Nearly two years ago parts of west Kent were hit with some of the worst floods in ten years.

Now, flood wardens in Tonbridge are desperately appealing for more volunteers to come forward and help keep the community safe.

Carl Lewis, who was the town's first flood warden, works four days a week and spends his spare time patrolling the area and ensuring the safety of residents.

There are currently only 10 flood wardens serving Tonbridge's 38,000 residents, but Mr Lewis hopes he can encourage many more to come forward.

He added: "We are also looking for incident volunteers who will assist us just before a flood. We will call on them when we are alerted by the Environemnt Agency about severe weather conditions.

"They will help with road closures, knocking on doors and helping at rest centres. It is not as full on as being a flood warden, volunteers can put in as much time as they want.

"Having volunteers is incredibly important because they will help inform the local community. The more time people have the more items they can save, the more preparations they can make.

"Obviously we are hoping it won't come to that, but we have to be prepared. The more people we have the more we can do."

Mr Lewis said wardens and volunteers can provide members of the public vital information about steps to take in the event of a flood.

He said many people may not realise which household items to save first, for example insurance documentation and medication.

"There is a great community spirit in Tonbridge, there has been a real change. The town really comes together for things like the dragon boat racing and more recently the Christmas lights switch-on.

"We need to help as many people as possible and I hope with more volunteers we can do that," he added.

Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer or warden should contact rob.wiles@kent.gov.uk