Maidstone is expected to become the location for a round-the-clock centre for rape victims ... after years of Kent being the only county in the region without one.

An existing centre at Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford will shut it doors this week after 10 years.

At the moment victims are taken to the Darenth Park hospital to be forensically tested, by an on-call doctor - who is in most cases a man.

But the centre is only available from 9am to 4pm, and often counsellors are not available for victims.

The hospital has now given notice to the centre as it wants the space for other purposes.

Police crime commissioner Ann Barnes has not specified where the new centre will be, but the County Town is strongly favoured of three options under discussion.

Until the new Sexual Assault Referral Centre opens, rape victims will be dealt with at a series of safe police houses.

However, only those cases being dealt with by Kent Police will be referred to these. They will be unable to deal with self-referrals and will not be staffed by crisis workers.

Mrs Barnes said: “I’ve always said it is totally unacceptable that a county the size of Kent does not have a first class Sexual Assault Referral Centre.

"It is the victims that are important and their care is a priority. Over the last few months partner agencies have been working together to look at future provisions.

"Whilst it came as a shock the Darent Valley Hospital facility was to close it did galvanise partner agencies in conjunction with the NHS.

"We will be launching a new countywide facility in the early autumn that will be based in a central location in the county.”

“I've always said it is totally unacceptable that a county the size of Kent does not have a first class Sexual Assault Referral Centre" - Police commissioner Ann Barnes

Malcolm Gilbert, of the Gravesend charity Family Matters, said it was vital a new centre was up and running as quickly as possible.

While the interim arrangements were not ideal, he was upbeat about the prospect of a dedicated 24-hour centre.

He said: “The interim arrangements are not perfect but they are the reality of what we have to deal with.

"What we are going to end up with is far better than anything we have had before."

In a recent report to the Kent and Medway Crime Panel, the lack of a round-the-clock centre was “simply not sufficient” and meant Kent was inferior to other forces, such as Essex and Surrey.