Join Abby Hook and Gabriel Morris with all the latest news for Kent, in the morning!
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00:00Emergency roadworks in Maidstone have been described as a nightmare as one business lost
00:24out on its Easter bank holiday earnings. Well, the landlord of the Swan Inn on Loose Road
00:30says reduced footfall from roadworks on the A229 has been a major hit to his business.
00:35And there's no indication when the disruption will end, as Oliver Leader de Saxe reports.
00:41Empty chairs and emergency repairs. It was last Friday that gas distributor SGN closed
00:48the busy A229 running into Maidstone to carry out essential work. Before the Swan Inn already
00:57reeling from a challenging year for hospitality, diverted routes and reduced footfall over the
01:04bank holiday have been a big hit. It's been a nightmare. You're expecting a good normal
01:11bank holiday weekend. Basically, we've had nothing. We've had nobody. It's been very quiet. We're
01:18probably 40% plus down on ourselves. Things are tight as they are and it's done us no favours
01:25whatsoever. Uncertainty hangs in the air here. While some residents might welcome the peace
01:32and quiet, others are concerned about how long all of this is going to last, with no set date
01:41for when the gasworks are going to end. That's what we're getting all day is everybody coming
01:46down here, ignoring all the signs that are saying the road's closed, and then get in here and turn
01:51him round. I mean, they're forever digging this road up doing some repair or other. Now, you know,
01:58it seems to be shut permanently.
02:00It's understood the works are expected to be finished by Monday, but some fear the road could be closed
02:08as late as May the 6th. Oliver, leader of the Sanks for KMTV in Maidstone.
02:15The Sheppie Hughes are a women's rugby team who play in the NC3 League, but for women's rugby in the rest of the county,
02:23some teams can actually struggle to get a full side together.
02:25Yeah, that's right. So, for the Mayor of Swales, Charity Day, he pitched an exhibition match where
02:31Kent's women's teams would join forces, not just to help the teams, but to fundraise for some good causes
02:38at the same time, as Finn McDermott reports.
02:41Well, it was a derby day like no other on the Easter weekend. Rivalries were put aside and new ones formed,
02:56with Aylsford Bulls ladies and Maidstone Rugby Club women's joining forces to take on Swale ladies,
03:01made up of Sheppie, Sittingbourne and Favisham ladies RUFC.
03:05As part of the Mayor of Swales Charity Day at the Sheppie Rugby Football Club,
03:08the two sides were playing to fundraise for charities like Lupus UK and Cetada,
03:12all while promoting women's rugby in the county.
03:15Women and girls rugby is becoming really big. It's building.
03:20Of course, at the moment, we've got England Roses playing in the Six Nations at the moment.
03:25They're playing today as well. So, anything like this is brilliant to get women and girls rugby out there.
03:31Just helping our local two teams as well to do the same, build their numbers,
03:36so that, you know, you've got then extra local teams to then play and be involved as well.
03:43The Mayor selected the charities when he was elected and said he had the idea for the exhibition match at the club's end of year dinner.
03:49We came up with the idea of actually, we could put an event on, a Swale trophy.
03:54Initially, we were thinking of having the three sides take part against each other.
04:00And then we actually thought, well, now, hang on, Fabersham and Siding Woman are still developing,
04:04so why not have a combined Swale 15 and have a game that way?
04:09And Sheppie have been fantastic in getting all this arranged with the other two clubs,
04:13bringing Maidstone and Aylesford over for the competition.
04:16And hopefully it's going to be a really good day and a really good game,
04:19and we can raise lots of money for the two charities.
04:21And one of those charities, Serteda, who give advice and support to those struggling with domestic abuse,
04:26credit these kind of events with getting their name and their work out there.
04:29It's really important, especially a community event like this, for people to be aware of what we do.
04:35I think people just don't realise that domestic abuse is really prolific in our communities,
04:41and with one in four women being a victim of domestic abuse across their lifetime,
04:46we know that our services are never more needed.
04:49In the end, the home advantage wasn't enough,
04:51and despite leading by more than 20 points for the first half,
04:54Maidstone and Aylesford won by 42 to 35.
04:57One, two, three, rugby!
05:00Now, even though Maidstone and Aylesford women's might have clutched the win here,
05:04it's also a wider victory for women's grassroots rugby here in Kent,
05:08with Favisham and Sittingbourne not often able to play these types of large games due to limited numbers.
05:14So even though it's been a day of tackling your opponent,
05:17they've also been tackling larger issues at the same time.
05:20Ben McDermid for KMTV in the Isle of Sheppey.
