Thunderstorms and floods force evacuations

Severe weather hit the West Midlands overnight, with lightning and heavy rain leading to flooded roads and evacuations.

Police said there was a “bang” in a pub in Aldridge when it was struck by lightning and had to be evacuated.

Meanwhile, customers had to leave a bowling alley in Stafford when part of the ceiling collapsed during heavy rain.

During Coventry City's match against Swansea at the Coventry Building Society Arena on Saturday, players were also led off the pitch after a lightning strike.

Further heavy rains and thunderstorms are Forecast for different parts of the UK in the next few days.

The EA has issued a flood warning as the Saredon Brook at Wedges Mills in Cannock is at risk of bursting its banks due to continuing rising water levels.

In Stafford, customers were forced to leave the Tenpin bowling centre on Saturday after part of the roof collapsed. Customers reported on Facebook that water was seeping through the ceiling near the children's playground.

West Midlands Fire Service said it had dispatched 15 firefighters to the Avion in Aldridge after a lightning strike set off the pub's alarms at around 7pm (BST).

Patrons were evacuated from the bar and there were no injuries, police said.

Elsewhere in the city, a video of a doorbell striking a tree was captured.

Streets in Rugby and Birmingham were also affected by the floodsas drivers tried to get their cars through the water.

During the match between Coventry City and Swansea, the players temporarily sent off in the 63rd minutebecause of a thunderstorm in the sky.

Due to bad weather on Friday evening, the Morrisons branch in Ross-on-Wye was forced to close after part of its roof collapsed and rainwater entered the store.

A crowdfunding campaign has been launched in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, to help an elderly lady whose home was struck by lightning.

Hayley Johnson said her 79-year-old neighbor was left homeless after a lightning strike set her roof on fire.

She said the house was then flooded and the roof had to be completely replaced.

Ms Johnson added that her insurance company would not pay for the repairs because lightning strikes are not covered by the policy.

Staffordshire County Council's roads team has delivered 300 sandbags to protect ten homes in the Upper Tean area of ​​the Staffordshire Moorlands.

Roads were also flooded in Cheadle and Blythe Bridge. Rising water levels damaged roads by lifting the surface, cracking the asphalt and washing mud and debris onto the carriageways, the council said.

The Moddershall Oaks Spa in Stone was forced to close due to flash flooding and landslides across the site. It remained closed on Sunday, according to a statement posted on the spa's Facebook page.