Commuter chaos as three weeks’ rain heads for north in 24 hours

The Met Office is warning parts of northern England, the Midlands and north and east Wales could see up to 100mm (almost four inches) of rain fall today and into tomorrow.

Some areas could receive their average rainfall for the whole of September in 24 hours, raising the risk of flooding from rivers and surface water.

The Pennines are likely to receive the heaviest rain, leading to an increased risk of flooding for communities around the rivers Aire and Calder.

Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland are also facing more heavy rain and high winds overnight, the Met Office said.

In Yorkshire this evening, the rain badly hit transport services, with rail delays of up to an hour reported between Leeds and Manchester and delays on all routes through Shipley and towards Ilkley and Skipton.

No trains were running between Wakefield Westgate and Leeds, and passengers going home from Leeds to Harrogate were being told to travel via York.

Across England, the Environment Agency has issued more than 20 river flooding warnings for the Midlands, North East, North West and South West and more than 120 less serious flood alerts.

A significant number of flood warnings could be issued over the coming days as the wet weather looks set to persist over the UK until the middle of the week.

The agency is urging people to be prepared for flooding, keep an eye on local weather reports and sign up to its flood warning service. People are also being urged to stay away from swollen rivers and not to attempt to drive through floodwater.

An Environment Agency spokeswoman said: “The main area of concern has moved north, and tonight is focusing on North Yorkshire, but we could see impacts in Cheshire, Cumbria, North Wales, Manchester and Northumberland.”

Heavy rain overnight and today has led to more than 100 properties flooding, with some 42 properties in the South West, 35 in the Midlands and 20 in the South East hit by surface water floods.

There has been widespread disruption and long delays to rail services in the South West, the Midlands, northern England and Wales, with the lines between Exeter and Bristol, and Wakefield and Leeds among those hit.

Motorists were being warned not to drive through floodwater and take care on low-lying roads which were flooded. The AA said it had been called out to more than 200 vehicles driven through or stuck in floodwater.

Devon and Somerset Fire Service said it had responded to dozens of reports of flooding, mainly between 6am and 10am today.

Severe flooding was reported in the Guildhall Lane and Gramball Lane area of Wedmore, near Wells, Somerset, due to a swollen river - with water up to 3ft deep in some properties.

The Avon Fire and Rescue Service also said it had received a large number of calls, and people had to be rescued from cars in water and flooding in homes in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

Over 24 hours up to lunchtime today, Pennerley in Shropshire had received 71mm (2.8 inches) of rain.

Parts of the UK are also experiencing high winds, with gusts of up to 60mph inland and up to 70mph on the South East coast, and forecasters expect the severe gale conditions will spread to north-east England and eastern Scotland this evening.

Kew Gardens in London was closed today “as a precaution” following the forecasts for severe weather in the capital after a woman was killed at the gardens on Sunday by a falling tree branch.

The heavy rain and flooding is the latest to hit parts of the UK this year, which saw drought in the spring give way to repeated downpours leading to the wettest April on record and the wettest summer for 100 years.