Kent

The latest news, updates and features on Kent, a county in South East England. The city of Canterbury and its historic cathedral are located here, and the county is also home to towns including Dartford, Dover, Gillingham, Margate, Maidstone, Royal Tunbridge Wells, and Whitstable.

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Father and son ‘in a fury’ during chase before crash that killed four-year-old

UK 2 days ago By Sarah Hooper

The wooden rollercoaster, Scenic Railway, goes past a "Kiss me quick" sign at Dreamland Margate during the start of their Frosted Fairground festive season on December 6, 2015 in Margate, England. (Photo by Chris Ratcliffe/Getty Images)

Anger at closure of UK's oldest rollercoaster after 100 years

UK 5 days ago By Luke Alsford

WORDS BYLINE: Max Chesson / The heartbroken family of a beautiful, kind and popular young woman who died after a tragic accident say her "love and light will never fade". / Eleisha Skinner, a former Miss Faversham, was studying at Buckinghamshire New University in Wycombe and had dreams of being a social worker. / But the 21-year-old lost her life following what her family say was "an unforeseeable incident involving a parked vehicle" during severe, icy weather conditions. / She was taken to an Oxford hospital and "fought bravely" but was unable to recover, dying peacefully on January 8 with her loved ones by her side. / Her parents, Nigel and Clare Skinner, told KentOnline: "We are utterly devastated by the sudden loss of our precious girl. / "Writing these words feels unimaginable, yet we want the world to know who she truly was: a kind, selfless, passionate young woman who always put others before herself. / "Nothing was ever too much for Eleisha. She had a heart of gold and a smile that could light up any room." / A star pupil with a passion for learning, Eleisha thrived at school in Faversham, attending St Mary's Primary School and later The Abbey School. / At The Abbey, she became a vocal member of the school council, a peer mentor and head student in the Sixth Form, embracing every opportunity that came her way. / She flourished academically and socially and was always eager to get involved - whether organising the school prom or fundraising for the Faversham Fire Brigade. / "Her leadership, warmth, and dedication shone through. Her instinct to help others was always present," said her family. / Despite her outgoing nature, her family were surprised when she decided to put herself forward for Miss Faversham in 2022. / Demonstrating her beauty both inside and out, Eleisha was crowned and went on to represent the town at events across the county. / "Her love for her town and her genuine personality shone through," said the Skinners. / She embraced the role with pride, raising money for local charities and the carnival, and loved attending dances and events where she formed lifelong friendships. ...

Family ‘utterly devastated’ after beauty queen, 21, killed in ‘unforeseeable’ accident

UK January 24, 2026 By Ryan Prosser

Queues on the A282 on approach to Dartford Tunnels.

One of the UK's busiest tunnels closed for hours after lorry causes major damage

UK January 24, 2026 By Noora Mykkanen

Mum and grandmother jailed for taking part in 'family cocaine ring'

UK January 22, 2026 By Sarah Hooper

Beauty queen, 21, dies after 'tragic accident'

UK January 23, 2026 By Sarah Hooper

Gary Barlow (RIght) and his e-fit lookalike (Left).

