Two metres of water had fallen on Wallington high street within minutes on Tuesday afternoon, but that was no deterrent for one plucky people carrier.
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Ploughing purposefully around the backed up cars who had sagely decided to turn away, our hero literally set sail into the great beyond by driving straight into it.
Amateur cameramen provided a sterling commentary of cheers, culminating in: “What a fucking bellend” as the vehicle began to float and bobbed away, sadly tooting its horn.
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Darlington Imoh had to be rescued from from his Vauxhall Zafira
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But fear not! For though our hero had to be rescued by fire fighters, he's emerged from his ordeal unscathed.
The 60-year-old "hugged and thanked" the crews who saved him, revealing the incident was "the closest I have come to death."
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The interior of Imoh's waterlogged car
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Two other drivers had to be rescued from their vehicles and the authorities attended numerous call outs for lighting strikes.
The weather also had a knock-on effect for trains and planes as well as automobiles, with commuters stranded by slow running services and Luton Airport passengers also experiencing delays.
Wednesday and Thursday are set to be fine and warm with the number of showers dropping. By Friday and the weekend things will be a bit more unsettled and noticeably cooler.
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Jack Taylor via Getty Images
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 08: A man wearing shorts and holding an umbrella walks through heavy rain in Westminster on June 8, 2016 in London, England. The Met Office has issued flood alerts for parts of the south east of England today as torrential rain hit parts of the country. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)
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Jack Taylor via Getty Images
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 08: A young man goes for a run during heavy rain in Westminster on June 8, 2016 in London, England. The Met Office has issued flood alerts for parts of the south east of England today as torrential rain hit parts of the country. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)
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Yui Mok/PA Wire
People are caught out in a heavy rain shower in Westminster, London.
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Yui Mok/PA Wire
People are caught out in a heavy rain shower in Westminster, London.
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Yui Mok/PA Wire
People are caught out in a heavy rain shower in Westminster, London.
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Yui Mok/PA Wire
People are caught out in a heavy rain shower in Westminster, London.
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Zoë Nihill-Gent
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Yui Mok/PA Wire
People are caught out in a heavy rain shower in Westminster, London.
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Rob Holmes / SWNS.com
Flash flooding in Caterham, Surrey. See National story NNFLOOD; A woman had to be pulled out the window of her vehicle and a Costa was surrounded in water as flash floods hit Britain. The woman became stranded in her Ford Galaxy in Caterham, Surrey, yesterday (Tue) afternoon and her partner had to pull her out of the driver's side. In the same town a Costa was also flooded as the high street and surrounding roads were hit with up to two feet of water. Around 10 customers were in the cafe, sheltering from the rain and drinking their coffees, as the water came pouring in. At least two schools suffered damage and shoppers� cars at the nearby Waitrose store were stranded because its car park was so inundated with water.
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Rob Holmes / SWNS.com
Flash flooding in Caterham, Surrey. See National story NNFLOOD; A woman had to be pulled out the window of her vehicle and a Costa was surrounded in water as flash floods hit Britain. The woman became stranded in her Ford Galaxy in Caterham, Surrey, yesterday (Tue) afternoon and her partner had to pull her out of the driver's side. In the same town a Costa was also flooded as the high street and surrounding roads were hit with up to two feet of water. Around 10 customers were in the cafe, sheltering from the rain and drinking their coffees, as the water came pouring in. At least two schools suffered damage and shoppers� cars at the nearby Waitrose store were stranded because its car park was so inundated with water.
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Rob Holmes / SWNS.com
Flash flooding in Caterham, Surrey. See National story NNFLOOD; A woman had to be pulled out the window of her vehicle and a Costa was surrounded in water as flash floods hit Britain. The woman became stranded in her Ford Galaxy in Caterham, Surrey, yesterday (Tue) afternoon and her partner had to pull her out of the driver's side. In the same town a Costa was also flooded as the high street and surrounding roads were hit with up to two feet of water. Around 10 customers were in the cafe, sheltering from the rain and drinking their coffees, as the water came pouring in. At least two schools suffered damage and shoppers� cars at the nearby Waitrose store were stranded because its car park was so inundated with water.
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Rob Holmes / SWNS.com
Flash flooding in Caterham, Surrey. See National story NNFLOOD; A woman had to be pulled out the window of her vehicle and a Costa was surrounded in water as flash floods hit Britain. The woman became stranded in her Ford Galaxy in Caterham, Surrey, yesterday (Tue) afternoon and her partner had to pull her out of the driver's side. In the same town a Costa was also flooded as the high street and surrounding roads were hit with up to two feet of water. Around 10 customers were in the cafe, sheltering from the rain and drinking their coffees, as the water came pouring in. At least two schools suffered damage and shoppers� cars at the nearby Waitrose store were stranded because its car park was so inundated with water.
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Yui Mok/PA Wire
People are caught out in a heavy rain shower in Westminster, London.