Mother Nature proves she is a force to be reckoned with as flash floods have transformed a southeast London street into a giant canal.
Advertisement
The London Fire Brigade has attended a number of flash flooding and lightning strike calls in Wallington, Mitcham and Croydon.
The London Ambulance Service is attending a flood in Wallington which saw a number of cars become submerged in up to two metres of rainwater.
A man and a five-year-old boy are in critical condition after being struck by lightning in Northern Ireland, as severe storms across the United Kingdom caused flash floods in some areas.
Reports states that calls to rescue children stuck in potties and toilet seats costs the firefighters in London around 500,000 pounds. “I unwound the window and struggled out and then I was rescued by the fire brigade – that’s why I am alive standing here now”.
It said the areas were badly affected by the storm between 14:30 – 15:00 BST, when the brigade received about 100 emergency calls. The two other drivers managed to escape before the fire service arrived.
The man, who asked not to be named, said: “The water was not that deep when I went under and the vehicle stalled and it got flooded”.
The 60-year-old told the Press Association he “hugged and thanked” firefighters after they saved him.
The Home Office said border security was not compromised after the loss of power at Luton Airport.
“It’s not ideal but we have coped with it relatively well”, he said, adding that the main computer system was back up within about two hours.
Met Office forecaster Alex Burkill said the “very warm conditions across the country” are allowing showers, thunder and hail to develop.
Parts of Wallington, south London, have also seen heavy flooding. “And that has led to flooding in some areas – which is exactly why we issued the warnings”.
The Met Office has issued yellow rain warnings for Tuesday afternoon and evening in central, western and southern parts of the United Kingdom, extended to 6am on Wednesday for the South East.
Advertisement
The Environment Agency said 35mm fell in an hour in south London, which Mr Madge said was an “exceptional” amount.
