Catch up on the latest environmental news from across the county with Abby Hook.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00 Hello and welcome to Kent on Climate, live on KMTV. I'm Abbey Hook and in this show we
00:20 discuss all things related to environmental issues in the county. We ask how's climate
00:24 change impacting Kent, what are communities in the county doing to tackle it and how can
00:28 you help at home. Each week we take a deep dive into new environmental issues and I'm
00:34 joined by expert guests. But first tonight, as the winter months approach we'll start
00:39 to see an increase of birds visiting Kent. While some stay in the UK all year round,
00:44 some species can travel up to 3,000 miles just to reach our coastlines. So what makes
00:50 Kent and its shores a destination stop for these visitors? Daisy Page has been finding
00:55 out.
00:56 3,000 miles. This is the distance some migrating birds will travel to England this winter.
01:03 But why do we see them visiting Kent?
01:05 Kent along with Cornwall are probably the warmest climate in the UK during winter. So
01:11 it attracts many birds either mainly from mainland Europe or Scandinavia. So you get
01:17 lots and lots of birds around the coastline. But those are not the kind of birds you're
01:22 going to feed from your gardens. So you've got for example, Brent geese for example,
01:28 lots and lots of waders. So you'll see those if you go bird watching around the coast,
01:32 but you won't see them in your gardens. The birds generally that you see in the gardens
01:38 are residents throughout the 12 months of the year in the UK, plus a few visitors like
01:43 the field fur, the red wing, and there's a possibility of a large number of wax wings
01:48 coming in this year. They're coming over again from Scandinavia and mainland Europe because
01:53 it's too cold for them to survive the harsh winters.
01:58 As winter emerges, we start to see birds migrating into Kent. I'm here in Whitstable to find
02:03 out more about these species.
02:06 And what makes our coasts a good resting point during these colder months?
02:10 Many of our sites along here are Ramsar, designated Ramsar and designated Tripolisi. Tripolisi
02:16 meaning site of special scientific interest. And that might be because it supports a variety
02:23 of different wildlife, not just birds, but other mammals as well. It could be breeding
02:27 sites as well as feeding sites, time for them to rest as well.
02:32 But along this coastline behind us, especially we've got our Kent coast behind us, this mud
02:36 is really important. So about one square metre of this mud behind us is the equivalent of
02:41 around 16 miles bars of energy in terms of invertebrates. So all the birds come over
02:46 here and feed on all the little invertebrates and crustaceans they find in the mud and they
02:51 use it to regain energy. So all of this is really important for them.
02:55 We also sit underneath something called the Avian Highway, which is a migration route used
02:59 by a lot of birds travelling from north to south or vice versa. But quite often it's
03:04 used as a stop off point along the way to kind of rest and feed. So many of the birds
03:09 just temporarily stop by here. It's one of the reasons we get all these rarities come
03:13 through as well, because they're just stopping off along the way.
03:15 It was now my turn to bird watch. We spotted a hungry oyster catcher who can be identified
03:19 by their black and white plumage. And one fun fact is that the oyster only makes up
03:24 part of their diet. And yes, these are geese walking along our
03:28 shores. This species is known as the Brent geese and each year we have 102,000 of them
03:33 migrate to the UK. What bird will you spot along our coastlines?
03:37 Daisy Page for KMTV.
03:43 And now I'm pleased to say I'm joined by Dick and Andrew Woods, the father and son behind
03:47 Finch's, I'm going to get the name wrong, Finch's Friend. Thank you both so much for
03:52 joining us. Now, you're bird feeders, they're made in Kent, they keep birds safe from disease
03:59 as well. Dick, I'll come to you first. What sets the feeders apart from others? How are
04:04 they made to be more safe for birds?
04:06 Okay, so if we go back to a conventional feeder that you would normally expect to see in the
04:11 garden where you have a tube with some holes in the side of the tube and then somewhere
04:16 for the birds to perch. That particular design is an open invitation to a disease called
04:22 trichomonosis. Trichomonosis has taken three quarters of our green finches and about a
04:28 quarter of our chaffinches and it's transmitted directly on bird feeders and effectively we
04:36 try to create a feeder which separates the birds from the food so that the food is underneath
04:42 the feeder. Is it a good time to explain that?
04:45 Yeah, go for it, explain it. We can see it on the cameras just in one moment.
