Published: 16 September 2016
Many drivers struggled getting to work this morning due to the severe flooding in many areas of the East, South and South-East of England. The weather has also caused a gridlock on many train routes, leaving thousands of commuters stranded, in one case derailing a train which lead to 2 passengers with minor injuries. The temperature has dropped since Tuesday, which was a heatwave at over 34C it became the hottest day in September the UK has seen in 105 years.
Roads such as the M25 have been effected, with major flooding causing traffic on the roads. The fire department have advised that drivers stay away from potentially flooded roads and motorways unless it is absolutely necessary. Some towns have had school closures due to the overnight flooding.
A spokesman of the Thames valley police stated: "Roads are severely disrupted, including the M4 at the A34 junction with Newbury, the M40 throughout the Thames Valley and in particular the Watlington and Stokenchurch area.”
“A lightning strike has caused substantial damage to certain elements of our signalling equipment on the line which runs between Ascot and Guildford via Aldershot. Train services running through these stations may be delayed or revised. Disruption is expected until the end of the day."
According to energy service provider SSE over 1273 homes have been effected by the flooding Basingstoke, Newbury, Reading and Bournemouth leading to power outages and callouts for repairs.
If you’re on the road in any of the areas impacted by rainfall and flooding be sure you are fully equipped and prepared for the current weather conditions which may continue into the weekend. Delays on the M25 are estimated to be around three hours long and the M4 has been closed Westbound. For many areas of the UK it seems summer has come to an end.
The following areas have been given flood warnings and are among those affected:
East Midlands
Derby, Derbyshire, Leicester, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Rutland
East of England
Bedford, Cambridgeshire, Central Bedfordshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Luton, Norfolk, Peterborough, Southend-on-Sea, Suffolk, Thurrock
London and South East England
Bracknell Forest, Brighton and Hove, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Greater London, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Medway, Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Portsmouth, Reading, Slough, Southampton, Surrey, West Berkshire, West Sussex, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham
North East England
Darlington, Durham, Gateshead, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, Northumberland, Redcar and Cleveland, South Tyneside, Stockton-on-Tees, Sunderland
North West England
Cheshire East, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cheshire West and Chester
South West England
Bath and North East Somerset, Bournemouth, Bristol, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Poole, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, Wiltshire
Wales
Monmouthshire, Newport
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, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, York