Catch up with all the news across the county with Abby Hook.
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00:00Hello, good evening and welcome to Kentonite live on KMTV.
00:29I'm Abbey Hook.
00:30Here are your top stories on Tuesday the 26th of November.
00:34Dark waters, swimming banned as Dimchurch Beach slammed with unsafe quality score.
00:40Very very popular with families, very popular for small children.
00:45So this casts a shadow over the whole tourism industry.
00:50Up in smoke, Medway split over decision to ban vape flavours and packaging.
00:56If you take away that flavour for them, nine times out of ten they're going to go back
01:00to smoking.
01:01Deal or no deal, we take to one of Kent's high streets to find out if people are buying
01:07Black Friday deals.
01:08Just because they tell you it's a bargain doesn't mean to say it is a bargain.
01:24First tonight, council leaders and activists say a year-long do not swim order for two
01:29Kent beaches will cast a shadow over seaside business.
01:33The water quality at both Dimchurch and Deelcastle Beach have been downgraded to poor following
01:38investigations by the Environment Agency.
01:41The council hopes the department will review the rating in a few months' time, especially
01:45ahead of the busy spring and summer seasons.
01:48Local democracy reporter Gabriel Morris has been down to the coast to get reaction this
01:52afternoon.
01:54It's one of Kent's most popular beaches.
01:56Shutters might be down today, but come the summer, Dimchurch can be packed full of tourists.
02:02But next season's coming with a catch.
02:05You're being told to keep out of the sea.
02:08Water quality here has been downgraded to poor following investigations by the Environment
02:13Agency.
02:14That'll mean for the whole summer, do not swim signs will be up in a town reliant on
02:20tourism.
02:21And businesses are fearing for the impact that might bring.
02:24I do think it's quite ridiculous it's going to impact a lot of businesses down here, especially
02:29for us as well.
02:30And I'm personally trying to open another new business right next door to this.
02:35So it will impact in the summer as well because that's where every business is making money
02:41the main time.
02:43It's not just Dimchurch Beach that's been rated.
02:46It's also been revealed that St Mary's Bay will now lose its no-swim warning.
02:51That's for the first time in almost two years.
02:54But Deal Castle Beach will gain them.
02:57People on the beach today saying they're going to listen to those rankings.
03:01I'm absolutely shocked that that's going to be happening because it's a really popular
03:04beach and it's absolutely full of families all the time in the summer.
03:07So that's, you know, it's going to be dreadful for local businesses and also for families
03:12coming down to spend their holidays.
03:14The worry is that you pick up some sort of bug and obviously we've got a two-year-old
03:21with us so we don't want her to get any sort of infection or anything like that.
03:27The investigation has found rising levels of E. coli.
03:30It's been widely documented that after heavy rainfall, sewage is often discharged into
03:35our seas.
03:37The Environment Agency says there is no single cause.
03:40So the local council hopes they'll be able to lose their no-swim ratings mid-season.
03:45We are a tourist economy.
03:47You know, we are dependent on tourism.
03:53It's a real problem for local people as well.
03:56So this casts a shadow over the whole tourism industry.
04:01A spokesperson for Southern Water told us they have an important part to play in improving
04:05and maintaining water quality.
04:07There are many other factors that impact it.
04:10Agricultural, highways and industrial run-off, as well as the impact of animals and marine
04:16activity.
04:17Chips on the beach is a staple of any seaside trip, but will this be enough to draw tourists
04:24in next summer when the no-swim warnings are up, with others in Folkestone having no precautions?
04:31Gabriel Morris in Dibchurch.
04:34This evening, a Gillingham vape shop says he's worried older customers will be caught
04:38in the crossfire of the government's ban on flavours in advertising that attract young
04:42people.
04:43The tobacco and vape spill is being introduced to stop children vaping by banning e-cigarettes
04:47flavoured, like candy floss and bubblegum for instance, as well as making the packaging
04:52less colourful and therefore, they hope, less appealing.
04:55Phil McDermid has more.
