Kent Weekend Briefing
Saturday, 8 August 2026
10 stories · 4-minute read
The day ahead in Kent
Weather
Today: Clear morning, high 27°C, low 12°C.
Tomorrow: Clear morning, high 32°C, low 14°C.
Travel
Roads (2 incidents): M25 — M25 Anti-clockwise Jct 31 to Jct 30 link road closure; M2 — M2 Jct 6 Exit slip road closure.
Rail: All Kent services running to schedule.
As of 00:30 from National Highways + National Rail.
Coastal tides
Dover: Low 01:25 (2.05m) · High 07:05 (5.34m) · Low 14:03 (2.18m) · High 19:46 (5.53m)
Margate: Low 01:29 (1.20m) · High 07:44 (3.90m) · Low 14:13 (1.38m) · High 20:16 (4.13m)
Tides via tidetimes.co.uk.
Top Kent Stories
- Missing Ramsgate woman found safe after police appeal
Published 21:51 BST
Missing Ramsgate woman found safe after police appeal Kent Police Thanet confirmed on 6 August that a 44-year-old woman reported missing from Ramsgate has been safely located. Charlene Higgins, 44… - Suspect sought after three vehicles were targeted overnight in Faversham
Published 21:51 BST
Kent Police are appealing for witnesses after a man was seen stealing from one car and acting suspiciously around two others across three Faversham streets in the early hours of 6 August 2026. It… - Sevenoaks residents asked to have their say on homelessness, private renting and social housing policies
Published 19:51 BST
Sevenoaks District Council has opened public consultation on draft updates to three housing policies, with all surveys closing at midnight on 30 August 2026. Residents across Sevenoaks District could… - Twelve modular homes to open at Blue Bell Hill for homeless families
Published 19:51 BST
Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council has started building a 12-home temporary accommodation scheme on a former commuter car park at Blue Bell Hill, with families expected to move in by spring next… - Ashford charity works with young people and families on the margins
Published 17:52 BST
Uprising Youth and Community, based in Ashford, says it supports local young people, families and those facing significant challenges to improve their lives and neighbourhoods. Uprising Youth and…
Weekend reads — the week’s best of KLN
- Who picked Kent s four new councils? The question the county council is now asking itself — explained
Published Thu 06:00 BST
Kent is getting four new councils. The chairman of the county council has put in writing that the winning map came from three Labour-led councils, and that officers are preparing an analysis of which… - Who chose Kent s new map? The county council s own chairman is asking whether party politics played a part
Published Wed 06:00 BST
The Government s four-council map for Kent was chosen from a proposal put forward by three councils the county council s chairman describes as Labour-led — while no county council s proposal anywhere… - Missing Ramsgate woman found safe after police appeal
Published Fri 21:51 BST
Missing Ramsgate woman found safe after police appeal Kent Police Thanet confirmed on 6 August that a 44-year-old woman reported missing from Ramsgate has been safely located. Charlene Higgins, 44… - Suspect sought after three vehicles were targeted overnight in Faversham
Published Fri 21:51 BST
Kent Police are appealing for witnesses after a man was seen stealing from one car and acting suspiciously around two others across three Faversham streets in the early hours of 6 August 2026. It… - Twelve modular homes to open at Blue Bell Hill for homeless families
Published Fri 19:51 BST
Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council has started building a 12-home temporary accommodation scheme on a former commuter car park at Blue Bell Hill, with families expected to move in by spring next…
Crime & Justice
- Missing Ramsgate woman found safe after police appeal
Published 21:51 BST
Missing Ramsgate woman found safe after police appeal Kent Police Thanet confirmed on 6 August that a 44-year-old woman reported missing from Ramsgate has been safely located. Charlene Higgins, 44… - Suspect sought after three vehicles were targeted overnight in Faversham
Published 21:51 BST
Kent Police are appealing for witnesses after a man was seen stealing from one car and acting suspiciously around two others across three Faversham streets in the early hours of 6 August 2026. It… - Kent Police seek CCTV footage after three vehicles targeted in Faversham within one hour
Published 17:51 BST
Kent Police seek CCTV footage after three vehicles targeted in Faversham within one hour Kent Police are appealing for doorbell and CCTV footage after a man was seen searching two vehicles, stealing…
Business & Economy
- ONS Research and Development Figures Regain Accredited Official Statistic Status
Published 17:51 BST
The Office for Statistics Regulation has confirmed that key ONS research and development statistics meet its standards for trustworthiness, quality and value, restoring their accredited status after… - CBI Warns of Inflation Storm as Andy Burnham Begins as Prime Minister
Published 07:52 BST
The CBI s deputy chief economist has cautioned that UK inflation — currently 2.8 per cent — could climb to around 3.2 per cent by the end of 2026, as Middle East conflict drives energy price…
Financial markets
FTSE 100 10901.09 ▲ +0.12%
GBP / USD 1.3493 ▲ +0.17%
GBP / EUR 1.1668 ▲ +0.14%
Brent crude 82.27 ▼ -0.27%
Bank of England (last 7 days):
- Green notice 2026/02
- Artificial Intelligence Consortium minutes – June 2026
- Appointment of Chair and Deputy Chair of the Enforcement Decision Making Committee (EDMC)
Markets via Yahoo Finance; ONS + BoE via official feeds.
What’s on today
No public events scheduled today.
Coming up tomorrow
No public events scheduled tomorrow.