Part of the M20 was shut after heavy downpours caused flash-flooding on the road.

The carriageway was partially closed London-bound near Ashford due to the flooding – but has since reopened.

One lane of three was shut between Junction 10 (Ashford South) and Junction 9 (Ashford), with traffic said to be coping well.

The closure was to allow the road to drain off and to reduce the risk of aquaplaning.

A lane on the coast-bound carriageway was also shut for a short period, but reopened a short time later.

Closer to the coast, a road in Folkestone was blocked for some time following a single-car crash.

A silver convertible car was severely damaged following the crash on the A260 Canterbury Road at around 2.25pm this afternoon.

The road was partially blocked while the car and debris was removed, but thankfully there were no serious injuries.

Parts of Kent have seen bursts of heavy rainfall today, but the Met Office has assured residents that good weather is just around the corner.

It advises that Britain could face a heatwave from around mid-May, as temperatures start to climb.

Meteorologist Marco Petagna said the weather could get “very warm” later this month, peaking around 22C or 23C in the south of England.

“Temperatures are several degrees above where they should be at this time of year,” he said.

He added there was a “small chance” that temperatures could rise into the mid-twenties, meaning a “brief” heatwave.