A buyer is being sought for Hastings pier, which won a prize after it was rebuilt following a fire.

The M20 has been closed between junctions 9 and 10 on the London-bound carriageway near Ashford after a "serious incident", Highways England says.

Drivers travelling to London and the M25 from Dover and Folkestone have been advised to use the A2/M2 instead.

Local diversions have also been put in place.

Highways England tweeted, external: "If you're within closure please remain with yr vehicle. Our officers and colleagues from @kentpoliceroads, external will be u-turning traffic from back of the queue to head back to J10 but please be patient, it'll take some time to get everyone out of closure."

The increase means an extra £52.30 a year for households in an average band C property.

Brian Leach, 62, paid £500 for the life-size item to be delivered to his Maidstone home last year.

Lucas Belmonte is helped by Detained in Dubai which says he signed a confession under duress.

Stuart Maisner
BBC Live reporter

Pilot Robert, 23, describes flying as "pure magic."

#thisisme

A council's charge of £3,800 for installing a disabled parking bay is branded "completely unfair".

The 13-year-old was offered a ride in the supercar and "jumped in in a flash", a court hears.

Kent's police and crime commissioner (PCC) has claimed British forces are falling behind the rest of the world when it comes to technology.

At the last meeting of the Kent and Medway police and crime panel, Matthew Scott said: “It’s incumbent on policing to change the way it operates and I do think, at times, it’s a little bit behind the rest of the world when it comes to the way in which we use technology.”

With investment in new technology, the commissioner says officers will no longer have to drive back to police stations to report on incidents, leaving more time for them to be out on the streets.

Head of innovation at Kent Police, Supt Simon Alland, said: “Kent Police uses a range of technology that helps officers to tackle crime and keep people safe."

And the police minister Nick Hurd said the Home Office is “embracing technology” to improve the productivity of police forces.

Bob Dale
BBC Live reporter

Police are investigating after a 21-year-old man was found in Crawley High Street with multiple stab wounds.

He was found in the early hours of the morning on 8 February, having been in the Deja Vu nightclub.

A 36-year-old man's been arrested in connection with the attack.

Image source, Google

Councillors at Kent County Council have voted down proposals to spend an extra £170,000 on youth services in the county.

Labour councillors urged the council to increase its “investment in the future of Kent” and support so-called youth hubs.

It put forward an amendment to the budget set out at the full council meeting this morning, calling for the extra cash.

The group said this money could have gone towards youth hubs, which provide peer mentoring and counselling to people dealing with drug or alcohol misuse, sexual health and mental health illnesses.

Liberal Democrat and Green Party councillors backed the Labour amendment but 59 councillors voted against.

National League club Dover Athletic sign defender Kevin Lokko from Stevenage on loan until the end of the season.

Bob Dale
BBC Live reporter

Two senior Kent members of UKIP have resigned this morning.

Shepway councillor Mary Lawes and Tunbridge Wells branch chairman Colin Nicholson both made the announcement live on BBC Radio Kent.

Image source, Shepway District Council

Both said they had become disillusioned with the party.

Mr Nicholson had stood against Tunbridge Wells MP Greg Clark in the 2015 general election.

Image source, Colin Nicholson

On Saturday members voted Henry Bolton out as leader, in the wake of racist text messages sent by his then-girlfriend Jo Marney.

Also speaking on BBC Radio Kent this morning, Mr Bolton said his relationship with Ms Marney was back on, and said UKIP would now "struggle" to have a real influence.

Stuart Maisner
BBC Live reporter

Meet Kent Fire and Rescue Service's latest recruit - Buzz the cocker spaniel puppy.

Kent County Council is set to raise the minimum hourly wage for council workers to £8.10 from April.

An extra £4.45m will be spent to ensure all staff on band two of the council’s pay scale will receive an hourly wage above the national living and minimum wage.

The leader of KCC, Paul Carter, said at a full council meeting this morning that he hopes this shows staff they are valued.

However, the leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition claims 353 councils across the country pay staff at least £8.50 per hour.

Police-recorded crime in Medway has increased by 10%, with particular rises in violence and sexual offences in the area.

According to the newly-published Medway Community Safety Partnership Annual Assessment, there were 23,125 crimes recorded between April 2016 and March 2017 – 2,840 more than the same period in 2015/16.

The most common crime was categorised as “violence against the person”, accounting for nearly a third of all incidents. Gang warfare is being blamed on the increase.

The other most recorded crimes in Medway in 2016/17 were theft and handling, criminal damage offences and vehicle crime.

Journalist Sali Hughes hopes donating toiletries to Beauty Banks will help fight hygiene poverty.

Lauren Moss
Education and social affairs correspondent, BBC South East

Drugs are being illegally sold to children as young as 13 on social media sites, BBC South East has found.

Bob Dale
BBC Live reporter

A teenager has died, and two people badly injured, in a car crash in Kent.

The 19-year-old man was a passenger in a Ford Fiesta, which collided with a Land Rover Discovery on the A257 between Canterbury and Littlebourne at 12:05 GMT yesterday.

Image source, Google

The Fiesta was being driven by a woman in her thirties.

She and a 17-year-old boy, who was also a passenger, are in hospital in London with serious injuries.

A third passenger in the Fiesta, a 21-year-old man, and a 46-year-old woman who was driving the Discovery, were treated at a local hospital.

Danny Pike
Presenter, BBC Sussex and Surrey

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