River Severn peaking at Bewdley but flood barriers hold firm
Flood defences at Bewdley have held firm as the River Severn hit its peak over the weekend with water levels now starting to slowly fall.
Environment Agency (EA) chiefs said the river had peaked at 4.8 metres in the early hours of Sunday, with the measures remaining strong.
And the levels have since started to fall slightly, with the town avoiding a repeat of the major flood last year when the temporary defences failed.
Jo Bloom, from the Bewdley Flood Group, said: "I knew it was peaking overnight but we have a computer model prediction saying it might be higher, but that factors in a lots of things including the possibility of rain in the catchment area and the weather – which is difficult to predict. The computer model varies a bit on the side of caution and tend to overstate a little, which is a good thing.
"It's already been falling some centimetres since 6am this morning (Sunday). There's been a slight rise on two gauges upstream, but certainly not enough as it stands to inconvenience Bewdley anymore.
"All the barriers are intact and everything did really well, everyone's homes have been protected. I think if there was a key word for this flood, it would be 'resilience' because people have listened and became more resilient – and the EA has just been fantastic with everything, and the council has too."
The 52-year-old, who has helped to get people prepared for potential flooding, was full of praise for the EA who scrambled to put the measures in place in the town, including at notorious flooding spot Beales Corner, to protect homes and businesses. And she thanked them for their heroic actions over the years in putting up the defences.
Meanwhile flood warnings will remain in place across the area whilst the water levels decrease, due to it still being above normal levels, will people still being warned to be vigilant in case of any changes.
Barry Killner, response lead for the EA in the West Midlands, said on social media early on Sunday: "River Severn peaked at 4.8m overnight and the (EA's) temporary barrier at Beales Corner successfully protected the community from flooding. Thanks to the Worcestershire field team onsite monitoring the pumps throughout the night."
