Month's rain in single day washes away the summer

INDIAN summer heatwaves were swept away yesterday, after the country was lashed by more than a month’s rain in a day

- Chris Riches

An amber warning for thunder storms was issued across parts of Devon and Somerset as lightning, hailstones and floods pounded the area.

It came after the South West was battered by torrential downpours yesterday, with flooding in South Devon.

Sandbags

More than 3.9in of water was feared in the region by midnight in an area where the average rainfall for September is only 3.6in.

Dramatic pictures showed lightning bolts flashing above a replica of Sir Francis Drake's Golden Hind Tudor galleon in Brixham Harbour, Devon.

Exeter Airport was forced to close after travellers stood with water up to their ankles in its flooded terminal.