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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 Wednesday the 15th of January. A stark warning, more children being groomed
00:32online in Kent than anywhere in the South East. But often it will start in a very innocent
00:38way and then young people will be asked to move across to a different platform. Still
00:43a triple threat? Six months since Medway turned red but half the town's MPs met voters expectations.
00:51We need housing in Medway, it needs to be people from Medway living in it. Race to first
00:57place? Ramsgate chippy up for national award. But is our reporter Finn any good at frying?
01:04I'm not very good at this bit. There we go. I've got most of them, I've got most of them.
01:20Just this evening there have been 264 offences of sexual communication with a child in Kent
01:26in the last 12 months. Figures here are the highest across the South East. The findings
01:31are part of data collected by the NSPCC from police forces across the UK. Nationally the
01:37number of online grooming crimes has increased by nearly 90% over the last seven years. Kit
01:43Taylor has been looking into what police and schools are doing to try and bring those figures
01:48down. When a child closes their door and opens their phone, do you really know who they're
01:53talking to? Police are urging parents to have more conversations with their children after
01:57new figures on online child abuse have revealed that Kent has the highest figures for grooming
02:01across the South East. We've seen a year on year increase since 2017. The offenders are
02:06becoming more sophisticated. We've advanced in how we identify and target paedophiles online.
02:12Snapchat was the most popular platform used to target children online last year with the
02:17messaging app being used in almost half of cases across the UK. Snapchat are reporting
02:22concerns which I think is really positive but we see it in all platforms whether it's a gaming
02:28platform, whether it's one of the social media platforms but often it will start in a very
02:33innocent way and then young people will be asked to move across to a different platform
02:38and I think that's a real red flag that people need to be aware of. The NSPCC research showed
02:43that cases in Kent had doubled since 2017 with the youngest victim being just six years old.
02:50Meanwhile in Australia, under 16s have been banned from using social media which has started a
02:55conversation in the UK on whether we should do that too. In primary schools, teachers like Joe
03:00are working to support children to understand the risks they face online. So I've been a teacher for
03:0516 years now and in that time I think developments in technology, in gaming, apps that have been
03:12created has actually outpaced people's understanding of them and I think therefore that's
03:17why there's a greater need right now for an even more robust education about what can be done to
03:21support children when they're on those things. You teach these safeguarding resources to primary
03:27school children, surely these children are too young to be online? I think there's a misconception
03:31with the really young children that they're okay because they're not likely to necessarily use
03:36certain games or apps but the fact of the matter is is there are children that I've certainly
03:40experienced in my time as a teacher that have sort of openly told me that they're on apps or
03:44software that are not of an age appropriate age and that though they might not be necessarily
03:49using some of those technologies or apps or games yet, the likelihood is they are going to in the
03:54future so it's important to kind of prepare them before they get to use them. You know we teach
03:58children how to cross the road before they're able to cross the road on their own and it's a similar
04:02kind of approach from us as a school in that sense as well. So what should people do if they're
04:07worried about a child? I know that sometimes there are conversations that we have to have as
04:11parents or teachers or guardians that can be difficult or challenging and if you have them
04:17conversations with them they feel empowered to do the right thing and say the right thing and if you
04:21have an open conversation there is less of an opportunity and a chance that they're going to
04:26try and do things in secret. Kit Taylor, KMTV. It's been six months since voters turned Medway
04:34red and gave three former ward councillors each a seat in Westminster. Housing and heating two of
04:39the key targets residents wanted addressed but how far have the MPs gone to get issues in their
04:45corner of Medway heard? Beth Williams has been speaking to voters, businesses and local councillors
04:51about key challenges Neshaba Khan, Tristan Osborne and Lauren Edwards have faced since July.
04:57Fourth of July 2024, the day that three Medway councillors became Labour MPs. Tristan Osborne,
05:04Neshaba Khan and Lauren Edwards have represented their constituents for six months but it hasn't
05:10always been smooth sailing. Controversy came quick for Lauren Edwards after a tweet from
05:14the Rochester and Stude MP drew criticism in August. In a statement about the now deleted tweet
05:21she said it was a significant error of judgment on my part and I apologise wholeheartedly.
