UK weather live: Flooding chaos as roads and schools shut with Met Office warning of more heavy rain
The Environment Agency has issued 32 flood warnings after Monday’s deluge
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Flood warnings continue across parts of the UK, after extreme rainfall on Sunday and Monday caused roads and schools to close and wreaked transport chaos on commuters.
The autumn equinox coincided with heavy downpours as the Met Office warned “heavy rain is expected to produce some flooding”, with the Environment Agency issuing 32 warnings and 94 flood alerts.
On Monday, an amber and yellow weather warning remained in place across most of England and Wales until the end of Monday, with several schools up and down the country expected to remain closed on Tuesday.
The A421 in Bedfordshire is closed in both directions between A6 and M1 J13 due to flooding. Also, the A505 in Hitchin, Elton Way in Watford and the A404 between Chorleywood and Rickmansworth were all shut on Monday morning for the safety of road users, Hertfordshire County Council said.
Dan Harris, deputy chief meteorologist at the Met Office said on Wednesday and Thursday “unsettled weather is set to return as further frontal systems move in from the Atlantic, bringing showers or longer spells of rain to many parts of the UK”.
‘Sinkhole’ seen on AFC Wimbledon’s pitch
Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup third-round tie between AFC Wimbledon and Newcastle has been postponed due to extensive flooding that caused what looked like a sinkhole to open up on the pitch at the Cherry Red Records Stadium.
Below is a video of the pitch.
At least 45 homes evacuated in east and southeast of country
At least 45 homes have been evacuated due to flooding in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Kent, and the Home Counties.
Environment Agency flood duty manager Sarah Cook said: “Due to heavy persistent rain and thunderstorms, there have been localised surface water flooding impacts in parts of England today. Environment Agency teams are out on the ground, and ready to support local authorities in responding to surface water flooding.
“We urge people to plan their journeys carefully, follow the advice of local emergency services on the roads and not to drive through flood water – it is often deeper than it looks and just 30cm of flowing water is enough to float your car.”
Minister thanks emergency workers for battling floods
Anneliese Dodds, Labour MP for Oxford East and minister of state for development, has thanked the emergency services in her local area for dealing with the floods.
I am very concerned by the levels of flooding in Oxford and the impact this is having on local residents, schools and businesses.
— Anneliese Dodds (@AnnelieseDodds) September 23, 2024
Thank you to all the @OxfordCity , @OxfordshireCC , @EnvAgency emergency workers who are battling to deal with this. Please stay safe. pic.twitter.com/jKMdM6AGl6
Wimbledon pitch flooded
AFC Wimbledon’s Carabao Cup tie against Newcastle United has been postponed after “extensive overnight flooding” has caused a sinkhole near one of the corners of the ground.
London fire brigade respond to over 300 calls
London Fire Brigade said its 999 control officers have taken around 350 calls to flooding across the capital.
Firefighters have attended incidents in areas such as Ruislip, Uxbridge, Wimbledon and Carshalton.
The service said these included rescuing people trapped in cars, assisting people from their homes and responding to flooding in underground stations, roadways, residences and commercial properties.
Man saw a ‘wave of water' heading towards him
A man from Northamptonshire has described the moment he saw a “wave of water” heading towards him during flooding on Sunday night.
Tim Maher and his partner Carol Findon, from Grendon, saw their two-storey home partially submerged overnight with more than a foot of water.
Mr Maher told PA: “We’ve had an awful lot of rain in recent days and some forecasters were warning we could see a month’s worth of rain in 24 hours.
“I have an app on my phone which tracks river levels and at around 8:45pm it rocketed up. I decided to drive down to the bridge and saw the water breaking the banks and coming down the road towards me.
“I quickly turned around, drove home and put up a flood barrier we’ve got up against the door. It kept out a lot of the water but we’ve had about an inch overnight. We’ve had some damage to the carpets, settees and other furniture. The most difficult bit will be drying out the structure.
“We haven’t had much sleep and at least eight houses on our road have been impacted. It would be nice to get a permanent solution to this problem.”
Hairdresser says floodwater reached knee height in Bedfordshire
A hairdresser was cleaning up mud outside her salon in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, on Monday morning after floodwater reached knee height on Sunday.
Kirsty Brewer told the PA news agency it was the fourth time the business had flooded in the last six or seven years and the first time it caused thousands of pounds of damage.
The 31-year-old, who rents a chair in the business, said: "It started yesterday afternoon when the whole of Dunstable was flooded. It was up to your knee deep, the road comes down so we're sitting in a bit of a well.
“We don't open on Sundays or Mondays, so it's not affected business in that way, it's just a big clean-up. It was full of mud when we got here at 9am.
"This is the fourth time that it has happened in the last six or seven years, so we've got all the electricals up, we're prepared. We know how to handle it. Because we are a listed building we're not allowed a floodgate. The first time that it happened it was thousands of pounds worth of damage. It happened last year, it's like a once-a-year thing."
The latest in pictures
Updated list of flood warnings
There are now 17 flood warnings across England, where flooding “is expected” and 68 alerts where “flooding is possible.”
if your area has a flood warning, the government advises in some circumstances to turn off your gas, electricity and water supplies. Move your family, vehicles, pets and important items to safety and follow advice from your local council or the emergency services.
Here is everywhere affected:
- Bunches Brook from Broadway to Childswickham
- Grendon Brook catchment including Yardley Hastings, Denton, Bozeat, Easton Maudit and Grendon
- Kidbrooke Stream at Forest Row
- Low-lying areas close to Clipstone Brook at Leighton Buzzard
- Mill Brook from the Hagbourne Mill area to Winterbrook
- River Anker at Mancetter, Witherley and Atherstone
- River Flit, River Hit and River Ivel at Shefford and Clifton
- River Ivel at Langford
- River Lee at Harpenden
- River Lee at Luton
- River Medway between Forest Row and Penshurst
- River Ouzel at Bletchley and Caldecotte
- River Ouzel at Leighton Buzzard, Stoke Hammond and Great Brickhill
- River Teise in Lamberhurst and Goudhurst
- Water Eaton Brook at Water Eaton
- Wider area at risk from Clipstone Brook at Leighton Buzzard
- Yeading Brook East at South Ruislip
Car left ‘stranded’ overnight in London downpour
The London Fire Brigade had to rescue a stranded car overnight near Croydon.
An image shared by the service shows the vehicle mostly underwater on Manor Road, in Wallington.
They warned drivers that just a foot of water moving 6mph could float a car.
We attended this vehicle stranded in floodwater overnight on Manor Road in #Wallington 🚙⚠️
— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) September 23, 2024
If you're out on the roads today, please do not drive through floodwater
A foot of moving water at just 6mph is enough to float a car. Always try and find an alternative route. pic.twitter.com/gsEiHhsufg
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