Shropshire flooding: Clean-up operation in Ludlow could take until Easter
The clean-up operation in South Shropshire following Storm Dennis could take until Easter, it has been revealed.
Ludlow bore the brunt of the storm on the weekend, and while the majority of the water had drained away by Monday morning, many residents are left surveying the damage.
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Councillor Andy Boddington fears the major clean-up operation could take months to complete.
He is pressing for Shropshire Council to put skips in place to allow people to dispose of their ruined goods.
"There are now white goods starting to line-up outside houses along Temeside as people begin to move everything out," he said.
"All of these people's fridge freezers are ruined but are still full of food which will eventually start to rot, causing a problem with rats if they're not taken away quickly.
Ludlow flood coverage from the last few days:
"I'm pressing to have skips in place so people can get rid of their stuff and start again. It also reduces the public health risk."
Councillor Boddington took the leader of Shropshire Council Peter Nutting and chief executive Clive Wright on a tour of the town this afternoon to show them the extent of the damage.
"It will take months to get everything cleaned up here in Ludlow," he said.
"I hope we will get everything back into action by Easter. It's devastating to see what people are going through.
"One of the other issues is that some people don't have insurance because it's at a price they can't afford as they live in an area that floods.
"The people who rent will now have to begin negotiations with their landlords and it's quite difficult."
Many people have moved into temporary accommodation while their properties dry out.
Councillor Boddington added: "The thing is that we knew this storm was coming but it was far worse than feared.
"The water rose at an incredibly quick rate."
Meanwhile police in the south of the county have warned that temporary traffic lights to prevent one of the area's main roads collapsing have been tampered with.
Officers have received reports that the lights on the B4369 have been interfered with.
They are in place while flood water subsides and the road is down to one lane to prevent it from collapsing under the weight of vehicles.