05:26Lauren Edwards was unavailable to speak to us but we've come to Rochester to see what her
05:30constituents think of their new MP. I probably said things in a tweet or on a Facebook page
05:3610 years ago. I mean probably when I've had a drink or when I just felt a bit angry.
05:41Yeah I don't really care. I don't like it. I would obviously I would like her to explain her
05:46position now but I do appreciate that people's decisions and opinions do change through time.
05:53She's made comments like that whether they're 10 years ago or not that she should you know face
05:57them and deal with them and perhaps comment on why she said that when she said it. In Neshaba
06:02Khan's constituency next door the chair of food bank charity Gillingham Street Angels thinks access
06:07to housing is an issue. You see these problems everywhere in Chatham in particular they're
06:12building all these brand new flats. Who's going to live in those brand new flats? Is it Medway
06:16residents? That's what my concern would be if we need housing in Medway it needs to be people
06:22Neshaba Khan also sits on the government's housing select committee. I think the issue is that for a
06:27long time now that word affordable has been used when we talk about housing but actually it doesn't
06:31feel that way and so that's why and this is something that I've really backed because it's
06:36come very strongly through this Labour government it's come very strongly through the Deputy Prime
06:40Minister Angela Rayner is the building of council housing and social housing. I'm also really keen
06:45to work with local communities work with people in Gillingham and Rayner and the council to make
06:49sure that we get this right for local residents. A Conservative councillor in Tristan Osborne's
06:54constituency of Chatham and Aylesford criticised changes to the winter fuel payment eligibility
06:59rules. You know I've got grandparents I'm just about to visit and you know that they can't afford
07:04to heat their homes so you know us grandchildren have to fund their heating bill for them. When I
07:10say to them where the threshold is people actually do change their mind and acknowledge that there
07:14will not be a choice for many around heating and eating this winter that is a false argument.
07:20We are making a start on getting more money in people's pockets and the economy is in a more
07:23stable place we're going to have the same chancellor and prime minister instead of this
07:28sort of merry-go-round we saw in the last parliament. With six months down who knows what the next six
07:33months will bring. Beth Williams for KMTV. A freedom of information request has found patients
07:40who have undergone surgery in Kent have been left with foreign objects inside their bodies.
07:45From a screw head to a throat pack and medical swabs these are just some of the 37 items that
07:51patients have had removed in our hospitals. Our health expert Dr Julian Spinks joins me
07:56in the studio now with more on this and the rest of today's health headlines.
08:00Julian thank you very much for joining me today. Now 37 items left in patients after surgery it's
08:07alarming how does something like this happen? Absolutely alarming and it seems trivial but
08:12actually it can make people really quite ill. It's actually quite easy to lose things inside
08:18people I hate to say it by the time things are covered in blood and swabs get soaked in blood
08:23trying to spot them against the tissue is not that easy but they're supposed to be counting
08:28processes at the end of every operation they count every instrument and likewise every swab
08:33that's been used to make sure that they brought out all the ones they should and this is why
08:37these should be never events in other words something that never happens. Yeah that never
08:41event it's described as a serious large serious largely preventable patient safety incident
08:49What happens to sort of doctors and nurses if they're found to have left something during
08:53surgery what happens to them? Well number one they can be sued by the patient because they've
08:59obviously can get damages. There's a potential if they they can be referred to the general medical
09:04council for example however that's relatively uncommon unless it happens repeatedly and most
09:11of these I have to say is a serious large serious largely preventable patient safety incident.
