Podcast: Prospect Place shopping area in Dartford evacuated following a bomb scare

A shopping area in Dartford has been evacuated following a bomb scare.

Police were called to reports of a suspicious package in Prospect Place at around lunchtime.

A shopping outlet in Dover is going to close for good this summer.

De Bradelei Wharf is near Wellington Docks and opened in 2002, but bosses say rising costs have made it unviable.

More than 30 members of staff will lose their jobs – we’ve got reaction from the chief executive of the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce.

Also in today’s podcast, the government’s plan to prevent small boats crossing the Channel to Kent will be debated by MPs again today.

The Illegal Migration Bill would change the law to make it clear that people who use that route will not be able to stay in the UK.

The mother of a student from Cranbrook who took her own life while at university has handed a petition to Downing Street, calling for a statutory legal duty of care for students in Higher Education

Phoebe Grime died in 2021 while studying in Newcastle – an inquest was held into the handling of the 20-year-old’s mental health but her family say the results were “hugely unsatisfactory”.

A firefighter has issued a warning about the dangers of leaving batteries on charge, after a devastating fire killed a dog and left a man with burns.

We’ve previously told you on the podcast how Kevin Record was asleep in his flat in Sheerness high street when his pet alerted him to the blaze. Hear from  Matt Deadman from Kent Fire and Rescue.

Water bosses in Kent have told the podcast that levels are in a good position – but they won’t rule out bringing in a hosepipe ban if we get another heatwave this summer.

It comes as booses in the west of the country have extended restrictions, despite the UK having the wettest March in 40 years.

And in sport, Kent’s Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from the Madrid Open just hours before her first-round match because of a hand injury.

The 2021 US Open champion was due to play Viktoriya Tomova this afternoon.