Kent Morning Briefing
Tuesday, 6 October 2026
6 stories · 3-minute read
1985: PC Keith Blakelock was murdered during the Broadwater Farm riots in London, one of Britain’s most shocking episodes of civil unrest.
On this day in history
The day in Kent · Joshua Kerry, already awaiting trial for the murder of former Maidstone MP Ann Widdecombe, has now been charged with preparing acts of terrorism including a plot against Nigel Farage. The case puts Kent at the centre of one of the most serious criminal proceedings in recent British political history. Elsewhere in the county, a man has been jailed after shooting two residents with an air rifle in East Malling.
The day ahead in Kent
Weather
Today: Clear morning, becoming cloudy in the afternoon, clearing in the evening, high 22°C, low 11°C.
Tomorrow: Cloudy morning, turning rainy in the afternoon, high 16°C, low 11°C.
Travel
Roads: All major Kent routes clear.
Rail: All Kent services running to schedule.
As of 10:30 from National Highways + National Rail.
Coastal tides
Dover: Low 02:51 (2.37m) · High 08:26 (5.53m) · Low 15:29 (2.02m) · High 21:14 (5.72m)
Margate: Low 02:48 (1.62m) · High 09:00 (3.95m) · Low 15:37 (1.02m) · High 21:53 (4.30m)
Tides via tidetimes.co.uk.
5 things to know
- 26 Community Protection Warnings issued to street racers on Shepherds Lane, Dartford
- Canterbury’s St Stephen’s Hill junction faces £150,000 mini-roundabout redesign consultation
- Kent Police seek public help locating missing Ashford man Joseph Bird
- US debate over charging patients to message doctors raises NHS digital questions
- Man arrested after reports of inappropriate behaviour at hotel near Aylesford
£150,000
proposed cost of Canterbury’s St Stephen’s Hill junction mini-roundabout scheme
Kent number of the day
Top Kent Stories
- Man accused of Ann Widdecombe murder charged with preparing terrorist acts, including against Nigel Farage
Published 09:47 BST
Why it matters · A Kent-linked terrorism charge against a murder suspect has major national implications. - Man jailed for shooting two people with an air rifle in East Malling
Published 09:47 BST
Why it matters · East Malling air rifle attack ends in three-year jail term at Maidstone Crown Court. - 26 Community Protection Warnings issued after car racing on Shepherds Lane, Dartford
Published 09:47 BST
Why it matters · Dartford antisocial driving crackdown shows councils and police acting on residents’ concerns. - Canterbury junction to get mini roundabout under council plans
Published 12:51 BST
Why it matters · Canterbury residents have four weeks to shape a key local junction redesign. - Kent Police appeal for help finding missing Ashford man
Published 16:51 BST
Why it matters · Missing Ashford man last seen at 4am; public help urgently needed.
Crime & Justice
- Kent Police appeal for help finding missing Ashford man
Published 16:51 BST
Kent Police appeal for help finding missing Ashford man Joseph Bird was last seen in the Kennington Road area of Willesborough at around 4am on Monday 5 October 2026. Kent Police has issued a public… - Man jailed for shooting two people with an air rifle in East Malling
Published 09:47 BST
Luke Crossman, 22, has been jailed for three years after shooting two residents with an air rifle when they tried to intervene during a disturbance in East Malling last October. Crossman pleaded… - 26 Community Protection Warnings issued after car racing on Shepherds Lane, Dartford
Published 09:47 BST
Twenty-six drivers have been given Community Protection Warnings after residents reported a group racing on Shepherds Lane, Dartford, as police and Dartford Borough Council target antisocial driving…
Kent Sport
- Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia: Verstappen wins for Red Bull
Published 06:30 BST
Max Verstappen won the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia at Sepang International Circuit, ahead of Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton.
Financial markets
Bank of England (last 7 days):
- Appointment of members of the Enforcement Decision Making Committee (EDMC)
- Minutes of the Meeting of the Court of Directors held on 16 July 2026
- Financial Policy Committee Record – September 2026
Markets via Yahoo Finance; ONS + BoE via official feeds.
What’s on today
- 09:15 · Regulation Committee Appeal Panel (Transport) — Maidstone
- 14:30 · Dover Beacon and Dover Town Regeneration Project Advisory Group — Dover
- 18:15 · NEW – Extraordinary, Policy and Resources Committee — Sittingbourne
- 18:30 · Communities Housing and Environment Cabinet Advisory Board — Tunbridge Wells
- 18:30 · Climate Transition, Corporate and Environmental Services Policy Advisory Committee — Maidstone
- 19:00 · Housing & Health Advisory Committee — Sevenoaks
Coming up tomorrow
- 10:00 · Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee — Maidstone
- 11:30 · Licensing Sub-Committee — Tunbridge Wells
- 18:30 · Planning and Communities Policy Advisory Committee — Maidstone
- 19:00 · Economy and Property Committee — Sittingbourne
- 19:30 · General Purposes Committee — Tonbridge
“Kent is known as the Garden of England partly because its fertile soils once supplied fruit and hops to London long before refrigerated transport existed.”
Kent fact of the day