FEROCIOUS gales, rain and chilly temperatures swept over many parts of Kent today spreading mayhem and misery.

In the east of the county the winds brought down power lines, cutting the electricity to 3,500 homes in Blean, near Canterbury, and nearby Tyler Hill and St Stephen's.

In the west of the county a tree fell on to the A225 at Otford, near Sevenaoks, and the road was closed for most of the afternoon while Sevenoaks District Council removed the debris. No one was injured.

The appalling weather confirmed BBC Kent weathergirl Kaddy Lee-Preston's gloomy prognosis. In March she predicted miserable weather in June and July in a complete contrast to last year's record summer. And she thinks the poor weather is going to last well into the weekend.

"We are going to have a lot of rain and it's going to be really wet," she said. "Sunday will see more sunshine but that will be coupled with showers and not much better."

Today winds reached 20mph while temperatures dropped to an unseasonal 18C. Power in north Canterbury and villages in that area went off about 1pm with electricity company EDF telling customers it was due to be restored tonight.

Sunil Pithia, owner of the general store in Blean, said: "We couldn't do anything and were turning people away who might be coming in for their pensions and the like.

"We were just trying to get on with our work without electricity."

Meanwile, motorists have been warned to kill their speed and be wary of road conditions. Home owners in the county have also been urged to be on the alert during the coming few hours.

Kent's firefighters are expecting to be kept busy for days with weather-related call outs and have urged drivers to take care.

Dave Osborne, fire safety officer at Sevenoaks, said: “There are certain problems which come hand in hand with high winds and rain. We are expecting call outs to exposed electricity cables and fallen trees over the next few days.

“Motorists should drop their speed and watch out for slippery leaves on the road. You must leave yourself time to brake.”

He added: “Also, avoid taking blind corners at speed. Fallen trees are rare, but they are a significant risk.”

The flood warden at Shepway District Council was keeping a close eye on canals and streams today following predictions of storms.

Sarah Smith, a spokesman for the council, said: "All we can really do is react if something happens. Our warden has been monitoring watercourses across the district and our engineers will look at road flooding if it happens. We will keep an eye on the situation and take remedial action if necessary."