Flash floods and heavy rain batter England and Wales

Heavy rain and flash flooding has battered parts of England and Wales, causing widespread travel disruption and damage to properties.

Roads and houses have flooded in central and southern England, after some experienced a month’s worth of rain in a matter of hours.

In London, a sinkhole has appeared on AFC Wimbledon’s football pitch and 999 call handlers have taken 350 flood-related calls, while in Bedford a main road is totally submerged.

The Met Office amber weather warning is due to stay in force until 21:00 BST across parts of central and southern England.

The amber weather warning stretches from Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire, though Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Gloucestershire and into parts of Somerset, Wiltshire and Hampshire.

A yellow weather warning for rain is in place across much of the rest of England until 23:59, with the exception of the far south-west and parts of northern England, and eastern Wales.

The Environment Agency has issued more than 20 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and more than 80 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible.

Areas affected by the flood warnings include Leighton Buzzard and Luton in Bedfordshire and parts of London.

On Monday afternoon the London Fire Brigade said its 999 control officers had taken some 350 flood-related calls, with firefighters rescuing people trapped inside cars, assisting people from their homes and responding to flooding in Underground stations and roads.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, using a photo of a car stranded in floodwater overnight in Wallington, Sutton, the fire brigade warned that “a foot of moving water at just 6mph is enough to float a car”.

Transport for London has warned passengers that the District, Circle, Metropolitan, Piccadilly, Bakerloo and Central lines have been either partly suspended or subject to minor to severe delays because of flooding caused by heavy rain.

National Rail is also reporting widespread disruption and cancellations to some train services throughout the day and has urged passengers to check their journeys.

In south-east England, a night of heavy rain forced the closure of an M25 slip road at Cobham in Surrey and led to delays on train services.

The A421 main road between Bedford and Milton Keynes has been shut because of flooding, as well as the rail line from from Bedford to Bletchley.

Homes and businesses have been flooded, and a number of schools in areas including Bedfordshire and Oxfordshire have been forced to close, with some switching to remote learning.

Meanwhile, aerial photos show that a sinkhole has appeared at the Cherry Red Records Stadium – home of AFC Wimbledon – and a walkway next to it has been flooded.

The football club confirmed that Tuesday’s third-round fixture against Newcastle United for the Carabao Cup has been postponed, citing overnight flooding of the River Wandle and surrounding areas.

It said the club’s stadium will be closed until further notice, and a rescheduled date for the match has yet to be confirmed.

Another longer spell of rain will cross England and Wales during the day on Wednesday, but as that clears chillier air from the Arctic will move south across most of the UK for the end of the week.

Daytime temperatures on Friday will peak at just 8 to 13C.

Additional reporting by Emma Harrison