04:49 So effectively we have no holes in the side of here, the birds can't access the food from
04:54 here and this always stays clean and dry. The trichomonas, a parasite, can live for
04:59 around two days to 48 hours in damp food so we want to keep the food dry. Then we basically
05:07 allow the birds to perch underneath, we don't want them to walk in the food, we want the
05:11 food underneath in the dry and then basically easy to wash. So when you want to wash the
05:17 feeder, rotate the base around, just push two buttons and that's the bit you wash. So
05:23 the fact that most people know they should wash their feeders but very rarely or it isn't
05:29 done as much as it really needs to be, it should be done weekly and sadly people don't
05:34 get to do it as regularly as they perhaps should.
05:37 I'll just bring in Andrew at this point, you might be able to explain. So we might look
05:41 at these and think that they're more sustainable, more friendly for the birds but also they
05:46 are made out of plastic so how does that work in being more sustainable and I suppose you
05:51 reuse them, you keep them all year round?
05:54 Yeah, so the plastic itself can be recycled so once the feeders have been used then you
06:04 can recycle the plastic from them and also the fact that it is a high quality product
06:09 means that it will last a lot longer. So for a lot of conventional feeders the thinner
06:15 plastic that's used is not necessarily as easy to recycle and also with the fact that
06:23 we use plastic that's formed in Kent, so it has a low carbon footprint as well from the
06:32 point at which we have actually created them to your doorstep.
06:36 Yeah, if you're buying from Kent and you live in Kent they haven't come far from your doorstep.
06:41 Dick, do you think more people are getting into bird feeding? Do you think that people
06:47 are looking for ways to do it more responsibly as well?
06:50 I'd love to think so but there is a huge industry that has a vested interest in the status quo
06:58 and is providing what's always been provided. Nobody seems particularly concerned about
07:05 the issues around wild bird deaths, however I believe that the bird flu issue will raise
07:15 the profile of this further perhaps than it is at the moment. Bird flu is a huge concern
07:21 to or should be a huge concern to everybody.
07:26 And if somebody wants to start getting into bird feeding, we heard in a report from Daisy,
07:31 one of our reporters, she has been talking about the past few weeks about how to feed
07:36 birds more sustainably, how to look after them responsibly, especially through the winter
07:41 as well. Andrew, is there a specific way we should be caring for our birds in winter?
07:46 I think we might have lost Andrew.
07:51 No, he's back.
07:53 It's quite tricky.
07:55 Can you hear me?
07:57 Yeah, we can hear you.
07:59 Yeah, so we would encourage people to feed the birds if possible, to put food before
08:14 them and give them some food. And as you say, just make sure that you keep your bird feeders
08:20 clean whilst it's wet. That's quite a big problem for transmission of bacteria and parasites.
08:28 So regularly cleaning bird food is helpful.
08:31 Dick, we're also hearing in Daisy's piece about some birds that are coming here, 3000
08:37 miles across the globe, migratory birds, of course. Are we seeing anything particular
08:41 in our gardens at the minute?
08:44 Honestly, not my area. We are about disease and preventing disease. The biggest concern
08:52 about migratory birds is that they are carrying bird flu to various parts of the world. And
09:01 that's the area that we are concerned about.
09:04 And how much of an impact have you noticed that your bird feeders are making on reducing
09:09 that? Of course, you've explained how it's a clean bird feeder. It looks after birds,
09:14 stops those parasites. But have you seen that shift? Have you been able to weigh up the
09:17 two, I suppose, in a bit of an experiment in your gardens?
09:22 The only way I could explain it in terms of our own gardens is that we've seen disease
09:27 drop. But we have to be realistic. If you have 10 gardens around you and one is fed
09:33 in one way and another is fed traditionally, then the amount of impact we can have is limited.
09:40 We have a message to get out about the safety of wild bird feeders and about the damage
09:45 that's being done. And it's a long-term project. It's not something we're going to fix quickly.
09:51 Of course. And what about the cost of something like this, a feeder like this? And to keep
09:55 birds safe, is it costing us more?
09:58 Oh, for sure, yeah. But we expect it to last a long time. So we are probably two or three
10:06 times more expensive than you would buy in a garden centre. But the concepts are very,
10:11 very different. And the key for us, we call it food, feet and faeces, dry food. And we
10:20 want the birds' feet and faeces out of the food.
