Part of a railway line in Shropshire affected by land collapsing

Hereford and Worcester Fire Service took 300 calls in just a few hours on Tuesday night.

At Hampton Loade, in Shropshire, rain washed away the main village road.

The storm also damaged the famous Severn Valley Railway attraction, and swept road surfaces away, in one case carrying the tarmac 50m.

People rescued

"It was the most amazing speed of flooding that we've had since the great Easter flood of 1999," a Hereford and Worcester fire spokesman said.

He said the worst-affected area in Worcestershire was the north-west of the county, where several people had to be rescued.

Motorists were left stranded in their cars in the Tenbury Wells area, and rising waters trapped mobile homeowners on a caravan site in Far Forest.

Pete Thorp emailed a picture of water streaming down a drive

A coastguard helicopter from Scotland was called in after the owner of a mill in Astley, near Stourport-on-Severn, became marooned when a brook was transformed into fast-moving water.

However, the waters receded before the helicopter arrived and firefighters were able to reach the man and his dog to help them to safety.

"We also had to rescue a 92-year-old man and his 13-year-old grand-daughter from a cottage in the grounds of nearby Witley Court, because of rising floodwaters," said the fire spokesman.

"Fortunately the helicopter was not needed for any rescues, but it did do a search of the area."

Many homes in both Shropshire and Worcestershire remain under water after rivers and streams burst their banks, sending torrents of water through streets and fields.

There were more than 200 flood calls to Shropshire Fire Brigade.

Were you in a flash flood area? Send us your pictures and moving images to [email protected].