High river levels put stop to Shrewsbury firework celebrations
A New Year's Eve fireworks display in Shrewsbury has been cancelled amid safety concerns due to high river levels on the River Severn as homes were left without power and trees were blown down in high winds caused by Storm Frank.
Up to 200 people had been expected to turn out to a fireworks display and boat pageant along the River Severn in Castlefields in Shrewsbury tonight.
But the towpath has been closed in recent weeks due to flooding. Organisers believe the Castle Walk footbridge over the river would not cope with large numbers of people using it.
RAF Shawbury recorded gusts of 54mph yesterday – the strongest in the Midlands.
It comes as firefighters from the county are working to protect a village in Lancashire from floodwater.
High winds caused several brief power cuts across the region yesterday. Homes in Nesscliffe and Wilcot were affected at about 1.20pm.
Meanwhile, a telegraph pole partially came down on the A456 in Burford, near Tenbury Wells, and a tree fell on to a garage in Shrewsbury.
Retained crews from Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service have been battling to pump thousands of gallons of water away from a village in Lancashire.
They have joined firefighters from Hereford and Worcester, Lancashire and Cheshire in flood-hit Croston, near Southport, where a Chinook helicopter has dropped one ton of sandbags to fill a gap in flood defences on the River Douglas.
Four firefighters from Prees, two from Shrewsbury and two from Baschurch joined the efforts earlier this week with the county's high-volume pumping unit.
Two firefighters from Clun, three from Craven Arms and three from Prees were also tasked to the scene at noon yesterday.
See all current Shropshire flood warnings and alerts here
