As thousands of shoppers head out to bag a Black Friday bargain disruption has been reported on the county's roads.

In Maidstone, many car parks are full and there is queueing traffic around the town centre.

Queues have been spotted outside The Mall rooftop and multi-storey sites, as well as on the approach to Fremlin Walk.

Meanwhile, Asda is touting it petrol for less than £1 a litre.

Drivers in Canterbury discovered unleaded advertised for 99.7p at Asda in Sturry Road.

The supermarket has cut the price of fuel until Sunday night, with diesel costing 103.7p.

Although the company said it would not be participating in Black Friday, the drop in price coincides with the one-day shopping event.

It is the first time petrol has been below £1 since 2009.

Asda abandoned its flash sales as part of the discount day this year after shoppers caused chaos around the country in 2014, fighting to get the best deals.

But warnings have gone out to stores to take care to step up security for the sales period.

Earlier this month the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) wrote to retailers, warning them to have "carefully-considered in-store security plans."

Town centre managers and shops say they have taken the guidance on board, with some circulating it to local retailers.

Bob Jones, from the Canterbury Business Improvement District, said: "We've all seen the footage, and it's both unseemly and unsightly.

"If shops whip up the sort of frenzy that invites this response they should take responsibility.

"We are fortunate in Canterbury that we have really responsible retailers who take their responsibility seriously."

Mr Jones said last year's trouble in some parts of Kent generally focused around particular stores where crowds were concentrated in one place, attracted by certain offers.

"Canterbury will be jolly busy, and it's good it'll be jolly busy," he said.

"But the crowds will be spread out along the streets and not concentrated in one place."

The letter sent to retailers by Deputy Chief Constable Sue Fish, from the NPCC, said: "We should be the service of last resort, not a substitute for carefully-considered in-store security plans.

"Having to deploy officers to deal with the fallout of highly-marketed but under-staffed sales in shops diverts valuable resources from other areas of policing and is in most cases avoidable through advance planning."

Retailers taking part nationwide both instore and online include Argos, Amazon, Boots, Tesco, John Lewis, River Island, New Look, Debenhams, House of Fraser, Sainsbury's, Superdrug, Currys, Apple, Sainsbury’s, and eBay.

What deals are available?

The online focus has not deterred the county's main shopping centres from trying lure customers away from their screens, and many large retailers are offering deals in store.

A number of shops at Bluewater are offering discounts and late opening until 11pm on both Friday and Saturday.

Stores at McArthurGlen near Ashford are also planning discounts, with an exclusive preview offer if people sign up to their Privilege Club.

The supermarkets are also getting in on the act with the notable absence of Asda, which saw violent scenes in some of its stores last year.

Sainsbury's will announce offers on Thursday, and offers an interactive map for shoppers to find their nearest participating store.

Tesco is holding a sale including more than 200 electrical, entertainment, mobile, DIY products and children's toys.

Why is it called Black Friday?

How did a day of discounts earn the prefix 'black'?

It's a term normally reserved for stock market crashes, but last year's chaotic scenes of shoppers wrestling over televisions offers some insight.

Originating in America, Black Friday was simply the first shopping day after Thanksgiving, traditionally the start of the Christmas shopping season.

It was a day marked by traffic jams, overcrowded pavements and short tempers, resulting in increased numbers of car crashes, assaults and criminal damage.

Frustrated Philadelphia police officers are credited with coining the name 'Black Friday' back in the 1960s and, needless to say, it was not a day they looked forward to with any enthusiasm.

Yet despite the name's negative associations, firms began using it to brand one of their most important sales opportunities of the year.