Flash flooding, heavy rainfall and hailstones in the Midlands

The Midlands was hit by intense rainfall today, with some areas receiving almost an inch of rain in one hour.

The Environment Agency issued flood warnings across eight parts of the region.

With many roads still covered with surface water, drainage systems are under pressure, in Birmingham, storms lifted a manhole cover off the road, causing raw sewage to pour out onto the street.

In Redditch, the storms caused a 20 metre wall to collapse, closing off the ring road, with traffic diversions around the town centre.

In Leicestershire a shower of hailstones fell, some reaching the size of golfballs.

The Aston Expressway, the main road into Birmingham city centre, was gridlocked due to huge amounts of surface water and St Chad's Queensway Tunnel was closed.

Children from a primary school in Birmingham were sent home after the school was struck by lightning, and there were further bouts of lightning across the region, including Curdworth in Warwickshire.

Shops were flooded in Sutton Coldfield and streets were flooded in Cannock, and in Mansfield the Olympic Torch Relay was halted due to the heavy rain.

Roads were flooded in Loughborough and in Lincolnshire there were even sightings of a tornado.

According to our weather presenter Lucy Kite, there will be more rain to come tomorrow, but the winds will be the one to watch tomorrow.