Roads shut and trees fall as West Midlands hit by flooding

Trees fell, roads and a supermarket were closed and parts of the city were flooded as an unseasonal thunderstorm hit the Black Country.

Thunder could be heard at around 9.30am and then a huge downpour struck at 10am, with darkened clouds covering Wolverhampton.

Areas affected included Waterloo Road, where large puddles formed near Molineux, causing motorists to drive down the centre of the road.

In Wombourne the village's Sainsbury's supermarket was closed when part of the wall was damaged by the rain.

Customers were asked to leave the store, in Heath Mill Road, for safety reasons with water coming on from a side panel.

Meanwhile a country road in Lower Penn was blocked when a tree collapsed due to the rain.

The tree fell in Dene Road and cars were unable to pass.

Police said the force of the water has caused a partial collapse of the embankment.

The road was closed off while officials were drafted in to safely remove the tree.

Other roads affected in Wolverhampton included Compton Road, where there was temporary flooding by Wolverhampton Grammar School.

And Merridale Street was also badly flooded with drivers having to slow down to wade through the water.

There was also flooding in Albrighton, with one person taking to Twitter to warn people of trouble on the roads.

David Gregory-Kumar tweeted to say: "Flash flooding around Albrighton. Just had to drive through half a foot of water. Take care out there."

Elsewhere in Station Road in Rushall a drain cover in the middle of the road was missing after being damaged by the extreme weather.

Officials had left a barrier over the top of a gaping hole to alert drivers to the danger.

Within hours the Black Country was a picture of calm, with the sun shining and no more rain predicted for the rest of the day.

However the rain will return tomorrow with heavy showers expected for Tuesday afternoon and evening.

Temperatures will reach just 17C (62F).