Roads, schools and homes flooded as torrential downpours wreak havoc

Torrential downpours wreaked havoc in parts of Britain today, flooding homes and forcing schools to close as more than a month’s worth of rain fell in just 12 hours.

 

A deluge overnight and through the morning saw several roads closed as well as causing disruption to a hospital, while more heavy rain is forecast for this evening.

The Environment Agency issued 38 flood alerts and two more serious flood warnings with London and the south east bearing the brunt of the wet weather.

Forecasters predict that up to 3in (80mm) of rain will have fallen in the 24 hours up to 6pm this evening – almost one and a half times the total average rainfall for the whole of June.

In Littlehampton, West Sussex, holidaymakers and residents were forced to flee seafront homes after they found themselves 4ft deep in sewage.

Twenty-six properties, including bed and breakfast accommodation, were flooded in the coastal town, causing hundreds of thousands of pounds damage, as drains in the street overflowed.