Catch up with all the latest news from across the county with Oliver Leader de Saxe.
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00:00Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight, live here on KMTV.
00:28I'm Oliver, here are your top stories on Monday the 28th of April.
00:34Investigation launched, Gillingham man says pet hospital gave lethal combination of medication
00:39to his dog.
00:42Dover demonstration, bikers descend on Kent coast for anti-immigration protest.
00:49And spring interaction, lapping season underway at Kent's only rural college.
00:55Now for our main story today.
00:58A Gillingham man says he's had his life turned upside down after his 8-year-old dog Diesel
01:03passed away from what he suspects is the wrong combination of tablets.
01:08Lee Taylor took Diesel to the vet charity PDSA.
01:11He was concerned about a rash on his dog's skin at the start of the month.
01:17But within the space of a week, Diesel passed away from a suspected ulcer in his stomach.
01:22PDSA has shared its condolences and says an investigation is underway.
01:27A warning before we play you this story.
01:30It does contain upsetting videos of a dog passing away at the beginning of the report.
01:35So please look away now if necessary.
01:42This is the moment an 8-year-old dog named Diesel took his last breath.
01:50He died at an animal hospital run by PDSA.
01:53A place where owners who can't afford to pay veterinary costs can get their pets treated.
01:59Online, PDSA is described as a vet charity for pets in need.
02:03They care for thousands of animals up and down the country.
02:07But here at the pet hospital in Gillingham is where Lee came in with his dog and left without him.
02:13Now, in an email, Lee's been told an investigation is underway to find out why.
02:19The first four days, five days, I think I had about six hours sleep.
02:22I just could not focus.
02:24I just kept going online, just looking.
02:26I was thinking like, why, what could, what, like, he's dead.
02:30What could, what could I change?
02:32Like, what could I do, you know?
02:34But there wasn't anything, you know, because I don't know anything, you know?
02:39I'm not, I'm not a vet, I'm not a doctor.
02:40I don't, if this can happen to me, you know, and I'm quite cautious about a lot of things.
02:46Like, it can happen to anybody, you know?
02:48And I just want them to be held accountable for what's happened, you know?
02:51So, I've lost, I've lost like a member of my family now.
02:54And I know he was in pain as well.
02:56And just, it's just, it's just been eaten at me and just nonstop.
03:01And it's just destroying my head, absolutely destroying my head.
03:06On the 9th of April, Lee picked up a prescription for prednisolone,
03:10a steroid to treat a rash on Diesel's skin.
03:14But Lee believes the reason Diesel died six days later
03:17was down to a lethal mixture of that steroid and an anti-inflammatory drug
03:22Diesel had been taking since December for arthritis.
03:26That's called meloxicam.
03:28In fact, he was last prescribed it just one week before,
03:32highlighted here on Diesel's medical record.
03:35These drugs together can cause gastric ulceration,
03:39which is what the vets noted as the presumed diagnosis.
03:46In a statement, PDSA have said,
03:48We're very sorry to hear about the sad loss of Diesel
03:51and offer our most sincere condolences.
03:54We treat complaints very seriously and fully investigate
03:57so we can discuss and support owners through any concerns.
04:00An investigation is now underway by the client services team for impartial review.
04:05As the investigation has just begun, we're unable to share more
04:09and appreciate patience whilst we thoroughly explore all matters raised.
04:15Lee's been told he'll have to wait until June for the investigation to conclude,
04:20but that PDSA are working with the Gillingham Pet Hospital.
04:23In the meantime, he's desperately missing his best friend and best support.
04:27Someone excited to be off the lead?
04:30Keep it, boy, keep on in.
04:32Come on.
04:33All while wondering what went so wrong.
04:37Abby Hook for KMTV in Gillingham.
04:42Now, police maintain a large presence at an anti-immigration rally in Dover this weekend.
04:48Protesters marched under the slogan, Enough is Enough,
04:52demanding tougher action to deter illegal migration to the Kent coast.
04:57Around 500 demonstrators, most arriving on motorbikes,
05:00face a considerably smaller group of counter-protesters.
