A Thomas Cook store

Staff at more than 20 Thomas Cook stores across Kent are braced for the worst after it was revealed thousands of jobs will be lost nationwide.

The long-established travel agent has announced the closure of 195 high street stores in the country - leaving nearly 900 still operating.

Around 2,500 jobs will be lost as the struggling firm admitted some stores did not "meet performance targets".

It announced a widescale consultation exercise, with a management shake-up predicted at the largest high street travel group in the country.

But a spokesman said today it was too early to confirm which of the 26 stores in Kent, if any, would be hit in the closures.

Travel agencies are spread across the county, with branches stretching from Faversham and Canterbury to Gravesend, Maidstone, Herne Bay and Chatham.

Peter Fankhauser, Thomas Cook UK & Ireland’s CEO, said: "It is never easy to make decisions that impact directly on our people, but we also owe it to our customers to shape the business effectively and ensure that, when they book their holiday with us, our administrative costs are as low as possible."