'Never seen anything like it': Dozens of cars flooded in hospital car park

Dozens of cars have been pictured in a flooded carpark after torrential rain “never before seen” by locals.

The incredible images come as the UK experiences flash flooding during an almost record-breaking heatwave.

England’s south has seen some of its hottest days in a decade late last week and across the weekend with temperatures hitting the high 30s.

“Friday saw 36.4C recorded at Heathrow and Kew Gardens, the hottest August day since 10th August 2003 (38.5C, Faversham), while 34.5C was recorded on Saturday and 34C on Sunday,” the UK’s Met Office said.

A level three heatwave health warning was released.

On Monday (local time) the Met Office warned of thunderstorms “away from northern Scotland warning of the risk of heavy showers, frequent lightning and gusty winds with 30 to 40mm of rain possible in an hour”.

Chief meteorologist Steve Ramsdale said a second yellow thunderstorm warning is also in place for parts of North West England, North Wales and West Midlands where “the worst of the storms are likely to occur”.

“Here exceptional rainfall totals could be seen of 60mm in an hour with a very small chance of 150mm of rainfall in three or four hours,” he said.

Between 7-8am on Wednesday, some parts of Scotland received up to 32mm.

Video shot by locals in Edinburgh show streets covered in rain water.

On Facebook, a man posted photos of cars swallowed up in the rain while parked outside Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy.

“Never seen anything like it. Absolutely awful,” one woman wrote.

Another woman called the conditions “scary”.

Edinburgh resident Sarah Gallacher filmed wild lightning strikes.

One woman said it “looked like a fireball”, while others called it “stunning” and “amazing”.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency issued 17 flood alerts for areas including Dundee and Argus, Central Scotland and Aberdeen City.

The Met Office also issued an amber alert for thunderstorms with flooding, lightning strikes and hail possible on Wednesday (local time). That’s worse than England’s yellow alert.

The Met Office said last week’s heat wave has made for perfect conditions for summer storms in England.

Some areas have already received a drenching.

The UK’s Environment Protection Office’s flood risk manager Andy Brown told The Telegraph the Burrow Beck waterway in Scotforth, in England’s northwest, rose by almost a metre in less than three hours.

England is also due for hot conditions to continue throughout the week with Brighton, one of the areas affected by the severe heatwave last week, forecast to hit 28 degrees on Wednesday. Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, Greater London, could hit 33C.

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