05:04Our local democracy reporter Gabriel Morris was there
05:08and heard strong feelings on both sides of the immigration debate.
05:12It's far from a quiet afternoon in Dover.
05:22A rowdy anti-immigration protest took over the town.
05:26More than 500 people fell for streets, drawing big names from the right-wing scene.
05:32Because the illegal immigration crisis is out of control, they pass through peaceful country
05:36after peaceful country. They're primarily working age, fighting age young men.
05:40Now, when we see a war situation, what happens? The women and children flee and become refugees,
05:44the men stay behind and fight. But we're seeing the opposite with this lot,
05:47because they're economic chances. They're being drawn to this country
05:50because of the generosity of our government.
05:53It was mostly bikers making up the crowd,
05:56seen descending the A2 into the coastal town.
05:59The action comes as Home Office data reveals that illegal migration has risen by 40 percent
06:07compared to this time last year. Many here describing the situation as an invasion of England.
06:15Meanwhile, counter-protesters gathered in Market Square,
06:18calling for safe and legal passages for asylum seekers.
06:21Because it's important that we counter the arguments of the far right,
06:26that try and take over the arguments about people being on boats,
06:32which we know that the government knows, that every politician knows,
06:37is a very, very small percentage of people that come into this country.
06:42This is the first time the Stop the Boats protesters have met the anti-protesters.
06:57A lot of chanting, but so far, staying peaceful.
07:01Their numbers were far smaller than those at the right-wing protest.
07:05What it says is that the narrative is getting through to these people,
07:11that there is a massive problem. I don't know what it says about us,
07:15but we will continue to keep fighting.
07:19Police maintained a large presence throughout the town.
07:22Back in January 2016, a similar protest led to 64 arrests.
07:28The Stop the Boats protesters have made it to Market Square.
07:32This is where the counter-protesters were earlier,
07:34but just look how many there are now.
07:36Two or three.
07:38The mood suggested few believe irregular arrivals will ever stop.
07:43We need the illegal influx to stop,
07:46and we need the legal migration to be properly monitored,
07:50and all of the processes in place used.
07:55Everything's there, the laws are there we need,
07:57and no-one's applying it for some reason,
07:59and I can't work out what they're playing at.
08:02Both sides of the argument want an end to irregular crossings.
08:06A stark reminder that it's thought more than 220 people have lost their lives
08:11attempting the journey since 2018.
08:14Gabriel Morris in Dover.
08:17Now it's time to bring you all the latest business news from across Kent.
08:21It's been a pub in Cambridge Wells under new ownership,
08:23and four more superstars coming to a town near you.
08:27Our reporter Zaria Gale has all the details.
08:37Lee's Barbers celebrates 40 years in business today.
08:40Based in Dartford, the hairdressing business has been running since the 1980s,
08:44and was named after a previous owner.
08:46The current owners, Julie Wood and Sharon Matthews,
08:49shared that they have been serving customers for four decades now,
08:52and say that they have plans to thank their loyal customers
08:55with upcoming celebrations throughout the week.
08:58Both owners of the salon are going to celebrate with decorations,
09:01a free tombola, and a giveaway.
09:03They are also expecting a special visit from the Mayor of Dartford on the 30th of April.
09:07Now, Tunbridge Wells are welcoming a new tenant to the Georgian Dragon in Speldhurst,
09:12with plans to give back to the community.
09:14Matthew Sankey is a new tenant of the Georgian Dragon,
09:17which first started as a family business passed down from his grandparents,
09:21the original owners of the pub, back in 1965.
09:25Sadly, after his grandparents' death,
09:27Matthew's father decided to sell the property to Brackspere Brewery.
09:30Back in March, Sankey was offered to take on the tenancy, and he accepted,
09:35receiving his keys on the 14th of April, and opening the pub the same day.
09:39With the Georgian Dragon being the third restaurant under his profile,
09:43let's hear what Matthew had to say.
