London party boat sinks in River Thames and flood hits Hackney Wick amid heavy rainfall

A London party boat has sunk and 50 people have been led to safety in Hackney Wick after heavy rain and flooding hit the capital.

The city was battered by a deluge on Thursday, amid a yellow weather warning for rain issued by the Met Office across south-east England.

Great Western Rail said major disruption was expected on its train services until the end of Friday, as flooding shut several of its routes.

An RNLI lifeboat and Met Police and fire brigade vessels were scrambled to Temple Pier in central London around 12.30pm after a party boat moored there sank.

A spokesman for the Bar & Co boat, which is a floating bar, restaurant and nightclub, said: “Likely it sunk because of weather conditions.”

An HM Coastguard spokesman said: “A restaurant vessel sank at Temple Pier in London on January 4.

“The alarm was raised at about 12.30pm and everyone is accounted for.”

The Port of London Authority has advised vessels to pass Temple Pier with “great caution”.

Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters were later called Hackney Road in east London amid severe flooding on Smeed Road, after a canal burst its banks.

Water flooded around 10 acres of land in the Hackney Wick area, said London Fire Brigade, affecting properties.

A safety cordon was put in place as the brigade worked to divert the floodwaters.

Firefighters carried out welfare checks on around 100 people who were able to remain in their unaffected properties, while around 50 people were led to safety.

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Station Commander Dan Capon, who was at the scene, said: “Firefighters worked through the night to ensure the scene was safe and evacuated a number of people from surrounding buildings.

“We urged people to avoid the area where possible. Remember – if your property is affected by flooding, move to a higher level where possible. If you are in immediate danger, call 999. Follow the advice of the operator.”

Experts are warning the impact of surface water and river flooding will continue to be “significant” across parts of England following the heavy rainfall.

Great Western Railway on Friday morning reported “significant disruption” on its network and advised customers to check their journeys before travelling.

“Flooding has closed several routes and an incident yesterday near Reading,” said a statement on the GWR website.

“Major disruption is anticipated throughout the day.”

It reported flooding at eight sites on its network, which serves 270 stations, and warned trains may be cancelled, severely delayed or diverted.Lines between Swindon and Bristol Parkway, Reading and Castle Cary, and Liskeard and Looe were all closed.GWR and Elizabeth line services will continue to operate between London Paddington and Reading, said GWR.

The A41 dual carriageway in Brent Cross is understood to have been submerged in floodwater late on Thursday.

A major incident was declared amid widespread flooding in the Midlands on Thursday.

The yellow weather warning was in place across southern England until 3am on Friday.

But showers will continue into Friday morning, according to forecasters, and are likely to affect parts of south-west and eastern England, Wales and areas in Scotland.

Stefan Laeger, of the Environment Agency, said: “Significant surface water and river flooding impacts are possible across parts of the Midlands and the south and east of England on Thursday and Friday due to heavy localised rainfall falling on already very saturated catchments.

“Ongoing minor impacts are also likely across much of England over the next five days as some larger rivers slowly respond to recent and forecast rain.”

The highest rainfall totals recorded on Thursday were 35.2mm at Otterbourne in Hampshire, with a wide range of 20-30mm across much of the southern counties of England.

It comes just days after disruption caused by strong winds and rain from Storm Henk, which has left the ground saturated and more prone to flooding.

Nottinghamshire County Council said a major incident was declared “due to rising levels along the river Trent” and that residents who live in flood-risk areas should be prepared to evacuate their homes.

It added that forecasts were showing that peaks along the river Trent could “come close to the highest levels on record from the year 2000”, adding that residents in areas along the Trent valley should be “prepared for flooding”.

A man stranded on his shed roof by floodwater was rescued by a crew from Highfields Fire Station who used a boat to bring him safely to land.

In a statement, Nottinghamshire County Council said: “Key tributaries which feed in to the river Trent, including the river Derwent, the river Soar and the river Dove, have already reached their peaks and high water levels will now pass down the Trent, which is likely to lead to flooding to properties and roads.

“Residents who live in the flood-risk areas are being asked to ensure they have preparations in place in case they are asked to evacuate. Councils, emergency services and the Environment Agency have been providing emergency support to communities impacted and will continue to provide support across the county.”

Several residents of Radcliffe Residential Park, an estate of static caravans for the over-55s just to the east of the city, were evacuated due to high water levels.