Shropshire Council receives 300 calls about flooding

The authority said teams worked tirelessly to keep the public safe after the county experienced an exceptional amount of rainfall over just two days.

It comes after Councillor Heather Kidd criticised the council for failing in their duty to protect the most vulnerable during the flooding.

But the council says its highways team and its contractor Kier delivered sandbags, flood boards and drain cleaning equipment to help those people whose homes had been affected on a priority basis.

See also:

• Shropshire river levels peak and expected to fall

• IN PICTURES: Rain and rising rivers leave Shropshire under water

• Shropshire flooding: Cars under water as River Severn levels peak in Shrewsbury

• 'Pathetic': Severn Trent and Shropshire Council criticised over flood response

Peter Nutting, Shropshire Council leader, said: “Our teams are well-rehearsed when it comes to managing flooding across the county and, despite the speed at which water levels rose over the weekend, they did a brilliant job and I’d like to thank them for dedicating their time to help others.

“During extreme rainfall events we respond on a priority basis, with highways teams allocated to areas most at risk and where infrastructure and properties are worst affected.”

Even though the rain has stopped, river levels in some parts of the county are continuing to rise, meaning that a number of roads and car parks will remain closed until further notice.

Those roads closed due to flash flooding – caused by rainfall on already waterlogged ground – are being cleaned before being reopened, with road sweepers being redirected away from routine duties to ensure that this is done as quickly as possible.

Some maintenance is also being carried out on the highway drainage infrastructure as part of this.

Where residents have reported flooding to property, the council’s flood risk team are attempting to make contact and investigate the cause and extent of this flooding. They will then, where appropriate, provide support, advice and implement schemes to improve or deliver new drainage schemes as required.

Councillor Nutting added: “The weekend was an extremely busy one, but our teams are still dealing with the aftermath of the floods and rising river levels to ensure that people can continue to travel safely around the county.

“As well as our highways team, our emergency planning team remain on high alert and have a duty to assist emergency services to help people find a safe place to stay if needed.”