09:45Opening, getting the keys at 10am on Monday, and opening at 12 o'clock
09:48was probably quite a bonkers thing to do, but the only way to find out if something,
09:53the only way to find out where things need to be fixed is by breaking them.
09:57So a bank holiday weekend is definitely a way to kind of really give it a big push.
10:02In the 1960s, this was my grandparents' pub, and they ran a really successful business here
10:10with such amazing clients as Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton,
10:14kind of the Beckhams of the time.
10:16And it was only when they passed away that my father decided to sell the property.
10:23So, you know, that was in the 90s, so it's been a little while since we've been here.
10:27So coming back really feels like home.
10:31Four new Lidl stores are opening in Favisham, Dover, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells.
10:37These new openings are due to the supermarket's £500m investment
10:42into expanding their stores across the UK with the aim of opening 1,000 new stores.
10:46With Kent already holding 20 stores, Lidl hopes to keep the competition away
10:51after previous attempts to stop plans for a new Aldi store being built in Folkestone.
10:56That's all for today's Business Roundup.
11:03Just for the break, a young girl from Kent with cancer had her dreams come true,
11:06where she sang alongside Eurovision star Sam Ryder and other children at Disneyland Paris.
11:12Let's hear a bit of that performance now.
11:21Nine-year-old Molly Townsend Blasier had lymphoblastic leukaemia
11:25and was joined by three other children who rehearsed their rendition of Viva La Musique in London.
11:31They then performed in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle
11:33as part of a collaboration between the singer, Make-A-Wish and Disneyland Paris.
11:38Sam said getting ready to meet and hang out with the children
11:41helped break the ice so they could just sing, dance and enjoy the moment.
11:45That's all we have time for. We'll see you in a few minutes time.
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14:42Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight Live.
15:12Here on KMTV.
15:14Eurostar is calling on rivals to invest in new depot facilities if they want to stop
15:19their operators' monopoly on cross-channel rail services.
15:24It comes weeks after the rail regulator stated that there may be some capacity at Eurostar's
15:30maintenance depot in London for other operators, but Eurostar don't agree with the suggestions
15:35from the office for rail and road, saying there needs to be serious investment in infrastructure
15:41to create more room.
15:43Eurostar's store trains is viewed as crucial for continental train services which run through
15:47the county, but have not stopped in Kent since the pandemic.
15:52Now a train unit is called for the resignation of the Chief Executive of the South East Coast
15:58Ambulance Service after a survey at Les Discrimination and Boys Club Culture at the Trust.
16:05GMB, who conducted a survey of almost 900 staff members, have demanded Simon Weldon step down
16:11over claims about a culture of bullying.
16:14The Trust have highlighted concerns about how the questionnaire was carried out, with a spokesperson
16:18stating they do not believe the concerns raised reflect how most of their staff feel now.
16:25The Kent County Council elections this week are shaping up to be a major test for the Green
16:30Party.
16:31On a visit to Dartford, one of the leaders of the Green Party has been telling KMTV they
16:36are offering positive change compared to older, more established parties here in Kent.
16:42What appetite is there for a shift towards greener policies in the County Council?
16:47Local democracy reporter Gabriel Morris has been finding out.
16:51The leader of the Green Party knocking on voters' doors, hinging their party's policies.
16:59Co-leader Carla Denya is hoping the upcoming County Council election will give them record
17:05numbers of councillors.
17:07There are 81 seats up for grabs and 41 needed for a majority.
17:14Up until the pre-election period, the Greens have been holding five seats at Kent County Council.
17:19They currently have a few leaders of districts and boroughs in Kent.
17:24You're in Dartford this morning, clearly think Greens could take a seat or two around here.
17:27Do you think they could take Kent County Council as a whole?
17:31Well, we'll have to see, but I think we are going to make substantial gains on Kent County
17:35Council.
17:37We already have a borough councillor here in Dartford.
17:41In fact this is a councillor that was initially with the Labour Party but was, as with many voters,
17:48felt disillusioned with the direction that the Labour Party is moving in and realised that
17:53her values now align with the Green Party.