09:18People don't repeat that. And how would you know if something's left in you do you have a sort of
09:22funny feeling it I suppose it depends on the operation to what you can feel yourself you just
09:27feel a bit more uncomfortable because surely you're going to feel uncomfortable after any sort
09:30of operation anyway. Some people with hard objects they may actually feel it moving around in them
09:36with things like swabs the problem is they act as a focus for infection and I have a colleague who
09:42actually had a swab left in and was really quite seriously ill for months before they realised what
09:48had caused it. It's definitely something it's concerning to hear but of course in that
09:55freedom of information request it was actually found that Medway Maritime had the most with
10:00nine and high payouts more than a quarter of a million pounds so it's costly. Absolutely that's
10:05money that could be spent on actually treating patients. People deserve compensation but actually
10:11I'd rather see the money go to proper use. Yeah it's definitely a difficult one. The next
10:16health headline that we wanted to bring to you today Julian as of this week all over 50s will
10:21now receive a home testing kit for bowel cancer. How important is this? It's a really important
10:27thing and to start off with it will be 50 to 52 year olds people over 54 are already getting them
10:33so if you qualify you're going to get it through the post. Very important to use it it's a way of
10:38detecting cancers early and we all know the earlier you actually find cancer the better
10:44and with bowel cancer unfortunately if you wait until you've got symptoms it's often advanced
10:48further. We've got some videos up on the screen now of what the kit looks like and what's in there
10:52to use of course it comes with instructions as well it's not something everybody wants to talk
10:56about they can feel quite embarrassed about it but I suppose it's really crucial that people
11:00are doing this they are reading the instructions they are doing it correctly as well. It's that
11:04old thing about don't dive embarrassment I'm old enough to use it myself takes about three minutes
11:09to do and that's it once every couple of years. And just what could the issues be if people aren't
11:17if people aren't getting this earlier and quicker? Well it's very sad that actually particularly the
11:2256 year old group the take-up rate isn't high enough it's an opportunity people worry about
11:29cancer it's one way of reassuring you that the risk of cancer is much lower so definitely do it.
11:35And certainly as they are bringing those goal posts of those age brackets down as well to make
11:39sure more people are being tested. Julian thank you very much for joining us today with those
11:43health headlines. Now it's time for a very quick break but more news from right across Kent coming
11:48soon. See you then.
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15:10Hello and welcome back to Kent tonight live on KMTV. Now a man from Luce says he was forced to leave
15:15his home after his ceiling collapsed. At first moving to the Lakelands retirement property was
15:21for Michael Trottier to downsize in order to save money but as he told us it's just one in the long
15:27list of issues he's faced with his housing association Anchor. I've been patient with my
15:32landlord for 15 months to then have my ceiling fall in which was inevitable and to have other
15:38health problems which also was inevitable comes as no surprise to me you know they have no investment
15:46in older people they claim to be a charitable organisation not for profit claiming to provide
15:52housing to people over 55. Well my experience is do yourself a favour don't let your relatives
15:59ever ever live in an anchor property because this is the consequence of doing so. Our reporter
16:08Bartholomew Hall joins me now with more and we heard Mr Trottier there speaking of some of his
16:13health concerns. Yeah well the issue of the ceiling is obviously very dramatic we saw some of the
16:17pictures there he told us that that was the final straw for him as you allude to it wasn't the only
16:22problem he faced while he was at the property for 15 months he said that there was a lot of mould
16:26and damp while he was there and that his heating he had some problems with his heating as well as
16:31his heating bill actually going from £60 a month to £280 a month and because of those issues
16:36as well as his registered blindness he has also been diagnosed with respiratory problems and now
16:41because he's unable to be inside the property he's having to stay with relatives for the time being.
16:46Certainly some really dramatic pictures there you can see that ceiling pretty much all collapsed
16:49there not somewhere you can live at all but what's been the response from anchor? Well anchor have
16:54apologised for the issue they say that the ceiling is due to be repaired this weekend they also
16:59claim that apart from the ceiling issue that it is a safe and habitable flat and that a new heating
17:04system was installed 12 months ago they did add that they won't be charging him rent all the time
17:09that he can't stay there at the moment and that they'll be doing all they can to assist him
17:14during this time. Now interestingly this all comes a year after we heard that case from Rochdale
17:19where two-year-old Awab Ishak died after being exposed to mould at his home there the previous
17:24government told us that renter told us that renters would be protected that landlords would have to
17:30fix any cases of mould inside their properties that is still being passed through the commons
17:34at the moment so not in law as we currently speak but regardless anchor believe that the mould that
17:40has been reported in this property isn't bad enough to be fixed at this time.
