BBC Midlands Today

Heavy rain yesterday evening and overnight caused flash flooding in parts of Birmingham and the Black Country, Coventry and Staffordshire. 

Many roads were flooded and the area's fire services took hundreds of calls about the impact of the bad weather. 

There are several Environment Agency flood warnings and alerts in place, external for parts of the West Midlands this morning.

Alex Homer
BBC Local Live

West Midlands Fire Service has now told us it took around 1,000 calls relating to flash flooding from 18:00 on Thursday to 03:00 today.

Firefighters were dispatched to the scene of 91 so-called "priority incidents" across the region - 45 were flood-related.

Among the worst-affected places were Selly Park, Pershore Road, parts of Harborne and Woodgate Valley. 

A total of around 1,000 West Midlands homes were at risk of flooding throughout the night, a spokesperson said. 

Birmingham Mail

Flash flooding has left parts of Birmingham and the Black Country under water after heavy rain fell overnight, external.  

Dudley News

Heavy rain has been causing flash flooding across the Black Country.

The Delph in Brierley Hill by The Tenth Lock was among the areas affected, external.

One hundred homes have been flooded in Sir John's Road in the Selly Park area of Birmingham following the latest downpours to hit the city.

The scene on Friday morning after Thursday night's deluge included bins on top of hedges and a car stuck on a garden wall - just feet from a property's front room.  

Pedestrians and drivers are being warned of a temporary road closure in Birmingham city centre.

Flash flooding across the West Midlands causes chaos with hundreds of houses, businesses, cars and main roads becoming submerged under water.

"Mind the gap" says the warning on the platform - that was the least of the problems amid yesterday's downpour.

Image source, Network Rail

Rebecca Woods
BBC News Online, Journalist

A number of Birmingham schools are closed today due to the impact of flash flooding, including Moor Green Primary School in Moseley, Oaks Primary School in Druids Heath and St Mary's Primary School in Selly Oak.  

Express and Star

Drivers were urged not to travel as flash flooding continued across the region, with children evacuated from a care home and homes and businesses left under water, external.

Here's a roundup of more emergencies to which fire crews were called during the downpours that hit Birmingham yesterday:

- Four people were trapped in a car near to Garrison Circus

- Another was trapped in a car on Pershore Road, Edgbaston

- There was flooding to the basement of an eight-storey student block in Edgbaston

- And a lightning strike to a gas power station - which then caught fire 

Bournville's railway station was hit hard, as this image shows.

Network Rail says lines have been cleared, but passengers should expect some delays.

Image source, Birmingham New Street

This play area in Bournville took a soaking too.

Image source, Adrian Goldberg

Homes in the Selly Park area of Birmingham have been flooded.

Residents in Sir John's Road had to move upstairs when 100 homes were hit. The nearby Selly Park Tavern was also forced to close when water poured into its cellar.

The Radiotherapy section at the old Queen Elizabeth Hospital flooded yesterday - no patients were present as 5,000 litres of water got in, West Midlands Fire Service says.

Here's more on the overnight situation in Birmingham.

Ben Brook, West Midlands Fire Service's area commander for emergency response, said: “Flooding seems to be a more regular occurrence across the West Midlands, and we’ve responded to hundreds of weather-related incidents over the past eight days."

Image source, West Midlands Fire Service

"Whilst our careful planning provides resilience for our communities, the large number of calls from flash flooding over the past week have placed a strain on our Fire Control and crews.

"We’d like to thank the general public and our partner agencies for their support over the past week.”

Andy Charrington filmed this flooding in Selly Park, external, Birmingham, yesterday evening.

Here's more images, this time from West Midlands Fire Service's Facebook page:

Image source, West Midlands Fire Service

We'll be bringing you information on the individual emergencies that crews attended during yesterday evening's downpours. 

For now, here's what Stourbridge Fire had to say shortly before 21:00. "Eight disabled and vulnerable children" were placed in alternative accommodation, West Midlands Fire Service said.

And here's the fire service's general advice to the public:

• If you’re in an area where flooding is likely to occur, move valuable and electrical items upstairs.
• Keep up-to-date with the local situation by listening to local radio and following official accounts on Twitter. 
• Check on elderly and vulnerable people – make sure they have a phone they can use should they need to call for help.
• People who have already called the emergency services for assistance but no longer need us should call back to let us know.
• Don’t let children play in flood waters as there may be hidden dangers below the surface.

We showed you photos of submerged cars a little while ago. Here's the fire service's reminder to motorists:

• Six inches of water is enough to reach the bottom of most passenger cars, enough to cause a loss of control or possible stalling.
• Two feet of flowing water can sweep away most vehicles, including large four-wheel drive cars. Don’t try driving through.
• Even in areas which appear as though there’s a limited impact, there’s still the potential for surface water.