Podcast Graphic

Podcast: Eyesore scrapyard on Sheppey to become workshops after seven-year battle

A businessman has won a seven year battle to close his scrapyard and open workshops on the Sheppey site instead.

He first applied to the council to end his car-breaking business at Monkey Farm in Sheerness back in 2015.

Our reporter explains why it’s taken so long.

Also in today’s podcast, the ambulance service covering Kent has been told it requires improvement.

Inspectors visited South East Coast Ambulance Trust in August – our reports talks us through the result of their findings.

It’s been revealed 96% of people who crossed the Channel in small boats in 2021 are still waiting to have their asylum claim processed.

Home Office staff have been giving evidence to a parliamentary committee – as figures show 38,000 men, women and children have made the dangerous journey to Kent so far this year.

Concerns have also been raised about the short-term holding facility in Thanet.

A Home Office official says they’re dealing with a “very difficult” situation at the site.

It comes as Rishi Sunak’s been defended re-appointing Suella Braverman as Home Secretary – as he faced the Commons for the first time as Prime Minister.

People in Dartford have been giving their verdict on his performance as PM, while the MP for Faversham thinks he’ll be able to unite the country and the party.

Elsewhere, the KentOnline Podcast’s been getting an update on work being done to secure water supplies to the Isle of Sheppey.

You might remember 40,000 residents and businesses were left without supplies on the hottest days of the summer when pipes to the island burst.

Three months on, an operation is underway to lay two new vital supply pipes.

Southern Water have been telling us more about it.

And in football, Gillingham have been beaten 2-0 by Leyton Orient in league two.

Boss Neil Harris spoke to us after the match.