KentOnline

​Two men embroiled in a street fight involving a woman being knocked unconscious and the brandishing of a golf club have had their summer "ruined" by a six-week tagged curfew.

A judge told pair, who were on opposing sides of a brawl, that while their friends enjoyed their evenings over the coming days, they would have to stay indoors reflecting on their shameful behaviour.

Also in today’s podcast, one of the worst cases of fly-tipping a council says it’s ever seen has resulted in the culprit walking away from court with a suspended sentence — leaving the authorities to foot the whopping £150,000 clean up bill.

The suspect was hauled before the courts in June after being caught dumping and burning waste on an “industrial scale” and now local bosses are calling for the courts to be tougher on those convicted. 

Bosses at Canterbury Foodbank have been telling the KentOnline Podcast how the summer holidays have led to a huge rise in demand from families who are struggling to get by. 

Kent County Council has been criticised for scrapping a scheme that previously gave children on free school meals a 10-pound voucher every week over the holidays.

A tenant who left his damp-ridden council home for the sake of his health has been left stunned after receiving a repair bill almost a year later.

You can hear from chronically ill Nathan Baintree who’s been told he need to pay more than £600. 

And a breast cancer patient who found there was “no air to breathe” in the “unbearably hot” chemotherapy unit where she receives treatment has raised more than £1,000 to buy fans.

Ania Joyles from New Ash Green has been attending chemo sessions at Darent Valley Hospital for months but says it became increasingly uncomfortable over the last few weeks as there is no air conditioning.

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An inquest has heard a “charming and determined” teenager tragically fell onto a live railway line and died after a weekend of partying with his friends.

The 18-year-old was intoxicated when he got off the train at Strood before stumbling to the exit and falling onto the tracks in March. 

Also in today’s podcast, water is being restored to thousands of homes after a burst pipe damaged a large water main over the weekend.

More than 2,000 households in Tonbridge have been without supplies since Saturday – you can hear from the local MP. 

People forced out of a tower block after fire safety fears sparked a mass evacuation have been told they need to continue paying service charges for an empty building.

Miller Heights residents’ nightmare began in May after a power outage, due to an electrical fault in the basement, led to a prohibition order and the flats being deemed unsafe.

Campervanners say a council needs to invest more in a seafront parking spot to make it worth paying £15 a night.

Exactly a year ago today, fees were introduced to stay overnight at the Shingle Bank off Marine Parade, Minster, on Sheppey. Previously, people could park there for free.

And in cricket, you can hear from Kent’s Chris Benjamin who says he was delighted to help his side over the line against Notts Outlaws. 

A five-wicket success at Beckenham made it three wins out of five for Kent in the One Day Cup ahead of a trip to Surrey on Wednesday.

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We're starting today's episode with development news as there are plans to build 115 flats in Sittingbourne - without a single car parking space.

An application's been submitted for land off Fountain Street, near the town's railway station.

Elsewhere, plans to build a new football stadium and 3,500 homes in north Kent have been rejected.

The £40 million development was put forward by Ebbsfleet United.

And, bosses in Maidstone are going to try and stop developers from being able to convert office blocks into flats.

It's after a prohibition notice was issued and residents forced to move out of Miller Heights in the town when a flood in the basement affected the electrics.

Also in today's podcast, business leaders in Kent are calling for local government reorganisation to be delivered without delay, to limit the impact on the economy.

Our current 14 councils are going to be scrapped and replaced with four bigger unitary authorities.

The deadline is 2028 - but it's feared the process could be held up as some are unhappy with the boundary choice.

Ahead of the new football season, a grassroots club in Kent has praised the work of it's volunteers to keep it running.

It's thought around 1 in 5 children in Faversham has a connection to Faversham Strike Force.

They've recently been highly commended in the club of the year category at the Kent FA awards and are looking to expand.

And finally, the new Next at Bluewater has officially opened.

The store has moved into the vacant House of Fraser which closed at the end of 2024.

It's the chain's biggest shop in the UK and includes an in-store Costa coffee.

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There's been an angry reaction to plans to close down a market in Maidstone.

Stall holders currently set up in the Market Hall at Lockmeadow on Tuesdays and Saturdays - but the council's looking for new uses for the site.

A dog handler's told the KentOnline podcast that crime gangs are using 'James Bond style concealments' to try and hide illegal cigarettes in shops...

