Heatwave ends with a bang

THUNDER, lightning and torrential rain brought an end to weeks of glorious sunshine.

The downpour this morning left roads awash and forced motorists to drive at a snail’s pace in the hazardous conditions, especially across the Pennine routes into Oldham.

The A62 and A627 were among routes affected by standing water, as was Oldham Way. The Sainsbury’s exit slip road and roundabout were badly hit, as was Waterloo Street where it passes under the bypass.

One motorist who arrived in Oldham at 7am, said: “The roads heading towards Oldham were like rivers.

“Visibility was really bad and we all had to slow down for about 10 minutes. Heavy rain after such a long period of hot, dry weather made the roads really slippery.”

The sharp change came after weeks of scorching temperatures, which yesterday hit 82F (28C) in Oldham and peaked at 33.5C at Heathrow - the hottest UK day since July 20, 2006.

Chronicle weatherman Damian Rodgers said the showers were set to continue for the next three days, but thw weather should settle on Friday for the weekend - though without the recent high temperatures.