Storm Dennis: Fears for Severn towns amid fresh flood warnings

From BBC

Homes along the River Severn in Shropshire have been evacuated, amid fears that flood barriers could be breached in the coming hours.

Houses and a pub near Ironbridge have been submerged by rising waters and the pressure has cracked road surfaces.

Around the UK, more than 150 flood warnings remain in place, including six severe – or “danger to life” – warnings.

The River Wye at Monmouth, in Wales, has reached its highest recorded level.

Among the worst affected areas are south Wales, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire, where major incidents have been declared.

West Mercia Police said an estimated 384 properties have been “significantly impacted” by flooding in Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire.

Water levels are expected to rise in Bewdley, Worcestershire, and there are concerns it could flow around one of the local flood barriers at Beales Corner.

Currently, there are six severe flood warnings in England, covering the rivers Lugg, Severn, and Wye.

More rain is expected in parts of the UK later this week, with three yellow Met Office weather warnings issued for north and south Wales and north-west England for Wednesday evening.

The latest severe flood warning – for the River Severn in Telford, Shropshire – prompted the evacuation of homes in Ironbridge on Tuesday morning.

River levels are peaking tonight, according to the latest update from Telford and Wrekin Council.

Local resident Carol Calcutt told BBC Radio Shropshire the Boat Inn pub by the river front in nearby Jackfield was now submerged in water.

“Practically just the roof showing there now,” she said.

A care home and surrounding properties in Whitchurch, Herefordshire, were also evacuated after they were overcome by floods, local fire services said.

Meanwhile, Welsh Water has warned drinking water is running out in Monmouth and surrounding areas after “unprecedented flooding” at its treatment works in Mayhill.

There was some relief in Upton upon Severn, Worcestershire, on Monday morning as defences appeared not to have been breached overnight, but severe flood warnings for the area now predict river levels will peak by Wednesday.

Chris Wreghitt, who lives in the village of Powick, in Worcestershire, says he has has been flooded before, but not this badly, and not since flood defences were built.

He told BBC News: “We were told when they built that flood defence that if it had been there before 2007, we wouldn’t have been flooded.

“Although there have been a couple of near misses over the past few years, we were still confident that we wouldn’t get flooded again.”

Residents of the Wharfage, on the River Severn, have been evacuated to a restaurant on the High Street in Ironbridge, Telford and Wrekin Council said.

The council added that the river’s flood peak was moving towards the Ironbridge Gorge and was expected to arrive there later on Tuesday, while the Environment Agency warned flooding in the Wharfage is “potentially imminent”.

It added that river levels on the Severn could reach 6.7m high by Tuesday afternoon.

It comes as the River Wye at Monmouth, south Wales, peaked at 7.15m high on Tuesday, breaking the previous record high of 6.48m in 2002.

There are two severe warnings in place on the River Wye at Monmouth, according to Natural Resources Wales.

Around 800 homes in Wales have been directly affected by flooding, First Minister Mark Drakeford told the BBC.

The Welsh government has put aside between £5m and £10m to help those residents affected.

Meanwhile, the key developments in England are:

• Calderdale Council, in West Yorkshire, has complained the Calder Valley feels “forgotten” by government, after the area experienced severe flooding during Storm Ciara. The council called for the area to be granted “Tier one” status to unlock “a recurrent injection of funding to continue to protect our communities.”
• Drayton Manor theme park in Staffordshire has announced it will remain closed until 29 February due to severe flooding in the grounds.
• The government has activated an emergency funding scheme for areas affected by the flooding. Councils can ask the government to reimburse non-insurable costs above a certain threshold.

For more information, check the BBC Weather website and your BBC Local Radio station for regular updates.

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For more on this story and video go to; https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-51541282