Weather forecasters have warned people across the West Midlands they may face more flooding. Predictions of very heavy rain have been forecast for 24 hours across Herefordshire, Worcestershire, the West Midlands, Shropshire and Staffordshire.

Forecasters said four inches (10cm) of rain may fall, which could cause problems in already saturated areas.

Earlier this week Tenbury Wells in Worcestershire flooded for the second time in a fortnight.

Local councils said they were preparing for more flooding and were warning people to stay indoors as much as possible.

Heavy rain

Police have also warned drivers to take extra precautions in the heavy rain.

The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for all of England and Wales from between 0000 BST and 1200 BST on Saturday.

A Shropshire County Council spokesman said: “Given that the ground is saturated following recent floods, there is potential for further disruption.

“Divisional teams will be on standby throughout the weekend so that any disruption caused by this heavy rainfall can be kept to a minimum.”

‘Unprecedented’ rainfall

In Tenbury, a dozen residents left their homes after about 0.6in (15mm) of rain fell in one hour on Tuesday.

The downpour followed flooding on 27 June, when people had to be rescued after the River Teme burst its banks.

Some people are blaming poor drainage for the latest problems but the county council said it could do nothing about the “unprecedented” levels of rainfall.

Sergeant John Roberts, of West Mercia Police, said: “Torrential rain over the next few days will almost certainly cause roads across the force area to flood again.

“If you come across a flooded road to do not attempt to cross as you cannot judge how the deep the water will get and what hidden hazards may be under the water.”

Follow this link to see Environment Agency flood watches and warnings??in your area

Victims of major incidents like the Buncefield oil depot blast should get more help from the government, a report into the explosion has said. Buncefield Major Incident Investigation Board said “special status” should be given to an area around the Herts depot, with cash for those affected.

Click here to see the Buncefield Investigation Report

A petrol leak from a tank at the Hemel Hempstead depot caused an explosion and fire at the site in December 2005. About 2,000 homes were evacuated and 92 neighbouring firms affected.

The report adds the government should be more consistent in its handling of any similar major incident, with designated ministers following an emergency “through to the recovery phase”.

Overfilled tank

A board spokeswoman said: “The greater part of the report deals with a major incident affecting the local area.

“It calls for a special status (and central funding) for areas affected by a major incident and suggests this should begin without delay in the Buncefield area.”

The investigation board was set up by the Health and Safety Commission after the explosion triggered the largest peacetime fire in Europe.

Initial investigations showed apparently faulty gauge and safety devices led to a fuel storage tank being overfilled allowing unleaded petrol to escape before the explosion.

Community’s ‘resilience’

No-one died in the blast but two people on the site suffered serious injuries, and thousands more had to leave their homes, with 30 families not able to return more than a year later. The blast cost local businesses over 70million.

Lord Newton, inquiry chairman, said: “Our report calls on those involved in dealing with major incidents to work together so that the emergency preparedness, response and recovery arrangements are made more effective.

“The Buncefield incident had a huge impact on the lives of local residents and businesses, and we would like to acknowledge the great resilience of the local community and business in the ongoing recovery effort to bring about a return to social normality.”

The Joint Terrorism Assessment Centre (JTAC) has lowered the UK threat level from CRITICAL to SEVERE. This means that future terrorist attacks are still highly likely, but no longer thought to be imminent. The decision has been made by JTAC based on a review of the latest intelligence.

The investigation into the recent terrorist attacks in London and Glasgow is continuing under the leadership of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, with the assistance of the Security Service.

As a result of recent events, the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre raised the national threat level from severe to critical on Saturday 30 June.

West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit continues to support the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command investigation into the incidents in Glasgow and London.

In line with the raising of the threat level, West Midlands Police has reviewed policing activity across the force area, including our airports, stations and key locations.

