Five under threat species of bumblebee are booming in Kent - thanks to the county's farmers, conservationists revealed today.

According to the RSPB, rare bees have made a dramatic comeback this year along the Dungeness coast and across Romney Marsh.

It is the result of a joint project run by Kent's farmers, land owners and conservation bodies to encourage the sowing of pollen and nectar plots.

The five species, which include one of Britain's rarest bumblebees, the Shrill Carder Bee, have all been recorded in increasing numbers this summer in small strongholds.

Their populations are thought to be spreading across the county and into East Sussex.

RSPB conservationists said the Shrill Carder has been seen in areas where it has not been recorded for 25 years.

Around 50 farms around the coastal wildlife haven of Dungeness and Romney Marsh are part of a project launched in January last year.

It is being run by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Hymettus, Natural England and RSPB to restore the habitat of the short-haired bumblebee in advance of its re-introduction from New Zealand.

Dr Nikki Gammans, who leads the project, said: "We embarked on this project so that we could create the right conditions to bring the short-haired bumblebee back to the UK - but an added benefit is that it has provided a real boost to these five threatened species.

"Dungeness and Romney Marsh used to have more species of bumblebee than any other UK locality until the declines in the latter half of the 20 century.

"We hoped that we would begin to see results like this for these species but we really didn't expect to see it quite so quickly.

"It's a great result, and one we're very excited about.

"It is especially heartening news given the worrying overall declines in bee populations in the UK which could have a major impact on the pollination success of crops.

"Bumblebees pollinate red clover which is grazed by cattle, as well as tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, peas and a range of other fruit and vegetable crops."