After weeks of sunshine the rain began hammering down in Kent today.

While London was hit by flash-flooding, towns across the county saw heavy downpours this afternoon.

One resident in Cheriton, near Folkestone, said the roads were "resembling rivers".

Motorists were also being met with delays due to heavy rain.

In a Tweet just before 5pm, Kent County Council (KCC) Highways said: "Carriageway flooding is affecting some routes across the county this afternoon. Please take extra care if travelling."

Junction 9 of the M20 London-bound was flooded and queues subsequently formed.

Very slow traffic was reported due to rain on the M2 eastbound from Junction 3 (Chatham/Rochester) to Junction 5 A249 (Sittingbourne / Stockbury Roundabout). That was easing just after 6pm.

There were numerous accidents, including ones reported on the A228 Formby Road in Cuxton, A20 Main Road at Farningham between Button Street and Aunty Caroles, Canterbury Road in Herne Bay from Spenser Road to Mickleburgh Hill, and another in Heath Road in West Farleigh.

A pedestrian was also reported to have been hit by a car in Dock Road, Chatham, between The Brook in Chatham and Church Lane in Brompton. Emergency services have been contacted for more details.

One witness said: "There’s been an accident, five police cars and two ambulances. Don’t see it opening for a while as not long happened."

The Met Office warned of dangerous floods hitting the UK today as an amber thunderstorm warning was issued from 11am, lasting until 10pm tonight, as torrential and thundery rain hit.

The warning said: “Fast flowing or deep floodwater is likely, causing danger to life.”

Flooding is likely to affect homes and businesses “quickly”, as 30mm to 50mm of rain could fall in just an hour, while a few places may see more than 100mm in a few hours.

Forecasters said this could lead to train and bus cancellations amid difficult driving conditions, power cuts and communities becoming cut off from roads.

Lightning, hail and strong winds may also lash areas included in the warning, which spreads across Suffolk, Kent, Surrey and West Sussex.

On Tuesday, Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust asked people to only attend the emergency department if their condition was urgent or life-threatening, after water leaked into the building following heavy rain in Yorkshire.

Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said: “Heavy showers and thunderstorms will lead to some localised flooding and general disruption.

“Not everywhere will experience heavy downpours, or even see rain, but those affected areas could see 30mm to 50mm of rain falling in an hour.”

A drought was officially declared across most of England following the driest July for 50 years and the driest first half of the year since 1976.

The Environment Agency has said it will take weeks of rain to replenish water sources and end the drought, as Thames Water joined Welsh Water, Southern Water and South East Water in implementing a hosepipe ban.

South West Water and Yorkshire Water will follow suit on August 23 and 26 respectively – meaning more than 29.4 million customers across the UK will be prohibited from using hosepipes by the end of next week.