Communities rally after flash floods wreak damage

Communities have rallied together after heavy rain and flash floods caused damage and disruption across Shropshire.

In All Stretton, a care home was evacuated and a wall collapsed into the village, washing heaps of mud, stone and debris into the road.

Dozens of volunteers turned out to clean up AFC Telford, where the stadium and buildings were left under water, and three museums in Ironbridge were closed,

Rail disruption followed flooding at Wellington train station in Telford, with services between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton cancelled for most of the day.

West Midlands Railway said it expected the line to stay closed during the evening rush hour.

At Stretton Hall Care Home in All Stretton village, the car park filled up with water before the building flooded.

Operations director Helen Bayliss said residents spent the night in a different lounge and families were informed of the situation.

"The community has been absolutely wonderful, we've had so much support," she said.

Residents were later moved to a different home, but the floods left behind debris and sludge and the ground floor would need a full refurbishment, Ms Bayliss said.

All Stretton saw a stone wall collapse under the weight of the water coming down from the Long Mynd in the Shropshire Hills.

Farmers from surrounding areas turned up with tractors to help clear the damage, leading to praise from Church Stretton mayor Andy Munro for the "fantastic community spirit".

It is now thought the wall may not be repaired until next year, after engineers and firefighters inspected the damage.

Villagers said they believed a stream that normally runs under Shrewsbury Road became blocked, causing floodwater to pour down the street and through homes instead.

Firefighters arrived to find rocks blocking the road - police and highways officers were also at the scene to deal with the clearup.

Gueshouse owner Mike Goode, who runs the All Stretton Bunkhouse, said there was mud and stone everywhere along with a 1m-wide trench. He said: "How on earth we're going to deal with it, I don't know."

Mr Goode, who has lived in All Stretton for 37 years, said it was the worst flooding he had seen.

AFC Telford United was left counting the cost of the torrential rain, which left the SEAH Stadium under several feet of water.

Club director Steve Pryce described the scene as "devastating".

He said: "This is the second time it's happened in about three or four years... but it's a lot worse this time."

The club were just an hour away from hosting a match between Wolves Academy and a youth side from Monaco, France, when the floods hit.

He said: "Within an hour, it was under a couple of foot of water, not just the pitch - the whole stadium."

Water had poured in from the direction of Watling Street and flooded changing rooms, the gym, the car park and the pitch.

Among the volunteers who turned out to help were Natalie Hall, 34, of Wellington, who said she felt "we need to give back", and Kevin Short, 38, from Wellington, who said: "I just wanted to do my bit to help and support the club."

Museums in the area were hit. The Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron, Enginuity and the Iron Bridge Tollhouse were shut.

Chief executive of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, Nick Ralls, said Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron and Enginuity experienced storm and rain damage and was closed but would reopen as soon as possible.

He said: "The Iron Bridge Tollhouse is also closed today while the area around it is cleared up."

At Wellington railway station in Telford, flooding left tracks completely submerged, with water levels as high as the platforms.

Rail replacement buses were brought in until further notice and rail passengers were urged to check their journey before travelling.

An amber rain warning from the Met Office for the Midlands and a separate yellow rain warning for large parts of England both ended on Friday.

About 650 properties were flooded over wider areas of England and at midday on Friday, the Environment Agency had issued 63 flood warnings across the country and 115 flood alerts.

The agency urged people to plan journeys carefully, follow the advice of local emergency services and not to drive through flood water, which was often deeper than it looked.

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