London and South East voters are being disrupted by torrential rain and thunderstorms which have caused flooding as voters head to the polls for the EU referendum.

There was major disruption to the rail network across the region, with many routes blocked by standing water.

A number of London Underground lines were also suspended due to flooding.

The affected rail routes included services into London Victoria from East Croydon, London Waterloo via Surbiton and a variety of metro routes in south-east London.

Passengers travelling with operators such as South West Trains, Southern, Gatwick Express and London Overground suffered delays and cancellations.

A Network Rail spokesman said flash floods were rising in some areas and its engineers were also dealing with the aftermath of lightning strikes at Surbiton.

He added: "Our staff have been out all night and are still out in the rain working with pumps and repairing damage, and we are doing all that we can to keep trains running."

The District line, DLR and London Overground were all suspended or delayed because of flooding.

Many of London's roads were affected by localised flooding, including the North Circular, which was closed at Waltham Forest.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) appealed for people to only dial 999 "where there is a risk to life or property" after receiving twice as many weather-related emergency calls between 1.30am and 6.30am as the brigade usually handles in 24 hours.

A car is abandoned under a bridge in Battersea after getting stuck in floodwater water

It has dealt with flooded homes, commercial properties and roads, as well as vehicles trapped by floodwater and properties struck by lightning.

There have been no reports of serious injuries.

In just one hour, 0.8in (20.5mm) of rain fell in Bexley, south-east London - close to half the June average - with some parts expected to see multiple showers bringing a month's rain on Thursday morning.

The Environment Agency has issued seven flood warnings covering rivers in London and Essex, and 39 flood alerts across the South East.

Showers were expected to ease by 10am on Thursday morning before returning with similar intensity from 2pm.

The Met Office issued an amber "be prepared" warning of rain for parts of Kent, Sussex and Surrey effective until 6am on Thursday, while a yellow warning covering the South East is in place until 6am on Friday.

Jodie Rose, 37, from Barking in east London, said flooding in her road following the heavy rain would hit voter turnout in the referendum.

The mother-of-two told the Press Association that the floodwater in her front and back gardens contained sewage and her children were unable to go to school as a result.

"It being polling day as well, I'm sure it's going to have a big effect on Barking voters," she said.

"My Nan is 89 years of age and she's already said that she won't be going out to vote."