Episodes
Podcast: Rescue mission in the Channel to save 84 people, including six-month-old-baby, from the sea
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...
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 ha...
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 Ramsgat...
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 i...
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 wa...
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 t...
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 owner...
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.Clim...
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 di...
A complaint has been made about the arrest of a teenage boy in Margate after footage emerged of an officer appearing to knee them in the stomach.Police had been called to Dane Park following reports a group possibly had weapons.Sir Keir Starmer has been in Medway to launch Labour's general election campaign.Rishi Sunak announced yesterday that we will go to the polls on July 4th.Figures show more drivers are being caught speeding around the Dartford Crossing than anywhere else in the county.More than 64,000 notices and fixed penalties have been issued on the approach road and through the tu...
A Queenborough mum has been slapped with a £200 fine for littering after seagulls ate a few McDonald’s chips she accidentally dropped on the floor.She'd been tucking into her quarter-pounder meal next to a seaside Tesco when an environment warden “hidden between the cars” approached her.Also in today's podcast, a Kent MP has revealed he had to have his arms and legs amputated following a devastating battle with sepsis.Speaking publicly for the first time about the “extreme surgery”, South Thanet Conservative Craig Mackinlay has told how doctors were forced to operate because of the effects ...
An exotic animal is on the loose after escaping from its zoo enclosure - and we're being warned not to approach her. The Tayra - a weasel-like mammal from Central America - was discovered missing from the Hemsley Conservation Centre on Sunday. Also in today's podcast, drivers have had their say on a new £650k turbo roundabout as work comes to an end.Some claim the redesign of the Running Horse Roundabout in Maidstone is a waste of money, while others believe it has significantly reduced queues.The KentOnline Podcast has heard from an Ashford man who lost his father and uncles after they wer...
A group of residents in Maidstone claim a parking company is trying to charge them from parking on their own land.Half a dozen signs were put up in a private car park just off Northumberland Road by UK Car Park Management. Hear from one of the residents and what the housing association have said.Also on today's podcast, a Whitstable man who was infected with hepatitis and HIV as a child has spoken about how it's affected his life.Roger Newman is one of the victims of the worst treatment disaster in NHS history - known as the infected blood scandal.A report following a public inquiry into th...
The petrolhead behind Kent’s first car ‘drifting’ school says he will continue to operate the new track - despite being advised to slam on the brakes by local bosses. It's after complaints about the noise of revving engines and screeching tyres at the Skidz Advanced Driving School set up at Manston Airport. Also in today’s podcast, a secure school designed to turn around the lives of some of Britain’s most violent young offenders is set to open in Kent.The Oasis Restore school in Rochester is the first of its kind and will see young offenders receiving vocational training and one-to-one lea...
Several staff from a Kent prison have been taken to hospital after their canteen food was spiked with drugs.Paramedics were called to HMP Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey last Thursday. Hear from Andy Hamlin from the Criminal Justice Workers Union.A childcare worker has described the moment a baby boy started choking on his food at an Ashford nursery.Nine-month-old Oliver Steeper was being fed penne Bolognese by Nazia Begum when he started to gag and gasp in September 2021.The price of a bus pass to help children get to school in Kent is set to increase by £100.The Kent Travel Saver curren...
A serial conman from Maidstone has been jailed for defrauding two companies straight after leaving prison for the same offence.Darren Carvill was locked up in 2019 for taking £260,000 from his work in Strood and changed his surname when he was released.More food parcels have been handed out in Medway than any other part of Kent according to new figures given to KentOnline.The Trussell Trust say they delivered over 15,000 parcels in the year to the end of March - up from 5,800 just 6 years ago. We've been speaking to the campaigns manager at Medway Foodbank.It's now illegal to export live an...
A Dymchurch woman who stabbed her husband when he fell asleep as she told him about her life problems, has avoided being sent to prison.He needed emergency treatment but pleaded with a judge not to jail his wife - blaming the outburst on menopausal symptoms.Also in today’s episode, a Kent MP says she hopes measures will be put in place urgently to ensure women receive better care when giving birth.Canterbury’s Rosie Duffield has co-chaired a parliamentary inquiry into maternity services, which heard evidence from 1,300 mums about the trauma they have suffered.Businesses in part of Medway ar...
A Gravesend mum has hit out at her son's school after receiving a letter criticising his attendance, despite the fact he was having life saving treatment.Louie Wilders missed most of Year 8 after being diagnosed with aplastic anaemia.Also in today’s episode, an Ashford woman says she has been left unable to sleep because of the stress of living in a mould-ridden flat.Barbara Hasiuk suffers from leukemia and says issues with damp at her home in Downland Court have made her poor health even worse.As Rishi Sunak gives a speech to try and win over voters, we have been taking a look at how a gen...
The Labour leader has been in Dover to explain how his party would tackle the issue of small boat crossings.Sir Keir Starmer described it as 'one of the greatest challenges we face' and confirmed he would scrap the government's Rwanda scheme.He was joined by Dover MP Natalie Elphicke who defected to the party earlier this week.Also in the podcast, a leading Kent doctor is urging mums-to-be to get the whooping cough vaccine after a huge rise in cases.Around 2,800 infections have been reported in England in the first three months of this year - up from just 858 in 2023.The landlord of a villa...
