It is illegal to post pictures of storms online, authorities in the United Arab Emirates have warned.

Posting negative images or rumours about the recent flooding could be punished under the country's cybercrime laws, the interior ministry said.

Damaging the country's reputation online is punishable imprisonment and a fine of up to 1m Emirati Dirhams (£189,500), the International Business Times reported.

Cars are seen stuck in a flooded street in Dubai on 10 March, 2016 one day after a heavy rain storm hit the desert Gulf state, causing flights to be suspended and flooding roads (ALI KHALIL/AFP/Getty Images)

Men are seen pushing a car through a flooded street in Dubai (Reuters)

Officials said people were "spreading rumours" and behaving "irresponsibly" on social media.

Heavy rain storms hit the gulf state earlier this week, flooding roads and causing flights to be cancelled.

Chasing the world's wildest storms Show all 7 1 /7 Chasing the world's wildest storms Chasing the world's wildest storms Sioux City, Iowa, as the sun sets behind a doughnut-shaped supercell Chasing the world's wildest storms Lennox, South Dakota, on a day when more than 60 tornadoes were recorded Chasing the world's wildest storms Mulvane, Kansas. A tornado touches down for 11 minutes, tearing up the land and narrowly missing the white house in the foreground Chasing the world's wildest storms Falls City, Nebraska. As the sun sets, the bases of the individual updrafts become ragged as they feed up into the storm Chasing the world's wildest storms Murdo, South Dakota. A rope tornado touches down over the Badlands Chasing the world's wildest storms Grand Island, Nebraska Chasing the world's wildest storms Ogallala, Nebraska

Many have shared pictures of flooded roads and cars submerged in water.