Telford flash flood leaves residents trapped and closes store

Waterloo Road in Ketley, became near impassable after 20 minutes of heavy rain, as drains struggled to keep up with the amount of water in the road.

Residents parked a van across one end of the road to deter drivers from trying to get through, and it was claimed one house was struck by lightning.

Asda Living, on the nearby Wrekin Retail Park, closed after the rain caused damage to the store's roof.

The flood in Ketley was said to be one of the worst in the area since 2007, despite recent work in the area that was aimed at preventing such problems.

"What if there had been an emergency? What if there had been a need for an ambulance?" one resident said.

Phil Henry, who lives in Wren's Nest Lane, struggled to get his van home and was on the road as the floods got worse.

He said: "It was chaos. Everybody was trying to get through, there were dustbins through. Some people were guarding their property, closing gates to stop the water getting through. "The work done has been a waste of people's money."I haven't been able to get back out. I had a table booked, but now I won't be able to get back through tonight. This is the worst floods we've had in 10 years."

People took off their socks and shoes to walk through the water on their way home, and cars drove up on to the flooded kerbs to avoid the deepest parts of the water.

Patricia and John Watson, aged 80 and 82, said they had lived on the road for 10 years and only once ever seen flooding so bad.

Mrs Watson said: "It's come right the way up to the house and round the back. "I've only just mown the lawn as well. It starts flooding up the road first but then the water comes down to us.

"Water was coming up in the road, everyone was out on the streets.

"Thankfully it didn't come inside.

"One bungalow on the road got hit by lightning and it blew off the skylight."

Mr Watson said: "You couldn't get out the house unless you had a pair of wellies on."

Within 40 minutes the water started to drain, but the road was left covered in mud and other debris.

Shoppers at Asda Living were told the store's roof caved in, flooding some parts of the shop. Staff could be seen mopping up inside and moving stock to different parts of the building, while a sign was put on the door telling customers it had been "temporarily closed". No-one from Asda was available to comment.

Severn Trent Water said it dealt with several calls about flooding due to the heavy rainfall.