04:57Vaping is used by many as a way to curb their smoking addiction.
05:01But many young people across Kent and the rest of the country have picked up the habit,
05:05and according to the government, even those under the age of 18.
05:09The House of Commons are discussing and voting on the tobacco and vapes bill to try and reduce
05:13the number of children using e-cigarettes and vapes.
05:16Now the bill's exact aim is to stop children vaping and that involves getting rid of certain
05:21flavours, gummy bear, cotton candy, maybe watermelon ice, and it also involves changing
05:27how the packaging looks to make it less appealing to children.
05:30I spoke to Paul, who runs TJ's e-cigarettes in Gillingham, to get a sense of what he thought
05:35about the government's plan if the bill does go through.
05:38I understand kids vaping, no, nicotine, anything like that is a no, however, actually banning
05:46certain flavours that other people, like adults that are finding helpful to quit smoking,
05:54it's going to end up pushing them back to smoking I think.
05:56The people of Rochester had quite a different view on the bill.
06:00I agree, I think they should ban all the different flavours and make it less attractive and less
06:08appealing and less like candy for them.
06:11They should ban all vapes, it will help to discourage smoking in general, but especially
06:18our youngsters who do not need to take up smoking, that's just putting extra pressure
06:23on our NHS in the future.
06:25I think it's probably a wise idea because the flavours, they must add to the whole appeal.
06:33We also spoke to the CEO of Smoko e-cigarettes in Tunbridge Wells about vapes targeted towards children.
06:39These vapes that have images of SpongeBob SquarePants on the front of them, that is
06:46the complete opposite of what e-cigarettes and vapes were meant to be used for.
06:53From that point of view, I think any measures to curtail and remove those kind of products
06:59from the market is 100% welcomed and it should have happened a long time ago.
07:06If the bill is passed, it'll also mean anyone born after the 1st of January 2009 won't be
07:11able to buy tobacco products, and there'll be fines for any shopkeepers who sell to anyone
07:15under that age limit.
07:17The government have said that the measures are an intervention to help children avoid
07:20a life imprisoned by addiction.
07:23And the NHS say it's the first step in creating a smoke-free future.
07:26Finn McDermid for KMTV in Medway.
07:30Next this evening, with the Christmas season firmly approaching, many of Kent's shops are
07:34cutting their prices from 10% discounts on socks and shoes to buy one get one free offers
07:39on the latest gaming consoles.
07:40Black Friday is just a few days away, but how much are Kent shoppers buying into the
07:46deals?
07:47Our reporter Bartholomew Hall has been down to Maidstone High Street to find out.
07:51The end of November is fast approaching, which means two things for Kent's high streets.
07:56The Christmas decorations are up and the Black Friday deals are on.
08:00What started as a Thanksgiving tradition over in America has become so normal that many
08:04Kent shoppers don't even turn their heads to see the big black signs.
08:08But it doesn't necessarily mean that sales are down.
08:12From gadgets to garments, Black Friday deals are dominating the high streets nowadays.
08:18Every inch of these shop fronts seem to be splattered with the phrase, but it doesn't
08:21come without some cyber competition.
08:24Since 2020, online retailers have steadily overtaken brick and mortar stores, yet statistics
08:29show that Black Friday is still alive and well, with bricks expected to spend an eye-watering
08:35£9.1 billion this weekend alone.
08:38Here in Maidstone though, some businesses say the challenge is keeping people on the
08:42high street.
08:43I think some people think about it like Amazon because they're plugging it all the time.
08:46I think they're more likely to do something like that.
08:49We will do a 10% off for Black Friday because, you know, basically everyone's jumping on
08:54the bandwagon, but I don't think it's going to make a lot of difference to trade if I'm
08:57totally honest.
08:58Personally, I don't think things are going to pick up or I think it's going to be a more
09:01silver Christmas for us than a gold Christmas because gold is at its highest premium ever.
09:06But, you know, if people can't afford it, such is life and you have to cut your cloth.
