One woman has been killed in a road crash involving a car and a petrol tanker as torrential rain and high winds made for treacherous driving conditions.

The fatal crash happened on the clockwise stretch of the M25 between junction two (the Darenth interchange) and three (for the M20).

The woman's car slewed across the carriageway in wet conditions and collided with the tanker. She has not yet been named but is thought to be in her mid 40s.

Police closed the carriageway shortly after the incident, at about 7.15pm Monday. It was re-opened several hours later.

Meanwhile, east Kent was battered by a severe storm coming up from France on Monday night.

The Environment Agency has issued flood watch alerts for the River Stour at Fordwich and Sturry and for the coast around Whitstable and Swalecliffe.

Flood watch alerts indicate a possible threat of flooding.

Aylesford was one of the worst areas affected as heavy rain and high winds caused the River Medway to burst its banks.

A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue said about 50 properties in the village had flooded.

~Watch: How Aylesford battled the flooding - with the help of sandbags. See the video at the top right of this page.

~ Related article: Horses rescued from Aylesford floods - video >>>

A fallen tree has blocked the A251 Faversham to Ashford road near Leaveland.

But Canterbury firefighters reported a quiet night with no calls for help.

A fallen tree has blocked the A260 near Broome Park at Barham. Police are directing traffic round it.

Meanwhile, in Medway, Motorists are being advised to take extreme caution, with poor driving conditions due to heavy rain overnight.

Police were called to the A228 Grain Road, Lower Stoke at 12:30am following reports the road was under 2ft of water in places.

The A228 is partially closed and motorists are being advised to avoid the area completely.

And a landslide on the railway line between Rochester and Sole Street caused delays for commuters this morning.

The heavy rains overnight are thought to have caused the slide, which happened at about 6am.

A spokesman for Southeastern Trains, said: “The landslide did cause some disruption on the Victoria line.

"We were able to divert trains through Dartford for a while until the debris was cleared.

“After the mobile team had cleared the line, trains were able to return to normal by 7.20am."

Inspector Alan Willett said: "The heavy rain overnight has caused difficult conditions during this morning’s rush hour. Motorists should leave extra time for their journey and not rush to their destination."

There have been a series of minor accidents due to excess surface water.

In Swanscombe, motorists were being diverted away from a road this morning after a gigantic puddle emerged.

The expanse of water in Southfleet Road (B259), stretching approximately 100m long and half a metre deep, caused chaos for one driver after their car got stuck in the early hours.

Firefighters from Swanscombe and Larkfield were called to the scene at 4.20am but the car had already been towed out by another vehicle on arrival.

Kent Police have cordoned off both ends of the road and are advising motorists to avoid the area.

The forecast is for the wind and rain to die down during the day.

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