Football pitch collapses as parts of the UK hit by flash floods

A football pitch in London has collapsed and other parts of the United Kingdom have been submerged by flash floods after some areas saw a month's worth of rainfall in 24 hours.

Roads were closed, some train lines in London were suspended and dozens of people reported their houses being submerged as parts of central and southern England saw about 60 to 80 millimetres of rainfall on Monday.

Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and London were the regions most affected, but at least 45 homes across the Home Counties (the counties that surround London) were flooded, according to the Environment Agency.

Certain schools in Bedfordshire were also closed due to water ingress and flooding.

A few locations were expected to be hit by more than 120 mm of rain, weather forecasters said.

In the capital, the London Fire Brigade said emergency responders received some 350 flood-related calls.

The service said these included rescuing people trapped in cars, assisting people from their homes and responding to flooding in underground train stations, roadways, homes and businesses.

At the Cherry Red Records Stadium, of EFL League Two side AFC Wimbledon, heavy rains appeared to have left a sinkhole in the pitch, resulting in the cancellation of a Carabao Cup match with Newcastle scheduled on Tuesday.

A new date has not yet been scheduled.

A yellow alert for rain was brought in at midnight on Sunday and lasted until the same time on Monday, covering parts of Wales, the south of England, the Midlands and parts of northwest England and Yorkshire.

An amber alert then came into effect a 8:15 local time on Monday and lasted until 21:00. The warning was initially issued for Worcester, Birmingham, Nottingham and Hull, in the centre and north of England, but it soon shifted south to cover the likes of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Buckinghamshire.

Forecasters have said there may be more heavy rain warnings in the week ahead.