More than 1,000 Sikhs paraded through Rochester to celebrate moving into their new home.

The mile-long procession today saw the faithful leave their old Gurdwara in Cossack Street to go to a new £4.5 million base at Rochester Airport Industrial Estate.

Paul Sandhu, temple assistant director, said: “We needed a bigger temple because we could not accommodate everyone.

“The new one is five to six times bigger. There is no other building like it in the Medway Towns. It is like a five star hotel.

“We can accommodate Sikhs from all over Kent.

“We had been at the old one for 40 years and we were able to have our last reading there this morning."

Close to the front of the parade was an open trailer carrying a large model of the Golden Temple and the Sikh Holy book the Guru Granth Sahib.

More pictures in Monday's Medway Messenger