Shropshire Star

Shropshire on flood alert as heavy rain follows Storm Angus

Shropshire today bore some of the brunt as rain followed Storm Angus across the country, bringing heavy downpours causing some torrential conditions for motorists and leaving roads closed due to flooding.

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Shropshire, the West Midlands, Mid Wales and the north of England are all covered by a yellow "be aware" warning, with more than two inches (60mm) of rain forecast to fall in some places.

The Environment Agency now has three flood alerts in place in the south of Shropshire for areas surrounding the Upper Teme, Ledwyche Brook and River Rea and the River Arrow just over the border.

Homeowners are reporting power cuts in the village of Guilsfield for the second time in less than a week.

Tornado winds led to 12-hour power cuts in the village near Welshpool last Thursday when trees were uprooted at Guilsfield Primary School and today heavy rain and flooding is taking its toll.

Meanwhile, flooding on the rail network meant all lines between Craven Arms and Shrewsbury were blocked.

The people were rescued by water first responders after their cars became trapped in flood water at Hungerford near Craven Arms.

One fire engine and the police were also sent to the scene at about 5pm

And in Acton Round, near Bridgnorth, fire fighters from Telford rescued one person and two dogs from a static caravan. Crews also led four horses to safety.

Live interactive flood alerts map:

Fiona Brown, who lives on Morris Lane in Wellington, said: "I've lived here 22 years ad it's always been like this.

"When we get torrential rain, the drains across the other side of the road actually lift - it's an accident hazard.

"From the roundabout all the way down to the Aldi turn-off continuously floods when it rains. You don't need a lot of rain, it just needs to be a continuous flow."

David Jones, who also lives in Morris Lane, said: "Anybody who goes to the bus stop or wants to go shopping doesn't have a chance of getting past this road. You need waders, let alone anything else.

"It's very dangerous. You've only got to get one car coming through too fast, they aquaplane and then smack – you have a fatality."

Road closures in Shropshire and Mid Wales:

Alison Baptiste, national flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, said: "Environment Agency teams have been out working through the night and we are now preparing for further flooding as rain continues over the next couple of days.

"People should remember not to drive through flood water and be aware travel may be disrupted.

"Environment Agency teams will clear blockages in rivers, continue to issue flood warnings and may operate flood gates and sea defences."

Storm Angus, the first named storm of the season which moved off into the North Sea by about midday on Sunday, brought gusts of more than 80mph and caused power cuts for more than 1,000 homes in the South West.

Eleven crew members had to be rescued from a cargo ship after it crashed into a stone barge off the coast of Dover and began taking on water.

The other 12 remained on board as they worked alongside the Coastguard to bring the ship into port.

Fire crews in Devon spent Sunday pumping out flooded properties and roads , and warned many of those same areas are due to be hit by wet weather again.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service station manager Martin Bayet advised people to take precautions and call 999 "if they are concerned for their safety".

He said: "There is likely to be a lot of surface water on country roads, particularly around Braunton, so motorists should be wary of the possibility of flooded roads, take notice of road closure signs and not attempt to drive through floodwater."

Wind speeds of up to 50mph are expected on Monday and the persistent downpours in the South W est early on in the day are likely to be followed by thundery showers, the Met Office warned.

The Met Office has updated its amber alert to extend it to include Somerset, meaning the county should be prepared for transport to be affected while the flooding of homes and businesses is "possible".

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