Heavy snow has fallen in Kent for the first time in years.

People living in Sevenoaks, Dartford, Strood, and West Malling were among the first to have seen the white stuff.

It came following two weather warnings issued by the Met Office for snow and ice and people are being warned of treacherous driving conditions.

The 12-hour snow warning, which came into effect at midday, caused travel disruption, treacherous driving conditions, and led to power cuts in some areas.

A separate warning for ice was also issued, and will be in force from just after midnight until 11am tomorrow.

Forecasters said the "most likely" scenario is for 2 to 4cm of snow to fall on higher ground across the south east, with 1 to 2cm in low level areas.

But they admitted snow could settle more widely, with 5 to 10cm falling at low levels this evening.

A Met Office spokesman said: “Ice is expected to form on untreated surfaces on Thursday night and last into Friday morning.

“In addition, some outbreaks of sleet and snow are likely to run quickly southwards on Friday morning, chiefly affecting parts of northern and eastern England, clearing the extreme southeast by late morning.

“This may give local accumulations of one to two cm and add to icy conditions in places.

“Ice will lead to the risk of disruption with difficult driving conditions and expect longer journey times. The greater risk of disruption is across the Midlands, East Anglia and south east England.

“Following the eastward clearance of Thursday's rain, sleet and snow across southern Britain, falling temperatures will lead to ice forming rapidly on untreated surfaces here.

“A further weather system running southwards may briefly bring some sleet or snow to northern and eastern parts of the warning area.”

Kent Fire and Rescue Service earlier urged people not make unnecessary calls to the emergency services.

Assistant director for community safety, Ian Thomson, said: “We would like to reassure people that we have place practical plans in place to ensure the service is prepared during this period of cold weather and snow, and that our staff will be working really hard to ensure fire stations are ready to provide a 999 response when needed.”

He added: “We are asking the public to help us by only calling if they really need us, to avoid making non-essential journeys on the roads, adjust their driving to the weather conditions and to follow the safety tips below to keep themselves safe in the home.

Maidstone United tweeted a video of training continuing despite the snowy conditions at their Gallagher Stadium home.

Those not stuck in traffic also took the chance to get outside and have some fun.

Do you have any snow pictures or videos to share? Send them to news@thekmgroup.co.uk or tweet us a @Kent_Online