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 of the life-threatening condition.
You can hear from the leader of KCC over fears Kent is becoming too reliant on Operation Brock - with the contraflow system is due to come into force again.
It's designed to queue lorries if there are delays at Dover and Folkestone - and is often used during the school holidays.
A court has heard a drunken father-of-two racially abused a man and threatened and terrorised a barmaid after downing beers with his football team.
He'd been out for a Christmas meal with his mates when he started to become rowdy at the bar in Bearsted.
And, eye-catching plans have been unveiled to transform a long-abandoned seafront concert hall into an 89-bed hotel.
The multi-million-pound scheme is being promoted for the West Cliff Hall in Ramsgate, which has stood derelict for almost 20 years.
10 - KENT ON LYING NEWS NEWS YOU CAN TRUST THIS IS THE KENT ON LYING PODCAST KATE FOLKNER Hello, hope you're okay. Thank you for downloading today's podcast on Wednesday, May 22nd. Coming up today with you from South burning MP Craig McKinlink, he's spoken out about having to have both hands and feet amputated after being diagnosed with sepsis. We'll also have reaction to the news that the latest legal challenge holding up the development of Manson Airport has been dismissed. But first, taking a look at one of our most red stories online today, a sheppy woman has been fined £200 for littering after accidentally dropping some chips which were eaten by seagulls. Jacqueline Clark was approached by a council environment warden after eating a takeaway by the seafront in Sheerness. The 34-year-old was told she'd been caught on CCTV feeding the birds. She spoke into the Kent online podcast. "We got a McDonald's and we were sat in the back of Tesco car park after work and I'd finished mo' idea in and I'd dropped a couple of chips on the floor and birds like seagulls swooped down and grabbed the chips off the floor within like 30 seconds and before I knew it, a law enforcement officer had come out behind the cars where he was hiding and gave me a £200 fine and said I wasn't allowed to do that. He gave us no chance to like apologize or like explain ourselves. He got up in our faces and was aggressive and said that he needed our details so I handed them over. There was no conversation about appealing it or anything. I just said we can't afford a £200 fine like what we're supposed to do and he said it wasn't his problem that I was littering and you have £200 fine for littering. If you pay it within like 14 days it goes down to 150 but he didn't really give us any chance to do anything. He took down my details wrong as well because he was being so like aggressive about it. He didn't even listen to how my name was spelled so it was a bit frustrating. I dropped a couple of chips on the birds ate them. There was no litter on the floor from us. The iron ears that we were sat around so much litter and like we organised litter picks and stuff for a local group, a youth group. We volunteered for community. I paid £20 to get all four of my wheelie bins emptied because council wouldn't do it. We litter picked the street that we lived down because the council had made so much mess with the rubbish so it's very ironic that we've been fined. There was no litter left. It wasn't poisoning the birds. The birds came down and stole a couple of chips and they went on their way. We haven't affected the environment or anything like that. Jacqueline mentioned the bin collections there just to confirm there has been an issue with waste being taken away in Swale. A new company called Suez was given the contract earlier in the year. Council bosses have previously said they're working with them to resolve the issues. Kent Online News The family of a man who went missing from Medway before his body was recovered from the North Sea may never know what happened to him. Liam Graham was last seen walking away from a car crash in Stoke Road last July. Investigators believe the 22-year-old was under the influence of drink and drugs and ended up in the Thames estuary. Although they've been unable to piece together any more details, Liam's sister Holly spoke after yesterday's inquest. As a family we are truly heartbroken by the loss of our Liam. After months of suffering looking for Liam, not knowing where he was and what had happened, we came here today hoping that this inquest would give us some closure, but we will never understand what happened that night to Liam or why or how he ended up where he was. We would like to thank the family, friends and members of the public who looked tirelessly for Liam day in and day out. We may feel let down by the professionals but all that followed, helped on the searches, never stopped supporting our family to bring Liam home and we couldn't have done it without you all. Liam, we miss you more than you know and we would do anything to have one last hug, listen to your infectious laugh or see your silly fortnight dancing. We will forever keep you in our hearts and remember all those good times that you shared with us all. Lee Lee, we love you. A teenager has been taken to London after being hit by a car in Maidstone. It happened on the London Road on the way to Ellington yesterday afternoon. Their injuries are not thought to be life threatening. A Rochester man has been jailed for supplying a pistol that was recovered from a mini cab in South East London. DNA evidence proved that Robert Redding had given the firearm to another man after it was found in a vehicle stopped by police in Sitka in September 2022. A 50-year-old from Castle Street in Waldham has been locked up for six and a half years. A folks and woman has been charged with being drunk and disorderly in public after police were called to Ashford Town Centre. Officers responded to reports of someone damaging cars outside the little last Wednesday. 