A Shropshire village school has been forced to close for the rest of the week after heavy downpours drenched the county, sparking fears that a nearby dam could burst.
Children are being kept away from Brockton CE Primary School, near Much Wenlock, due to safety concerns about the earth dam at nearby Cottage Pool, which suffered structural damage during recent heavy downpours.
Brian Bennett, Shropshire County Council’s assistant divisional surveyor, said: “Engineers are in the process of draining the pool above the severely damaged dam as we can’t ensure that this will hold the water.
“It is expected that it will take until Friday evening to empty the pool fully.”
It follows a week of dreary weather for the county, which has seen roads flooded, farmers unable to harvest their crops and events cancelled.
In south Shropshire a district councillor has hit out at the Environment Agency for not issuing suitable warnings in time for residents to take action after flooding along Ludlow’s River Corve.
Councillor Martin Taylor-Smith said: “Local residents tell me that the cleared culvert and water meadow area by the side of the river seemed to be coping with the extra flow of water, until suddenly, around 3.30am on Saturday morning, the street started to flood.”
But the Environment Agency insisted they issued a flood watch on Friday which was upgraded to a flood warning.
A spokesman said: “At 12.30am on Saturday we upgraded the flood watch to a warning around the River Teme. It stayed like that until 7.53am on Sunday. The warning went to all professional agencies and members of the public who had signed up to receive flood warnings.”
Environment Agency flood warnings were today in force on the lower Dee Valley from Llangollen to Chester, with flood watches on the Severn/Vrynwy confluence, River Teme and River Severn in Shropshire around the Rivers Tern and Perry.
Meanwhile the River Severn at Ironbridge has been given the all-clear.
Elsewhere two boys floating face down in the River Taff, Cardiff, were rescued by cyclist David Harding during a charity bike ride.
He plunged into the river and swam towards the boys, believed to be aged five and seven, and dragged them to safety. They are not believed to have serious injuries.
Photo: Flooding in Brockton by Shropshire Star reader Andrew Row, aged 16.
By Tom Johannsen
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