MOCK GAS EXPLOSION STAGED TO TEST EMERGENCY RESPONSE A gas explosion was simulated in Birmingham city centre to test the emergency response to a major incident. The emergency exercise took place on Sunday, May 13 at the Aston University Campus and was designed to test both the activation of individual agency plans and the way in which they worked together to co-ordinate and manage the response. Agencies involved in the exercise included West Midlands Fire Service, West Midlands Ambulance Service, West Midlands Police, Birmingham City Council, six hospitals across the Birmingham area and the Military. The scenario facing the emergency crews sent to the scene was a gas explosion at the Student’s Guild during a graduation event, leading to a serious fire, partial collapse of some areas of the building and around 150 casualties ranging from walking wounded to fatalities. Exercise Director Paul Wattling from West Midlands Fire Service, said: “The exercise went very well, we are very pleased. The job now is for all the agencies involved to review the day and then get back together to talk about what went well, what could be improved and the lessons that can be learnt. That process is vital in ensuring that our response to emergency situations is as effective as it can be. I would like to thank everyone who took part in the exercise and helped make it a success, including the emergency service crews, the staff from all of the agencies involved, and especially the Red Cross volunteers who acted as casualties, as this greatly contributed to the realism of the event.” Resources used during the emergency response included a new mobile multi-agency command centre supplied by the Military, 15 fire engines and support crews, including Urban Search and Rescue experts and a mobile laboratory for identifying chemicals, paramedics, police officers and a fleet of ambulances. Around 300 people were involved in the exercise in total. PC Keith James, in charge of West Midlands Police’s involvement in the exercise, said: “Events like these are crucial in testing how all the various agencies involved in a major incident work together. West Midlands Police rely on other partners to play a vital role in dealing with any emergency situation. Regular discussions with our partners, through groups such as the West Midlands Conurbation Resilience Forum (WMCRF), help us understand each other’s needs and how we can work together better. This preparation means that when we have an emergency situation we pull together to focus on the most important thing: saving lives.” Although led by West Midlands Fire Service, the exercise was organised in conjunction with the WMCRF, which brings together all the agencies that would be involved in responding to a major incident, with the aim of enhancing how the emergency planning and response organisations in the Conurbation work together.

West Midlands Fire Service is the first in the country to revamp its website to feature specially designed pages to ensure that vital safety messages can be effectively communicated to the Deaf community.

The new webpages feature video clips of television presenter Nikki Stratton using British Sign Language (BSL) to put across important information about fire safety. Pictures and written text are also used to support these messages.

A special event to mark the launch of the up-dated website is being held at West Midlands Fire Service headquarters in Birmingham at 2pm on Wednesday, May 2.

Members of the Deaf community and representatives from a wide range of organisations including Royal National Institute for the Deaf, the British Deaf Association and the Midland Regional Association of Deaf will be at the event and will be able to try out the website on computers set up for the occasion.

Interpreters fluent in BSL, Sign Supported English (SSE) and lip reading will be at the event and a loop system will be in operation.

Clive Robinson, West Midlands Fire Services Deaf Community Link Officer, said: “We have worked closely with the Deaf community to identify their needs and to change the way the Fire Service operates in order to better serve this area of our community.

The new website pages are a very important part of a programme of work looking at hard to influence groups within the wider community. This particular project will improve the way we communicate with Deaf and hard of hearing people.

For instance, the website provides information on our Home Fire Safety Checks initiative and the different ways to book a visit, including over the internet, via fax and text message. We can then provide firefighters trained in BSL to carry out the safety checks. We can also install smoke alarms specially designed for use by the deaf community.

The launch of the new website facilities has been timed to happen just before Deaf Awareness Week, which runs from May 7 to 13 and aims to promote a broader understanding of deafness and the different ways of communicating with Deaf and hard of hearing people.

In the West Midlands, there are 411,000 people affected by hearing loss ranging from mild to severe.

Other measures West Midlands Fire Service has implemented to ensure vital safety information is communicated to them people include a Focus Group to help identify the issues and oversee work in this area, increased fittings of specialist smoke alarms for Deaf and hard of hearing people and BSL courses for staff.

There are also plans to produce a BSL Fire Safety DVD and increase fire safety awareness of not only Deaf people but also other people who can have problems accessing vital information.

Members of the press are invited to attend the launch event at West Midlands Fire Service Headquarters, Lancaster Circus Queensway, Birmingham, at 2pm on Wednesday, May 2.