The 30-minute summer deluge which forced Sunderland and the A19 into a standstill in 1980

It might have been the height of Summer, but Wearside was drying out after one of the wettest half hours in its history in 1980.

It was so dramatic that darkness fell at 4pm.

Rivers of rainwater threatened to flood houses

Then, Sunderland was given a soaking by a flash flood storm which reduced traffic to a snail’s pace.

It turned fields into mudbaths, and had householders watching anxiously as rivers of rainwater threatened their homes.

The flash flood hit drivers of some cars whose windscreen wipers were unable to cope with the power of the rain.

Chaos on the A19 near Hylton Bridge

Queues developed on the A19 north of Sunderland’s Hylton Bridge as traffic was forced to move cautiously by the depth of the floods.

Hundreds of motorists broke down when their electrical systems cut out after hitting puddles.

Drains flooded in Grindon Village, and householders stood by to ward off swirling water.

Post Office engineers were working at the Hylton exchange to repair hundreds of telephone lines.

Road blocked after drains collapsed

Durham Road shops were forced to close and North Road was blocked off after underground drains collapsed.

It was a scene of chaos and we want to know if you remember it.

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