Catch up with all the latest news from across the county with Abby Hook.
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00:00Hello, good evening and welcome to Kentonite live on KMTV. I'm Abbey Hook. Here are your
00:26top stories on Tuesday the 10th of December. Damp spirits. Coastal traders scorn wet season
00:32for drop in festive footfall. This is the first time in our festive markets history,
00:38this is the fourth year now where we've had this much disruption because of named storms.
00:45Out for delivery. KMFM campaign brings Christmas magic to children across the county.
00:51We've been to QEQM, we've been to Red Eagle this morning,
00:55the guys have been down to Dover, we've been everywhere.
00:58Animal welfare wins. RSPCA's first alternative cat pods have opened in Canterbury.
01:04The facility here kind of mirrors more of a natural environment for them
01:09which makes them more calm and more relaxed.
01:13First this evening, bosses at the Harbour Arm in Folkestone are urging people to come
01:26out and support local business this Christmas after a drop in footfall,
01:30which they say is largely down to the miserable weather. It comes after this season has already
01:35seen four named storms batter Kent's coastal areas. But with just two weeks until the big day,
01:41traders there say they're hoping for some Christmas magic to help business improve,
01:45as Bartholomew Hall reports.
01:48Cheers and beers. It might feel like a lifetime ago, but this summer's sporting action,
01:54plus some enjoyable weather, meant a bumper season for the Harbour Arm in Folkestone.
01:58But as the temperatures have dropped and the rain has started to fall, so has the footfall.
02:04This is the first time in our festive markets history, this is the fourth year now
02:09where we've had this much disruption because of named storms, basically. The weather has really,
02:17really put a downer on some of our traders.
02:20The business hub has taken to social media to urge locals to still come out this December,
02:24describing the Christmas trading period as a lifeline for the independent
02:28businesses that make up the site.
02:30The support that's been shown for our traders has been really overwhelming
02:35and we feel that the festive market only runs for six weeks,
02:39so people need to come out and make the most of it.
02:41It follows a turbulent start to the festive season,
02:44with Storm Darragh forcing the cancellation of Christmas events across Kent.
02:49A yellow weather warning brought strong winds, heavy rain and fears of damage to property.
02:54Even after four named storms have passed, it's safe to say that the weather this Christmas
02:59just hasn't been very Christmassy, especially down here in Folkestone,
03:03where the fury of Kent's coastal winds just aren't giving way.
03:06But some of the traders inside the harbour arm say that they're actually quite optimistic
03:11of things looking up as we get closer to the big day.
03:14Well, we had to shut one weekend, one Sunday, that was Storm Burt, so that was a shame,
03:20but that's for safety reasons and you can totally understand that.
03:23The weather looks all right for next weekend,
03:25so I'm hoping this weekend is the one where people say, I'll have that.
03:29Helen Sharp runs a jewellery business and says it's not just the weather dampening spirits,
03:34with the cost of living crisis adding to the challenges traders face.
03:38I think my most expensive thing is something like 160,
03:41so that doesn't fly off the shelves very quickly,
03:43but there is something there which can be a special present,
03:47especially if you've met the maker and that's another thing about being down here,
03:51is quite a lot of the huts you are buying straight from the person who made or created the item.
03:57It is not easy being a small independent producer
04:02and the more we can all do to support those is amazing.
04:06As the countdown to Christmas continues,
04:08traders are hoping out for calmer skies and busy markets.
04:11As for these small businesses, every shopper could be the silver lining in a stormy season.
04:16Bartholomew Hall for KMTV.
04:20A made stone man has been found guilty of attempted murder and could be sent to prison for life.
04:26Robert Jenner attacked PC Sean Quinn after he went to the man's flat in Maidstone last year.
04:31He stabbed the officer 23 times with a pair of scissors.
04:34Well, joining me in the studio to tell us more is Finn McDermott.
04:38Finn, what can you tell us about the original incident?
04:41Well, as you can see here, there was a heavy police presence here at Robert Jenner's flat
04:46and as you say, he stabbed PC Quinn 23 times in June last year.
04:50It was while he was resisting arrest for a separate offence
04:54and he was known to the police prior to this incident.
04:56We do in fact have a video of the officers going to his flat in the evening.
