Kent Police has secured £850,000 of government money for Brexit contingency planning.

The funding was announced by Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott today, who explained the cash would cover the initial stages of preparing for the UK's withdrawal from the EU next March.

He said, based on whether a deal was agreed upon, the force would need between £4m and £19.5m to deal with the effects of leaving the Union.

One of the areas of most concern was the sharing of data with European police forces, he said, as well as keeping traffic moving towards the ports.

He said: "This funding will help fund the costs that are already being incurred for planning for the various contingencies that might be necessary post Brexit in March 2019.

"This funding covers the initial planning costs only, and for 2018/9. The vast bulk of the money – up to £19.5m – covers all scenarios post Brexit and the manpower required to support Kent County Council and Highways England to keep the county roads moving. This is currently being assessed by the Home Office.

"This is really good news, and a step in the right direction. But the key here is that I am helping Kent Police get the funding in place before any problems start – not after the event."

Earlier this week Kent County Council released an updated 17-page report on its contingency plans for a no-deal scenario.

Among the authority's concerns were that gridlocked roads caused by problems at the ports would cause for rubbish to mount up uncollected, children to miss important school exams, and carers unable to reach vulnerable patients.

He added: "This is not about Project Fear either. This is about two things – making sensible and responsible plans for our future, and reminding everyone that issues such as Operation Stack and major disruptions on our strategic road network are national, not local challenges.

"Let’s hope that more funding, as well as the money Kent County Council has bid for, is awarded for 2019/20."