Darent Valley Hospital has been handed £4 million to cope with the rush on its strained A&E unit this winter.

The move was announced in Parliament by the health secretary Jeremy Hunt and is said to be one of the biggest individual grants in the country.

Nationwide £250m is being made available this winter, including £62m to expand capacity in places like A&E.

Medway Maritime Hospital has been handed £6 million.

A jointspokesman for the NHS in north Kent - including Dartford, Swanley, Gravesham, Swale and Medway - said £10m would be available across the area.

She added: “It is well-known that both Darent Valley Hospital and Medway Maritime Hospital A&Es are extremely busy and that during the winter months, extra pressure is placed on all NHS services.

“The public can play a very significant role by ensuring that they use services such as pharmacies, their GP practice and minor injuries units for illnesses and injuries which do not need the specialist skills of A&E.”