- guardian.co.uk, Monday August 9 1999 01.41 BST
Torrential downpours yesterday brought flash floods and caused chaos on the roads in southern Britain. More heavy rain is expected this week, threatening to spoil the view of the solar eclipse on Wednesday.
Among the worst affected areas yesterday was Brighton, where homes were flooded by more than a foot of water on Saturday night, Sussex police said.
A band of heavy rain steadily moved north yesterday creating hazardous driving conditions for motorists. Flooding on the A5 between Dunstable, Bedfordshire, and Leighton Buzzard in Buckinghamshire was reported, while downpours also caused traffic problems in Buckinghamshire where High Wycombe registered 35mm (1.4ins) of rain in two hours. Flash floods also slowed down motorists around Exeter heading for the eclipse.
London was also badly hit, with several underground stations and lines affected by flooding and signal failures caused by the rain.
The Meteorological Office said last night that more heavy rainfall is expected across the country today.
