London flooding: Travel chaos as roads and stations closed after 'hour-long deluge'
The Met Office has issued a weather warning for a large part of southern England, stretching from Devon in the west, all along the south coast as far as East Anglia and as far north as Cambridgeshire and almost to Bristol.
Tuesday 13 July 2021 09:45, UK
People in London have faced delays getting home after flash floods following heavy rainfall closed several train and Underground stations.
Euston Station, one of the city's largest transport hubs, was closed after the intense downpours on Monday evening.
Heavy rainfall also forced Chalk Farm and Hampstead Underground stations in the north of the capital, and Wimbledon in the south, to close.
A Network Rail spokesperson said: "The line between Watford Junction and Euston has been closed and engineers are on site inspecting the track as the water recedes. As soon as it is safe to do so, we will have trains on the move again.
"We would advise anyone travelling this evening to check with their train operator or the National Rail Enquiries website for the latest information."
The flooding problems appear to be concentrated in southwest and northwest London, including boroughs such as Richmond and Kingston.
Videos of flooded streets and submerged vehicles have been posted to social media by people in South Hampstead, West Hampstead, Raynes Park, Friern Barnet, Isleworth and Wimbledon.
A Twitter user posted video of water pouring in down the stairs at Sloane Square tube station, while pictures have also emerged of people swimming in ponds created by the thunderstorms on Primrose Hill.
London Fire Brigade said it had taken more than 1,000 calls related to flooding.
A spokesperson for the service said: "We're asking people not to walk through or drive through the flood water. Flood water can be contaminated and vehicles can become unstable."
Cars were also filmed struggling to make their way through streets that appear to have turned into rivers after several inches of rainwater.
Twitter user @robwatkins said central Raynes Park was "very underwater" after "a deluge lasting more than an hour".
@CaptTamagochi, from the same area, warned anyone out driving to "beware", while @lunanana___ posted video of similar levels of flooding in South Hampstead, adding they had "never seen anything like this".
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for rain for a large part of southern England.
The affected area stretches from Devon in the west, all along the south coast as far as East Anglia and as far north as Cambridgeshire and almost to Bristol.
Flood alerts are in place for four areas, including Beverley Brook in the south London borough of Merton, Sutton, Kingston upon Thames, Richmond upon Thames and Wandsworth.
Alerts, which mean flooding is possible, have also been issued for the Lower Lee tributaries, the River Hamble and the Upper River Loddon.
The Met Office has not issued any flood warnings or severe flood warnings, however, and the weather could very swiftly take a turn for the better.
From Tuesday, temperatures could head up to 24C (75.2F) in central and southern England, and up to 18C (64.4F) in northern England and Scotland.
Wednesday is due to be even warmer - upwards of 26C (78.8F) in the South and 24C (75.2F) in the North.
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