It's a wash-out as Shropshire floods set to strike again
[gallery] Shropshire was on full-scale flood alert today as the wettest year on record threatens to finish with yet another washout.
More rain was expected today and into the weekend, with gusts of wind of up to 30mph forecast for this evening.
The Environment Agency, which has issued a flood alert for the River Severn throughout Shropshire, says river levels in Shrewsbury and Ironbridge will to peak sometime tomorrow.
It has been warned Gravel Hill Lane and Sydney Avenue in Shrewsbury could be affected by flooding, with flood barriers remaining in place in the town today.
Flood alerts also remain in place on the Upper and Lower Teme, Rea Brook and Cound Brook, the River Worfe near Cosford, the Severn Vyrnwy Confluence and the Tern and Perry catchments.
Muddy water was rising over the weir near Dinham Bridge in Ludlow, although river levels in some places, such as Coalport actually fell overnight.
But fields remain saturated all over the county, particularly at Melverley, where the Severn has broken its banks.
Land around Bomere Heath and Shawbury has also been badly affected, leaving farmers to count the cost.
Helen Waite, a forecaster for the Met Office, said: "We are expecting a wet and windy day. This evening there will be gusts of up to 30mph."
She said up to 10mm (0.4ins) of rain was expected to fall on higher ground today.
"We have got another band of persistent rain expected overnight. There could be some fairly torrential downpours. That will persist through a lot of Saturday morning," she said.
The latest wet weather follows on from 10mm falling in the last 24 hours.
It comes as forecasters said 2012 is set to become the wettest on record, with just a further 46mm (1.8in) of rain needed to fall before December 31 to beat the previous record set in 2000.
See also - Flooding hits trade but Ironbridge World Heritage Site remains open
By Chris Burn and Joe Masi
