West Midlands weather: Heavy rain prompts warning over travel disruption
Heavy rain lashed the West Midlands today prompting weather warnings for potential flooding and disruption to roads and travel.
The Met Office warned downpours would sweep across the region though Tuesday into Wednesday as it issued a yellow warning for heavy rain.
Motorists faced disruption as torrential rain saw isolated flooding on roads, blocked drains and spray on busy routes.
Weather warnings remain in place for much of the day, with forecasters predicting parts of the UK could be inundated with more than 100mm of rain this week.
Travel advice
The Met Office warned spray and flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.
Central Motorway Police Group tweeted to say rain was causing delays on the region's motorways and warned drivers to "watch out for standing water".
To compound the weather problems, Sandwell Council's highways team said the traffic lights around the M5 J1 roundabout were not working.
Engineers were working to fix the repairs but officials warned of delays in the area.
A issue was fixed by around 3pm officials said there may be some intermittent problems until a full fix could be carried out on Thursday.
Where flooding occurs, there is a slight chance of delays or cancellations to train and bus services.
Warnings for heavy rain were in place throughout today and Wednesday
Rail services also faced disruption between Birmingham New Street, Wolverhampton, Walsall and Rugeley caused by damage to the overhead wires.
West Midlands Railway warned services may be delayed/cancelled.
There was also disruption for West Midlands Metro services after a tree fell close to the line.
As a result, there was no service from 11.30am onwards between Winson Green in Birmingham and Black Lake in West Bromwich.
Tickets and passes were available to use on buses and Virgin Trains from Birmingham to Wolverhampton.
The service fully reopened by around 2pm.
Latest weather forecast
Some areas are set to see up to 60mm of rain, particularly over the first half of the day, according to the Met Office.
On Wednesday and Thursday, some parts of the UK could be struck by 60mm to 80mm of rain, and possibly even up to 100mm.
Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill described the figures as the "worst-case scenarios" but added that people need "to be aware that we're in for some treacherous weather".
"If you add it all up some places are likely to see over 100mm this week, which is around double the average they would get in the whole of June," he said.
Residents are being told to avoid low-lying footpaths near local watercourses and plan driving routes to avoid low-lying roads near rivers which may be flooded.
