Alex Bish

1 month ago | bbc.com | Bob Dale |Alex Bish

Reports of dog attacks are at a seven-year high Bob Dale and Alex BishPA MediaPolice in the South East recorded 3,020 attacks by out of control dogs in 2024Attacks by out of control dogs that caused injuries reached a seven-year-high in the South East in 2024, according to the latest figures. Kent Police said there were 1,195 recorded in that year, compared to 898 in 2018. Figures for Sussex and Surrey have also risen.

1 month ago | bbc.com | Alex Bish

Learner drivers use 'impersonators' to cheat testAlex BishBBC South East Investigations TeamBBCMore than 90 cases of driving test fraud were suspected in the South East in 2024Impersonators have been used by learners to try to pass practical and theory driving tests in the South East, the BBC has discovered. There were 21 cases across Kent, Surrey and Sussex last year, where somebody else tried to sit the practical test for a learner driver.

1 month ago | bbc.com | Alex Bish

Alex BishBBC South East Investigations TeamMotorists in a number of areas of Kent are being targeted by suspected parking scams which try to trick people into paying money to bogus websites. Scammers have been sticking fake QR codes in car parks and on parking payment machines to direct users to fraudulent pages online. In recent weeks warnings have been issued by Thanet, Ashford, Medway and Dover councils.

1 month ago | bbc.com | Alex Bish |Stuart Maisner |George Carden

Council raises £7m in fines from bus gatesAlex Bish, Stuart Maisner & George CardenBBC South East Investigations TeamGeorge Carden/BBCBus gates were introduced in Valley Gardens in 2021Almost £7m has been raised in fines issued to motorists using bus gates installed in the centre of Brighton four years ago.

2 months ago | bbc.com | Alex Bish

Migrant boats launched further away from CalaisAlex BishBBC South East Investigations TeamPA MediaMore cameras have been installed and patrols stepped up along the French coast Some migrants are being rescued from small boats that have been launched into the English Channel much further south of Calais than before. The Maritime Prefecture of the Channel and North Sea said there had been an extension of the departure areas to the south, with some as far as Dieppe.