SAY "Ja" to German trade Kent and Medway firms have been urged. The German-British Chamber of Industry and Commerce has set up a new regional office covering the county, Surrey and Sussex to help local businesses.

German ambassador Dr Hans-Friedrich von Ploetz told local business leaders during a launch ceremony in Leeds Castle that he was surprised, given the volume of trade between Germany and the south east, there were so few chamber members in Kent.

There are 45 German-owned companies based in Kent, including Rodenstock UK in Northfleet and Weidmuller, near Sheerness. Other names include Wuerth UK, Hochtief UK Construction and Klockner Aluminium Services.

Germany is the UK's largest export market, with mutual trade worth about £50 billion. The country invests more in the UK than anywhere else except the United States. The UK is home to some 2,000 German companies employing about 200,000 people. About 1,000 UK companies are in Germany.

Jeanette Fahlbusch, a commercial lawyer who has been based in Britain for 25 years and lives in Hever, near Sevenoaks, has set up the regional office. She admitted that the German market could be hard to penetrate in some respects, but generally Germany welcomed British goods.

"Germany imports just about everything," she said. "Germany is Britain's most important export market and it's growing."

Tabloid headlines recalling wartime images, especially following England's recent 5 -1 football triumph, had not affected business relationships, and, she said: "Germans have great affection for the English - we have many more German tourists in England than English tourists in Germany.

"Germans are very good people to do business with and are very keen to do business here and invest here."