Stephen Dixon, a spokesman for the Met Office, said Lichfield in Staffordshire had reported the highest rainfall nationwide, with 52.8mm falling between 05:00 and 09:00 BST on Thursday.

"[Which] is obviously relatively high considering the lack of rainfall recently," he said.

“We’ve seen various thundery showers through the day yesterday and that risk continues through much of today as we’ve got a band of thundery showers moving gradually northwards.

"It’s important to note that not everywhere within that warning area will see the heaviest of those downpours.

"Thunderstorms by their very nature are hit and miss so it’s hard to pick out individually where they will bubble up with the way the atmosphere works."

Drayton Manor theme park in Tamworth, Staffordshire, confirms it has closed on Thursday due to "adverse weather and flooding".

"We know many of you were looking forward to visiting and we're very sorry for the disappointment and inconvenience this causes," the venue said in a post on Facebook.

There was no need for people to make contact at this stage, the post continued, and they would be contacted with information on how to rearrange their visits.

Earlier we heard from Leah Courtney, who runs a small business creating memory bears from a cabin in her Great Barr garden.

The cabin has been badly damaged during the overnight rain.

Leah says she waded through knee-high water with bare feet to try and salvage anything she could.

"Machines have been lost, storage units have been damaged," she says.

"I've lost my whole space where I create beautiful memory bears for people... I've got nothing left."

She has also had to bring machinery, blades and pins into her house, and is concerned about the impact it could have on her son, who is autistic.

"I've now got objects that are dangerous... around an autistic little boy who doesn't understand," she says.

While she knew the area had flooded before she moved in to the house in 2016, she did not expect it to happen again.

"I literally just thought it was going to be a thunderstorm like we’ve had many times before," she says.

"This was ungodly."

Photos of people's gardens on Grindleford Road, Perry Barr, show the extent of the water damage after 32 properties near the Tame Valley Canal were flooded.

Homes on nearby Curbar Road, Thornbridge Avenue and Haddon Road have also been badly affected.

Image source, Sarah Parkes

Residents are rallying together to try to unblock a local brook, to help with water drainage.

Image source, Sarah Parkes

An antique shop in Leominster says their downpipe could not cope with the heavy rain, which flooded their gutters and left water pouring down the walls of the building.

Stephanie Castel, one of the owners of The Secondhand Warehouse, says the shop's alarms started going off at 07:00 BST.

"It was a bit wrong for a break-in time, so we gathered it was water. All the floors were flooded and the carpets were pretty sodden. It's horrible to come in to," she says.

The shop has still opened - but with one of its aisles closed off.

The water is an inch deep (2.5cm) in some areas, the owner says, adding: "I don't think a mop will make much difference."

She adds: "Everybody's rallying around. Our staff have come in that weren't coming in and helping us tidy up, so they've been very good."

More from West Midlands Fire Service now...

It has warned people to keep out of flood water, whether or not you're inside a vehicle.

Adam Dean, station commander at Perry Barr Fire Station in Birmingham, said: "Water moves much faster thank you think.

"You can’t see what’s beneath the surface, like raised manhole covers and debris. Flood water is often strong enough to shift your car several metres downstream.

“Even if you think it’s safe – perhaps it’s a local ford you’ve driven through many times before - don't risk it."

Image source, Traffic Bromsgrove

He advised anyone who became stranded: "Don't try get out of your car in fast-flowing water - dial 999 and ask from the fire service.

"If you think you can leave your vehicle safely, do so very slowly and carefully."

The service also urged dog-walkers to keep pets on leads, and asked parents to tell children about the dangers of flood water.

Dean said: It's not to be played in and not to be approached.”

More now from Anand Virdi, of the Church Tavern pub in Perry Barr, Birmingham, who's been telling the BBC how severe rain had caused the pub a lot of issues.

He said: "We had customers in the building [during a downpour on Wednesday night] and we evacuated them out.

"I stand quite tall [and the water] was knee height. We had water coming into the property and the canals over ran. It was crazy."

The pub would be shut for the "foreseeable future" while repair works got under way, he said.

Millie Trenholm
BBC Hereford and Worcester

Flood wardens in Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, have been checking drains in the town to ensure they are ready for rain.

Councillor Duane Hubbard, of Malvern Hills District Council, said the town had a long history of flooding “as far back as you can check records”.

Image source, Tenbury Wells Flood Wardens Scheme

"It's all about moving the water away as quick as possible so it's not pooling across the road,” he said.

"It's about making sure that the locals, people who have businesses, are prepared and have as much notice as possible if there is rainfall."

Hubbard said the team was liaising with the authority’s highways department to make sure drains were clear.

Drivers have been warned of difficult road conditions.

West Midlands Fire Service urged motorists to "take extra care" as its crews were called out to incidents across the region.

Image source, Traffic Bromsgrove

“Never drive through flood water,” a spokesperson said. “You don't know how deep it is, what's underneath the surface, or how quickly the water is moving.”

They said to slow down and allow extra time for journeys if conditions deteriorated.

“If you come across a flooded road, turn around and find another route. It is not worth the risk.

“Remember, West Midlands Fire Service will only attend emergencies - we're not a recovery service.”

City of Wolverhampton Council said its teams were busy clearing gullies before the heavy rain came in and would continue to monitor flooding hot spots.