Is Gary Barlow on the run from police? Some people in Kent think so

UK January 22, 2026 By Sarah Hooper

First picture of girl, 16, who died after car veered into freezing river

UK January 12, 2026 By Sarah Hooper

A waste company has apologised after its workers were caught on camera taking a homeless woman's possessions away in their truck. / "Heartbreaking" footage shows two Veolia employees in hi-vis removing the personal items - some sealed in plastic - and a mattress from outside Boots in Dover town centre. / Onlooker Katie Whitcombe said she watched in horror as the workmen disposed of the rough sleeper's belongings. / "She's now going to come back and have nothing, even though she's got nothing at all anyway," Miss Whitcombe said. / Dover District Council (DDC), which launched an investigation and Veolia, the authority's waste contractors, says its street cleaning crews will now undertake "refresher training" to stop a repeat of such incidents. / Miss Whitcombe said: "Just to throw items away like that - and for her to not even know about it, and just come back and have no knowledge of what's happened - must be hard for that lady. / "She might think someone's stolen it, but little does she know it's the council that has taken it." / Veolia says the items were "incorrectly removed" on December 27 "following a request made via the public portal". / But Miss Whitcombe said: "It's heartless. Over the Christmas and New Year period, when people are more vulnerable and in the cold and potentially in harder times, to just have very little care and compassion is heartbreaking." / She says that some of the items in the pile included things which appeared to have been gifted to the homeless woman over Christmas. There was also reportedly a tiny vase of flowers in the spot. / Miss Whitcombe added: "Knowing that locals have gone out of their way to purchase these items to gift to them, to help them, and knowing that they've just been disposed of and not put to good use as they should be, it's just heartbreaking. / "So many people and families are going without, and so many homeless people are going without. / "We do not know that this lady didn't have medications, something very sentimental in her very few personal belongings that she did have." ...

Waste workers seen taking homeless woman's possessions away in the back of a truck

UK January 7, 2026 By Sarah Hooper

Police have cordoned off area, following an incident, A crime scene remains in place

Two dead and third in hospital after car plunges into icy river

UK January 4, 2026 By Craig Munro

Pictured is Tom Wallace, 89, who died after he was struck by a grey Mercedes estate at around 12.10pm on Monday, December 29, 2025 on the A289 Gads Hill in Gillingham, Kent.

Heartbroken family pays tribute to granddad, 89, 'dragged a mile after hit and run'

UK January 2, 2026 By William Hallowell

Police at the scene where a pensioner was dragged along the bonnet of a Mercedes estate for nearly a mile in a hit-and-run in Kent

Pensioner dragged for nearly a mile in fatal hit-and-run

UK December 30, 2025 By William Hallowell

Composite image of police images of two men wearing black clothing

Manhunt after pedestrian killed in hit-and-run at traffic light

UK December 31, 2025 By Sarah Ping

Tragic Death in Hamstreet Blaze Heartbreaking news from Kent as 13-year-old Lily Kennedy lost her life in a devastating house fire near Ashford just days after Christmas. The blaze tore through the family home in the sleepy village of Hamstreet on Sunday lunchtime. Lily, described by her aunt as a 'princess', died in the inferno, while her mother Annemarie Childs and another child remain in hospital. Neighbours desperately tried to enter the burning house but were beaten back by fierce flames that are believed to have started downstairs. Firefighter Injuries and Ongoing Investigation The fire was so intense that three firefighters were hospitalised after tackling the blaze, though they have since been released. Kent Fire and Rescue Service confirmed crews spent hours extinguishing hot spots and working to make the property structurally safe. ???An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway,??? said KFRS, offering condolences to those affected. Family Tributes and Community Support Lily???s aunt, Marie Louise, took to social media, saying: ???Rest in peace sweet girl Xx. My poor niece, thoughts and prayers are with my poor brother and Lily's mum.??? A GoFundMe page launched by a friend of Lily???s father is raising funds for her funeral. The appeal reads: ???Lily was a wonderful, happy, full of life child. All funds raised will give this little girl the send off she truly deserves.??? Family friend Aeryn Gower added: ???I am beyond sad to hear this news. She was always smiley and knocking on our door wanting to play. She will never be forgotten.??? Fire Details and Local Reaction Lily???s father, Chris Kennedy, 49, a keen amateur footballer and media producer, lives locally. Her mother Annemarie, 40, is a tutor for vulnerable adults in Kent. The fire gutted the semi-detached home, with six fire engines and a height vehicle deployed to the scene. Firefighters extinguished the blaze while neighbours could only watch helplessly. Christmas

'Sweet' girl killed after neighbours rush in to burning home in Kent village

UK December 29, 2025 By Ryan Prosser

People walking on the side of M2 after a crash and traffic.

