Gritting lorries are set to hit the road tonight as temperatures are forecast to plummet in Kent,

A tweet from Kent County Council's highways department, issued this afternoon, said: "We will be treating primary routes where required from 1800hrs."

According to the Met Office website the temperature in places such as Dover and Tunbridge Wells is expected to fall to 3C in the first few hours of tomorrow, while in Tonbridge and Maidstone it could drop to 2C.

The UK Health Security Agency earlier issued a cold weather alert for much of England, although Kent was not included.

Bitterly cold air from the Arctic will lead to freezing temperatures.

Cold air being drawn quickly across the Atlantic from the Canadian Arctic is the reason behind the bitterly cold temperatures being forecast, says the Met Office, with strong winds and wintry showers also contributing to make it feel even colder in more exposed areas.

It was the second to be issued this week. The first, which affected the whole of England between Wednesday and Thursday, brought ice and severe frosts to a number of areas.