Parts of Kent were hit by flooding and falling trees today as the county felt the full force of Storm Ciaran, with the worst weather abating this evening.

The Met Office put an amber weather warning in place until midday and said coastal areas could face winds of up to 85mph. A yellow alert for strong winds was in place until 5pm.

Some schools in the county were forced to close today. Scroll down to see the full list.

UK Power Networks reported at 2pm there were 6,241 homes across the county without electricity.

A flood alert has also been issued for the Lower River Medway

This includes Hampstead Lock at Yalding to Allington Lock, East Farleigh, Wateringbury, Teston and Teston Park, as well as Tovil and Maidstone’s Millennium Park.

The Environment Agency says those living in the area should keep an eye on water levels and the weather conditions.

They add: “Avoid using low lying footpaths or entering areas prone to flooding. Start acting on your flood plan if you have one.”

Southeastern strongly advised people not to travel on mainline routes this morning and the Port of Dover suspended all sailings as huge waves hit the coast.

A number of roads were blocked by falling trees in the early hours today – this included the A28 at Chartham, the A229 Angley Road at Cranbrook, the A2070 Willesborough Road in Ashford, Hospital Road in Hollingbourne and Hinxhill Road in Hinxhill.

Emergency crews had a busy morning responding to multiple storm-related calls, including flooded roads and fallen trees.

Kent Fire and Rescue says teams have been sent to incidents including unsecure structures in Liden Crescent and Bonsor Road, Folkestone, and a report of sparking cables in Rusham Road in Shatterling, Canterbury.

The technical rescue unit also removed a tree that was obstructing a main route in Kennington Road in Willesborough, Ashford.

Kent Highways received 64 emergency calls overnight, with the majority relating to fallen trees and some flooding issues.

A spokesperson says the team expected more calls as the day progressed.

Major delays were reported on the M20, with the London-bound entry slip road closed earlier today due to flooding at J2 A20 London Road.

This has now cleared.

The A20 was closed eastbound between the A260 near Hawkinge and the B2011 near Capel-le-Ferne due to a collision involving a van.

The A259 Dymchurch Road was partially blocked due to a fallen tree between Mill Road (Dymchurch) and Cobsden Road (St Marys Bay).

A number of crashes were also reported earlier today – including an overturned car at Hothfield on the A20 and a collision between two cars in Park Road, Dartford.

Tonbridge Road near Terrace Road in Maidstone was also flooded.

Furthermore, Hempstead House Hotel in Sittingbourne was without power due to the storm, forcing its pool and spa to close.

A section of road along Wilson Avenue in Rochester has been damaged – with a team from Southern Water spotted by the junction at around 10am.

“Following the stormy weather overnight we received a report of damage to the surface of the road, around a surface water drain,” a spokesperson from Medway Council confirmed.

“We have arranged for our contractors to attend the site and fully assess the damage and carry out the necessary repair works.

“Motorists are asked to approach this junction with caution and take an alternative route where possible until repair works have been completed.”

The Environment Agency is advising people to steer clear of piers, promenades and swollen rivers.

The Coastguard is calling for those near the sea to ensure they have a phone with them to contact them if they come into danger.

People are also being warned: “It is not worth risking your life and others for that selfie.”

A dad-of-five had to be rescued by his son and friend today after being slammed against a wall by a huge wave in Dover.

John Bain, 56, feared he was going to die during his walk along the seafront at 3pm.

As a result of the Port of Dover being closed, P&O Ferries decided to suspend services.

A Spirit of France ship took shelter off of the coast near St Margarets Bay last night.

The action was taken to prevent the vessel from being damaged in the high winds. It did not have any passengers or freight onboard.

Stagecoach also announced some delays.

Due to a fallen tree on the A260 near The Jackdaw Inn, Denton, the service 16 was unable to serve Barham Crem, Denton, Swingfield and Densole until further notice.

In Capel-Le-Ferne, between Folkestone and Dover, buses were pictured with no windscreens and looked on the verge of being blown over.

The double-deckers, which were heading to Folkestone, had their windows shattered and had to stop their journeys.

Schools shut in Kent today (November 2):

Canterbury

Barham CE Primary School

Goodnestone CE Primary School

Dover

Dover Grammar School for Girls

St Marys CE Primary School

St Margaret's-at-Cliffe Primary School

Priory Fields School

Shatterlocks Infants School

St Martin’s School

Vale View Community School

Barton Junior School

Lydden Primary School

Dover Grammar School for Boys

Nonington CE Primary School

Folkestone

The Beacon Folkestone

Hythe

Brockhill Park Performing Arts College

In Ashford, The Works in County Square was forced to close this morning due to a leak.

The shop has since re-opened.

For all the latest travel information for Kent, listen to kmfm and follow our live updates here.

Elsewhere, The Pentagon in Chatham was forced to close some of its entrances after it flooded.

Footage shows high water outside Boots and Deichmann stores following heavy rainfall which caused overflow on the High Street.

As of 1pm, all entrances were open following a “heroic clean-up effort” from the shopping centre’s team.

In Folkestone, fishing boats at the harbour were destroyed by the wind and waves this morning.

Nearby a surfer was spotted plunging into the water at Sunny Sands beach.

Despite the weather alerts and warnings, footage shows him on his board braving the stormy conditions at around 7am.

Difficult driving conditions were expected on all roads, with those using vulnerable vehicles – including HGVs, motorbikes and anyone towing trailers – being urged to take extra care by National Highways.

A first-person account of the storm from KentOnline’s Sam Lennon…

You had to hang onto railings to stop getting knocked off your feet.

My car would wobble when the gusts came.

Such was the power of Storm Ciaran this morning.

Dover Seafront at 8am today was virtually deserted with few daring to venture out in those terrible conditions.

Moving around taking photographs and video out there involved using buildings for shelter and dashing from one to another between the gusts.

For a moment it felt like racing from cover to cover to avoid sniper fire.

You had to stay close to buildings or parked cars in the hope that if a gust did knock you over you could fall against them rather than flat onto the ground.

Otherwise it involved gripping railings for dear life as you moved along.

The driving rain soaked me through but when I sat back inside my car I felt it wobbling.

I wondered if there would be a strong enough push from the wind to tip it onto its side.

The effects were clear on an exposed area like the seafront – but even on relatively narrow streets in Dover, heavy wheelie bins were pushed to the ground.

Driving needed the greatest care and the streets were almost deserted because of the weather,

York Street near the Townwall Street junction had a puddle almost the size of a small pond and drivers only just had enough space to avoid it.