British Big Brother housemates had to be moved last night after a "freak storm" flooded part of the house.
The Channel 4 show's nine remaining contestants were taken to a "holding area" within the Big Brother compound as a "safety measure".
After being removed from the Elstree house at 9.15pm yesterday, they were able to return to a makeshift bedroom almost four hours later.
Crucial areas of the house - the living room, which was swimming in water last night, the bedroom and the diary room - were still out of bounds this morning. Housemates had access to the task room, where they slept last night, the nest, the kitchen and the garden.
Fans who went on to the show’s website this morning were told the live stream was not working because of the weather.
Engineers were checking all the cables inside the house to make sure Steve, Josie, Dave, John James, Corin, Mario, Andrew, JJ and Sam could return.
The housemates discovered the rain was pouring in on them while they were lying in bed.
Josie told John James: “Do you think that’s the sound of the rain or the air conditioning?”
When Australian John James, who was lying next to her in the same bed, told her it was the rain, she said: “Oh my God, that’s amazing isn’t it? It’s nice to be snuggled up when it’s like that out there.”
But a second later, as the rain poured in, she shouted: “Oh my God, John, John.”
Jumping out of her wet bed, she turned to Mario, who shouted: “The house is leaking.”
Big Brother said: "Earlier in the evening the group had to be evacuated after a freak storm flooded certain parts of the house."
It added: "The Big Brother team are working as quickly as possible to get them back into the house and we're hoping that should be later today.
“Engineers are currently checking every single cable within the building and double-checking everything is in order and safe for our housemates before they return.
“Housemates will have access to the garden, the kitchen and the task room today and the nest will become a temporary diary room.”
PA