Podcast: Kent station named "worst for the London commute"

An Ashford woman has spoken out about the moment she was seriously injured in a dog attack.

Fay Hagger suffered a fractured elbow and needed stitches after being bitten and dragged to the ground in Kennington in June last year.

She's now slammed a decision by the courts not to put the Rottweiler-cross breed down and has been chatting to reporter Chantal Weller.

After it was revealed the number of community wardens in Kent is set to be cut - one village has taken matters into their own hands.

The county council are to scale back the project by as much as 40% to save £1 million.

But, that's led to concerns some areas could see a rise in antisocial  behaviour if patrols are no longer happening. Our local democracy reporter has been to Headcorn to find out what's happening there.

An independent garden centre in Strood could be closed and replaced with housing.

Plans have been submitted to Medway Council to develop the site of Dillywood Garden Centre off the A289 in Higham. 

Meantime, plans have been unveiled for more than 350 flats and commercial space in Chatham town centre.

Developers want to convert the former Go Outdoors building and HomePlus Furniture store.

The boss of a charity-based gym in Canterbury is urging young people to get off TikTok and get fit.

Oli Nonis also runs a security company and is hoping to encourage more teenagers to take up boxing. Our reporter James Pallant joined him in the ring.

In sport, we've got news on a campaign that's running on the website to try and tackle bad behaviour in football - hear from Head of Sport, Matthew Panting.

And, Gillingham will be fighting to stay in the league 2 play-off places when they travel to AFC Wimbledon later.

The game follows Saturday's draw against Tranmere Rovers at Priestfield.

A woman who attacked her sister-in-law at a family gathering in Deal has avoided being sent to prison.

A court was told the defendant had drunk prosecco and half a bottle of Baileys before punching and kicking her victim on Boxing Day in 2021.

Also in today's podcast, investigations are continuing following a huge fire at a listed house near Maidstone.

At its height, 50 firefighters were tackling the blaze in Hunton after it broke out on Friday night. We've spoken to one of the residents.

From today, parents dropping off their children to schools in parts of Medway will face a fine if they drive on roads right outside.

It's part of plans to improve congestion and pupil safety - we've been speaking to one of the headteachers at a school involved.

People living on a new build estate have told the podcast they're prepared to fight what they say are 'extortionate' service charges.

Some residents of Peters Village in Wouldham say their fees have doubled. Reporter Keely Greenwood has been following this story and went along to the first meeting of the newly formed residents' association.

A Kent woman's urging others to know the signs of ovarian cancer after being given laxatives for her symptoms.

Louise Hutchins from Folkestone was suffering from severe bloating, constipation and struggling to eat.

She eventually went back to a walk-in centre and was sent to A&E. The 44 year-old has been sharing her story as part of ovarian cancer awareness month.

An expert believes climate change is likely to be the reason for dramatic landslides in Folkestone.

The Road of Remembrance in the town has been closed since the end of January after soil and trees crashed onto the tarmac. 

And in sport, it was a point for Gillingham at the weekend.

They came from a goal down to draw 1-1 with Tranmere Rovers at Priestfield - hear reaction from head coach Stephen Clemence who thinks a decision by officials cost them the game.

Controversial plans for a surfing lagoon and accommodation at a Kent country park have been given the go-ahead.

Campaigners say the development at Betteshanger will cause damage to rare plants and animals that live on the site.

Ahead of a crackdown on vehicles outside schools in Medway, a Chatham mum has hit out at not being given an exemption permit.

The School Streets scheme will ban cars from certain roads near primary schools during drop-off and pick-up times from Monday.

The parents of a seven-year-old girl who died trying to cross the Channel to Kent say people smugglers do not see them 'as humans'.

Rula drowned when the boat she was in capsized in northern France last weekend.

Businesses on a road in Sandwich fear their trade will suffer after it suddenly had to close for emergency repairs.

A property on King Street has also been boarded up after cracks started to appear.

On international women's day, a female student mechanic from Sheerness says she is out to prove critics wrong.

Maddy Lovett was told by some at school that only men could do the job, and she should consider cooking or beauty therapy.