05:00They tried to knock on the door and speak to him about this incident but he refused them entry
05:04so they had to resort to forcing entry as we can see in this video here.
05:14Once they did manage to gain entry,
05:16they discovered he had barricaded his hallway with a sofa which you'll see in just a second
05:20and they did manage to converse with Jenner through another door.
05:23They told him to show his hands but he reportedly used abusive language
05:27and seemed to not be cooperative,
05:29which aligned with Quinn and the other officers' opinion he might be anti-police.
05:33More officers did join them
05:36and it was once Quinn had gotten past the sofa that he was then attacked.
05:39And what can you tell me about the legal side of things?
05:41Of course, the jury made this decision in court today.
05:44Tell me more about his charge.
05:46Well, his charge, as we mentioned, was attempted murder
05:49which can carry a varied sentence.
05:51At its most lenient, that could be three years.
05:53At its most severe, a life sentence.
05:55Now, we haven't had the sentencing yet
05:57but there'll be some factors that will be able to tell maybe how long his sentence will be.
06:02One of those is self-defence.
06:04Jenner's lawyer claimed he did act in self-defence
06:07and was reasonable in response to thinking the police
06:10might have been there unlawfully trying to arrest him without warrant.
06:14However, Prosecutor Daniel Stevenson said that even though Jenner expressed some sort of regret
06:19that his response was unreasonable and grossly disproportionate.
06:24He was found guilty today by the jury.
06:26Ten members to two.
06:27Finn, thank you very much for those details.
06:32Sewage spills by Thames Water spiked by 40% this year
06:35and still the company warns that customers,
06:37including those in North Kent, could be paying more for their water.
06:41The boss of the UK's biggest supplier has defended bonuses for company executives too
06:46while saying it's fundamental to their future to charge more.
06:50But with blame on record rainfall last year,
06:52the water company says despite the pressure that puts on storm overflows,
06:56it's improved, something water quality campaigners in Whitstable disagree with.
07:02Potentially, we have had more rain this year than previous springs and summers
07:09but not so much more that they've not been able to invest in infrastructure.
07:14They've had enough time to do it.
07:16Certainly, they've had our money already.
07:19Ideally, we would love for it to become public again and for it to be run for us, by us.
07:29Obviously, the catch 22 is that we will end up paying for it either way.
07:36As I mentioned earlier, Thames Water say that spike in sewage bills was down to bad weather.
07:41Regulator Ofwat will rule on whether Thames Water
07:44can increase bills by nearly 60% over five years later this month.
07:51Now, for some people, the festive season can be difficult with many children stuck in hospital,
07:56unable to go home.
07:57They can feel left out on the fun.
07:59Well, for the second year, the team at KMFM are carrying out their Give a Gift campaign,
08:03giving presents to children in need across the county.
08:06One of the locations they went to today was the Shining Star in Raynham,
08:10where our reporter Kristin Hawthorne joined them to find out more about the project.
08:15During this year's festive season,
08:17the KMFM team have been travelling around Kent as part of their Give a Gift campaign.
08:22Over the past few months,
08:23their listeners have donated money to provide sick children across the county with toys for Christmas.
08:28Most of the stuff that you see in these big bags, we bought from Smith,
08:32so this was the first year that we had a Just Giving page.
08:34Altogether, they will have visited 20 locations.
08:37Today, the team went to the Shining Star in Raynham.
08:40A children's concert charity.
08:42Anybody that listens to KMFM will know the team that have been working on this,
08:45so me and Numi, there's Andy Walker, there's Gary and Chelsea, there's Ben on the hit list.
08:51Everybody's out right now.
08:52So this is the first time we've sat down since eight o'clock this morning.
08:55So the actual delivery of it all is us going out in vans.
09:01If you have donated either in person, ordered a toy or to our Just Giving page,
09:06honestly, thank you so much.
09:08This is a fraction of what you've done.
09:10You have made some serious magic happen this Christmas.
09:15And if you shared or you talked about it,
09:17if you just listened to KMFM and listened to us talk about it, thank you.
09:22There are so many reasons why things like this are important.
09:25Acts of kindness, no matter how small, can have a huge impact.
09:29One of the children that has benefited from this cause is Orla.
09:33She received a gift from donations last year and its impact is still ongoing.
