A new carnival court will be chosen for Deal on Saturday.

Selections will take place at the Ocean Rooms, in Queen Street.

Doors will open at 12.30pm and judging for the rosebud competition, for girls aged five to seven only, will start at 1pm.

Entries for the junior court selection, for girls aged eight to 12, will be accepted from 2pm, with judging from 3pm to 5pm.

The doors will then close at 5.30pm and reopen at 7pm in a bid to appoint the senior court. Applicants must be aged between 13 to 24.

Check-in will be at 7pm with the judging taking place from 8pm.

The successful seven will replace queen Taylisia Short, senior princesses Maciee Stanford and Amy Atkinson, junior queen Adelle Sharp, junior princesses Alannah Cartwright, Sienna Foy and rosebud Lily Hyland.

They will attend weekly events around Kent, Sussex and Essex with the senior representatives also travelling to France in March and Belgium in May.

Mr Trickey said: "This year they have been truly wonderful. I cannot praise them enough.

"Not only have they won almost everything, gone everywhere, we've received first places that we've never had before. They've been a delight to work with and they really will be a hard act to follow.

"We're looking for somebody with beauty on the outside and inside, who is keen to represent our town."

Admission to the selection day is £4 or free to competitors, sash holders and the under-14s.

All entrants must live in the CT14 post code area and dress in formal attire.

To apply, collect a form from the East Kent Mercury office, 13 Queen Street, Deal or fill one out on the day.

To sponsor the new court, call John Trickey on 07890 942914.