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Driver rescued and schools shut as rain falls

West Midlands Police A blue car submerged in water up to the bonnet, with railings above the waterWest Midlands Police
A driver had to be rescued from his BMW after it became submerged up to its bonnet in Hall Green, on Thursday evening

Drivers have been rescued and schools are shut as floodwaters continue to rise in Birmingham.

Edgbaston, Stirchley and Bournville are expected to be hit and fire crews had to pull a driver to safety after his BMW became submerged up to the bonnet.

Bus and rail routes have been disrupted because of the floods, which have also prompted alerts in Tipton and Walsall.

On Thursday, pupils at a school in Kings Norton faced a deluge of water coming into the building just as they were trying to leave for the day.

A car had to be abandoned on the A449 in Stourbridge on Thursday, as waters rose while flood warnings have been issued across the city:

  • Bourn Brook at Selly Oak
  • River Rea at Edgbaston
  • River Rea at Stirchley
  • The Bourn at Bournville

Trains cancelled

Police in Birmingham have also issued a warning to drivers to be cautious in flooded areas after the rescue of the BMW driver in Hall Green.

A series of trains from Birmingham and London Marylebone have been cancelled because of the weather between Banbury and Bicester North.

Other providers are accepting tickets at no extra cost, including Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry and Great Western Railway.

National Rail said disruption was expected until 15:00 BST and replacement transport had been requested.

A few NX West Midlands bus routes have also been diverted, including numbers 27, 28, 76, 79 and 3.

David Spruce A black car submerged in water with queues of cars in the backgroundDavid Spruce
A car was left stranded on the A449 in Stourbridge
St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School Water gushing down the steps of the school, from a grassed area - there is a gritter salt box on the rightSt Thomas Aquinas Catholic School
Water was seen pouring into the school, which meant students could not open the doors as they were leaving on Thursday afternoon

With schools across the city shut one, St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School in Kings Norton, has opened as normal, following a major clean-up operation by staff, prompted when water poured into the building as lessons finished on Thursday.

Head teacher Chris Martin said rising waters left students unable to open the doors as a "torrent of water" ran through the playground.

He praised his students for helping divert drivers to stop them getting stuck in the flood, with parents later ringing the school to thank them for their efforts.

Mr Martin told BBC Radio WM that in his 20 years of teaching he had never seen anything like it.

In other areas though, there are schools that are not opening, including:

  • Victoria School in Northfield
  • Longwill School in Bell Hill
  • Bournville School in Bournville
  • Fisher Catholic School in West Heath
  • St Brigid's Catholic Primary School in Northfield
  • St Laurence Church Junior School in Northfield
St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School A man cleaning up water from the corridors of the schoolSt Thomas Aquinas Catholic School
St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School spent time clearing out water from the school

Head teacher Andy Murphy, from St Laurence Church Junior School, also said he had "never seen the pure volume of water" that gushed through classrooms and corridors on Thursday.

Pupils had to be moved upstairs with staff making sandbags out of the grit in an attempt to stem the flow.

Mr Murphy said the school's boilers had become submerged in the deluge and has issued an appeal for dehumidifiers and heaters to be delivered, to help them in the drying out operation.

Parent Roxanne Grogan said "it was only fair to help out" when she saw the school's appeal for dehumidifiers.

Roxanne Grogan wearing a beige coat holding a box with a dehumidifier inside the school building
Resident Roxanne Grogan brought in a dehumidifier to help the school
Matt Woodhouse A man with dark spikey hair and a grey car is parked behind him. He is showing a pool of standing floodwater on a muddy narrow country road.Matt Woodhouse
Panel engineer Matt Woodhouse was forced to cancel work after water got into the car's electrics as he drove through a flood in Walsall

In Walsall, one driver was unable to get to work after his car broke down as he tried to drive through floodwater in Crook Lane.

Matt Woodhouse, of Brownhills, told BBC Radio WM he was waiting for an hour in the rain for the AA to reach him.

"I got through [the floodwater] and then on the other side of it my car's just cut out and I could smell burning.

"It smells like the water has got into the electrics somewhere."

The panel builder joked that if he had had his tools he could have fixed the problem.

"I've booked the rest of the day off and, hopefully, it'll be fine and back to work on Monday," Mr Woodhouse added.

Birmingham Wholesale Market Dozens of cars parked up in a flooded car park Birmingham Wholesale Market
The market remained open for business as usual

Heavy rain flooded Birmingham wholesale markets car park, causing the concrete to disappear underneath water.

Although the market remained open for trade as usual customers were warned to take care when accessing the car park.

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