Man dies as flash floods hit parts of England

A man in his 80s died after flash flooding hit parts of England yesterday.

The pensioner’s car was submerged in flood water in Walsall in the early hours of Monday, following heavy rainfall.

Emergency services were called to the Walsall incident shortly after 2am to find two vehicles in the flooded Lichfield Road in Rushall.

The elderly man was taken to hospital where he later died. A second person found in the water was unhurt, West Midlands Ambulance Service said.

The Midlands was hit by extremely wet weather on Sunday, with more than a month’s rainfall deluging parts of Birmingham in just one hour.

A number of people had to be rescued from their homes amid the flash flooding, while Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service said it had been “extremely busy” with flood-related calls on Sunday evening.

The Met Office said a site at Winterbourne, in Edgbaston, recorded 58mm of rainfall in just an hour on Sunday afternoon, and 81mm in a 12-hour period.

A clean-up operation is under way with extra street cleaning crews working to clear rubbish from affected areas.

Dozens of flood alerts remained in place on Monday morning for the Midlands and some southern parts of England.