Staffordshire flooding: A38 partly reopens

A number of memorials at the Memorial Arboretum, including the Basra wall, were partly under water

A main road in Staffordshire has been partly reopened after heavy rain led to flooding on Monday.

The northbound A38 near Burton-upon-Trent was shut between Barton-under-Needwood and Clay Mills, causing severe delays on Tuesday morning.

Staffordshire Police said one lane remained closed between Barton-under-Needwood and Branston due to standing flood water.

The A513 at Alrewas remains closed to motorists, police added.

The Environment Agency said flood warnings for Staffordshire had been downgraded.

The River Trent in Burton had peaked on Monday evening and was expected to start falling, the agency said.

'No lasting damage'

It said the flood defences, including Branston flood bank, had "worked well" and protected 7,300 properties.

The National Memorial Arboretum, which was closed because of flooding on Monday, was reopened but some memorials were still partly under water.

James Shallcross, from the Arboretum, said he wasn't expecting any lasting damage.

He said: "When we commission the memorials or look at them when the designs come in, we make sure that they are flood proofed.

"The more sensitive ones we build up on mounds, the others are on good solid concrete bases and are made of materials to resist the flood waters."

Mr Shallcross said the Arboretum had been built on a floodplain but he hoped the drainage would be improved in the future.