KentOnline

Volunteers have been rescuing drivers stranded in cars and dozens of schools have been forced to close after heavy snow hit Kent.

Many roads became impassable when the wintry conditions swept across the county last night. Hear from a member of the South East 4x4 Response.

We've also been finding out how Network Rail have been trying to keep Kent's trains running and the boss of a foodbank charity says they'll keep feeding people whatever the weather. Plus we have details on some festive events that have been cancelled.

Also on today's podcast, a woman has been left covered in shattered glass after a car crashed into the front of her home in Deal.

Hear about the moment it happened and why there are calls for safety at a junction to be improved.

A small businesses owner from Snodland has been speaking about the impact of Royal Mail strikes with more happening in the run-up to Christmas.

Rail operator Southeastern have brought in a new timetable.

It's in response to changes in the way we travel following the pandemic - hear what it means in the county.

And, find out who's going to be joining Kent cricket for their T20 Blast games next season.

Could we be about to see the first snow of the winter in Kent?

Also in today's podcast, a mum's launching legal action against a Kent hospital trust after a coroner ruled her baby's death was avoidable.

A car has crashed into the front of a hair salon in Herne Bay.

Emergency crews were called and closed off the High Street after it happened at around 11.30am. Hear from our reporter at the scene and a shop owner who heard it happen.

Also in today's podcast, a drug-driver who killed a father and daughter in a crash in Ramsgate has been jailed for 16 years.

Nitesh Bissendary's car went onto the pavement on Leopold Street in August. Hear from our court reporter who followed the case.

You're being urged to try and keep the thermostat at 18c as bitterly cold weather hits Kent.

We're officially now in a cold weather alert thanks to an icy blast of weather from the arctic. We've been speaking to Strood GP Dr Julian Spinks.

A Kent MP says she turned down a chance to go to the World Cup in Qatar because of the country's human rights record.

Chatham and Aylesford's Tracey Crouch used to be sports minister, and was invited out for the tournament. She's been chatting to our colleagues at KMTV.

A Sittingbourne woman has made a tearful appeal in a bid to bring two street dogs back from Turkey.

Jade Carter fell in love with them after a recent stay in the country. Hear her emotional post online.

More of the toys you've donated to kmfm's Give a Gift appeal have been delivered across the county.

Presents are going to children's charities as well as youngsters in hospital or care this festive season.

And, Gillingham will be looking to make the third round of the FA Cup tonight.

They take on non-league Dagenham and Redbridge in a replay at Priestfield - hear from manager Neil Harris.

A man who abused dozens of bodies in hospital mortuaries in Kent has been sentenced to an extra four years in prison.

Also in today's podcast, we've been finding out what's being done to get homeless people off Kent's streets as temperatures plummet.

A mum has taken her three children out of a school in Medway after her eldest son was attacked.

The 16-year-old had to go to hospital after it happened at Greenacre Academy.

Also in today's podcast, if there's an outbreak of Strep A at your child's school, the whole class could be given antibiotics.

Health officials have recommended the rare move as nine children have now died from the bacterial infection, which causes scarlet fever.

In other health news, find out when ambulance workers in Kent are set to go on strike.

Three climate protesters have been sentenced after staging a demo at an Amazon warehouse in Dartford.

Extinction Rebellion blockaded the site on Black Friday in November last year. They spoke to our court reporter following the case at Medway Magistrates' Court.

You're being asked what you think about England's first secure school being set up in Kent.

Work on transforming the old youth jail in Rochester started in the summer and the aim is to have it open in early 2024.

We've been speaking to Steve Chalke who is the founder of Oasis, the group behind the new facility.

Three people from Kent who are living with long Covid have been sharing their stories to encourage everyone to get the vaccine.

It's almost two year since the first jab was administered in the county as the vaccine programme got under way.

Find out which Kent town has been named as one of the unhappiest in the UK.

And, the team at our sister radio station kmfm have spent a second day giving out the thousands of presents you donated to their Give a Gift Appeal.

The toys and games are going to youngsters in hospital or care, and to children's charities, ahead of Christmas.

Tributes have been paid to a young woman who died in a crash in Canterbury.

Lucy Billingham, 18, was a passenger in a Ford Fiesta that ploughed into a pub in the early hours of Saturday.

We have the latest on the police investigation.

Also in today's podcast, a mum from Chatham has been given compensation after living with a mouse infestation for years.

