Iftekhar Khondaker allegedy drove at Suel Delgado and two of his friends intending to kill them.

Image source, Twitter / Kent Adult Education

A number of adult education centres will close as new lockdown rules come into force.

Kent Adult Education, which runs almost 4,000 courses across the county, said learning will be moved online.

In a statement on its website, the organisation said: “In light of the government's recent announcement regarding the national lockdown, we have made the decision to close our adult education centres, at close of business on 5 January 2021.”

Kent Adult Education, which has 14 centres, said its goal was that as many people as possible complete their programme of study.

The statement added: “In the case of GCSEs, we will be guided by national advice. For other qualifications such as Functional Skills in English and maths, we are currently exploring ways in which learners will be able to sit their exam in an appropriate setting.

"We will be providing details of how this can happen in the near future.”

Ambulance officials in the South East are urging people to only call 999 in an emergency amid strong pressure on their service.

South East Coast Ambulance Service, which covers Kent, Sussex, Surrey and parts of Hampshire, said it was facing "very high demand".

It comes as the number of new daily confirmed cases of coronavirus topped 60,000 in the UK for the first time since the pandemic began.

More than 40 fines were issued to people for flouting Covid-19 restrictions between 31 December and 3 January, Kent Police said.

Officers closed down house parties and fined people who were breaching self-isolation rules.

Image source, Getty Images

A £1,000 fine was handed out to a man in Chatham who failed to isolate after testing positive for Covid-19.

And police said they responded to a New Year’s Eve party in Oaten Hill, Canterbury, where a group of teenagers gathered. They also issued a £200 fixed penalty notice to a man.

In addition, four separate incidents resulted in 15 fines being issued to people in Gillingham, Chatham and Rochester.

Assistant Chief Constable Claire Nix, of Kent Police, said: “We were able to disperse people and remind them of their personal responsibility to do the right thing and follow the law.

“However, on the occasions where people showed a blatant disregard for the regulations, putting others in danger by hosting gatherings or meeting others whilst infected with the virus, officers were left with no other option but to issue fines.”

Image source, Getty Images

The University of Brighton has closed its libraries during lockdown.

Students will still be able to access online resources, but the buildings themselves will be shut until further notice, the university said.

The main libraries are at the Falmer Campus and at St Peter’s House in Brighton.

Library staff wrote in an email to students: “Following the PM announcement university libraries will be closed with immediate effect.

"Further info will be provided in due course.

"We apologise for short notice but please remember you continue to have access to online resources.”

Changes are needed as the ambulance service is under "significant pressure", the NHS says.

Image source, Zetat / Getty Images

Rapid-result Covid-19 testing for people who do not have symptoms is being rolled out across Kent.

There will be 12 new test centres around the county as part of a rolling programme to help reduce the rates of transmission.

The testing will find people who do not currently have symptoms but who may be unknowingly spreading the virus.

In addition to sites already running in Sheppey and Ramsgate, people can now book for tests at the following venues:

• Northfleet Youth Club, Hall Road, Gravesend
• Swanley Youth Club, St Mary’s Road
• Dover Discovery Centre, York Street
• Folkestone Library, 2 Grace Hill, Folkestone
• Unit 1, Eurogate Business Park, Thomson Rd, Ashford
• Kent Show Ground, Detling
• Kemsley Community Centre, Ridham Avenue
• The Centre, Birchington, Alpha Road, Birchington
• Sidney Cooper Gallery, 22-23 St Peter’s Street, Canterbury
• Larkfied Library, Martin Square, Larkfield
• Fairfield Leisure Centre, Lowfield Street, Dartford
• Assembly Hall Theatre, Crescent Road, Tunbridge Wells

All symptom-free testing sites will be open daily from 09.00 to 19.00 GMT, starting on 7 January.

Once all 14 sites are open, there will be capacity for over 13,000 tests across Kent each day.

Kent County Council leader Roger Gough said: “Another 10 sites are being planned for rollout in the coming weeks so we continue to do everything we can to help Kent out of this situation.”

Tests can be booked online: https://kcc.healthit.org.uk/covbook/home, external

Image source, Sara-Louise Bowrey / Hastings Flyer

A music website has turned its attention to independent business owners in a bid to remind people to shop local during the pandemic.

The Hastings Flyer has been running for the past four years as a music listings and review website.

But, as music venues close for lockdown, the site has shifted its focus to the many small businesses around Hastings and St Leonards.

Photographer Sara-Louise Bowrey has been taking a series of portraits of the people who run the town’s shops, hairdressers, pubs and restaurants.

Website owner, John Bownas, said: “Myself and Sara really felt it was important and worthwhile to let people look into the eyes of the hundreds of people whose passion and determination make Hastings such a vibrant place to shop.

“Initially this was just a photography project, but it has quickly turned into a mission to make sure every business in Hastings has an online presence - and a human face.”

The pair have started photographing businesses in Hastings' popular Old Town area, and hope to cover around 700 independent business owners from across the area over the next few months.

“I’m hugely concerned that lots of established traders will have to throw in the towel over the next few months,” added John.

“Anything we can all do to help them stay solvent is critical – not just to their livelihoods, but to the character and future of the town.”

Image source, Sara-Louise Bowrey / Hastings Flyer

The nation is facing its “darkest hours” but the lockdown is “absolutely necessary”, MP for North Thanet Sir Roger Gale has said.

He said not only had he not “seen anything like this” but “no-one in living memory has seen anything like it”.

“People talk about the war, I know the stories and I have seen the after-effects but even then, people weren’t locked down in the way they are now. This is something quite terrible and quite different," Mr Gale said.

“But if we work together as a community, if we obey the rules, if we help each other and are kind to each other, then there will be a spring this year.”

Image source, Getty Images

The option to give birth at home or at a midwife-led unit in Sussex has been suspended due to the "unprecedented situation" with Covid-19 across the county, expectant mothers have been told.

The NHS in East Sussex said its ambulance service was under "significant pressure" and whilst it was prioritising urgent 999 calls, including emergency pregnancy issues, response times may be delayed.

"Giving birth in both in these venues presents a higher degree of risk. The safety of births is our priority, so across Sussex the decision has been made to suspend planned homebirths and births at stand-alone midwife-led units at this time," it said.

Tom Tugendhat, the Conservative MP for Tonbridge and Malling told BBC Radio Kent he felt “incredibly sad" to support the lockdown but it was “necessary”.

“Sadly, it is very clear to me, having spoken to many medical professionals yesterday and to people that run our hospitals, that this is absolutely necessary if we are going to keep space in our hospitals for people who aren’t suffering from Covid, who need medical treatment.

"That is what we are also talking about, not just about Covid. If you break your leg, if you have a heart attack, if you have cancer treatment and it’s ongoing, you need our hospitals and our medical services to work,” he said.

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