KENT County Council (KCC) has teamed up with a neighbouring authority to hold a £100,000 feasibility study into building a third Thames crossing.

KCC and Essex County Council say a new crossing is needed to ease congestion and stop parts of Kent becoming gridlocked.

KCC leader Councillor Paul Carter says the study will consider the possibility of charging the 1.5m foreign lorries travelling through Dover each year.

A £10 toll each time they enter Dover could be introduced to go towards paying for the third crossing, he says.

At the joint briefing, Cllr Carter and Essex County Council leader Lord Paul Hanningfield said both councils want the Government to give them the £50m raised each year at the Dartford Crossing.

They said, before the crossing was built, a "gentleman's agreement" was made stating both council's could split the money raised by the crossing.

Last week junior transport minister Stephen Ladyman announced the Government would hold its own feasibility study into a third Thames Crossing.