KentOnline

A major rescue mission has been launched in the English Channel as 84 people - including a six-month-old baby and two other children - ended up in the water.

British and French vessels took part in the operation halfway between Calais and Dover.

Also in today’s podcast, you can hear from a Whitstable veteran as we mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

The military operation was a decisive turning point in the Second World War which saw thousands of Allied troops launch the invasion of Normandy.

We’re being warned ongoing road works will cause chaos for motorists and bus routes when the Kingsferry Bridge shuts this weekend. 

Urgent repairs are being made to the bridge but the disruption will be made worse by the ongoing works at the Grovehurst roundabout junction.

It’s been revealed a debt-ridden university, branded “a hellish nightmare” to work for, is set to make further redundancies.

University of Kent bosses last week warned employees it was launching a voluntary severance scheme.

And a disused golf course in Kent could become home to a new community sports hub and 100 homes.

If approved, the project would see would see Larkfield and New Hythe FC relocate to a new purpose-built community facility. 

On the 80th anniversary of D Day, a Whitstable veteran has revealed how the operation remained a secret until the very last moment.

Allied forces had tricked the German army into thinking they would cross from Dover to Calais.

The largest ever seaborn invasion was actually launched from Portsmouth and landed in Normandy.

John Roberts, who is now 100, was on board a navy destroyer. He's been speaking to reporter Rhys Griffiths.

A Sittingbourne mum has been left frustrated after being contacted by debt collectors due to an unpaid swimming membership she claims she cancelled months ago. 

She’s in an ongoing dispute with the centre who say she still owes them more than £75. 

Also in today’s podcast, you can find out why more than 80 pupils who passed Kent Test have been left without a grammar place. 

Experts say the figures show children have been “badly let down by the system” and fear the numbers will only increase in the coming years.

A woman from Maidstone has criticised the support from doctors after her daughter had surgery to remove one of her ovaries. 

The 15 year-old went into hospital with a 10-centimetre cyst but the operation ended up being more serious than initially expected.

A council’s crackdown on idling motorists has been branded “virtue signalling” as not a single fine has been dished out in the two years since it was launched.

Drivers had been warned they faced a £20 penalty notice for leaving their engines running while stopped. 

And Peter Andre has taken on an acting role in an upcoming feature film from a self-taught Kent director. 

The Mysterious Girl singer stars as a crime boss in action thriller Bullet. 

A lorry driver has appeared in court after pushing over a pensioner during a road rage incident on a major Kent road.

You can hear the moment the driver steps down from the lorry to confront the 78-year-old after he pulled into the lane in front of him on the A2.

Also in today’s podcast, a mum from Hythe says she was labelled a “drug seeker” by medical staff despite being in “debilitating” pain because of  endometriosis. 

She was diagnosed with the condition - which affects one in 10 women - when she was 17 but was refused care when she went to A&E. 

An “immature” thug who barged into a Ramsgate home and threatened those inside with a meat cleaver has appeared in court. 

He’s been warned by the judge that his sentence is “not just a slap on the wrist”. 

Plans to expand a dental surgery to meet the growing demand for more NHS slots and relieve backlogs in part of Kent have been approved.

The owner of Kreate Dental says the dental care of some people if at risk of falling below the national standard. 

And animal rescue volunteers have been left stunned after almost 100 black cats were found abandoned in an empty property near Dartford. 

The group spent hours trying to catch as many of them as possible. 

A mum from Deal has hit out at a London hospital after receiving a letter booking her son in for an appointment - more than a year after he died.

Imogen Holliday was sent an email inviting three-year-old Raffy for a visit to Great Ormond Street exactly 14 months after he'd passed away there.

Also in today's podcast, a leading Kent charity is calling on whoever forms the next government to ban so-called no-fault evictions.

It was part of the renters reform bill that was going through parliament before the election was called. We've been speaking to Canterbury based Porchlight.

A business owner in Rainham says a new red route along the high street is turning customers away.

The introduction of the double red lines along the A2 was meant to help enforce existing traffic restrictions and tackle congestion. Find out what one trader's had to say and the response from the local council.

A Kent veteran who landed on the beaches of Normandy on D Day is returning there this week to mark the 80th anniversary.

Peter Smoothy from Herne Bay was one of 156,000 allied servicemen who took part in the invasion. He'll travel to Normandy thanks to the Taxi Charity which is run by London black cab drivers. Hear from Micky Harris from Longfield who's one of them.

And in sport, it was a mixed weekend for Kent after two games in the T20 Blast.

The Spitfires beat Middlesex away from home on Friday night, but lost to Hampshire Hawks yesterday.

Traders and residents fear rising rents and anti-social behaviour is putting off customers from visiting an out-of-town shopping centre.

Shop owners in New Ash Green say a volatile group of youths who intimidate customers in the car park and hurl verbal abuse at them in the street are deterring visits.

Also in today’s podcast, five men have faced court after a meeting arranged on Facebook exploded into a street brawl in Folkestone. 

