Kent weekly round-up: 11 May - 17 May 2024
Stargazers as far south as Kent were treated to a dazzling appearance of the Northern Lights
- Published
The story about stargazers in Kent being treated to an appearance of the Northern Lights 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.
Soldier graffiti may show Napoleon hanged - castle
One image showing a man in a uniform with a two-cornered hat could represent Napoleon
Soldiers may have carved a picture of Napoleon being hanged as they killed time on guard duty at Dover Castle, while facing a threat of invasion from France, historians have said.
Earlier this year, staff scaled a ladder to the top of St John’s tower and discovered the graffiti, thought to date back to the 1789 French Revolution, on a scratched, wooden door.
More than 50 pieces of graffiti on the relic include at least nine “gruesome” hangings, English Heritage said.
People can see the door at an exhibition this July at the castle, which stands on the Kent coast overlooking the English Channel.
Ambulance staff report rising numbers of attacks
Ambulance worker Matt was assaulted by a patient in 2023 and says he welcomes the roll out of bodycams
Ambulance staff in south-east England are receiving new conflict resolution training as figures reveal a rise in the number of recorded attacks.
Overall, South East Coast Ambulance Service (Secamb) recorded 1,420 incidents of abuse in 2023 - 14% higher than the year before.
One Secamb worker, who has been assaulted at work, said "abuse just shouldn't be seen as part of the job".
The government said violence towards staff was absolutely unacceptable.
Call for government to pay £10m dumped-waste bill
A campaign group said the waste covers four acres of woodland
A Liberal Democrat peer has called on the government to pay the full cost of clearing waste dumped in a wood near Ashford in Kent.
Thousands of tonnes of waste, including rubble, toys and sanitary products, have turned once-picturesque Hoads Wood into a “desolate wasteland”, according to CPRE Kent.
Earl Russell asked the House of Lords on Tuesday if the government would commit to the clear-up costs, estimated to be about £10 million.
Lord Douglas-Miller, a government minister in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said the Hoads Wood situation was "appalling".
Bridgerton garden opens to public for one day
Bridgerton filming took place for two weeks at Squerryes Court in August 2022
A private garden in Kent which features in the new series of hit TV show Bridgerton is to open to the public for one day.
Squerryes Court, in Westerham, where a party was filmed for season three of the popular Netflix series,, external is opening on Friday as part of the National Garden Scheme, external.
Filming took place in August 2022 for two weeks involving a team of 350 crew members and actors.
Henry Warde, owner of the 17th Century house and estate, said it was a "fascinating experience to watch the Bridgerton team transform the garden into the set".
NHS trust failed in care of young girl before death
Maya's mother, Magda Wisniewska, said: “Our family will never be the same without her”
There were “a number of failures” at an NHS trust in its care of a six-year-old girl before she died, an inquest has found.
However, there was no evidence to suggest East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust had directly caused or contributed to Maya Siek's death.
The young girl died at Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother hospital, in Margate, in December 2022, after being sent home with antibiotics for suspected tonsillitis two days earlier.
Des Holden, chief medical officer for East Kent Hospitals, said: "We apologise unreservedly to Maya’s family for the mistakes we made in her care."
Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, external, on X, external, and on Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk , external or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.