Man dies in floods chaos

A man has been found dead in Worcestershire after he and his car were reportedly swept away by flood waters.

An underwater search team from South Wales was brought in to search for a diver reported missing after phoning his wife to say he was trapped in floods.

At 7.45pm last night the search team recovered a green Volvo Estate car and the body of the man from the Bow Brook, near Drakes Broughton in Pershore.

Four cows were also rescued from a flooded field by firefighters who herded them to safety using a boat near Rugeley.

The cattle was stranded in a field behind Wolseley Garden Centre, with water still rising when the two-hour rescue began.

The animals were led to a gate and the safety of a trailer before being taken away by the farmer at around 4.30pm yesterday.

Fire crews also had to save cows from a water-logged field on Betty Hatch Lane, in Stafford, and from behind the Wolsley Centre, off the A51, Wolseley Bridge.

Bridgnorth District Council was today still distributing sandbags to householders in Albrighton and Shifnal, near Wolverhampton.

Flood waters are reducing, leaving homeowners to file large insurance claims but residents are still asking for the defences as forecasters warn of more rain to come.

On Tuesday alone the district council delivered more than 1,000 bags filled with 25 tons of sand.

Workmen from the authority's waste and recycling team, street cleansing and grounds maintenance were all removed from their normal duties to help with the preparation and delivery.

Staff worked from 7am until midnight yesterday to help with flood prevention and clean up activities.

Skips were also dispatched throughout the district to help with clear up operations and street cleansing vehicles were used to remove debris from footpaths and streets.

Councillor Robert Tindall, chairman of the council's housing and environment committee, said: "The recent severe weather in the district has caused upset and concern to our residents and businesses, and we have been working hard to provide assistance and support where we can.

"We are still preparing sandbags as a contingency measure for later in the week and clearing up areas affected by flooding."

Stafford Cricket Club, in Riverway, is under water with games cancelled until further notice, while an ancient oak tree at the Shugborough estate narrowly missed hitting a historic monument when it fell victim to the floods.

The 200-year-old tree succumbed to flooding at the site in Milford yesterday and fell across the River Sow, narrowly missing the Chinese House, a 300-year-old monument of national importance.

Wolverhampton Homes, which manages 21,000 council properties in the city, is asking for patience from residents who are waiting for grass to be cut.

Director of housing Mark Henderson said: "Unfortunately the wet weather has continued now for over a week and has caused problems with our grass cutting schedule.

"We are working extremely hard in partnership with Wolverhampton City Council to bring this back on track as soon as we can."

The River Severn was continuing to rise this morning in the Worcester area and police warned of several road closures in the Powick, Knightwick and Bransford areas.

Schools at Powick, Eushock and Madresfield, near Malvern, were also shut today.