Torrential rain has flooded homes, roads and Tube stations and an emergency department in London after thunderstorms struck on Sunday.
Water gushing from an Underground station was caught on video, while residents in attempted to create makeshift flood defences for their homes.
Floods in London again leaving Tube stations,hospitals and streets underwater pic.twitter.com/wUeUydi1nU
— Hardly (@Hardly26375072) July 25, 2021
Part of Newham Hospital in Plaistow, east London, has also been flooded.
The hospital said: “Our Emergency Department has flooded in some areas.
“We’re still here if you need us but to help us while we fix things please attend a neighbouring hospital if possible. Thank you.”
Standon Calling festival in Hertfordshire has been cancelled due to the floods.
The festival said in a statement: “Unfortunately due to flooding we will no longer be able to proceed with the festival.
“If you can safely leave the site this evening please do so as soon as possible. We are working on getting everyone off site as safely and quickly as possible.”
Londoner Eddie Elliott, 28, said the flooding was the worst he had ever seen it, after he cycled past Queenstown Road station where the road had been “totally shut down”.
He said: “Having been born and raised in London, I have never seen anything quite like it.
“It stands out as the worst I’ve experienced personally… totally shut down the whole road with buses stood broken down in the water.”
Jamie Curtis said the roads near Clapham Common were blocked due to floodwater which was “12 to 18 inches deep”.
Met Office meteorologist Steven Keates said parts of the south between south Suffolk and the Isle of Wight could be deluged by 100mm of rain in just a few hours on Sunday evening.
“There’s torrential thunderstorms around yet again,” he said.
“Into the evening, from Norfolk to Bournemouth we are going to see some pretty lively showers.
“Torrential downpours, thunder and lightning and potentially some hailstones are settling in the south.”
Mr Keates said the storms are being caused by a “convergence” of air currents, due to warmth in the earth’s surface from the recent heatwave rising into cooler air in the atmosphere.
It comes after lightning set fire to houses in Andover, Hampshire, on Saturday morning, forcing residents to leave.
Neighbours heard an “enormous bang” as the strike set two homes ablaze on Mercia Avenue, and a 70-year-old woman was assessed by paramedics.
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