Storm Conall Causes Widespread Flooding, Disrupting Rail and Road Networks

Railway lines are obstructed and vehicles have been abandoned due to inundation as Storm Conall continues to cause disruption across the South East.A yellow weather alert for precipitation was active from overnight until Wednesday at midday.The Met Office issued a caution that residential and commercial properties might experience flooding as approximately 50mm of rainfall occurs over a 14-hour period.Individuals commuting within the area on Wednesday were advised to allocate additional time for their travels. Every railway route connecting Tonbridge, situated in Kent, and Redhill, located in Surrey, is impassable due to significant rainfall overflowing onto the tracks.Consequently, Nutfield, Godstone, Edenbridge, Penshurst, and Leigh are without train service.Rail tickets are being honored on local Metrobuses as an alternative.Southern stated that disruptions are anticipated to persist “throughout the afternoon/evening” and cautioned that operational services would likely be “much busier than normal”. Presently, no services are operating between Oxted and Uckfield owing to further inundation.The route connecting Guildford and Ash is likewise obstructed due to flooding at Wanborough.This has resulted in the cancellation of all services between Guildford and Farnham. In other areas, every Gatwick Express service has been halted, and Thameslink commuters have been recommended to postpone travel until later today because of extensive delays. Regarding roadways, three lanes on the M25, specifically the anti-clockwise direction near Staines, were shut down owing to a substantial pothole.Concurrently, Warninglid Lane in West Sussex is inaccessible in both directions due to flooding.It had previously been characterized as “impassable” for drivers after vehicles were deserted because of the high water. Vowels Lane in Selsfield Common is obstructed in both directions, spanning Selsfield Road and Turners Hill Road, likewise due to flooding.Automobiles are also stuck in Clayhall Lane, Reigate, and Saltbox Hill as well as Jail Lane in Biggin Hill are similarly inundated. Worthing Road, located in Horsham, is shut in both directions because of flooding extending from The Boars Head to the Hop Oast park and ride roundabout.A total of 93 flood warnings and over 128 flood alerts were active throughout the UK on Tuesday evening. By Wednesday afternoon, 21 flood alerts were active in Surrey, 15 in Kent, 15 in West Sussex, and 13 in East Sussex.Residents residing near West Brook in Emsworth received a flood warning, however, the Environment Agency reported that water levels are currently receding subsequent to heavy precipitation on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Warnings regarding flooding have been disseminated for Barcombe, East Sussex, Mock Bridge near Shermanbury in West Sussex, and the vicinity of Haxted Road, in Surrey.DFDS reported that ferry operations were encountering hold-ups of up to one hour for journeys to Dunkerque and Calais, attributed to strong winds.Wind speeds are projected to diminish as the day progresses, with gusts reaching up to 36mph (57.9kmh) at 09:00 GMT decreasing to approximately 13mph (20.9kmh) by tonight. For updates, follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram.Submit your story suggestions to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or contact us via WhatsApp at 08081 002250.Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved.The BBC bears no responsibility for material found on external websites.Information regarding our policy on external links is available.