09:11So hey ho.
09:14As for those businesses which have taken full advantage of the Black Friday trend, it's
09:18thought that the market feels a little overcrowded.
09:21I think it sort of marks the start of that more sort of frenzied period where people
09:29who maybe leave it to the last minute, they maybe wait for that Black Friday moment.
09:33Maybe people out there at the moment are looking for more of a bargain and a deal than previous
09:38years and don't find that now.
09:40They seem to come out even earlier.
09:43It used to be one day and now sometimes it's like Black Friday month.
09:49Back on the streets, it seems the pre-December discounts are dividing people.
09:53Just because they tell you it's a bargain doesn't mean to say it is a bargain.
09:56You know roughly what you want to spend on people and if it's within your range then
10:02that's fine.
10:03There's not so much the choice here that I'd like, so there's far greater choice on the
10:09internet.
10:12I mean I've just done it because I've just been sucked into it, whether or not it really
10:16is a good deal or not.
10:19So whether it's the convenience of a click or the charm of a high street stroll, one
10:23thing's clear.
10:24Black Friday is still making its mark here in Kent.
10:27Bartholomew Hall for KMTV.
10:31Bartholomew joins me in the studio now.
10:33With some online shopping, there do come some risks.
10:35Yeah, so if you do choose to go online this Black Friday weekend, it's really important
10:39to stay vigilant.
10:40There are lots of scams out there at the moment.
10:42First tip is to take a couple of extra minutes to check before you buy any sort of item.
10:46If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.
10:49If you're looking at something that's worth hundreds, thousands more in the shops, it
10:53probably isn't true.
10:54Watch out for emails too, telling you that a transaction might have failed on one of
10:58the big sites because scammers are really good at making those emails seem real when
11:02they're not.
11:03And the same goes for websites as well.
11:05It might look like you're on one of the big names, but if you look closely, you're actually
11:09not.
11:10And they'll be harvesting your data if you do put any in there.
11:12Here's how to check.
11:13We've been talking to Kent Trading Standards, who have this tip on how to spot if you're
11:16on a real one or not.
11:18What we say is that people should look for established retailers with good reviews and
11:21a solid track record, or so for online shopping, you should make sure that you've visited a
11:27secure website.
11:28So you should look for the HTTPS in the address bar at the top, which means you're on a secure
11:34site and read customer feedback.
11:39Some really good tips and advice there from yourself, Bartholomew, and Kent Trading Standards
11:42as well.
11:43Thank you very much.
11:44Time for a very quick break now.
11:45I'll see you in just a few minutes' time.
15:09Hello, and welcome back to Kent Tonight, live on KMTV.
15:16Now, a group from Tunbridge Wells have been walking through the High Street to raise awareness
15:22of women's safety.
15:23Violence against women and girls has been described by the Prime Minister as one of
15:27the government's top priorities.
15:29But those walking for the Reclaim the Night campaign say they're still waiting for structural
15:34change.
15:35Our reporter, Jasmine Sandhar, met them on the trail last night.
15:39This is not a winter walk in the countryside.
15:44It's a protest, and it happens once a year.
15:48Reclaim the Night is a friendly walk from Rust Hall, where I live, to the Pantiles.
15:54I started it a couple of years ago in 2022 because a woman had been attacked on the corner
16:01of Tunbridge Wells Common.
16:03On the route that I would take, obviously it was awful for the women concerned, but
16:08also there's a ripple effect on every woman in the community.
16:12There have been lots of incidents of indecent exposure around the village I live in on Rust
16:19Hall and Tunbridge Wells Common.
16:20There is no place that is safe in the whole country if you are a woman or a girl.
16:27Well, it's pitch black and freezing cold here, but over 50 people have shown up to
16:32walk today in solidarity.
16:34One in 12 women experience violence every year, and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer
16:39has promised to halve this within the next decade.
16:42But are local authorities doing enough to help keep women safe?
16:45There are usual things of lighting and stuff, but I think that the council deserves some
16:51credit.
