Motorists have been warned to stay off the roads after cars were flooded overnight.
Heavy rains wreaked havoc across much of the country, cutting off villages and canceling trains.
Roads, such as the M23 between Crawley and Peasepottage, remain closed this morning and train services could be disrupted due to the continued rain.
Passengers were rescued from Plumpton, East Sussex, after the downpours flooded the village and railway line.
Chris Date thanked the British Transport Police for their help, writing on Twitter: ‘All canceled due to flooding, no buses and in the middle of the countryside. I’ll be in Haywards Heath at 11:30pm and it’s manic.”
Meanwhile, in West Sussex, the A27 between Emsworth and Chichester was closed in both directions.
Nearly 20 cars became trapped in deep floodwaters, according to the West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service.
Video shows abandoned vehicles with hazard lights flashing.
West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service posted on Twitter: ‘A27 CLOSED in both directions from Fishbourne, Chichester to Havant About 20 cars trapped in floodwaters.
Police on scene and road closed in both directions. We are present with specialist equipment to bring people to safety. AVOID THE AREA and travel only if necessary.’
Torrential rain has battered Kent, where motorists have been warned this morning of possible flooding conditions.
The downpours disrupted trains on lines such as London Victoria to Southampton and routes in and around Brighton.
Meanwhile, motorists have been warned by travel service Romanse of significant delays around the A27 and A3M near Havant, Hampshire, due to flooding from the rain.
Police in Winchester, Hampshire also said a large tree came down and blocked a road in Swanmore.
Meanwhile, as of Wednesday afternoon, the Environment Agency had issued three flood warnings and 43 flood warnings, mainly along the south coast.
The UK will suffer “miserable conditions” for the next two days.
The Met Office issued weather warnings as a downpour, which arrived in Cornwall on Wednesday afternoon, moved across the country and passed the east coast of Scotland on Friday.
Conditions could be ‘appalling’ for large parts of the country.
Forecasters warned roads, homes and businesses could be flooded and transportation services disrupted.
Another yellow rain warning then came into effect across much of the UK throughout the whole of Thursday, from 00:00 to 23:59.
This covers an area stretching from Birmingham, Lincoln and Hull to North Wales, Liverpool and Manchester, as well as the east coast up to the Scottish border.
The rain carries a slim chance of flooding homes and businesses, temporarily cutting communities off with flooded roads and disruptions to transportation, the Met Office warns.
A third warning will come into effect from 3pm Thursday to 6pm Friday for the east coast of Scotland stretching from the English border beyond Aberdeen with similar risks of flooding and transport disruption.
Met Office spokesman Craig Snell said: ‘The warning areas are where we are most concerned about flood risk, but that doesn’t mean the areas beyond won’t see some pretty horrific conditions.’
Mr Snell said there is a warning for the south east as ‘it has been quite wet there since early November and many places are already receiving more than their monthly share of rain’.
RAC roadside spokesman Rod Dennis warned motorists to ‘exercise extreme caution’ during the wet weather.
“The chance of being involved in a collision increases enormously in wet weather, and even more so when there is snow, so it is vital that drivers slow down, leave enough space behind the vehicle ahead and use their lights to make sure make them easy to drive. seen by other road users,” he said.
“The risk of aquaplaning, where a vehicle’s wheels lose contact with the road when skimming over still water, will be high, especially for those who don’t slow down to the right speed for the conditions.”
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