Nottinghamshire flash flooding

The wedding of Stuart and Claire Craven will go ahead today despite a lightning strike destroying most of the clothes for the ceremony. The strike happened on Tuesday at the Heanor home of Stuart's mother.

It caused a fire, destroying suits for the groom, father of the groom, two best men, bridesmaids' dresses and the mother-of-the-groom's dress.

The family are thrilled to have got replacements for the ceremony.

The clean-up is underway in Nottinghamshire - after flash flooding in the county. Forecasters say an estimated four inches of rain fell in less than an hour yesterday evening. One of the worst hit areas was Southwell, where up to a hundred homes were affected. Gail Mellors reports.

Why were so many parts of the region hit so badly yesterday?

Nottinghamshire was hit so badly yesterday because it was simply in the line of fire, it was the focus of where the showers were.

The showers ran northwards then re-built from behind. The airflow behind the first lot of showers reinforced the rain to the rear of it and therefore reinvigorated the scattered showers during the latter part of the day.

This is why half of the month's rainfall fell in Nottinghamshire between 5 - 6pm.

Humidity, how much moisture is in the air, heat and convergence are all major factors which contribute to creating storms such as those we have experienced in the last 24 hours.

The land heats quickly and air rises fast, allowing moisture to form clouds.

Convergence at the surface gives the storms a real boost.

Water company Severn Trent says it's seen calls to its call centres double during the wild weather.

The firm, which has its headquarters based in Coventry, says it's received 100% more calls than it normally would at this time of year.

Most people have been ringing to get advice on or to report cases of flooding.

Pete Collins, waste water manager for Severn Trent said:

“We were aware that this weather was coming and we’ve worked hard to get ready for it. We’ve got extra staff on the phones in our call centre and additional teams available on the ground to deal with flooding issues. We’re also out keeping an eye on those areas with a high risk of flooding."

This video shows a torrent of water caused by torrential rain in Southwell in Nottinghamshire on the evening of Tuesday 23rd July.

More than a month's rain fell in just one hour across the county last night, causing cars to float down roads, and homes and businesses being swamped in flash floods.

This footage was shot by resident Sam Brooksby as drains were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of water dumped in the downpours.

CLICK HERE to see more dramatic pictures of the Nottingham flash floods

Up to 100 homes were flooded in Southwell, Nottingham last night after an estimated four inches of rain fell in less than an hour.

Homes in the Kirklington Road and Halloughton Road areas were worst affected with floods of up to three feet. Residents are now attempting to salvage possessions and clear up their homes. Robert Jordan of Kirklington Road, whose home was washed out, said:

A special Nottingham City Council response team was set up on July 23rd to help people affected by flash floods caused by the torrential rain.

Around 100 calls have been responded to with 250 sand bags handed out to residents to help protect their properties.

The council dealt with storm damage in 17 different areas including damage to road surfaces and displaced manhole covers.