Hammersmith station flood: London tube commuters use bridge made of chairs to cross puddle

Not everyone used makeshift structure - some people just walked through the ankle-high water

London commuters pride themselves on being a resilient bunch – but not, it seems, when it comes to puddles.

A video posted online shows dozens of people outside Hammersmith Underground Station queueing to cross a patch of ankle-high rain water by using a bridge made of chairs.

The makeshift crossing was created by workers at a nearby Pret A Manger, which, naturally, tweeted about it. “We chair-ish our customers,” the sandwich chain wrote.

The station was eventually closed due to the growing number of people refusing to leave because of the puddle, which was about 150cm across.

Not everyone, however, appeared so cowed.

One woman, in earphones and business attire, can be seen in the clip taking her heels off and marching through the water while casting a dismissive glance at the chair-users.

The sudden rain came after an abrupt end to the summer’s record-breaking heatwave in the capital – and forecasters say more downpours are expected.

As much as 30mm is predicted to fall in just one hour on Friday as Storm Debby sweeps in off the Atlantic. Waves of heavy rainfall and possible hailstorms will then continue throughout the weekend.

Meanwhile, Arctic air from Greenland is being pulled in over the UK sending temperatures plunging from highs of above 30C earlier this week down to teens and low 20s.

The Met Office said showers would affect western regions initially but “will become more widespread…heavy and thundery in places".

But don’t despair too much: forecasts suggest the UK is in for the hottest autumn in 38 years, with above-average temperatures 10 times more likely than colder ones.

The Met Office three-month forecast said: “For August to October, the probability the UK average temperature will fall into the warmest of our five categories is around 55 per cent. The coldest of our five categories is less than five per cent.”