Gravesham county councillor Bryan Sweetland has resigned from his cabinet post in protest over Kent County Council's support for a new Thames Crossing.

Mr Sweetland, the county councillor for Gravesham Rural, is opposed to the government's preferred option for a new crossing east of Gravesend.

He has now quit his role, saying he could not stay in the cabinet when KCC was likely to formally support Option C in its response to the government consultation.

He said the scheme would only succeed in shifting the problems of pollution and congestion to Gravesham and would damage large parts of the Green Belt and environmentally sensitive land.

"They are talking about ten years to build it. The government ought to be looking at solving the problems at Dartford, not transferring the problems of pollution and congestion to Gravesham," he said.

Promising to take an active role in campaigning, he warned that the scheme would cut through villages and would blight homes for years to come.

He also expressed his unhappiness with the way the consultation was being rushed, saying that Highways England was giving the impression that a decision had already been reached and the consultation was being rushed.

"With something this important, there is an obligation on Highways England to take its time and have a proper consultation without appearing to rush it through. We have been waiting two and a half years for an announcement and eight weeks is really not enough time."

He also criticised the decision by Highways England not to hold consultation meetings in key villages like Higham.

Mr Sweetland was among more than 50 councillors who signed an open letter last year to the transport secretary asking to scrap plans to build a Lower Thames Crossing east of Gravesend.

He had been in KCC's cabinet for five years, serving as the politician in charge of transport before moving to the job of cabinet member for commercial services.

The scheme has divided opinion, with the leader of Kent County Council Paul Carter hailing it as a once in a life time opportunity.