UK weather: Polling station chaos as flooding storm batters South of England

Shocking video shows flooding in London and Victoria Station after heavy rain

People are reporting they can’t get to their polling station after a major storm drenched the South East

  • 09:31, 23 JUN 2016

Major storms in the South of England have left polling stations flooded leaving Brits struggling through driving rain to cast their vote in the EU referendum .

But with polls showing Leave and Remain neck-and-neck , could the inclement weather actually affect the outcome of the crunch vote?

Yesterday, the BBC asked their polling guru Professor John Curtice, if the weather was likely to affect the outcome of the referendum.

He said: “Very, very rarely. There have been occasions in British elections where one part of the country has had the usual British rain and another has had a glimmer of sunshine and it’s had no perceptible impact on the level of turnout.

To follow EU Referendum news as it happens, click hereMA river of muddy water by a polling station in Romford, east London

Flooding by a polling station in Romford, east London (Photo: SWNS)
An elderly woman is reflected in a puddle of rain water as she arrives at a polling station at the Royal Hospital in Chelsea,
A voter arrives at a polling station at the Royal Hospital in Chelsea, (Photo: Getty)

“So unless those thunderstorms are actually disruptive and make it difficult for people to actually get to the polling station it’s unlikely to make much difference.”

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But some voters are reporting their local polling stations are actually closed because of the flooding.Devon way polling station in Chessington, Surrey, that had to be closed and moved elsewhere due to flooding caused by heavy overnight rain

A polling station in Chessington, Surrey, had to be closed and moved elsewhere (Photo: SWNS)
Devon way polling station in Chessington, Surrey, that had to be closed and moved elsewhere due to flooding caused by heavy overnight rain
A sign telling people how they can still cast their vote (Photo: SWNS)
Flooding in Romford after heavy overnight rain
Flooding in Romford after heavy overnight rain (Photo: PA)

And voters were turned away from casting their ballots in the EU referendum because of a mix-up at a polling station.

Several people in Leighton Buzzard turned up with their polling cards but were told their names were not on the electoral list.

Central Bedfordshire Council is said to have moved quickly to rectify the error, but at least one voter is feared to have been effectively disenfranchised because he had to travel up to Manchester and cannot make it back before polls close at 10pm.

Read more: UK travel chaos after a month’s worth of rain falls in an HOUR

Rain in London
Tourists shelter under umbrellas near Parliament (Photo: PA)
A car stranded on Queenstown Road, Battersea
A car stranded on Queenstown Road in Battersea, London (Photo: PA)
Rain in London
People attempt to avoid a large puddle outside Victoria Station in London (Photo: PA)

Polling stations are open today between 7am and 10pm. Here’s our guide to where you should go to vote.

And if you haven’t decided what you’re going to vote for, our handy quiz might help.

There won’t be any exit polls tonight – here’s why – but our poll tracker will let you take the pulse of the nation as the day goes on.

UK weather: Polling station chaos as flooding storm batters South of Englandultima modifica: 2016-06-26T15:53:51+02:00da davi-luciano
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