Passengers are facing delays and potential cancellations after a train struck a tree blocking a railway line.

Southeastern confirmed the incident shortly before 4pm at Kemsing, near Sevenoaks.

The operator says trains are unable to run at all on the Maidstone East line between Otford and Maidstone.

Thameslink has also warned its services cannot run between Sevenoaks and Swanley via Otford and St Mary Cray towards London.

Trains are being rediverted but cannot call at Bat and Ball, Otford, Shoreham, Eynsford, St Mary Cray and Swanley.

It comes after a day of weather-related obstructions including one earlier on the line at Thanet Parkway left trains running between Canterbury, Dover and Ramsgate being delayed by up to 30 minutes or cancelled or revised at short notice.

Train operator Southeastern said disruption on the route was set to last until 11.30am.

The fallen tree was reported by a member of a public, and a railway signaller instructed a train crew to inspect the scene and confirm the blockage.

Southeastern said trains could not run from Ramsgate to Dover Priory and to Canterbury West, while trains from Canterbury West and Dover to Ramsgate could still run but may be delayed while passing the affected area.

Elsewhere in the county, the M2 London-bound has been partially blocked due to fallen tree, with slow traffic from Junction 6 at Faversham to Junction 5 for Sittingbourne.

Earlier, a fallen tree was blocking the London-bound side of the A2 between Dover and Lydden with police called to guide the flow of traffic around the obstruction. It has since fully reopened.

Meanwhile, ferry operators from the Port of Dover have warned of ongoing delays to services but ferries are still running.

DFDS says there are delays of up to one hour between Dover and Dunkirk, while there are 20-minute delays heading to Calais.

P&O and Irish Ferries say all services are operating with delays due to poor weather conditions in the English Channel.

Another fallen tree has blocked both ways on the A225 Tonbridge Road between the A21 Sevenoaks Bypass turning and St Julian Road.

Some of the county’s sports teams have been affected with Maidstone United’s 240-mile round trip to Salisbury falling victim to a waterlogged pitch in Wiltshire.

A weather warning is in place across Kent this weekend as the county is lashed by strong winds and rain from Storm Bert, with gusts as strong as 70mph predicted in some places.

A number of events have had to be cancelled because of the storm, with organisers opted against going ahead on safety grounds.

Despite the strong winds, ferry services from the Port of Dover remain unaffected.