KentOnline

Podcast: McDonald’s staff barricade themselves inside Chatham branch after young people cause trouble

Hear the moment McDonald's staff were forced to barricade themselves inside a Chatham branch after young people caused trouble.

One customer reported seeing workers being spat at, sauces being thrown around and wet floor signs being picked up and smashed on the ground.

Also in today's podcast, Maidstone's Alessia Russo is celebrating England's win in the final of the women's Euros.

She came on as a substitute during the match against Germany yesterday.

Hear from her former dinner lady, a young girl she's coached and we've been speaking to the Kent FA about the legacy of the tournament.

A Dartford woman's hit out at vandals who've scrawled nasty messages on signs put up by Samaritans.

The notices near Joyce Green Lane urge people to get help if they're struggling with their mental health.

The KentOnline Podcast has been told action needs to be taken on a busy road in Sittingbourne - to keep school children safe.

Hear from Swale councillor James Hall who's calling for a zebra crossing on Tonge Road in Murston.

A dad from Northfleet says a tree he'd planted in memory of his teenage son has been destroyed by "mindless vandals".

Jay Paternoster put the silver birch outside his home as a tribute to 18-year-old John Jackson, who took his own life in 2006.

In sport, it wasn't the start to the season Gillingham fans had been hoping for.

They lost 2-nil at AFC Wimbledon at the weekend - we've got reaction from manager Neil Harris.

Kent's athletes have already picked up several medals at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and find out which cricketers have signed new contracts at Kent.

Podcast: Herne Bay man spent thousands on Amazon after tricking the company he worked for out of £200k

A Herne Bay man who tricked his employer out of £200,000 which he spent on luxuries has been jailed for more than four and a half years.
43-year-old Benjamin Cullen from Peartree Road made more than 500 purchases on his boss's credit cards.
Hear from our reporter Sean Axtell who was at Canterbury Crown Court for the case.
Also in today's podcast, the former Met police officer from Kent who murdered Sarah Everard has lost his bid to get his sentence reduced.
Wayne Couzens from Deal was given a whole life term for kidnapping and killing the 33-year-old as she walked home in London in March last year.
Struggling families in Medway have criticised a decision not to give vouchers to those who normally get free school meals.
Local authorities have been given cash to give low income parents extra support during the holidays.
Hear what a mum from Rainham has had to say - we've also got a response from the council.
An amber traffic warning has been put in place ahead of expected disruption in Kent this weekend.
The AA says congestion's likely to be bad because of train strikes, sporting events and summer getaways.
Tom Grennan's been on our sister radio station kmfm talking about his new music and looking forward to playing in Kent this summer.
And in sport, hear from Alessia Russo's former headteacher and coach as we look ahead to the biggest match of her career.
She'll be hoping to lift the women's Euros trophy on Sunday as they take on Germany in the final at Wembley.

Podcast: Travellers given deadline to leave popular boot fair site

A group of travellers who allegedly broke onto land in Medway have been given a deadline to leave.

The land near Upnor is used to host a popular boot fair and the owner says he'll be out of pocket if it can't go ahead this weekend.

Hear from Mark Greenfield.

Also in today's podcast, officials have confirmed a Tonbridge man who was killed by a rotating helicopter blade in Greece was NOT taking a selfie at the time.

22-year-old Jack Fenton's friends and family have criticised reports suggesting he wasn't being careful enough.

A Medway mum fears her daughter could spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair after a number of medical appointments were cancelled during Covid.

Hallie was born in March 2019 and found to have congenital muscular dystrophy which affects muscle strength and tone.

Here mum Rachael has been speaking to our reporter Nicola Jordan.

A new bit of tech has been installed off the coast of Kent to check what the water quality's like for anyone going swimming in the sea.

If all goes to plan, the device will test the water every few minutes and the results will be displayed online.

We've been speaking to Nick Mills from Southern Water.

And, bosses at a Kent wildlife park are hoping to start a breeding programme for their new Indian Rhino.

A five year-old male called Orys has already arrived at Port Lympne near Hythe, after moving from a zoo in Switzerland.

Podcast: Maidstone’s Alessia Russo scores cheeky backheel goal to see England through to the final of the women’s Euros

Is football finally coming home?

