Birmingham road closures and trains cancelled after heavy rains batter region

Major disruption this morning, September 27, after heavy rains cause train cancellations, road closures and bus diversions

Heavy rains across Birmingham has caused significant disruption across the city and wider West Midlands, with train cancellations, road closures and bus diversions in place this morning, Friday September 27. Heavy showers hit the city shortly before rush hour on Thursday, September 26, evening leading to a number of roads being closed, buses being diverted and rail services being stopped.

This disruption continues into this morning, although some roads have reopened and waters cleared. A Met Office yellow weather warning for rain is also in place across Birmingham, and the south of the UK.

The Met Office alert warns that "heavy rain will bring the potential for some flooding and disruption due to transport." West Midlands Railway has also closed the rail lines between Shrewsbury and the Black Country, warning that closures are likely to stay in place for most of the day due to flooding on the tracks. The rail body added that overnight thefts of cables has also caused the closure.

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Road closures

Heavy downpours on Thursday night have also closed some roads in West Midlands and Warwickshire, causing traffic issues. Affected areas are Birmingham, Worcestershire and Warwickshire, with motorists warned to avoid the area and plan an alternative route.

Live traffic system INRIX confirmed the following closures:

• Blackwell Road in both directions impassable due to flooding from Wheeley Road to Hewell Road.
• Mill Street Warwickshire in both directions closed due to flooding between A3400 New Street and Fell Mill Lane
• Bournville Lane in both directions closed, heavy traffic due to flooding between Franklin Way and Victoria Road
• A4091 Northbound Warwickshire closed due to flooding from Park Lane to Church Lane
• Dark Lane Warwickshire in both directions closed due to flooding between Pinley Road (Hatton ) and B4439 Hockley Road (Hatton)
• Trittiford Road closed due to flooding. Surrounding routes such as Yardley Wood Rd may see more traffic

Travel disruption in the West Midlands

A West Midlands Railway spokesperson confirmed one regional line closure is set to stay in place all day, stating: "Shrewsbury line. Due to ongoing flooding and overnight cable theft, passengers wishing to travel between Shrewsbury - Wolverhampton will be transported by rail replacement bus services.

"6 Coaches will be operating the line, calling at all stations." NX West Midlands has also diverted some buses due to rising waters on the roads and apologised for the service disruption.

An NX spokesperson warned of the following diversions due to flooding:

• Flooding on Avenue Road Kings Heath. 28 and 76 are diverting in both directions via Vicarage Road and Cartland Road
• Flooding on Priory Road Billesley. 27 will be diverting in both directions continuing along Yardley Wood Road
• Flooding on Priory Road Billesley 3 will be diverting in both directions via Highfield Road, Cole Valley Road and Brook Lane

What to expect from a yellow rain warning

• There is a slight chance of power cuts and loss of other services to some homes and businesses
• There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded, causing damage to some buildings
• Where flooding occurs, there is a slight chance of delays or cancellations to train and bus services
• Spray and flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures
• There is a small chance that some communities will become cut off by flooded roads
• There is a small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life

We are covering flood alerts and heavy rain in our liveblog this morning as downpours are set to continue towards the weekend. Follow our live updates here for more.