Local News
200,000 fewer car park trips in Kent district with £3.80-an-hour rates
Almost 200,000 fewer car park trips have been recorded in a Kent district since a council rolled out the county’s most expensive rates.
Local messages
County records highest number of horse-related road incidents in South East
Two experienced riders are calling for greater care on the roads after 82 horse-related road incidents were reported in Kent in 2025.
Homes, shops and cinema plan for derelict department store recommended for approval
Plans for a “largely car-free” town centre development including flats, cafes and a potential cinema have been recommended for approval.
Get Weekly Updates
Get the headlines in your inbox every week.
‘Imposing’ flats plan for abandoned high street garage dismissed on appeal
A planning inspector has dismissed a developer’s appeal to convert an abandoned garage into eight flats following council rejection.
IT worker could spend 39 years paying back NHS after he stole 30 hospital laptops
An IT specialist has admitted stealing 30 laptops from a hospital where he worked.
Win: Challenge your mates to an outdoor adventure with ziplines, giant swings and aqua park
Fancy a white-knuckle day out? Enter our Hangloose Bluewater competition.
‘We're fending off housing at every turn - so this is a blessing’
Plans for a new woodland have been described as a ‘blessing’ amid concerns villages are having to ‘fend off housing developments at every turn’.
Renewed hope for assisted dying bill as Kent MP gives it second chance
An MP has announced her decision to take forward a blocked assisted dying bill – sparking renewed hope for families of people with terminal illnesses.
Emergency response and traffic stopped on motorway after car overturns
Drivers faced queues on the M20 due to an overturned vehicle.
Crossing to remain partly shut for FOURTH day due to emergency repairs
Part of a busy bridge will remain closed for emergency repairs, despite hopes it would reopen before the start of the week.
‘We fear members are being frozen out’
Campaigners are calling for more member oversight of how Benenden Health is run ahead of its AGM.
‘We want that homegrown talent’: Towns’ inaugural arts festival ‘blown away by response’ ahead of launch
A former Edinburgh Fringe organiser is staging an inaugural arts festival in his hometown - and he’s set his sights on international fame.
Two fire engines called after blaze forced closure of household waste tip
Two fire engines were called to a blaze which forced the closure of a household waste tip.
Farm shop expansion to start this summer amid growing customer demand
Bosses at a popular farm shop say construction on a new extension could start this summer amid growing customer demand.
Former Jehovah’s Witnesses building to be partially bulldozed for new homes
A former Jehovah’s Witnesses building will be partially bulldozed for new homes after a planning inspector overturned a council's refusal.
‘The pain is unbearable’: Family’s heartbreak after suspected murder of ‘kind-hearted’ man
The family of a "kind-hearted" and "genuine" man have spoken of their heartbreak after police charged a suspect with his murder.
Bid for new housing estate on derelict school site set to be decided
Plans to build 150 homes on a long-abandoned school site plagued by vandalism and fires are set to be voted on by councillors.
New drone photos reveal progress on 900-capacity fan zone
Fresh aerial images reveal the latest progress on an eagerly anticipated fan zone as work continues on the 900-capacity attraction.
‘Blow to Putin’: Russian shadow fleet oil tanker intercepted by British forces in Channel
A Russian shadow fleet oil tanker has been intercepted in the English Channel during a six-hour operation involving Royal Marines and the RAF.
Beloved primary school head ‘never left any pupil behind’
A beloved primary school head teacher who left her mark on generations of children will be remembered as someone “who never left any pupil behind”.