Fresh storms strike across West Midlands as clear-up continues from flooding

“However, the floods occurred because Perry Brook broke its banks as a result of the extreme weather. Once the banks of Perry Brook broke, the highway drainage network then played its role in dispersing the flood water.”

The local authority said it was continuing to work with relevant agencies to put preventative measures in place ahead of further rainfall forecast.

Leah Courtney runs a small business creating memory bears from a cabin in her Great Barr garden.

The cabin has been badly damaged during the overnight rain.

Courtney said she waded through knee-high water with bare feet to try and salvage anything she could.

“Machines have been lost, storage units have been damaged,” she said.

“I’ve lost my whole space where I create beautiful memory bears for people… I’ve got nothing left.”

She has also had to bring machinery, blades and pins into her house, and is concerned about the impact it could have on her son, who is autistic.

“I’ve now got objects that are dangerous… around an autistic little boy who doesn’t understand,” she says.

While she knew the area had flooded before she moved in to the house in 2016, she did not expect it to happen again.

“I literally just thought it was going to be a thunderstorm like we’ve had many times before,” she says.

“This was ungodly.”

One of the roads which has flooded in Stafford is Sandon Road.

Stafford resident Rick Barrett says the flooding on the road is a “usual problem” for people in the area.

Barrett is a local gardener who works on some of the properties in the area.

“It’s frustrating for the businesses,” he told the BBC.

“The local pubs, local shops. It’s the same old story.”

Barrett says the issue has been going on for more than 20 years.

“It just doesn’t alter. It’s become part of the norm. Everybody talks about it. In this day and age, there must be a process to put it right but we don’t seem to get it.”