England are through to the final of the women's Euros - thanks to an incredibly cheeky backheel goal from Maidstone's Alessia Russo.

The 23-year-old scored the third on the night as it finished 4-0 against Sweden in Sheffield.

Hear from our sports reporter Tom Reeves and Alessia has been describing 'that goal'.

Also in today's podcast, it's been a difficult journey to work for anyone in Kent who can't avoid travelling by train.

Very few services have been running due to strike action.

Hear from Network Rail and the RMT union.

A woman's described the moment she was knocked down by an e-scooter in a hit and run in Canterbury.

Sarah Carter was left seriously injured and needed surgery after it happened earlier this month and has been speaking to our reporter Gerry Warren.

Bosses at one of Kent's biggest attractions say something must be done to fix travel problems at Dover.

After last weekend's chaos, there have again been queues at the port today as people try to get away for a summer break.

It's being blamed on high demand at border control after extra checks were brought in because of Brexit.

We've been speaking to Neil McCollum from English Heritage which runs Dover Castle.

It's being claimed today that French and British emergency services passed responsibility on to each other when dozens of people drowned in the English Channel last year.

A rubber dinghy sank in November, killing 31 asylum seekers and an unborn baby.

And in sport, Kent sprinter Dina Asher-Smith has withdrawn from the Commonwealth Games with a hamstring injury.

The 26-year-old from Orpington picked up the problem during the recent World Athletics Championships in Oregon.

Podcast: Former Maidstone schoolboy Jack Fenton killed after being struck by helicopter blade during holiday in Athens

A former Maidstone schoolboy has died after being struck by the blade of a helicopter during a holiday in Greece.
Jack Fenton, 22, is understood to have travelled back to Athens from Mykonos with friends when the tragedy happened.

Also in today's podcast, people living in Dartford are calling for a re-think on plans to expand the Ultra-Low Emission Zone in London.
If given the go ahead, some residents would have to pay £12.50 to travel into neighbouring boroughs.
Hear what one local councillor has said - we've also got some of your comments left on Facebook.
We're being urged to plan, ahead of a rail strike affecting services in Kent tomorrow - and only travel if it's essential.
Members of the RMT union are walking out as part of an ongoing dispute around jobs, pay and working conditions.
We've got an update from Network Rail.
A leading tourism boss in Kent is calling for talks at the very highest level to sort out chronic travel problems in the county.
Thousands of holidaymakers were stuck in hours of queues on Friday and over the weekend as they tried to leave via the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel.
Hear from Deirdre Wells who is the chief executive of Visit Kent.
There's good news for dozens of parks across Kent as they're awarded Green Flags.
And in sport, we look ahead to England's semi-final in the women's Euros tonight.
Plus, Gillingham play their final pre-season friendly.

Podcast: Man seriously injured as group gatecrashes 18th birthday party at WI hall in Ashford

A man is in a serious condition in hospital after a group gatecrashed an 18th birthday party in Ashford.

Trouble broke out in a WI hall in the Kennington part of town at the weekend.

We've got details on who's been arrested and how to contact police if you have any information.

Also in today's podcast, we have more on a weekend of travel chaos in Kent.

People trying to get to Europe via the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel faced hours of delays.

We ask why it happened and you can hear from Dover's MP, Kent Highways, a government minister and travel expert.

The family of a Thanet man who died three days after being found injured in a road have told kmfm they still believe he was murdered.

32-year-old Philip Stovell was discovered on Caxton Road in Garlinge in October last year - and despite being flown to hospital, he couldn't be saved.

His dad has been speaking to our reporter Gerry Warren.

A Kent farmer's been praised for helping to stop a huge field fire spreading to nearby homes.

Lucy's got the details on that and other wildfires in the county from over the weekend.

A new cafe has been set up in part of Kent to help people learn English.

Sam Davies started the Medway Language Cafe to help those who've moved to the UK fit in and interact with others - she's been speaking to reporter Sasha.

And in sport, hear from the Gillingham manager following their 1-0 win over Southend United in a pre-season friendly at the weekend.

It comes ahead of their first game in league two on Saturday.

