- Weather Watchers/Sable D
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Intense rainstorms and lightning strikes overnight in some parts of London have caused significant flooding and at least two house fires.
London Fire Brigade (LFB) said it handled about 400 calls from midnight onwards, most of them related to flooded homes and roads.
At least two house fires in north and south-west London were believed to be caused by lightning strikes and resulted in roof damage, the fire service added.
To cope with demand, the brigade activated its high-volume call procedure, prioritising incidents where there was a risk to life. It also temporarily activated Operation Willow Beck to allow surplus 999 calls to be redirected to other fire control rooms.
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Areas such as Twickenham and Richmond saw a high number of flooding reports during the early hours, according to LFB.
Some roads were hit by flash floods, and the brigade urged drivers not to enter floodwater, warning that as little as a 1ft (30cm) of water moving at 6mph (10km/h) can float a car.
There was disruption around Heathrow Terminals 2 and 3 and Terminal 4 on Tuesday morning due to flooding. The Elizabeth line and Heathrow Express services have now returned to normal.
Flooding has also affected other transport services such as the London Tramlink network, which suspended the line between Sandilands and Elmers End/Beckenham Junction because of floodwater on the tracks. This has since reopened.
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Earlier this morning Balham station was closed due to flooding, but has since reopened.
One of the houses struck by lightning in London was in Wilde Place, Tooting, south-west London where the roof of a semi‑detached property was damaged, along with a small section of the adjoining home.
Pictures from LFB show a hole large in the roof caused by the strike, although no injuries were reported.
A second house, in Enfield, north London also had roof damage caused by a lightning strike.
Other areas across southern England were also hit by the lightning strikes overnight and a house in Bristol was reportedly set ablaze during a storm earlier in the evening.
It comes as England braces for temperatures of up to 40C (104F), with the Met Office issuing a rare red alert set to come into force on Wednesday.
LFB Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne said: "It has been a very busy night for our control officers, firefighters and officers.
"Whilst the worst of the rain now seems to have passed, we continue to work through outstanding calls as well as receive new incidents as Londoners wake to see some of the damage caused by the storms overnight."
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