Barriers return as flood on way

Flood barriers have been positioned along the banks of the River Severn in Bewdley once again amid fears water levels could rise over the coming hours.

Workers from the Environment Agency were out at 8am today to install the multi-million pound defences along Sevenside North and Severnside South.

Bosses from the organisation held talks yesterday over whether to re-erect the flood defences following forecasts of more bad weather over the coming days.

They decided to opt on the side of caution and put up the barriers as a precaution against any heavy rainfall.Work has taken place throughout the day to get the defences up in time for this evening. The barriers were used for first time last week after heavy rain caused water levels along the River Severn to rise.

Environment Agency officials hailed the measures as a huge success with no flooding in the town and the barriers providing an effective defence. Spokesman Jenny Stratton said: "At the moment we are going through a dry patch but more wet and windy weather has been forecast and there is a concern the water levels could rise again," she said.

Anyone with concerns over flooding can call the Environment Agency Floodline on 0845 9881188 for more information.