It's after more than 58,000 were discovered in stores in Medway - along with hand rolling tobacco.

Trading Standards officers teamed up with police to search sites in Chatham, Strood, Gillingham and Twydall.

Government funding's been secured to improve access at the Port of Dover, in a bid to ease traffic congestion.

The £20 million scheme will create space for another 500 lorries at the eastern docks and bosses say it'll reduce the need to use Operation Brock and Dover TAP.

A Kent football coach has had life-saving surgery in Portugal after the club helped raise tens of thousands of pounds.

Paul Squires was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year - but has now been told he's free of the disease after surgeons removed his pancreas, gallbladder and spleen. His wife has given an update.

In sport, Gillingham have made their ninth signing of the summer.

Defender Sam Tabares has joined on a free transfer after leaving Southampton.

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A Canterbury man's been ordered to do unpaid work and make sure his dog wears a muzzle after it attacked two people, including a police officer.

Rottweiler Obie escaped after a delivery driver left a gate open in June last year.

Also in today's podcast, a rehab charity in Kent says the number of young people seeking help for ketamine addiction has more than doubled in the past year.

The drug is thought to be growing in popularity, and can cause serious complications including bladder damage and long-term mental health issues. Hear from Jack who started using it when he was 16 and is now getting support from Kenward Trust in Yalding.

With temperatures set to top 30 degrees in Kent again today, there's a warning not to cool off in rivers and lakes.

An amber heat health alert's come into force for 24 hours until 9am tomorrow.

People living in a village near Dover say they're virtually stranded without any buses running over the summer.

After Shepherdswell lost its all-day services last November, the only one is for school children and doesn't run during the holidays.

Residents say it's left them struggling to get to appointments, collect shopping and visit relatives.

A Kent woman who set up a community support centre and foodbank in Herne Bay is getting an honorary doctorate from the University of Kent.

Maya Amangeldiyeva also has a free shop which started in 2022.

And, Gillingham have officially signed Nick Freeman after a successful trial at the club.

He joined the Gills at the start of pre-season after previously playing for manager Gareth Ainsworth at Wycombe Wanderers.

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Firefighters have issued advice to try and reduce the number of grass fires in Kent as we're told 300 have broken out since the first heatwave of the year.

Stats show 130 of them were in July alone - and 30 were tackled over the past weekend.

Smokers are being told not to throw cigarettes out of car windows and there's guidance around disposable barbecues too.

It comes as major wildfires continue to burn in parts of Europe.

We've been speaking to a travel agent from Tunbridge Wells who's got advice for anyone due to travel to France and Spain this summer.

Also in today's podcast, a woman's recovering from emergency surgery after suffering a life-threatening brain haemorrhage while shopping in Medway.

Margaret Matharu from Halling started to experience a pain in the back of her head while she was at a checkout in Morrisons in Strood last month and has described what happened.

The landlords of a Kent pub say they're losing hundreds of pounds a day because of road closures in their village.

Six weeks worth of gas main repairs are taking place in Golden Green near Tonbridge.

A petition's been set up calling for cheaper school travel for tens of thousands of pupils in Kent.

It's because over the past four years, the Kent Travel Saver pass for children to use a bus has increased from £450 to £615.

Families say it's become unaffordable during the cost of living crisis.

And, a well-known Kent hairdresser is retiring after almost six decades in business.

George Antoniou, who's originally from Cyprus, opened his first salon in Canterbury in 1968 - and went on to build an empire with 11 more sites across the county.

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A baby's been taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries after falling from the window of a flat above a shop in Gillingham.

Emergency crews were called to Woodlands Road after the little boy landed on the pavement outside a Best-One convenience store just after 6 last night. Hear from our reporter Joe Crossley who has been at the scene.

Also in today's podcast, the owner of a convenience store in Rochester says he's seen a spike in shoplifting during the hot weather.

CCTV footage shows children stealing ice cream and drinks from the Premier store on Delce Road four times in the space of a week.

Figures have revealed the number of Kent children entitled to special needs support who are still waiting for a school place.

417 pupils with education, health and care plans are on the list - and around three-quarters of those have been waiting more than 90 days.

Many parents say the process of finding a suitable place has left them at "breaking point". We've been speaking to two of them.

If you're planning a day trip to London during the summer holidays, the advice is to check the trains as two of the capital's stations are closed.

£20 million worth of engineering work is taking place at Charing Cross and Waterloo East.