09:38We found out that Orla received a teddy bear from a toy drive
09:44and then sadly lost her life shortly after receiving the toy.
09:48That toy now lives on with her family and her brothers and it kind of made it real
09:54because it makes you realise that actually it's not about how many can we get,
09:58it's about getting the right thing to the right person can really change their Christmas.
10:04Despite the campaign's initial donation goal of £3,000,
10:08they received this amount in just the first two days.
10:11And thanks to those who donated, the number continued to rise to more than 12,000.
10:16These parents are going through a massive, massive trauma and for them,
10:21not to be able to do the most fundamental thing that you would do for your children
10:25is to provide them with a magical Christmas and to not be able to do that is really, really hard.
10:31So for us, you know, when you guys rock up with these gifts
10:34and we package them up for families or invite families in
10:37and ask them to choose what their children might like,
10:40it's almost like a type of therapy as well because they can take them home,
10:43they can wrap them up and they still feel like they're doing that for their child.
10:48So it really, really is amazing.
10:50For the rest of the week, KMFM will continue their deliveries,
10:53making a difference to the young people who need it.
10:56Kristen Hawthorne for KMTV in Raynham.
11:00Very special what the KMFM team are doing this week.
11:02That was Kristen Hawthorne joining them earlier on one of the drives.
11:05Now, just before we go to a very short break,
11:08after doodling his clothes, his car and his entire house,
11:11many of us thought Mr Doodle had run out of things to doodle.
11:15But this week, he gave himself a new challenge, making the world's biggest doodle.
11:20The wall is 203 metres long and he only had one day to do it,
11:24starting at eight o'clock in the morning,
11:26painting the mural in his classic cartoon style.
11:29In the end, it took him just over nine hours when he finished at 5pm,
11:33going through nearly 100 cans of spray paint.
11:36And the question on everyone's mind is what in what is being doodled next?
11:42This is the muddle of my words then.
11:43See you after the break.
13:55you
14:25you
14:55you
15:09Hello, welcome back to Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
15:12Now, the fallout of Labour's increase on farm inheritance tax continues
15:17as Kent farmers are set to join another national protest.
15:20Tomorrow morning, farmers from across the country will take their tractors to Whitehall
15:24for the RIP British farming demonstration.
15:27Despite the ongoing outrage from communities, the government has stuck to its guns.
15:31Aidan McNamee is here to tell us more.
15:34Aidan, remind us, why are farmers coming to protest again?
15:38Well, farmers have been angry since last October's awesome budget.
15:42Previously, farms were exempt from any inheritance tax.
15:45Now, farmers are going to be having to pay 20% on anything over a million pounds.
15:50They've already been hit with cheap foreign food imports,
15:54with low supermarket prices and with extreme weather conditions that have hit their bottom line.
15:59So this is really another financial blow for farmers.
16:02Although many have highlighted that tax avoidance strategies have often
16:06bought up lots of agricultural land because of these tax benefits.
16:10So it's a very divisive issue.
16:11But as we saw in November, we had about 13,000 farmers take to the streets of Westminster,
16:17causing all sorts of chaos.
16:19And just a couple of weeks ago here in Kent, we had a similar protest,
16:23100 tractors down the A2 towards Dover, clogging up traffic.
16:27So what's going to happen tomorrow?
16:28Will it look anything like what we're seeing on the screen
16:31when we were in Westminster just a couple of weeks ago?
16:34Well, we'll have to bring you more on that exactly tomorrow.
16:36Certainly, we haven't seen quite the same outpouring of support as the first protest had.
16:40But undoubtedly, it's still going to cause some chaos in London.
16:44Farmers from Kent and around the country are going to get there around 10am.
16:48They're going to demonstrate outside Parliament.
16:50They're going to have a few speakers up there.
16:52Then from 1pm onwards, they're going to take to the streets of London in a moving protest,
16:57which will undoubtedly cause chaos on the streets of the capital.
17:00Farmers in other parts of the country have indicated they might be doing
17:03go-slow protests in their local area.
17:06Now, there's no indication that that's going to happen here in Kent.
17:09But if a lot of farmers are going to be heading towards London,
17:11there might be a few more tractors on your morning commute.
17:14Definitely to be expected coming from the county towards London.
