Thunderstorms and heavy downpour have led to "the pavement disappearing" as flooding in Orpington saw water levels rise dramatically.

Torrential downpour swept across south London last night, bringing some soggy relief to the scorching temperatures of recent days.

And readers have sent in photos of the results, with the storms and rain hitting particularly hard in Bromley.

The area around St Mary Cray bridge in Orpington was seen severely flooded, with water levels high enough to stop drivers and parts of Cray Ave also inaccessible.

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One person called it "complete mayhem caused by the thunderstorm and torrential rain," and said no pavement could be seen under the water levels.

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The London Fire Brigade were also in attendance, and have been contacted for comment.

 

 

Flood alerts were issued across south London as thunderstorms were predicted to hit the capital, with the government's Flood Information Service issuing a number of amber 'Alerts' for areas from Bexley to Kingston.

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The warnings came after days of high temperatures saw heatwave warnings across southern England eventually give way to flood and thunder alerts as the heavens opened on Tuesday evening.

 

 

The country enjoyed the hottest day of the year earlier this week, but on Tuesday the Met Office also issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms, with intense rainfall expected to arrive from around 1pm onwards until the end of the day.

However, last night's downpour actually doesn't mean the heatwave is going to end quite yet, with the Met Office predicting a few more days of soaring temperatures:

The Flood Information Service statement related to south London alerts read: "Heavy rain and thunderstorms have brought locally intense rainfall to parts of London throughout the day today Tuesday 20 July 2021. Tomorrow, Wednesday 21 July 2021 further heavy showers are possible.

"While uncertainty remains around exact timings and which areas will experience the heaviest rain, there is a possibility that rivers could respond quickly and overtop their banks.

"Flooding to low lying land, roads and riverside gardens remains possible. Surface water flooding may also affect low lying areas.

"We recommend you monitor local weather conditions. You should avoid walking, cycling or driving through flood water..."