Podcast: Dover grinds to a halt AGAIN

In todays podcast, there's been travel chaos in Kent as the summer getaway begins.

The Port of Dover's declared a critical incident, with families and lorry drivers waiting for hours to get a ferry across the Channel.

Hear from those impacted, along with the Ports Chief Executive.

 

Also today, a Kent mum's described her horror after her son was swept out to sea in dinghy. Hear the dramatic moment he was rescued.

Ahead of one of Kent's biggest venues being boarded up next month - thousands of people are calling for its future to be secured

There are plans to set up a community fridge in Canterbury to help people struggling with the cost of living crisis.

And, hear from Kent's Dina Asher-Smith who has won a bronze medal at the World Athletics Championships.

Podcast: Bowel cancer survivor from Medway vows to continue the work of Bowelbabe, Dame Deborah James

A woman who was diagnosed with stage-four bowel cancer in her late 20s has vowed to continue the work of Dame Deborah James to raise awareness.
Rebecca Papa-Adams was given around a year to live 17 years ago and is now cancer free.
She's spoken to the podcast about how she was misdiagnosed for 18 months and doesn't want anyone else to go through the same thing.
Also in today's episode, we've spent the day in Challock where residents have been without water for almost a week.
The boss of a shop there says he's lost thousands of pounds of stock.
South East Water say we all need to use supplies more wisely.
After the devastating wildfires in Kent this week, there's some hope that wildlife will bounce back.
Hear from Stan Smith from the Kent Wildlife Trust.
A watchdog says the government's response to people crossing the Channel to Kent in small boats has been 'poor' - and the system is 'overwhelmed'.
It found the number making the journey - which is more than 15,000 this year - is 'unprecedented' - and found issues within leadership as well.
Hear from pupils at a school in Medway who've got a cardboard cut out of their teacher to keep an eye on them in the classroom after she retires.
And in sport it was an amazing night for England at the women's Euros.
Hear from Maidstone's Alessia Russo after the made it through to the semi-finals.

Podcast: Aftermath from devastating wildfires in Kent after hottest day on record

Firefighters have spent today continuing to tackle devastating wildfires in Kent.

They broke out around Dartford on the hottest day of the year, destroying large areas of land.

Hear from our reporter Sean Delaney who went to the scene of one, we've also heard from Kent Fire and Rescue Service.

Meantime, several villages in Kent are without water as the heatwave continues.

Lee Dance from South East Water has been on the podcast to apologise.

Also in today's episode, there are calls for something to be done about teenagers gathering at a lake in Greenhithe after a duckling was reportedly stoned to death.

People living near St Clements Lake say young people are travelling down from London and vandalising the area.

More than 1,500 people have signed a schoolboy's petition calling for bus routes in west Kent not to be scrapped.

The Bennett Memorial pupil says he'd struggle to get to class using public transport from September as a number of routes are being cut.

Hear about Jason Manford's epic journey to Kent.

The comedian was performing in Margate last night - but ended up having to pay more than £200 in taxi to get there - find out why.

And, hear from the head of youth development at Gravesend's Punjab United ahead of England's quarter final game against Spain in the women's Euros.

Podcast: Ramsgate couple who conned elderly man out of more than £10k avoid being sent to prison

A Thanet couple who posed as carers and stole from an elderly, vulnerable man have avoided being sent to prison.

A court's been told how Michelle Gilliam and Ashley Knox from West Cliff Road in Ramsgate befriended the victim after the first Covid lockdown.

Hear from our reporter Sean Axtell who's been following the case at Canterbury Crown Court.

Also in today's podcast, it's officially the hottest day in the UK on record.

We've been finding out how people in Rochester are coping with the scorching temperatures. Workmen in Gillingham have also been describing what it's like working in the extreme temperatures.

Kent MP Tom Tugendhat is out of the race to be the next Prime Minister.

The Tonbridge and Malling rep received the fewest votes in the latest round of voting in the Conservative leadership race.

Hear from him, our political editor Paul Francis and Ashford MP Damian Green.

Stats out today show how many people in Kent are out of work - we've got the details.

And in sport, Dartford's Adam Gemili has failed to reach the semi-finals of the 200 metres at the World Athletics Championships in America.

Find out what he had to say on socials following the race.