Catch up on the latest environmental news from across the county with Abby Hook.
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - Good evening and welcome to Kent on Climate,
00:15 live on KMTV.
00:17 I'm Abbey Hook, and in this show we discuss
00:19 all things related to environmental issues in the county.
00:22 How is climate change impacting Kent?
00:24 What are communities in the county doing to tackle it?
00:27 And how can you help at home?
00:28 Each week we take a deep dive into a new
00:31 environmental issue in the county,
00:32 and I'm joined by expert guests.
00:35 In today's show we're talking about
00:37 the new climate awards in Sevenoaks,
00:40 housing developments causing environmental harm,
00:43 and gardening over in Canterbury.
00:45 But before all that, our climate reporter,
00:48 Christine Hawthorne, has a roundup
00:49 of all Kent's climate headlines
00:51 from lambing season to puppy smuggling.
00:53 (upbeat music)
00:57 - It's officially lambing season.
00:59 Did you know that lambs can walk
01:01 just minutes after they are born?
01:03 This lambing season, come and see this for yourself,
01:06 as farms across Kent are welcoming families
01:09 to see the new offspring.
01:10 From Frampton Farm in Dover,
01:12 to Hadlow College near Tonbridge,
01:14 there are many opportunities to spend time with lambs
01:16 and spend time enjoying Easter.
01:18 Most of these events begin on Good Friday
01:21 and end during mid-April.
01:23 Visit Kent online to find locations near you.
01:26 (upbeat music)
01:29 South Bannock MP Craig McKinley
01:32 backs bill to end puppy smuggling.
01:35 A Kent MP is supporting a new law
01:37 to stop puppy smugglers from importing
01:39 unwell dogs, cats, and ferrets.
01:42 When puppies and other animals are imported
01:44 without necessary health checks,
01:46 they may have certain health ailments
01:48 that can be passed on to their offspring,
01:50 creating animals with unnecessary discomfort.
01:53 Craig McKinley says that this bill
01:56 will help puppy smuggling come to an end.
01:58 Under the bill, it states that sellers will be banned
02:02 from importing puppies under the age of six months.
02:05 Importation of heavily pregnant dogs
02:07 and mutilated animals will also be banned.
02:10 North Devon MP, Selene Saxby,
02:13 says that the puppy smuggling increased during the pandemic
02:15 as people were struggling to get the animals they wanted.
02:18 She says this is why the bill is so important,
02:21 not just to stop criminal gangs profiting
02:23 from the suffering of young animals,
02:25 but to end the pain loving families feel
02:28 when their beloved pet is found to be ill or in pain
02:31 due to the way it was raised and brought into the country.
02:34 Were Eurofences damaged in recent storms?
02:40 If so, conservationists in Kent are asking people
02:43 who lost their fences in these storms
02:45 to consider replacing them with hedges instead.
02:48 This switch to hedges is recommended
02:50 due to the more extreme weather conditions
02:52 occurring due to climate change.
02:54 Along with being a cheaper alternative,
02:56 planting hedges has a multitude of benefits,
02:59 such as being nature-friendly
03:00 and able to withstand changing conditions.
03:02 Nature recovery manager of the Kent Wildlife Trust,
03:05 Rory Harding said, "Hedging plants can absorb strong winds
03:09 "and are far more likely to withstand a storm than a fence.
03:13 "A hedge will also absorb CO2 from the air
03:16 "and provide shelter for wildlife."
03:18 Regardless, Harding recommends buffering your fence
03:21 with hedge for extra protection
03:23 and leaving gaps to allow hedgehogs
03:25 to wander around your garden.
03:27 That was Kristin Hawthorn there.
03:33 Now, proposals to build thousands of homes
03:36 on greenbelt land near Swanlea
03:38 continue to be objected by hundreds,
03:40 including the leader of Kent County Council.
03:42 Pet and Place is one possibility for a new town
03:45 as part of Sevenoaks District Council's 2040 local plan.
