More than 300 flood warnings are in place across England as travellers face transport delays, with train services struggling to get back on track after rain and strong winds from Storm Henk lashed large parts of the UK.
The Environment Agency said on Wednesday there were 368 active alerts in England for possible flooding, 322 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected and, in Northampton, one danger to life severe flood warning.
Great Western Railway said flooding has blocked several parts of its network. Flooding near Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire means all lines are closed between Swindon and Bristol Parkway.
Services between London Paddington and south Wales are being diverted, adding around 40 minutes to journey times. Flooding also means the route between Liskeard and Looe in Cornwall is blocked, and some lines are closed between Totnes and Plymouth in Devon.
Greater Anglia said train services were experiencing “severe disruptions” in the late hours of Tuesday night due to the storm with “multiple incidents” affecting services across the network.
A statement said: “Services on other lines may be cancelled, delayed, or revised. Greater Anglia and Network Rail will be working overnight to restore services and minimise disruption on Wednesday 3 January.”
They are experiencing severe delays in Norwich, Colchester, Peterborough and Cambridge.
A joint statement from South Western Railway and Network Rail on X said on Wednesday morning that disruptions linked to the storm will continue throughout the day.
“We are very sorry for the disruption customers experienced yesterday, due to the serious and widespread impact of Storm Henk,” the statement said.
“The severe winds led to trees on the line damaging or delaying trains in multiple locations across our network.”
Great Northern Rail said on X that services would be delayed from Cambridge to Ely and King’s Lynn until 10am on Wednesday as they work to repair damaged overhead wires and remove a damaged train.
Southern Rail also said delays were expected on Wednesday with repairs ongoing between Uckfield, Buxted and Crowborough.
Thameslink said services are back to normal after disruptions on Tuesday.
Lincolnshire fire and rescue said it received 140 flood related calls in the last 24 hours, the majority of which came in the south of the county.
Leicestershire police said a large number of homes had been affected by flooding in Loughborough, with police closing Belton Road from the junction of Jubilee Drive to Meadow Lane and A426 Lutterworth Road from Little Glen Road To Leicester Road Roundabout in Blaby.
The majority of the flood warnings cover the central part of England, in Birmingham, Leicester and Northampton.
In Wales there was one severe flood warning, 15 flood warnings and 39 flood alerts, according to Natural Resources Wales.
Storm Henk battered large parts of southern England, the Midlands, East Anglia and Wales throughout Tuesday.
A woman was injured by a falling tree as gusts of up to 94mph hit in Orpington, south-east London.
The Metropolitan police were called at 3.14pm on Tuesday to reports that a woman had been struck by a tree in Station Approach.
A force spokesperson said: “Officers attended along with paramedics from the London ambulance service and the London fire brigade.
“The woman was taken to hospital. Her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. Her family has been informed.”
The strongest gales were recorded at the Needles Old Battery in the Isle of Wight, where wind speeds reached 94mph.
Gusts of 81mph were reached at Exeter airport in Devon, and top winds hit 71mph at the Isle of Portland in Dorset and also at Mumbles Head in Glamorgan.
The Energy Networks Association, which collates data from all energy providers, estimated that 10,000 customers were without power as a direct result of storm damage, as of 7am on Wednesday.
Stefan Laeger, the Environment Agency’s flood duty manager, said the heavy rainfall means “significant local flooding” on the River Nene, in the east of England, is “probable” until Thursday.
Warwickshire fire and rescue service was called out to The Ford in Kenilworth to rescue a motorist who got stuck trying to drive through flood water.
A spokesperson said: “Due to the speed of the flowing water we used our inflatable sled to safely rescue the car’s occupants. Please avoid the area and don’t try to drive through flood water.”