Rising flood waters breached defences on the River Severn today – and there’s more bad weather to come.
A major incident was declared on Tuesday in Bewdley, Worcestershire, and Ironbridge, in Shropshire, with two “danger to life” warnings, after it was announced the river was close to reaching record highs.
Residents were braced for the worst flooding in two decades, with the Severn in Shrewsbury at 5.14m (17ft) earlier – making it the fourth biggest flood ever recorded in the area and the worst since 2000.
Water levels were at 4.98m (16ft) this afternoon in Bewdley and 6.5m (21ft) in Ironbridge, and could peak at 7m (23ft) tonight.
It follows heavy rain during three storms in the last week – Dudley, Eunice and Franklin – which officials have warned could take longer to recover from due to the continuing bad weather.
While forecasters said earlier the worst of the storms had passed, the Met Office issued two new yellow warnings for Wednesday and Thursday.
One warning, from 1pm Wednesday to Thursday afternoon, covered Northern Ireland and Scotland, warning of frequent heavy snow, gusty winds of up to 70mph and a chance of lightning.
There is also a small chance of injuries from flying debris and travel disruption and a “slight chance” of power cuts, the warning adds.
The other is for between 6am and 3pm on Wednesday in northeast England and southeast Scotland, which warns of winds up to 60mph.
Franklin hammered parts of the UK on Monday and came just days after Eunice killed three people and left 1.4 million homes without power.
Around 400 homes and businesses were flooded during the storms, the Environment Agency (EA) said on Tuesday, with homes in Shropshire, Yorkshire and Wales among those affected.
On Tuesday, the EA warned there remained a significant flooding risk in some areas, and urged people living near flood barriers in Bewdley to leave their homes.
However, many residents said they were staying put. Stuart Birch, 34, said water had broken through a barrier he created himself at his home in Bewdley.
“We stayed in our property overnight and you can hear the pump going constantly. In previous years the water has come up to the flood gate but not gone over it,” he told the Express and Star, adding: “We've just got our fingers crossed that nothing bad happens and the situation doesn't get any worse.”
In Shropshire, a series of evacuations have already been carried out in various parts of the county. Homes in the Ironbridge Gorge were among those to be cleared, including properties in the Jackfield area.
Resident Debbie Stokes told the BBC: “I've had to climb through people’s front gardens with all my bags.
“We’re going to have to look at something ... to help us getting out in the future, because it's now, times like this, when you realise just how dangerous this can be.”
Telford and Wrekin councillor Shaun Davies, who was on the scene in Shropshire this morning, called on the central government to provide a “permanent solution” to flood risks along the river.
He said the situation is “tense” and local authorities have evacuated around 60 properties in the area.
“Some properties have no protection from flood defences and are still underwater, and we have evacuated properties behind defences that could be breached while supporting those who have decided to stay put,” he told the PA news agency.
“We are doing all we can to support residents and are preparing for the worst but hoping for the best.”
The Energy Networks Association said that 11,400 households in Britain were still without power as of midday today, though it added engineers had managed to reconnect more than 1.4 million customers since the stormy weather first took hold in England last week.
UK Power Networks said 4,100 homes and businesses in southeast England still had no electricity on Tuesday morning – including 200 homes in Essex, 500 in Suffolk, 1,200 in East Sussex, 500 in West Sussex and 1,600 in Kent.
More than 200 flood warnings – meaning flooding is expected – were in place across England today, with officials unsure when the chaos will end. Six flood warnings were also in place in Wales and three in Scotland.
Katharine Smith, flood duty manager at the EA, this afternoon warned of expected river flooding in the coming days and advised people to stay away from swollen rivers.
“We are urging people to remain vigilant and take extreme care,” she said, adding people should not to “drive through flood water as just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move your car”.