Laura Clout says her three-storey property in Hardstown has been riddled with mice since she moved in seven years ago.

A butcher from Medway has been reduced to tears over the cost of living crisis.

Hear from the manager of Denis Hills Quality Butcher in Strood who is worried about the impact of rising energy bills.

The KentOnline Podcast has been told how care homes in Kent are losing staff to McDonald's and Aldi because of poor pay and low morale.

Now there are calls for extra funding to make the job more attractive and reduce the need to call in expensive agency staff.

A former department store in Kent has been given a new lease of life as a family entertainment centre.

Husband and wife entrepreneurs Alex and Monique Souter started a panic room in Gravesend in 2016 and have now converted the former BHS in the town.

The first presents donated by you to kmfm's Give a Gift appeal are being delivered across the county.

They'll be going to children in hospital or care and to children's charities this festive season.

And in sport, hear from the Gillingham manager following their 3-0 defeat to Salford City at the weekend.

A man has staged a peaceful protest at a GP surgery after struggling to get a face-to-face appointment.

We hear how busy doctors are right now.

Also in today's podcast, a former Kent MP has admitted possessing and distributing indecent images.

Paul Clark used to represent Gillingham and appeared at Medway Magistrates Court earlier.

The parents of a Margate boy who died after being bullied for being autistic say he was let down by a lack of support.

Stefan Kluibenschadl passed away in hospital in March, but a coroner says it's unclear whether he intended to take his own life. His dad has paid tribute.

The Kent test has been discussed in the House of Lords today.

A bill calling for the selective system to be scrapped has been having a second reading. We've been speaking to campaign group Comprehensive Future.

A charity says just punishing drug use doesn't solve the issue, as it's emerged Kent Police deal with an average of almost 500 offences involving under 18s every year.

Since 2018, there've been more than 17-hundred reports involving cannabis, heroin and cocaine.

A Sittingbourne mum who lost her baby at 32 weeks says a teddy bear with her daughter's heartbeat in has helped her come to terms with the grief.

Lizzie Phillips knew from early on her pregnancy that baby Penelope was unlikely to live - she's been telling her story to the Podcast.

A Margate charity is celebrating 20 years of providing opportunities to young people in Kent.

Pie Factory Music was set up in 2002 and has supported 50,000 people through youth work, music and arts projects, pastoral care and counselling.

Hear from their managing director ahead of a celebration this weekend.

And, our features writer Sam Lawrie looks ahead to everything going on in Kent this weekend.

A man has been found guilty of murdering two women, including a mum from Kent who went missing just over a year ago.

Alexandra Morgan from Sissinghurst was last seen on Remembrance Day 2021 - her remains were later found on a farm in East Sussex.

The body of Leah Ware, who disappeared six month earlier, has never been found.

Hear from our reporter who was in court to hear the verdicts come in. We've also spoken to the CPS and have audio of the time Mark Brown from St Leonards-on-Sea was arrested.

Also in today's podcast, workers at the ambulance service covering Kent have voted to go on strike.

You're being urged to make sure your children have had the flu vaccine amid a rise in the number of under 5s ending up in hospital...

Nationally, more than 200 youngsters were admitted after suffering serious complications linked to the virus in the week to November, 20.

A bus station in Maidstone's been left covered in mould just a year after a £1.5 million revamp.

Water's leaking down the wall leaving an ugly mark next to The Mall - hear from bus passengers and what the council have to say.

Parents are calling for plans for a 5G mast on school land in Westgate to be scrapped until proper research has been done on whether they affect our health.

The 20 meter tall mast could be built on part of the playing field at St Saviours primary in Elm Grove.4

The KentOnline Podcast has been told more about a multi-million pound dance studios that's opened on an industrial estate in Ashford.

The Jasmin Vardimon Company have already welcomed their first cohort of dancers before officially opening next week.

And in sport, it's been a great day for Kent cricketer Zak Crawley. Find out how he got on as England start their first tour of Pakistan since 2005.

A mum from Gillingham says she will continue to fight for answers about a mystery condition that has left her daughter disabled.

It means she struggles to hold her own weight or get around. Hear from her mum Rachael - we've also got a statement from medics.

More than 18 months after a serving Met police officer from Kent killed Sarah Everard, further changes are being made at the UK's biggest police force.

Hear from the man who's going to be leading a new command group.