Kent weekly round-up: 1 June - 7 June 2024
Thousands of poppies are in bloom this year at Lullingstone Castle
- Published
The story about Lullingstone Castle witnessing its best ever display of poppies proved a popular read this week.
A variety of local issues featured on the BBC News website, BBC Radio Kent and BBC South East Today.
We have picked five stories from the past week in case you missed them.
Up to 100 abandoned cats rescued from house
Up to 100 cats were found inside the property and garden in Dartford
About 100 cats have been rescued from a property in Kent.
The cats, the majority of which were black, were found at a house in Dartford by staff from the Safe Haven Animal Rescue.
The rescued animals included pregnant females and kittens, according to the charity.
Elise Bradley, from the Chelsfield-based organisation, said finding so many black cats in one property was "very strange" and "not normal".
Ms Bradley told BBC Radio Kent of the struggle to rehome black cats.
Migrant crossings top 11,000 so far this year
Figures suggest an average of 63 people per boat crossed the English Channel on Thursday (stock image)
The number of people who have crossed the English Channel in small boats so far this year has reached more than 11,000.
It comes after 316 migrants made the journey in five boats on 6 June, Home Office figures show, taking the provisional total for 2024 to 11,095.
About 80 people were rescued when they got into difficulty during the crossings on Thursday.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We continue to work closely with our French partners to prevent crossings and save lives."
Eurotunnel will be ready for new checks - operator
Passengers queue at the Eurostar departure gates at St Pancras in London last December
The Channel Tunnel operator Getlink has insisted the company will be ready for new border checks due to be introduced in October - amid fears of long queues and travel chaos in Kent.
The Entry Exit System will require British visitors to the EU to register biometric information.
Kiosks, that passengers will need to use instead of having their passports stamped, have just arrived at the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone.
The operator's chief corporate and public affairs officer John Keefe said it hoped the process would be "such a smooth experience" that it would attract more customers.
Pair jailed over international drug trade conspiracy
Samuel Dunne (left) and Keenan Hall-Shelton were involved in the operation to smuggle cannabis into the UK and Spain from the US
Two men have been jailed after tons of cannabis were hidden inside shipments of children's toys and clothes.
Samuel Dunne and Keenan Hall-Shelton were members of a Kent-based organised crime group who smuggled the class B drug into the UK and Spain from the US between February 2022 and April 2023.
More than 500 vacuum-sealed packages containing the drug were seized bound for addresses in Medway and north Kent. The total estimated amount was 3-4 tons of cannabis.
Kent Police said the operation in its entirety was worth at least £10 million per year to those involved.
Memorial represents lasting legacy of D-Day veteran
Albert Figg was a gunner with the 43rd Wessex Division at Hill 112
The daughter of a D-Day veteran from Kent said her father wanted a new generation to learn from the lessons of the past.
Albert Figg, a gunner from Canterbury, fought in the Battle for Hill 112, an allied strategic point near Caen, Normandy, in June 1944.
The sergeant with the 43rd Wessex Division died in 2017, aged 97.
Speaking at the memorial in France her father campaigned for many years to build, Annette Oliver said he had "wanted the young to be told about what had gone on - that life can be vicious and fragile".
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