London and the South East braced for cold snap in wake of Storm Claudia as major incident declared

"Claudia caused flooding on the Great Western Railway track in multiple locations between London Paddington, Bristol Parkway and South Wales stopping all trains. National Rail said there will be roughly one service per hour from Chippenham via Bristol Temple Meads to Paddington, with services not calling at stations between Bath Spa and Reading due to heavy rain in the Swindon too."

"London and the South East are bracing for more rain and flooding as the aftermath of Storm Claudia continues with a freezing cold snap now closing in. Many areas will feel a sharp drop in temperatures by Tuesday, forecasters say. A yellow weather warning for rain covering central and northern England, the South West, and Wales expired at 6am on Saturday."

"A major incident has been declared in Monmouth following severe and widespread flooding across the town and surrounding area caused by Claudia. Natural Resources Wales had issued four severe flooding warnings as of 6am, meaning there was significant risk to life and significant disruption to the community is expected. South Wales Fire and Rescue crews are working alongside Gwent Police, Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust, SARA, Mountain Rescue, the Coastguard to carry out welfare checks, evacuations and rescues."

Storm Claudia produced heavy rainfall that caused flooding on rail lines between London Paddington, Bristol Parkway and into South Wales, halting many services and reducing frequency on affected routes. A yellow rain warning covering parts of England, the South West and Wales expired early Saturday while further rain and flooding risks persist in the South East. Temperatures are set to fall sharply with sleet forecast in London and lows near 3C, followed by a freezing cold snap. A major incident was declared in Monmouth, with four severe flooding warnings issued and multi-agency teams conducting welfare checks, evacuations and rescues.

Read at www.standard.co.uk