Disruption alert as Storm Claudia sweeps in

Roads in Herefordshire have been badly affected, including in Bodenham

Heavy rain has hit parts of the West Midlands as Storm Claudia sweeps in, with warnings of travel disruption and school closures, while events have been cancelled.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning across the entire region on Friday and an amber warning is in place in Herefordshire, Worcestershire and most of Birmingham and Coventry from 12:00 GMT. Southern parts of Shropshire and Staffordshire are also affected.

As well as flash floods, there is also a danger of flooding from rivers in the coming days, with levels already high in many areas.

The Met Office warned flash floods could cause "fast flowing or deep flood water, causing danger to life".

"Homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, causing damage to some buildings, with spray and flooding leading to difficult driving conditions and some road closures," the warning said.

There is also a chance of power cuts and some communities being cut off by flooded roads.

The forecaster said the region could see 40 to 60mm of rain, with some places seeing up to 80mm.

Roads were flooded in Bartley Green, Birmingham, following heavy rain earlier this week

Earlier this week, heavy rain in Birmingham caused flash flooding and warnings of rising river levels, which resulted in road closures.

Storm Claudia has been named by the Spanish Meteorological Agency and has already brought heavy rain and strong winds to Spain and Portugal.

In Herefordshire, a number of schools are closed on Friday because of the weather alert and a risk of flooding, the county council said.

Fairfield High School confirmed on its website it would be closed, adding it tried to stay open last year during similar weather and experienced "significant challenges getting pupils and staff home safely".

Trains cancelled

On the trains, there will be no West Midlands Railway service between Birmingham New Street and Worcester or Hereford, and due to the forecast weather conditions bosses added they are unable to operate buses to replace affected services.

There were reduced services on the Cross City Line from Lichfield Trent Valley and Birmingham New Street to Redditch and Bromsgrove, with two trains per hour operating on this route throughout the day.

Chiltern Railways has warned of travel disruption

Chiltern Railways (CR) warned customers of a significantly reduced service will be in operation on Friday, with trains that are running much busier than usual.

Trains affected include the service between Birmingham Moor Street and London, which will have just one train per hour in each direction.

There will be no CR service north of Birmingham Moor Street or on the line to Stratford-upon-Avon, the operator said.

Denise Wetton, route director for Network Rail Central route, said: "We are doing everything we can to prepare for the impact of this extreme weather."

Avanti West Coast also posted that it would be running a reduced timetable because of speed restrictions applied by Network Rail and said: "Fewer trains will run and journeys will take longer."

The operator has urged people to plan ahead.

Lights switch-ons cancelled

Christmas lights switch-on events were due to take place in Birmingham and Warwickshire, but have been called off.

In the city, the Jewellery Quarter BID (business improvement district) said: "We had to make the devastating decision to call of our wonderful event."

A statement said it was the last thing they wanted, but nature "had other ideas".

On social media, organisers posted links to a market still going ahead and an opening party at The Button Factory.

"We encourage you to support our local traders and venues if you're able to, and please take care if travelling in the weather," they added.

Bedworth Outdoor Market has also been called off because of forecasted high winds, the council said.

Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council said: "Bedworth Covered Market will be open as normal, outside traders are welcome to trade inside instead."

A Christmas lights switch-on was also cancelled in Bulkington, Warwickshire.

Organisers said on Facebook that they were "gutted".

They said the Christmas market and funfair were unable to operate in high wind speeds, with rainfall of up to 10cm expected.

"This is not a decision that we have taken lightly," they said.