TORNADO-TYPE winds have been reported around Thanet.

The gusty weather came just hours after Met Office forecasters predicted flooding in the south east as a result of a storm surge down the North Sea.

Shoppers and motorists near Westwood Cross were caught in torrential rain and high-speed gusts on Thursday.

Mike Coggan, 65, from Margate, was driving back from Canterbury on the Haine Road when the wind took hold.

He said: "It suddenly came out of the blue. It was raining a bit but then there was this horrendous downpour and really strong winds that were blowing the car about."

A combination of north-westerly winds exceeding 50 mph, low pressure and high tides could lead to severe flooding. Stewart Wortley, head of Storm Tide Forecasting at the Met Office, said: "The height of the surge we are expecting on Friday morning happens around once every 20 years or so."

For weather and flood warning updates visit www.metoffice.gov.uk.