One person was stabbed and another suffered serious head injuries in the fight, which included wooden poles, a crowbar and chains. 

Just as the weather starts to warm up in Kent, an outdoor swimming pool used by thousands every summer has been forced to suddenly close.

The attraction in Medway only opened for the season at the weekend and it’s not yet known when it will be able to reopen. 

Villagers are boycotting a new convenience store in a former pub amid claims the owner “misled” residents, the parish council and planning department.

But the owners say the business is “a work in progress” and not the final result.

And in sport you can hear from the Kent cricket captain who says Spitfires can qualify for the knockout stages of the T20 Blast competition.

Their campaign gets underway against Middlesex tonight. 

A Yalding woman who stole more than £8,000 from a pensioner in her care has avoided being sent to prison.

A court heard the victim had been left disabled after suffering a suspected mini-stroke and the 43 year-old who was meant to be looking after him, used his debit card to pay for clothes, food and music.

Also in today's podcast, people in Ashford say their road has turned into a slum as rubbish piles up.

Disruption to bin collections is continuing in several parts of the county after a new contractor took over.

A small business owner from Tunbridge Wells is urging whoever wins the election to provide more support for working mums.

Amber Taylor set up baby tableware company Chomp in 2023 - after nearly 20 years in corporate marketing.

There are calls for more to be done to protect the safety of cyclists, with some groups saying Kent roads are an increasingly dangerous place to be.  

Members of the West Kent Road Club say they've been dragged under trailers, verbally abused and suffered serious injuries.

Students from a Kent school are preparing to showcase their science projects in the finals of this year's Big Bang Science and Engineering competition. 

The finalists, from Invicta Grammar School in Maidstone, include designs for a robot to help tackle beach plastic and an app supporting people with autism. 

And, a Tonbridge woman has finally achieved her dream of jumping out of a plane - after a 30 year wait.

Shirley Ellis had initially hoped to do a solo jump - but carried out the tandem dive at Headcorn Aerodrome.

A Sittingbourne teacher who had a cocaine addiction and posted about his drug use on socials has been banned from the profession.

Austin Whiting was the head of Year 13 at Borden Grammar School and taught geography.

As election campaigning continues, Nigel Farage has been in Dover to announce the town's Reform candidate.

We've also been finding out what people in the town want from the next government.

And, a farmer from Maidstone has been telling the podcast what he would like to see from whoever is leading the country.

A Kent dog welfare charity have revealed some of the cruel techniques owners are using to get their dogs to behave.  

A study from the Dogs Trust shows people are pinning their pets to the ground and growling, pinching their ears or rolling them onto their backs.

Rag 'n' Bone Man's been on our sister radio station, kmfm, to tell us all about his new single.

And in sport, Gillingham have launched a commemorative away kit to mark the 25th anniversary of a famous victory at Wembley.

They've recreated the yellow strip worn by players in their 3-2 Division 2 play-off final win over Wigan in 2000.

A Whitstable woman is refusing to pay her housing estate service charge despite being threatened with legal action.

Christine Curtis has been withholding the charge for four years, because of a lack of maintenance and repairs.

Eight chicks have died near Canterbury after a roadworks notice was posted into a letterbox despite clear warnings the birds were nesting inside.

Residents in Staple taped up the letterbox slot and wrote "birds nesting" so post would be left elsewhere.

A farmer near Maidstone says more and more landowners are having to sell to developers as the industry is in decline.

Climate change, a lack of seasonal workers after Brexit and low supermarket prices are said to be driving farmers away.

A Gravesend taxi driver who been left unable to work due to new DBS checks says he is no longer able to support his family.

Kaneshka Morady would send his earnings to his daughter in Afghanistan who is living under the strict rule of the Taliban.

A former butchers shop in Deal is set to become a fishmongers and street food bar.

JC Rook & Sons closed its unit on the high street after falling into administration two years ago.

And, yhe producer of a new movie filmed entirely in Kent says the county has some great locations to offer.

Crews have been shooting scenes in Sandwich, Maidstone and Rochester for sci-fi thriller "It's Okay to Go Back To Sleep".

A secondary school has confirmed an email containing information about its students was “inadvertently” sent to parents.

The Leigh Academies Trust, which runs The Hundred of Hoo Academy, is investigating how the “mishap” happened.

Also in today’s podcast, jurors have returned a conclusion of misadventure at an inquest into the death of a little boy who choked on food at an Ashford nursery.

You can hear from his parents who say the case has shone a light on loopholes in the way nurseries are allowed to care for young children.

Former sports minister and Kent MP Tracey Crouch has expressed her disappointment a historic football governance bill won’t pass before parliament is dissolved.

The bill, which was hailed as "a historic moment for fans" by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, is now being ditched due to his calling of an early general election.

Kent’s most expensive flat has just sold for almost £2 million.

Experts say its shows how the demand for seaside properties in Kent shows no sign of slowing down. 

And, a dog owner has apologised after her pet stole more than 100 tennis balls from a park in Rochester.

Buddy the Jack Russell developed his obsession after being neutered as a puppy.