Passengers had to be rescued from a train
after it became trapped in flood water during a night of storms in southern
England.
Ninety people on the
train, which got stuck near Corsham, Wilshire, were trapped for four hours. Commuters
using First Great Western and South-eastern railways are being warned of
cancellations due to heavy rain.
Lightning also
struck across Bristol and in Wilshire where one house was significantly damaged
in Melksham.
‘Fed and Watered’
The First Great
Western train travelling between London Paddington and Swansea become stranded
in flood water shortly after 01.00 BST on Friday at Pound Pill in Corsham.
The train came to
a halt in a cutting where water was up to one metre-deep (3ft) in places within
the space of an hour.
Dan Payne from
First Great Western said: “We had to keep them fed and watered until we could
get them to a place of safety and with the help of the fire-brigade and
emergency services evacuate them by around half-past four this morning”.
Lighting
struck across Bristol and Wiltshire overnight on Thursday
The train was reversed and taken where there was less
flood water, where the passengers could disembark and be taken home by taxi.
Engineers are at the site waiting for the flood water to subside before they
can check to see if it’s safe to move the train. Signalling has also been affected
in the area.
A met
office warning said the thunderstorms are forecast to more through to Wales and
the Midlands.
Parts of
Steeple Ashton in Wiltshire was hit by flooding overnight
Forecaster Nicola Willis said there had been between 0.4
and 0.8ins (10 and 20mm) of rainfall over a four-hour period this morning.
“That is
quite a significant amount of rainfall”, she said. There have also been quite a
few lightning strikes over that period”.
Lightning was also seen in Kingsdown
Bristol overnight on Thursday
Wiltshire Fire and
Rescue service also said it has received more than 200 calls for assistance
from 21:00 BST on Thursday due to the severe weather. In Steeple Ashton, the
high street in the village was hit by floods overnight.
South-eastern said
there had been a complete loss of signalling between Otford and Eynsford,
affecting services between Ashford international and London Victoria via Maidstone ne East.
In Melksham, Wiltshire, one couple’s home was
struck by lightning and caught fire overnight. A Fire-brigade spokesman
confirmed there was “significant damage” to the roof and loft space, as well as
water damage inside.
Several flats were flooded in Dawlish, Devon,
after heavy rainfall overnight, Devon and Somerset fire service said. They received
six calls reporting flooding at about 05:50 BST although no-one was injured. Lightning
strikes were seen in Bristol as well as in parts of Dorset.
By Beth Lloyd
Written by Unknown
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