Residents flee record flooding
Thousands of people have been forced to abandon their homes and officials say Britain is in ‘‘uncharted territory’’ after Storm Dennis brought the worst flooding in 200 years to some areas.
Evacuations continued yesterday, and more than 300 flood alerts, including six warning of a danger to life, remained in place as forecasters expected another four days of rain.
Five people have died since last weekend, and at least 600 homes have now been damaged in England. About 800 homes and businesses have been flooded in Wales.
Along the Wye and Severn rivers in the English counties of Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire, river levels are expected to remain high into the weekend.
In the Shropshire towns of Ironbridge and Bridgnorth, residents were warned that their lives were at risk from ‘‘potentially imminent’’ flooding from the Severn. About 30 homes were evacuated in Ironbridge after road surfaces began to crack from the water pressure and flood defences struggled to cope as the Severn reached its highest level for 20 years.
While the Wye had dropped from its record high of 6.4 metres on Tuesday, firefighters were brought in to move dozens of elderly residents from a care home in Whitchurch after it was overcome by flooding.
Although there was relief in Upton-upon-Severn and Uckinghall in Worcestershire that flood defences had not been breached, Dave Throup, the Environment Agency manager for Herefordshire and Worcestershire, urged people to remain vigilant.
Throup said the flooding in some areas was in ‘‘uncharted territory’’. The Wye in Hereford reached ‘‘truly exceptional levels’’, the highest since records began more than 200 years ago.
About seven kilometres of temporary flood barriers have been brought in across the country alongside 90 pumps as 1000 workers race to prevent further damage.
More flooding is expected, with further heavy rain forecast in the north of England until tomorrow.