It was a remarkable clean sweep for Kent's largest independent estate agents Ward & Partners at the annual awards ceremony held recently by the firm's parent company, the Arun Estates Group.

Some 500 managers and staff from Arun attended. One of the UK's largest independent agency groups, the network is made up of 111 offices operating under five major brands right across the South East from Essex to the Isle of Wight. Ward & Partners took every one of the major group-wide titles.

Linda Edwards, lettings manager in Ward & Partners' Herne Bay office, was named Arun's Outstanding Lettings Individual of 2009 and the Gillingham office was named winners of the Top Lettings Office title.

In residential sales, the dominance of Ward & Partners was even more complete.

Meopham won Village Office of the Year for a record-breaking fourth time in five years - in a final run-off against three other Ward offices.

Office manager Paul Sharp, from Maidstone, scooped the Top Lister award, for the most new instructions during the course of the preceding 12 months.

Then Maidstone took the overall Top Office award (again, in an all-Ward run-off).

Finally, Sarah Clifford, senior sales consultant at Ramsgate, was named Top Sales Person for the group.

Ward's managing director David Lench said: "Successful estate agency is all about people - about dedicated hard-working and professional individuals working together as a team. Ward & Partners have always prided themselves on employing the best people in the business, and these results prove it, beyond any shadow of doubt."