'Stay away!' - Warning as flood water cascades into Shropshire village amid rains of Storm Bert

Storm Bert has been wreaking havoc across the UK and Gobowen appears to have been the area in Shropshire hit hardest so far.

A yellow warning for heavy rain was issued by the Met Office, covering almost all of Wales and a large swathe of Shropshire from the west, including Shrewsbury, Oswestry and Ludlow.

Villagers in Gobowen have been warned to steel themselves after pictures were posted online of flooded roads.

Councillor Rob Macey, who represents Gobowen, Selattyn and Weston Rhyn on Shropshire Council, said: “Please avoid Gobowen centre. The culvert up from the village is full. I have been in touch with our highways team who are on the way with signage to close the road.”

Footage was also shared of water gushing down Old Whittington Road as well as a photo of the flooded B5069 near the train station.

Fresh flood alert for South Shropshire

Meanwhile, a fresh flood alert is in place in South Shropshire for the Upper Teme.

A statement on the Environment Agency’s flood tracker website says: “River levels are rising at the Onibury river gauge as a result of heavy rainfall. 

“Consequently, flooding of roads and farmland is expected Saturday and into Sunday. 

“We expect flooding to affect low lying land and roads adjacent the River Teme, River Onny and River Corve and their tributaries. 

“Locations that may be affected include Bishops Castle, Church Stretton, Knighton and Ludlow. 

“Predicted peaks: Leintwardine 1.8m to 2.2m Sunday afternoon 24/11; Onibury 2.2m to 2.6m Saturday afternoon 24/11; Corve 3.0m to 4.0m Sunday afternoon 24/11.

“Further rainfall is forecast over the next 48 hours. We expect river levels to remain elevated over the next few days.

“We are closely monitoring the situation. Our incident response staff are liaising with emergency services and local authorities.

“Please avoid using low lying footpaths near local watercourses and plan driving routes to avoid low lying roads near rivers, which may be flooded.”

An alert also remains for the Tern and Perry catchment.

The Met Office has warned some communities could be cut off by floods, there could be power cuts and homes and businesses may face water damage.