UK weather live: Flooding travel chaos as roads shut and London trains delayed amid Met Office amber alert
Some schools across England have been forced to closed following flooding
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Floods have caused travel chaos across the country with drivers being told to find alternative routes to London after extreme rainfall overnight.
The autumn equinox on Sunday coincided with heavy downpours, as the Met Office warned that “heavy rain is expected to produce some flooding” with an amber and yellow weather warning in place.
Southern railway lines were flooded earlier today disrupting commuter’s journeys throughout the morning. All lines have now re-opened but there are still delays of up to 40 minutes and some cancellations.
Four Underground lines, including the Overground and Piccadilly lines, are still part-suspended while drivers were asked to find alternative routes into the capital after National Highways said the northbound entry slip road from the M25 at junction 10 was closed due to flooding.
The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for rain from 05:00 BST until 23:59 on Monday across Kent, Surrey and Sussex. A more severe amber warning covers Gloucestershire, London, Northamptonshire, the East of England and Oxfordshire until 21:00.
There are 17 flood warnings in place and 70 flood alerts.
Environment Agency warn of ‘significant’ flooding
The Environment Agency has warned of “significant” flooding on Monday across parts of England.
Flood duty manager Sarah Cook said “persistent heavy rain and thunderstorms” could lead to some property flooding and travel disruption.
She said: “Persistent heavy rain and thunderstorms could lead to significant surface water flooding on Monday across parts of England.
“The impacts could include localised flooding in urban areas and fast-responding catchments, including some property flooding as well as travel disruption. The risk from river flooding remains low.
“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.
“People should check their flood risk, sign up for free flood warnings and keep up to date with the latest situation as well as following @EnvAgency on X, formerly Twitter, for the latest flood updates.”
Areas covered by amber rain warning
The following areas come under the amber warning for rain:
East Midlands
- Derby
- Derbyshire
- Leicester
- Leicestershire
- Lincolnshire
- Northamptonshire
- Nottingham
- Nottinghamshire
- Rutland
East of England
- Cambridgeshire
- Peterborough
London & South East England
- Oxfordshire
South West England
- Gloucestershire
West Midlands
- Herefordshire
- Shropshire
- Staffordshire
- Stoke-on-Trent
- Telford and Wrekin
- Warwickshire
- West Midlands Conurbation
- Worcestershire
Yorkshire & Humber
- East Riding of Yorkshire
- Kingston upon Hull
- North East Lincolnshire
- North Lincolnshire
- South Yorkshire
Lightning
Jenna Smith captured this stunning picture of lightning above houses in Northamptonshire on Sunday.
‘Stay clear of flooded roads'
Late on Sunday night, Bedfordshire Police posted a statement, saying: “We are aware of the multiple issues the weather is causing across the county tonight. Please only call us if there is an immediate threat to life or crime in progress.
“All emergency services and council teams are working as quickly as possible to help those affected but our priority will be the vulnerable. Please stay clear of flooded roads and affected areas.”
Flood warnings
Currently, 13 flood warnings have been put in place for England by the Environment Agency.
Areas affected include Atherstone in Warwickshire, Leighton Buzzard and Luton in Bedfordshire and parts of London including Wimbledon and South Ruislip.
Warnings of rain and flooding
Good morning.
We’ll be bringing the latest updates on heavy rain across the UK on Monday, which is expected to cause extensive travel disruption.
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