17:55And that's a message that we're also hearing on doorsteps.
17:58We often hear some people saying that green environmental policies cost more and are not
18:03often the cheapest option on the table.
18:05With KCC's budgets as they stand, do you think it is right to go for that more environmental
18:09option even if it costs more?
18:11Well actually the environmental option often costs less and improves people's quality of
18:16life at the same time.
18:17Investments in making our economy greener, investments in making our buildings more energy
18:23efficient, very often are win-win-wins.
18:27The party will be quick to say it's not just green policies they stand for, but here in
18:32Dartford today, how much appetite is there for environmental policies?
18:36Not at a cost of just regular living, you can't start giving up the way of life at the green
18:42policies completely.
18:43Cars are just polluting, they're too much.
18:46I think other things should come first.
18:50I don't know, I think they should start focusing on helping the youth of today and all that.
18:57A full list of candidates can be found on KCC's website and polling will begin at 7am on
19:03Thursday the 1st of May.
19:06Gabriel Morris in Dartford.
19:09Now don't forget you can keep it up to date with all your latest stories from across Kent
19:13by logging on to our website kmtv.co.uk.
19:17Here find all our reports, including this one, from a Chatham business owner who gives
19:22out free burgers to the homeless.
19:25Across Kent there are many people that help to make a positive difference in their community.
19:30But in Chatham, one man has done this by flipping burgers on TikTok Live.
19:35Every Thursday I've got a sign as well, every Thursday from 3 to 6 we give out burgers to
19:38those in need, to the homeless, to people who can't afford meals, warm meals.
19:43There are many soup kitchens, many other charities that do something similar.
19:47But we're able to do it as a business every single week.
19:51And this is due to the fact that we have so much support worldwide online.
19:54His TikToks got traction quickly.
19:57And before he knew it, he had hundreds watching.
19:58He said McDonald's not healthy.
20:03McDonald's not healthy.
20:04They should come to Burgermar Surgeon's there.
20:06From that day, we've had thousands and thousands and thousands of people tuning in on a daily
20:09basis and I've just been keeping at it every single week.
20:13I had the option to go live.
20:14I pressed the button and I left it there for a couple of minutes.
20:18I went back to making my burgers.
20:19I turned around, I had about two or three people in there, nothing going on, I didn't think
20:23anything of it.
20:24I continued to make my burgers, turn around in five minutes, all of a sudden we've got
20:2750 people in there.
20:28We've got taps and hearts on the screen.
20:30We've got people commenting.
20:31I'm like, whoa.
20:32For around two years now, Burgermar Surge has been able to give out around 80 free burgers
20:37a week to those who are homeless in Chatham.
20:39He's made a real difference in the community, which I can tell from being here, and that's
20:43all thanks to his TikTok.
20:48They do a theme, they serve homeless people certain times.
20:53I think that's brilliant because there's not many places now where homeless people don't
20:58get food food.
20:59I bet it's helping a lot.
21:00And it's the best food.
21:02So when I first went out, hey, this is the man.
21:06That's on us, by the way.
21:07Enjoy your burger.
21:08Yeah.
21:09These are good friends.
21:10I helped them out.
21:11So I've been coming here for eight years.
21:13And obviously inflation, now they're £4 and 4.20 if you want cheese, but they're the best
21:18burgers ever.
21:19They do actually help people.
21:20There's a kid who's got autism and stuff, and they help them out with working out.
21:25They're like community people as well.
21:26They're really, really, really, really good people as well.
21:29Support your local businesses.
21:30Besides all the stuff that we do over here, it's stories like this, people like him, that
21:36add so much to what we do over here.
21:38I make burgers.
21:39I do everything.
21:40I clean everything.
21:41I'm the manager.
21:4250 is the manager.
21:45Serge previously lived in North London, and after coming to Chatham to start the business,
21:50he says he's fallen in love with the area.
21:52It's a very, let me say, a very eventful place.
21:55I always say if they want to make a Netflix series, a Netflix show about Chatham, it's
22:01the perfect place.
