Sunseekers heading to and from the Kent coast today are being advised to avoid rail travel at peak times as operators fear overcrowded trains.

With the county experiencing a September heatwave, Southeastern says passengers are flocking to Margate, Broadstairs, Folkestone, Herne Bay and Whitstable.

But the company is warning customers to avoid peak travel times in a bid to keep cool.

In response to the hot weather, more carriages are being added to busy routes to ensure fresh air flows through all trains.

Southeastern says its services will be busiest as people head to the beach between 10.30am and 1.30pm, and return home between 4pm and 7pm, so is asking passengers to try to avoid these periods.

A ‘crowdbuster’ train will also be on standby between Faversham and Ramsgate, with extra staff on hand too.

Southeastern has also warned travellers to expect slower trains and one-way queues at busy stations.

A spokesperson said: “When the temperature soars, things really heat up for our rail infrastructure – and it can’t cool down with a cheeky pint or an ice cream.

“Metal rails in direct sunshine can be as much as 20°C hotter than air temperature, and have been known to get as hot as 50°C! And because they’re made from steel – they expand when they heat up, so rails may buckle, and points can expand.

“When our monitoring systems tell us that a section of track is likely to expand, we’ll put in place speed restrictions to reduce the chance of rails buckling, so you may find your journey a little slower than usual.

“We work with Network Rail well in advance to make sure that your railway is ‘hot weather ready’, then keep a close eye on the forecast and check the infrastructure throughout the summer.”