Sunday, February 9, 2014

City roads closed by floodwater

Worcester city centre roads closed by flooding

Flooding in Worcester The Environment Agency said roads in Worcester were "practically impassable"
North Parade Worcester flooded Local people said the drains were struggling to cope with the volume of water
Hylton Road flooding Motorists have been asked to avoid Worcester City Centre

Large parts of Worcester city centre have been closed off because of flood water, the county council has said.

It said Worcester Bridge and roads including New Road, Castle Street, Deansway, Dolday, North Parade, Croft Road and Tybridge Street had been shut.

The authority said motorists should not come into the city until highways teams and the emergency services could put diversions in place.

The only access to Worcester would be via the southern link road, it said.

The Environment Agency has also shut Hylton Road flood gates in Worcester because of rising river levels.

Dave Throup, from the agency, said the amount of water in Worcester was "verging on the Biblical".

"It's difficult to predict how much more worse things are going to get," he said.

"[Levels] keep getting topped up by rain coming down the River Severn and also from the River Teme that's holding a lot of water back as well, so it's probably going to be Monday by the time it gets down to Worcester and Upton."

'Drains can't cope'

The Environment Agency said fire crews were helping its teams pump overspill water back into the River Severn on Stourport Road in Bewdley.

It said flood barriers in the town had been extended as river levels were peaking.

River Severn Worcester The Environment Agency said the River Severn was at its highest level since 2007

Julie Acorn, who lives in Bewdley, said the water was "up to pavement level".

"The problem now is, although the barriers are working absolutely brilliantly, the drains just can't seem to cope which has always been a bit of an issue," she said.

Firefighters in Herefordshire rescued six people trapped in their cars by flood water.

The people got stuck in water in four separate incidents on roads around Leintwardine, Orleton and Walford.

The EA said the River Arrow had burst its banks and water was blocking the A4110 near Leominster.

A number of feeder roads to the A38 at Upton-upon-Severn had also been closed off, it said.

The Environment Agency has issued 27 flood warnings for the Rivers Severn and Avon in Worcestershire and the Arrow, Wye and Teme in Herefordshire.


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