Neighbours have spoken of their shock after a woman died in a house fire in Chatham.
Crews were called to Sharon Crescent in Walderslade on Monday evening - a cat also died in the blaze.
Also in the podcast, a Fawkham man is locked in a battle with his local church over the headstone he's chosen for his wife's grave.
Dave Clarke wants a pink-tinted marble headstone for the site in St Mary's Church in Small Grains, which he says matches his wife Janet's personality. Find out what the diocese has said in response.
A Canterbury café boss has published CCTV of an alleged dine and dash which she says has left staff shaken.
Reporter Chantal Weller has been covering this story and joins the episode to explain exactly what happened.
As election campaigning continues, a headteacher from Maidstone is urging the next government to make school budgets one of their top priorities.
Issues that need addressing include a recruitment and retention crisis, levels of special needs provision and mental health support for pupils.
And, a hair salon has reopened in Sheerness a year after it was severely damaged in a fire.
Capelli Salon in the High Street caught alight when an e-scooter in a flat above exploded in April 2023- one person was left injured and his pet dog died in the blaze.
It's nearly time for fun at Cossington Park Sports Centre. The family-friendly, inclusive pool and sports centre from Medway opening on Wednesday the 17th of July with a brand-new fun pool, weight machine and flume, four-lane swimming pool and splash pool for little ones, multi-purpose dance and fitness studio with children's party area, and a state-of-the-art gym. The Countdown is on! Sign up to a membership and find out more at medway.gov.uk/cosingtonpark. Kent Online News. News You Can Trust. This is the Kent Online Podcast. Nicola Everett. Hello. Hope you're OK. Thanks ever so much for downloading today's podcast. It's Wednesday the 12th of June and our top story is that neighbours have spoken of their shock after a woman died in a house fire in Chatham. Now, crews that were called to Sharon Crescent in the Walderslade part of town on Monday evening. Wendy lives nearby and has been speaking to our reporter Ben Austin. I was just sitting in there watching the TV. I heard sirens but didn't take much notice because sometimes you get sirens around here anyway. And then all of a sudden my door was thumping. I went and opened it and the fire brigade were there. They knocked my neighbour next door and they had to climb over his fence to get into the back of the bungalow. And then you could see the smoke we came out here. The police were here. There was loads of paramedics. They were all here. And then I realised that she wasn't out here. So I went over to the carers and I said, is she still in there? And they said, yeah, so that was really upsetting. So she didn't come out. They didn't bring her out to her. It was nine at night. Now, the blaze is thought to have been started by smoking materials within the property. We're told a cat also died. Our thoughts are very much with the woman's friends and family. A man's gone on trial accused of murdering a friend outside his home in Dover, Derek O'Hare, who was 66, was found with several stab wounds in Ansti Road last December. 36-year-old AJ Porter of no fixed address, denies murder and possessing an offensive weapon and claims he acted in self-defence. The trial continues. A teenager has been arrested following reports of several thefts in Ashford. Police were called to the High Street yesterday evening and detained at a 15-year-old. It's linked to a series of alleged thefts over the last two months. And follow Kent Online on socials today to see pictures of someone police are hunting following reports of harassment in Ashford Town Centre. Now, a man was said to have been behaving suspiciously around a woman back in April. And an investigation is ongoing. Kent Online News. Next today, and a forking man is locked in a battle with his local church over the headstone. He's chosen for his wife's grave. Dave Clark wants a pink tinted marble headstone for the site in St Mary's Church in small grains, which he says matches his wife Janet's personality. Now, he submitted the design to the diocese, who then turned it down because they say it doesn't fit in with the setting of the churchyard. What Dave has been speaking to on a reporter, Keeley Greenwood. Exactly the same shape and size as what's already in here, however, a different colour. A lot of these are white and grey, but however, there are loads that are of a different colour in this church and other church that come under the Rochester diocese control. There's all sorts of colours. There's one that I've just showed you down here, which is almost the same colour. There's another one over there and then another one. There's a few in this church already that are similar colours. I don't want nothing different. I don't want to falls on all these memorial highlighted with yellow paint and that I want something that reflects my wife's life. And why did you pick that one? Because as soon as we walked in the stone masons, all my boys saw it and went, "That's mum." And it was a colourful, vibrant, alive and it was easy as that. We don't want a black one. I