Just 72 hours after the hottest July day on record, Oxfordshire was hit by a torrential rainstorm which brought chaos across the county.

One month's worth of rain 40.8mm fell in just under two hours, with flash-flooding and lightning strikes as Oxfordshire suffered the worst of the storms which hit Britain on Saturday.

Last night, the Met Office warned we may be hit by similar storms again later this week.

Homes and shops were flooded, summer events were washed out, Botley Road in Oxford was shut, part of the ring road almost became impassable and other roads were submerged. Oxford United's pre-season friendly at Oxford City was washed out.

Firefighters took 160 calls in three hours and had to prioritise, responding only to emergencies where lives or property were in danger.

The storm swept sideways across the middle of Oxfordshire in the early afternoon.

It mirrored the flash-flooding and lightning strikes which hit the county on July 6.

Met Office spokesman Andy Bodenham said Oxfordshire suffered the worst storm in the UK.

He added: "Once again, Oxfordshire got more than a month's rainfall in a couple of hours and there seems to be a pattern emerging, with long periods of dry, sunny weather and above average temperatures followed by thunderstorms.

"We will see continued hot spells this week with the possibility of similar thunderstorms midweek."

In Oxford, Botley Road was closed in both directions from about 4pm after the section under the railway bridge flooded. Vehicles on the Osney Mead industrial estate were stranded after parts of Ferry Hinksey Road were submerged.

The flooding beneath the railway bridge caused tailbacks throughout the city centre, stretching from Hythe Bridge Street through Beaumont Street and Walton Street and, in the other direction, along Botley Road towards the Botley Interchange. Firefighters had to pump it out.

It was a similar story when a flash-flood created a 2ft deep pool under the Blackbird Leys Road/Barns Road bridge over the Eastern Bypass.

Traffic was stacked up in both directions and passers-by watched as cars had to mount the curb on the central reservation to get through the water.

Vans were able to continue normally but even then the water reached the grilles on the front of the vehicles.

Shoppers in the city centre were forced to run for cover but still did not manage to escape the damp in the Clarendon Centre, which partially flooded.

Lingerie store Bravissimo, in Broad Street, was forced to close after water seeped in.

A spokesman said: "No stock had been damaged and we were open for business yesterday."

At Boots the Chemist in Cornmarket Street, shoppers were evacuated due to safety fears because of thunder and lightning. Clothes store Republic also shut, together with the neighbouring pasty shop.

Visitors to the gym at the Ferry Sports Centre in Summertown were turned away yesterday because of flooding.

Ian Simpson, 61, of Beechy Avenue, Old Marston, said his road was severely waterlogged at the junction with Oxford Road.

"It's the worst flooding I have seen in 30 years," he said.

Homes off Botley Road were flooded. Maggie Roman, 79, of Old Botley, behind McDonald's in Botley Road, was flooded out for the fourth time in 40 years, and lost carpets, electrical goods, books and photo albums.

She said: "It all happened so quickly and now I'm making a list for the insurers. Thankfully the neighbours have been wonderful, helping me to clear up, so I'm putting a brave face on it."

Thunder, lightning and torrential rain also hit the Woodstock area and caused chaos within 30 minutes.

Roads rapidly became flooded, especially under bridges and in laybys, the A34 was awash, and visibility was reduced to a few feet.

Nearby Eynsham was also badly hit by the storm.

In Kidlington, there was flooding and power was lost for 90 minutes. The Kidlington Gala was rained off.

Justin Reay, a naval historian who lives in Cherry Close, Kidlington, said cars in his street were waterlogged and it was lucky homes escaped flooding.

He added: "The water was lapping our doorstep. The storm drains cannot cope with this and we need to plan ahead if this is going to be a regular occurrence in the future."

A tree was brought down in Wantage and many other trees shed branches in the wind.

There were also reports of flooding in Bicester.

Peter Cleary, Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service's risk reduction manager, said two houses and five trees were hit by lightning.

He said: "It really affected Oxford, Eynsham and Bicester, but not the south.

"We pulled fire engines in from around the county and had to prioritise life-threatening emergency calls and property protection calls."