STOURBRIDGE GPs rallied to keep the new Lion Health centre afloat this morning (Friday May 9) after being hit by a surprise flood – just weeks after opening.

A burst pipe in an upstairs consulting room threatened to cause chaos at the new state-of-the-art super surgery in Lowndes Road, which opened on April 14.

But determined doctors managed to keep disruption to a minimum and rallied to maintain patient appointments after the flood occured at 7am.

Dr Carol Griffiths said: “When we came in it was under two inches of water and it took the electrics so we couldn’t get anything on the phones as soon as it happened.

“The contractors - Agile Building Services - came in quickly though and we were back running normally within one-and-a half hours.

“The staff coped magnificently and we managed to contact all the patients and arrange for everybody to be seen with minimal delays.”

The new health centre, off Lowndes Road, was created from the ruins of the historic Foster and Rastrick foundry where the famous Stourbridge Lion steam engine was built.

One of the biggest of its kind in the country – the facility caters for up to 25,000 patients and comprises 36 consulting rooms, a nursing suite, minor surgery unit, physiotherapy suite and gym, pharmacy and dental practice, lecture theatre, teaching facilities and a 132-space car park.