16:52I mean, it is a white-ribbon accredited organisation, but essentially it's something that the society
16:57needs to own, and society as a whole.
17:00And because it's individual men who actually perpetrate the kind of behaviour that needs
17:06to be changed.
17:07A lot of it is down to individual attitudes.
17:10I think it's important that men and boys are educated right from a young age.
17:18So I think education is the key in this, along with support for groups such as the white-ribbon
17:24group, who are dedicated to encouraging men to call out other men if they witness inappropriate
17:31behaviour about women, or make inappropriate comments about women.
17:37People would talk about, well, do you want better street lighting, or do you want more
17:40police?
17:41And yes, these are all factors, but the real thing that we want is cultural change.
17:46We want an end to sexism and misogyny, which creates violence against women and girls.
17:53The government have set out new measures to tackle this issue, but until Reclaim the
17:57Night and Tunbridge Wells see a difference, they will carry on walking.
18:01Jasmine Sandaar for KMTV.
18:05Now don't forget you can keep up to date with all your latest stories across Kent by logging
18:08onto our website.
18:09It's KMTV.co.uk.
18:10There you'll find all our reports, including this one about the number of compensation
18:15claims because of potholes on Kent's roads tripling.
18:20We've all been there.
18:21Your car lurches over a bump and all of a sudden you need a new tyre.
18:25Well more people in Kent have been submitting compensation requests than before, with 655
18:30to Kent County Council in 2022, and more than 1,800 as the breakdown service RAC have found.
18:38To get a sense of how this was affecting people on a local scale, I went to Sittingbourne,
18:42which has a large amount of potholes despite its often high level of commuter traffic.
18:47I met Richard, who was keen to tell me his story after he hit a particularly bad pothole.
18:51I got out and I had a look and I'd bent all the wheel rim in, completely busted the tyre,
18:57had to drag the car out of the garage.
19:00It was, I think it was around £180 it cost me for a new tyre and a new wheel rim.
19:05Went onto the local council's website to report it, only to find that there had been reports
19:09of it before.
19:10And then three months later, exactly the same again.
19:14Probably best I don't say the words that I'm thinking on camera, but I'm sure you can
19:19imagine what my opinion was at that time.
19:24Well I'm just leaving Richards Road now, and I've already counted 10 potholes, and it's
19:29only a short cul-de-sac, so it just goes to show the real extent of the issue.
19:35I spoke to the leader of the Swale Independent Alliance group, Mike Baldock, about what he
19:39thought of the ongoing problem.
19:42We pay our council tax, we're getting our cars damaged on a constant basis.
19:48I got my wheel damaged earlier this year, £800 for a new wheel.
19:52This is happening to people, this is happening to local businesses on an ongoing basis.
19:56There's always wiggle room, excuses, a way for KCC to avoid paying for most of them.
20:02But the issue is not exclusive to Sittingbourne, so Kent County Council told us in a statement
20:07that with each year, KCC invests more than £50m a year in Kent's local road network,
20:13which includes repairing potholes and resurfacing roads and footways.
20:16Despite the money invested and the relentless work our teams do to maintain and repair roads,
20:21the number of defects reported on the roads continues to be exceptionally high.
20:25It's clear that the funding formula for highways investment isn't working, and must be changed.
20:30Others in Sittingbourne told me they were most affected as locals, and couldn't even
20:33avoid the damaging potholes because of heavy traffic.
20:37If these new statistics are any indication, then the holes in Kent's roads will continue
20:41to be a problem across the county.
20:43Finn McDermott in Sittingbourne for KMTV.
20:48The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning covering Kent from 10pm tonight until
20:52midday tomorrow.
20:53Disruption to travel is expected, so let's take a look at the forecast where you are.
21:04Tonight fairly cloudy across Kent, temperatures of 5 and 6 degrees across most of the county.
21:09Lows of 4s in Ashford, highs of 7 in Dartford and Dover.
21:13Tomorrow morning that rain right across the county.
