Rain lashes south of England

Overnight thunderstorms have broken the heatwave and the going will be soft for the first day of the extended Jubilee Royal Ascot today.

Thunderstorms lashed the South-East hours after several European royals attended last night's Jubilee dinner at Windsor Castle.

The Queen and her fellow royal racegoers faced equally heavy going once they left their horse-drawn carriages today. Simon Williams at the London Weather Centre said nearly 10mm of rain had fallen in an hour in some parts of London. "The ladies in their spiked heels might be in a spot of trouble," he said.

Mr Williams predicted that cloud would clear gradually and the sun will dry the ground.

Yesterday London basked in the hottest temperatures since last year - a muggy 29C. Railtrack ordered trains to slow to as little as 20mph because of the risk of rails buckling in the heat, causing havoc on commuter lines into the capital.

A spokeswoman for Connex said: "There were no cancellations but there were delays because of the sun."

Forecasters predict tomorrow will be dry and warm. Sea breezes will keep coastal areas a little cooler.

Ladies' Day at Ascot on Thursday will be warm with sunny spells, but showers and isolated thunderstorms could spread northwards across parts of the South-East late in the day.