03:49 But more than a third of people
03:51 who responded to a public consultation
03:53 are in favour of building over the existing golf course.
03:57 Our local democracy reporter,
03:58 Gabriel Morris, has this report.
04:00 It's the district on the edge of London
04:03 where 93% of land is designated greenbelt.
04:07 Sevenoaks District Council says
04:08 they've got a chronic housing shortage
04:11 and their current local plan consultation
04:13 is looking at this golf course
04:15 for 2,500 new homes.
04:18 Locals are up in arms about Pet and Place being an option
04:22 and the leader of Kent County Council
04:24 has weighed in his views as a local.
04:27 I don't think this is overall a nimby position.
04:30 I personally believe that Sevenoaks,
04:33 Sevenoaks District Council has a difficult job to do in this
04:36 because there are big housing pressures.
04:41 There are still the expectations of producing,
04:45 as I say, significant amounts of housing,
04:48 but it has to be done in a way that can actually work.
04:51 And I don't think that the proposals as they stand
04:54 would fit that criterion of real sustainability.
04:58 Last night, protesters gathered outside the council hall
05:01 with a clear message.
05:03 And inside, updates on the initial consultation were heard,
05:07 Pet and Place being the most commented on.
05:10 The combination of less well-performing greenbelt
05:13 in sustainable locations
05:15 on the edge of our higher tier settlements
05:17 that could be put to more beneficial use
05:19 to provide housing and infrastructure
05:22 that then would protect the rest of the greenbelt
05:24 is likely to be considered compelling.
05:27 A second draft of the consultation
05:28 is expected later this spring,
05:31 but a final decision on where new homes
05:33 will actually be built is still likely a year away.
05:37 Gabriel Morris in Sevenoaks.
05:39 Now, a new award ceremony in Sevenoaks
05:46 is set to recognise the local area's climate heroes.
05:49 Sevenoaks Climate Action Network
05:51 are looking to recognise businesses, charities,
05:53 and community groups who've gone an extra mile
05:56 by cutting back on their carbon footprint.
05:59 Prospective nominees will have until the end of April
06:02 to submit their entries.
06:03 Well, I'm very pleased to say we're now joined
06:05 by Laura Clout to find out more.
06:08 Laura, tell me firstly the idea behind the awards.
06:11 Why an awards targeted specifically
06:14 for climate heroes in the area?
06:16 We know that there's a lot of good work
06:18 that goes on in Sevenoaks,
06:19 and often it's done on a voluntary basis.
06:22 Not always, we're after entries
06:24 from all sorts of different people, including business.
06:27 But often it doesn't go, it goes unnoticed.
06:30 And so we would like to thank people
06:32 for what they're doing, recognise them,
06:33 and also inspire other people to carry on doing good work.
06:37 Are there certain categories for the climate awards?
06:40 Is it one award?
06:41 How does it work?
06:42 What would it look like?
06:42 At the moment, we don't have categories.
06:44 We are just excited to see what kind of entries we get.
06:47 So far, we have entries from young climate activists,
06:51 and we have entries from litter pickers,
06:53 and potentially entries from an army of volunteers
06:56 who go out and rescue toads and help them cross the road.
06:59 Amazing, we've been seeing lots of the toad rescues,
07:02 especially in parts of Kent,
07:03 because I believe, correct me if I'm wrong,
07:05 it's the migrating season for them at the minute?
07:07 Yes.
07:08 That's amazing.
07:08 And they're amazing, those people go out every night
07:10 in the dark with head torches and buckets.
07:12 Amazing.
07:12 I suppose, but why is recognising sort of grassroots
07:17 sort of climate action in Sevenoaks really important?
07:19 I know you said it goes without noticing,
07:23 people just doing this great work behind the scenes,
07:25 but I suppose, what do you hope by having these awards
07:28 that more people will get involved?
