Shropshire Star

River Severn in Shropshire finally free of flood warnings

The River Severn in Shropshire has no flood warnings in place for today for the first time in a week, despite predicted showers.

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Bridgnorth's Severn Park is still heavily affected

Parts of the River Vyrnwy, where flooding is still expected, have warnings in place.

Alerts, where flooding is possible, still remain in place for the River Severn throughout parts of Shropshire and in Worcestershire, as well as the River Sow and River Penk, Severn Vyrnwy Confluence and Tern and Perry Catchments.

Light rain showers are forecast to be joined by light winds throughout periods of the day keeping river levels high but steady.

This is the case at the Cae Howel river gauge where river levels remain high but currently steady, but are expected to rise again this evening as a result of rainfall throughout periods of the day.

Flooding is still affecting properties and roads in and around Maesbrook and Melverley and there is still a risk of further flooding around those areas.

River levels remain high but are falling at the Bridgnorth river gauge as a result of heavy rainfall, but the risk of flooding remains and access to properties along Riverside in Bridgnorth may be impacted.

The town's annual carnival, set to take place on Sunday, has consequently been called off by the town council, with organisers expected to decide on whether a replacement date can be arranged.

Council officials decided Bridgnorth's carnival is a no-go

Floodwater is also affecting low lying land and roads next to the river from Shrewsbury to Upper Arley. The river level in Ironbridge, Jackfield and Coalbrookdale is dropping although some areas are understood to still be affected, particularly around Ferry Road.

Rivers levels are generally falling throughout the county despite predicted showers, but do still pose a flood risk, with the Environmental Agency saying it is closely monitoring the situation day by day.

People are being advised to plan driving routes to avoid low lying roads near rivers which may be flooded.

There have been three flood warnings removed in the last 24 hours.

Organisers of Shrewsbury's junior parkrun cancelled the event on the weekend as the route through the Quarry was completely submerged, while the town's annual carnival just managed to avoid postponement on Saturday.

Shrewsbury has not been alone however, as cases of floodwater taking its toll have been apparent throughout the county.

At least two drivers ended up in deep water with broken down vehicles in Shifnal after ignoring road closures, while fallen trees have crushed cars in Bridgnorth and blocked main roads through Church Stretton.

Drivers throughout the country have taken similar risks with similar end results, as one driver caught on drone footage found out in Leicestershire

Elsewhere, more weather warnings have been put in place as thunderstorms, torrential rain and flooding look set to batter parts of the UK again.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for the South East, East Anglia, the East Midlands and some of the North East as strong winds and lightning strikes are also expected.

See today's weather forecast here:

Forecasters have said the storms and floods could cause power cuts, train and bus delays and disruption for drivers.

The warning states: “Thunderstorms may develop, bringing torrential rain, hail and lightning to a few places, with potential disruption to travel and flooding.

Flood warnings for England Tuesday June 18
(PA Graphics)

“There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.

“Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services.”

Flooding
A flooded footpath in Edinburgh’s Princes Street Gardens (Jane Barlow/PA)

The Met Office warning adds: “Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.

“There is a slight chance that power cuts could occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost.”

Some flood-hit communities, such as Wainfleet in Lincolnshire, look set to face further damage, despite having already seen around 225 Olympic-sized swimming pools’ worth of water pumped out to sea.

Lincolnshire Police said almost 600 homes remain evacuated as the clean-up operation continues, while around 350 tonnes of sand and ballast were dropped in the area by RAF Chinook helicopters over the weekend.

Despite the predicted rainfall in Wainfleet, the Environment Agency said it is “ready to act as needed” if more flooding hits the town.

After two months’ worth of rain fell in just two days, the residents who managed to avoid being evacuated have been asked to avoid using washing machines and sparingly use toilets and showers.

Other areas will be cloudy on Tuesday, with showers expected across Scotland, Northern Ireland and the South West of England.

The Met Office said North Wales and northern England will be warm and bright throughout the day.