don't want a black one. I don't allow black ones in this church, but they do down there. We don't want to pink one. We just wanted that because it was there. And it's just the same size. And in actual fact, when we put the drawings and the colour in to the faculty applying for the stone, they actually asked us to increase the physical size of it because we've done it smaller, but they wanted it bigger. So we've done it bigger. So the only point of contention, as I understand, is the colour of the stone. But it's a churchyard. It's a memorial. It's here to remember our loved ones. But they're stopping it. Why? I don't understand why. If someone tells me why, perhaps I can understand, we had a 28-day notice that went into the church, by the church, to ask anyone to add objections, to write in. And it had to stay up and notice for 28 days. And it was on the notice board outside as well. Not one person objected. I, myself, went round and got 200 signatures to agree and say, what's the difference? What's wrong with having that stone in this church? It's a place for remembrance. A spokesperson for the Diocese of Rochester has explained there are a set of regulations which each church is legally obliged to follow. And there is no automatic right to a churchyard memorial. Now, memorials have to be approved by the vicar and the parochial church counsel before they're installed. And this is what else they've told us in a statement. It is understandably very upsetting if someone chooses a headstone for a loved one only to find it's not permitted within the regulations. This is, of course, very regrettable. And is why churches seek to make people aware of regulations at the time they're considering a churchyard burial, liaise with funeral directors and stonemasons so they can help advise people on their memorials, as well as offering the faculty process as an avenue to resolve issues when they occur in as sensitive and as a pastoral way as possible. With regards to this particular case in question, the faculty process is still underway and no decision has yet been made. Kent Online reports. This is one of our most read stories on the website today. A Canterbury Cafe Boss has published CCTV of an alleged dine and dash, which she says has left her staff shaken. Well, Chantal Weller has been covering this story. Firstly, Chantal, can you describe what happened and where? - So last Monday afternoon, a man, a young girl and a boy who appeared to be a teenager ordered lots of food and drinks, equating to about 60 pounds at Cafe number 35 in Canterbury. Now, in CCTV footage from the cafe, the trio can be seen entering the indoor area of the cafe and placing an order. They then sit outside and the waitress brings over their food and drinks. And this order included three of the cafe's biggest and most expensive breakfast options, as well as several portions of chips, milkshakes and coke's. Now, in the clips, the older man can be seen looking through the window to the indoor area of the cafe more than once, with the waitress telling the cafe owner at the time that she thought that this was odd. And on one occasion, the man even gets up out of his seat, peers inside and then sits back down. After finishing up their food, they then all go inside with staff saying they look like they were going to pay. But instead, the man asks to order something for his wife, who he says will be joining them. After placing the order with a waitress, who then takes it to the kitchen, the group can be seen leaving the cafe, but instead of sitting back at their table, they briskly walk away. - And you've spoken to the owner of the cafe. What did she say? - After speaking with Anna Carpenter, who has run the cafe for three and a half years, she says her staff have been left shaken up following the incident. She added it was heartbreaking because they're just trying to do their best. So for someone to steal from them was really upsetting. - Now, this isn't the first time it's happened in the city, is it? - Absolutely. So last month, bosses at an Italian restaurant in Canterbury were left 65 pounds out of pockets after a customer sank several beers and a porn star martini while enjoying a three course meal. This happened at Passilipo with owner Marion Pandos, also sharing CCTV footage with Kent Online in a bid to warn other business owners in the city. In the footage, the loan diner could be seen finishing up his food before grabbing his shopping bag and running away from the restaurant without paying. - Thank you ever so much, Chantal. And you can see that CCTV footage that has been released by cafe number 53 within the story today at Kent Online. Firefighters have been called to Tumbridge after a bus caught a light. It's understood, thankfully, no one was on board the vehicle at the time when the engine went up in flames on Quarry Hill Road yesterday, when it says have described hearing massive bang and seeing loads of black smoke. Bosses in Ashford have you turned on a decision to axe free parking at the town center cinema following a backlash. Now the council took over the former picture house at Elwick Place and scrapped the four hours free parking that was previously on offer. They've now introduced the scheme amid fears the site would