Tourists on Gran Canaria have been warned to stay indoors following flooding, which has seen piles of mud and dirt cover streets and drag cars under bridges and into the sea

Rising floodwaters saw cars swept downstream as reservoirs burst their banks and covered entire neighbourhoods in sludge and debris. Seven beaches in Telde, Gran Canaria have been shut off to the public after the island was stuck by flooding which saw one car being swept out to sea.

The flooding has affected Gran Canaria’s 850,000 residents leaving streets buried under mud and debris, and vehicles submerged beneath bridges.

The Canary Islands government has placed the entire archipelago under a state of pre-alert for rain after flash floods swept through parts of Gran Canaria. On Monday more than 30 litres per square metre of rain fell in less than an hour in some areas of the island.

Published images show cars washed away by the floods in Gran Canaria, with its streets become raging rivers as water levels rise. Piles of mud and dirt have covered the streets as torrential rain battered the popular holiday island. The entire island of Lanzarote - the easternmost island of the archipelago - is also under a weather warning.

Severe flooding hit parts of the Canary Islands. Video filmed on Monday (March 3) shows a car being washed out to sea in Salinetas, Gran Canaria.