17:17What's the reaction, I suppose, preparation been from Westminster?
17:21Well, Keir Starmer is still sticking to his guns.
17:24The sir is not for turning on this.
17:26A government spokesperson said,
17:27we have been very clear we are not going to change course on this policy.
17:31It was necessary to take tough decisions at the budget and the spending review,
17:35and those decisions remain.
17:36However, they did highlight a £5 billion provided to the farming budget
17:40for over the next two years.
17:42But it has been met with strong opposition still.
17:45If we looked at the last protest,
17:46you had Ed Davey, Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage
17:49all on the same side supporting the farmers.
17:52And last week, the Conservatives tabled an Opposition Day motion
17:56to try and have this overturned.
17:57Now, it didn't pass.
17:59Of course, Labour have quite a sizable majority in Parliament.
18:02But it shows the strength of the opposition to this.
18:04And it's clear now that Conservatives view this law
18:08as a great way for them to claw back vital seats
18:10like Ashford and Tunbridge Wells,
18:12rural, formerly Conservative strongholds that they lost in the last election.
18:16Aidan, thank you for those details.
18:18And as you say, more on that tomorrow.
18:20Now, new pods have opened in Canterbury
18:22to give stray cats a home more suited to their characteristics.
18:26The alternative lifestyle cattery will house feral or abandoned pets
18:30who can't be rehomed.
18:31It's the first of its kind for the RSPCA
18:33and they say it's vital to reducing the number of cats and kittens on the streets.
18:37Brandon Knapp volunteers at the centre and sent us this report.
18:43Some cats enjoy the company of humans.
18:45When I come to volunteer at this RSPCA animal shelter,
18:48Jess always appreciates a friendly hello.
18:51Every cat in care has come from a different walk of life,
18:54meaning for some, being in a shelter can be a stressful experience.
18:58But taking a stride in the right direction
19:00is the Canterbury and District Animal Rehoming Centre
19:03who have opened an alternative lifestyle building,
19:06the first of its kind across more than 150 branches in the UK.
19:11But what is an alternative cat?
19:13An alternative lifestyle cat is sometimes called a farm cat or a barn cat,
19:19sometimes labelled as a feral cat,
19:21a cat that is unsocialised,
19:24maybe not so keen on spending time with humans.
19:27The normal kind of cattery is very stressful for that type of cat.
19:30It's a very busy environment.
19:32There's lots of people.
19:33There's also lots of other cats.
19:35To celebrate this vital step forward for the RSPCA's animal welfare mission,
19:39a community gathered to enjoy the delightful sights and smells
19:42of homemade cakes, nibbles and, of course, a cup of tea.
19:46With a cut of the ribbon by the Mayor of Canterbury,
19:48the new cattery is open and can begin to help reduce the number of stray cats on the street.
19:53Five, four, three, two, one.
19:59Yay!
20:01As you can see, people are taking a look at the new alternative lifestyle cattery,
20:05which is the first of its kind for RSPCA.
20:07These pods offer a more spacious environment for the cats
20:10during their temporary stay at the centre.
20:12It has the luxury of an outdoor catio on the back of it,
20:16so it gives them that extra space, freedom,
20:19that natural enrichment that you would get of sights, sounds,
20:23all of those type of things that they would normally have
20:25if they were in a barn or a farm.
20:27The facility here kind of mirrors more of a natural environment for them,
20:32which makes them more calm and more relaxed,
20:36and it's more in tune with what they are used to,
20:39and it's a very unique opportunity to be able to offer that facility.
20:45The new cattery was built in memory of a dear friend of the centre,
20:48an all-involved wish for its success,
20:50and hope it inspires other branches to follow in the footsteps of Canterbury's.
20:54I believe with the amount of effort and support
20:57that's been put in from the team and the research and the build,
21:01it will be successful.
21:03I think it could be something that could be replicated
21:06in other RSPCA locations,
21:08subject to them having the facilities to support the build.
21:13Before I left, I had to give one of my favourite felines another visit.
21:17Brandon Knapp for KMTV.
21:20Now it's time to take a look at the weather.
21:24So, clouds and high wind across the board tonight,
21:31with temperatures of six and seven degrees in most parts.
