Drug smugglers and terrorists who use small planes to breach border controls are being targeted in a new campaign.

Project Pegasus is a multi-agency initiative being launched today at Rochester Airport to stop organised crime groups landing at Kent's airfields.

Police hope to prevent a range of crimes from drug and illegal firearms smuggling to money laundering and human trafficking.

The aim is to encourage the general public to come forward if they spot any unusual activity around small planes and helicopters.

Central Operations Detective Chief Superintendent, Chris Hogben, said: "It takes only 10 minutes to fly across the English Channel and Kent has about 120 public and private airfields and helipads.

"In addition, Kent is the gateway to both the UK and Europe so it's easy to see why we are so security conscious."

The project has been launched to coincide with two major events. It is a year and a month until the Olympics opening ceremony and it is almost two years since a French national flew into Maidstone's Laddingford Airfield smuggling seven illegal immigrants into the UK.

Det Ch Supt Hogben added: "Whilst it's impossible to say what a criminal or terrorist looks like, their behaviour can give them away.

"We want the aviation community and members of the public to be our additional eyes and ears in a bid to keep Kent safe and maintain a good quality of life."