Flash floods bring chaos to region

Flash flooding brought chaos to the Black Country as torrential rain turned the region's roads into rivers.

West Midlands Fire Service took 13 calls from people looking to be rescued.

People in parts of Wolverhampton were also left unable to watch television after the deluge affected the signal to Sky boxes.

Click on the image on the right to see more pictures.

Weathermen today said the worst of the rain was over, but warned that the first frost of autumn is on the way tonight.

The Met Office said today just under half an inch of rain fell in the region between 8pm and 9pm last night.

Almost 60 homes in Penn, Wolverhampton, were left without power for around 40 minutes as a fuse blew.

Wolverhampton and Walsall were among the worst affected areas for flooding.

A newly-opened block at Walsall Manor Hospital was flooded, temporarily knocking out the power supply.

Manor Road was also flooded at its junction with Penn Road and Goldthorn Hill was turned into a temporary river.

The pedestrian lane between Coton Road and Goldthorn Avenue was also affected, with the flow of water so fast that debris was left at the bottom of the hill.

Mother-of-two Catherine Drew, aged 37, who lives alongside the lane, said: "I have never seen rain like it. The lane looked like a fast-flowing stream."

Eighties singer Howard Jones said on the website Twitter: "At the Robin2 in Bilston with an incredible thunderstorm literally shaking the roof."

Motorists were caught in a dramatic cloudburst on the M6 near Walsall at about 3.15pm yesterday.

Last night's storms will be replaced with calm, clear weather tonight, with first frost of autumn expected.