Parts of south-east England are put on flood alert as the heavy rain that plagued parts of Wales at the weekend moves east.
The Environment Agency has issued three flood warnings, as well as more than 40 flood alerts, with no end in sight to the abnormally high levels of rain.
The warnings – which mean flooding is expected and immediate action is required – relate to two stretches of the River Mole, on the Surrey-West Sussex border, and at Barnham, near Chichester.
Gatwick airport is within one of the flood-warning areas, but the airport says it does not expect any impact on flights.
After serious flooding problems in mid Wales over the weekend, when about 1,000 people were moved to safety, and an evacuation at Pennal, in Gwynedd, amid fears that a giant reservoir might be breached, south-east England has taken the brunt of Monday’s storms.
The A33 near Basingstoke, Hampshire, is expected to be closed for up to 24 hours because of severe flooding under a railway bridge, and a number of roads in Sussex – including a stretch of the A27 between Chichester and Portsmouth, in neighbouring Hampshire – have also been closed.
Emergency cases at Worthing Hospital in West Sussex had to be diverted to hospitals in Brighton and Chichester for several hours because of flooding after nearly 12in (30cm) of rain – a month’s worth – fell in just 12 hours.
In nearby Littlehampton, basement flats were under nearly 4ft (1.2m) of floodwater, forcing their occupants to take temporary respite at a swimming centre.
The final day of the third Test match between England and the West Indies at Edgbaston, in Birmingham, was abandoned without any further play, and the first day of the pre-Wimbledon tennis tournament at Queen’s Club, in London, was also washed out.
The Environment Agency said it was keeping a close eye on the three locations considered most at risk but said it could not say how long the warnings would remain in place.
A spokesman said: “It is very difficult to tell, but there is continued risk of surface water and flash-flooding. But it is not like we are expecting bursting of river banks, although it is perfectly possible.
“We are asking people to be particularly careful when approaching areas where there are swollen rivers.”
Gatwick Airport Limited has posted a notice on its website, advising passengers to allow extra time to get to and from the complex.
But it added: “Gatwick airport has not been impacted by flooding… We are liaising closely with the Met Office and we currently do not anticipate any impact to flights at Gatwick.”
The Met Office says there is plenty more rain to come this week.
Severe weather warnings are in place for parts of southern England, with up to 80mm (3in) of rain possible in some areas.
A spokesman said there were 102mm (4in) in the 48 hours to Saturday morning in Trawsgoed in Dyfed – compared with the area’s monthly average of 78.5mm.
Channel 4’s weather presenter, Liam Dutton, says the abnormally stormy spell is a result of the jet stream – which dictates the route of weather systems – moving further south, sending low pressure towards the UK.
He said if it were to move north, it would bring more settled weather, but he added: “There are no signs of this happening for the next two weeks.”