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Parts of south London were left submerged under half a metre of water when a tributary of the River Thames burst its banks.

The River Ravensbourne caused a flood in Lewisham this afternoon after a day of torrential rain in London.

People trapped in flooded streets described the area as "moving like Venice."

There were "scenes of carnage," according to witnesses who watched as police closed off streets as emergency crews battled to pump away rising flood water.

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At least four fire engines were reportedly pumping water away from the scene in an effort to protect nearby properties from the flood.

Traffic was at a standstill in the area.

An area of Loampit Vale, close to Lewisham DLR station, was closed due to water rising to around a foot deep in places. In other areas the water reached half a metre in depth.

Lewisham Way was also closed at the roundabout.

A webcam image from newlewisham.com showed gridlock around the area in the heavy rainfall.

One witness claimed the flooding was caused by a dam which was built under a railway arch to keep river water away from a building site.

London Fire Brigade said an area of nearly two square kilometres of streets was flooded. Around 21 firefighters and officers pumped the water away from homes and businesses in the area and back into the river.

Loampit Vale Road was flooded along with a nearby shop, said the Fire Brigade, but no residential homes were affected.

They managed to stop the water reaching Lewisham DLR and so the station remained open.

Station Manager Bruce Grain said: "At first, firefighters were standing in about half a metre of flowing water using specialist pumps to divert the water flow away from the road, shops and homes. Crews worked quickly and the water level has now subsided."

Four fire engines from Lewisham, Greenwich and Forest Hill fire stations attended and will remain at the scene to monitor the situation.

A Met police spokesman said in a statement: "We were called to assist LFB with traffic diversions after Loampit Vale, Lewisham was temporarily flooded. The road re-opened at 1648hrs."