Summary

Watch: Why has it rained so much recently?

Live Reporting

Written by Alice Cunningham; edited by Andrew Woodger

  1. 'Expect flooding'

    Flood alerts and warnings have been issued across parts of the region by the government.

    Flood warnings, that urge residents to expect flooding, have been issued for the River Ivel at Langford in Bedfordshire and for the Grendon Brook catchment area near Northampton.

    Several flood alerts that warn flooding is possible have also been issued in numerous areas including around the minor tributaries of the River Nene in Northamptonshire and the River Ver in Hertfordshire.

    The Ver Valley Society described this as "rare" for the River Ver in a post on social media.

    A full list of alerts and warnings can be found here.

  2. School opens despite floods

    A photo taken from outside Ardley Hill Academy school in Dunstable, Bedfordshire. It shows the exterior of a red brick school building that has been surrounded by water. Rain drops can be seen hitting the water.Chiltern Learning Trust

    Ardley Hill Academy in Dunstable, Bedfordshire said it would be able to open, despite the town being majorly hit by rain on Sunday.

    The Children Learning Trust, which runs the Lowther Road school, posted pictures from the school grounds on Sunday night and asked: "So where has our summer gone?"

    On Monday, the school said it would be implementing a delayed opening from 09:30.

    A photo shows the Ardley Hill Academy school playground under water. Four colourful stepping stones in the playground are partially submerged under water as the rain pours. A bench can be seen in the background and a fence.Chiltern Learning Trust

  3. More schools close

    Three additional schools in Central Bedfordshire have closed according to the council's website.

    These include:

    • Lancot School
    • Parkfields School
    • Slip End Village School

    According to the council website, 10 schools have shut for the day.

    Bedford Borough Council's website shows just one school closure in the north of the county - Broadmead Lower in Stewartby.

    "Closed due to adverse weather conditions - flooding," it says.

    "Roads impassable and staff unable to get into work. We will be open tomorrow."

    On the other side of the M1 from Dunstable, the Luton Council website says the local authority has not been notified of any closures.

  4. Floods surround Asda

    A picture taken from Rushden High Street outside the Asda supermarket. The road can be seen flooded with water outside the supermarket. Cars can be seen in the distance attempting to drive through the water.Bill

    The High Street in Rushden, Northamptonshire was pictured on Sunday under water.

  5. Flood water submerges street

    Video shows flooded streets in Dunstable after heavy rain

    A video shot in Dunstable in Bedfordshire on Sunday shows high flood water that has submerged a street.

    Several cars can be seen attempting to drive through the water as they leave the Saracen's Head on High Street South.

  6. Storms damages school's fire alarm system

    Peterborough's Jack Hunt School on Bradwell Road said it was forced to close after storms damaged its fire alarm system.

    "Over the weekend, due to the stormy weather, parts our fire alarm system have been badly damaged," a spokesperson said on the school website.

    "We have been working hard today (Sunday) to rectify things, however it is clear that these systems will not be fixed by tomorrow morning.

    "This means the site is not safe to be occupied and therefore the school is closed to all students and staff tomorrow (Monday 23 September)."

  7. Drivers facing closures

    A traffic camera image shows the M1 carriageway. Long queues can be seen on the northbound carriageway. Traffic on the southbound carriageway can be seen moving freely.Highways England

    Numerous roads across the region have been closed or have several lane closures.

    According to traffic monitoring website, Inrix, the A505 Cambridge Road near Hitchin in Hertfordshire has been closed in both directions. Traffic is queuing from the B656 Walsworth Road to Cooks Way.

    Similarly the A41 in Watford remains closed in both directions between the B462 and Sandy Lane.

    In Bedfordshire, the A421 is closed in both directions between the A6 and the M1 at junction 13.

    The M1, from junction five to junction six, has one lane closed heading northbound.

  8. 'I've never seen such severe flooding'

    The front of a blue car is submerged in water which fills a hole next to a wooden fenceTim Allebone

    Tim Allebone sent these photos of flooding in Easton Maudit, near Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, yesterday.

