Surrey battled valiantly in the bitter cold but the weather finally got the better of them in their clash with Lancashire at the Brit Oval.

A new-look home attack made good inroads into Lancashire's batting but bad light and subsequent rain put paid to their efforts shortly after Andrew Flintoff became the sixth man out.

Flintoff was dismissed for a quickfire 23 as Lancashire struggled towards their target of 388 to avoid the follow-on in the LV County Championship contest.

England all-rounder Flintoff's run-a-ball effort concluded when he edged a doosra from Saqlain Mushtaq and was taken at first slip.

Moments later Lancashire were offered the refuge of the dressing room, which was accepted at 241 for six.

It was not the kind of day that Surrey's new signing Pedro Collins had experienced before in a career with Barbados and West Indies, so he could be excused for wearing three sets of performance underwear beneath his shirt.

"Today was pretty nippy," said left-armer Collins, who added Stuart Law to his second-day dismissal of Iain Sutcliffe. "Your eyes are watering, your nose is running and your hands are freezing.

"But I am here to do a job so you have to tough it out and concentrate.

"Even some of the guys who play here all the time were complaining it was too cold."

Surrey struck a pre-lunch triple blow in their quest to dismiss their opponents in sharp enough time to maintain chances of victory and added two more in the afternoon session.

Replying to Surrey's imposing 537 for five declared, Lancashire lost Paul Horton, nightwatchman Gary Keedy and Mal Loye on a gloomy third morning in London.

Former England bowler James Ormond earned an early-morning breakthrough after creating one previous chance to no avail.

After Surrey captain Mark Butcher spurned a low chance at first slip off Ormond with Keedy on 18, a glove behind accounted for Horton, who justified his selection as opener ahead of former captain Mark Chilton with a crisp 59 off 76 deliveries.

"First of all it was nice to be picked, then get out there and get a start," Horton said. "It is nice to have some competition, we are all vying for places, all under a bit of pressure and I think that is healthy for a squad like Lancashire.

"I don't feel like an opening batsman; I am happy when I am in the team and then I will bat anywhere.

"I have had most success opening the batting so perhaps they have picked me where they see I am better. I was never an opening batsman by trade, it has come about by default."

Seam movement was more prominent than it had been on the first couple of days and a lack of sunshine gave no respite from the chill.

Surrey's young all-rounder Chris Jordan nevertheless worked up a pace from the pavilion end and accounted for left-hander Keedy with a full delivery which cartwheeled off-stump.

Lancashire then lost Loye in Jordan's next over, the 35th of the innings, when Brad Hodge's push into the covers allowed substitute Chris Schofield, a former Lancashire player, a shy at the stumps at the striker's end to devastating effect.

Australian duo Stuart Law and Hodge dug in after the three quick dismissals, which came in a nine-over spell at the cost of a dozen runs.

They shared 92 runs for the fifth wicket, in fact, either side of lunch, which included Hodge hauling Saqlain over midwicket for six.

But Law perished when he drove Collins uppishly to mid-off and was well held by Mark Ramprakash, sprawling to his left.

Flintoff applied the accelerator almost from his arrival at the crease, hitting Jordan for three consecutive fours: a dab to third man followed by a back-foot drive and a flick to long leg.

But the 30-year-old, hoping to prove form and fitness ahead of the first npower Test against New Zealand at Lord's, succumbed when he closed the face of the bat playing Saqlain to the leg-side and was snapped up by Butcher.