Thousands of freezing motorists were left stranded for up to TEN HOURS into the early hours of this morning as Kent's motorway network buckled under the pressure of dealing with the cold snap.

A thick downpour of snow fell on ungritted roads leaving the A2, M20 and a long stretch of the M25 in Kent in utter chaos as several lorries jack-knifed.

Huge bumper-to-bumper queues formed behind them stretching back miles as the emergency services battled to sort out the mess.

It meant many fed-up drivers - some of whom had set out yesterday AFTERNOON - didn't get home until the early hours of this morning.

A jack-knifed lorry and treacherous conditions piled on the pressure on the busy arterial road, with motorists describing the tailbacks as like nothing they had ever witnessed.

Hundreds of cars and lorries were abandoned in the road as stricken motorists ran out of fuel having kept their engines running in the cold.

One driver told KentOnline how she was forced to eat her own birthday cake because she was stuck in traffic.

Diana Bray, of East Farleigh, was returning home from Lakeside for her party at 6pm.

She left the shopping centre at 2pm and got in the jam at the QEII bridge, and the M20 slip road.

She eventually ate her birthday cake in the car - and missed her birthday party, arriving home at 10pm.

Kev Jones, from Rainham, told KentOnline last night: "I've been here on the A2 for seven hours.

"It hasn't moved an inch and I'm freezing.

"I was meant to be going to the Manchester United match against West Ham in London but I've missed that.

"As soon as I get to the next junction I'm just going to turn round and try to get back - that'll probably be another seven hours!"

KM Group reporter Charlotte Hayward left work at Strood's Medway City Estate just before 2pm on a reasonably short drive to Dartford.

Five and a half hours later she was still stuck in tailbacks, with no end to her misery in sight.

She described drivers using carrier bags as makeshift toilets, and others simply abandoning their cars in the unprecedented conditions.

Other drivers were left stranded in the freezing gridlock into the early hours 10 hours after they started.

Most reported getting no help in the conditions, but the St John Ambulance said it came to the assistance of some drivers.

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Steve Walker, Operations Manager at St John Ambulance Kent said: "Our fleet of five 4x4 ambulances and two of our standard ambulances were put to good use yesterday providing additional support to SECAmb's ambulance fleet.

"It was a long day as our last call was 2am but all our volunteers stepped up to the challenge and we were delighted to be able to make a difference and help residents of Kent get to hospital safely.

"Today, with more snow having fallen overnight, our 4x4 ambulances will be invaluable as much of the county is inaccessible by standard ambulance.

"Supporting SECAmb in such adverse weather conditions is a key role for St John Ambulance and our volunteers and ambulance crews will be on hand to help whenever and wherever they can."

A spokesman for the Highways Agency, which manages Kent's motorways and major A roads, said: "We are working with partners, including emergency response services, to help drivers through the severe weather and to ensure that the Strategic Road Network remains as open and safe as possible."

She added that there were highway officers patrolling last night but couldn't say when salt was last put on the road.