A weather warning has been issued for Kent today as heavy thundery downpours are expected this afternoon.

The Met Office imposed the alert for the county and warned of the possibility of flooding.

Forecasters said some areas could get up to 30millimeters of rain in the space of just a couple of hours.

They said heavy showers could be torrential and lead to poor driving conditions.

Issuing the yellow warning for rain, a Met Office spokesman said: "Slow-moving heavy showers, with thunder in places, are likely to develop today.

"The public should be aware of possible surface water flooding.

"A slack area of low pressure and a relatively moist airmass will provide the ingredients for some intense showers today.

"Locally 15-20mm of rain is possible in an hour and perhaps in excess of 30mm within a two-hour period."

The weather warning is in force until 7pm today, when conditions are expected to improve.