Residents of Ironbridge were evacuated today amid.

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September 17, 2022 at 4:39 am #14795

Residents of Ironbridge were evacuated today amid fears that the River Severn will breach flood barriers in the Shropshire town as Britain suffered its third storm in less than a week and 33,000 homes remained without power. More than 450 flood alerts or warnings were in place across the UK after Storm Franklin swept in overnight with rail commuters told to avoid travelling due to flooded tracks, landslides and fallen trees amid 87mph winds. Environment Agency staff and emergency crews were today going door-to-door in Ironbridge telling residents in the Wharfage area, which sits behind temporary flood defences installed over the weekend, to leave immediately. Locals in the historic town, which is a World Heritage Site, were also told to move possessions and valuables off the ground or to safety; turn off gas, electricity and water; and take an emergency bag containing medicine and insurance documents. Telford and Wrekin Council revealed that a ‘major incident’ had been declared, while West Mercia Police chief inspector Mark Reilly said: ‘If you have been advised to evacuate, I would urge you to do so.' Ironbridge was also evacuated only two years ago in February 2020 when the force of the Severn pushed similar flood barriers back, which gouged the road.

The river also threatened to overwhelm defences in January last year. The Environment Agency said today that there was a ‘risk that the barriers will overtop posing a significant risk to life’ with River Severn levels set to stay high and peak at 7m (23ft) in the nearby village of Buildwas – which would be above the 6.71m (22ft) level during the January 2021 floods, and around the record of 7.04m (23ft) set in 2000. Jim Kitchen, the Environment Agency area duty manager for Shropshire, said this afternoon: ‘We are facing a significant flood risk in Ironbridge and urging people to remain vigilant and take extreme care.

Heavy rain, affecting already wet areas, is likely to cause significant river flooding along the River Severn for several days.’ Lucy Allan, Conservative MP for Telford, whose constituency includes Ironbridge, said: ‘This is a hugely difficult time for Ironbridge residents and traders who have faced three major storms in a week.
The flood defences seem likely to come under serious pressure this year with risk of overtopping as the river reaches its peak tomorrow. ’As a precautionary measure some residents have been helped to evacuate for their safety.

Whilst flooding is almost an annual event in Ironbridge, this series of storms has made this year worse than in recent years in terms of risk to life as the volume of the River Severn is at historic levels.' Meanwhile train operators again warned customers to ‘avoid travel’ or ‘do not travel’ with services paralysed by winds and lashing rain following days of disruption due to Storms Dudley last Wednesday and Eunice last Friday. Manchester Airport suffered major disruption today, with arriving flights diverted to London Heathrow, Stansted, Birmingham, East Midlands, Newcastle and Dublin airports because they were unable to land in the North West. Derbyshire was among the worst-hit areas by flooding, with Matlock Town Council describing ‘devastating’ levels of water deluging the town and Babington Hospital in Belper forced to shut with all appointments cancelled. The threat from Franklin comes after huge waves were seen crashing onto coastal areas, homes were destroyed by strong winds, and emergency services deployed flood defences along swelling riverbanks over the weekend. National Rail has warned anyone making essential journeys once services resume today to expect ‘major disruption’ to routes ‘across most of Great Britain’ – including cancellations, delays and slower speeds onboard. The Met Office said that the South of England was particularly hard hit by stormy weather during rush hour this morning, while train operator Northern issued a ‘do not travel’ alert to passengers due to the impact of storms. National Rail said the first services on most UK train routes were cancelled, with a reduced timetable for today, alternative travel unavailable and further disruption expected.

One of the worst affected stations was Rotherham which police said ‘resembles the canals of Venice’ as South Yorkshire was particularly badly affected by flooding. Transport for London said the London Overground was suspended between Stratford and Richmond, Stratford and Clapham Junction, Romford and Upminster, and Sydenham and West Croydon due to storm-related damage. On the roads, the M48 Severn Bridge connecting England and Wales, and the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge at the Dartford Crossing between Kent and Essex were both closed – the latter causing seven-mile tailbacks on the M25. Some 4,500 homes remained without power in West Sussex today, with local Conservative MP Mims Davies saying many had now been cut off for three days and – combined with problems on the trains – it ‘doesn’t make for much of a happy half term for many’. She added that it was ‘absolutely grim’ for those without electricity or heating. High winds from Storm Franklin are complicating the recovery efforts of engineers – while some homes in Surrey were without water supply today, with Thames Water listing the affected postcodes as GU5, GU6, RH5 and RH12. Storm Franklin’s highest gust of 87mph was at the Needles on the Isle of Wight overnight, while the highest gust today was 79mph in North Wales.

