Warnings as snow falls across south-east England

Snow and sleet showers have fallen in parts of south-east England, causing tourist attractions to close and treacherous conditions for motorists.

Heavy snow showers settled in many areas including Rochester, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells in Kent, along with Hartfield and Ashdown Forest in East Sussex.

The Met Office warned that snowy showers "could turn quite heavy", with some areas seeing between 1cm and 3cm of snow.

It issued a yellow warning for ice and snow until 03:00 GMT on Tuesday as it anticipated the likelihood of "slippery surfaces in a few places".

The M2 closed westbound between junction 3 and 2 near Rochester due to a multi-vehicle crash in snowy conditions.

Some tourist attractions closed, including National Trust properties Ightham Mote, Chartwell and Knole in west Kent.

The Met Office said "a mix of sleet and snow showers" will move in from the east, with temperatures reaching "near zero".

Nina Ridge, BBC weather forecaster, said: "This weekend the weather took a sharp turn from wet and windy to cold and wintry.

"High pressure is pushing down from Scandinavia. This has set up today’s north-easterly wind.

"The sleet and snow will continue this evening but will eventually fade away overnight."

The rest of the week is forecast to be cold but dry and bright.

The UK Health Security Agency has issued a cold weather alert covering the whole of England until Friday.

National Highways South East is warning motorists to "prepare for journeys and adjust to the conditions".

Meanwhile, flood alerts are still in force in Kent, Sussex and Surrey after a week of heavy rainfall.

Thousands of homes and businesses are at risk of flooding in Surrey amid rising water levels along the River Thames.

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