05:23The world has been watching on as Pope Francis lies in state at St Peter's Basilica
05:28following his death at the age of 88.
05:31Tens of thousands of people are expected to travel to the Vatican to pay their respects
05:35to the pontiff who died on Easter Monday.
05:38Catholics and leaders from all parts of the world have been sharing their condolences
05:43as they prepare for his funeral on Saturday.
05:45Well, joining us now is Honorary Reader in Theology...
05:48Theology... I can never say the word.
05:51Theology.
05:51Theology and Religious Studies, Chris Deasy.
05:54Someone who knows how to pronounce that word.
05:57Chris, how's Ken been reacting to this news this week of the Pope's party?
06:01Well, as with the whole world, what I've really noticed is people from all backgrounds,
06:06not necessarily Catholic either, are a pain tribute.
06:09We see it from politicians.
06:10We see people from Kent.
06:11Of course, we have a particular connection here because we are in the unique situation
06:15of not having an Archbishop of Canterbury at the moment.
06:18And now, of course, following the death of the Pope, we're kind of in uncharted territory.
06:22So I think...
06:22And we had the Easter Sunday service, of course.
06:25Of course, normally we'd have the Archbishop of Canterbury.
06:27It was different than the Archbishop of York.
06:29So there's a sense that there's a gap at the moment that people are trying to fill.
06:33And it feels a real sense of loss.
06:36It was expected.
06:37But I think we were expecting the Pope maybe to have passed away when he was in hospital
06:41back in February.
06:42So I think this came as a real surprise on Easter Monday.
06:45A lot of people of no faith, particularly here in the UK, here in Kent, will know who
06:50he is, recognise his faith, but not really know perhaps the purpose he serves and what
06:55he does for those of faith, for those in the Vatican, for Catholics across the world.
07:01So what does it actually sort of mean for us?
07:04Well, I mean, he's the spiritual leader.
07:06I mean, there's this direct continuity all the way back to St Peter and indeed then to
07:11Jesus himself.
07:11So what's interesting here is the way such a humble figure, somebody who didn't live
07:18in the more resplendent parts of the Vatican.
07:22If you've seen the film Conclave, you sort of have this sense of all these great sort
07:24of trappings of power.
07:26But he was somebody who lived in guest lodgings.
07:27He was somebody who, in a way, didn't fit the kind of aloofness and detachment that has
07:34often been a bit of a problem for the Catholic Church as well, with obviously issues around
07:37child abuse.
07:38So that sort of sense of, you know, is there a real understanding of what's going on, some
07:42of the this-worldly problems that are going on?
07:45And he lived his life in a very different way.
07:47And coming from a part of the world that had never been a pope before, from South America,
07:51from, in his case, from Argentina, this all felt very different.
07:54And somebody who came from a part of the world where he was used to and in his younger
07:58days was affected by some of those military insurgencies.
08:03So he was somebody who had a very different background to that of some of the popes who
08:08indeed had come from Europe.
08:09I think there's a famous photo of him on public transport, which is something that popes never
08:14do.
08:15And I believe he's carried that on with being, I think, the pope of the people.
08:19His coffin is made of wood, usually some plush cushions.
08:22Will we ever have a pope like him?
08:24Has he set the precedent now to change the direction of what it's like to be a pope?
08:28Well, that's a good question, because around 80% of the cardinals who will be voting in
08:34the conclave were appointed by him.
08:36He's been there since, what, 2013.
08:39So it could go to somebody who's also progressive.
08:43But it does often happen that somebody more reactionary takes over.
08:46And we saw that when Pope Benedict, Joseph Ratzinger, took over from Pope John Paul II.
08:52And then we had, of course, Pope Francis, who was a more progressive figure.
08:56So it does sometimes tend to be the case that somebody more orthodox can follow.
09:01And often it's worth saying as well that all the runners and riders are in their 70s, really.
09:06There's one who's 59.
09:08They seem to be quite junior.
09:10Because when Pope John Paul II was elected in 1978, he was only in his 50s, and he was
09:16the first Polish pope.
09:17And he was there for 27 years.
09:20So if anybody wants a chance themselves, then they don't really want to wait that long.
09:25So you'll find that a lot of the cardinals, that you have to be under 80 to vote.
09:29But one of the frontrunners is 82 and could get the job.
09:33So, you know, there are, it feels, you know, it feels like a political election.
09:38In many cases it is, in terms of, will it be a progressive candidate?
09:41Will it be a more conservative candidate?
09:43Yeah, and there's a real process here we're seeing as well.
