More than a dozen flood warnings remain in place this evening with authorities warning parts of Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and London at risk of being deluged
More than two months worth of rain fell in parts England on Monday after flash floods turned roads into rivers causing widespread disruption.
Seventeen flood warnings are in place across England with amber warnings for central and southern parts of the country. It could bring loss of power, road closures and train delays. Heavy rainfall hit parts of Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and London in particular flooding and damaging homes, submerging cars and widespread travel disruption on the tube and roads.
The home of Tim Maher and his partner, Carol Findon, in Grendon, Northamptonshire, was flooded overnight when more than a foot of water hit. He described the moment he saw a “wave of water” coming towards him, which was thankfully mainly stopped by their flood defences.
Mr Maher said: “I decided to drive down to the bridge and saw the water breaking the banks and coming down the road towards me. I quickly turned around, drove home and put a flood barrier we’ve got up against the door. It kept out a lot of the water but we’ve had about an inch.”
National Highways confirmed the A421 in Bedfordshire was closed in both directions between A6 Bedford and M1 J13 near Marston Moretaine due to flooding.
Woburn has had its wettest day on record. The Bedfordshire town had 90.4mm (3.55in) of rain in just 24 hours. Over the past 48 hours, 125.8mm (4.95in) fell – twice the average for the whole month of September. The previous wettest September day in the town was 22 September 1992, when 42.3mm (1.66in) of rain fell.
Flooding is now a “once-a-year thing” said hairdresser Kirsty Brewer, as she began to clean up in Dunstable, Bedfordshire. After floodwater reached knee height in the area on Sunday, she now has to put her business back together. However, she said she’s learned from previous years and now keeps all the electricals well off the floor – safe from floodwater. The 31-year-old said: “It was up to your knee deep, the road comes down so we’re sitting in a bit of a well.”
Laura Scott, British Red Cross Head of Crisis Response and Resilience said: “We know from experience that emergency situations like flooding or damage to property after bad weather can be stressful, dangerous and upsetting. There are some practical steps you can take to help you prepare before, during and after a flood. It’s practical things like making sure your mobile phone is fully charged and that you have torches tested and available. Also, having an emergency kit handy with all your important documents and contacts, and making sure to check in with family, friends and neighbours to see that they are safe and well. “
Prof Trevor Hoey from Brunel University explained: “In the UK, there is significant flood risk now as it has been a wet summer, and it is also the time of year when drains get blocked with leaves. “
He added: “We are vulnerable to flooding because we are located in a relatively wet part of the world, so we are always going to get a lot of rain-bearing weather systems coming our way, and periodically, those are going to be very intense, heavy, prolonged rain, even in the absence of climate change.”
Thunder, lightning and hail marked the official end to summer over the weekend, with the autumn equinox on Sunday afternoon signalling the start of the new season.
Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey said: “With the rain we’ve already seen over the last couple of days this certainly has the potential to bring some disruption and flooding in locations and here it is very important we do take care over the course of the day. There is a broader yellow rain warning that encompasses much other areas of England and Wales as well.”
Mr Vautrey also warned that temperatures are set to drop to below-average levels for the time of year across the country. He said: “During the forthcoming week, though, we see northerly winds starting to push their way in, so the cooling trend is going to continue for all of us.”
“Parts of Scotland will certainly see that by already Monday and into Tuesday, with temperatures slipping down into the low teens in places, but that cool and cold air will eventually reach many areas of the UK by the time we head throughout the rest of the week. So all of us will start to see temperatures dropping below average for the time of year as we head towards the end of the week.”
Dozens of people rushed to a farm to save animals after it was hit by flooding with some wading into chest-height water to drag sheep to safety. Joanna Johnson started to break down in tears as she told how 50 neighbours turned up at Moreteyne’s Retreat in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire, in response to an emergency WhatsApp message she had sent. The 54-year-old said her miniature ponies had to swim out of the flood water and the sheep were dragged through to safety.
Some schools in Bedfordshire were also forced to close, while the Overground and some Tube lines in London have been partly suspended.
London Fire Brigade said its 999 control officers have taken around 350 calls to flooding across the capital. Firefighters also attended incidents in areas such as Ruislip, Uxbridge, Wimbledon and Carshalton including rescuing people trapped in cars, assisting people from their homes and responding to flooding in underground stations, roadways, residences and commercial properties.
AFC Wimbledon and Newcastle’s Carabao Cup third-round meeting on Tuesday has been called off due to “extensive overnight flooding” at the Cherry Red Records Stadium. The Dons’ stadium, which also appears to have a sinkhole in the pitch, is now closed as a result, with a rescheduled date for the tie yet to be confirmed.