And in football, Gillingham will be hoping to bounce back from a disappointing mid-week defeat tomorrow.

They lost 2-0 at Barrow and dropped out of the league two play-off places.

A Rochester teenager has had life-saving surgery after suffering a stroke.

18-year-old Rhys Foskett had to be put in an induced coma after collapsing last month, and is now having to learn to walk and talk again.

The human rights watchdog says efforts to tackle violence by police against women and girls require "urgent improvement".

Last week an inquiry found Sarah Everard's killer Wayne Couzens, from Deal, should never have allowed to serve as an officer.

An independent inquiry is underway into the deaths of at least 27 people in the Channel.

They lost their lives attempting to cross from France to Kent in a small boat in November 2021.

The head of a Kent academy trust insists schools are doing everything they can to improve attendance among pupils.

Around 400,000 penalty notices for unauthorised absence were issued in England last year.

Controversial plans to bring in charges at free car parks on Sheppey have been scrapped.

Council bosses wanted to introduce payments at the Little Oyster site in Minster, as well as at the library and Park Road in Queenborough, to raise much needed revenue. 

A charity that started in Kent is now helping disadvantaged people across the country.

The Street Soccer Foundation launched eight years ago, with football being used to tackle homelessness.

Children across Kent have been dressing up for World Book Day.

McDonald's are also giving away free Mr Men books.

It is part of efforts to get more youngsters into reading.

There are calls for younger children to be better educated on the danger of knives after an eight-year-old boy was threatened in Margate.

He was in the canteen at Cliftonville Primary School when another pupil held a piece of cutlery to his throat.

Campaigners have been reacting to the Chancellor's Budget after he set out the government's spending plans.

Jeremy Hunt announced a 2p cut to National Insurance, a new tax on vapes and a freeze on fuel duty.

It is feared it could cost millions of pounds to clean up waste from an illegal dumping scandal on Sheppey.

Hundreds of lorry-loads of rubbish was fly-tipped from cliffs and onto beaches at Eastchurch, until officials blocked access to the site.

Former Kent miners say they have no regrets - 40 years after going on strike.

Workers at Tilmanstone, Snowdown and Betteshanger collieries walked out as part of a nationwide fight to save them from closure.

Two critically endangered Sumatran orangutans are settling into their new home in Kent well.

The brothers have relocated from Switzerland to Port Lympne near Hythe, and could one day be relocated to the wild.

And in football, Gillingham have once again slipped out of the League 2 play-off places after losing to Barrow.

The Gills were beaten 2-0 last night - their first defeat in four matches.

Bosses at a bar in Ashford have made a U-turn on their decision to go cashless after some customers said they would not go back.

The Glass House opened in the Lower High Street in 2018 and management recently announced the move on socials.

A Kent homelessness charity is warning lives could be lost as funding for their services is set to be cut.

Porchlight say they will be losing out on around a million pounds a year which could mean closing some of their hostels.

The government's Rwanda bill has suffered five defeats in the House of Lords.

It means it will now go backwards and forwards between both houses of Parliament while MPs and peers try to reach agreement. 

A leading Kent business expert has been telling us what he is hoping to hear from tomorrow's Budget.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is due to announce the government's economic plans. which could include tax cuts and a reduction in the amount spent on some public services.

And in football, Gillingham make the long trip north to Barrow in League 2 tonight.

It follows their 2-0 win over Salford City at the weekend which moved them into the play-off places.

A Canterbury man says he's faced a seven-month battle after receiving a water bill for more than £3,200.

It's because of a leak outside his Airbnb property in Whitstable.

A leading Kent charity is again calling for safe and legal routes for refugees after a seven-year-old girl died while trying to cross from northern France.

The boat she was in capsized with 16 people in board.

A Kent campaigner is calling for paid leave for parents who lose a baby in early pregnancy.  

Keeley Lengthorn suffered three miscarriages in three years, but she wasn't entitled to any time off after her son George was stillborn at 23 weeks.

As we mark 200 years of the RNLI, volunteers in Kent say not everyone understands what they do.

Lifeboat crews are called out to emergencies at sea - but they're not paid for their work.

