More f lood misery as Jorge comes howling in

FLOOD-HIT areas were drenched by more heavy rain yesterday, ahead of the third storm in as many weekends – as officials raced to repair buckled river barriers.

Water levels on the River Severn at Ironbridge, Shropshire, had dropped by about 6ft from Thursday, after the force of the deluge pushed back defences on the banks. But warnings about rising levels were issued elsewhere in the country.

Up to 60 homes in Snaith, east Yorkshire, and surrounding villages were submerged this week.

one bungalow in the market town was left almost entirely underwater on Thursday evening, with only its roof visible, after the River aire burst its banks and flood plains were overwhelmed.

Catherine Lorryman, 56, who shares the property with her husband, son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren, said: ‘I can’t believe how high the water went.

‘everything’s gone. We didn’t manage to save anything. We’ve got nothing.’

Further downpours in the flood zones of the West Midlands and east Yorkshire will herald the arrival today of Storm Jorge – pronounced horhey and named by Spanish meteorologists – with winds expected to reach 60mph inland and 70mph on the coast. It comes after storms dennis and Ciara battered parts of the country this month.

although levels on the flooded Severn, Wye and aire rivers had subsided, the environment agency said the watercourses will rise again as the latest rainfall runs off higher ground.

In Ironbridge, officials were replacing and reassembling barriers along the Wharfage to prepare for possible further flooding in the coming days.

Residents in parts of Staith and nearby east Cowick were evacuated on Thursday as water levels rose rapidly, after fields holding vast quantities of water from the aire began to overflow.

There were 67 flood warnings across the country yesterday, and 128 less-serious flood alerts, but no severe flood warnings, which signpost a potential danger to life.