THE heaviest December rainfall since 1979 has led to Hampshire police activating their Adverse Weather Office.

Hampshire Constabulary received 46 calls in the space of three hours after heavy rainfall created flooding and surface water on the roads. The force is working with its partners to co-ordinate and respond to problems caused by the wet weather and has been running the Adverse Weather Office at Netley.

According to Hursbourne Tarrant weather recorder Trevor Wheeler the 24 hours until 9am this morning yielded 37.8mm of rain – the highest December rainfall since 1979.

On the roads, motorists are being urged to plan ahead with more rain predicted for this afternoon: • plan ahead and allow extra time for your journey. This is especially important as heavy traffic is predicted this weekend for last minute Christmas shopping • do not attempt to cross flooded roads or floodwater • drive slowly through standing surface water to avoid creating wash which can cause problems for nearby properties Surface water and flooded roads Between 6am and 10am, the force received 46 calls relating to adverse road conditions. For the most part, these were to report surface water but have also included flooding in areas including: • Wallington, Fareham – drivers are currently unable to access the Sainsbury’s supermarket • Soberton High Street, Swanmore • Mill Lane, Lymington • Poles Lane, Otterbourne • The A32 under the M27 at Fareham has also been affected and may be affected again later Adverse Weather Office Chief Inspector Paula Hennighan-Finlay said: “We’ve been running the Adverse Weather Office at Netley since 5am today to co-ordinate a multi-agency response to the heavy rainfall. “This includes planning ahead in those areas that have been identified by the Environment Agency as being at risk of flooding and responding to incidents where they occur.

“Hampshire Constabulary has mobilised police officers and staff to ensure we have the right resources in the right place at the right time.”