Pensioner dies after flash flood submerges his van

DELUGE Fire crews rescue people from their houses after Birmingham downpour A PENSIONER died after his van was submerged in six feet of water yesterday as flash flooding hit the Midlands.

The man, in his 80s, was rescued by firefighters at 2am and rushed to hospital but died soon after.

A second man, who was trying to rescue the pensioner, was also plucked from the water.

It is believed the man who died did not see the deep flood and drove straight in.

Kirinna Johnson, 26, a resident of Rushall, Walsall, said: “One of our neighbours dived in when he saw the van get stuck, he was a real hero. He said he saw the driver open the door and try to push the van but the water was too deep. When that failed, he got back in and tried to reverse out.

“A council worker, who had just dropped off sandbags, waded in too. They shouted for a hammer and tried to break a window. But by the time help arrived he’d been in the water for five minutes. Firefighters cut him out and pulled him on to the roof and gave him chest compressions.” A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “The crew did advanced life support before taking him to hospital, but sadly he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.” Further downpours are set to hit the region today and tomorrow. More than a month’s worth of rain fell in parts of the West Midlands, leaving homes submerged. Thomas Mellett, 39, from Selly Park, saw his home flooded for the second time in two years. He said: “The water has gone all the way through again, it happened in 2016. “We had to move out for a year so it could get fixed. Now it’s happened again. “It came all the way over the fireplace and TV. My disabled brother couldn’t get out so the fire brigade came in a boat.” GRIM Car under water in Selly Park