Storms in Kent cause disruption across county

Volunteers met in the centre of Tonbridge to help clean up the damage done by flood water

Gales and rainfall have continued to cause disruption to parts of Kent.

Up to 700 homes have been flooded in the county and the Environment Agency said it was concerned about the Medway and Stour rivers.

The agency has issued more than a dozen flood warnings in the South East.

More than 30,000 properties were left without electricity on Christmas Eve. UK Power Networks said about 1,700 homes remained cut off but engineers were working to restore power.

In Tonbridge, volunteers met to help clean up the damage done by flood water, while Prime Minister David Cameron visited the village of Yalding, where he was confronted by resident Ericka Olivares who said her local council had done nothing to help villagers.

'Through the worst'

Helen Grant, Conservative MP for Maidstone and The Weald, said she had held meetings with both Maidstone Borough Council and the Environment Agency over Christmas.

She said it was "awful that this has happened to the community and it is devastating to see".

"It's dreadful but hopefully we are through the worst and we can get on with getting people back in to their homes, reuniting families and the clean-up can begin."

Severe disruption on the rail network on Friday morning had eased by the afternoon, according to Southeastern trains.

In a statement on its website, it warned that while the majority of routes were open, "services could still be disrupted, diverted or cancelled at short notice".

It added that there would be no service between Otford and Maidstone East following a landslip at Borough Green and Wrotham.

The Port of Dover said sea conditions were rough on Friday and urged any passengers planning to use cross-Channel ferries to check with the operator before travelling.