Johnson tweets about London floods as heavy rains hit capital

UK prime minister Boris Johnson has thanked emergency services and volunteers for helping families and businesses as torrential downpour and thunderstorms continue to cause scenes of chaos across London. Media reported heavy flooding, disruption of services in a couple of hospitals as well as in the capital’s rail services on Sunday (25).

The worst affected areas were initially Clapham and Camberwell in the south of the city, but flooding has also been reported across the east and north-east of the capital with St James's Park in London recorded as the wettest part of the UK on Sunday (25) night.

More than 1,000 rescue calls for support were reportedly made to the London Fire Brigade (LFB) during the capital’s floods. It is the second time this month that flash floods have hit parts of London, while other areas of the south east of England  are also reported to be affected.

Whipps Cross Hospital in the east of the city was forced to cancel surgeries and outpatient appointments as a result of the downpour, reports said, which also suggested that the hospital evacuated 100 patients from some of its wards because of the flood damage.

The hospital, run by Barts Health NHS Trust, tweeted on Monday (26): “We are continuing to experience operational issues at Whipps Cross Hospital due to the heavy rainfall yesterday.

We are continuing to experience operational issues at our hospital due to the heavy rainfall yesterday.

We are working closely with other hospitals across @NHSBartsHealth to maintain patient care. Please read our latest statement for more information ? https://t.co/WzNSCP7eLP

— Whipps Cross Hospital (@WhippsCrossHosp) July 26, 2021

Torrential rain also caused the emergency department at Newham Hospital to flood. A tweet on Sunday (25) asked patients to “attend a neighbouring hospital if possible”. This week’s floods follow a spell of heatwave that was felt across the UK. England saw a high of 32C during the hottest day of the year so far on Tuesday 20 July.

Intense rainfall also created chaos across the city with eight tube stations closed as countless motorists were stranded by floodwater, reports said. 

Several underground train stations in London were also heavily flooded. Transport for London (TfL) spokesperson said that "significant flooding" affected services across the transport network.

Multiple stations on the rail network, known as the Tube, were closed, according to the TfL website.

Reports of drivers being rescued from submerged vehicles are also coming in from across the city. Social media users have posted alarming images of rising water, abandoned cars, and damaged houses.