09:46Of course, we've been seeing images of thousands sort of coming in, seeing him lying in state.
09:53And many will be surprised, especially those of no faith, to see him lying in an open coffin as well.
10:00Of course, he's there for a few days.
10:03Tell us a bit more about that process, because there are certain things that have to happen
10:08in a certain amount of time as well, like his funeral is on Saturday.
10:11Yeah, that's right.
10:12And it's sort of between four and six weeks, usually, then, that you'd have the conclave.
10:17We don't know when the process will take.
10:20I mean, in history, it's sometimes taken weeks or even months.
10:23It's more likely to be days.
10:24And, of course, the famous thing about the colour of the smoke that's produced.
10:31So we know, because they have up to two elections per day.
10:34So different candidates will be removed from the process.
10:37And you have to have, I think it's two-thirds majority.
10:40So obviously that's not going to happen in the initial rounds.
10:43And then what will happen is a lot of the candidates will back their, and it obviously is their man.
10:47Obviously it's only the cardinals and male.
10:49One of the other issues in the church, of course, is as to how progressive the church can be.
10:53But it will be a question for the coming weeks.
10:57And it will be whittled down to that one candidate.
10:59Is it quite a quick transition to we're in a process now where lots of people are remembering him,
11:05are mourning him, their condolences being shared.
11:09Is there, I suppose, not forgetting him, but how do they work through that application
11:14and bringing in a new pope while still remembering a pope that was so famous to those of no or all faiths?
11:23Well, we had a slightly different scenario in 2013 because Joseph Ratzinger was still alive.
11:30So you were, in fact, we weren't mourning a pope.
11:32We were just aware that there was a transition from a pope who was still alive.
11:36And this is unprecedented territory.
11:38But when the pope has passed, there will be a need for someone to fill that vacancy.
11:42And so it's a very fine line between respecting, and that's why the funeral, of course,
11:47will be sooner rather than later indeed on Saturday,
11:50respecting the legacy of the pope and then ensuring that there is continuity.
12:06Animal shelter could be at risk of completely shutting down if they aren't able to find a new home.
12:11Safe Haven Animal Rescue in Knockholt has been going since 2017 and currently have 32 animals.
12:18But in the same week, it was giving its official status as a charity.
12:22It was also handed an affixion notice, leaving Ben with a difficult task to finding a new site
12:27with at least 10 acres of their animals.
12:30Well, Finn joined us earlier.
12:32Oh, completely.
12:32I mean, they started back in 2017 with the simple goal of rescuing and helping one animal per day.
12:39And I mean, since then, their operation has completely grown, like you say, to 30-odd animals,
12:43a mixture of horses, pigs, sheep, chickens, and even feral cats.
12:47And all those animals have a lot of needs.
12:49They need space, access to water, perimeter fencing, stables, and in some cases, electricity.
12:54And it's not just difficult for those reasons, the reasons you might expect.
12:59It came as a real shock because they've only recently really moved to their new site in Knockholt.
13:04There's Elise Bradley.
13:06She set up a safe animal rescue with her mum, Angela.
13:09They've only recently moved from Orpington to their current site in Knockholt.
13:13But that was in August 2023.
13:15So they've only been at this site for just under two years.
13:18And they were originally told they were able to stay here long term.
13:23They've invested plenty of time, money, and effort into building up what Elise refers to as just a field before they got there.
13:29But unfortunately, the landowner's plans have since changed.
13:32So what will they do now?
13:34Well, they say they don't even really know themselves, to be honest.
13:37They've been searching.
13:38They haven't managed to find anywhere suitable yet.
13:41Since the moving process is especially expensive, hiring vans to transport the animals is particularly expensive.
13:48They're hoping to find a site either in south-east London or in north Kent.
13:53They're considering areas like Dartford, Sevenoaks and Swanly.
13:57They've also set up a GoFundMe.
13:58They've got a target of £2,400 for the eventual move.
14:02That will cover rental costs, transport and anything else they might need.
14:06And what if they can't actually find a suitable home?
14:09What happens then?
14:10Well, Elise says that the rescue and the animals living there will be at serious risk.
14:14She went on to say,
14:15We started the rescue with all of the horses and pigs and sheep.
14:19If we have to give that up, I don't know that there will be a future for the rescue.
14:23But as much as times like this can be really difficult and make us wonder why we do it,
14:26knowing that we're making a difference is the most rewarding feeling we could ever ask for.
14:30And this isn't the first time that we've heard of an animal rescue in Kent at danger of closing down.
14:35Back in September of last year, Tunbridge's Folly Wells Wildlife Rescue Centre was also facing closure.
