9 flood alerts in place for Kent today following night of heavy rain

Nine flood alerts have been issued across Kent this morning (November 27) following a night of persistent downpours across the county. A yellow weather warning for heavy rain came into effect at 10pm last night and is due to be lifted at 12pm today, with parts of the county having endured showers of up to 50mm an hour.

Blanketing the entire county, the weather alert warned the rain would likely result in public transport disruption in the affected areas, as well as difficult driving conditions due to spray and flooding. Met Office forecasters also advised that flooding of some homes and businesses would be a possibility, particularly for areas prone to flooding, such as those along rivers.

Showers arrived in Kent from around 10pm and have persisted throughout the night and this morning, causing river levels across the county to rise considerably. In response, the Environment Agency (EA) has issued flood alerts for the areas most at risk including parts of Ashford, Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells, Whitstable and Herne Bay.

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The EA issues three levels of flood warnings: alerts, warnings and severe warnings. Those issued for Kent today are alerts, which tell residents they "need to prepare" as flooding is possible.

The EA's advice is for people living in the alert areas to prepare a bag that includes "vital items", like medication and insurance documents, and to check flood warnings. You can read the full EA advice here.

Where alerts are in place, the public is urged to avoid walking, cycling or driving through any flood water. Some areas could see further flooding in the afternoon as river levels continue to rise following the morning showers.

Current Met Office forecasts predict that conditions will largely dry up by the early afternoon, though cloudy skies and low temperatures will persist for the remainder of the day. This will make way for a clear but frosty night as temperatures could sink as low -2C in the south east.

Despite some sunny spells breaking out on Thursday (November 28), temperatures will again remain low, peaking at around 7C in Kent. Freezing fog could be on the cards for Friday morning, the Met Office forecast states, before more rain arrives overnight, leading into a mixture of dry and rainy spells over the weekend.

Kent flood alerts - Wednesday, November 27

River Darent from Westerham to Dartford

Flood alert area: River Darent from Westerham to Dartford, including Brasted, Sundridge, Chipstead, Dunton Green, Otford, Eynsford and South Darenth.

Rivers Eden and Eden Brook

Flood alert area: Rivers Eden, Eden Brook and Kent Ditch from Blindley Heath to Penshurst including Edenbridge and Hever.

Upper River Medway

Flood alert area: River Medway from Forest Row to Penshurst, including Ashurst.

Lower River Medway

Flood alert area: River Medway from Hampstead Lock at Yalding to Allington Lock, including East Farleigh, Wateringbury, Teston and Teston Park, Tovil and Maidstone including Millennium Park.

River Bourne from Hadlow to East Peckham

Flood alert area: River Bourne from Hadlow to East Peckham, including Golden Green and Little Mill.

River Teise area from Lamberhurst to Goudhurst

Flood alert area: River Teise area from Lamberhurst to Goudhurst, including the River Bewl and tributaries of the River Teise.

River Rother and its tributaries from Turks Bridge to the Royal Military Canal

Flood alert area: River Rother and its tributaries from Turks Bridge to the Royal Military Canal, including Crowhurst Bridge, Etchingham, Robertsbridge, Salehurst and Bodiam.

Upper River Stour

Flood alert area: Communities on the Great Stour from Charing Heath to the A2070 including Ashford, communities on the East Stour, communities on the Whitewater and Ruckinge Dykes and the Aylesford Stream.

Plenty, Swalecliffe and West Brooks

Flood alert area: Plenty Brook from Eddington to the sea, including Herne Bay, the Swalecliffe Brook from near Court Lees to the sea, including Chestfield and Swalecliffe and the West Brook from the railway line to the sea including Studd Hill and Hampton.