Storms and floods batter London and south-east England

Heavy overnight rain flooded areas of London and the south-east of England, bringing chaos to commuters on Thursday.

Rail and Tube trains were cancelled or delayed and parts of major roads and a motorway were also blocked in places.

Sections of the M25 in north London and at least three major roads — the A1, A41 and A40 arteries into the city — were blocked.

A Met Office yellow warning for rain will stay in effect until 3pm.

It said that flooding on roads would make journey times longer, and that bus and train services would be affected.

“Heavy rain will affect south-eastern parts of England during Thursday morning, clearing eastward early afternoon. 20-30 mm of rain is expected fairly widely, with 40mm in a few places near English Channel coasts,” the warning said.

“The ground is fairly wet, and recent fallen leaves may reduce drainage of surface water in some locations.”

Several Tube lines were suffering disruption early on Thursday, with flooding and signal failures forcing cancellations.

Services on the District line were suspended between Earl’s Court and Richmond and Ealing Broadway.

Trains are running between Surrey Quays and Clapham Junction, one of the busiest stations outside central London.

Southern Rail has also cancelled some services.

“Belmont will not have a train service due to flooding,” the company tweeted.

“You’ll need to use London Buses to complete your journey and you can use your ticket at no extra cost.”

Updated: November 03, 2022, 10:30 AM