10:22 Out of the food.
10:23 That's not, that doesn't happen.
10:25 And what's the future of Finch's Friend? Will there be houses that are clean and green?
10:31 What's the future looking like?
10:32 The future is more product because there's so many other areas. We're looking at currently
10:39 housing these to keep squirrels and parakeets away. They're a big problem in the south-east,
10:47 not nationally with squirrels, but parakeets in the south-east. Andrew is running a trial
10:51 on that at the moment. So it looks to be going well.
10:54 Amazing. Andrew, we'll have to have you back on. Hopefully you can come to the studio as
10:58 well and explain to us all about that trial. Unfortunately, we have run out of time, but
11:02 really glad that your signal managed to stay put. And Dick, thank you so much for coming
11:05 in and demonstrating some of these for us.
11:08 You're very welcome.
11:09 Thank you.
11:10 Now, talking of animals in our backyard, we've seen plenty of critters making themselves
11:14 known in Kent over the last week. And I'm sure this footage of wildlife spotted in Peguel
11:18 Bay is sure to get your seal approval. This frolicking fellow was spotted swimming up
11:24 river between Sandwich and Ramsgate by John Hart last Friday. Residents from the local
11:29 area have described the footage of the seal as wonderful, with Hart saying it seemed to
11:34 be having a lovely time. These seals aren't actually as uncommon as you might think, especially
11:38 in the Peguel Bay area. A large herd live there at the moment.
11:43 Now, it's time for a very short break, but coming up, dog walkers in Whitstable are demanding
11:49 Southern Water to stop the sewage. But the water company say their new £1.5 billion
11:55 plan will target just that. See you in a few minutes.
11:58 [Music]
12:02 [Music]
12:06 [Music]
12:10 [Music]
12:14 [Music]
12:18 [Music]
12:23 [Music]
12:27 [Music]
12:31 [Music]
12:35 [Music]
12:39 [Music]
13:03 [Music]
13:07 [Music]
13:31 [Music]
13:35 [Music]
13:57 [Music]
14:01 [Music]
14:13 [Music]
14:17 [Music]
14:29 [Music]
14:33 [Music]
14:55 [Music]
14:59 Hello and welcome back to Kent on Climate, live on KMTV. Now, Whitstable dog walker is
15:14 just one of thousands across Kent calling on Southern Water to stop sewage discharge.
15:19 The company was fined a record £90 million in 2021 for deliberately dumping sewage in
15:25 the seas. But their new billion pound plan claims to reduce the number of spills by 3,000
15:29 a year, as Gabriel Morris reports.
15:32 It's one of Kent's most popular places to take your dog for a walk. But lurking beneath
15:38 these waves is a storm overflow. And in the past week, there have been more than 60 hours
15:44 of raw sewage being pumped into this stretch of water in Whitstable.
15:49 Dismayed and horrified. It's absolutely appalling. My dog has been ill because of it. She had
15:55 what's called a bacterial overgrowth. So she must have picked something up from the water
15:59 or the beach. And it was quite an expensive vet spill, getting all the antibiotics. I've
16:04 chosen not to swim because of it. And I know very, very many people in the area who feel
16:09 just like I do.
16:11 Water companies are legally allowed to operate storm overflows during periods of long rainfall
16:16 to prevent flooding as excess water fills the sewers. But Southermorta has been hit
16:21 with fines for deliberately pumping raw sewage into the seas. This has led to widespread
16:27 protests calling on the operator to reduce the number of spills. Today, they've announced
16:33 £1.5 billion of investment for the area.
16:37 Firstly, people have made it absolutely clear that the use of storm overflows and untreated
16:43 releases of stormwater is no longer acceptable. And we agree with that. So we've launched
16:49 our plan to phase out and ultimately eradicate the use of storm overflows. So the map that
16:56 we've launched today is interactive and it will allow people to look at where the overflows
17:02 are but more importantly, what we're doing to fix the problem and when.
17:08 But sewage discharges have been happening for decades. Why are there so many protests
17:14 today? Campaign groups say sewage systems are dated and fewer people were living in
17:20 the area when they were designed. SOS Whitstable welcomed today's announcement but they believe
17:26 it should go further.