We're starting today's episode with reaction to the shock political news that Natalie Elphicke has defected to Labour.The Dover MP released a statement criticising the Prime Minister's record on tackling small boat crossings - saying he's 'failing to keep our borders safe and secure'.Hear from a leading charity in Dover that works with asylum seekers, we have also spoken to the leader of Dover District Council and Rochester and Strood rep Kelly Tolhurst.Also in today's podcast, drivers have reported having to queue for an hour to pay to get out of a car park in Folkestone after new charges ...
Fed-up residents say a stretch of scenic seafront is at risk of becoming a “squatter camp” if something is not done to stop campervan owners from setting up there for weeks at a time.Locals say people are practically living at the site on Sheppey and committing anti-social acts such as urinating in public.Also in today’s podcast, a shop owner has been left with thousands of pounds worth of damage following a mass brawl in Sheerness. You can hear audio of the fight which involved as many as 15 people on Saturday night on the high street. A homeless man living out of his car in Maidstone has ...
A Rochester woman had to undergo surgery and has been left with a broken nose after an unprovoked attack while on a night out. The 42-year-old has lost her sense of smell and taste following the assault - a man who has a history of violence against women has faced court. Also in today’s podcast, worried business owners in Medway have been left fearing for their future after seeing customer numbers plummet following a hike in car parking fees.They claim footfall has dropped by around a third since the authority decided to increase its pay and display costs for on and off-street parking by 60...
Staff at a nursery which has been open inside a recreation centre since 1996 say they have been told to “leave immediately” by new owners.Bosses at centre in Ashford have told the KentOnline Podcast they were informed via the new owner’s solicitors that they need to leave.Also in today’s podcast, you can hear from the RSPCA following a spate of attacks on wildlife in Kent by people using catapults. Ducks and pigeons are among the animals that have been targeted in the county – with fears it’s being made popular by videos on social media. A Kent based charity says the record number of people...
A Gillingham woman who has spent almost 20 years stuck in just one room of her home has told the podcast she often wishes she went to sleep and didn't wake up.Illa Smyth struggled with her mobility after skiing and horseriding accidents and now weighs 35 stone. She's paid tribute to her loving husband and she describes her quality of life.Also in today's episode, a woman's facing life in prison after being found guilty of murdering a pub landlord in Maidstone.Stephanie Langley, 54 from Wilsons Lane in East Farleigh, stabbed her ex-brother-in-law Matthew Bryant to death at the Hare and Hound...
Plans for a an 8,000 seater stadium in north Kent have been approved.It is the centre piece of a major development on brownfield land in Northfleet which also includes houses, shops, medical services and community venues.Also in today’s episode, another person has been arrested over the deaths of five people as they tried to cross the Channel to Kent.Figures show 900 asylum seekers have made the dangerous journey since Friday.Bungalow owners in Dymchurch say they feel like they are living in a box after new houses we're built behind their gardens Residents in Hythe Road say they have been l...
A Sheppey woman who scammed her bosses out of nearly £80,000 has been sent to prison.Carly Miller, 39 from Main Road in Queenborough, siphoned off company money that was meant to be used to pay suppliers.Also in today's podcast, there are calls to ban lorries from a stretch of road in Kent following a number of serious crashes.Campaigners also want the speed limit on the A251 between Faversham and Challock cut from 50 to 40 miles per hour.New import checks at the Kent border that have been delayed five times finally come into force today.Businesses bringing in food and flowers have had to f...
More than 40 hair and beauty students at an academy on Sheppey have been told their past year’s work was for nothing.The pupils have been left stunned they won’t be getting a BTEC qualification despite signing up for the course and studying hard.Also in today’s podcast, an award-winning architect who designed and built his “dream home” on the Kent coast says it no longer feels safe following an attempted armed raid at the property.David Liddicoat, whose work has featured on Grand Designs, was inside the house with his partner and their two children at the time of the terrifying ordeal.A cou...
A mum-of-four who endured cancer chemotherapy after being misdiagnosed with the disease says a hospital trust “has not learned from its mistakes”.The Whitstable resident says she has “absolutely no faith in doctors” after being told by Kent and Canterbury Hospital staff she could “drop down dead” at any moment.Also in today's podcast, furious swimmers say a “dirty” leisure centre that employs three cleaners must take on more staff as the site has “never looked so bad”. Bosses at Ashford’s multimillion-pound Stour Centre stress they are “committed to maintaining excellent standards” - but vi...
A developer has been criticised for going back on a promise to provide affordable housing in Deal.100 properties are due be built in Cross Road and 30% were supposed to be affordable. We've been getting reaction from people who live nearby.Also in the podcast, bosses in Dartford have approved plans to build more than 12 and a half thousand homes over the next 13 years.The area's seen a 20% population increase in recent years - partly driven by the development of a garden city at Ebbsfleet. Hear from the council leader.A Gravesend dad with an inoperable brain tumour hopes a fundraiser will h...