21:16Temperatures between 11 and 12 degrees.
21:18Clearing up by the afternoon though, staying cloudy.
21:21Temperatures dropping to lows of 7.
21:23Some wind coming in to force as well there.
21:25And here's your outlook, staying cloudy with a bit of sun throughout the rest of the week
21:29into your weekend.
21:31And finally, this evening, the Kent and Medway Food and Drink Awards are back with nominations
21:45now open for you to vote for your favourite unsung hospitality hero.
21:49Hosted by the Kent Messenger, previous finalists have included cafes, farm shops and hotels.
21:54Well, to give us the idea of what's to come, what's expected for this year, the second
21:59year of doing so, Oliver Leader de Sacks, what can we expect?
22:03What are the awards?
22:04Of course, I covered it last year, I was there for their first ever one, saw a whole host
22:08of culinary experts and food heroes celebrated across the county, but second year going to
22:13look any different.
22:14What's the process like?
22:15Well, if you think of the Oscars, it's a bit like that for Kent's food and drinks.
22:21Hospitality in general, getting the recognition it deserves, it's what makes Kent, Kent, right?
22:26The Garden of England, all these amazing food, beverages, hotels, it's our way to recognise
22:32those heroes in our community that put the food onto our plates.
22:37And it really can be anything, there are 11 categories, from the best chef, all the way
22:42to the best hotels, and you really recognise anyone in your community by nominating them.
22:49So do show some love to your local bar or restaurant.
22:52We can see on the screen now some of the celebrations, everybody getting ready to sit down for the
22:56awards last year, it was lovely to see so many hospitality experts come together in
23:03one room, and these on the screen here with us are some of, well, are all the winners
23:07from last year.
23:08Yes, there were 12 winners last year, as you know, and you can see how happy they are to
23:14be recognised for all their hard work, and it can be literally, as I said before, anything,
23:19it's an expert panel that judges this, chefs, industry experts, so it really is the best
23:25in show, from Perricourt Farm in Ashford, winning best deli farm shop last year, to
23:30the pub of the year, being named the Queen's Head in Sutton Valley, it's always good for
23:34a pint there, but let's not knock the runners up.
23:41That was a tongue twister you put in your notes there, Ollie.
23:45Struggled there with that one, but they're all terrific, don't let the bad pronunciation
23:50spoil those great, great venues, but it's just so lovely seeing our businesses recognised
23:55like this.
23:56Definitely, for sure.
23:57How can people put forward a nomination, if we're sitting there thinking, and I had a
24:00takeaway last night, and I might put them forward for it, it was good, it was really
24:05good.
24:06So where can I do it?
24:07Well, Abi, I smelt your lettuce this morning, they were delicious, and if you want to nominate
24:10them, just go to the ILIF website, you can nominate as many businesses, or as few as
24:16you like.
24:17You have until 5pm on Thursday, on the 9th of January, so plenty of time, though do get
24:22in a bit early, if you enter before the 1st of December, you could win a £150 champagne
24:27dinner at the IAV in Canterbury and Tunbridge Wells, who wouldn't want that?
24:33And obviously the three businesses or individuals with the most nominations per category will
24:38be shortlisted, and the winners will be announced by the Kent Messenger Group, newspapers and
24:42Kent Online in February, ahead of the awards ceremony.
24:46And that deadline as well gives you an idea of testing some out in the Christmas period,
24:50we know that all weekends are pretty much booked for restaurants and hospitality businesses
24:55as well, so that gives them a really good time to put on a show for everybody in the
24:59county, and hopefully get their name shortlisted on the list.
25:02Absolutely.
25:03Oliver, thank you very much for those details.
25:04Of course, you can head over to the Kent Online website as well to nominate your favourite
25:09unsung food heroes from right across the county, anyone counts, and there's loads of categories
25:13online.
25:14That's all from me this evening on Kent Tonight, live here on KMTV, Kent on Climate, coming
25:19up after the break.
25:20Bye bye.