Travel chaos and flooding after London sees more than half a month's rainfall in one night

Commuters faced issues with rush-hour transport due to the wet weather. Credit: PA

Parts of London saw more than half a month’s worth of rainfall in one night as torrential downpours brought travel chaos to the morning's rush hour.

In Kew Gardens, 42.2mm fell in 12-hours from 9pm on Wednesday until 8am on Thursday, the Met Office said.

The average rainfall for the entire month of November in Greater London is 69.3mm, the weather service said.

A total of 64mm of rain fell in Horsmonden in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, while some places saw over 50mm of rain in a 24-hour period, the Met Office said.

The bad weather led to cancellations and delays to train and Tube services.

Transport for London (TfL) reported delays to some services due to flooding while South Western Railway said that flooding had blocked lines leading to cancellations and delays.

Kent County Council warned people to “be careful out there” after it had multiple reports of weather-related issues across its road network due to “strong winds and heavy rain”.

Park Place Villas near Maida Vale in London part of which is flooded due to heavy overnight rain. Credit: PA

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The Met Office had warned that spray and flooding on roads could lengthen journey times while flooding of homes and businesses was possible due to heavy rain overnight.

New weather warnings have been issued for heavy showers and thunderstorms on Thursday evening, which the Met Office said are likely to bring some fresh disruption.

A yellow weather warning for rain, covering the south of England from Portsmouth to Canterbury and parts of London, was in place until 3pm on Thursday.