14:40And only a few months later in December, so was the Happy Pants Ranch in Sittingbourne.
14:45So it's definitely the kind of thing we're used to seeing.
14:48But hopefully, like those other animal rescue centres, Safe Haven can also find a solution.
14:54Yeah, and for lots of them, it tends to be this change of land use as well.
14:58Unfortunately, handed eviction notices.
15:01And that can sound like a really harsh phrase as well,
15:03because we think of it when people are renting perhaps and they're told to leave their home.
15:07And it seems really harsh to do that to animals.
15:09But there's a reason as well the landowner has handed this eviction notice
15:13because they want to change the land use cycle regime.
15:16Could you explain in a bit more detail about why they're actually having to move on?
15:19Yeah, I believe it's more to do with the owners changing hands.
15:22So I believe the landowner themselves is not the one owning this property.
15:27And that's why there's been this change.
15:29And yeah, it's like you say, it sounds like they're going to be kicked out like that when you say eviction.
15:34But they will be given appropriate time hopefully to find somewhere new before they have to leave.
15:38So it's all up in the air.
15:41But hopefully for Elise and Angela at Safe Haven, they will be able to find somewhere.
15:46The month of April is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month,
15:50with the aim of educating people on the disease and helping to detect cancers early.
15:55But recent data has highlighted a lack of public knowledge on symptoms
15:59with 35% of people in the UK not being able to identify a singular symptom of bowel cancer.
16:06Daisy Page has this report.
16:08Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer claiming over 16,000 lives each year here in the UK.
16:15The disease can be treatable and curable if found early.
16:18But new research led by YouGov has shown that many people may be missing the early warning signs.
16:24The data has revealed that more than one in three people cannot name a single symptom of bowel cancer,
16:30meaning 35% of all adults don't know the signs of the second deadliest cancer here in Great Britain.
16:38The results highlighted the lack of public knowledge for symptoms.
16:41Of those who took a survey about the symptoms, 12% recognised bleeding from the bottom,
16:4622% recognised changing in bowel habits, less than half-mentioned blood in poo,
16:52and 35% of the people admitted to not knowing any symptoms at all.
16:58So, what should we be looking out for?
17:00There are some symptoms in bowel cancer that people might notice,
17:04one of which is a change in your bowel habit.
17:06In other words, you may move to having a lot more diarrhoea or constipation.
17:10You may have a feeling that when you've gone to the toilet that actually not everything's come away.
17:15You still need to go.
17:17The other very big one is bleeding, either from the back passage or on the poo.
17:25Blood, whether it's bright red, right through to dark red or black,
17:29is a sign that there's bleeding happening somewhere in the bowel.
17:31And unfortunately, some of the time, that's going to be bowel cancer.
17:34Not always. There are simple things like piles can do the same thing.
17:37And so, actually getting into a habit of having a quick look at your poo is a good idea,
17:43because then you'll spot that something's happening.
17:45You may see blood in the pan or on the poo itself,
17:48and then really you need to seek help from a doctor.
17:50Here in the county, Social Enterprise Kent has partnered with Kent and Medway Cancer Alliance
17:56to raise awareness of cancer and screenings.
17:59Through the SMART Cancer programme, they offer accessible and trusted information to support people
18:05and help them feel more comfortable when talking about their health.
18:08At the core of the programme is for people to understand their bodies
18:12and go and speak to a medical professional when they're worried about something.
18:15But it's also to have conversations about risk factors and what we can do to either reduce our risk in some way
18:23or, in some cases, prevent.
18:24So we talk about the cancer screening programmes, about what screening can do
18:29and what's really brilliant about that.
18:31With breast and bowel screening in particular, it can pick things up really early on
18:36before perhaps symptoms have shown.
18:39And actually, in the case of cervical screening, it can even prevent cervical cancer from actually happening in the first place.
18:45The NHS has reduced the age to 50 for receiving a bowel cancer screening kit,
18:51which will automatically arrive in the post every two years.
18:54You can use the bowel screening helpline to request information, a kit,
18:57or find out more regarding the screening process.
19:00Daisy Page for KMTV.
19:03Well, we've been finding more out about bowel cancer and some of the symptoms
19:06with our health expert, Dr Julian Spinks, who joined us on the sofa earlier this morning.
19:12We have some screening we do for older people,
19:14and that involves, again, taking a tiny sample of poo and sending it off to a lab,
19:18and that says, ah, there's human blood there.
19:20And you can do that before you notice anything.
19:22But it is something that is difficult to detect early.