21:35More of the same tomorrow morning,
21:36temperatures lowering to five in Tunbridge Wells,
21:39but that wind persisting.
21:41And the clouds continue into the afternoon too.
21:43High winds in Margate, lows of five degrees again in Ashford,
21:48and further into the week, staying cloudy right up until Saturday,
21:52temperatures between six and eight degrees.
22:04Now, don't forget you can keep up to date with all your latest stories across Kent
22:08by logging on to our website, kmtv.co.uk.
22:11There you'll find all our reports, including this one about a bakery
22:15forced to shut after a burst water pipe flooded the road.
22:19It's something no small business wants to wake up to.
22:33Only for it to become much more devastating.
22:42According to South East Water, it was a bus like that one that just passed
22:47that made the leak much worse than it started out as,
22:52and that has left much of that side of Preston Street without running water,
22:58forcing small independent businesses like Oscar's Bakery to close
23:03and impacting their bottom line in the lead up to Christmas.
23:07You just have to laugh, otherwise you cry, is really it.
23:10I've lost a whole day's trade.
23:12So, you know, five days were open, that's one day less.
23:16So, yeah, just watched our customers come to the door, look at the sign and walk off.
23:21No fresh bread and no hot coffee means Stephanie's Bakery
23:27may have taken up to a 20% hit on this week's earnings.
23:32But it's not the only business impacted.
23:35Up the road, the usual lunchtime bustle at the Limes
23:40was nowhere to be seen, with the pub also being left without water.
23:47One of the guys running the job from Southern Water has kept us informed.
23:51So he came into the pub to tell me it was unlikely to be open before midday,
23:56probably mid-afternoon.
23:57So I took the decision to not open for legal reasons,
24:01with no water supply for toilets and for hygiene.
24:05I'll lose trade.
24:06So it's as simple as that.
24:08I had 15 booked in for lunch, which I've had to cancel.
24:11So it's not great, but these things happen.
24:15South East Water have apologised to both customers and businesses along Preston Road,
24:22stating that a technician was sent out to make the area safe
24:27before the rest of the repair team arrived.
24:30Those repairs have now been completed,
24:32but it won't bring back the trade lost for businesses forced to shut up shop for the day.
24:39Oliver Leader, The Sacks, for KMTV in Farrisham.
24:44And finally this evening, Christmas Day is only 15 days away.
24:49It comes around so quickly, and while many of us are nearly done with our festive shopping,
24:53there may be bad news for last-minute shoppers in Ramsgate.
24:56Well, 65 units across the town centre empty, working out at one in four.
25:01It's much higher than the national average of 14% too.
25:05Well, Senior Nakvi joins me now with more details on this.
25:07Senior, what is going on with Ramsgate's High Street?
25:11So, Abby, in Ramsgate, we've got a total of 65 units in the town centre that are just empty,
25:19completely vacant.
25:20We saw it in a report from Kent Online reporter Max Chesson, and it works out at one in four,
25:28which is much higher than the national average of 14%.
25:31That's about 11% higher than the national average.
25:34And to make matters even worse, half of these
25:38empty shops aren't even advertised as being up for sale or rent.
25:42So, you know, the future does look quite bleak for shoppers
25:45who are going to be really confused about where they can head.
25:48You know, they might have to head...
25:53The nearest place for them to go about their Christmas shopping might be Broadstairs,
25:58you know, so it's just really inconvenient.
26:01And Dina, it's not just festive shoppers we've been discussing in the newsroom.
26:05Festive drinkers too, because Guinness...
26:08I don't know how much of a festive drink that is.
26:09I'm not a Guinness drinker, but it's running out.
26:12We're running out of Guinness.
26:13Tell us more.
26:15Yeah.
26:15So, Abby, we may have a Guinness crisis on our hands.
26:19So, the drinks giant that owns Guinness, Diageo,
26:24they've said they've had to manage the sort of exceptional demand that they're facing.
26:30So, kegs, they are limiting the amount of kegs that pubs can purchase.
26:34And pubs are just all putting their bids in,
26:37trying to get some Guinness ready for Christmas.
26:38Panic buying.
26:39And they're running out.
26:39Panic buying.
26:40Well, get your Guinness while you can.
26:42Other drinks are available.
26:43That's all from us.
26:44Bye-bye.