KENT Police has confirmed that Operation Stack has now been removed from the M20 following yesterday's storms.

It was scaled down this morning with traffic being taken off the coastbound carriageway at junction 11 (Hythe) but then allowed to re-join the motorway. The M20 has now been fully opened.

Motorists are still urged to be careful when driving today as there still may be some debris on side roads, though Kent County Council’s Highways Services department is working to deal with any fallen trees that are still causing an obstruction.

Yesterday's severe weather brought danger, destruction and chaos to Kent yesterday.

Storms gusting to 70mph ripped the roof from an indoor tennis centre, brought down hundreds of trees, damaged buildings and cars, stopped ferries, delayed trains, closed roads and cut power supplies.

And in the middle of it all a woman dialled 999 because her garden fence had blown down.

This morning about 1,600 homes in Kent were still without power, forcing some schools to shut.

Tunbridge Wells, Pembury, Strood and Sittingbourne were among the areas affected. EDF Energy said it could take "considerable time" to restore power to everyone because of the widespread damage to the network.

The storm was said to be the worst to hit Kent since the "hurricane" of 1987.

Some ferries had to ride out the gales for hours yesterday before the mountainous seas subsided enough to allow them to limp into Dover harbour. Even then, tugs had to help them berth.

Many tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage was caused to an indoor tennis centre at Victoria Park, Deal, when the roof was literally torn off by the gale.

Westwood Cross shopping centre near Broadstairs in Thanet closed early because of safety concerns over its roof.

Police closed the A2 London Road in Gillingham after part of the roof of Roko gym came crashing down.

Officers closed the road at the Will Adams roundabout to the Tesco roundabout.

The new Sheppey Crossing and the M25 Dartford bridge closed.

A woman was taken to hospital suffering from shock and minor injuries after a tree fell on her car on the Ashford Road in Hamstreet, near Ashford.

Gary Gilmore, control room manager for the South East Coast Ambulance Service in Kent, said: "The weather has prompted some strange calls, including a woman who dialled 999 because her fence had blown down."

Kent Police received hundreds of calls. Kent County Council highways services staff had to call in reinforcements to help deal with hundreds of fallen trees.

The special number for people to report trees blocking roads is 0845 824 7800.

Trees and branches also crashed onto railway lines causing serious disruption to train timetables.