07:30 Exactly, that it'll inspire other people to think,
07:32 if that person's doing that,
07:33 and they're a granny going out for walks,
07:34 picking up litter, or a young person starting petitions
07:39 and protests and knowing more about climate change
07:41 than their parents, then what can I do?
07:43 That's what we want people to think.
07:45 We can see some images on the screen
07:46 from many litter picks that we've joined,
07:50 KMTV in the community, these ones are in Rochester.
07:54 What sort of impacts has Sevenoaks had, I suppose,
07:57 what sort of climate initiatives have you noticed
07:59 that have been really key in the area?
08:01 This is what we're hoping to find out with these awards,
08:04 to be honest, I think a lot of it
08:06 we probably just don't know about.
08:07 Okay, how are people getting involved
08:10 with the sort of the network that you're running?
08:13 How can people apply for the awards?
08:15 How do they hear about it?
08:16 So they should look on our website,
08:17 which is Sevenoaks Climate Action Network.
08:19 All the information and the email address
08:21 to send in nominations is on there.
08:23 We run a climate fair every year,
08:26 which is on the vine gardens in central Sevenoaks.
08:29 We actually set it up last year,
08:30 and it was a really successful event.
08:31 And what we do is we invite businesses, charities,
08:34 other organisations, community groups,
08:36 to come along and have stalls.
08:38 We have green energy providers, heat pumps,
08:41 solar panels, electric vehicles, electric bicycles,
08:44 green gardening, beekeeping.
08:47 This year we'll have a vintage fashion show.
08:48 There's lots of activities.
08:50 It's for all ages, and it's completely free.
08:52 So we run that every year.
08:53 This will be our second year.
08:55 And the mayor will be presenting the awards
08:59 at the climate fair,
09:00 which is on the 4th of May on a Saturday.
09:04 Well, Laura, thank you so much
09:06 for bringing us all that information.
09:07 Really interesting and really key
09:09 for people to get involved in.
09:10 Very cool to see who applies and what nominees you have.
09:14 Thank you so much for coming in.
09:16 Now, next tonight, Dartford's MP, Gareth Johnson,
09:22 has failed in his bid to reverse
09:23 London's ultra-low emission zones.
09:26 It comes after Sadiq Khan extended the zone
09:28 to encompass all of London's boroughs bordering Kent.
09:31 The government indicated they would get behind
09:34 Mr Johnson's private members bill,
09:36 but ran out of time after Labour MPs
09:38 kept the debate going.
09:40 It's a bid aiming to lower emissions
09:42 and drive out high-polluting vehicles.
09:43 Well, here's a clip from that debate.
09:46 If you live in Dartford, for example,
09:49 you have a huge impact on your lives
09:52 carried out by the mayor of London,
09:53 yet you do not have the power to vote him in or vote him out.
09:57 It is literally taxation without representation
09:59 or any kind of accountability whatsoever.
10:02 It is, frankly, Madam Deputy Speaker,
10:04 devolution at its worst.
10:06 And that's why it is absolutely right
10:08 that central government intervenes over this matter,
10:11 because it is taking the devolved powers
10:13 way beyond that.
10:15 Now, a main road in a Dartford village
10:18 has shut after a flight has targeted it
10:20 for the third time in just six weeks.
10:23 School lane in Horton Kirkby has been blocked
10:26 by branches, rubbish and plastic.
10:28 It was shut for a week while Kent County Council
10:31 investigated and cleaned up the main route
10:33 in and out of the village.
10:35 And it was opened but at the start of this week.
10:38 No diversion routes have been put in place,
10:41 but the council says every effort was made
10:43 to maintain access for residents when it was safe to do so.
10:47 But as I said, it's not the first time
10:48 large amounts of roof tiles, as you saw there,
10:50 and dirt here was left in the middle of the road
10:53 back in February.
10:55 Now, a children's play area in Folkestone
10:57 has reopened after landslips closed part of the coast
11:00 following heavy rain.
