Image source, Kent Police

A cannabis factory's been found by police at a house in Maidstone.

Officers went to the property in Cross Street yesterday after reports of suspicious activity.

They discovered more than 200 cannabis plants growing in a cellar and a first floor room.

An investigation is now underway.

There has been an outbreak of diphtheria among Rohingya refugees.

The reservoir supplies customers across Kent and East Sussex and holds under 43% of its capacity.

Sue Nicholson
BBC News

Image source, PA

Southern Water has applied to the Environment Agency for a "precautionary" drought permit to pump water into the Bewl Water reservoir, near Lamberhurst in Kent.

It said there had been "an exceptional shortage of rainfall" for the first time since 2012, when it last applied for a permit.

The application said Bewl Water was "currently depleted", and the refill was necessary to secure the supplies of water made available to the public.

It provides water to hundreds of thousands of people across Kent and East Sussex.

There are no restrictions on water use for customers.

Yasmine Djadoudi
BBC Live reporter

Residents in Maidstone have been urged to check their sheds and outbuildings following the disappearance of a pensioner on New Year's Day.

Gloria Stringer, 81, is last known to have been in the Hospital Road area of Hollingbourne at around 23:30 GMT on Monday 1 January.

Kent Police said they are becoming increasingly concerned for Gloria's welfare and are asking locals to the south and east of Maidstone to check areas surrounding their properties for any sign of her.

Image source, Kent Police

Yasmine Djadoudi
BBC Live reporter

A cat's mutilated body has been found in Tunbridge Wells, Kent Police has said.

Officers were called at 15:00 GMT on Sunday 31 December after the dead animal was found in The Boundary in Langton Green.

It comes after another cat's mutilated body was found in November after it was snatched from a family home in Uckfield.

Police have appealed for anyone with any information to come forward.

Kathryn Langley
BBC Live reporter

For Noah in his Ark the animals came in two by two so counting them was nice and easy.

For zookeepers at Drusillas Park in Alfriston near Eastbourne, the annual stocktake is a little more difficult!

Yasmine Djadoudi
BBC Live reporter

Nearly 500 homes are without power in the South East as Storm Eleanor sweeps across the region.

In total, 186 households in New Romney have been affected by electricity line faults as well as 188 homes in Dartford and 54 homes in the Canterbury area.

Engineers are also working to restore power to around 67 homes in East Grinstead.

Kent Police said they had been called to 45 weather-related incidents since midnight which included a tree and power cables down in Hawkhurst, cones and boards from a building site in Ashford and another tree down on the A20 Stone Street at Newington.

The Environment Agency has warned there would be possible floods across the region including Pevensey, Seaford, Isle of Sheppey, Newhaven and Dungeness.

There have also been numerous train delays across the country due to the storm including between Brighton and Haywards Heath.

Gusts of up to 100mph (161km/h) were recorded by the Met Office overnight and a yellow warning for severe weather is in force until 18:00 GMT.

Image source, Met office

Two men are arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

Jane Vickers
BBC Sussex reporter

Image source, Getty Images

There's been a big rise in the number of refugee children being looked after by local authorities in Sussex.

Government data shows there were 140 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in council care in 2017, up from 40 in 2013.

And BBC Sussex has found six of the children being looked after by East Sussex County Council came through Newhaven Port via clandestine means.

The Refugee Council said many people seeking asylum are forced to arrive in the country through clandestine means as there is no asylum visa they are able to apply for.

Yasmine Djadoudi
BBC Live reporter

Large numbers of trees have fallen on to the roads causing delays for motorists in the South East due to Storm Eleanor.

This tree fell in Collingwood Close in Peacehaven last night.

Kent Police said they had a "busy night" clearing up the trees which saw one obstructing the A20 road in Offham.

Image source, Kent Police

Another tree fell onto the M25 clockwise between Junction 17 and Junction 18 last night during the storm, resulting in two lanes having to be closed.

Image source, Highways England

The east tunnel of the Dartford Crossing remained closed for part of the morning but has since reopened.

Ferries from Dover are also facing delays.

Gillingham FC player Aaron Simpson, 18, regularly visits schools to talk to pupils.

An author from Kent has been announced as the winner of the Costa Children's Book Award.

Katherine Rundell's The Explorer was selected from hundreds of entries.

A panel of judges described the book as "a glorious read and a timeless voyage of wonder that will be enjoyed by readers aged 8 to 80".

The 30-year-old novelist, who was born in Pembury, is now in the running for the Costa Book of the Year.

The victim was left with missing teeth and a shoe print on his head in the attack in Chartham.

Stuart Maisner
BBC Live reporter

Image source, David Furness

A Maidstone man got to meet legendary music producer and Chic front man Nile Rodgers at a New Year's Eve concert following a case of mistaken identity.

David Furness tweeted the pop star, who was performing at the BBC's televised celebrations in London, and got a very familiar response.

The performer had mistaken him for David Furnish, Elton John's husband.

Mr Furness said: "I was quite surprised to get a retweet from him, but realised pretty quickly that he’d mistaken me for David Furnish.

"It’s not the first time people have got the names mixed up."

After a good natured exchange David was invited to attend the concert and even got to meet the confused star.

Mr Furness continued: "We had a good laugh about the mix up. He wasn’t embarrassed at all and he thought his mistake was really funny."

Bob Dale
BBC Live reporter

Should volunteers be recruited to help patrol the South East's ports and airports?

John Webber, 77, and Don Grasty, 94, worked at the privately-run home in West Sussex.

Lizzie Massey
BBC Live reporter

Image source, Kent Police

Two police cars have been damaged after being hit by rocks in Ashford.

Between midday and 14:00 GMT on 30 December, three parked cars – two of which were Kent Police vehicles - were damaged when rocks were thrown into the rear of Ashford Police Station in Tufton Street.

Insp Jason Atkinson said: "It is fortunate no-one was in the cars at the time the rocks were thrown, or there could have easily been serious injuries."

Police have appealed for witnesses.

Mohamed Ahmed stabbed another man to death in East Sussex after selling him drugs.

A teenager on trial for murder told a court he thought he was going to be "chopped in half".