17:27 So we'd like them to start sharing volume data. So how much volume are they putting
17:30 out to sea and what are their methods and plans to reduce that? And we'd also like
17:34 to see some milestones. So rather than just saying 2030, that's seven years away, actually
17:40 what we'd like to see is what's going to happen in the next 12 months, 24 months. Lots of
17:45 milestones, lots of kind of rationale, lots of conversation so that we can hold them accountable
17:49 to making sure they hit their targets.
17:51 Today a lot of promises were made. Money ring-fenced but this will all come at a cost. Southern
17:58 Water says water bills will probably go up because of this.
18:03 Gabriel Morris for KMTV in Tankerton.
18:08 The number of animal abandonment reports to the RSPCA in Kent has risen to nearly 40%
18:13 as the animal cruelty charity warns of a winter crisis. The charity is on track to receive
18:18 more than 600 reports in the county by the end of the year, marking a three-year high
18:23 since 2020. This comes as the charity faces more than 17,000 abandonment calls across
18:29 the entire country.
18:31 Oliver Leeder de Sacks reports.
18:34 Winter is often a time of coming together but increasingly across Kent, the holiday
18:38 season means animals will be left out in the cold. Darren Parrish from the RSPCA says this
18:44 will only get worse over the Christmas period.
18:46 This time of year is really hard with Christmas, the cost of living increase, people struggling
18:50 to pay their own food bills, etc. So we often see more animals being abandoned around this
18:55 time of year and post-Christmas as well. Once that normality sets in, that sort of post-Christmas
19:00 blues almost, where people have gone back to work and then going out looking after the
19:04 rabbit in the garden or walking the dog in the rain isn't so appealing and that's when
19:08 often we can find that again there's a big increase in abandonments.
19:12 Over three years, animal abandonment has increased in the county by 36.6%, dwarfing the national
19:18 average of 32.9%, with abandonment calls set to hit 616 by the end of the year.
19:24 Billy Devitt runs the Wisteria Cat Rescue in Rochester. He has seen this rising abandonment
19:30 first hand.
19:31 It's actually soul destroying to be the person to try and pick the pieces up. These animals
19:36 are coming in to us terrified. We've had them where they've been contained in cardboard
19:42 boxes, in plastic carriers. The issue itself is getting bigger and bigger and bigger year
19:49 on year. This year I think we've dealt with over 400 cats that have been abandoned. I
19:57 think compared to last year, that was 300. So you're looking at a 25% rise.
20:03 While we often hope for fluffier stories around Christmas, the rise in animal abandonment
20:07 should give us pause for thought when purchasing pets for presents.
20:11 Oliver Leeds of the Sacks for KMTV.
20:15 Tonight a business park in Maidstone has been awarded South and South East in Bloom Gold
20:20 status for its green spaces. The awards initiative for their horticultural achievement and environmental
20:25 responsibility. Turkey Mill says that the sustainability drive has had a positive health
20:30 benefit for their tenants too. Well, I spoke to Laura Gibson who represents a range of
20:35 business putting green spaces at the forefront of what they do.
20:40 This is Turkey Mill. Turkey Mill is the original home to Whatman Paper, which is well famous.
20:45 In fact, it's the paper that the Declaration of Independence was signed on. It's no longer
20:49 a working mill clearly. But what it is, is it's home to 75 tenants, businesses that work
20:55 in this amazing environment. And of course, it's incredibly sustainable because the habitats
21:02 are looked after, there's loads of wildlife, the gardens, all 20 acres of them are award
21:07 winning. And it's really special, I think, to have something like this in Kent, which
21:11 really underpins the county's garden moniker and sustainability credentials overall as
21:20 a clear part of the southeast of the UK, focusing on looking after natural habitats and enriching
21:26 wildlife as well as being home to some really cool businesses as well.
21:31 And you mentioned that sort of the surprise that you would see such a haven in such a
21:36 business led place. So it must take a lot to keep all of it, all those acres looked
21:43 after and kept. How difficult is it to maintain the scenery to look like this?
21:49 Well, there's a gardening team. Richard Gere, who is incredible. He spends all his time.
21:55 In fact, he took this picture. He wasn't even a photographer. He absolutely loves this job.
22:00 He curates everything. He knows gardening and wildflowers and nature and biodiversity
22:05 off by heart. He plants for the seasons in advance. So, you know, preserving local wild
22:12 species of flowers and habitats and ensures that it's always within season so that we
22:17 get the best in the gardens. How easy is this to replicate right across
22:21 Kent? Is it possible or does it need a huge amount of funding and a team behind it?