17:43Bartholomew thank you very much for those details. Now more on that story on Kent Online
17:50but you can also keep up to date with the latest stories from across Kent by logging onto our
17:53website it's kmtv.co.uk there you'll find all our reports including this one about the easiest place
18:01to pass a driving test in Kent. It's a nerve-wracking 40 minutes putting months of practice to the test
18:08and trying to avoid those trembles translating into mistakes. The pressure to pass these days
18:14compounded by long waiting times just to get an exam and we found an almost 20 percent difference
18:21between the easiest and hardest test centres in Kent where Tunbridge Wells having the highest
18:26pass rate and Folkestone trailing at the bottom. When you talk about common faults I think quite
18:31a big one is observations. Ian's been teaching learners for almost 20 years he says the reason
18:38for the big difference is more than just the geography of a town. It could be a case that
18:43there might be a shortage of instructors in Folkestone so people are having to take fewer
18:46lessons when they get to test it could be that people are having fewer lessons anyway it might
18:51be a money thing it might be a timing thing so people maybe are more ready in Tunbridge Wells
18:56or in Folkestone. Instructors say learners going to a DVSA centre in a different area isn't uncommon
19:03particularly when it comes to those long waiting lists taking a test in an unfamiliar town
19:08might also come with some benefits. I've taken a lot of driving tests and I find I work better
19:13in areas I don't know because I'm not expecting things around the corner so if there's suddenly
19:16some new road works or a diversion I'm not surprised by it and I think if really we want
19:22our drivers to be confident driving anywhere not just on test routes. And at the moment learners
19:29say it takes six months or even more just to get a test in the first place and they can't book
19:34their practical until they've passed their theory. With the long waiting list for the practical tests
19:41instructors are saying that as you know it can really get in the way so if people don't get on
19:46and do their theory but they've started their practical lessons you can end up with a big gap
19:51which is not cost effective it doesn't support road safety particularly well because people end
19:58up having ad hoc lessons. So it seems with the current backlogs taking a test at a centre further
20:04away won't harm your odds in passing. Gabriel Morris in Tunbridge Wales. Next this evening a once
20:13trusted loft surveyor from Sandwich stole thousands in jewellery and gold from the homes of elderly
20:18customers. Stuart McAllister with Czech Insulation was safe in roofs across Dover and Hive but after
20:24gaining trust from clients he went on to steal their most precious items. When he was arrested
20:29police found two pieces of jewellery in a chewing gum packet, thousands in cash and multiple phone
20:34messages about selling gold. Farmer Nasir joins me now with more details from Corn. Can you
20:40tell me a bit more about how McAllister managed to gain so much trust from people and not raise
20:46much suspicion? Yeah well ultimately in this case Stuart McAllister used his job as a loft surveyor
20:53to take advantage of those that really trusted him and ultimately were really vulnerable.
20:58So over a three-month period he visited those that he was supposed to be doing work for
21:05and actually ended up taking some of their most sentimental items. The judge George Fowler called
21:11his actions mean and callous and said that they were driven purely by greed and there was not one
21:17ounce of consideration given to those affected. So on scheduled appointments he would arrive
21:22and get access to private rooms like bedrooms or where valuables were stored. On one occasion he
21:28even stepped away, asked to come back to use the bathroom and stole a gold chain worth £3,700.
21:35So a lot of damage for the residents. One woman said that she had a necklace that she had cherished
21:41for over 30 years and just felt really you know betrayed. And taken advantage of for sure. There
21:47was a sentencing hearing on Friday the 10th of January. What can you tell us about what happened
21:52in court? How long was he sentenced for? So McAllister was sentenced to three years in prison
21:57at Canterbury Crown Court and police were able to match him to the crimes through CCTV, following his
22:04van through cameras via AMPR, sort of appointment records and yeah that's how they were able to track
22:13him down. And when he was arrested as you say he was found with items on him and there was cash
22:20found in his partner's handbag as well as evidence to show that there were dealings with porn brokers
22:26up to £9,000 in cash. The court also heard about his time serving in the Falklands and in Northern
22:32Ireland but Judge Fowler said that his actions just left his victims stressed, devastated and angry
22:39and there's no real relation to the survivor's guilt mentioned in court. There will be a
22:45confiscation hearing later this year to find out whether people affected will be eligible for any
22:50compensation or access to any of his assets. Farwah, thank you very much for those details.
