Shropshire Star

English Bridge and Welsh Bridge reopen to traffic as Shrewsbury river level falls

Shrewsbury's English Bridge, Welsh Bridge, Smithfield Road part of Abbey Foregate car park have been reopened as water levels fall in the town.

Published
Last updated
Flooding in Shrewsbury. Pic: Sarah Stanley

The 'danger to life' warning has now been removed following the river peaking at 5.12m.

This afternoon Chester Street and Cross Street were also reopened.

The Darwin Shopping Centre reopened today, with the Pride Hill and Riverside centres set to open again on Friday.

Shropshire Council said the Gateway on Chester Street is to remain closed until Monday and Town Walls will be shut while Cadent investigate and repair a gas leak. The road is now due to reopen on Saturday, with other town centre roads set to be reopened today.

Environment Secretary George Eustice was visiting Shrewsbury and Ironbridge today after a planned visit by Floods Minister Rebecca Pow was called off because of illness.

Park and ride services in Shrewsbury will be free to use for two weeks in a bid to get businesses back on their feet after the flooding.

Shropshire Council said it wanted to show support to town centre traders and encourage people back into the town.

The park and ride will run for free from this Saturday until March 14, from all three sites - Meole Brace, Harlescott and Oxon.

With the bus station closed, roads impassable, and the shopping centres shut, Shrewsbury was described as a "ghost town" this week, as a rallying call was issued for people to throw their support behind the town's businesses as they attempt to recover.

See also:

Full list of Shrewsbury road closures:

  • Victoria Avenue

  • Old Coleham

  • Gravel Hill Lane

  • Sydney Avenue

  • Atcham to Cross Houses

  • Chiltern Farm Lane

  • Berwick Road

  • Longden Coleham

  • Raven Meadows

  • Roushill

  • Cressage to Eaton Constantine

  • Coton Hill

  • Chester Street and Cross Street

  • Atcham to Berwick Wharf

  • B4380 Emstrey Island to Atcham

  • Williams Way

  • Meadow Place

  • Coleham Head

  • Frankwell

  • Welsh Bridge (except for access for buses to Theatre Severn temporary bus terminus, and residents/businesses on the Frankwell side of Welsh Bridge)

  • Underdale Road

  • Priory Road remains closed due to roof damage at the Quarry Swimming Centre.

  • London Road will remain open as normal until further notice. The temporary closure, for BT cable work, was due to be put back in place this week having been lifted last week.

All the train lines were gradually reopened from yesterday afternoon from Shrewsbury railway station as life slowly starts returning to the town.

Car parks that remain closed are Frankwell – main and riverside, St Julian’s Friars, Raven Meadows multi-storey, The Gap (off Raven Meadows), NCP (Wyle Cop) and Premier Inn car park (off Raven Meadows).

At Abbey Foregate the top section and part of the lower section are open. There is no parking in the coned-off section as this forms part of the temporary flood bus stop.

Resident and season ticket holders for Frankwell Main and St Julian’s Friars car parks may park in Abbey Foregate car park until further notice.

There were no reported school closures this morning either, though some school bus routes that go near the town centre did face delays. Shrewsbury Colleges Group's Welsh and English Bridge campuses remain closed.

University Centre Shrewsbury will be closed for the rest of the week and will open again on Monday at 8am. The building will be closed which means all teaching and public events are cancelled.

Arriva provided an update on bus services. They will still be unable to access town centre stops due to road closures.

They tweeted the locations services will be stopping at:

Chris Bainger from the Environment Agency said that the river level in Shrewsbury was down to 4.2m at 6am, 80cm down in 12 hours.

Meanwhile, Salopians have been encouraged to get out and support local businesses that have been devastated by the floods.

Belle Vue councillor Kate Halliday was straight to House Coffee Co in Coleham this morning, one of the worst hit areas of the town.

She tweeted: "House Coffee is open! Just what I need before asking questions at Shropshire Council about #ShrewsburyFloods."

Severn Hospice has also been able to reopen its shops in Mardol and Wyle Cop.

They tweeted: "Great news. Flood waters are receding and our two Shrewsbury shops, in Mardol and Wyle Cop, are now open. Why not pop in and grab yourself a bargain? However, our Ironbridge shop remains closed today, unfortunately. Best wishes to everyone affected by the flooding."

Construction firm Pave Aways is offering free advice to businesses that have been hit.

They tweeted: "We are keen to help those worst affected by the recent #flooding with some free construction advice and hands on help."