HAMPSHIRE took another soaking yesterday as unseasonal weather swept the south, as these pictures show.

Localised flooding caused problems for motorists and the county looks set to suffer about twice the normal average rainfall for August by the end of the month.

Emergency service bosses are warning drivers to take extra care with showers expected to continue for the rest of the week.

And with the bank holiday looming, the Met Office warned even heavier downpours could arrive for the weekend.

The weather, that has seen severe warnings issued in northern parts of England, has come from the Atlantic but forecasters said it was not linked to recent tropical storms in America.

Hampshire police said they received several reports of localised flooding in the county throughout yesterday but that there were no major incidents.

A Met Office spokesman said: "There was a line of showers that was tracking across southern counties and among those there were some fairly heavy ones.

"But we are not talking about prolonged periods of heavy rain and it hasn't been particularly threatening in terms of excessive amounts of rainfall.

"The south coast should be a bit more sheltered for the rest of the week but there is a system approaching on Friday that looks like it will bring fairly lengthy spells of heavy rain."

He added that despite the wet weather, which is almost double the monthly average, temperatures during the month had not been significantly down compared to previous years. Hampshire fire bosses, who are more used to dealing with heath and forest fires during August, have warned motorists to take extra care.

Leading firefighter Wayne Parsons, of the brigade's community fire safety department, said: "Unfortunately many drivers fail to appreciate the significantly greater risks when speeding along wet roads. Slippery surfaces combined with deep surface water presents road conditions that require a great deal of care.

"Slowing down, allowinggreater distances between vehicles, using dipped headlights and ensuring that tyres are regularly checked can all help reduce the risk of an accident."

However, the downpours which have topped up reservoir levels have been welcomed by Southern Water.