SEVERE flash floods hit a number of local areas in north Worcestershire and other parts of the West Midlands at the weekend to bring back miserable memories of last year’s catastrophic events.

And there’s now a warning that more heavy rain is likely to be on its way later this week.

Hundreds of anxious people rang the county fire brigade on Saturday afternoon when a ferocious thunderstorm dumped 22mm of rain across the region with areas such as Belbroughton, Frankley and Longbridge particularly badly hit and fire crews were severely stretched as they attempted to reach people stranded in their flooded homes and vehicles.

Scores of cars became stranded in flooded roads and their owners were forced to wade to safety or wait for rescuers.

Fire crews from Worcestershire were also called in to assist their West Midland colleagues.

Bromsgrove firefighters answered a deluge of calls across the area.

On Saturday just before 2pm they were called to Callowbrook Lane, Rubery, when a brook, blocked by debris, flooded the area.

At 2.18pm firefighters went to Doland Park Hospital, in Stoney Lane, near Tardebigge. Eight patients were moved upstairs to the first floor as floodwater went into the basement, affecting electrical equipment.

A cottage partially collapsed in Shut Mill Lane, Belbroughton.

Bromsgrove and Droitwich firefighters were called to the scene along with a specialist search and rescue team. An air sea rescue helicopter was put on standby and specialist thermal imagining was used to establish no-one was trapped and everyone was accounted for.

The first call to Belbroughton was at 3.20pm at the junction of Gorse Green Lane where the stream had burst its banks.

At 3.40pm in Hackmans Gate a man was stuck in a car in flood water and had to be led to safety by firefighters. Just before 4pm they were called to a woman stuck in a property in Gorse Green Lane, which was badly flooded.

At 4.47pm boats rescued eight people in Drayton Road including an 86-year-old man trapped in a house by fast flowing water and a disabled person was trapped in a ground floor flat. Firefighters left Drayton Road at 8pm.

There were also calls to floods in Ferndale Close, Catshill, Barnt Green, Blackwell, Stourbridge Road, School Drive, Bromsgrove, and Lickey End.

On Sunday morning at 6.45am firefighters were called to a silver BMW which was stuck in Alvechurch Highway, Lydiate Ash.

Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service spokesman Alec Mackie said: “This has been our busiest time this year and for the first time for some time the north of Worcestershire was hit.

“Some of the Belbroughton problems could have been possibly caused by culverts, which take water underground, which had been blocked by a car which had been swept there, leaving water nowhere to go. Firefighters cleared this vehicle just before midnight on Saturday.”

One of the main major commuter routes from the Bromsgrove and Rednal areas into Birmingham, the Bristol Road, as well as Pershore Road, were left impassable for a time to traffic after the deluge.

And many other roads were also hit in areas such as Stoke Prior and Wychbold.

Low-lying areas where there are river tributaries were worst hit.

Following the downpour 20 properties on Oberon Close, Frankley, suffered flooding up to a metre deep in places, Worcestershire County Cricket Club’s New Road ground was again left under around 9ft of water which means the county is being forced to decamp to Kidderminster for its final two county championship matches.

A Met Office forecaster described the exceptional heavy rain seen over the weekend being due to a deep area of low pressure and rain moving very slowly across the region.

There was a respite from the wet weather on Monday, but heavy rain returned on Tuesday and forecasters say more rain is on the way later this week although there is the possibility the region may escape the heavier rain which is being predicted for Wales and other parts of the country.

Click here for more pictures of the floods.