TODAY'S government announcement of approval for the Lower Thames Crossing has sparked a move by the Forth ports, which has confirmed its plans to build a third port at Tilbury.

The announcement on the go-head came this morning, and was met with a wave of dissension, criticism and opposition from politicians and environment campaigners.

However, it has been welcomed by the owners of the Port of Tilbury, Forth Ports, which has made the following announcement: "Consenting the Lower Thames Crossing road scheme and tunnel will improve the connectivity to the Port of Tilbury's 400 acre development area.

"Boosted by Thames Freeport Tax Site status, this land will now benefit from fast access to the strategic highways network through a dedicated connection.

"Over the coming weeks, we will bring forward our planning application for a new 100 acre port terminal, called Tilbury3, as we continue to grow our low carbon distribution network for Greater London and the South East of England."

Last month the Port of Tilbury played host to a visit by Maritime Minister Mike Kane for a tour of its facilities and highlighted its proposals for Tilbury 3.

Forth Ports' announcement follows one made last week by its Freeport partners DP World, which announced significant expansion of its London Gateway Port.

More than 1,000 construction jobs will be created during the £1bn expansion at Corringham, plus 400 permanent new jobs at the port when the two new berths anr brought online.