The chief inspector of hospitals has announced Darent Valley will be among those receiving a "radical" new inspection.

The Thames Barge Match - now is its 150th year - was in memory of Captain Mark Boyle, the organising secretary of the race.

Temperatures are soaring, barbecues are burning and ice cream sales are rising, but stores are already promoting their Christmas gift ideas.

In this week's Gravesend Messenger, read about the search to find a man missing in the River Thames since Sunday after trying to save a young girl.

Officers are today working to identify a body pulled from the Thames at Gravesend - close to where a rescue hero was swept away.

The Met Office has issued a heightened heatwave alert for Kent - meaning health experts must now take action to protect the elderly and very young.

The number of people on the dole queue in Kent has tumbled by more than 1,500, figures out today reveal.

A new computer system put in place at hospitals across Kent has led to a backlog of two weeks for patients awaiting the results of X-rays and scans.

The man leading Kent County Council's call for a new Thames crossing east of Gravesend has said it would be a "waste of time" to put the idea on hold.

A perverted pensioner who groomed young boys for sex after plying them with alcohol and cigarettes has been jailed for more than eight years.

The brother of a man feared dead in the Thames after battling to rescue a girl has today told how he also saved him from drowning as a youngster.

A grandmother has been banned from driving after killing a woman by reversing over her at speed in Bluewater's car park.

Joseph Tullett, who raided four shops in three days in Medway and Gravesend, is facing a lengthy spell behind bars.

A young mum was granted her dying wish to marry the man she loved after her wedding day was organised in just a few hours.

Shoppers have been donating food to help others in need in Gravesham.

Two schoolboys have donated their summer holiday money to a disabled child targeted by a cruel conman.

Jobs are threatened as toy chain Modelzone closes its two Kent stores.

It's a real team effort for Orange Property Services, who are hoping to win this year's Dartford and Gravesham Business Awards.

Brace yourself - it's going to be a hot one this weekend.

Former EastEnders' actress Cheryl Fergison is rehearsing her latest song in a bid to win cash for a children's charity.