Flood barriers up as Shropshire braced for more heavy rain
[gallery] Flood barriers were up in Shropshire today as the region prepared for more gales and torrential rain.
But while precautionary measures were being taken in the region, other areas of the UK were being braced for major disruption.
Torrential rain combined with high tides and severe winds led to an Environment Agency warning that lives could be put at risk, especially on coastal areas of Wales and the South West.
Workmen erected the barriers in Shrewsbury after only taking them down five days ago. It follows a forecast that predicts more wet and wild weather moving into next week.
Gravel Hill Lane and Sydney Avenue in Shrewsbury were also closed today due to flooding.
This afternoon, trains between Shrewsbury and Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury and Swansea were replaced by bus services due to adverse weather conditions on the routes.
Flood alerts today remained in place across Shropshire, with warnings in place on the river Vyrnwy, which runs through Powys and northern Shropshire.
The Environment Agency today warned of possible flooding in the Lower Dee Valley from Llangollen to Trevalyn Meadows particularly for isolated properties and extensive areas of agricultural land.
Environment Agency Live Flood Warning map - updated every 15 minutes
On the border with mid-Wales entire fields have been covered in water, as the ground struggled to drain the excess surface water. The worst affected area are fields off the A483, towards Welshpool, which today looked more like lakes after this week's flooding.
The Environment Agency has issued 21 of the most serious severe flood warnings, among 233 issued nationally.
Homes in Newport, South Wales, were evacuated last last night because of the risk of flooding as Wales prepared for the highest tides in 17 years.
People living in Ilfracombe were joined by emergency services during the night as they gathered sand from beaches to build flood defences as 10-metre waves were expected.
In the popular Welsh tourist resort of Barmouth people were being urged to take steps to ensure their own safety and as far as possible that of their property.
Chief Superintendent Jeremy Vaughan of North Wales Police who is leading the co-ordinated response, said: "Severe flood warnings are only made when it is considered that there is a severe risk to life and property and the fact that this has been issued needs to be taken seriously.
"People living in the affected areas need to heed the warning and make arrangements now to secure their own safety."
The Environment Agency has said it will continue to monitor the situation in the coming days, as more rain pours into the already sodden ground.