    He says the water "swept away a car and a footbridge".

    "Having farmed in the village for 49 years, I've never seen such severe flooding," he says.

    Water shown rushing through Easton Maudit, Northamptonshire, in front of a two-storey detached house which has some of its inside lights on.Tim Allebone
    A flooded field in Easton Maudit, with a hedgerow and the top of a barred gate visible above the waterTim Allebone

  9. 'Staff unable to get to work'

    Broadmead Lower School in Stewartby, near Bedford, says it is closed as staff couldn't get to work.

    "Closed due to adverse weather conditions - flooding," a spokesperson said.

    "Roads impassable and staff unable to get into work. We will be open tomorrow."

  10. 'Chaos all day'

    Gareth Lloyd
    BBC News, Bedfordshire

    It was "chaos all day" on Sunday in Dunstable.

    As well as the road under Duck Bridge being flooded, West Street was closed at one point and shops along the High Street were flooded.

    Many residents and business owners were seen trying to bail water out of the properties using buckets.

  11. 'All train services cancelled'

    National Rail has cancelled all train services between Bletchley near Milton Keynes and Bedford on Monday morning.

    It said "urgent" repairs were needed, but due to the heavy rain and flooding, Network Rail had been unable to carry these out.

    Rail replacement buses are in place.

    "Urgent repairs to the track are needed between Bletchley and Bedford, however due to heavy rain [and] flooding... Network Rail are unable to carry out this work," a spokesperson said in a social media post on X.

    "As a result of this, all train services have been cancelled. Disruption is expected until 12:45."

  12. Cars stranded under bridge

    Gareth Lloyd
    BBC Three Counties Radio

    A photo shows flooding at Duck Bridge on Church Street in Dunstable. Several cars have been stranded in the flood water while several cones have been place under the bridge.Gareth Lloyd

    Duck Bridge has been hit by similar flooding in the past

    The road under Dunstable's Duck Bridge was underwater at 21:00 on Sunday.

    Church Street had about three feet (0.9m) of water on its surface according to witnesses.

    A number of cars were stranded.

    The image shows Duck Bridge in Dunstable from a distance. The cars can be seen stranded in the distance along with the floodwater.Gareth Lloyd

    Church Street was completely closed under the bridge on Sunday night

  13. Bedfordshire schools close amid 'hazardous' conditions

    Numerous schools across Bedfordshire have closed on Monday due to the weather.

    Many are describing the conditions as "hazardous".

    Central Bedfordshire College also said it has had to close its Kingsway campus as well as its Leighton Buzzard, The Hub, The Incuba, The Store and Luton Road sites.

    The PAD and Dallow Road however remain open.

    Schools closed in Bedfordshire so far include:

    • Caddington Village School
    • Harlington Lower School
    • Harlington Pre School
    • Harlington Upper
    • Hockliffe Lower School
    • Manshead CE Academy
    • St Marys CofE Clophill VA
    • Sundon Lower School

    The latest on the closures is on the Central Bedfordshire Council website.

  14. Amber weather warning issued

    An amber weather warning has been issued by the Met Office covering parts of Northamptonshire.

    It is in place until 21:00 and warns that homes and businesses could be flooded while some communities could be cut off due to high water levels.

    Some people may also experience power cuts and disruption to services that connect their homes.

    A wider yellow weather warning is similarly in place covering the rest of the region until 23:59.

    It means people can expect some disruption to roads, transport services and businesses.

    An image of the Met Office's two weather warnings across England on Monday, 23 September. It shows a yellow weather warning covering the majority of England along with an amber weather warning covering a smaller area.Met Office

    Two Met Office weather warnings are in place across England due to heavy rain

  15. Welcome

    Hello and welcome to our live page.

    Parts of the East of England have been hit significantly by heavy rain and flooding over the weekend and into Monday leading to disruption.

    Major roads have been closed while schools have shut and businesses have been flooded.

    We'll keep you updated with all the latest news on this.