Why the Shropshire floods of 2000 were a real game changer
The Great Millennium Floods of 2000 created havoc, misery and devastation in Shropshire. But they did something else. They changed the game – forever.

Today, 15 years ago, our region was facing high waters not seen for a generation.
Shrewsbury was among the worst affected. It faced the floods of this time 15 years ago virtually undefended apart from the traditional sandbags.
This decision was entirely voluntary. The county town had been offered flood defences by the then National Rivers Authority, but actively fought against the idea. In the face of the opposition from local councillors and residents, the £6 million flood defence scheme was abandoned.

Flood waters that caused chaos in Shrewsbury 15 years ago remain burned into the memories of townspeople.
Millions of gallons of water gushed into the town effectively cutting off main routes along Smithfield Road, Abbey Foregate and Coleham Head. Roads and pavements were impassable as flood waters rose quickly.
Commuters who did venture out had horrendous journeys to work, with many of them turning back after finding roads blocked.
One of those businesses affected by the rising flood waters was The Peach Tree Restaurant in Abbey Foregate.
Owner and manager Martin Monaghan remembers the floods of 2000 well.
He and his staff spent hours moving furniture and stock out of the way and watched with dismay as the waters crept ever closer.
"We had been devastated by a number of floods in just a couple of years. It made us wonder whether we could actually continue as a business," he said. "The flood defences that are now in place have been fantastic and have made a real difference to us. They have kept the business safe in that sense.
"I think it took us several weeks to get back on our feet. We battled really hard to keep the flood water out and we reopened in quick time after the event. But none the less all the refurbishment work we have done since the floods have been with the possibility of it happening again in mind. We have been sensible about how we have been able to move forward.
"The barriers at Coleham Head have made a huge difference but once any flood water reaches those barriers we have not got much time to put our plan into action. It came very close a couple of years ago but we were fortunate. Hopefully the defences will always keep us safe."
Peter Birch, from CR Birch & Son in Roushill, saw his business under almost three feet of water. Stock was moved to a higher floor in the hours before the water invaded but the damage to the business was still huge.
"The flood of 2000 was devastating for us as it was for many other people," he said. "We had done what we could to clear shelves and move stock upstairs but to see the water was terrible.
"When the flood defences were first suggested there was to be a three-phase scheme. The first was for Frankwell, where it has worked incredibly well. The second was for Abbey Foregate, which again is a huge success and the third was mooted for Smithfield Road. But it appears the money has run out for that and because of the way the road overhangs the river it would be a huge undertaking. We still get flooded on the Smithfield Road side of the town and flood waters still get to Castle Foregate, leading to problems with transport."
In part the opposition was because of the nature of the defences proposed, which many Shrewsbury folk thought would be out of keeping with the town. A riverside wall was particularly controversial. Others doubted they would be effective anyway.
Also, modern Salopians had no experience of really serious flooding. They were prepared to cope with what nature threw at them, and put up with what seemed a bothersome inconvenience which struck at Shropshire's river towns relatively rarely.
Some even believed that the building of reservoirs and dams in Mid Wales meant that the River Severn in Shropshire would never seriously flood again.
There were to be ominous warnings that this was not so. The River Severn flooded at Shrewsbury and the Ironbridge Gorge in January 1998 and in October that year Shropshire had its worst flooding for 30 years.