Thunderstorm in Dorridge led to 174 homes flooded - The Solihull Observer

Thunderstorm in Dorridge led to 174 homes flooded

Solihull Editorial 7th Jul, 2021   0

MORE THAN 400 homes in Dorridge and Bentley Heath were affected by flooding following a severe thunderstorm last month.

On June 25 almost a month’s worth of rain, 60mm, fell in an hour – according to Solihull Council June’s average rainfall is 80mm.

The storm left more than 174 homes with internal flooding and cars were seen half submerged in the streets.

On the night the Council received calls from 9pm until after midnight.




The Council’s drainage engineers went onsite to assist the emergency services and the ‘Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire (CSW) Resilience team’ deal with the flood water and provide immediate support to households.

The Council’s street cleansing team has cleaned-up the roads affected last week, and from Thursday onwards, affected households were offered a disposal service for smaller flood damaged household items.


On Saturday, July 3, the Council removed 3.9 tonnes of waste from a bulky items service put on for those affected.

These disposal services will continue for another week and will be reviewed in light of any ongoing requirements, and continue the following week if there is still a demand.

The Council said it will continue to work with affected households and offer any other appropriate support, including around council tax arrangements for those having to temporarily stay in alternative accommodation.

Following the flooding the Council launched an investigation into the causes of the flooding will look at any preventative measures that could be introduced.

The Council’s Drainage and Flood Risk Management team would like residents to email any videos and photos from affected households to [email protected] to help with the investigation.

Councillor Ken Hawkins, cabinet member for Environment and Infrastructure, said: “We will carry on speaking to those residents who have been affected as I know many will continue to need some support from us as they recover from this devastating flood event.

“I was pleased to see our officers out and about from Friday onwards offering practical advice and support to those affected.

“It is heartening to see how quickly they moved from identifying the extent of the flooding to helping households deal with the effects of the flooding.

“As well as continuing with our support we will also focus on the reasons behind the flooding.

“We can then see if there are any measures we can introduce to the area to reduce the severity of any future severe rainfall events that have the potential to turn into a flood event.”

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