“Please don’t be tempted to sweep or blow leaves from your gardens on to the road or pavement," a spokesperson said.

"Instead, compost them or put them in your garden waste bin."

The authority urged residents to share information on flooded areas so that its teams knew where the issues were and could “act quickly together where needed”.

News from our third pub of the morning now....

Anand Virdi, who is the landlord at the Church Tavern in Perry Barr, Birmingham, said staff had to evacuate the venue on Wednesday evening due to flooding.

Footage captured by Virdi shows water rushing down streets and filling the pub's beer garden.

The pub has been forced to close until further notice after knee-high water damaged the building, Virdl said,

"We have the canals here so they all overran."

Burntwood seems to have taken the brunt of the weather on the patch, at least in terms of the effect its had on ordinary lives.

The White Swan pub said the storm last night flooded the venue. The main bar, entrance hall and cellar are currently underwater, according to landlady Dawn.

The pub posted on Facebook to say it would be closed on Thursday and possibly Friday while the carpets and cellar were dried and cleaned.

West Midlands Railway reports the line between Hednesford and Rugeley Trent Valley in Staffordshire has reopened.

It had been closed briefly due to flooding, which had caused a circuit failure on the track, the operator said.

Passengers have been warned trains across the Chase Line might be delayed or altered while services recover.

Image source, West Midlands Railway

Surface water is flowing heavily on the A38 in Bromsgrove due to flash flooding

Image source, Traffic Bromsgrove

The surface water has hit the construction area where the Bromsgrove Route Enhancement Programme (BREP) works are being carried out.

Manhole covers have been removed to help with drainage in the area.

Image source, Traffic Bromsgrove

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for thunderstorms, which came into force at 05:00 BST and lasts until 22:00.

It said the storms and heavy rain could lead to some disruption across the region, including the following:

• Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services
• Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures
• Some communities might become cut off if roads flood
• Flooding of homes and businesses could happen quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes
• Power cuts might occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost

Shelley, who works at The Crown Inn pub in Burntwood, Staffordshire, said she was behind the bar when she felt a "rumble" under her feet.

She said it sounded like thunder.

It was only when a customer shouted that bricks on the High Street had began to blow out that she realised what had happened.

Image source, The Crown Inn

"I got absolutely drenched trying to direct traffic past [the breach] as it was dark and still raining heavily," she said.

"I put some cones out and my customers helped me drag the bins out so a car wouldn't drive into [the debris].

"I've only been here for two years but the customers said they had never seen that happen before."

Image source, The Crown Inn

Image source, Leah Courtney

Small business owner Leah Courtney lives in Great Barr and has a business creating toy bears.

The cabin in her garden where she did her work was badly damaged during the overnight rain.

She told the BBC that the flash flood blighting her premises occurred in a 45-minute spell, during which her garden was filled with water.

“To say I’m devastated is an understatement," she said. "I’ve lost everything.”

We told you a moment ago about a flood warning for Bromsgrove, and that while Birmingham's warning had been scaled back, despite a fresh downpour this morning, standing water and flood debris may remain in areas of the city.

The following is a round-up of early, lower-level flood alers for the wider West Midlands, in place for Thursday....

They include the River Blythe in Warwickshire and the River Stour and Smestow Brook in the Black Country and south Staffordshire.

The River Cole and Rea are also subject to alerts, although the EA is not able to offer detail as to specific risk locations.

The Upper Tame at Sandwell Valley also featuredson the list.

Flooding may affect low lying land and roads adjacent to the River Salwarpe from Catshill to Hawford in Worcestershire, according to the EA.

Other areas that may be at risk in the county include Stoke Prior, Elmley Lovett, Droitwich Spa and Ombersley.

In Shropshire, Stoke Heath was added to the list.

We'll shortly bring you some of the personal stories of those who have woken up to water...

Chasetown resident Sue Woodhouse said flooding on Saint Annes Close on Wednesday evening was "the worst we've seen it in the last seven years of living here".

"It was awful, absolutely awful, never seen rain like it - flooding everywhere," she said. "It came right to the grass, right up above the curbs and flooded the whole cul de sac really."

Image source, Sue Woodhouse

She said heavy rain had returned on Thursday morning.

"I reckon we're going to get flooded yet again," she said. "I don't think it'll come in the house but it might come up the garden."

She added that she was concerned that the elderly residents of the cul-de-sac, who were in bed when the flood hit last night, would not be able to leave their homes.

She said the water there was "really deep".

Flooding has hit the West Midlands after heavy rain.

The Environment Agency (EA) issued a flood warning for Birmingham on Wednesday night, with fire crews called to "significant flooding" in Perry Barr around Curbar Road, Thornbridge Avenue and Haddon Road, telling people to avoid the area.

In south Staffordshire there was a lower-level flood alert, with parts of Chasetown affected. The alert remains in place.

A yellow thunderstorm warning is also in place for England until 22:00 BST on Thursday, with Birmingham seeing heavy downpours just before 08:00 although the flood warning is now removed. Another, however, has been introduced for Bromsgrove, Worcestershire.

It was issued for the Spadesbourne Brook area, with the EA saying rising river levels were expected to cause flooding of roads and properties including the Midland Waterlife Centre.

Other parts of the West Midlands were subject to fresh flood alerts on Thursday, with areas of the Black Country, Warwickshire and Shropshire said to be at potential risk.