HAMPSHIRE residents were forced to batten down the hatches over the weekend as torrential rain and high winds battered the county.

More than an inch of rain fell across Hampshire in a 24-hour period.

Roads across the county disappeared under water as drainage systems struggled to cope with the sheer volume of rain.

Eastleigh, Winchester, South-ampton and the New Forest were all hit by flooding.

Traffic came to a standstill in Woolston after a road was turned into a "river" by torrential rain.

About 18 inches of rainwater filled the road under the bridge on Bridge Road, bringing traffic to a halt in both directions.

Cars were flooded and pedestrians soaked as they tried to pass under the bridge, which leads to the local shopping centre.

Shop owner Graham Dowse said that the drainage problems were causing misery for road users, shop keepers and pedestrians.

He said: "Every time it rains heavily, the road floods and it looks like a river. The simple matter is that the drains can't cope with the sheer volume of rainwater.

"It's been a problem for around 15 years now and nothing has been done about it. The road has flooded three times in the past week alone.

"It causes misery for everyone in the area - cars get swamped, shops flood and anyone walking along the side of the road gets absolutely drenched."

Mr Dowse's shop, Graham's Fine Collectables, was also flooded as water levels continued to rise.

He added: "My carpets are soaked. I am having to run two dehumidifiers just to dry the place out. It makes me mad that it keeps happening."

Meanwhile, Asda in Fareham was forced to close for a few hours yesterday morning after the Newgate Lane store flooded.

Surprisingly, it was a quiet weekend for Solent Coastguard.

A spokesman said: "Luckily heavy weather tends to keep people away from the Solent.

"The only boats that braved the heavy weather were mostly commercial ships and they are designed to be able to withstand the weather. Most people are fairly sensible when it comes to going out in heavy weather."

Met Office forecasters said gales had failed to reach predicted highs of 75mph. The peak gust recorded was 54mph in Odiham, north Hampshire.