Heavy rain has caused flash flooding and travel disruption across England, with five flood warnings and 40 flood alerts still in place, according to the Environment Agency. The Met Office has issued a yellow rain warning covering most of the country until 23:00 BST.
Flooding has been reported on roads in Southampton, Birmingham, Liverpool, and London, including at the Houses of Parliament. Some areas saw more than 50mm of rain in less than 12 hours. Boscombe Down in Wiltshire recorded 51.2mm of rain in the 12 hours to 13:00 BST, with 49.6mm falling in the six hours before 09:00.
Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge described the rainfall as 'significant' and noted that the band of rain was 'transient', moving from the South West to the Midlands and then to the North. Flood warnings remain in place for Whinney Brook and Dovers Brook at Maghull in Sefton, Merseyside, while flood alerts cover parts of Greater London, Derbyshire, Sheffield, Nottinghamshire, and Staffordshire.
Transport has been severely affected. National Rail reported major disruption between Birmingham Snow Hill and Stourbridge due to a tree blocking the line. On the roads, several cars broke down in water on Milbrook Road West in Southampton, and Mersey Fire and Rescue Service reported vehicles trapped in floodwater in Liverpool. In Birmingham, two motorists were rescued from the roof of a vehicle in a ford, and two pensioners were rescued from floodwater in Alum Rock.
Flooding was also reported inside the Houses of Commons, with a patch of water barricaded off. The weather has affected sporting events, including the County Championship cricket and the UCI Road World Championships in Harrogate, where the fan zone was closed. The heavy rain is expected to clear by Wednesday, but a low-pressure front will persist for the rest of the week.
