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Sodden commuters were left cowering under umbrellas as they queued outside London Bridge station on a second day of strike chaos.

Industrial action on the Docklands Light Railway, set to end at 4am on Thursday, forced Tube bosses to close the station every few minutes so platforms did not become overcrowded.

Pictures showed a long line of umbrella-wielding travellers snaking around the corner to a back entrance.

Commuter Paul Traies said queues had been directed away from the front of the station, but that the gates were shut at the rear as well.

“They were taking everybody down the road to the back entrance at ground level,” he said. “The queue goes right back, up round the corner.

“They were directing people to the back but the gates there were shut.”

Another traveller told the Standard: “It’s very packed, and very wet, so people are annoyed and trying to find alternative routes.”

Kate Davies tweeted: “It’s absolutely bonkers. Poor staff are trying so hard – it’s fruitless.”

Hannah Marques added: “All entries to London Bridge were closed and that [pictured, top of story] is the queue to get in to the only open entry.”

Yesterday the station was forced to close after a person was taken ill on a Southeastern rail service, flooding the already crowded Tube network with commuters.

A Transport for London spokeswoman said: “London Bridge is busy and we are putting in crowd control measures as and when required.

“We could shut off the gates for a few minutes while we clear platforms.

“The DLR takes more than 300,000 people so people have to find alternatives and that would probably be the reason for it.”

The overcrowding had eased off by 10.30am.