36-year-old Rhiannon Thomas who lives in Ashley Avenue has been released on bail and will appear in court next week. A Maidstone man, who became aggressive towards a bar worker before racially abusing a man who tried to intervene, has avoided being sent to prison. A court heard Nathan Gould had been drinking with friends at the Rose Inn in Bearstead last December when he became rowdy. The 44-year-old from Casa Drive in Kingswood has been banned from the venue for a year in order to pay compensation. Follow Kent Online on socials to see pictures of a man police are hunting after a theft in Canterbury. It's reported a diner left a restaurant in the borough without paying last Monday afternoon. Investigators have released CCTV images and want to speak to anyone with information. A man who went missing from Graves End has been found safe and well. Police had released a CCTV image of 65-year-old Alan Sheering after he disappeared on Sunday. They thanked everyone who helped with the appeal and a convoy of motorbikes has completed a circuit of brands hatch in memory of a 19-year-old killed in a crash on the M25. And Rena Evera died last month after being involved in a collision with a car being chased by police across the Dartford Crossing. She has been honoured at the racetrack in West Kingsdown. The driver and passenger of the other vehicle have been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. Kent Online News A Kent MPs revealed he had to have both arms and legs amputated after falling ill with sepsis. Craig McKinley was admitted to hospital last September and his family were told he had a five-percent chance of survival. He spent 16 days in an induced coma. The South Planet rep has spoken about losing his limbs in an interview on GB News. Do you know how long you're in a coma for? Were you out for a bit? I don't really know the full details, you know, in and out of lucidity. But I could see these things were probably lost. It was because of moving fingers. Oh no, they were completely fixed. Fixed into a clinch fist. I could move a couple of toes on my left leg. But there was sort of a little sign of life in them. Maybe they could have saved a bit of a foot. But my surgeon said you are better off having them off because you can have prosthetics and you're far better than having a partial foot. Was there any moment at which the surgeon's thought? I could remind me saying this. Maybe Cottie knows more of it. Is it worth Craig carrying on? It's going to be a difficult life after this. Was there a choice to be made? I don't think that ever happened to St Thomas's. But I think those conversations certainly happened at Medway in the early stages. What happened, you know, he ought to be on do not resuscitate. Is it worth it? The choice was you serious? You could have been left to die. The choice made by Cottie on your behalf not to die. Yeah. Yeah. It's the first time he's spoken out since falling ill. He's been fitted with prosthetics and jokes that he's the first bionic MP. He's returned to parliament today and received a rousing reception. Before we give him Prime Minister's questions, I'm sure that the whole house would like to join me in welcoming back our colleague, our friend, an inspirational, honourable member for South Dammit. Craig, it's so good to have you back amongst us. You are the man of the moment and I met your daughter, who is going to be the daughter of them with her birthday tomorrow. So can I say to you and your family, it is an inspiration to people in this country, something with sepsis, you were shown as the way forward. Thank you for everything. And that's the only reason I love clapping. Can also, just to mention, we've got the speaker of the Icelandic Parliament with us today and the Premier of the Cayme Islands. We now go over to questions from Prime Minister, Jen Kitchen. Thank you, Speaker. Question number one. Mr Speaker, I know the whole house will join me in remembering the victims of the horrific Manchester Arena bombing seven years ago today. Our thoughts are with them and their families and I'd like to pay tribute to Fegan Murray, who joins us in the gallery for her courage and her bravery of her campaigning in her son, Martin's memory. I look forward to meeting her later today. Can I also add my personal welcome back to Parliament to my friend and colleague, the honourable member for South Dammit. No one who watched his interview last night could have failed to have been in awe of his incredible resilience. Mr Speaker, this morning, I had meetings with Ministerial colleagues and others in addition to my duties in this House. I shall have further such meetings later today. Jen Kitchen. