Man in his eighties dies after thunderstorms cause flash floods
A pensioner has died after his vehicle was submerged in water following flash flooding in the West Midlands.
Police said the victim, believed to be in his eighties, was taken to hospital after the incident at Lichfield Road in Rushall in the early hours of Monday but was later pronounced dead.
The Midlands area was hit by extremely wet weather on Sunday, with more than a month's rainfall deluging parts of Birmingham in just one hour.
A man has died after his vehicle was submerged in flood water in Walsall following flash flooding that hit the region.Police were called to Lichfield Road, Rushall, just after 2am today (Monday 28 May) to reports that a vehicle had entered the water: https://t.co/HrIymRY3Rwpic.twitter.com/MFVJKcfHaL
-- West Midlands Police (@WMPolice) May 28, 2018
As thunderstorms and heavy downpours swept across the country, a major route into the city was left impassable because of water up to 5ft deep.
The Met Office said a site at Winterbourne, in Edgbaston, recorded 58mm of rainfall in just one hour on Sunday afternoon, and 81mm in a 12-hour period.
People had to be rescued from their homes amid the flash flooding, paramedic Peter Bowles of West Midlands Ambulance Service said.
The large amount of rainfall in a short timeframe has led to localised flash flooding@WMASHART have assisted @OFFICIALWMAS crews with retrieving patients from flooded properties
Our control room is very busy this evening - Please only call 999 for life threatening emergencies pic.twitter.com/S5Coyp6dDM
-- Peter Bowles (@wmaspeterbowles) May 27, 2018
Following the death of the elderly man in Rushall, Chief Inspector Paul Ditta from West Midlands Police said: "Our thoughts are with the family of the man who died today.
"There are a number of roads affected across the region that have been badly affected by the flooding.
"Many people will be heading away for the half term break and I'd urge people to take care on the roads and allow extra time to travel."
Meanwhile the Met Office has predicted that Monday could be the hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures forecast to top 29C.
