Shropshire flooding chaos after big thaw
Heavy rain and thawing snow and ice caused flooding in Shropshire as forecasters warned more wet weather was on its way.
Roads became rivers and were closed or partially impassable across the county as the Big Freeze gave way to the Big Thaw yesterday.
Fire crews have been busy responding to flood-related emergency call-outs across the county during the past 24 hours as rivers burst their banks.
Shropshire Fire & Rescue Service said crews had been called out to pump water from flooded homes in Market Drayton and Whitchurch. They also helped a householder in Sandford, Whitchurch, to open a sluice gate from an overflowing pool to prevent the rising water from flooding nearby properties.
In Mid Wales, a flock of sheep had to rescued by fire crews from near a travellers' site in Welshpool just after 10am yesterday after being swept into the River Severn. The crew used boats to try to rescue 12 sheep, but only two could be saved.
Firefighters from Oswestry had been called out two hours earlier to rescue 15 sheep trapped in floodwater at Llanyblodwel. The flood waters had risen, creating an island on which the animals were stranded. A farmer used his tractor to rescue the animals while a fire crew went to help.
The Environment Agency issued two flood warnings for the county, on the River Vyrnwy at Melverley including Melverley Green, and the River Severn at the Showground and The Quarry in Shrewsbury.
And flood alerts were in place along the River Severn, the Upper Teme and Lower Teme, near Ludlow, the Severn Vyrnwy Confluence, the Rea and Cound Brooks and their tributaries, and the Rivers Tern, Perry, Roden, Strine and Meese and their tributaries.
Flood barriers have gone up in Shrewsbury Frankwell car park for the second time this year.
More rain is forecast.
