Flood barriers go up in Ironbridge as River Severn bursts banks in Shrewsbury
A flood warning has been issued for Shrewsbury and motorists have been urged to get their cars out of Frankwell car park after the River Severn burst its banks.
Flood barriers have been put up in Shrewsbury and are being installed along the Wharfage in Ironbridge as water from Storm Barra makes its way down-river through Shropshire.
The Met Office has warned that flooding of property is "imminent" in its update for the River Severn at the West Mid Showground and The Quarry,.
And Shropshire Council has told people to remove their cars from Frankwell as soon as possible with water already over the river banks and on the car park and riverside paths.
River levels at the Welsh Bridge gauge could reach 3.8m on Friday afternoon.
The Met Office's warning said: "River levels have risen at the Welsh Bridge river gauge as a result of Storm Barra. Consequently, flooding of property is imminent. We expect flooding to affect offices at the showground and Gravel Hill Lane. Predicted peak at Welsh Bridge 3.3 to 3.8m this afternoon. Further rainfall is forecast over the next 48 hours.
"We expect river levels to remain high over the weekend. We are closely monitoring the situation. Our incident response staff are checking defences. Please plan driving routes to avoid low lying roads near rivers, which may be flooded and avoid contact with flood water."
Motorists have been urged to move their cars out of Frankwell car park as the flood water starts to creep up.
Trains were cancelled between Shrewsbury and Welshpool on Friday morning after flooding hit Shropshire and Mid Wales.
There was one flood warning and five flood alerts in place across the county last night, and this morning Transport for Wales urged people not to travel by rail or road between the two towns.
A spokesman said: "Due to flooding between Welshpool and Shrewsbury, services are severely disrupted. Advice for passengers is 'do not travel'.
"A train service will operate between Aberystwyth and Welshpool, but there is no onward travel from Welshpool due to flooding on the railway and the roads."
The first phase of flood barriers were installed in Frankwell on Thursday, while down-river in Ironbridge the Wharfage was cleared ready for the barriers to be put up on Friday.
The road, where barriers were breached during the serious flooding last year, has been closed to traffic but businesses remain open.
David Wright, the councillor in charge of infrastructure at Telford & Wrekin Council, said: “This deployment is very much about being prepared and teams have been at the Wharfage since around 7am deploying gully bungs and fencing off the wharfage ready for the EA to erect the barriers.
“We’re working closely with the EA to ensure residents and businesses are kept up to date and while the Wharfage will be closed to traffic, businesses can still be accessed as normal.
"We are also monitoring other areas of The Gorge that may be impacted by the rising river levels and will continue to support residents and businesses in those areas too.”
Flood alerts remain at in place on the River Dee catchment from Whitchurch to Chester, the Severn/Vyrnwy confluence, the Tern and Perry catchments and the Upper Teme. A warning at Melverley has been removed.
