Thunderstorms brought another half an inch of rain to soggy Sussex overnight.

Dozens of fire alarms were triggered and roads suffered surface flooding but there were no reports of lightning strikes or damage.

There is no let-up from the wet weather in sight and the Met Office predicts more heavy showers for this week.

This autumn has been the wettest for more than 100 years.

Hove weather expert Ken Woodhams has recorded just under 22in since the beginning of September.

He said: "The nearest total to that was in 1935, when slightly less than 21in fell. My records go back to 1890 but I have found no autumn total to beat this year's."

This month has seen 5.7in of rain, almost 2in above the average for the whole of November.

Meanwhile, the Environment Agency has urged home-owners to prepare for further flooding as heavy rain was forecast to lash vulnerable areas.

Flood alerts have been issued for the River Rother at Robertsbridge, near Battle, and the Cuckmere at Exceat, near Seaford, and Hellingly.

A spokeswoman said: "Catchments across the region are still absolutely saturated so any heavy rain will bring more flooding.

"People who have suffered in recent weeks should be fully aware of the situation."

A number of roads were left under water, causing major traffic jams during this morning's rush hour.

Worst hit was the junction of the A22 and A27 at Polegate, where flooding coupled with roadworks caused severe delays.

Winds of up to 70mph battered the coast, causing widespread damage to properties.

In Hastings, a gust of wind blew a dustbin onto the busy A21 at Kent Road, causing a crash between a Southern Water van and a car.

Forecasters were predicting more wind and rain throughout today.