cautious.
25:17I still think that COVID is a problem.
25:20We just simply don't look at it as much as it was when it was publicised.
25:24I think it's just about, like, basic hygiene, kind of.
25:27And if people aren't washing their hands correctly,
25:29then I think that says a bit about them.
25:32I mean, it affected us mentally, so we should stick to the rules.
25:37Some great insights there, but two minutes to wash your hands.
25:40I'm very impressed. That's a long, old time.
25:42Just before we go this evening, let's take a look at the weather.
25:47This evening, lows of 14 in Dartford and Tunbridge Wells,
25:5515 across the rest of Kent, staying cloudy.
25:58Some sunshine through those clouds tomorrow morning.
26:00Highs of 17 and staying nice and dry.
26:03A little wind, though, into the afternoon.
26:05The sun sticking around by the coast, staying cloudy inland,
26:08warming up to highs of 20 degrees.
26:11And here's your outlook for Kent.
26:12Highs of 18 on Thursday, similar conditions up until Friday,
26:16but rain again on Saturday.
26:27You've been watching Kent Tonight live on CAME TV.
26:30There's more news made just for Kent throughout the evening.
26:33Oliver will be here with your 8pm news bulletin.
26:35But that's all from me and the Kent Tonight team for now.
26:38I'll see you again soon. Bye-bye.
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