Trapped sheep rescued after flood

The sheep were said to be exhausted when rescued

Firefighters and RSPCA officers rescued up to 120 sheep trapped in flood water in Staffordshire.

A number of sheep are thought to have drowned in flooded fields in Whittington following the weekend's heavy rain.

Several car parks in Stafford including Doxey Road, Lammascote and Kingsmead have closed because of flooding.

The Met Office has advised more heavy rain is expected to fall in the county later in the week.

The RSPCA said the sheep were rescued from water which was up to 6ft (1.8m) deep in places and officers from the organisation thanked people living nearby who had allowed them to use stables.

Emergency control

Elsewhere, the car park at Stafford Leisure Centre flooded over the weekend, although the complex remained open.

The new leisure complex had been put on standby to be a rest centre in case Stafford residents were evacuated, after two areas in the town flooded.

Stafford Borough Council said it distributed sandbags and information to residents in Silkmore Lane and Herbert Road which were flooded.

The council said it had set up an emergency control room at the civic centre "as part of well-rehearsed plans" in case conditions deteriorated.

Elsewhere, flood warnings issued in the Staffordshire Moorlands after two days of heavy rain were downgraded over the weekend.