Man overboard! Floods bring road and train chaos
DRIVERS were caught out by flash floods which also meant chaos for millions of rail travellers as heavy rain swept across much of the South-east yesterday.
Train passengers were hit by cancellations and delays, with some stations swamped by the tail-end of Storm Claudio.
Met Office forecasters said the whole country suffered but the South-east was worst-affected, with a month of rain in 24 hours in some areas. They warned that after a respite today unsettled conditions with yet more rain will continue into next week.
Overnight downpours led to standing water and treacherous conditions. London Fire Brigade said crews were dealing with the fallout and warned people not to drive or walk in floodwater.
Flooding and signal failures hit Tube lines, leaving commuters facing disruption across the network. Parts of the A41 and A1 in north London were impassable while huge jams resulted from problems on the A40 at Old Oak Common and in west London.
Some congestion was caused when drivers abandoned vehicles that had come to a stop in floods.
Business owners used brooms to empty their properties of water and there were numerous flood alerts across southern England, Scotland and Wales.
The Brecon Beacons village of Libanus endured 52.6mm (2.07in) of rain in 24 hours while winds hit 79mph in Capel Curig, Snowdonia.
Rivers affected by flood alerts included the Uck in East Sussex, the Stour in the Black Country and South Staffordshire and the Trent in Derbyshire, as well as the coast at Bridlington and Derwent Water in the Lake District.
Neil Armstrong, the Met Office’s chief meteorologist, warned that “30 to 40mm of rain is expected to have fallen in some areas”.