22:02Kristen Hawthorne for KMTV in Chatham.
22:05I feel hungry right now.
22:10Well, now it's time to take a very quick look at the weather.
22:18Tonight brings clear night skies with temperatures ranging between 8 and 12 degrees, joined by
22:23some low wind speeds.
22:25Tomorrow morning, a warm and sunny start of the day with wind speeds of 6 miles per hour and temperatures in the mid-teens.
22:31And into the afternoon, wind speeds pick up 13 in the west and temperatures reaching 22 degrees, 17 up in Margate.
22:39And for the rest of the week, it's looking like a heat wave, people.
22:43Sunshine throughout the week, 25 degrees on Thursday.
22:46Put some sun cream on.
22:47Why don't you?
22:52And finally, as if the recent weather hasn't made it clear enough, we are officially well into the spring season.
23:01That brings rebirth and growth for all of us around.
23:04What has now become a tradition in the county is the Hadlow's College Lambing Weekend, where the grounds are open to the public to introduce them to the next generation of lambs.
23:14We sent a reporter, Ronnie Glassdale, down to meet them. Let's take a very quick look.
23:20This is a little boy lamb who was born yesterday afternoon to our pedigree, Clin, who, she actually has got a name, this one.
23:30They don't all have names, but she does. She's called Random You.
23:33That little lamb and his many brothers and sisters are the stars of Hadlow College's annual lambing event,
23:40a week-long culmination of the students' curriculum.
23:43I spoke with a few of them and their farm manager to find out more about their hands-on experiences in the lead-up to the event.
23:51I truly love livestock. You know, I really want to learn about it.
23:55And so far, Tanya, our farm manager, she's allowed me to experience lamb and ewes myself and getting lambs in,
24:05getting some units across the field. So it's just been a really fun time.
24:10And over this last week, putting in the hours, I would like to do it again over the course of the years whilst I'm here.
24:18Obviously, lambing is a time of year where there's the care of the ewe that we need to consider
24:23and also the lambs that are being born. And here at Hadlow, we lamb indoors
24:28and it means that the students get involved with things from delivering the lambs
24:32to ensuring the ewes have got the right nutrition, ringing and tagging the lambs when they're born
24:39and turning them out in the fields and checking that they're doing well out in the fields with their mums.
24:45Getting the opportunity to, for the second year, you're left alone a bit more.
24:51So it's sort of being more involved about being sort of told what to do,
24:56sort of picking and choosing your jobs and making sure everything is done
25:00and having the opportunity as well to sort of be like, that's not okay.
25:06We've got to do something about that one as well.
25:09This year's lambing weekend is expected to be the biggest yet.
25:12Having the event expanded across the schools, campus and facilities.
25:16I'm here in the expansion space now with one of the most exciting additions this year, the sheep show.
25:22It's about to begin behind me. Let's take a look.
25:37It's great when you come here and we've got lots of vendors here.
25:39We've got lots of activities, bouncy castles.
25:42From that perspective, it's a lovely experience.
25:45And, yeah, we very much enjoy it as staff and very happy to give up our time at the weekends to oversee them.
25:51Ronnie Glaston for KMTV.
25:57Aren't those sheep absolutely adorable?
26:00Something to do this weekend, I think, with such lovely weather.
26:04Go see some of those lambs.
26:06Well, you've been watching Kent's Nightlife here on KMTV.
26:08There's more news made just for Kent throughout the evening.
26:11Don't forget, you can always keep up to date with the latest news across your county
26:15by logging on to our website, kmtv.co.uk.
26:18Also, check us out on your social timelines.
26:22Like us on Facebook.
26:23And, of course, we are on TikTok and Instagram as well, just like Burger Man Surge.
26:28And if you have a story you think we should be covering, then please do get in touch.
26:34I'll be back later on with The Bulletin and join us tomorrow at 7am for the Kent Morning Show.
26:40I'll see you soon.
26:41Take care now.
26:42Bye.
26:43Bye.
26:44Bye.