"Chatham is often referred to "Chavham". The word has also been in use for several generations to describe a person on the dole. To be "on the dole" was to be "on the chat" or "on the chav". It was a local joke that people from Chatham dressed a certain way and were frequently on the dole, which led to the term "Chatham Chav"."
done these parts chav was in use long before any recent mainstream intrest, mind you several generations in chav culture [ha there's an oxymoron] is not that long
sorry still hijacking, i'll stop now

michael