Further severe weather warnings issued by the Met Office

The Met Office has issued further severe weather warnings for Kent for the rest of today and tonight (Tuesday) but also for the rest of the week. The warning is for heavy snow and icy roads, with fresh snowfall predicted of up to 15cms on higher ground and 5-10cms locally over the next 48 hours.

Please keep checking this site for further news of more school closures, plus details of likely transport chaos for long-suffering commuters. Trains were severely delayed earlier today from Paddock Wood, Marden and Staplehurst and your return journey home is certain to suffer from delays and cancellations.

A spokesman for SouthEastern earlier said: "We have had a combination of ice and snow and this is causing problems on the line. It is freezing overnight and creates a layer of ice on the conductor rail which acts as an insulator and the shoe cannot pick up the electricity. Network Rail have a responsibility for the rail and are running de-icers during the night but as soon as there is a downpour of rain or snow it instantly freezes because the conductor rail is very cold and it is extremely difficult to run trains. The high-speed service is performing better today (Tuesday) and we are transferring passengers from the main line to the HS1 service at no extra charge. Across the world we are the only country that has a third rail system outside a city. We have to manage to the best of our abilities with the current track. To put in overhead cables or power lines will costs billions but we have to manage with what we have. There should be someone at the station saying what is happening with the trains."