19:25We have conversations about things like breast cancer and prostate cancer
19:30and how the different sexes can feel individually awkward or uncomfortable,
19:34but it seems bowel cancer seems one none of us can talk about.
19:38Nobody wants to come forward because it is, you know,
19:40we're getting into the detail of our, you know, personal situations in the toilet.
19:45So it feels, it does feel really personal.
19:47Do you see a lot of people feeling really embarrassed?
19:49Absolutely.
19:50We're sitting here talking about poo at breakfast,
19:52and it's not something that you have a chat with friends about generally.
19:55And that leads to an embarrassment,
19:58even for people who come and talk to their doctor about it.
20:01They say, I'm too embarrassed to talk about that,
20:03but we do need to open up about it.
20:05Because if you don't actually start to have that conversation,
20:08you are going to not catch those cancers early.
20:11And the earlier you catch it, the better chance you have of surviving.
20:14And I suppose a lot of the time, if you do have the symptoms,
20:17it might not even be bowel cancer.
20:19Absolutely.
20:20Things like bleeding from your back passage very commonly can be due to piles,
20:23but we don't want people to make that assumption.
20:26It's better that we check them out,
20:28and then we can reassure them,
20:29or we can make sure they have other investigations.
20:31And how accessible are screenings in general,
20:35not just for bowel cancer, but there are lots of moves.
20:38There's a headline almost every day about research into cancer
20:42and how screenings are getting better.
20:43We're going to move on to talk about something
20:45that has come up this week about blood tests as well.
20:48But in terms of the screenings, how accessible are they?
20:51Actually, it's relatively limited.
20:54We have screening for things like breast cancer, for cervical cancer.
20:58For older people, you've got bowel cancer screening,
21:01but it doesn't only happen in older people.
21:04At the moment, prostate cancer does not have any screening.
21:07There isn't really a formal one for ovarian cancer and so on.
21:11And it's because screening has to be effective.
21:14It has to be able to pick up the cancers,
21:16not pick up too many false positives,
21:18and we have to have something to be able to do afterwards.
21:22And so we have a national screening committee
21:24that looks at all those options and says,
21:27you know, this is worthwhile,
21:29or at the moment we haven't got the evidence to introduce it.
21:32We saw headlines yesterday
21:33that childhood exposure to a toxin produced by bacteria in a bowel
21:39could be contributing to a rising cancer in under-50s around the world.
21:43That's according to researchers.
21:45What's happening here?
21:48Yes, it's always fascinating.
21:49When we're trying to find out why cancers occur,
21:51and it's often an interaction between genetics,
21:54so some people have it running in families,
21:56things that trigger, and a degree of luck as well.
21:59In this case, they're suggesting
22:01there's more of a particular type of bacteria, E. coli,
22:03that is causing this.
22:05But what's caused the shift is the tricky bit.
22:08And I do wonder whether the diet,
22:09particularly going to this Western diet,
22:11high in red meats and so on,
22:13may be pushing it in that direction.
22:15But that's a theory.
22:16You can't guarantee it.
22:17Yeah.
22:18There's a new blood test out for the 12 most common cancers.
22:23So one blood test,
22:24and I think it's as little as 10 drops of blood
22:27to detect potentially 12 of some of the most common cancers as well.
22:31How much of a leap in sort of the research is this?
22:35And a sort of breakthrough perhaps?
22:37Absolutely.
22:38Modern science is incredible.
22:40This test looks for micro RNA,
22:43which is little tiny particles of genetic material from cancers.
22:48Picks up some of the common cancers,
22:50things like breast cancer, bowel cancer,
22:52and ones which are very difficult to detect,
22:54like ovarian cancer and pancreatic.
22:57The good thing about this test is that it is highly sensitive,
23:0199% chance it'll pick it up,
23:03and highly specific.
23:04In other words, it has very, very few false positives.
23:08It is still in an experimental phase.
23:11They're moving on to see how to apply it.
23:13So it'll still be a little time,
23:14but it does really, to me, seem like a breakthrough.
23:17And it's British.
23:17Yeah, so 99% accurate,
23:20but can it, with it guaranteed to get sort of all 12,
23:2499% of all 12,
23:26or is this 99% of each one?
23:28How exactly does it work?
23:30Is there a chance that something could be missed?
23:32This is why the work's carrying on.
23:35They have used it on thousands of people so far,
23:37but like all of these things,
23:39you have a preliminary research,
23:40then you start to look at the detail of it
23:43to see whether it is good at predicting right across the range,
23:46because falsely reassuring people is also very bad.