A couple from West Malling have been left without their pension for a month after an error by Royal Mail.

Trevor and Christine Wells  paid for their post to be kept in a secure place while they were on holiday, but some if it was accidentally returned to the sender.

A florist in Headcorn is celebrating 25 years of business.

Sweet William was set up by Julia Archer in 1999.

And in football, Gillingham are back in the League Two play-off places after beating Salford City away from home.

Goals from Shad Ogie and Tim Dieng gave the Gills a 2-0 lead in torrential rain and hailstones at the Peninsula Stadium.

People living in part of Hythe are calling for closer monitoring of water levels after a canal burst its banks and flooded their homes.

More than 10 properties in Romney Way have been affected this week.

Parents are going to extreme lengths to get their child into a good school in Kent - including lying about where they live.

Some families have rented properties but not lived in them, while others have used relatives' addresses.

It comes as thousands of Year Six pupils across Kent find out which secondary school they have got a place at for September.

Letters and emails are being sent out to parents, with 78% getting their first choice this year.

Network Rail say they are on track to reopen the line between Sittingbourne and Rainham on Monday morning following a landslip.

No trains have been running this week after a crack in the embankment was discovered at Newington.

Plans for 39 homes in Shepherdswell, near Dover, have been approved despite 130 objections.

Houses and bungalows are going to built on two adjoining parcels of land in St Andrews Gardens, but residents aren't happy.

A Medway pub is reopening today after a £185,000 revamp.

The Angel on Lower Rainham Road has been taken over by a group of friends who launched a pub management firm around a year ago.

In football, Gillingham will be hoping to climb back into the league two play-off places this weekend.

They travel to take on Salford City after a 1-0 win over Wrexham last time out.

And, Maidstone's Alessia Russo has been back to her old club as part of a push to promote girls football.  

The Arsenal and England striker led a training session at Bearsted FC, and praised staff and players.

Parents have paid tribute to an “inquisitive little lad” who died after his head became lodged in a medical bed that had been delivered to his home the previous day.

Four-year-old Ethan Wade was discovered by his father the morning after the first night in his new bed at their home in Chatham.

Also in today's podcast, an inquiry has found convicted murderer Wayne Couzens should never have been given a job as a police officer and chances to stop the sexual predator were repeatedly ignored and missed.

A new report has found police – including Kent’s force – “failed” to spot warning signs about his “unsuitability for office”. 

Students walking to school fear it’s only a matter of time before “somebody gets hurt” after a spate of near-misses close to a new-build housing estate.

Year 11 pupils in Swanscombe are campaigning for better access to their school after recording parents parking illegally and speeding outside the gates.

Three MPs have combined forces in a bid to persuade a local authority to re-think “short-sighted” plans to end free swimming for children and the elderly.

Bosses in Medway have announced a decision to scrap free swimming for the under-16s and over-60s as part of a belt-tightening exercise to balance its budget.

And Margate’s social media sensation Lucia Keskin, better known as Chi with a C, is set to star in her own TV show. 

The new comedy Things You Should Have Done premiers tonight. 

A former landlord has told how his life running the pub he called home was “destroyed” by three drunken customers who broke his arm in a shocking attack.

The grandfather says the Margate pub “was never the same” for him and his wife after the “horrific” attack. 

Also in today's podcast, new data shows more than 280-thousand illegal vapes were seized in Kent last year - but not a single fine was issued.

We've had the highest number out of more than 150 local authorities across the country with many of the vapes coming through the Port of Dover. 

A scrap metal dealer has admitted theft after being caught on camera taking a bin of metal shavings.

He'd told staff at the Chaucer Business Park, near Sevenoaks, that he was allowed to help himself and later planned to sell it on. 

Controversial plans for 250 homes have been approved – despite a head teacher raising fears over children’s safety at a nearby school.

The school’s head says he's worried about traffic and parking problems is the estate in Margate goes ahead. 

And the winners of the Kent & Medway Food & Drink Awards have been announced, including Pub of the Year and Restaurant of the Year.

Residents have been voting for their favourite hot spots from across the county from flavoursome street food to high-end hotels.