UK weather: Flood alerts issued in 10 London boroughs

News imageGetty Images Heavy rain falls on the river Wandle on August 24, 2020Getty Images
File picture of the River Wandle where "locally intense rainfall" has triggered an alert

Flood alerts have been issued in 10 south London boroughs with heavy rain expected to hit the capital.

One covers the River Wandle area in Wandsworth, Merton, Lambeth, Croydon and Sutton, according to the Environment Agency (EA).

Another impacts parts of Lewisham, Bromley and Greenwich around the Ravensbourne River.

Meanwhile, a third covers the Beverley Brook area including Richmond-upon-Thames and Kingston-upon-Thames.

The EA said heavy rain and thunderstorms had been forecast for the next 48-hour period and there was a possibility of "flooding to low lying land, roads and riverside gardens".

News imageGraphic showing water run-off on drought-affected soils

It comes four days after London was classified in drought due to a prolonged spell of dry weather.

Temperatures reached 37C (99F) during another heatwave last weekend.

Thames Water, the largest water supplier in the capital, recently announced an imminent hosepipe ban following the South East's driest July since 1836.

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