Flood-hit town braces for Storm Darragh

David Chambers says he shares the worries of residents and businesses as bad weather looms

Residents and businesses of a town that was flooded when Storm Bert caused a brook to overflow are becoming worried amid fresh weather warnings, a local councillor has said.

The Met Office has issued a rare red weather warning for wind as Storm Darragh approaches the UK.

David Chambers, who represents Tenbury Wells on Worcestershire County Council, said he shared the concerns of people there, adding: "I don't think I've ever watched the weather forecast so much in my life."

Tenbury Wells is currently preparing for its annual mistletoe festival and is "holding its breath" for what the next storm could bring.

"Businesses have been looking forward to this from a trading point of view, of course, and [also] the whole community and people coming to the area," Chambers said.

The red warning is in place from 03:00 to 11:00 GMT on Saturday, covering western and southern coastal regions of Wales, as well as the Bristol Channel including parts of Bristol and Cardiff.

Yellow warnings for wind are in place across the West Midlands.

The wall at Kyre Brook in Tenbury Wells collapsed

"We're all holding our breath for what [Saturday] will bring, and will the storm bring rises in the river I just don't know," said Chambers, adding the town was still recovering from its last brush with bad weather.

In November, the Kyre Brook rose and caused a wall to collapse, flooding much of the town centre.

"There's a bank of sandbags there, which will hold back minor increases in water levels while we determine what we will replace [the wall] with.

"[But it was a protection wall, if you like, to prevent people, pedestrians, [from] falling; not a flood defence.

"Now the big conversation is 'are we going to replace it quickly with a similar wall'? Or we go 'are we going to have a flood protection wall'?"

The Environment Agency (EA) said it had been complex to design a replacement scheme in keeping with the town's heritage.

A spokesperson said the EA was working tirelessly to try to get something in place as the impact of floods on the town was not sustainable for the community.