KentOnline

Parking charges at one of Kent’s most popular shopping destinations have been branded “insulting” after rising for the third time in as many years.Ashford Designer Outlet has increased its minimum parking fee to £3 for four hours - up from £2.50 last year and £2 the year before.Also in today’s podcast, a serial burglar has been jailed again after cutting a hole in Bluewater shopping centre’s roof and stealing £1.4million worth of watches.The notorious thief, who has previously targeted the home of Lord Alan Sugar, was on licence when he targeted Watchfinder at the shopping complex in Februa...

A pregnant woman who pulled into a McDonald’s car park after feeling faint has been forced to pay a £100 fine for overstaying the time limit.The mother-of-four stopped at the fast-food restaurant in Orbital Park, Ashford, as she feared she would pass out at the wheel.Also in today’s podcast, we’ve got more reaction to the news the University of Kent and the University of Greenwich are going to merge to form one “super uni”.We’ve spoken to university bosses who haven’t ruled out redundancies, and the Canterbury MP who’s unhappy about how the news broke.Floral tributes and touching messages h...

The Universities of Kent and Greenwich are set to ‘merge’ in a shock move that’s the first of its kind.An email's been sent to staff at the University of Kent this morning announcing the "formal collaboration" – it follows a difficult period financially for the Uni of Kent.Also in today’s podcast, a group of MPs says our food security could be at risk as 'alarming amounts' of meat and diary products are being illegally imported into the UK.A report by the committee has described conditions within a facility at the Port of Dover where checks are carried out as 'inadequate'.A  man who had jus...

The owner of several vape shops says he’s not the criminal he’s being made out to be and claims he’s being “harassed” and “targeted” by the authorities. It’s after a new report accused him of an “ongoing pattern of criminal behaviour”, from underage sales to selling fake designer goods and illegal products. Also in today’s podcast, a body has been discovered in the sea amid a search for a missing woman.Police and the coastguard were called to St Margaret’s Bay yesterday afternoon. A family-run hotel has been forced to deny rumours it is housing asylum seekers after organisers of an anti-imm...

The mum of a hit-and-run victim says he was stunned to discover he had been discharged from hospital and someone else was in his bed.Azar Harnden spent months being treated at King’s College Hospital in London before being transferred to the QEQM in Margate after sustaining serious injuries in a horror crash in Westbrook in April.Also in today’s podcast, we've been hearing from a war veteran from Canterbury who says the "Raise the Colours" campaign is just a passing phase. The controversial movement has seen St George's Flags put up across the county and red crosses spray painted on signs a...

An irate motorist who gave chase after another driver clipped her car ended up in court herself thanks to her own child’s video footage.She was so enraged when her wing mirror was hit she followed the other driver for four minutes, getting her teenage daughter to video what was happening on her mobile phone.Also in today’ podcast, a small Kent firm used by Angela Rayner to buy a flat she has since admitted underpaying stamp duty on has denied giving her tax advice.The Deputy Prime Minister has said incorrect “advice from lawyers” led her to pay too little tax when she purchased the property...

Disgruntled drivers are refusing to pay their admin fees and say they’re prepared to go to court over parking fines at one of Kent’s country parks. It’s after it was revealed some were issued penalty notices, despite having proof they’d paid to park. Also in today’s podcast, a drink-driving teacher has avoided being banned from the profession after claiming he only got behind the wheel because he “feared for his life” following a knife attack.The former head of chemistry was more than double the legal limit when he was stopped by police. People living on newbuild estates across part of nort...

A  man suffering serious health problems, and currently living in a tent under a bridge in Maidstone , has reached out to the community for help.The 72-year-old has found himself with nowhere to stay while suffering with a chronic condition which leaves him struggling for breath after any exertion.Also in today’s podcast, three recent inspections by the health watchdog have revealed the extent of the crisis facing adult social care in Kent, as the local authority warns of even core services “stretched to the brink”.During visits to services in Bearsted, Gravesend and Dover, the Care Quality...

A bouncer has been sacked after a man was left bruised following an altercation at a nightclub.Footage from ATIK in Dartford shows the victim being dragged and punched near the exit to the venue in the early hours of Saturday.Also in today’s podcast, an empty shop overrun with pigeons has been branded the “most disgusting” building in the town centre – but the landlord says his hands are tied by planning rules.The former Evans unit in Ashford is feared a “health hazard”, with one woman saying she was kept up at night due to its terrible condition.While most Year 7 pupils are settling into t...

The shocking moment a drunk driver careened into a seaside pub loved by celebrities - then calmly walked away – has been caught on camera. Howard Sargent left a trail of destruction when he ploughed his Toyota into the Pilot Inn after drinking throughout the day.Also in today’s podcast, we’ve spoken to a Folkestone mum who is urging others not to ignore lumps while breastfeeding after she was diagnosed with cancer.Chelsey Saunders put her symptoms - which also included a swelling in her armpit - down to a cold and being a busy mum.Former Maidstone MP Ann Widdecombe has been us how she has n...