Residents on two Greek islands insanely popular with British tourists have been told to stay at a home after a state of emergency was declared. Floods have struck Mykonos and Paros as local businesses were gearing up for the start of the tourist season, as storms swirled over the Aegean Sea, also affecting Crete and Rhodes.

Paros saw 70mm of rainfall in two hours, which has been described as the worst in two decades, as per The Telegraph. Around 40 cars were swept away in the port of Naoussa, according to the island's mayor, Costas Bizas.

Speaking to public broadcaster ERT, Mr Bizas said: "Roads have been damaged and we need help with more machines so that we can clear the streets," as per The Independent.

"All this catastrophe happened in two hours," he added.

Residents in Mykonos faced powerful winds and hail, whilst on Crete at least seven people had to be saved by rescue crews from cars trapped by floodwaters, as per The Telegraph.

The port city of Chania, on the north coast, saw the highest rainfall in the 24 hours leading up to Tuesday afternoon, according to aata from the National Observatory of Athens.

Meanwhile, Rhodes, an island in the in the Dodecanese beloved by British holidaymakers was hit with gale-force winds that knocked over trees, blew air-conditioning units of roofs, according to reports.

The brutal conditions saw schools were closed across multiple islands, including Mykonos  Syros, Symi, Kalymnos and Kos.

Ferry services were disrupted or halted altogether amid the hazardous conditions.

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