Peel Ports has completed a £5.4 million investment at its Sheerness Docks to export grain just in time to coincide with a bumper harvest.

Bosses have spent the past year upgrading warehouses, building silos, installing an elevated conveyor to reach cargo ships and investing in a new Liebherr LHM 280 crane.

Port director Richard Goffin said: "Since we opened our grain facilities in 2016 we have been constantly investing in new ways to transform our grain import and export capabilities to better support farmers in Kent, Sussex and the south east.

“This latest round of investment will offer improved facilities for farmers importing and exporting grain and provide a more efficient and cost-effective route to market.

“It also bolsters our 20-year master plan for growth at Sheerness which will enable us to diversify and ensure sustainable growth, further investment and jobs creation at the port.”

The investment includes specialist training for workers.

Following one of the best harvests in recent years, farmers in the south east produced an estimated two million tonnes of wheat and 240,000 tonnes of barley.

Sheppey farmers SW Attwood have also built a new grain storage silo at Wall End Farm near Cowstead Corner at Minster.