A Canterbury couple who started fostering while in their 20s have been sharing their experience to try and encourage more young people to consider it.

India Rusbridge and Ryan Hallett are both former teachers and welcomed their foster son two years ago.

And in football, it was a defeat for Gillingham in their latest pre-season fixture.

They lost 2-1 in a behind-closed-doors match against Brentford B, hear reaction from manager Gareth Ainsworth.

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A former Kent racecourse could be used to queue holidaymakers if there are major delays at the port of Dover or Eurotunnel.

The site at Westenhanger near Hythe has been earmarked by the government as a holding area for up to a thousand tourist vehicles.

It's amid fears new checks brought in as part of the European Union's Entry/Exit System could cause disruption this summer - and this weekend could be the busiest of the summer getaway. Hear from our reporter Alex Keir and the Lib Dems who're calling for EES to be suspended.

Also in today's podcast, the family of a man who died following a battle with his mental health say he will 'stay in our hearts forever'.

Flowers and balloons have been left on The Leas in Folkestone in memory of 30 year-old Wayne Edwards from Seabrook.

Several wildfires have broken out in Kent following weeks of dry weather.

It's as another yellow heat health alert comes into force today as temperatures rise again.

The Conservatives have been ousted by Reform UK in a council by-election in Medway.

Hear reaction from William Burvill who won the vote in the Cuxton, Halling and Riverside ward.

Also on today's episode we've been told how six tonnes of electrical waste has been collected as part of a project in Kent to show children how it can be recycled.

The e-waste warriors programme started in March last year and has also seen 3,600 students learn basic repair skills.

If you're after something to do this summer, we've been finding out more about one of the world's biggest obstacle courses that's opened at a Kent shopping centre.

The Monster is 300 metres long, has more than 40 obstacles to navigate and a mega slide and has taken over The Village car park at Bluewater.

And finally, a Medway school's written and performed a special version of Frozen's Let It Go as part of a farewell for their lollipop lady.

Karen Jones has helped pupils at Maundene Primary School cross the road for more than 30 years. Hear some of their tribute and from the lady herself.

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A man has been taken to a London hospital with stab wounds following reports of an attack in Maidstone.

Police and paramedics were called to Brenchley Gardens in the town centre yesterday evening.

Also in today's episode, a Kent man has been telling us how he spent 19 hours in his wheelchair in a hospital reception after his patient transport failed to materialise.

Kevin Taylor from Sheppey had an appointment at Medway On Call Care earlier this month, following concerns about sweeling to his left leg. But after he'd been seen by medics, he was left waiting to get home.

A Kent pub boss is welcoming plans to cut business rates for some hospitality venues.

Thousands of pubs, clubs and music venues will see a 20% reduction from next April. Hear from Phil Thorley who runs a number of venues in Thanet.

Parents have staged a protest outside a school in Ashford calling for a bus service for pupils.

They're worried that the current walking route to Chilmington Green isn't safe.

The school currently has 274 pupils, but that's expected to increase to more than a thousand.

A new £2.5 million enclosure has opened at a Kent animal park.

Hear from bosses at Wingham near Canterbury who have plans to double in size over the next five years.

And in sport, a Kent athlete is going to lead out Team England at today's opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games.

Sian Honnor from Herne Bay will be competing in Bowls at her 5th Games in Glasgow.

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Footage has revealed the moment an off-duty police officer pulled a woman's head towards the ground by her hair at a nightclub in Canterbury.

PC Thomas Odell, 30, from Allhallows Road in Lower Stoke, lost his job following the assault outside the Cuban in February.

Also in today's episode, the KentOnline Podcast has been told as many as 150 children in Swale could be without a secondary school place by September next year.

Kent's assistant director of education has made the admission at a meeting of councillors and residents on Sheppey.

It comes after more than 50 families on the Island were told last year their children would have to travel more than 20 miles to school in Faversham. Hear from a mum whose daughter has missed the whole of year 7.

We've got a a special report on the website today from reporter Elli Hodgson who's spent a night with police to see how they tackle antisocial behaviour in Maidstone.

She headed out with officers during the England versus Norway game at the World Cup.

Football, and Gillingham have beaten Millwall in a pre-season friendly.

They secured a 1-0 victory at Priestfield, thanks to a goal from new striker Will Goodwin. Hear from manager Gareth Ainsworth and defender Logan Dobbs.

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