Maidstone could finally get a high speed rail link to London.

We exclusively reveal this week that the County Town could get a 140mph service to the capital - and surprisingly it will run from Maidstone West station, via Aylesford.

This week we also find out why a school ranked at the bottom of the government's SATS league tables is looking forward to the future, and reveal the expenses claims by Kent MPs.

We have the date of the Maidstone council's long awaited public debate on KIG - the huge freight depot planned for Bearsted - and there is a picture special from the Maidstone tag rugby tournament.

In Malling we have pictures from the girls' football tournament held in Aylesford and the story of a Larkfield man who has admitted smuggling cocaine into the country on an inflatable raft.

Don't miss this week's Kent Messenger, out on Friday.