Essex: Rail Services Hit By Storms

Lightning strikes and flooding have caused havoc on rail service through Essex, with rush-hour passengers facing long delays.

To add to travellers' problems, there were severe delays on London Underground's District line due to a signal failure.

Signalling problems at Sawbridgeworth and at Stansted Airport station meant delays of up to 60 minutes for those travelling to and from Stansted. Flights at the Essex terminal were also subject to delays due to the morning thunderstorms.

A signalling problem caused by a lightning strike led to disruption at Manningtree, with no services able to run between Ipswich and Norwich.

Elsewhere, hundreds of homes in Wickford faced power cuts after the mains distribution network suffered a fault following the storms. UK Power Networks said the most customers had been restored by midday on Tuesday.