MEDWAY Ports, the company operating the Port of Sheerness, has bought three sites at Queenborough to expand the number of imported vehicles.

Three sites at Cullet Drive, the former home of Seaking Automotive, have been acquired by the parent company, Mersey Docks Group. They have been bought in a multi-million pound deal from the Inchcape Group.

The acquisition of 35 acres at Cullet Drive has prompted major motor manufacturers and importers to discuss expanding their traffic through the Port of Sheerness.

Maria Clarke, Medway Ports' press spokesman, was not able to reveal which firms were seeking to expand their traffic as negotiations are still being held.

Last year the Port of Sheerness moved a record 411,000 vehicles across its quays, up from 388,000 the previous year.

Mersey Docks indicated in its 2001 annual report that the Group was trying to acquire further land to support anticipated growth.

The Cullet Drive sites are tailor-made for the motor industry with quality hardstanding on secure, fenced and lit sites monitored by CCTV camera and equipped with pre-delivery inspection and de-wax facilities, workshops and offices.

Peter Jones, the group's chief executive, said: "We are able to customise the sites to meet the specific requirements of individual manufacturers to ensure that the full potential of their marques can be realised."