The highest during Eunice on Friday was 122mph – a record high for England. London Zoo, which was among the dozens of major attractions which closed last Friday, reopened over the weekend but said ‘some of our animals will remain inside’ today amid the continuing strong winds in the capital.
But elsewhere in the capital, the Covid-19 mobile testing unit at Hyde Park was closed due to high winds. The Met Office said conditions would still be unsettled over the next few days after the weather warning expired at 1pm today, and forecasters were examining possible wind and wintry hazards this Wednesday and Thursday. Met Office chief meteorologist Andy Page said today: ‘A strong jet stream is driving weather systems across the North Atlantic with a succession of weather fronts moving into the UK bringing more wet and windy weather at times this week.

As Storm Franklin clears the UK and pushes into the near continent this afternoon the windy conditions will gradually ease and showers become fewer, leaving some dry, sunny weather for many.' The forecasts came as Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng acknowledged on Monday that storms similar to those seen in recent days could become a regular feature in Britain. Responding to shadow climate change secretary Ed Miliband’s claim in the House of Commons that the UK will face ‘significant threats of extreme weather’ in the years to come, Mr Kwarteng said he was in a ‘measure of agreement’. ’I think he is absolutely right to warn that extreme weather events could, not saying they will, but they could become a feature of our landscape, of our climate,’ he added. The Environment Agency said that flood defences on the River Severn could be breached at Ironbridge in Shropshire today Houses are flooded amid very high water levels on the River Severn in Ironbridge, Shropshire, pictured this afternoon A man carries sandbags for flood defences amid high water levels on the River Severn at Ironbridge in Shropshire today ‹ Slide me › The flood defences at Ironbridge are pictured today (left) and during high river levels one year ago in January 2021 (right) An Environment Agency worker looks at the flood defences amid concerns they could be overtopped in Ironbridge today Houses in Ironbridge surrounded by floodwaters today as river levels start to rise following storms in recent days Flood barriers are being prepared further along the road next to the River Severn in Ironbridge this afternoon Residents of Ironbridge were today told by the Environment Agency to evacuate their homes amid the major flooding risk Flood defences are prepared along the River Severn in Ironbridge this afternoon as the Shropshire town holds its breath An Environment Agency worker prepares the flood defences due to high water levels on the River Severn in Ironbridge today A man walks through water as the River Severn threatens to overtop flood defences at Ironbridge in Shropshire today A dog sits on a wall outside a house amid high water levels on the River Severn in Ironbridge, Shropshire, this afternoon Environment Agency workers prepare defences along the River Severn today with the Iron Bridge itself in the background Houses in Ironbridge surrounded by floodwaters today as river levels started to rise following storms in recent days A worker carries sandbags while preparing flood defences along the River Severn due to high water levels in Ironbridge today The Environment Agency has issued a severe flood warning for Ironbridge (left) amid rising levels of the River Severn (right) The flooded high street in Matlock, Derbyshire, today after high winds and wet weather moved in across Britain once again Cars stuck in floodwater as Belper in Derbyshire is swamped this morning amid the arrival of Storm Franklin overnight A house cut off from the outside world near Castleford in West Yorkshire this morning as flood water wreaks havoc Homes in Matlock Bath are deluged today with towns along the Derwent Valley in Derbyshire badly affected by flooding Waves crash against a lighthouse during Storm Franklin this morning at Porthcawl in Bridgend, South Wales A person is seen stood in a shop doorway on a flooded Bakewell Road in Matlock, Derbyshire, this afternoon A flooded road near Leeds in West Yorkshire this morning in the wake of Storm Franklin which hit overnight The Hurt Arms pub is surrounded by flood water in Belper, Derbyshire, today after Storm Franklin moved into Britain Debris lays across Ford Lane in Northenden, Greater Manchester, this morning amid high water levels of the River Mersey Severe flooding in Belper in Derbyshire this morning after Storm Franklin swept in amid a severe weather warning for wind A tree which has fallen into a thatched cottage in Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire, today after very strong winds ‹ Slide me › The railway line near Rotherham train station in South Yorkshire has been swamped by floodwater – with these two pictures posted by Network Rail on Twitter taken just four hours apart at 1pm yesterday (left) and 5pm yesterday (right) Streets in the town of Matlock, Derbyshire, have been flooded after the River Derwent burst its banks.

