Brave reporting and "riveting" stories have helped your Dartford Messenger scoop more top industry accolades.

Judges at the Shepherd Neame Kent Media Awards thought our series of features on north Kent's sex industry was "courageous" and a "riveting" read, worthy of the Campaign of the Year award.

Industry experts also heaped praise on senior reporter Simon Tulett, who won Kent's Best Newspaper or Online Journalist of the Year.

The latest accolades bring your local family-owned newspaper's tally to 16 top industry awards in the last five years - which no rival newspaper can match.

The awards event, on Friday, was a successful day for the rest of the KM Group.

Its countywide website KentOnline won News Service of the Year, managing editor Lesley Bellew was named Feature Journalist of the Year, Sports Journalist of the Year was awarded to Luke Cawdell from our sports desk, and Kentish Gazette reporter Katie Alston was named W.F. Deedes Kent Young Journalist of the Year for the second year running.

Other winners included ITV Meridian's Derek Johnson, who was named overall Journalist of the Year.

The Kentish Times Group, which produces the Gravesend Reporter and Dartford Times, announced this week it intends leave the town, move staff to Sidcup and Ilford, and merge its north Kent titles. The news means the Messenger will be the only locally based media producing separate titles for its readers in Gravesend and Dartford.