Cars are washed down the street as enormous floods hit Italy and Switzerland

Torrential downpours and extreme heatwaves this summer are seeing cars washed down roads and landscapes being devastated in weather chaos across Europe.

In the Lanzo Valleys, it has been raining for more than ten hours and the Stura River has swollen above safe levels, according to the Lastampa news site.

Meanwhile, in Lago della Torre, several landslides occurred and a shepherd was stuck at about 150 meters above sea level before being heroically rescued by firefighters.

Seven families who were at risk in two buildings near the Vassola stream had to be evacuated after it turned into a raging torrent. 

Violent storms hit a large area of ​​western Canavese, and in the Orco valley, the Noaschetta river swelled so much that the famous waterfall at the gates of the town ‘jumped’ the entrance bridge to the town centre and forced the closure of a main road.

Pictures from Sierre, Switzerland, show major flooding and a submerged motorway after The Rhone River overflowed following huge storms.

In Greece, a volunteer firefighter, 55, tragically lost his life after 45 wildfires broke out within hours of each other last week in an extreme heatwave reaching 42C.

Pictured is the flooding in Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta in Italy after hours of rain

The flooding in Noasca, Italy is seen above with raging water flooding the roads

An aerial view of an area affected by the flood of the Secchia river in Modena, northern Italy