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I too welcome the honourable member for South Dammit factors to the House and wish him well in his duties. Can I also associate my remarks with the Prime Minister? Labor Leader Sir Kiyastama also expressed his admiration. We don't have the leader of the opposition, Kiyastama. I want to begin by saying a few words to the honourable member for Tanit South. Firstly, thank you for meeting me privately this morning with your wife and daughter, so I could personally convey my best wishes to all of you. Secondly, on some occasions, and there aren't many, this House genuinely comes together as one. We do so today to pay tribute to your courage and determination in not only coming through an awful ordeal, but by being here today with us in this chamber. Thirdly, I want to acknowledge your deep sense of service. I think politics is about service. Resuming your duties as an MP, being here today shows us it's an example for all of us, of your deep sense of service. We thank you for it. Staying with that at news and the Kent Online podcast has been told a reopened Manston airport could eventually create as many as 10,000 jobs. It comes after a legal challenge aimed at stopping the site from being turned into a cargo hub was thrown out by the Court of Appeal. It means work on developing the land can get underway north and at MP Sir Roger Gail has campaigned for it to happen for years. I and I think all of those who have supported Manston Airport since its closure are absolutely delighted that at last we have a resolution to the legal processes. The Secretary of State granted a development consent order that was challenged and challenged and challenged. As a result, there's been a considerable delay. But please God, this is now the final hurdle and we really can move forward, clear the airfield, put the bulldozers in, get the work done that needs to be done, rebuild all the buildings that need to be rebuilt and re-open the airfield as a state of the art. Absolutely wonderful, brand spanking new net zero carbon airport. That's what East Kent Monson needs. Because that is something that Mrs. Miss Dawes who challenged the airport, it makes no sense to have an airport with a worsening climate crisis. Do you agree with that? Do you think that Miss Dawes had any reasonable grounds for warranting the airport to stay closed or do you think that it will be a net benefit for Thanets and for the surrounding environment? There are a number of people, a very few people, who have moved down from London, bought houses under the flight path to the airport, knowing full well that there's been an airfield at Manson for more than a century, and then started complaining because they didn't believe that planes would ever land there again. The overwhelming majority of people in East Kent, as demonstrated in parliamentary elections, in county council elections and in local government elections, have made it absolutely plain that they want Manston to reopen. It will reopen first as a free-tier field, and then subsequently when it's on a sound financial footing, as a passenger airfield again. That's what we want. It will create a huge number of jobs. It will attract an investment on a scale that has never ever been seen before in East Kent. What's to say no? What's to not like about all of that? So what do you think your constituents will make of the decision? What do you think will be the reaction today? I don't think I know because of the support that Manson has received since the airfield closed, and all the online comments that have been printed since the result of the court case was announced earlier today, that overwhelmingly people wanted. Of course there are gay insayers. Of course there are people who say, "Oh, well it won't work." But it will work because there's a completely new business model and a massive amount of investment that didn't go in before in order to make sure that when we reopen the airport, it is state-of-the-art. It is net zero carbon. It is a place that people will want to fly into and from, and it will be good for the county and it will be good for Britain. Lights could take off from the hub as soon as 2027. Kent Online News There are calls for a long-term solution for traffic problems in Kent as Operation Brock is due to come into force. Again, the M20 will be closed between Maidstone and Ashford tonight, so the contraflow system can be deployed ahead of the bank holiday in half-term. Some MPs say it's being brought in too often during school holidays to cope with high passenger numbers at Dover and Folkston. Roger Gough is leader of Kent County Council. I think we'd all say that Operation Brock is not an ideal solution, but it is an important way very often of addressing pressures and potential pressures and, at some extent, my challenge back to anyone who raises that question is what, under particular circumstances, is the alternative until we get to a point where we actually have lasting solutions, which is something we have pushed for over many, many years and continue to do so. Then, under those circumstances, how would we otherwise see the situation managed and contained? There's often been difficult judgments made about when Brock is deployed. There have been occasions in the past when a decision was made not to deploy it, and that was I think many of us saw as very welcome, and then that had to be adjusted when a particular set of crises emerged. Very often, we know that the whole situation in and around Dover, but then spilling over rapidly into other parts of the county, can become very, very vulnerable, very quickly. We saw that with P&O a couple of years ago. We've seen it when there have been occasions, when there's not been the presence from the path. You could have a whole range of other factors on either side of the channel. It remains a point of severe vulnerability, and Brock is a way of managing that, and that's a judgment that Kent Resilience Forum seeks to make. I don't think any of us pretend it is something that is or should be a normal part of life, because we know that the impact that that can have on residence in many parts of East Kent, the challenge is until we