22:56Now it's time to take a very quick look at the weather.
23:03Tonight's looking very misty with Dartford reaching highs of 9 degrees, 7 and 8 elsewhere
23:09across the county and so tomorrow morning the mist clears leaving just cloudy weather,
23:13an average of between 7 and 8 degrees there, Medway and Dartford 8 degrees. Then in the
23:18afternoon wind speeds of 5mph with much of the same weather to be expected, Ashford and Dover
23:23on the lower end with highs of 7. And here's your outlook for Kent, looking like a pretty dull
23:27weekend, staying cloudy but staying dry hopefully. Highs of 6 on Friday, lows of 4 by Sunday.
23:40And finally this evening, not quite fish and chip Friday yet but for one restaurant in Ramsgate,
23:44they're celebrating all week long. After becoming a finalist for multiple national
23:49fish and chip awards this year, Newington Fish Bar got our reporter Finn McDermott behind the
23:53counter to put his fish frying to the test and see if his version of the Kent classic
23:57would pick up anything beyond a bronze. Can you tell me what your favourite takeaway is?
24:01Yeah my favourite takeaway, I'm very old fashioned I'm afraid, fish and chips,
24:05has to be. Not the seaside, oh come on. I love fish and chips, yeah fish and chips
24:10is probably my favourite. Along Kent's coast, the answer is obvious, fish is king. But not
24:17everyone agrees. To be honest it's a fish supper but only in Glasgow, not in Canterbury or Kent or
24:23Whitstable or anywhere else. But yeah, that's what it is. So how do you determine where the
24:28best cod is cooked, the chips chopped and the haddock heated? It's sort of like the Oscars
24:33for chippies, called the National Fish and Chip Awards and Newington Fish Bar in Ramsgate is one
24:38of the last three in the race for the Quality Accreditation Champion. It's meant to recognise
24:43fish and chip shops that have higher standards and seek to improve the quality of their food.
24:48And the owner of the fish bar, Nigel, says that the greasy, unhealthy reputation that chip shops
24:53have is something he wants to get rid of. Well we're in the National Fish and Chip Awards,
24:58which is run by the National Federation of Fish Fryers. They've been the custodians of this award
25:03for quite a few years now. And we have reached the top three category in field to fryer and
25:10Quality Accreditation Champion. There's 13 categories all together and also the main big
25:16one is to take away the year, which we've managed to get to a top 20 place and over 10,000 shops in
25:22the country that are eligible to enter. So we feel quite pleased we've done rather well. Nigel suggested
25:27I pick up a spatula and give it a go, but I was a little nervous as my pot noodle cooking skills
25:32probably weren't going to help me here. Well in order to make some good fish I'm going to
25:37have to be well dressed for the occasion. I'm going to see if I can make some award-winning
25:41fish of my own. Taking some of the fish and putting it in the batter. I've been warned to
25:46not let the oil bite me on the way down. Apparently you've got to go really close to the oil. So here we go.
25:53And it wouldn't be proper fish and chips without obviously the chips. So I've got my chips from
25:56my bucket and same deal with the oil. Just need to pour it in here.
26:05There we go. Now I'm quite scared of the oil but we're going to do our best. So make sure they
26:10don't overcook. Take them out. I'm not very good at this bit. There we go. I've got most of them.
26:17I've got most of them in. Now I've had a go at making my own fish and chips and I thought I did
26:22pretty well, but I'm being told that there's a piece here that just could be used a bit longer
26:26in the oil. But for my first time I think it was alright. In the end Nigel gave my fish a
26:31three out of five. So no awards for me. Finn McDermid for KMTV in Ramsgate.
26:38Finn's going to be sticking to journalism. That's it for us this evening on KMTV. See you tomorrow. Bye-bye.
26:56you