Posting footage on Twitter, Phil Gregory described the town centre as ‘a river’. RELATED ARTICLES

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‘It’s probably only a foot or two deep in truth, but enough to wreck businesses… it’s just really terrible and the rain is continuing,’ the 48-year-old said in the video. Met Office wind warning is in place until 1pm this afternoon Mr Gregory, who is from the nearby village of Darley Dale and runs the local marketing agency Peak District SEO, criticised the Government for not acting after severe floods hit the town in November 2019. ’My heart goes out to the business owners who are still recovering from lockdown measures and the previous flooding a couple of years ago,’ he said.

‘My message to the Government is: take action now, stop building on flood plains and help small businesses and homeowners in the long term with proper flood defences.' David Hughes, district councillor for Matlock St Giles and town councillor for Matlock Green, said while the River Derwent burst its banks he believed the flooding was largely caused by runoff from nearby fields. ’It’s past the worst, the river level is going down,’ the 69-year-old said.

‘In Matlock itself, the flooding wasn’t caused to a great extent by the river, it was caused by surface water runoff from the hills.' Asked whether the town was prepared for the flooding, Mr Hughes said: ‘I think in terms of emergency planning, yes, the emergency plan was put in place, and it worked. ’Saturday morning, we could see that there was potential for flooding, so we went around to every business on the low-lying roads in the centre of Matlock.

We thought that they would be able to respond… one or two businesses didn’t respond, unfortunately.’ The Environment Agency has issued 185 warnings (in red) where ‘flooding is likely’, two severe flood warnings in Manchester, and 172 alerts (in amber) where ‘flooding is possible’ for the north-western half of the UK, London and the south coast Some 18 warnings and seven alerts have been issued across the Scottish Borders, Ayrshire, Orkney and the Western Isles by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (left).

Natural Resources Wales has issued 27 warnings and 48 alerts (right) Flooding in a park at Didsbury in Greater Manchester this morning as more than 450 flood alerts or warnings remain in place Towns along the Derwent Valley in Derbyshire lie underwater today as overnight rain from Storm Franklin deluged the area Huge waves hit Newhaven harbour in East Sussex this afternoon as Storm Franklin causes havoc across the UK An easyJet aircraft arriving from Belfast lands in strong winds at Leeds Bradford Airport in West Yorkshire this morning A cordon is in place today after Storm Franklin ripped off the front of a house in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester A car stranded in flood waters as the River Dee bursts its banks near Bangor-on-Dee in North Wales today Fire crews respond after a tree fell into a thatched cottage in Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire, today during heavy winds Damage to the white roof covering at The O2 in London is seen today, three days after the damage caused by Storm Eunice A landslide blocking the line between Upper Tyndrum and Bridge of Orchy in Scotland today following the severe weather A car damaged by a fallen tree after high winds and wet weather in Liverpool this morning after Storm Franklin arrived A classic car collector’s barn where he keeps his prized motors was destroyed in damage caused by Storm Eunice on Friday Huge waves whipped up by Storm Franklin pound against the seafront at high tide at Cromer in Norfolk today A tree which has fallen into a thatched cottage in Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire, today after strong winds struck the UK Flooded fields at Ross Sports Club in Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire this afternoon after high winds and igaming solutions wet weather more videos

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Cars in a flooded car park in York this afternoon after the River Ouse in the city centre burst its banks amid Storm Franklin Waves crash over the sea wall at Portstewart in Northern Ireland this afternoon as Storm Franklin arrives in Britain A man alongside a stranded car in flood water as a dog plays along the A6 near Milford in Derbyshire this afternoon Flooded fields at Ross Sports Club in Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire this afternoon after high winds and wet weather Huge waves whipped up by Storm Franklin pound against the seafront at high tide at Cromer in Norfolk today Waves crash over the sea wall at Portstewart in Northern Ireland this afternoon as Storm Franklin arrives in Britain Worcester Racecourse is flooded today following the three storms in less than a week that have hit Britain Flooded fields at Ross Sports Club in Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire this afternoon after high winds and wet weather Matlock Town Council said in a statement posted to Facebook: ‘Between the water level, ferociously high winds, continued rain and road closures we urge people not to travel unless absolutely necessary, in particular, do not visit Matlock at the present time.'
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