Gatwick cancels dozens of flights as storms batter Britain and train stations forced to close over flash flooding

17 August 2022, 19:50 | Updated: 18 August 2022, 02:27

Gatwick has been forced to cancel dozens of flights as storms batter Britain and train stations face flash flooding.

Thunderstorms and torrential rain hit the south east of England on Wednesday afternoon, leaving London Victoria station and King's Cross flooded.

Commuters were left battling the extreme conditions as closed tube stations and submerged roads caused significant disruption.

Holidaymakers also faced fresh travel nightmares as thousands of passengers were left stranded at Gatwick airport for hours.

The airport cancelled 45 flights scheduled to arrive and at least 24 flights departing from the airport were delayed, with dozens more saying "enquire airline".

Extreme weather conditions across the continent have caused "high volume disruption", causing a "knock on effect" throughout the day, Gatwick said.

Meanwhile, footage from Kings Cross showed waves being created on roads as one man tried to sweep the water away with a broom.

People in Victoria could be seen wading through the water to continue their journeys.

It comes amid warnings of a 'danger to life' caused by fast-flowing and deep floodwater.

The Met Office has issued both yellow and amber warnings for parts of the UK as the torrential showers continue to hit vast swathes of the country.

Read more: Sewage alerts issued for almost 50 beaches in England and Wales

Read more: Flash floods break out in London amid amber warning of flooding, power cuts and lightning strikes

Flash flooding hits Kings Cross and Victoria station

Parts of London Underground have been closed off due to flooding too, with Earl's Court, Kentish Town, Loughton and Turnpike Lane having been among those shut down throughout the day.

On the central line, there was no service between Leytonstone and Epping and Leytonstone and Woodford due flooding causing signal failures.

Tottenham Hale and Victoria were also partially closed while the Overground is still running a part suspended service.

Weeks of sweltering weather in the UK has caused drought and left land parched, meaning heavy rainfall is not absorbed by the ground and so has quickly led to flash flooding.

The Met Office said earlier "20-30 mm of rain is possible within an hour" on Wednesday.

"Whilst some places will miss them, thunderstorms and areas of heavy rain will develop quite widely on Wednesday across central, southern and eastern parts of England and southeast Wales," the forecaster said.

"20-30 mm of rain is possible within an hour, but where areas of thundery rain become slow-moving, some places could see 60 mm in less than three hours.

"A few spots could see more rainfall than this still, whilst hail and lightning may be additional hazards."

A Network Rail spokesperson told Metro.co.uk: "Not long after 3pm this afternoon, station colleagues at London Victoria noticed flooding at the main entrance, due to heavy rainfall with large volumes of water running down the slope leading towards the eastern concourse.

"Some retail units and platforms had to be closed.

"Since then, platforms 7 and 8 remain closed and 19 has reopened.

"We are working to remove the water and get everything back to normal as quickly as possible."