FLASH flooding brought travel chaos to Inverclyde yesterday as heavy downpours blocked main roads.

Torrential rain in the early hours caused treacherous conditions and the district's two main roads had to be closed down, while rail services were called off and buses badly disrupted.

In Greenock the A8 was blocked by floods at the notorious East Hamilton Street hotspot and outside the fire station, with stranded cars having to be salvaged.

Parts of the road at Dellingburn Street were washed away and nearby Baker Street was shut.

In Port Glasgow the main road was underwater at the Newark Roundabout beside Ferguson's and the industrial estate at Kelburn was once again left marooned and there was flooding in the Glenburn/Lower Mary Street area and Dougliehill Road was closed.

On the main road, maintenance agency Amey drafted in tankers and incident support vehicles to tackle the deluge.

People travelling to and from Greenock had to divert through Gibshill and the east end, but found that several side streets were also impassable.

Parts of Kilmacolm Road, near Leven Road and Strone Crescent, were turned into mini lakes and a torrent of water was gushing down the road at Whinhill Station, where water reached the platform height at one stage.

At the other end of the town, Eldon Street was closed at Battery Park and there was also flooding on Larkfield Road outside Inverclyde Royal Hospital, with traffic diverting through the housing estate at Bournemouth Road to get through.

Business were also hit by the torrent, with a huge part of the car park at the Morrisons supermarket completely submerged and The Cottage Cafe bistro at Pottery Street forced to close.

Water also built up at the foot of Bow Road, on Grieve Road, along Brougham Street under the bridge, on Inverkip Road, Drumfrochar Road and Nelson Street as the local drainage network was overwhelmed.

Inverclyde Council said: "Many routes and areas were affected by flooding due to severe and prolonged rainfall experienced overnight and early in the morning.

"We had teams out doing what they can to alleviate the situation and support partner agencies."

In the south west, the main road A78 was shut at Bankfoot Roundabout near Inverkip in both directions.

Vehicles diverting along the coastal route at Cloch Road faced long delays, due to surface water blocking parts of it.

Things were no better on the railway, with Branchton Station flooded, blocking the Wemyss Bay line and seeing all trains cancelled.

Severe flooding at Bishopton then closed the Gourock-Glasgow line as well.

In Larkfield a torrent of water was strong enough to move a vehicle parked on the street.

The waves also washed away bins that had been left out for collection, leaving behind a trail of debris.

Resident Larry Barilli, 87, said: “The rain was really heavy about four o’clock in the morning and I couldn’t believe it when I got up later on.

“The car was lifted up by the water and crashed into the wall

“I was lucky that mine was parked round the corner.

“We always gets it badly about once a year but I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Bus services were also hampered during the day, with McGill's confirming seven routes were affected, with the 901 and 906 buses suspended.

The Midton/Trumpethill bus was not able to take its usual route through Gourock and in Greenock the 517 was blocked from accessing Cumberland Road while the 543 was unable to serve streets in the east end.

Rain stopped during the morning, but road closures remained in place well into the late afternoon, with one lane of the A8 finally reopening after 2pm and a major mopping up operation continuing elsewhere.