The swollen Benamargosa river in the region of Malaga swept dozens of cars away on Wednesday as heavy rain caused havoc in southern and eastern Spain. Emergency services in Malaga have moved 3,000 people from homes at high risk of flooding near the Guadalhorce River west of the city,

The famous Costa del Sol including the tourist resorts of Marbella and Estepona has faced the brunt of the extreme weather phenomenon known as a DANA, a cold drop which was the cause of the catastrophic flash floods which killed more than 200 people in and around the east coast city of Valencia alone.

Coastal areas of Valencia were placed under the highest alert on Wednesday evening, with up to 7 inches of rain in the forecast.

The UK's Foreign Office has also issued a warning to travellers with more rain forecast to hit the flood-stricken country.

New storms in Spain caused school closures and train cancellations on Wednesday, two weeks after flash floods in Valencia and other parts of the country killed more than 220 people and destroyed thousands of homes.