KentOnline

A record number of asylum seekers were intercepted by the UK while crossing the English Channel on Saturday.
Meanwhile, more than £4,500 has been raised to help young Afghan refugees here in Kent. We speak to Bridget Chapman from the Kent Refugee Action Network.
 
Also in todays podcast, there are calls for urgent action to improve the sewerage network in part of Kent following leaks from a sewage treatment works.
 
And we speak to Kent’s Will Bayley ahead of the Paralympics in Tokyo.

A Sittingbourne teenager will go on trial next January accused of trying to murder a 16-year-old girl with a physical disability
 
Also on today’s podcast, the number of children being arrested by Kent Police has fallen by 76 per-cent over the last decade.
We speak to Andrew Neilson from The Howard League for Penal Reform.
 
People living near a cliff that collapsed on the Isle of Sheppey say they’ll keep trying to fix the problem themselves, despite being warned to stop.
 
And hear from Olly Murs ahead of his show at The Hop Farm next month.

We’ve been told asylum seekers in the county are terrified they’ll be returned to Afghanistan. 
We speak to Bridget Chapman from the Kent Refugee Action Network and Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield.
 
Also on today’s podcast, it’s claimed one of Kent’s oldest pubs is being “beaten and bruised” by motorists treating a village high street as a “rat run”.
 
It’s feared the A&E department at a Kent Hospital can no longer cope with growing patient numbers.
 
And Gillingham take on Morecambe in League One this weekend.

The owner of a restaurant which was gutted in a huge fire has revealed ambitious plans to reopen in just six weeks time.
We hear from Ciaran O’Quigley, owner of Mu Mu in Maidstone.
Also on today’s podcast, residents in Sittingbourne are concerned that a major new housing development could strip the ‘rural character’ of the area.
And, TV host and comedian Alan Carr has been spotted filming in a much-loved part of the Kent coast.

Kent MP Tom Tugendhat has been praised for his powerful speech during the Commons debate over the Afghanistan crisis.
It comes as bosses in Ashford are promising to support families fleeing Afghanistan under the government’s proposed resettlement scheme.
Also in the podcast, commuters could be hit by the largest rail fare rise in a decade.
And, two of Kent’s top drag queens will be on this year’s series of RuPaul’s Drag race.

Boris Johnson is preparing to announce a bespoke resettlement scheme for the most vulnerable Afghans, as the Taliban tighten their control over the country. 
We speak to Mohammad Tawasooli from charity Kent Afghan Community – he fears for the safety of his family who are currently still in the country. 
Also in today’s podcast, new research has been carried out to identify violent crime hot spots in Kent.
Helicopter paramedic Jo Griggs has been telling our friends at KMTV what they found.
And, an electric car expert from Strood is confident about hitting PM’s target for banning new vehicle sales by 2030.

Afghanistan has been taken over by the Taliban, as the terrorist group takes control of all major cities in the region. 
We hear from Tonbridge and Malling MP Tom Tugendhat, who served as an intelligence officer in the country before turning to politics. 
Also in today’s podcast, there are calls for safety to be improved on a 13 mile stretch of road in Kent that’s claimed the lives of 5 people in the past 10 years.
And, Gillingham leave Home Park with a 1-0 defeat against Plymouth Argyle – their first loss of the League 1 season. 

The French authorities have launched a criminal investigation following the death of an asylum seeker in the English Channel…
A man in his late 20s from Africa died in hospital after the boat he was on capsized yesterday.
We hear from Bridget Chapman, from the Kent Refugee Action Network, who is calling for safe and legal routes into the UK.
Also in the podcast, a Kent MP who served in Afghanistan says it’s ‘heartbreaking’ to see the areas he worked in fall to the Taliban.
And, we visit a children’s summer camp in Medway to find out how it’s benefitting them after the pandemic.

Tributes have been paid to a woman from Rainham who died when two buses collided outside Victoria railway station in London.
Investigations are still taking place to try and work out what caused the collision that killed Melissa Barr on Tuesday.
Also in today’s podcast, GCSE results are out.
Like A-levels, they’ve been decided by teacher assessments rather than exams which were cancelled because of the pandemic.
The percentage of students getting the top grades has gone up – hear from students and teachers at schools in Maidstone.
A homeless charity is concerned there could be a surge in the number of people in Kent who end up homeless when the furlough scheme ends.
The payments to help firms cover workers’ wages will be phased out completely by next month.
If the cloud stays away we should be able to see a meteor shower in Kent tonight – a University of Kent expert has details on exactly what to look out for.
And, the Gillingham boss says he’s hoping to add to his squad after pulling in a favour from a premier league side.

KentOnline gets an exclusive look at the work being done to protect a Kent train line from climate change.
We hear from bosses at Network Rail to find out why the work is so vital. 
Also in today’s podcast, it has been reported that dogs have been running loose in one area of Thanet and have mauled pet cats and rabbits.
And, we look ahead to bright futures for student who received their A-level results yesterday – and why university isn’t the only option.