Councillors will decide today whether a £500,000 investment in a port should be withdrawn or included as part of its budget this year.

If Thanet councillors do decide to scrap the planned investment it could place a question mark over the government's plans to operate an emergency ferry service from Ramsgate port to ease pressure on Dover if there is disruption and delays triggered by a No Deal Brexit.

Finance chiefs say that there must be a guarantee that the ferry operator Seaborne Freight will run services from the port to justify the investment earmarked.

If there is no firm commitment the authority says that it would be unable to incorporate the money into it spending plans and balance the budget.

There has been controversy over the contract awarded to the company Seaborne Freight to provide emergency services after it emerged that it had no boats of its own. The company insists that it will be ready to run services by March 29 - the deadline for the UK to leave the EU.

Councillors will vote on the authority's budget for 2019-20 tonight.

The department for transport said it was continuing talks with the council over the contract and the options for running a twice daily service from Ramsgate to Ostend.

But even if the council does decide to retain the planned investment it is unclear whether the service could start in March.

Doubts have been raised by the Mayor of Ostend about the timeframe and the prospects of beginning the service by the deadline for Brexit.