More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
It's been quite the year for news in Kent, with more of you than ever reading KentOnline and many national stories stemming from the county.
It may surprise readers to know that despite it being hands down the most commented on topic of year Brexit only features in the top 10 most read stories once and even then perhaps not in the context you may have thought.
10. Wetherspoon's sign errors
It's abundantly clear our readers love nothing else than a typo.
When that typo adorns a sign erected outside arguably the most eagerly anticipated pubs to open in the county this year then the ensuing story goes ballistic.
Add in the fact there's also an historic error in the placard which was temporarily hung above the entrance to The Railway, Rainham and you've suddenly got the 10th best read story of 2019 on your hands.
The article was read 125,500 times.
9. Tom Hardy visits Kent pub
He's the Hollywood star at the centre of many a man crush or hugely popular episodes of CBeebies' Bedtime Stories.
Whether it be playing a whisky-distilling gangster in Peaky Blinders or starring as the loveable yet deeply unhinged Charles Bronson in the eponymous biopic, the 42-year-old Londoner is undoubtedly hot property.
So, it is perhaps no surprise the story about him doing something as mundane as eating lunch with his family at The White Lion in Tenterden was read more than 127,000 times.
8. Man slams Tesco's sexist clothing policy
Liam Friday was one of our heroes of the year... and with good reason.
He stood up for what he thought was right when Tesco staff banned him from entering because he was topless — his bikini-clad wife free to shop without such intervention.
A whopping 16,000 people voted in a poll, with 77% siding with the supermarket giant.
The story itself was read an even more whopping 128,000 times.
7. Disney crews film in Kent
Proving the movie giant is as popular as ever, this story from October was more about speculation than anything else.
Disney crews were indeed in Herne Bay and they were indeed thought to have been filming the live action remake of The Little Mermaid, which is set to star Halle Bailey as Ariel.
But perhaps to keep the magic alive Disney, who also featured on our heroes and villains list, refused to comment.
That didn't stop the story being ready almost 132,000 times.
6. Brexit linked to rise in dogging
Brexit.
That word alone elicits some sort of reaction from pretty much anyone.
So does the word dogging.
It does not come as a shock, then, that a story about an unnamed government minister linking the UK crashing out of the European Union without a deal with a rise in car park romps was popular.
He reckoned lorry drivers caught up in mega traffic jams might seek lewd liaisons. The story had been read 150,341 times at the time of writing.
5. Family's heartache over missing Lucas
The year took a tragic turn when six-year-old Lucas Dobson fell into the River Stour at Sandwich.
After a massive search operation his body was found four days later.
It is undoubtedly the saddest story on this list but also one which showed the kindness off strangers and the power of a community united.
4. Pensioner calls on Bluewater to close
A late entry now but one which caused quite the debate.
In the run up to Christmas the topics of shopping, sales and the creeping monetisation of a religious festival historically meant to be about spending time together as a family and not dragging your bloated and hungover partner around a shopping centre more closely resembling a small town full of crazed bargain hunters were high on everyone's agendas.
Leading the anti-consumerism charge was 88-year-old grandmother Gwen Tripp whose call to close Bluewater on Boxing Day was well received if ultimately unsuccessful.
Sure, people disagreed but 70% of more than 19,000 readers backed her and her tale was viewed 161,200 times.
3. 'Suspicious' activity in B&Q car park
We try to cover all breaking stories as a local news provider and obviously this does mean that sometimes what may have initially seemed like something interesting may not be anything at all.
When a large group of people were spotted moving products between four vans parked outside a B&Q near Dover, the police were called and the ensuing article was read more than 173,400 times, making it the third most popular story of the year.
The majority of those views came after police confirmed there was 'nothing to see here'.
2. Family of six evicted over too many takeaways
A good headline is crucial to engaging readers and they don't come much more intriguing than this.
Daniel Eyers and his family were evicted from their home by Medway Council after the authority found out they'd been failing to pay rent on time after buying takeaways every week.
The story was read 178,364 times.
The most read story of 2019 is... Mum sits in lesson with misbehaving son
By far the most popular story of the year, with more than 186,000 views, came from Sittingbourne.
When mum Becky Crandley heard about her 12-year-old son Harley playing up in maths class she was determined to do something about it.
He was calling out and making a nuisance of himself, behaviour which did not fit with how he acted at home.
So 30-year-old Becky made a surprise visit to Sittingbourne Community College and sat with Harley for half an hour to make sure he got on with his work.
She said: "When he saw me walk through the door, his face went so red with embarrassment. He put his head down in shame like 'oh my god, my mum is here' – it did make me chuckle.
"I went and sat down next to him and he asked me why I was there. I said it's because of your behaviour and the disrespect you show your teachers. I then told him he needed to get on with his work and do as he was told – and he did exactly that."
Becky won praise for her actions and gave an enlightening insight into life in the classroom from a parents perspective.