11:02 Folkestone and Hyde District Councils
11:04 announced a section of the Lower Lees Coastal Park
11:06 is now open to the public again.
11:08 There's been at least nine landslides this year,
11:11 including Lower Sandgate Road and the Road of Remembrance
11:14 and Sunny Sands Beach, when this street was filmed
11:17 falling onto the path earlier this month.
11:20 Now, the council is using a drone to survey the area
11:23 from the harbour and along the Road of Remembrance.
11:26 But this part is expected to stay shut
11:29 right up until the summer months.
11:33 Now, it's time for a break,
11:34 where new data from the Environmental Agency
11:37 has revealed a 54% increase in sewage spills.
11:41 We'll hear more from that report
11:43 with Oliver Leader de Sacks after this very short break.
11:46 I'll see you in just a few minutes' time.
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15:02 Hello there and welcome back to Kent on Climate live on KMTV.
15:09 Now, data from the Environment Agency has revealed a 54% increase in sewage spills
15:15 with rivers and coastal areas across Kent seeing more pollution in their waters.
15:20 This makes 2023 the worst year for the release of untreated sewage,
15:25 with Swirlcliffe, West Hythen, Hawkhurst having some of the worst rates in the county.
15:30 Campaigners say it's having a significant impact on the environment and people's well-being.
15:35 Oliver Leader de Sacks has more.
15:37 Sewage spills on a record scale.
15:40 New data from the Environment Agency has revealed that 2023 was the worst year
15:46 for sewage off Kent's coasts and rivers,
15:49 with hundreds of instances of waste being released along the river Medway.
15:54 Montney Hill has one of the highest rates of sewage being discharged in the entirety of Medway
16:00 and it has risen since 2022.
16:03 244 hours of sewage was spilled out into the waters here that year,
16:09 but it's risen now to 327 in 2023.
16:14 Southern waters say that the data is a result of the last year and a half being the rainiest on record,
16:21 which has meant more sewage has had to be released after heavy storms.
16:26 But campaigners say this isn't the case and sewage is posing a real risk to people living in Reynham.
16:33 You can't predict the weather, no one can predict the weather,
16:35 but you can anticipate that something's going to happen.
16:37 The water companies had a chance, they knew this was coming,
16:40 they knew these spillages were coming, but they haven't done anything that I can see to stop it.
16:44 So you can blame it on the weather if you want,
16:46 but at the end of the day they're responsible for these spillages.
16:49 Would you let your children swim in the river behind you?
16:51 I would have concerns now.
16:54 Well, I would have been fine before, but now what I've seen, it does worry me.
16:58 The coast in Whitstable has seen the highest rates of sewage discharge.
17:02 With Swellcliff clocking in, nearly 1,000 hours of waste being released.
17:07 It's having a huge impact.
17:09 People choose to live here in Whitstable by the sea to have that incredible health
17:15 and wellbeing benefit that you can get from living by water.
17:18 Some people here make their living from it.
17:20 Some people just use it for, you know, for pleasure, swimming, paddleboarding,
17:23 jet skiing, you know, whatever it might be.
17:27 And so far, you know, even this year, I know the statistics are for last year,
17:30 but from the data we've seen so far this year,
17:32 only two in every three days have actually been usable with the water so far this year.
17:38 Southern Water have launched three schemes to reduce spills in Whitstable, Deagle and Margate
17:43 and have drawn up plans to spend 1.5 million to tackle spills by 2035.
17:49 The company says that slashing the number of storm releases is a top priority
17:54 and that they're relining sewers to keep sewage in and rainwater out.
17:59 But with more than four million hours of sewage being released across the country,
18:03 it's clear Kent's coasts aren't the only ones facing significant challenges due to climate change.
18:11 Oliver Leather, The Saks Reporting for KMTV.
18:13 Well, Oliver joins me in the studio now.
18:18 Oliver, what more were people telling you today when you went out and met them by the river?
