Shops, homes and the train station have been deluged by summer storms in Gravesend this weekend.

Social media users flooded Twitter and Facebook with shocking photographs of the flooding across the town. 

Sainsburys at Pepper Hill in Northfleet was flooded after the shop closed yesterday afternoon. 

A spokesman said the staff "soldiered on" and were open as normal this morning. 

Trains were cancelled at the station in Rathmore Road as commuters were forced to wade their way out of the station yesterday. 

Michelle Uylatt, a spokesman for Southeastern, said around 30 trains were affected by the "flash flooding" and replacement buses were put in place for commuters. 

She said the station was closed for an hour yesterday evening. 

Sainsburys at Pepper Hill in Northfleet was badly flooded and members of staff were seen taking pictures of the water entering the shop.

News Shopper:

Valley Drive is inundated (picture from Gravesend Memes on Facebook). 

Gandhi Indian Restaurant in West Street near the river and Card Factory in New Road were also flooded.

Thames-side firefighters were called out to Peacock Street last night just after 10pm to two period homes which had ceilings fall down in the storms.

White watch manager Vicki Brown told News Shopper two crews stayed at the homes for two hours and made sure they were structurally sound.

She added: "The owners thought the homes had been hit by lightning but upon investigation we found that was not the case.

"We checked the homes and the rainwater was coming through the roofs.

"We gave the owners advice."

News Shopper:

St George’s Square town centre manager Graham Long said: “I got caught it in after going to a garden party and it was torrential.

“Gravesend’s retailers have been very resilient overnight and through this morning in getting cleaned up, dried out and re-opened for business.

“Only a handful of businesses are still closed from storm damage – The Robert Pocock Pub in Windmill Street is having its carpets dried and a roof repair done, Card Factory is shut, and Shoe Fayre on the High Street is still closed but the rest of the town is up and running as normal.”   

'My road turned into a river'

Photographer Rich Cottee, 50, told News Shopper:  “My road, Parrock Street, always turns into a river whenever it rains.

“I looked out my window yesterday afternoon and it was worse than normal.

“My neighbour’s flat downstairs was flooded, by about a half a foot. It looked quite bad.

“Kent County Council has designed it so there a drain in the middle of the road which often causes some difficulties.”

Five shops at Thamesgate Shopping Centre in Gravesend were flooded. 

News Shopper:

Manager Neil Avis said: “With a storm of that nature you expect a little bit of a problem.

“I am aware that the storm drains weren’t coping but I don’t think any storm drain would cope with that storm.

“It started at 4.20pm just after we closed at four. For an hour there we got battered.

“Myself and four other staff were there until 11 o’clock.

“We were sweeping and vacuuming up the water and dispersing it as best we could.

“It was a magnificent effort from our staff to get the centre up and running again this morning.

“The drains and the streets look very clean today.

“There was no power outage and all electrical circuits were ok.”

Do you have anymore pictures or were flooded? Call the newsroom on 01689 885 726 or email melissa.hills@london.newsquest.co.uk