A mammoth mopping-up exercise is under way in Worthing after flash floods caused chaos at the weekend.

More than two inches of rain fell in less than two hours on Saturday, flooding homes, businesses and a hospital.

Traffic ground to a halt as roads turned into mini rivers.

This morning most of the floodwater had drained away.

But silt on pavements, roadside puddles and sandbags in doorways acted as a reminder of the torrent of water which swept through the town.

Brian Wickings, 64, of Newland Road, Worthing, one of the worst-hit areas, was cleaning and repainting his house.

He said: "It was a pretty tense time. I was at work and my son, who is a fireman and was on duty, phoned and warned me about the possibility of flooding.

"I rushed home immediately. It was all right after the first downpour but then the second came. Within five minutes the water had reached up to the front and back door."

He said Homefield Park was like a reservoir and he put flood boards up to protect his home.

At Worthing Hospital the mortuary and postgraduate medical centre were flooded.

Pam Lelliott, spokeswoman for Worthing and Southlands hospitals, said today: "The lifts were switched off for 20 minutes because of concern about electricity. The mortuary was shut for an hour.

"The postgraduate medical centre is still closed and is being cleaned up at the moment. Floors, carpets and furniture were damaged.

"No areas where patients were being treated were affected."

Saturday's sudden cloudburst was so heavy that cars had to pull over as visibility was reduced to a couple of yards. The A259 coast road was swamped with several feet of water.

Families caught out on the seafront stood on the benches in the beach shelters in a futile bid to keep dry while others made a run for it and were soaked within seconds.

Packed town centre streets suddenly emptied as shoppers huddled under awnings or took shelter in doorways.

At the Half Brick pub, the garden was flooded to a depth of 2ft. Assistant manager Michael Phillips said people were trapped in the bar for several hours until the water subsided.

Cars heading towards the Aquarena were forced to drive on the pavement and grass verge to avoid stalling.

Heene Road was under water, along with Shelley Road and the Boundary Road-Manor Road junction.

Some families made the most of the deluge. Paula Snell in Lancing got the dinghies and lilos out as the car park near her home was transformed into a lake.

A charity fete in Steyne Gardens became a total washout while Homefield Park was turned into a lake.

At Woodside Road, home of Worthing FC, the entire pitch disappeared under water and a friendly match against Essex Senior League side Ilford was abandoned before it began.

Fire brigade Assistant Divisional Officer Ray Jackson said the Worthing station received more than 50 calls in 20 minutes.