Travel chaos as torrential downpours sweep the south

Red “immediate action” flood warnings were issued for parts of south-east London and Essex as parts of the capital were expected to see a month’s rain fall in a matter of hours.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) said it received hundreds of calls to reports of weather-related incidents including lightning striking property, flooded homes and businesses and rising waters trapping vehicles.

There were reports of flooded streets as storms swept through, threatening disruption as voters head to polling stations.

An LFB spokesman said: “Crews are being mobilised to incidents as quickly as possible but the Brigade is appealing to people to only call 999 in an emergency - where there is a risk to life or property.

“Between around 1.30am and 3am our control officers took over 300 calls - around as many as they would receive in an average day.”

In just one hour, 20.5mm of rain fell in Bexley, East London, close to half the June average, with some parts expected to see multiple showers bringing a month’s rain on Thursday morning.

Flooding and signalling problems also caused travel chaos on rail services across south-east England.

South West Trains services to and from London Waterloo were cancelled or delayed by up to an hour.

Problems caused by the flooding were compounded by signalling problems at Surbiton.

Rail passengers at Clapham Junction said platforms and walkways were a “mass of bodies”, bewildered about services which simply disappeared from information boards.

One said: “The trains which did arrive didn’t match the ones on the displays so it was difficult to even plan alternative routes.

“It was difficult to even enter the station because an entrance had been closed due to flooding.

“You can’t blame the staff, who were doing the best they could with little information, but it’s a disgrace to have to put up with these conditions, trains arriving hopelessly late, and then being rammed into stiflingly full carriages - when they eventually arrived - and still paying top dollar.”

Southern Railway services through Clapham Junction have been disrupted for weeks because of industrial action and staff shortages.

The Environment Agency has issued four flood warnings covering rivers in Bromley, Sidcup and Basildon, and 22 flood alerts across of the South East.

Showers are expected to ease by 10am on Thursday morning before returning with similar intensity from 2pm.

The Met Office issued an amber “be prepared” warning of rain for part of Kent, Sussex and Surrey effective until 6am on Thursday, while a yellow warning covering the South East is in place until 6am on Friday.

Forecaster Luke Miall said: “If you draw a line from The Wash to the Isle of Portland everything east of that is in the firing line.

“A band of showers is coming across the English Channel and moving north-eastwards, that will bring some heavy downpours and localised surface flooding. There’s going to be a bit of hail in there too, so there’s quite a lot going on.

“If you’re in the South East, you definitely need your umbrella and possibly a pair of Wellington boots.”

The storms threatened widespread travel disruption across the south, with Abellio Greater Anglia, South West Trains and Southern all warning of major delays on some routes.

In London parts of the underground and overground railway were suspended due flooding.

There were reports of flooded streets across the capital with roads in Battersea, south-west London, Barking in East London and Lewisham under several inches of water.

Louise March tweeted that there was serious flooding in the Longbridge Road area of Barking and she was concerned over her property insurance.

She wrote: “I saw a car under water people helping to push it out if the water never seen this in the 15 years I’ve lived here.”

The storm caused major disruption to the capital’s travel network, causing problems for thousands of commuters during the morning rush hour.

The District line, DLR and London Overground were all suspended or delayed because of flooding.

Gatwick Express southbound services have been suspended because of “poor weather”.

South West Trains, Southern and TFL Rail are also suffering major delays because of the storms.

Many of London’s roads were affected by localised flooding, including the North Circular which was closed at Waltham Forest.

In Battersea, flood waters rose steadily after heavy rain began to fall after midnight, eventually flowing at knee height into ground floor homes on one street.

Mother-of-two Jodie Rose, 37, from Barking in east London, said flooding in her road following the heavy rain would hit voter turnout.

Mrs Rose, who is on maternity leave, told the Press Association that the floodwater in her front and back gardens contained sewage and her children were unable to go to school as a result.

“We can’t go outside into the garden, obviously, and the children are not at school today.

“It being polling day as well, I’m sure it’s going to have a big effect on Barking voters.”

Mrs Rose, a teacher, said: “My Nan is 89 years of age and she’s already said that she won’t be going out to vote.”

She said the water was knee-deep around her grandmother’s house and that the 89-year-old would not take the “risk” of going out to vote.

“The lady next door is disabled and she did say that she won’t be going out if it doesn’t subside. She said that she won’t be able to get out if it doesn’t subside a little bit.”

Mrs Rose, who has lived in Barking all her life, said she had never seen anything like it and that the flooding would make it difficult to reach the polling station.

“We’re hoping it (the water) won’t come inside my house but I feel sorry for my neighbours a few doors away - it’s definitely in theirs already.”

RAC spokesman Simon Williams said: “We have seen a massive uplift in calls for help, with hundreds of extra breakdowns in London, Kent and East Anglia as motorists suffer the consequences of flash floods and the knock-on traffic delays.

“Alternative routes have become badly affected by the sheer volume of vehicles as drivers try to avoid the jams, and sadly this has led to yet more breakdowns.

“In the South West, the situation around Glastonbury continues to be a challenge and we are working to help those who have broken down en route to the festival.”