New Shropshire flood alert issued as rain and wind batters county
A flood alert has been issued on the river Severn north of Shrewsbury as wind and rain batters Shropshire.
The Environment Agency has warned people to expect flooding to affect low-lying land and roads adjacent to the river from Shrewsbury to Upper Arley.
They add that locations that may be affected are White Abbey, Coalbrookdale, Ironbridge and Bridgnorth. The River Severn is expected to be full to bursting at White Abbey as a bulge of water from the heavy rain passes through the river systems.
The EA predicts that the level at Crew Green will be 5.3m to 5.5m on Friday morning, Montford 4.3m to 4.6m on Friday evening, Welsh Bridge 2.1m to 2.4m on Saturday morning, Buildwas 3.5m to 3.8m on Saturday, and Bridgnorth 2.6m to 3.0m Saturday.
Forecasts mean that flooding of roads and farmland is expected from 2am on Friday and it will continue as river levels are expected to remain high until Sunday.
Flood alerts also remain in place at the Severn Vyrnwy confluence and Tern and Perry catchments.
There is also a Natural Resources Wales flood alert in place in the Caersws, Cilcewydd, Trehelig, Welshpool and Llandrinio, part of the Upper Severn catchment.
River levels are expected to be above normal. Flooding of low-lying lands and roads is expected.
An EA spokesman, for England, said: "We are closely monitoring the situation. Our incident response staff are checking defences. Please call 999 if in immediate danger. This message will be updated by 4 pm on Thursday, or as the situation changes.
Earlier on Thursday the Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for wind and rain, starting at 10am and running until 7pm.
A band of heavy rain and high winds has swept through Telford with forecasters warning of some transport disruption and flooding.
The forecast says: "A narrow band of rain, heavy at times and perhaps briefly intense, will move eastwards late on Thursday morning and into the afternoon. 10 to 15 mm is likely to fall in a 1 to 2 hour period, with around 20 mm in a few places.
"With saturated ground, this is likely to lead to a fair amount of surface water on roads and flooding in one or two places.
"Strong winds will be an additional hazard with gusts of 40-50 mph inland and perhaps briefly 60-70 mph."
The warning affects much of the West Midlands region - including the whole of Shropshire - as well as all of Wales, the South West and most of the South East.
Drivers are being warned of extended journey times due to spray and flooding, as well as potential delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges.
