Motorists in London and the South were facing delays after heavy downpours caused chaos on the roads on Tuesday.

There were heavy bursts of rain in London between 0600 BST and 0800 BST and surface water caused rush-hour tailbacks.

Traffic tailed back 12 miles following a crash on the M40 eastbound between Buckinghamshire and London and drivers on the M4 were left negotiating large puddles.

The Environment Agency put 52 sites, mainly in the Anglian and Thames regions, on flood watch, the lowest level of alert.

It's good that there are no severe flood warnings, but there's always a possibility of more rain.

Joe Giacomelli, Environment Agency

Ten flood warnings were issued across England, five in the Midlands including warnings for the River Severn near Tewkesbury and the River Trent.

An AA Roadwatch spokeswoman added that the bad weather had caused a number of accidents.

She said: "It's particularly bad in the South East as far as the roads are concerned.

Surface water

"There is a lot of surface water around Reading which is slowing traffic on A4 and A239 and other main routes."

Joe Giacomelli, of the Environment Agency, said: "There are reports of surface flooding and flooding in St Ives in Cambridgeshire.

"We are concerned, but there has been less rain in the last 24 hours than predicted."

Forecasters say downpours are likely to continue, especially in Kent, Surrey and Sussex.