A poignant ceremony to re-dedicate a village landmark destroyed in a tragic accident has been held today.

Teynham's commemorative pump in London Road was crashed into by a car in the early hours of New Year's Day, killing two passengers Michael Shepherd and Karl Buchan, from Faversham.

Nine months on, and the restoration of the monument, put up in 1897 to mark Queen Victoria's 60 years on the throne, has been completed.

Today's re-dedication service, organised by Teynham Parish Council, was taken by the Reverend Steve Lillicrap, vicar of Teynham.

Children from the village school were invited to perform a song and Walter Lewis, who was a Teynham parish councillor for 36 years, was given the honour of cutting a ribbon.

Parish council chairman Brian Sharman said people had been upset by the crash, both for those involved and the destruction it had caused.

VIDEO: The re-dedication of Teynham's historic pump

It was the second accident to result in damage to the structure but people had wanted to see it rebuilt and builders Gransdens was employed by the parish to carry out the restoration.

"It's a quality job," added Mr Sharman.

Teynham and Lynsted ward representative, Cllr Mike Whiting, said: "It's nice to see the memorial looking possibly better than it did before.

"Credit to the parish council for pulling it together and for involving such a wide range of people from the village, particularly the young people who put a time capsule together.

"You cannot forget this came about as a consequence of a tragic accident and our thoughts, of course, must be with the families and those affected who continue to suffer as they have done ever since New Year's Day.

"We must continue to push for safety improvements through the village."

A petition calling for safety measures to be installed in Teynham was presented to Kent County Council, via Swale's Joint Transportation Board on September 12.