Four patients at Ashford's William Harvey Hospital have died of flu in five days.

Two were killed by the swine flu strain and two were only in their 30s.

A spokesman for East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust said: "Flu deaths are not unusual in the winter.

"What is unusual is that it's normally the elderly population and these people were in their 30s, 40s and 50s.

"It's consistent with what is happening across the country."

The patients died on January 5, 6, 7, and 9 and a man of 40 and a woman aged 37 had been struck by the Influenza A H1N1 swine flu type.

One of these died after being transferred to London's Royal Brompton Hospital.

Two others died from another strain called Influenza B. These were a 33-year-old man and a 51-year-old woman.

The Health Protection Agency says that the levels of seasonal flu may be starting to peak in Britain with 11 deaths reported up to January 6.

This brings a total of 50 to that date from when the flu season began in October.

A total 45 of these were victims of swine flu, the other five died from Flu B.

Only four were aged 65 or more while 33 were aged 15 to 64 and the rest were children aged 14 or under.

The agency is urging people in at-risk groups, such as pregnant women and those with diabetes and heart problems, to have their seasonal vaccine.