DRIVERS in the county are to be the first to benefit from the latest emergency roadside telephones.

The Highways Agency is replacing over 6,500 orange emergency telephones over the course of the next three years, with Kent being the first to benefit.

The work started on September 11 and began on the M2 near Gravesend.

The existing phones will be replaced at a rate of between 50 and 75 a week.

The new 2m-high phones will come equipped with the latest technology and will automatically pinpoint your location, complete with a high-visibility orange SOS warning sign.

Greater accessibility will be provided for deaf and disabled drivers by offering a text facility and there will also be improved sound quality and reliability by using noise cancellation to reduce background traffic noise.