22:27 Well, so the owners of Turkey Mill bought it, I think, some 20 years ago and have built
22:33 it bit piece by piece. So it has taken a decent amount of time to get to where it is today,
22:38 but it has been beautiful for a very long time. And it's so beautiful. It's been used
22:42 as a wedding venue as well. So that's pretty special for the people that work there. But
22:46 the team do work pretty much full time curating, looking after everything, as you can imagine.
22:51 Otherwise, as you say, it wouldn't be kept to this condition. It is unusual to have 20
22:55 acres of ostensibly countryside right off the A20 and right by made stone train stations
23:02 and the town centre. But you know, you can only work with what you've given and haven't
23:06 they done a fantastic job? And I suppose, what does it do for the local
23:09 wildlife in the area? Many people might work near a river or near a forest, but they might
23:15 not see the wildlife living there because it's not as well looked after perhaps. So
23:20 what do you sort of see out the office window? Well, I think they tend to look out for the
23:25 kingfisher, which is a rare sighting. It's very quick. There's herons, there's ducks
23:31 and all sorts of tiny creatures, wildlife. What sort of little steps, I suppose, can
23:37 businesses take if they're watching now and thinking, I want to be more green, I want
23:41 to really harness an urban green space for where we work? How can they do it? What's
23:46 the first step? Well, bringing in plants. There's tons of
23:51 research that show that greenery within the office, outside of the office, basically interspersed
23:58 with where you work brings levels of positivity up and levels of stress down. I think the
24:02 University of Michigan says that. There's some universities in Australia that have said
24:06 that. I mean, if you look on the internet, there's tons of research that all supports
24:10 this. So that's an easy first step. And of course, that also helps with the sustainability
24:14 and the energy efficiency of the office too. Other than that, running water is supposed
24:19 to be a really good support to mental health. It also contributes to air quality. We've
24:25 actually been out testing the air quality at Turkeyman and it's some of the best in
24:28 Kent and yet a mile away, you've got the town centre, which has some of the worst of Kent.
24:33 So it's perfectly possible within a short space of time to create good air quality.
24:38 I suppose the next barrier you face, if you don't have the space, it's the money. Things
24:43 like this, how much does it cost? Is it a real expense or would you say that that's
24:48 where funding needs to be put? I think funding of open spaces, there's a few different things
24:53 to unpick there, but funding of open space is absolutely crucial for the UK in general.
24:58 Open spaces is so key to workers' morale. It's so key to everybody's morale. It's so
25:02 key to keep sustainability and climate change in check and to preserve the biodiversity
25:12 and natural habitats that we find across the UK. Are there any other business centres in
25:16 Kent that are doing something similar to Turkey Mill?
25:19 So I also work with Royal Tumbridge Wells together, which is the business improvement
25:23 district for Tumbridge Wells, voted for by local businesses to promote the town centre
25:29 and they are focusing heavily on sustainability. So Tumbridge Wells is very lucky in that it
25:33 has about 106 open green spaces in and around the town. And that lends itself to people
25:39 who want to be based in Tumbridge Wells and work there, who like open spaces. And as we
25:44 said with Turkey Mill, since COVID, so many people have wanted to work locally. And we
25:51 surveyed the businesses of Tumbridge Wells and over a third of them cite the open spaces
25:56 within the town as one of their key reasons, if not the key reason for working locally.
26:01 So that's really cool. And in turn with that, what you've got is a number of really cool
26:06 businesses grouping together for sustainability initiatives. So there's two corporates, Cripps
26:14 Law, a big law firm, top 100 law firm, and Yayo Design, a global media company that have
26:21 co-founded Amplify, which is an initiative to share best practice sustainability and
26:25 to club together and pool resources through the local business of Tumbridge Wells, the
26:30 local business community to do better for the environment. And that's so cool to hear
26:34 about because it shows that business community is really strong, but they're placing sustainability
26:39 at the top of their agenda.
26:42 Well that's all we've got time for on this week's episode of Kenton Climate. We'll be
26:46 back again next week with another episode discussing more matters relevant to environmental
26:50 issues in the county. Bye bye.
26:52 [Music]
27:02 [MUSIC PLAYING]