Update
Ring road closed after wall collapses

Buy photos » Police inspect the collapsed wall near Staples. Picture by Marcus Mingins 2712009MMR2

THIS was the scene after a wall collapsed causing a town centre shop to close, staff to be evacuated and saw Redditch ring road shut.

A 20-metre section of the wall between Staples and the Redditch Ringway collapsed, causing two 12ft trees to fall across the road during storms which battered the borough on Thursday.

Police closed all three lanes of the highway shortly after 10.15am while a structural engineer assessed if it was likely to crumble further and all vehicles were removed from the car park which was later cordoned off.

It is not yet known when the store or the highway will reopen.

A spokeswoman for Staples said the store would stay closed until the car park had been deemed structurally safe.

"At this point we don't know how long we will be closed for," she added.

A spokesman for the Met Office said the weather station at Pershore had only recorded 5mm of rain between 10am and 12noon but because of the localised nature of the showers it was possible more had fallen with other places nearby recording up to 22mm in an hour.

The storm flooded six properties on Withybed Lane in Alvechurch while a crew from Redditch Fire station was called out at 12.45pm to a boat trapped inside the Wast Hills Canal Tunnel after a large amount of water ran-off the hillside.

Firefighters worked for 45 minutes to release the boat, freeing up following barges which were unable to pass.

Commuters faced delays after trains between Redditch and Birmingham were delayed due to flooding on the line at Barnt Green.

There was localised flooding on several roads including the island on Hewell Road, Holloway Drive and the island by Matalan, while a section of the Kingfisher Shopping Centre near to Debenhams was cordoned off for around half an hour after a rain water pipe overflowed.

Redditch United also caught the worst of the weather after the changing rooms and car park at the Valley Stadium flooded.

General manager Jeff Watson said: "It's unbelievable. It was dry and then within ten minutes it was flooded everywhere. You couldn't see the car park and there were rivers covering the pitch.

"I've never seen anything like it. It was six inches deep on the car park. The drains are completely overrun so it's flooded in the building and the changing rooms.

"We've got a lake in the corner of the pitch that's deep enough for ducks."

Redditch Borough Council officers were forced to close footpaths around Forge Mill Needle Museum due to flooding while staff had to sweep water out of the reception area of the Abbey Stadium after it began leaking into the building.

About 40 Worcester Fire and Rescue Service received more than 30 calls across Worcestershire in the morning alone.

The Environment Agency issued a plea for residents across the Midlands to remain vigilant and be prepared for flooding.

West Mercia Safer Roads Partnership warned people not to attempt to drive through the flood water and if driving through larger puddles or smaller areas of standing water drive slowly and steadily.

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