A TRUSTEE of the Maidstone Millennium River Park has jumped to its defence as an inquiry continues to probe the price of the project.

Stanley Blow, a trustee and advisor to the project's fund-raising committee chairman Edwin Boorman, says project was value for money.

The project, whose final cost is expected to be £8.7 million, has landed Maidstone council with an expected debt of £731,000. The overspend is being blamed on last year's flooding which set the scheme back months and created hundreds of thousands of pounds in additional costs.

Maidstone council's strategic leadership overview and scrutiny committee is carrying out an inquiry into the overspend. High profile council figures have already been interviewed to see if the overspend was avoidable.

Mr Blow said: "There may have been a small overspend of eight per cent but this scheme is still value for money. We have a fantastic park that is used by hundreds of children and families and it is a great credit to the County Town.

"We have three bridges, a 10km river walk used by thousands of people and new wildlife habitats which have helped to reintroduce Otters and other wildlife to the area.

"The overspend was unfortunate, but no one could have foreseen the worst floods in 300 years."