18:21 One of the big concerns that I heard was about the presence of E. coli,
18:27 which although some strains are less harmful than others, can have serious health risks.
18:33 And there were concerns from people trying to use the water for recreational swimming,
18:37 for paddleboarding, for kayaking, that this could get into their systems,
18:42 could also hurt their dogs, their pets.
18:44 I mean, where I was, Motney Hill Nature Reserve, there's lots of dog walkers,
18:48 people from Raynham go down to that area.
18:51 And as I said in the report, it's significant,
18:54 the amount of sewage that's being spilled out into that area.
18:58 However, I did speak to someone who's actually taking samples down at the area.
19:04 And they said that the estuary will likely take a lot of the sewage
19:07 and lots of what's happened there out to sea and might reduce some of that harm.
19:12 So it might not necessarily be as bad in that part of the estuary,
19:16 though there are concerns from other parts of the Medway,
19:20 given that there's some significant settlements like Maidstone
19:23 and of course, Rochester, Chatham, etc, that use the Medway on a regular basis.
19:28 And we recently had a report that Sophia spoke to local residents
19:32 and there was traces found by a test done of E. coli in the River Medway.
19:38 That report is, of course, on our website, so people can check that out.
19:42 And of course, there's been extensive looks into sewage in recent years as well.
19:47 It's an ongoing problem and then heightened by the data that we saw today from 2023.
19:52 What does the water company have to say to you today as well, Ollie?
19:55 Well, Southern Water say they do have a plan to address.
19:58 They are investing ÂŁ1.5 billion between 2025 and 2035 to address this issue.
20:05 They say it's to do with rainfall, the highest it's ever been in the last 18 months on record.
20:12 They say it's been waterlogged in the area and they have plans in Margate,
20:16 Deal, Whitstable to introduce pathfinding ways to reduce the flow
20:21 and perhaps help residents deal with the sewage and overflow problems.
20:26 Oliver, thank you for giving us those details.
20:28 Now, 40 more homes could soon be coming to St Mary Hoo,
20:33 but it's not just a lack of facilities residents are concerned about.
20:37 They're also fearful as it's just been recognised by the Environment Agency
20:41 as an area for high risk for flooding.
20:44 The owner of the Fenbell Zoo hopes to sell this land to developers
20:48 after a tough few years for business, which has lost him a million pounds.
20:52 But it's something residents say will just be carnage.
20:55 Medway Council is yet to make a decision,
20:57 but some are fearful the writing is already on the wall, as Sophia Akin reports.
21:02 A quiet field, but this could soon be a different picture
21:07 if plans to build more than 40 homes here in St Mary Hoo get the green light.
21:12 It's been met with disapproval by many of the residents in the village
21:16 and at a recent meeting of around 100 attendees, every single person voted against it.
21:23 You can't get a GP appointment. People are complaining they can't get their children
21:27 into school because there aren't enough places. The roads are falling to pieces.
21:31 We can't have more houses without infrastructure to support them.
21:36 We're fed up with it. We've bought our houses in the country to have an outlook of the country,
21:42 and then you get an estate just being dumped on a corner.
21:46 I'm sort of torn between the two. Do we stay up with 44?
21:51 Or what if he says I've sold a lot and then might have a couple of hundred over the whole area?
21:57 The land belongs to the owner of a nearby zoo,
22:00 Fenn Bell. After a tough couple of years putting up with the pandemic,
22:04 the owner says this has cost his business more than a million pounds.
22:09 He wants to sell the field to invest the money back into the zoo.
22:13 The owner wasn't available for comment.
22:15 I'm stood now in the front garden of another local for whom this housing development is a
22:19 bit too close to home. He'd moved here a few years ago looking for a quiet place in the country.
22:25 He hadn't expected that soon he could be having to take welcome gifts to hundreds of new neighbours.
22:29 Well, everything a community needs to be sustainable in its own right and to thrive
22:36 is not here. Now, further down towards Graham, there's lots of brownfield there. It's got gas,
22:43 it's got sewerage, it's got adequate power supply. Why not build down there instead of
22:49 taking more greenfield?
