Flood-risk Shropshire homes fail to sign up for warnings
Hundreds of homeowners whose properties are at risk of flooding have not signed up for a free service warning them of potential problems, the Environment Agency has said.
Just 48 per cent of the county's 3,600 properties that are deemed as being at risk of flooding have signed up for the service.
The Environment Agency said getting the flood warning alerts can give homeowners valuable time to move their family and pets to safety, and get possessions out of harm's way.
Sally Burton, flood resilience adviser from the Environment Agency, said: "It is vital that people are prepared for the next time a flood occurs and we'd urge everyone at risk of flooding in Shropshire to make sure they sign up to receive the warnings.
Protect yourself:
Visit www.environment-agency .gov.uk/floodmidlands
Visit www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/31618.aspx
Call Floodline on 0845 988 1188
Follow @EnvAgencyMids and #floodaware
"A warning can make such a difference to the time you have to prepare and take action to mitigate the devastating impacts a flood can have."
In Shropshire, 3,600 properties are considered as being at risk from a one-in-1,000- year flood event.
Of those properties at risk 2,400 are considered to be at significant risk.
Flood defences are in place in Shrewsbury and Ironbridge, but protect fewer than 200 properties between them.
The barriers in Frankwell, Shrewsbury, act to reduce flooding risk for 74 properties, with the ones in Coleham Head in the town protecting 80 properties.
Defences in Ironbridge reduce flooding risk for 15 properties.
Earlier this month, the Environment Agency warned Shropshire homes are at heightened risk of flooding this winter as wet and windy weather looks set to continue.
The agency said there was an increased likelihood of flooding due to rainfall and strong winds coinciding with high tides and wind-blown leaves and debris blocking rivers.
Speaking at the time, Andy Wilkinson, Midlands flood and coastal risk manager at the Environment Agency, said it was important for people to be prepared.
He said: "Every £1 spent on protecting communities from flooding saves £8 in repairing damage. Over the last three years in the Midlands we have reduced the risk of flooding to an additional 18,465 homes and businesses with new flood defence schemes."
