UK weather live: Flooding travel chaos as roads shut and London trains delayed amid Met Office amber alert

Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Frank Saunders said: “Following on from the heavy rain that some of us have seen on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the new working week begins with rain across a large swathe of England and Wales.

“The area with the higher likelihood of impactful rain is now covered by an Amber warning, stretching from Gloucester across the Midlands to the Wash and the Humber.

“It’s likely that some parts of this area will be worse affected than others – it all depends on where, and if, the weather system responsible for the heavy rain stalls and pivots.

“However, within this warning period - which encompasses two rush hours – some localities will probably see between 50 and 80 mm of rain, while there’s the possibility that a few could experience in excess of 100mm of rain. Where this happens, this brings the potential for travel disruption and localised flooding.”

Heavy rainfall overnight has seen areas in Bedfordshire already submerged, with police confirming a number of road closures including Dunstable High Street. Footage shared on social media showed cars battling high water around the Saracen’s Head pub.

Central Bedfordshire Council said flooding had also hit Flitwick, Cranfield and Marston Moretaine.

As of 7.40am, 13 flood warnings – meaning flooding is expected – were issued for England by the Environment Agency.

Areas affected by the flood warnings include Atherstone in Warwickshire, Leighton Buzzard and Luton in Bedfordshire and parts of London including Wimbledon and South Ruislip.

Today:

Heavy rain will linger across parts of England and Wales today. This could lead to localised flooding in some southern areas. Further north it will be drier and largely cloudy, although rain will move into northern Scotland.

Tonight:

Rain in the south will gradually ease tonight and clear to the east during the early hours. Skies will remain cloudy, with rain continuing in northern Scotland through the night.

Tuesday:

Rain in the east clears in the morning. Outbreaks of rain in Scotland will spread to northern England in the afternoon. Largely dry and cloudy elsewhere. Chilly in the north.

Outlook for Wednesday to Friday:

Rain will spread across the UK during Wednesday and Thursday, possibly with strong winds in places. Rain should clear through Friday and it will turn colder in a northerly wind.

Commuters in London and southeast England face widespread problems at the start of the working week due to overnight flooding.

The UK’s biggest rail franchise, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), is warning that severe weather will affect all its operations: Great Northern, Gatwick Express, Southern and Thameslink.

The company says: “Due to the consistent overnight rainfall throughout the GTR network, a number of services are expected to be impacted this morning.”

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Police have confirmed a number of road closures across Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire following “substantial flooding” overnight.

Heavy rainfall on Sunday into Monday has seen areas such as Dunstable and Hitchin partially submerged.

Bedfordshire Police said it had closed off part of Dunstable High Street due to “substantial flooding”, with footage shared on social media showing cars battling high water around the Saracen’s Head pub.

Central Bedfordshire Council said flooding had also hit Flitwick, Cranfield and Marston Moretaine.

North Hertfordshire Police have also advised motorists to avoid some parts of Hitchin, including Walsworth Road near the town centre.

The Environment Agency has warned of “significant” flooding on Monday across parts of England.

Flood duty manager Sarah Cook said “persistent heavy rain and thunderstorms” could lead to some property flooding and travel disruption.

She said: “Persistent heavy rain and thunderstorms could lead to significant surface water flooding on Monday across parts of England.

“The impacts could include localised flooding in urban areas and fast-responding catchments, including some property flooding as well as travel disruption. The risk from river flooding remains low.

“Environment Agency teams are out on the ground and ready to support local authorities in responding to surface water flooding.

“We urge people to plan their journeys carefully, follow the advice of local emergency services on the roads and not to drive through flood water – it is often deeper than it looks and just 30cm of flowing water is enough to float your car.

“People should check their flood risk, sign up for free flood warnings and keep up to date with the latest situation as well as following @EnvAgency on X, formerly Twitter, for the latest flood updates.”

The following areas come under the amber warning for rain:

East Midlands

• Derby
• Derbyshire
• Leicester
• Leicestershire
• Lincolnshire
• Northamptonshire
• Nottingham
• Nottinghamshire
• Rutland

East of England

• Cambridgeshire
• Peterborough

London & South East England

• Oxfordshire

South West England

• Gloucestershire

West Midlands

• Herefordshire
• Shropshire
• Staffordshire
• Stoke-on-Trent
• Telford and Wrekin
• Warwickshire
• West Midlands Conurbation
• Worcestershire

Yorkshire & Humber

• East Riding of Yorkshire
• Kingston upon Hull
• North East Lincolnshire
• North Lincolnshire
• South Yorkshire

Jenna Smith captured this stunning picture of lightning above houses in Northamptonshire on Sunday.

Late on Sunday night, Bedfordshire Police posted a statement, saying: “We are aware of the multiple issues the weather is causing across the county tonight. Please only call us if there is an immediate threat to life or crime in progress.

“All emergency services and council teams are working as quickly as possible to help those affected but our priority will be the vulnerable. Please stay clear of flooded roads and affected areas.”

Currently, 13 flood warnings have been put in place for England by the Environment Agency.

Areas affected include Atherstone in Warwickshire, Leighton Buzzard and Luton in Bedfordshire and parts of London including Wimbledon and South Ruislip.