Tree uprooted in Mary Stevens Park as wet weather continues

A huge beech tree was ripped out of the ground at Mary Stevens Park in Stourbridge yesterday.

The tree, which has been cordoned off, was popular with dog walkers as a pool of water used to gather at the base of the base of the tree, giving dogs a place to drink.

Birds were also nesting in a hollow part of the trunk.

A beech tree also came down in Bridgnorth on Tuesday, crashing onto three cars near the main entrance of the town's cemetery.

Nobody was in the cars at the time, but the roof of one car caved in so badly it was touching the gear stick.

One of the wettest Junes on record is set to see more downpours in the coming days, with the Met Office forecasting consistent rain up until the weekend.

The weather agency has issued a yellow rain warning covering all of the Black Country, Staffordshire and Shropshire, as well as large parts of Wales, the East Midlands and the North.

The warning, which says there is a small chance of flooding to homes and businesses and the potential for road closures, is in place until 11.59pm on Wednesday.

Meanwhile the Environment Agency has issued 44 flood alerts for England, advising flooding is possible, and five flood warnings, which mean flooding is expected and immediate action is needed.

Although trains have been running smoothly in the West Midlands, National Rail reported that heavy rain and flooding was affecting services in the North West and trains could be cancelled or delayed as a result.

Routes affected include the Merseyrail service between Hamilton Square and Ellesmere Port and Chester, as well as Transport for Wales services between Aberystwyth, Chester, Crewe and Shrewsbury.

Virgin Trains between Llandudno Junction and Crewe and Chester were also said to be affected.

Going into the weekend, the wind direction is expected to change, meaning less heavy and persistent rain, although the weather will still be unsettled with some showers expected.