Region hit by lightning and storms

A mother and son had a lucky escape when their home was hit by a bolt of lightning while another strike sent four vehicles up at a car showroom as storms lashed the West Midlands last night.

Nicki Kain, aged 37 and her son Louis, aged seven fled from the house in Kestral Close only moments before part of the roof collapsed.

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Husband Chris, aged 38 said today: "It was like a torpedo. I rushed out of the house to find people saying the lightning had hit someone's house. Then I turned round. I thought 'oh my god it's mine'. I dashed back and told my wife and son to get out. They had been upstairs watching television."

Twenty firefighters fought the blaze that left a huge hole in the roof. Crew manager Adrian Morris said: "Smoke was coming from the roof which was badly damaged along with the upstairs."

Another lightning strike set light to a car in a blaze that quickly spread to the three others parked nearby on the forecourt at Carcraft in Darlaston Road, Wednesbury.

Firefighters from Willenhall and Bloxwich stations put out the flames but could not save the four vehicles that were wrecked.

Rita Rawle, aged 66, of Roway Lane, Oldbury who is living in temporary accommodation after her home was flooded in June last year had the property hit again.

She said: "I can't believe it. Last time we had about four inches of water running through the house as the drains outside could not cope. It completely ruined my furniture and it has taken this long to get the insurance claim sorted out. We moved into temporary accommodation a month ago for the work to be done and now this. Fortunately my new carpets were not in, but it has totally ruined my new £1,000 cooker and the kitchen, which was unaffected last time."

Raj Rasakumara, 33, said his home shop Toll End Road, Tipton had been devastated by the floods that also wrecked his a BWM and Toyota cars. He fears the clean-up operation could ruins his plans to get married in Sri Lanka next month.

He said: "I called the fire crews and the police but they were too busy to come to help me - and could only get here after two hours. The water reached three feet. I could not even see my car outside. I have lost everything from the shop and home and the stock is unsaleable.

"It will be at least a week before I can reopen for business."

Crews had to rescue a taxi driver from his cab after it got stuck in a three feet deep floods in Major Street, Monmore Green because he was a non swimmer.

Fire fighter Andy Johnston explained: "He was a bit frightened because he could not swim and so we waded in to the water to get him out. He was alone in the taxi and the driver of the other car that got stuck made his own way to safety."

Shops at Bentley Bridge were also hit. Customer Mrs Joanne Timmis, 33, from Walsall explained: "I was was in Hobbycraft when teh heavens opened and wate came gushing through the doors. The poor staff had to sweep it up while we had to abandon our shopping because the tills had gone down and paddle back to our cars."

An elderly couple and two other adults got stuck in their car in Sams Lane, West Bromwich but were pushed on to dry land by passers-by while firefighters pulled three people from a car that ground to a halt in flooded Bridge Street, Oldbury.

Fire crews had to pump water from four homes in Oak Road, West Bromwich. Watch Commander David Newman explained: "The rear gardens and patio were completely flooded and water was going into the houses. Hopefully it has not caused too much damage."

Fire crews spent several hours pumping away floods that threatened a bungalow in Clark Road, Compton while a lightning strike triggered a power surge that started a small fire in the electrics at a property in Glaisdale Gardens.

Old Hill, Tettenhall was closed by up to three feet of flood water and a man in his 40s had to be rescued from his car after getting stuck in the water. Part of the Wolverhampton Ring Road near Railway Drive by debris washed onto the carriageway by the cascading rain.

Halesowen firefighters were called to a ruptured gas main in Victoria Road while buses replaced rail services between Walsall and Hednesford after flooding at Bloxwich stopped services, although trains were running again as normal along the line this morning.

Wolverhampton Wolves Elite League speedway home clash with Ipswich was abandoned 20 minutes before the tapes were due to go up at Monmore Green because the inside of the track was under water and referee Craig Ackroyd ruled the meeting a wash out. The fixture will be rearranged.