What a difference a year makes - Shropshire's snow covered hills now blooming

Last year we were shivering as a big chill swept across Shropshire and Mid Wales.

But that's now a distant memory, and instead we are experiencing the warmest December for years.

These images taken by Shropshire Star photographers of the hills around Church Stretton were taken one year after another- but last year the area was covered in snow.

Heavy rain and high winds brought on by Storm Frank have battered the UK this week, bringing fears of fresh flooding and further misery to our region.

Flood barriers remain in place at Frankwell in Shrewsbury as river levels continue to rise – and Environment Agency staff remain on alert in Ironbridge.

Storm Frank is the third named storm in a month to hit the country causing widespread disruption- including flooding roads and fields across Shropshire.

The mild December weather left many people dreaming for a white Christmas – but many plants think that spring has already sprung.

Unseasonably high temperatures have confused plants at garden centres across our region.

Plants that traditionally flower in the spring and summer are already in bloom or producing buds and leaves.

Heather Evans, assistant manager at Love Plants at Emstrey, Shrewsbury, cannot remember having seen anything like it before.

Summer flowering agapanthus, or the African lily, has baffled staff by coming into bloom alongside standard camellias, while roses and fruit bushes are already in leaf as if it is spring.

"Nature is confused because we have had no hard frosts yet," said Heather. "If the mild weather continues, we might well have a very early spring next year.

"The agapanthus normally flowers in the summer and that is in bloom outside now, which I have never seen before. The camellias are under cover but we would not expect them to be in bloom until February and they are in full flower.

"You would not expect to see green growth on roses until March, yet they have been shooting since November. We've also had reports from customers of daffodils in bloom on roadside verges and fields.

"The message to gardeners is not to panic. When the frost does finally arrive, the green growth will shrivel and drop off, ready to start again in the spring. This year we had a very late spring because it was cold until June, so you almost get a feeling that the seasons are changing."

Heather urged gardeners not to get lulled into a false sense of security about protecting tender plants from frost. Her advice is to protect vulnerable plants with fleece but to remember to remove it for part of the day to stop condensation damage.

She also advises to wrap containers with bubble wrap to prevent the risk of expanding frozen water inside cracking the container.

But while it seems our region has escaped the worst of the wild weather, part-time firefighters from Shropshire Fire and Rescue were today helping the military to pump thousands of gallons of water away from Croston village in Lancashire.

Three severe flood warnings yesterday remained in place in Croston, with residents urged to pack up and leave without delay, while across England and Wales more than 40 flood warnings and more than 80 lower level flood alerts were in force overnight.

Ian Leigh, Shrewsbury Station Manager , who is co-ordinating efforts on the scene for the Shropshire fire crews, said: "We have moved a huge amount of water and are helping to keep it at bay."

Earlier this month a Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service six strong boat crew was sent to Cumbria to help rescue people stranded in their homes as a result of Storm Desmond.

They were today expected to remain in the north of England to continue their efforts.

The chairman of the Environment Agency (EA) Sir Philip Dilley was due to visit flood victims yesterday after he returned from a Christmas holiday to Barbados amid criticism at the timing of his break during some of the worst storms in decades.

Flood alerts for the River Severn in Shropshire remain in place today as temperatures were expected to drop colder.

The EA had earlier warned of the potential for further significant flooding, especially in Cumbria, while floods minister Rory Stewart said a potentially "very bad situation" lay ahead.

In many areas the ground is still saturated from previous downpours and river levels remain at record highs.

Although the floodwaters have been receding, across the North, more than 6,700 homes have flooded in the past week.

Dave Throup, of the EA, said flood barriers have been deployed in Hereford.