Woman in her 20s dies after car overturns into ditch on major motorway

UK December 24, 2025 By Noora Mykkanen

BERLIN, GERMANY - JANUARY 05: The remote control of an Amazon fire TV stick is pictured on January 05, 2022 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images)

Full list of areas in the UK targeted in 'dodgy' Fire TV sticks crackdown

Tech December 31, 2025 By Jasper King

General view of Richmond road one of the many where the local council has restricted access to the road and has issued 24,669 penalty charge notices (PCNs) from March 2024 to October 2025. Gillingham, Kent // A council has raked in nearly ??680k in fines after introducing 'school gate' driving restrictions aimed at making roads safer - but some locals say it's just a "money-making" scheme. Medway Council has issued almost 25,000 fines to drivers since bringing in its Safer Streets scheme outside 11 schools across Kent in March last year. The scheme prohibits motorists from using the road outside schools at pickup and drop-off times; between 8:15 and 9am in the morning and 2:45 and 3:45pm in the afternoon. The Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) have since raked in a small fortune of ??678,690 for the council. Photo released 19/11/2025

Thousands of 'school run' parking fines could be void because of inadequate signage

UK December 18, 2025 By Sarah Hooper

$WORDS BYLINE: Millie Bowles / A 17-year-old boy is in intensive care in a London hospital after falling from a rope swing and fracturing his skull. / Rhys Huntley-Rowe was with friends in Walmer, near Deal, Kent, when the accident happened. / After riding their BMX bikes, they started swinging on a rope in Coldblow Woods. / But the branch snapped, and the teen fell, hitting his head on the roots below. / The branch then came down and struck him. / His mum Ashley Corn, 40, said: "He was knocked unconscious, was choking on his vomit and had a seizure. / "He's had a double impact on his head, which has fractured his skull. They also suspected a neck, spine and pelvis injury as well, but thankfully those were clear. / "He's got a subdural hematoma as well as bruising on the brain." / Rhys, from Margate, was airlifted to King's College Hospital and put into a coma, but after just 24 hours, he was back breathing on his own and responding. / At the scene, his friends called emergency services and helped until they arrived - saving his life. / So traumatising was the incident for the group, the police have put support in place for them. / "Had they not acted the way that they did, he wouldn't have made it till the ambulance arrived," Mrs Corn added. / "Bearing in mind, these kids are between 16 and 18. They were panicked, but they were calm as well." / Mrs Corn was already in London on a day trip when she got the call to say Rhys had been injured and was being airlifted to King's. / Her husband left work to go to Walmer and fly with Rhys to the hospital. / Mrs Corn recalled: "I got to King's as the air ambulance had landed, which was quite surreal because you see that on the telly and you don't imagine it to be your child. / "You don't imagine walking through A&E and hearing a trauma call and knowing that trauma call is for your child. / "Sitting in the relatives' room was the longest. It felt like a lifetime. Just sitting there, not knowing what condition my child was in. It was horrible and felt like an eternity." ...$

Kent

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Father and son ‘in a fury’ during chase before crash that killed four-year-old

Anger at closure of UK's oldest rollercoaster after 100 years

Family ‘utterly devastated’ after beauty queen, 21, killed in ‘unforeseeable’ accident

One of the UK's busiest tunnels closed for hours after lorry causes major damage

Mum and grandmother jailed for taking part in 'family cocaine ring'

Beauty queen, 21, dies after 'tragic accident'

Is Gary Barlow on the run from police? Some people in Kent think so

First picture of girl, 16, who died after car veered into freezing river

Waste workers seen taking homeless woman's possessions away in the back of a truck

Two dead and third in hospital after car plunges into icy river

Heartbroken family pays tribute to granddad, 89, 'dragged a mile after hit and run'

Pensioner dragged for nearly a mile in fatal hit-and-run

Manhunt after pedestrian killed in hit-and-run at traffic light

'Sweet' girl killed after neighbours rush in to burning home in Kent village

Woman in her 20s dies after car overturns into ditch on major motorway

Full list of areas in the UK targeted in 'dodgy' Fire TV sticks crackdown

Thousands of 'school run' parking fines could be void because of inadequate signage

Teenager choked on his own vomit after breaking skull on rope swing

Pub won't show the World Cup next year because football fans are 'too rowdy'

Locals disgusted after condom found frozen in ice rink

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