22:51 And after the Environment Agency has classed this area as high risk for flooding,
22:56 protesters say it's not sustainable to build even more homes here.
23:00 Building houses on the field over there is only going to push the water table up higher,
23:04 put more strain on the drains and put more risk to other residents further down the line.
23:11 Of course, this is all still up in the air as Medway Council is yet to make a decision on
23:15 whether to approve the plans, but they have commitments of their own to build almost 30,000
23:21 homes by 2041. A decision is expected in May. Locals here say they'll continue to fight against
23:28 the plans but fear the grey clouds above their homes won't be clearing any time soon.
23:34 Sophia Akin for KMTV in Medway.
23:37 Now, many consider gardening a way to spend more time in nature. Well,
23:43 the Potter and Prune Group at Canterbury Christchurch University
23:47 are helping students there to do just that. Charlotte Bourne went to find out some more.
23:52 This week I visited the Potter and Prune Group at Canterbury Christchurch University. They're
23:57 celebrating the start of spring by hosting weekly gardening sessions for students in the Johnson
24:02 Wellbeing Garden on campus. We talked all about health, sustainability and gardening as a beginner.
24:07 Plus, I even got to plant a few things myself.
24:10 When we took back control of this garden because we lost control of it when the building behind us
24:14 was being built, part of it was covered in rubble. We had to reclaim it and we decided that rather
24:20 than just having me doing all the work on my own, it'd be nice to get some help and sort of get some
24:25 staff and students involved. It's a nice place for people who are stressed, people who have been
24:29 overworked, studying too hard. You know, you come out in the garden, get your hands dirty,
24:33 plant a few things, pull a few weeds out. It's a nice way to relax and get away from
24:37 a computer and your lecture notes and things. As a student I didn't really have anything going
24:41 on like any societies and I thought that Potter and Prune is something different. If you haven't
24:46 tried it before, it's a new experience and it's a break from your studies and if, you know,
24:52 the weather's great, it's even better. Physically digging works some of the muscles that you may
25:00 have forgotten about over the years. Mentally it just allows you to disconnect from whatever's
25:05 happening in life that may be stressful, you know, difficult to deal with. It's like being a kid
25:10 again, you know, just going back to childhood and playing around in mud. You may find you've got a
25:14 Neighbourhood Gardening Association. There are different places in Canterbury where they have an
25:18 organisation that plants up their neighbourhood and makes it look pretty for the in-bloom
25:23 competitions which are held around the country. I think up at the University of Kent you have a
25:27 similar community garden up there. At Christchurch we're doing quite a few things to raise awareness
25:32 of climate change, personal carbon footprints and that sort of thing, so we run classes on
25:37 carbon literacy training. Some of my colleagues have also designed a climate change escape room
25:42 activity which is really fun. Even the simplest thing can help with sustainability, doing the
25:47 basic things like recycling and just, you know, not letting the water run when you brush your
25:52 teeth and that kind of stuff. It doesn't need to be anything complicated. It sounds like gardening
25:57 is a great way to spend time outdoors and enjoy the long-awaited good weather. Look out for
26:01 sustainability projects like Potter and Prune at your university. This is Charlotte Bourne for KMTV.
26:06 Well, is it weather for gardening this Easter? Well, tonight maybe not. A bit of rain over in
26:18 Tunbridge Wells. Dry the rest of the county but definitely not tomorrow morning. A lot of wind,
26:23 bringing a bit of sunshine and rain with it. Temperatures between eight and nine. The afternoon
26:28 much of the same. Warming up just slightly but that rain continuing. And here's your
26:33 outlook for your Easter weekend. Unfortunately, rain right through. No gardening this Easter.
26:38 Well, that's all we've got time for on this week's episode of Kent on Climate.
26:50 See you again next week. Bye-bye.
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