Half a month’s rain in 24 hours leaves roads flooded

Some parts of south-east England have had more than half of their expected rainfall for the whole of September in 24 hours.

Goudhurst, in Kent, and Farnham, in Surrey, had 29.4mm (1.16 inches) and 28.4mm (1.12 inches), respectively.

A yellow Met Office warning for heavy rain in Kent, Sussex and Surrey, which was due to be in place until 23:59 BST on Friday, was lifted several hours early.

Several roads closed across the region due to the flooding.

In East Sussex, the A21 between Johns Cross and Baldslow was closed, according to National Highways.

While in West Sussex, the A24 was shut at Ashington due to flood water on the carriageway.

West Sussex Highways said a diversion route was in place and advised motorists to "drive to weather conditions and allow extra journey time".

A flood alert remains in force for Scrase Bridge and West Common streams in Haywards Heath and Lindfield, according to the Environment Agency.

A spokesperson said further showers were expected and "any river rise and flooding will likely occur quickly following intense downpours".

A waterfront cafe in Bexhill closed its doors on Friday due to the risk of flooding.

Oceanside Cafe wrote on its Facebook page that it was "unfair to put staff and customers in a position where we could get flooded in".

Gatwick Airport said at 12:45 BST it was seeing average delays on flights of around 40 minutes due to the weather.

Grahame Madge, from the Met Office, said: "Within the warning area we will see some heavy outbreaks of rain, possibly accompanied by lightning".

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