PHUKET: Strong winds are likely to lash Phuket this week and tourists are being advised by forecasters to reconsider small boat trips.

The warning comes from meteorologists and has yet to be endorsed by Marine Office 5 or the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.

Heavy rain yesterday left police in the southern district of Chalong picking up numberplates removed from vehicles by the flowing flood currents.

The deluge also left scores of arriving passengers stranded at Phuket International Airport as they met strong competition for transport.

Buses and taxis were stuck in flood tailbacks all over the holiday island, with some residents reporting that water reached higher levels than usual in regular monsoon inundations.

Forecasters said today that intermittent sunshine will be followed by heavy rain from Thursday through to Monday.

''Winds are likely to increase in strength in coming days to 40kph at times,'' a meteorologist told Phuketwan.

''That's why we suggest tourists who are planning trips in small boats assess any safety concerns carefully.''

Yesterday's deluge flooded parts of southern Phuket and Patong in all the usual low-lying places.

Officials reported no problems in the existing Central Festival Phuket underpass or at underpasses under construction, although work halted at the bypass-Thepkasattri Road Bang Koo intersection.