Watch swollen and fast-moving River Severn head through Bewdley as residents battle floods

High water levels have again caused rivers to burst free of their banks, flooding homes, shops and units in the West Midlands.

A swollen River Severn has once again seen widespread flooding hit residents and businesses in Shrewsbury, Ironbridge, Bewdley and Bridgnorth.

But as the river begins to recede, clean-up operations are taking place across the county as roads begin to reopen.

Bewdley continues to be one of the areas worst affected by the heavy flooding, where many parts of the area are submerged under water of around 5.16m in height.

Residents have again turned to their water pumps to empty their homes of dirty flood water, with many locals trying their hardest to keep their valuables out of the water.

Pictures show the River Seven in the Beales Corner area of the town rising high, with some houses experiencing flood waters that reach up their front doors.

Resident Kirsten Cox said: "It's just one of those things isn't it?

"You learn to deal with it. You don't really move here expecting it not to flood. We could do without it still though."

Water levels have been monitored by the Environment Agency which reported the Severn as being around 5.16m at Bewdley throughout Friday.

Flood alerts continue to be in place for areas of Stafford, Bewdley and many other areas of the West Midlands, warning residents to stay away from rivers and bodies of water.

In the warning, the Environmental Agency said: "Flood warnings and alerts remain in place across the Midlands today.

"Stay away from rivers as levels remain very high."

Meanwhile. Stafford has also experienced heavy flooding as a result of the intense rainfall, with many areas becoming flooded with water and many buildings becoming flooded.

Stafford's Kingsmead Retail Park was one of the areas to experience the worst of the weather, with the car park of the usually busy shopping centre becoming nearly completely blocked off.

The retail park continues to be flooded today, with a representative of Just for Pets saying that shops in the park are open, however, parking spaces are "very limited".

A spokesperson said: "We are open as normal today, as are some of the other shops in the retail park too. But there is still flooding in the car park.

"Parking is very limited at the moment, just looking now I can only see a few actual parking spots, so just be careful when visiting the retail park."

Regulars to the retail park have since called for more action to take place to make the area secure from flooding, with Forebridge ward councillor, Councillor Julian Thorley, leading the charge.

Councillor Thorley said: "I think global warming is one of the big contributors to this problem, due to the excess rain we seem to be getting.

"The car park is fairly new, but it's built next to old marshland, and what you've got in Stafford is that just off the town centre you're running into marshland and this is where Stafford grew up."

"The marshland along to the river was the town's only defence from invaders, and the Queensway was built on that marshland, so what we need to do is start measuring the water levels as they are starting to get higher, and I fear they'll get higher, so we need to start a campaign now."

Water levels also continued to rise in Bridgnorth, with levels slowly edging closer to the heights seen in the record flood of 2000.

Water levels reached a peak of 4.90 at 5.30am this morning, leading to more flooding for residents and shops on the riverfront.

Now, this weekend's forecasts have said that the West Midlands is set to fall into a cold spell this weekend, with temperatures expected to fall below 1 degrees on Sunday.

Talking about this weekend's weather, the Met Office said: "Mostly dry on Saturday with sunny spells, these developing more widely in the west through the afternoon. Temperatures are around average with a frost forming overnight with light winds. Maximum temperature 6 °C."

Leading onto Sunday and next week, the weather is expected to turn colder as the West Midlands enters a cold snap.

The Met Office continued: "High pressure dominating bringing generally dry weather throughout with sunny spells, though the odd wintry shower possible. Mostly light winds and cold with frosts overnight."

While levels remain high, as of Saturday they are beginning to fall and three flood warnings and two flood alerts remain in place after a very wet start to the year.

The flood warnings, which indicate flooding is expected, remain in place for the Severn at Bridgnorth, Hampton Loade and Highley, and Quatford.

The two flood alerts, which indicate flooding is possible, are in place for the majority of the Severn, and the River Worfe between Shifnal and Bridgnorth.

Two flood warnings were removed on Saturday morning, for the Severn at Sutton Wharf, and Fort Pendlestone and Severn Hall.

On the roads, Shropshire Council has said they hope the A442 in Bridgnorth will be reopened this afternoon after crews have been working to remove flood debris from the roads.

In Shrewsbury, Longden Coleham was opened on Friday afternoon alongside Chester Street and Coton Hill.

The flood barriers on the Wharfage in Ironbridge are expected to remain in place for the next few days, so the road continues to remain closed.

Buildwas Road and the riverside road to Jackfield also remain closed.

Shropshire Council has also shared advice for residents forced to leave their homes due to the rising river levels.

Their website states: "If you’ve had to leave your home, check with the emergency services that it’s safe before you return. If the flood water is still in your property or garden space, please take care as there may be hidden dangers like sharp objects or raised manhole covers.

"Once the flood water has subsided it's important that you document the extent of the damage and call your insurance company as soon as possible. Recovering after a flood can be a difficult experience. Useful information on starting the process of recovery can be found on the National Flood Forum website (nationalfloodforum.org.uk/about-flooding/recovering/what-should-i-do)

"Flood water may contain harmful substances like sewage, chemicals and animal waste which could make you unwell. If you come into contact with flood water, wash your hands thoroughly. Information on how to clean your property after a flood event can be found on the Gov.UK website (gov.uk/government/publications/flooding-and-health-public-advice)."