Cars are trapped in London and Dunstable high street is underwater = The Met Office is predicting six more inches of rain could fall today after near-record rainfalls and rising floodwaters
Floodwaters have risen across large swathes of southern England, after days of near-record rainfalls have left millions with a soggy end to the summer. In some parts, so much water has fallen that town centres have flooded and schools have shut, with more wet weather on the way.
London commuters could struggle this morning as the Metropolitan line, Piccadilly line and District line have all been impacted by flooding.
Parts of the UK have seen days of seemingly never ending rain, with images revealing widespread damage to vehicles and danger to properties amid rapid flooding. In parts of Stoke-on-Trent, this led to mudslides enveloping cars, followed by a series of explosive lightning strikes.
By Sunday evening, large parts of towns in the south east were underwater, with residents in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, and Hitchin, Hertfordshire, forced out of their homes by the rising water. Pictures show cars submerged and businesses washed out by the incessant flooding, with some facing “heartbreaking” damage.
In Dunstable, motorists saw roads closed by rising floodwaters, leaving some stranded after attempting to cross the deep pool spreading across a major route, Luton Road, through the town. Images show a delivery van and what appears to be a family vehicle stuck in the middle of the deep pool.
Dunstable Councillor Louise O’Riordan said: “My heart is breaking for all of those residents and businesses affected by the unusually heavy rain today. I really don’t know what I can do to help but please ask if you think I can.”
Many of the highly populated areas surrounding London, and including the capital itself, have seen extreme weather and are likely to still see more – with many Lutoners on Sunday spotting a tornado ripping through the grey skies overhead.
No service is currently running between Harrow-on-the-Hill and Uxbridge on the Metropolitan line, with no Piccadilly line service running between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge. There is a good service on the rest of the line however and tickets will be accepted on local buses.
In addition, no service is currently able to run on the District line between Turnham Green and Richmond due to the ongoing floods.
A further two rain warnings, one yellow and one amber, come into effect today. The yellow warning, lasting all day, will stretch to cover areas further east and further north.
Meanwhile the amber warning, up between 5am and 9pm, focuses on the areas of Birmingham, Peterborough, Stoke-on-Trent and Hull.
Homes and businesses across the country are bracing for more lashings of rain today, with six inches of water forecast to fall in 24 hours for some already water-logged regions.
This is also likely to cause travel chaos in rainy parts, with the A5 Stretton, Staffordshire, and in Bedfordshire, closed, as well as expected train cancellations with Great Northern, Gatwick Express, Southern and Thameslink all having reported service issues so far.