have remained empty. Drivers are being warned of delays between Whitstable and Herne Bay as a chess-filled tunnel is going to be closed for the rest of the week. Emergency works being carried out after a routine inspection found a critical safety fault in the ventilation fans. It's likely to cause cues on the A299 and the old, funnet way. - Kent Online reports. - Now as the election campaigning continues across Kent, the Labour candidate in Canterbury has admitted she was almost tempted to change parties at the last election. Rosie Duffield was first elected in 2017, securing a shock win over Tory Sir Julian Brazier, who'd held the seat for 30 years. She says her views on leaving the EU almost saw her switch allegiance two years later. Rosie has been speaking to Oliver from our colleagues at KMTV. - During the last election campaign in 2019, I was approached by the Lib Dem leadership because I was very pro-remain and very anti-Brexit and I resisted, although it was quite tempting in a way because Brexit and remain was the main issue of the last election. But no, I've never thought about joining another party since. - Because obviously, you were a big remainder. Do you still want to rejoin the European Union? The Labour Party, they say that Brexit is now a done deal. - Yeah, well, it's not a done deal for the people of East Kent. It's not a done deal for those of us in Canterbury that have to deal with it every single day. We deal with the problems of Brexit to our businesses, our tourist industry, our language schools, our bed and breakfast, the problems on the border, Operation Brock, so I will still always be fighting for a closer relationship with Europe, who are our near neighbours, as you know, and hopefully the next generation or future generations of MPs will realise that we have to renew that partnership. - What's the biggest issue facing Cadsbury? Obviously, you've been out on a doorstep for years now, can you see the biggest area? What do you think is the biggest issue facing this constituency and how can it be addressed? - There's no such thing. Every door you knock on, there'll be a different issue. It might be the sleeping policeman in the roads or the pothars or it might be something wider. Yesterday, I was speaking to a woman about deep sea mining. She was a lawyer and I didn't know anything about it. So I spent all night googling and reading up about deep sea mining. So you've got no way of knowing what the biggest issue is. It used to be that Brexit was on every doorstep and now it's more likely to be the cost of living. Food bank use is soaring, and that's the same throughout the country. So we really need to tackle that and get a new government. - Rosie is taking on Henry Stanton, Louise Harvey Quirk, Russell Timpson, Bridget Porter, and Luke Buchanan Hodgman on July the 4th. You can click on the constituency map at kentonline.co.uk for details on all of those candidates. And if you don't live in Canterbury, but want to check out who's standing where you live, just click on the general election pages and use the interactive map. Meantime, a head teacher from Maidstone is urging the next government to make school budgets one of their top priorities. Issues that need addressing include a recruitment and retention crisis, levels of special needs, provision and mental health support for pupils. - Lucy, it's been chatting to Ashley Crittenden, who's head of the Kent Association of Leaders in Education. - Child poverty is a really serious issue. Schools are having to support families like never before. So I think that's a really key, a key issue for us. The level of need in schools, and I'm talking about all phases of schools from an SCND perspective is we're at crisis point. This is a big issue in Kent, but it's also a national issue. We're working really hard as an association with our KCC colleagues to try and find a way forward. But the level of need that we are seeing is not helping because we are in a recruitment and retention crisis as well, which is linked to the lack of funding that is coming through for our schools and colleges at the moment. - So what action would you like to see from the next government and whoever wins this election? What would be your message to them about what needs to be done for schools? - So I think a really serious look at the finances, that schools have access to. We have not seen the rise that is needed, although they will say that they have invested in schools. That's not the case. Many of our children and young people are having to be educated in buildings that are not fit for purpose. So as well as not having the levels of funding that we need to have the high quality of staff to meet the needs of some of our most vulnerable children. Actually, the buildings aren't conducive to really high quality education. So that needs a serious look at. As well as really then considering the pay of our school teachers and support staff, the role has changed dramatically. I became a teacher in 1995 and the world that we live in is unrecognizable. We need really highly skilled professionals working in our schools and the pay does not match that. And we do not have access to the high quality CPD that is then really needed to help us understand the challenges that