Chrimbo getaway gridlock
Flood-hit travellers face chaos
TORRENTIAL rain and flash floods caused chaos for travellers on Frantic Friday.
Yesterday nine motorways and 18 rail lines were swamped after more than two inches of rain lashed the east of the country in the space of 36 hours.
Last night all Southern railway lines reopened after flooding hit parts of the Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express networks.
A landslip near Guildford and Godalming left rail passengers in limbo before South Western Railway reopened it at 4.20pm.
The M23 motorway was forced to close in both directions at junction 10 near Crawley, West Sussex, because of flooding. It reopened but caused huge traffic jams.
Travellers hoping to fly from Gatwick airport were stranded as trains were also cancelled.
Warnings
Last night there were 95 flood warnings issued for villages and towns across the country.
Immediate action is required in areas from Alfriston, East Sussex to the River Severn in south Worcester and River Avon near Rugby.
And the Met Office has warned of further misery ahead as they predict more rain will batter the South East this weekend.
A spokesman said: “More rain is coming from the south on Friday night and Saturday. Most of the rain will be in eastern parts, eastern
England and Scotland, gradually improving throughout Saturday.”
Met Office chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen said the weather will ease off by Christmas Day.
He said: “It’ll feel a little more festive as we head into Christmas week, with colder temperatures and a return to frosts.”
Even when the weather starts to improve next week, Green Flag has warned there could be more than 126,000 breakdowns on UK roads before Christmas – or 15 a minute.
And travellers were warned to take care on the roads amid possible icy temperatures next week.