Four flood warnings are in place in London after the capital was battered by Storm Babet on Thursday night.
Photos show roads across London deluged with water, while the rain forced both Kew Gardens and Victoria Underground stations to close on Friday morning – Transport for London has since confirmed they have reopened. The warnings cover the Ravensbourne area, affecting Lewisham, Bromley, Croydon and Greenwich boroughs; the Beverley Brook area, including Merton, Sutton, Kingston upon Thames, Richmond upon Thames and Wandsworth; the River Brent, from Hendon to Brentford, including Brent Cross, Tokyngton, Alperton, Greenford and Hanwell.
Similarly, the Environment Agency is worried about flooding risks along the River Pinn and Woodridings Stream at Pinner, Eastcote, Ruislip, Ickenham, Uxbridge and Yiewsley.
The alerts mean flooding is possible but these spots in London are currently classed as "very low risk".Nevertheless, the public has been told to "avoid using low-lying footpaths or entering areas prone to flooding”.
Great Western Railway (GWR) said its lines were blocked because of heavy flooding at Swindon station in Wiltshire at around 7.30am on Friday morning.
Wet and windy weather in association with #StormBabet spread northwards across the UK today
— Met Office (@metoffice) October 19, 2023
Here is a look back at the past 24 hours
Note, a SEPA rain gauge recorded 123.6mm in this period (Waterside Perth in East Grampian) pic.twitter.com/H6QNS84dIM
This was affecting trains running between London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads, London Paddington and Swansea and Swindon & Westbury via Melksham.
"Services may be cancelled, delayed or diverted until further notice," GWR said.
The Environment Agency's Floodline service has issued more than 80 flood warnings across the whole of England, with a more serious red weather warning in place for parts of Tayside, Scotland.
The Met Office expects Friday’s early rain in London and south east England to “clear northwards through the morning with brighter skies and scattered showers developing in the afternoon”.
⛔ Victoria station
— TfL Access (@TfLAccess) October 20, 2023
This station is closed to eastbound District and Circle line trains due to flooding. Customers should travel to St James's Park and return on a westbound train. All other trains are stopping normally.
➡ To re-plan journey: https://t.co/UoeJflrJdy
This rainfall may be “heavy and thundery” with “light winds feeling mild” and a maximum temperature of 18C.
The wet weather should continue into the evening and Saturday, although mostly during the afternoon, when the air is also likely to start getting colder.
Scotland has so-far been the hardest-hit by Storm Babet – a 57-year-old woman died after she was swept into a river in Angus amid gale-force winds and flooding on Thursday afternoon.
Fire crews and the coastguard began evacuating residents from the town of Brechin on Thursday night - knocking on residents' doors advising them to leave the area.
Angus Council, responsible for a large area in the east of Scotland north of Dundee, said residents in 335 homes in Brechin and a further 87 homes in Tannadice and Finavon would be asked to evacuate due to the risk of severe flooding.
It warned river levels in the town could reach an "unprecedented" five metres higher than normal and render flood defences useless.
The council said schools would be shut on Friday to "ensure the safety of children, young people, parents, and school staff".
