A construction firm celebrating a quarter of a century quarrying in Barming has unveiled a new £1 million tunnel to keep the site operational for another 25 years.

The Gallagher Group, which own Hermitage Quarry, off Hermitage Lane, revealed the tunnel at an event for employees, customers and dignitaries last week.

Designed by the group, the tunnel, which cost £1 million to construct and took nine months to complete provides a link to an extension of the quarry which will ensure continued employment on the site.

The tunnel also provides an established footpath for local residents and bike riders to explore the wooded area of the site.

Chairman of the Gallagher Group, Pat Gallagher, said: “Today is about celebrating our past, and the quality of our quarrying and commitment to restoring the land once we have removed the Kentish ragstone.”

“It’s about looking forward to the next 25 years and the work that we will do as a family-run business to deliver on our promises and restore the land back to what it was, or better.

"Many of the fields around the quarry have already been quarried and today they are productive farmland.”

In 2013 the firm was given High Court approval to expand the Hermitage Lane site, turning 88-acres of Oaken Wood into a ragstone quarry and protecting 130 jobs.

It was the first big test of new planning rules designed to protect irreplaceable habitats and was referred to the then secretary of state Eric Pickles.

The group hosted a family fun day for more than 400 staff and relatives, involving a barbecue, live music, golf competition, games, and a circus.