Kent’s biggest festive fair is among the events to be cancelled due to Storm Darragh.

The organisers of Rochester’s Christmas Market and its annual Dickensian Festival have called off the events this weekend as the county is battered by strong winds and rain.

A yellow weather warning has been issued by the Met Office and came into force yesterday afternoon (Friday, December 6), lasting until Sunday morning (December 8).

Medway Council, which runs Rochester Christmas Market, confirmed the events closed early yesterday at 6pm and cancelled today's and tomorrow's attractions.

A spokesman for the unitary authority said: “We appreciate how disappointing this will be for those who had planned to visit this weekend.

“We have not taken this decision lightly, but it is necessary to ensure the safety of our visitors and everyone involved with either the market, Christmas village or festival.

“Rochester remains a magical place to visit and the wonderful selection of shops, restaurants, bars and pubs, as well as Eastgate House and The Guildhall Museum, will be open as usual along Rochester’s historic High Street.”

Ticketholders for the children’s village will be contacted by the Medway Tickets Live box office to arrange a refund or to book an alternative date.

Following the announcement, chairwoman of the Rochester City Centre Forum, Clare Tierney, told KentOnline: “I am devastated and I think every trader along the high street will be devastated.

“We look forward to it all year. We plan for it from the spring and this year was probably going to be our best year ever.

“We have been concerned for the last few days but the weather can change very, very quickly. We have been monitoring it throughout the week and every precaution has been taken.

“You cannot prevent a yellow weather warning. You have to take that seriously and safety comes first.”

Clare reminded potential visitors that shops will still be open - and “very grateful” of any trade.

“All of the High Street will still be trading this weekend. Every restaurant, every pub, all of the music programmed, all the beautiful things that you can buy in our shops will still be available.

“You just won’t have the outdoor festivities. I would certainly encourage our locals to continue to support the weekend.

“If you are travelling and can travel safely using trains or buses and can come into the High Street, you may not be able to go up into the Christmas market, but I promise you every single shop will welcome you with open arms and they will be very grateful for your trade this weekend.”

The market, which is now in its 15th year, opened last Friday (November 29) and was expected to be open each weekend from Friday to Sunday until December 15.

It will reopen on Friday, December 13, for the final weekend.

It features more than 100 stalls across the castle grounds selling stocking fillers and artisan treats, a German food village, a Ferris Wheel and carnival games, and live entertainment.

It is not the first event to be cancelled due to the adverse conditions expected to be caused by Storm Darragh.

Bluewater Shopping Centre, in Greenhithe, has also announced its Winterland and ice rink is closed “in the interest of safety” due to the forecasted weather conditions.

A spokesperson said all pre-booked guests will be contacted and receive a full refund.

Meanwhile, Sheerness Town Council cancelled its Christmas fair that was set to take place in High Street and The Broadway.

More than 40 stalls were lined up as well as live music acts.

The authority said: “We appreciate how disappointing this will be for those planning to attend, and would like to thank you for your understanding, particularly our wonderful stallholders and entertainers.

“It is not a decision which was taken lightly, and every effort was made to ensure the event still went ahead but with winds increasing and expecting to reach over 50mph we were left with little choice.

“We will be posting a full list of businesses who were due to join us with website and social media links.”

Gillingham Market also confirmed it would not be taking place today just after 9.30am.

An annual Christmas lights display at Leeds Castle was called off on Thursday evening (December 5) due to the bad weather.

It is also off today, with organisers saying: “We’re sorry to announce that due to adverse weather, the Christmas Lights at Leeds Castle will not take place on Saturday.”

Hatch Markets, in Gravesend, however, has confirmed its first festive events will be going ahead but the organisers have moved the activities inside.

Elsewhere, Illuminate Tonbridge Castle told ticketholders for the weekend that it was "actively monitoring the weather conditions”.

It added: "In the event of any disruption, we will aim to contact you by midday on the day of your booking via the email address associated with your ticket purchase."

Anyone planning to go to Christmas at Bedgebury to see the lights was told: "Any decision to close the trail for the day will be taken by 2pm each day."

Reuthe's The Lost Gardens of Sevenoaks, a nursery and garden centre, is hosting a Candy Cane Christmas Trail which was due to go ahead.

A post on Facebook said: "Our events scheduled for tomorrow (Saturday) will be going ahead as planned.

"Our team have been busy today preparing for the high winds and we're confident that our Alpaca won't be doing a reindeer impression and flying away."

There was bad news for anyone thinking of braving a trip to London, with Hyde Park Winter Wonderland bosses also announcing it would not be open tomorrow (Saturday, December 7).

Storm Darragh, the fourth named storm of the season, has led to 130 flood alerts being issued across the UK ahead of heavy rain and expected winds of up to 80mph.

Residents across Kent should expect possible damage to buildings, and a chance of power cuts, with roads and bridges also predicted to close, due to the storm.

Injuries and danger to life from flying debris also fall under this category, with longer journey times or cancellations as road, rail, air and ferry services are on the cards.