Flash floods hit parts of Dorset

Cars were seen floating down the street in the early hours of this morning as the south coast was battered by violent storms just days after the UK was cooked by sunshine on the hottest day of the year.

Exhausted firefighters worked all through the night to help people out of their homes as torrential rain and lightning storms led to major flooding.

Crews from Dorset Fire and Rescue Service were called to a number of flooded properties in the middle of the night in Bournemouth.

A spokesman for Dorset Fire and Rescue Service said: "Crews have been out all over the county dealing with flooding after the storm, some crews travelling 40 miles from their home stations. We handled over 120 calls in the space of two hours with just four operators to hand."

Resident Melvin Lockey was walking home in West Howe, Bournemouth, in the storm at 1am when he witnessed the chaos.

The 32-year-old said: "I was walking down the street when all of a sudden I saw a car floating past me in the water. The streets in the area were just like rivers, the storm was so bad."

The flash floods erupted just three days after the UK faced one of the hottest days on record, with temperatures reaching highs of up to 36.7C. Ends