Storms hit southern England

In Romford, 82-year-old June Simmonds became trapped on the first floor of her house as the flood water rose. 

Later, when it subsided, her daughter Kim Cook had a look at the damage.        

She told the BBC the house was "absolutely full" and "swimming".

"I just want to cry, because it's just gonna take so much again to get it back to where it was," she said. 

"There's a really long road ahead. This is the second time and it was as bad last time and I just feel really sorry for my mum." 

Network RailCopyright: Network Rail

Network Rail said it had 1,200 engineers working on weather-related issues across the network.   

Passengers travelling with operators such as Abellio Greater Anglia, Gatwick Express, Southern, South West Trains and Thameslink were hit by delays and cancellations. 

Lambeth North, Ruislip Manor and Upminster Bridge stations were closed because of the flooding. 

Blackfriars and Mansion House stations were partly closed during the evening rush hour while those needing step-free access from Poplar station were also affected by the severe rain. 

Bank station was evacuated and closed for safety reasons at 17:45 BST due to a fire alert, but reopened 45 minutes later after London Fire Brigade gave it the all clear. 

The Waterloo and City line was completely suspended while services on the Bakerloo, Circle, District and Hammersmith and City lines were all hit by severe delays. 

Commuters in south-east England have faced severe disruption this afternoon and evening as torrential rain and flooding continues to cause cancellations and delays. 

Several Tube stations were closed in London, while those using the rail network experienced severe disruption to their travel plans. 

A Transport for London (TfL) spokesman apologised to those whose journeys had been affected. 

The spokesman said: "A small number of our stations have been closed or part-closed due to flooding, caused by the heavy rain."  

"We're working to clear the water as quickly as possible so that services can return to normal. 

"Passengers are advised to check the TfL website and our social media feeds for the latest information." 

To see what TfL services are delayed, click here. 

Heavy, thundery rain over east and south-east England is due to clear overnight, the Met Office has forecast. 

Elsewhere, it says there will be scattered showery outbreaks of rain in Northern Ireland, western parts of Scotland and northern England overnight. 

For Friday it is forecasting dry interludes with warm, sunny spells for much of the UK, although it adds that heavy, slow moving showers will develop later, particularly in northern and western areas. 

For the forecast for the weekend and Monday, click here. 

Some polling stations for the UK's referendum on its membership of the EU have been forced to close in south-east England following heavy rain throughout Wednesday night and Thursday. 

Kingston upon Thames Council in south-west London moved two voting locations, and a polling station in Barking and Dagenham, east London, was shut because of a burst water main. 

Barking and Dagenham Council apologised to voters and said the polling station had been relocated to two sites within walking distance.

One polling station in Dover experienced a power outage due to the storms and was running on a generator for much of the day. 

The heavy rainfall has been continuing across much of London this afternoon and evening. 

The executive editor of politics for the Huffington Post, Paul Waugh, posted this short video of Westminster Tube station. 

Every cloud... Forecasters are saying the rain will die out in the London area by 20:00 BST, and across most of the country by 22:00 BST. And the weather in the morning looks generally good.

Milly EnglishCopyright: Milly English

Milly English, from Battersea, south London, tells us about her night of drama.

“I woke up to people knocking and banging on my door around 3am. At first I thought it was a brawl outside so I just ignored it, but it was persistent so I looked out the window and was shocked at what I was seeing," she says.

"A guy was thigh-deep in the water going from door-to-door to make sure people were OK. My roommates and I saw that the flooding had entered our house, so we used a broom to push it back into the street. My mum has lived in the same area for over 30 years and said she has never seen anything like it,” she adds.

Milly EnglishCopyright: Milly English

Milly EnglishCopyright: Milly English

Commuters in south-east England have been urged to consider leaving work early as disruption to the rail network continues following torrential rain and thunderstorms.

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operating companies and Network Rail, advised passengers travelling through affected areas that "services will be severely disrupted this evening". It said: "Passengers should check before they travel and consider travelling earlier if they can in order to get home."

Rail operators whose services are affected include Abellio Greater Anglia, Gatwick Express, Southern, South West Trains, Thameslink and Southeastern.

There are continuing problems on the roads around London following today's downpours. 

Difficult areas include Barking, where the Movers Lane Underpass is closed due to flooding and there are severe delays.

In central London, the Victoria Embankment is partially blocked and has slow traffic due to floods near Temple station.

Follow @BBCTravelAlert or visit the BBC London travel page for more London travel updates.

Much of the UK has recently been hit by thunderstorms, but what is the best way to stay safe when thunder and lightning hits? 

If a storm is approaching, take cover inside or in a car with the windows wound up - sheds, isolated trees and convertibles do not afford sufficient protection. Boaters and swimmers should get to shore as quickly as possible, as water conducts electricity. Read more on what to do here.

Science Photo LibraryCopyright: Science Photo Library