Flooding caused widespread travel disruption, closed schools, and submerged homes across central and southern England on Monday after more than a month's worth of rain fell in 24 hours in some areas. The Met Office issued an amber weather warning for rain until 9pm covering Milton Keynes, Oxford, Reading, Bath, and Gloucester, with a broader yellow warning for most of England and south-east Wales until midnight.
Some areas recorded over 100mm of rain, with Woburn in Bedfordshire seeing 116mm by 5am Monday. The London Fire Brigade received around 350 calls related to flooding, rescuing people trapped in cars and homes. Flooding also caused a large sinkhole on the pitch at AFC Wimbledon's stadium, postponing matches.
The Environment Agency issued 22 flood warnings and 86 alerts, mainly in central and southern England, including Atherstone, Leighton Buzzard, Luton, and parts of London. Some schools in Bedfordshire closed, and London Overground and tube services were suspended. Homes in the Midlands and south-west lost power due to weather-related outages.
Residents described extensive damage. Jon Sayles from Grendon, Northamptonshire, reported 60cm of water entering his home. In Aldridge, police evacuated a pub struck by lightning, while a fundraiser was launched for a 79-year-old woman in Stoke-on-Trent whose roof caught fire after a lightning strike.
The Met Office predicted a brief respite on Tuesday but warned of possible return of heavy rain later in the week, with temperatures dropping below average due to northerly winds.
