Residents braced as river rises

Hundreds of sandbags were being placed around houses in Bewdley today as the swollen River Severn rose by another foot overnight.

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Residents living in Stourport Road, along Beales Corner, were bracing themselves as water seeped over the banks onto car parks and into the street.

Some, living in apartments in Millers Court and Victoria House, found themselves surrounded by water and struggled to get in and out.

Environment Agency workmen raised the town's flood defence barriers along Severn Side North and the entire section of Severn Side South for the first time.

And a cat that survived up a tree, marooned by the flooding water, for three days appeared to have lost its fight for survival. It is believed the exhausted animal fell into the fast flowing water and drowned.

Stourport Road was closed to traffic today and residents moved their cars away from the scene.

The Environment Agency said it did not use pallet barriers along the Beales Corner stretch because they were not ready for technical reasons.

Victoria House resident Alan Leeke said he could not get out of his front door. "We are disappointed the barriers could not be erected here."