Travelling home for Christmas could be fraught with problems across England as flooding is expected to worsen this weekend.

Several motorways and railway lines were brought to a standstill today after heavy rain kicked off last night.

Flood warnings have been issued in areas from the Lake District to West Cornwall, with most of the alerts and disruption concentrated in the South.

The Met Office expects longer bus, train and road journey times in the region as well as the flooding of a few homes and businesses.

A Met Office spokeswoman said: ‘Given the fact that there has been a lot of rain in southern England already this week, there is potential for flash flooding and difficult driving conditions, especially as it is a busy weekend in the run-up to Christmas.’

The M23 was closed between junctions 10 and 11 in West Sussex for around eight hours after a watercourse burst its banks.

Sussex Police said driving conditions in the region was ‘miserable’, with ‘a lot of standing water on the roads’.

Norfolk and Suffolk Police said roads in both counties were affected by flooding.

Devon and Cornwall Police said flooding across the forces’ area made ‘a number of roads impassable’.

Severe flooding in Hayle, west Cornwall meant the A30 bypass was closed overnight on Thursday.

Essex Police have issued a safety warning after standing water and accidents caused huge delays on the M11 and M25.

Train services between Brighton and Gatwick Airport were heavily reduced on Friday afternoon.

Network Rail said flooding had ‘completely submerged’ parts of the Brighton main line, affecting Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express services as well as replacement bus routes.

A landslip in Surrey blocked all trains between Guildford and Godalming, disrupting South Western Railway and Great Western Railway journeys.

Southeastern trains between Maidstone West and Strood were blocked due to a fallen tree and landslip.

A month’s worth of rainfall in the past five days combined with one of the wettest autumns since records began has put rail infrastructure ‘under enormous pressure’, according to Network Rail.

A spokesperson said: ‘Our passengers have had an awful week of disruption, so I know an apology isn’t enough. But we are working tirelessly to deliver the best service we can during these challenging circumstances.

‘We have hundreds of colleagues out in force across the region to clear debris from drains, pump away excess water and clear mud and trees from the tracks.’

Highways England urged drivers to reduce their speeds, stay well back from vehicles in front and ease off the accelerator if steering becomes unresponsive.

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