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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Lydia Chantler-Hicks

More flooding 'expected' around London commuter belt in wake of torrential rain

More flooding is “expected” around the London commuter belt following heavy rain this week, the Environment Agency has warned.

The agency had 32 flood warnings in place in England on Tuesday, in areas where flooding is “expected”.

Many of the warnings are in place in Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire, and Northamptonshire - with Bicester, Leighton Buzzard, Shefford, St Neots, and Bedford among areas affected.

The Environment Agency had another 94 flood alerts in place across England, in areas where flooding is “possible”. These included areas around the M25, such as Virginia Water, Swanley, and Staines-upon-Thames.

Yellow and amber weather alerts were in place across England and Wales at the start of the week as heavy rain lashed the country.

Downpours caused widespread flooding, with parts of Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire among the worst-affected regions.

A map of flood warnings (red) and flood alerts (yellow) in place on Tuesday (Enivornment Agency)

The rain left many roads underwater, including in the capital, where London Fire Brigade was called out to rescue drivers from their vehicles after they became stranded.

In the 48 hours to Tuesday morning, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire saw more than 100mm (3.9in) of rainfall.

Woburn in Bedfordshire had its wettest day on record. The Met Office said that in 48 hours 132mm of rain was recorded in the town - more than twice the amount of its September average rainfall amount.

London was on Tuesday expected to get some respite from more heavy rain, but trains into the capital from the north and north-west were still being affected by heavy flooding.

Floodwater submerges Spencer Football Club in Northampton (Joe Giddens/PA Wire)

Following the flooding earlier this week London Northwestern Railway said its Marston Vale line, which operates services between Bedford and Bletchley, would be suspended until September 30.

Elsewhere, Chiltern Railways said trains between Banbury and Bicester North were running at reduced speed on all lines on Tuesday.

A 12-hour yellow weather warning has also been put in place for a large area of north and north-east England - from just north of Nottingham, taking in Sheffield, Lincoln, York, Leeds, Hull, Middlesbrough and Newcastle - beginning first thing on Thursday.

London is also expected to see more rain on Thursday, but has so far escaped the weather warning.

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