London was hit with flooding over the weekend after Friday 's Solar Eclipse saw tides across the country swell . The Environment Agency issued 24 flood alerts across the UK with rescue teams called to a number of incidents on the coast . In Chiswick , West London , motorists ploughed through flooded streets after the tide climbed three metres in height as a result of the rare eclipse . Parts of Chiswick in West London flooded over the weekend after the Solar Eclipse which caused higher tides . The Thames Barrier closed over the weekend to protect London from further flooding . Above , a cyclist in Chiswick drudges through the water . The Thames Barrier closed on Saturday to protect London from the high tides linked to the solar eclipse and 'supermoon ' which caused rising water levels . Flood alerts were issued across much of the country with the Met Office predicting that some areas would still be affected today . The rising tides came after Friday 's Solar Eclipse , the first of its kind for 16 years . With the sun and moon aligning , higher tides were to be expected . But added to the fact the Earth was at its closest point to both , they were slightly larger than usual . Enthusiasts hailed the phenomenon as the 'supertide of the century ' , with hundreds flocking to coastal points across the country . Some encountered trouble at sea as a result of the weather , with one family plucked from Watergate Bay in Newquay by a lifeboat after becoming trapped in a cove . A grandmother and her two granddaughters had to be rescued when the waters became too high . RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Operations Manager Gareth Horner said : 'The group were a bit damp but unharmed after becoming trapped around three hours before high-water as often happens along this stretch of coast . ' The combination of the eclipse and the Earth being at its closes point to the moon and sun caused water levels to rise . A child narrowly avoids a soaking in Chiswick , West London yesterday . The Environment Agency issued more than 20 flood alerts over the weekend withs ome parts expected to have trouble until Monday . An hour later the same team rescued a couple by the tide on Towan Island , while four teenagers were plucked from chest-high water elsewhere . One Dorset coastguard officer said in his 24 years working for the service he had never seen the tide come back in so quickly . The four foreign teenagers , who did n't speak much English , called the emergency services panicking because they were lost and becoming cut off by a rising tide near Old Harry Rocks . Anne-Marie Clerk from Poole lifeboat said : 'The group did n't know the area and had carried on walking along the shore near Old Harry because the tide was extremely low . 'They raised the alarm sometime after 5pm when they realised they could n't get back . 'They were under the cliff and there was loose rock behind them so they could n't climb out and the water was up to their chests . 'They were all fine but they were really oblivious to what danger they had been in . 'The tides come back so quickly and it was fortunate they had phones with them , although only one was working when they called for help because the others had been damaged by the water . ' Poole volunteer lifeboat coxswain Jonathan Clark added : 'We are experiencing very extreme spring tides and low waters at the moment due to the Spring Equinox and areas of the foreshore are being exposed . ' He added the youngsters were 'exceptionally lucky ' not to have found themselves in more danger . Roaring waves at the promenade in Roker , Sunderland , on Saturday some 24 hours after the eclipse . Britain was been battered with extreme tides over the weekend . In Tynemouth , North Tyneside , waves crashed over the seawall as a result . The 'supertide of the century ' has been good news for surfers and more than 40 turned out to catch a rare 6ft high wave on the River Severn on Saturday ( above ) The rare eclipse on Friday morning was the first of its kind for 16 years . Above , a view of the phenomenon from Derby .
Friday 's Solar Eclipse caused tide levels to rise significantly across UK . The Thames Barrier was closed on Saturday while parts of London flooded . A number of lifeboats were called to rescue people along the coasts . One volunteer said he had never seen tides come in and out so quickly .