Wet weather in the south-east of England is raising fears that thousands of people may miss the chance to vote in Britain's referendum on EU membership.

Storms brought Waterloo station to a standstill early on Thursday evening (June 23), according to the Guardian website, potentially affecting thousands of passengers who may not yet have voted.

The station is a major hub for people commuting from outside London, many of whom would likely have left in the morning too early to vote, the site said.

Polling stations have been open in Britain since 7am and are due to close at 10pm.

Many people have taken to social media to express concern that they may miss the 10pm deadline, said the Guardian.

Waterloo alone serves 90 million passengers a year, which is about 250,000 a day on average, said the site, although the average includes weekends and holidays.

Other stations, including Canon Street, Charing Cross, London Bridge and Victoria, are also reported to have been affected. They are all major commuter stations with many people likely to have left for work this morning before polls opened.