Flooding causes havoc in UK's capital as hospitals warn patients to stay away

For the second time in less than a month, torrential rainfall has left parts of London underwater, with several hospitals declaring major incidents as a result of the severe flooding. 

Just weeks ago on July 12, South West London was hit by flash floods, causing travel chaos as roads were submerged and trainlines forced to cancel their services. Now the UK's capital has seen the return of the heavy rainfall following the recent heatwave and it's once again left public services hugely affected. It’s understood that as many as eight tube stations were closed due to the flooding that occurred on Sunday July 25, with Clapham and Camberwell initially hit hardest by the intense rainfall. 

However, flooding has since also been reported across the east and north-east of the capital. Now both Newham Hospital and Whipps Cross Hospital in East London have urged patients seeking urgent treatment to visit alternative medical facilities in the vicinity wherever possible. 

This comes after both hospitals’ A&E departments flooded over the weekend and ambulances to Newham are said to still be being redirected. 

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Taking to social media to update the public, Newham Hospital shared that they will still operating for those who needed them, but advised patients to attend a nearby hospital if at all possible.

The hospital declared, ‘Our Emergency Department has flooded in some areas. We're still here if you need us but to help us while we fix things please attend a neighbouring hospital if possible. Thank you!’

Whipps Cross Hospital in Leytonstone, East London issued a similar plea, announcing that it was experiencing "operational issues due to the heavy rainfall".

And it’s not just hospitals who have been placed under pressure by the unexpected heavy rainfall, as London’s fire service have received a staggering number of calls regarding flooding-related incidents since the water began to rise. Sharing remarkable photos of the flooding in Worcester Park in Sutton, the London Fire Brigade revealed they had had to rescue five people trapped by the flood.

‘We have now taken more than 600 calls to flooding incidents, including flooding to roads & properties, reports of ceilings collapsing & vehicles stuck in water’, the caption stated. ‘Crews used specialist water rescue equipment to rescue five people from a car stuck in flood water in #WorcesterPark’. 

Meanwhile, on Sunday, St. James’ Park in London supposedly saw 41.6mm (1.6in) of rain, making it the wettest part of the country. Whilst according to BBC.com, residents on a street in Woodford, East London, were forced to grab buckets, brooms and even wooden boards in an effort to prevent rising rainwater from flooding their homes.

They report that restaurant manager Mariya Peeva told the PA news agency that by the time her son arrived home from the local shop after buying food, their whole street was already flooded.

"My son went to buy some food from the local shop - by the time he came back the whole street and the pavement were already flooded and the water was coming into our front door,” she explained. 

The recent flooding comes after Amber Warnings for storms were issued for London and some of the Home Counties over the weekend. The Environment Agency has four flood warnings currently in place, whilst there are 19 alerts for potential flooding active throughout the capital and many of the surrounding areas.