we're facing with some of the complex needs of these children coming through. And you mentioned that you're looking forward to hearing what the main political parties have to say about education. Do you think there's not been enough focus on it so far in the campaigning? I would absolutely agree with that. Whichever political party becomes our next government, they have got the most monumental task ahead. There are so many services that are an absolute crisis. And I'm well aware that they are going to be having to look at other services, other public services too. But if we do not get it right for education, then we are not in a position to be helping to build our young people of the future. We've got to get it right at that point in order to be able to ensure that we have got a future which is going to be fit for purpose for our young people and the job market ahead. We can't online news. A family living in a Margate block of flats, say they're heartbroken that new building regulations mean they have to give up their pets. The residents of Arlington House must now abide by a new pet license in a bid to crack down on nuisance owners. One couple had their license refused by the landlord and have had to rehome their cats. Building bosses stand by the scheme, though, and stress staff spend an inordinate amount of time clearing mess in common areas. Wildlife bosses have slammed a fish and chip shop in Dartford after a stalling drowned in an open oil barrel. The young bird was found by a member of the public outside, Henderson, Fish Bar and Cabab, and was taken to a vet where it later died. Gabbo, wildlife, say the death was preventable and want to know why the barrel wasn't covered. And finally today, hair salon has reopened in sheerness a year after it was severely damaged in a fire. Capelli salon in the High Street caught a light when an e-scooter in a flat above exploded in April 2023. One person was injured and his pet dog died in the blaze. Well, now the salon has reopened in a new premises, but on the same street. Colin Bustable is the owner, and he's been remembering the night of the fire. - I was in bed at two o'clock in the morning and I got a phone call from a work colleague. And that is 17th of April last year. And they asked me to come down to the salon 'cause there's been a fire. So it went down there and I couldn't believe it. It was quite an inferno, really tragic event. Some people have had the hurt, the dog lost his life, saving its owner for a show gun. Yes, my world fell apart really that night, but luckily we managed to set up again in a neighboring salon a couple of days later. And a year later, we've opened up here. It's been a rollercoaster ride. But I think this is a better salon there. We're happy we've been really optimistic about the future and just glad to be up and running, glad to get back to business and do what we love doing best. I was in a limited budget and a limited time to get the salon set up, but we've got a very understanding landlord and had some friends helping us out. So with a limited budget, I managed to set the salon up in a couple of weeks, coming in, working day and night, the electrics, the painting, the plumbing, the advertising, all the printing and things like that. It's a lot of goes into it and the logistics of moving the furniture. But I've got a good work colleagues, a good support team and here we managed to get the job done. I'd like Capelli to be a thriving fuzzy salon that's popular. I'd like people to love to come here and get their hair done. And I like people to want to work here. I'd like it to be a very comfortable salon, lots of creature comforts and a home away from home, I think. But we like to have a warm, welcome atmosphere at Capelli. One of the regrets I have is about not going back into the old salon is that we didn't get to put the plaque up the show done, I think that would have been a nice and touch because it was such a moving thing that night, what the dog done when he saved his own his life, you know. But we have to keep moving forward and here we are. - Ken's online, sport. - For Ball and Jillingham's Managing Director, says works underway to improve facilities for players and staff at Priestfield, money that might have been used for a pre-season tour has instead been invested behind the scenes in the stadium, changing rooms and offices are being upgraded along with the players' lounge. Some criticism today over plans to charge £12 to watch England in the Euros at Folkestone Harbor on. All of the National Science Group games will be shown on a giant screen this month, but fans say the cost is too expensive. Bosses have told us the fee is necessary to ensure the event is well managed and safe. And an update from one bit of sport from yesterday, Emma Rajikanu won her first round match at the Nottingham Open. It had been her first competitive game since April after she pulled out of the French Open to concentrate on the grass court season. Well, that's all from us for 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 details on the top stories. Direct your email each morning via the briefing. To sign up for that, you just need to head to kentonline.co.uk. News you can trust. This is the Kent Online Podcast. (dramatic music)
