FLOODING after torrential rain has blocked a city street.

A van has become trapped in flood water in Wickhurst Road in Portslade after rain descended in a sharp burst over lunchtime.

Lightning was also seen on the Brighton coast and thunder could be heard around the city.

Norma Pontin said she has not seen it so bad since she moved to Portslade in 1976.

The 80-year-old, of Mile Oak Road, said: “It is horrendous.

“I got soaked just getting to my front door.

“I was absolutely shocked when I tried to get through.

“There were wheelie bins floating in the water.”

The Met Office previously issued a weather warning for potentially torrential rain.

They warn heavy, thundery showers will turn locally torrential with the risk of hail this afternoon and evening across parts of Sussex.

A yellow warning for rain is valid from 1pm until 9pm today.

A spokesman said: "Whilst most places will miss the worst, please be aware of the risk of localised flooding."

They added the thunderstorm and flash flooding was the result of a “perfect storm” of warm temperatures and high pressure colliding in cumulus nimbus clouds.

“The worst of the storm hit to the western side of Brighton and we could see where the lightning was striking," the spokesman said.

“What people saw was exactly what we expected under the yellow weather warning.

“The levels of rainfall can be hard to quantify, but the weather warning stays in force until 6am so it might not be over yet.”

The Met Office's chief forecaster said: "Warm, moist air from the continent will be made more unstable by a system coming over it from the Atlantic, bringing the risk of 20mm or more in an hour and 50mm in a few hours."