have a situation where we get that lasting resolution that we at Kent County Council and many others have been pushing for over the years and reduce that particular point of vulnerability. Then, often, the room from it over is quite limited once you get to a point of real pressure. Here comes as the Kent online podcast has been told 20 million drivers will take to the roads this bank holiday. The AA reckon Sunday will be the busiest day with routes to the coast set to be especially busy. Drivers are being urged to make sure their cars have enough fuel or charged for journeys. Kent Online News Head to Kent Online to see what an abandoned concert hall in Ramsgate could look like if it's turned into an 89 bed hotel. The Westcliff Hall has been derelict for 20 years, but it's due to be auctioned off next week. The building's been given a guide price of 325,000 pounds. We're told there's already some interest. It comes with the warning, though, that any future planning application will have to address in detail the impact of any new building on its conservation area surroundings. Heritage Watch Dogs in the town are also cautioning against any development that would destroy the views, including from the historic Spencer Square. Controversial plans to build flats on a car park in Sittingborne Town Centre look to be given the go-ahead. The development in Cockwell Shell Walk would include three blocks, with 51 apartments in total. Neighbours have raised concerns about privacy and parking. A final decision will be made at a meeting tomorrow. A date has been set for Medway Bosses to consider an application to redevelop part of Chatham-Docks. Council will meet on May 30th, just three weeks, after an earlier hearing for the application was deferred due to a legal challenge. Even if this game is approved, it can't go ahead until levelling up Minister Michael Gove gives it the green light. A wedding dress shop in Herne Bay is being forced to close after the landlord decided to sell up. Bells' bride's bridal studio has been open on William Street for more than a decade. The owners tried to buy the building that says she couldn't afford it. A plan aimed at making Tunbridge and Mauling a safer place to live and work will be discussed by Council bosses later. It focuses on six key areas, including anti-social behaviour, domestic abuse and violence against women and girls. That will also review projects over the last 12 months, including using mobile CCTV to gather evidence from problem areas. The ambulance trust that covers Kent is teaming up with four others in a new collaboration to try and improve levels of care for patients. They're all based in the south of England and will be working to support each other and share best practice Wait till the group is being formed against the backdrop of a challenging operational and financial environment with issues, including rising demand, as well as recruitment and retention of staff. Kent online, sports. Football now and Gillingham goalkeeper Glenn Morris says the side will definitely be pushing for a promotion next season. The 40-year-old assigned a new one-year contract at Priestfield. He was one of two out-of-contract players given the chance to stay under new boss Mark Bonner. Glenn has been speaking on the club's website. Delighted. It's a bit of a no-brainer really, just happy to get it done before going away and holiday and switch off a little bit and get ready for pre-season in July. Since I've gotten a strong affinity with this club, of course, you've got a sense of familiarity with Jake Turner and Deli, and you've got quite a close new group. Yeah, great. Dog Keeper Union obviously takes on these new deals as well. So it's a good group and I'm looking forward to working again like with Del and Jake and Tate and pushing each other and working in a close new environment and just really looking forward to next season. Of course, the managers walked through the door, Mark Bonner is in place for the new season. I'm not sure if you had a chance to speak to him yet. I'm sure you looked at finishing. Yeah, no, I'm looking forward to it. It's a clean slate for everyone. Like I said, and I've known Mark before when I was at South End, he was a youth coach there, so it'd be nice to see him and me again, and looking forward to seeing how he works. That's on season, just gone. I felt just shy of the playoffs. Obviously there was a change mid-season. What was the main overriding collective emotion amongst the players with regards to that campaign? Obviously, from where we come from the year before, it is an improvement, but obviously a little bit disappointed that we didn't push on and get over the line for playoffs at least, but that football is difficult. It's competitively and it's going to take everything to try and do that again next year. It's not easy, but it's a great group and they're all looking forward to try and push and keep on again. And a 13-year-old girl from Tundridge has become the youngest member of the British swimming squad for this year's Summer Paralympics. Iona Winifred will compete in the 100-meter breaststroke in Paris. She's in the S7 classification for physical impairment and is currently ranked world number one in her event. That's all from us today. Thanks ever so much for listening. Don't forget, you can follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok and Threads. You can also get the details on the top stories, direct to your email each morning via the briefing. To sign up, just head to kentonline.co.uk. News you can trust. This is the Kent Online Podcast. [BLANK_AUDIO]
