Parts of UK expected to get twice as much rain this week as the average for month of June

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Heavy rain has caused widespread disruption in England, including flooded roads, railways and a hospital, and forecasters have warned of more to come.

The Environment Agency issued dozens of flood alerts across England and a flood warning, which is more serious, for Wokingham, Berkshire.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Environment Agency flood alerts at 12pm on Tuesday 11 June Photograph: Screengrab/Environment Agency

One of the worst-hit areas was Lincolnshire, where floodwater had to be pumped out of Pilgrim hospital in Boston.

Grantham Fire (@granthamfire) Assisting @BostonLFR with removing flood water from Pilgrim Hospital boiler house and protecting critical infrastructure #notjustfires @LincsFireRescue @HVPCapability @ULHT_News pic.twitter.com/O4D0hSvjE3

There were so many emergency in calls in the county that fire crews said they could only deal with flooding incidents if water had entered people’s homes.

In the south-east, railway lines near Orpington in Kent and Mitcham Junction in London were flooded as the network struggled to cope with a month’s worth of rain in 24 hours.

NR South East (@NetworkRailSE) We had extra staff on standby in high-risk flood areas so we could respond quickly and we’ve been carrying out proactive checks and clearances of drains to minimise the disruption for passengers. However, despite our efforts we still suffered a number of flood issues. CONT

Rain also damaged power supply to trains and signalling equipment, Network Rail said.

NR South East (@NetworkRailSE) The flood water has caused a number of problems with our power-supply and signalling equipment. The conductor rail which powers trains was completely underwater in Mitcham and it also caused a fire in a trackside electrical hut (pictured) pic.twitter.com/wch14RmI0Q

The rail operator Southern warned passengers to expect delays and cancellations for the rest of the day across the Southern and Thameslink network and urged people avoid travelling in the south London area if possible.

Flash floods forced the closure of dozens of roads, including in Wymondham in Norfolk and Bromsgrove in Worcestershire.

thomas stone (@cheekyboystone) Stormy night in #Wymondham has resulted in a big flood of water! ☔ @EDP24 @EveningNews @metoffice @itvanglia pic.twitter.com/dcrzkCTmRm

Bromsgrove Police (@BromsgroveCops) Several roads around #Bromsgrove are flooded. Please don’t drive through significantly deep water! #BeSafe #FloodAware https://t.co/10iqDbYTTq

Overnight the M25 was closed for several hours in both directions after a sinkhole opened up on the carriageway near Sevenoaks in Kent. After emergency repairs the road was fully reopened in time for the morning rush-hour.

In West Kingsdown, near Sevenoaks, a woman in her 80s and her dog were rescued after her home was flooded to waist height.

The Met Office has extended a yellow “be prepared” warning for heavy rain from Tuesday to Thursday. It now stretches from parts of north Wales in the west to the Wash in the east and all the way to Edinburgh in the north.

Met Office (@metoffice) Weather warnings for #Rain have been updated with a change to affected areas: https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs Stay #weatheraware @metofficeuk pic.twitter.com/MEPXPxrNyM

Another warning covers Devon and Somerset, where similar conditions were expected.

Forecasters predict that some areas of the UK could be inundated with up to 100mm of rain this week, twice the monthly average for June. On Wednesday and Thursday, some parts of the UK could get between 60mm and 100mm of rain, the Met Office said.

Advice was issued to avoid low-lying footpaths near watercourses and to plan driving routes to avoid low-lying roads near rivers.