Several residents in Herne Bay were forced to leave their homes last night after their properties were flooded as a result of heavy rain.

Firefighters were called out to Mortimer Street, Central Parade and Richmond Street to pump out floodwaters.

Evacuees were assisted by the Red Cross.

The Environment Agency reported that Herne Bay was worst hit in the county, with more than 60 properties in the town, mainly basement flats, affected by surface water flooding.

Latest rainfall figures show that the area received up to 30 mm during the course of yesterday and overnight.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service have been leading the response, but the Environment Agency also sent six Incident Response officers who deployed five pumps in some of the properties.

Carl Lesniewicz, 34, a teaching assistant, of Richmond Street in Herne Bay said it was the second time he'd been flooded.

He was set to be put up in a hotel in Canterbury tonight.

Audio: Carl Lesniewicz, of Herne Bay talks about the flooding

The incident was not caused by flooding from the Plenty Brook and no flood watches have been issued for this stretch of river.

Tim Connell, Environment Agency area operations delivery manager, said: "This is clearly an upsetting incident for the residents who have been affected. Because of the severity of the property flooding we decided to deploy staff with pumps to help the response effort. The exact cause of the incident is still under investigation."

Have you been affected by the flooding? Send us your pictures or tell us your stories at hernebaygazette@thekmgroup.co.uk