Sudden downpours in Midlands town leaves football stadium submerged and water gushing out of sewers


Thunderstorms and sudden heavy rain downpours this afternoon have wreaked havoc across the region, with multiple train lines underwater, widespread reports of stranded cars, and multiple schools already telling their students not to come in tomorrow.

In Telford, residents who witnessed the heavens open late in the afternoon were left to deal with ever-rising levels of brown floodwaters, after the earlier deluge overloaded drains and other waterways in the town. Video of the scenes in the town shows much overflow pouring down a residential street.

Train lines through Telford were also closed through the evening, with pictures showing the tracks fully submerged; a similar situation in Birmingham New Street meant many passengers across the Midlands struggled to make it home on Thursday evening, with major sections of the line impassable.

Stay up-to-date with the latest forecasts and closures with our Midlands weather liveblog

READ MORE: Birmingham flood alerts live as roads and schools closed and 'imminent' risk to properties

Video captured by Vinson Rodriguez shows the aftermath of the afternoon's intense thunderstorms and showers, with brown water gushing out of drains on Watling Street in Telford. The road appears to be submerged in a few inches of water, which steadily grows as the rainwater backs up out of drains in the area.

A similar situation in Wellington caused West Midlands Police to close the roads around the junction next to the Cock Hotel on Regent Street, with other drains in the town backing up after the heavy afternoon downpour.

Meanwhile, the groundskeepers at AFC Telford United's SEAH Stadium will have their work cut out for them tomorrow, with many inches of standing water now blanketing the grounds. Pictures shared by the football club showed some water had even made it into the building's gym.

The club asked the public: "If you are available tomorrow (Friday) from 9 am onwards we'd welcome any help you could give to help us get things straightened up and dried out."

More flooding is expected across the region overnight.