MP raises Shropshire's annual flooding issue in Parliament as alerts remain in north of county
As flood alerts remain in place across north Shropshire a county MP has raised the issue of flooding resilience in Parliament.
Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Helen Morgan, the MP for North Shropshire, raised the case of frequently flooded villages in her constituency this week by contributing to a debate over available support at Westminster Hall.
Mrs Morgan called for a plan to be put in place to allow residents of frequently flooded villages to be able to be able to walk in the dry. She said some residents have been forced to walk across fields in the dark to get to their cars.
Many villages and market towns across North Shropshire face annual flooding, which is particularly acute in the Welsh borders around Melverley.
The MP has spoken to residents and parishioners in the area, visiting the Royal Hill pub and flood vehicles during high water last February.
She is now arguing that frequently flooded areas should benefit from extra planning measures for getting around during times when the community can be cut off, telling MPs that some of her constituents ‘walk across fields in the middle of the night to find their car’ in order to avoid total isolation.
Mrs Morgan said: “In my constituency, which floods very frequently, people are cut off for days on end.
"Even when their house is dry, they are unable to get about and do their business and get to work. People walk across fields in the middle of the night to find their car.
“Would they agree with me that a plan for the council to make sure people can move around safely when the floods are up is so important to resilience?”
There are currently two flood alerts covering parts of northern Shropshire, at the Severn Vyrnwy confluence and the Tern and Perry catchments which haven't yet dried out following the last deluge.
The rivers were expected to peak on Wednesday afternoon at Llanymynech at between 2.7m and 2.8m. Local roads are at risk of flooding.
At the Tern and Perry catchments river levels are falling but they remain high at the Tern - Walcot river gauge. The Government's flooding service says the risk of flooding is reducing and thankfully no further significant rainfall is currently forecast over the next few days.
