Giant greenhouses near St Nicholas-at-Wade which can generate enough electricity to supply every home in Thanet have been given a top eco honour.

Thanet Earth received the Green Award at the Food and Farming Industry Awards in recognition of its sustainable production techniques.

Millions of cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes are grown at the site every year.

The £100 million project uses advanced technology known as combined heat and power to generate vast quantities of electricity.

It can power up to 50,000 homes and much of the waste carbon dioxide is absorbed by plants in the greenhouses.

The Green Award was presented to Robert James, technical manager at Thanet Earth, by a representative of sponsors GrowHow.

Mr James said: "To receive this award is a real honour.

"It’s rewarding for all those who work hard every day to make our site the most sustainable, viable site of its kind in the UK.

"We intend to push our boundaries further and work to continually improve our environmental performance."