EXTENSIVE flooding and a huge number of fallen trees are causing chaos across the News Shopper patch this morning.

Last night gale force winds and torrential rain swept across south east London and Kent, leaving many areas worse for wear.

In Magpie Hall Lane, Bromley, around 40 houses have been flooded after the river Ravensbourne, next to St Luke’s cemetery, burst.

And Kipling Road, Bexleyheath, was flooded overnight for the second time in months.

Elaine Corbyn, 53, said: "I told the council I’m going to and buy some ducks.

"There’s a lot of elderly people on this road who’ve been affected by it.

"My daughter’s just pulled up and the water’s halfway up her car wheel."

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Photo: Elaine Corbyn

Meanwhile the picture below shows the scene near the entrance to Nuffield Health Fitness and Wellbeing Centre in Bromley, close to Hayes Lane:

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Underpasses in Crittals Corner and Frognal Corner, both in Sidcup, are also completely flooded:

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Crittals Corner. Photo: Martin Peaple.

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Frognal Corner. Photo: Martin Peaple

This wall around the back of some shops in Hollytree Parade, Sidcup, was flattened last night: 

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A number of people have tweeted pictures of fallen trees, with this chestnut tree in Queensmead Recreation Ground in Glassmill Lane, Bromley, badly damaged:

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Photo: @schmoodub

Funda Ozmus added: "Absolute storm carnage in Bromley" alongside the following photograph:

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Photo: @FundaOzmus.

This unfortunate tree was photographed in St Kilda Road, Bromley, this morning:

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Photo: Barrie Duffield

And Dhillons newsagents in King Street, Gravesend, are still open despite losing their sign to the wind:

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Photo: @GravesendTCM 

A London Fire Brigade spokeswoman said: "It has been an extremely busy night for our firefighters and 999 control staff.

"Between 8pm on Monday evening and 7am on Christmas Eve, London Fire Brigade received 853 calls.

"This  compares with 159 calls for the same period 24 hours earlier.

"Crews have been working incredibly hard throughout the night, mainly attending flooding incidents and fallen trees, as well as being called to structures such as windows, roof tiles and signs which have been left in a precarious position by the high winds.

"Thankfully though, so far, we have had no reports of any injuries."

"Although crews were called out all across the capital, many of the incidents attended by firefighters were to addresses in the south east and south west of London – with areas such as Bromley, Orpington, Beckenham and Sidcup particularly badly affected."