WORCESTER could once again see close to record-breaking flooding levels with the River Severn expected to peak today (Wednesday) following a weekend of storms which battered the county.
While two metres above normal, the River Severn at Barbourne was at 5.42metres yesterday (Tuesday), slightly below the record of 5.79metres set in the floods of February 2020.
Water levels on the River Severn are now expected to fall after the city experienced its worst flooding since the 2020 deluge, which set records less than six years after the previous highs in floods of 2014.
Car parks close to the river have been closed while Worcestershire’s New Road cricket ground has again borne the brunt of the rising Severn.
Highways bosses put plans in place on Tuesday (February 22) for the contraflow on New Road as river levels on the Severn continued to rise.
Extensive flooding on Hylton Road saw the need to retain a lifeline to the west of the city for commuters while the Bull Ring roundabout in St Johns remained open to allow traffic to turn right on to Tybridge Street and to the retail parks there.
Despite the flood barriers being installed on Hylton Road, further flood pumps were put in place in a bid to tackle the rising tide.
The County Council’s highways team removed 130 fallen trees from Worcestershire’s roads over the weekend as Storm Eunice swept through the Midlands. The impact of Eunice was made worse with heavy rain on Sunday (February 20) and Storm Franklin on Monday (February 21).
Flood barriers are in place in Bewdley and Upton, and flood pumps have also been deployed in Powick.
Coun Alan Amos, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “Once again, our teams have worked tirelessly to clear roads from fallen trees and other debris and keep the county moving.
“As we see the knock-on effect of the storms on our rivers we will be working closely with the Environment Agency to ensure, where there is danger, roads are closed and flooding safety precautions are in place.”
