Mr Johnson said east Kent was an area with huge potential

Alan Johnson, minister for Employment Relations, Industry and the Regions, was held up in Ashford on Tuesday morning - and had to finish his journey by taxi.

He was among 200 delegates to attend a conference hosted by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, east Kent's biggest employer, in Sandwich.

Mr Johnson said the problems on his journey had highlighted the need to improve Kent's transport infrastructure.

Five keys to success Improve the area's transport infrastructure Build a stronger local economy Invest in education and skills programmes Improve the quality of life Build vibrant and successful communities

"It did give me a useful experience of what needs to change," he said.

"But there are of course a number of initatives, not least of all the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, which can really improve the situation.

"As the report being launched today recognises, it gives the prospect of an hour into London."

Mr Johnson told delegates the goal of improving the rail links from the coast to London could bring greater prosperity to the whole region.

The Channel Tunnel Rail Link could give a fast route to London

The conference was set up by the East Kent Triangle area strategic partnership, which covers the Canterbury, Thanet and Dover districts, to launch its action plan.

Its five key recommendations include improving transport, strengthening the local economy and investing in education.

Mr Johnson said: "Kent has huge potential to become a thriving region - a large graduate population, the ready availability of land and proximity to seaports.

"To make use of this potential, Kent must improve its infrastructure weaknesses.

Tackles issues head-on

"The rail links to London are poor, the road system is inadequate and there are poor hotel and leisure facilities.

"This plan tackles the issues head-on."

The partnership, which is headed by Pfizer, also includes the councils for Kent, Canterbury, Dover and Thanet, the Port of Dover and the University of Kent, among others.

Richard Samuel, chief executive of Thanet District Council, said: "All the inward investors we talked to, businesses, say that the journey time to London and the quality of the train service is so bad that it is a serious deterrent to investment."