Strong winds are predicted to hit Kent this afternoon for almost two days, the Met Office has warned.

Storm Darragh is expected to cause disruption and damage across the county over the coming days.

It comes after the weather watchdog issued a yellow warning for wind in Kent from 3pm today (December 6) until 6am on Sunday.

It means residents should expect possible damage to buildings, with roads and bridges also predicted to potentially close.

The yellow warning also means there is a chance of power cuts and mobile phone coverage being affected.

Injuries and danger to life from flying debris also fall under this category, with longer journey times or cancellations as road, rail, air and ferry services on the cards.

Events this weekend could be called off due to the adverse conditions. The Christmas lights event at Leeds Castle had to be cancelled yesterday evening due to the weather.

Storm Darragh, the fourth named storm of the season, has led to a total of 130 flood alerts being issued across the UK ahead of heavy rain and expected winds of up to 80mph.

In Kent, a flood alert is in place along the Royal Military Canal in Hythe.

Elsewhere in the country, the Met Office has issued an amber warning for “potentially damaging” winds along the west coast of the UK from South Ayrshire in Scotland down to Cornwall, as well as in Northern Ireland, on Saturday from 3am until 9pm.

The Environment Agency (EA) in England has more than 20 red flood warnings in place, which mean flooding is expected and residents and business owners should “act now”.

The yellow weather warning for wind has been put in place for all of the UK barring central and northern Scotland.

The EA says it is carefully monitoring the progress of the storm ahead of the weekend.

Its flood duty manager, Katharine Smith, said: “EA teams are out on the ground and will support local authorities in responding to surface water flooding.

"We urge people not to drive though flood water – it is often deeper than it looks and just 30cm of flowing water is enough to float your car.”