West Midlands clear-up begins as floods subside

1. River levels and flood warnings reduce across the West Midlands
2. Levels remain high in Worcester but start to fall in Shrewsbury
3. The Environment Agency says it could take days for flood-waters to fully recede
4. Youngsters are warned after they climb a bridge over flood-water
5. Homeowner spends £60,000 on flood defences
6. Couple 'fed up' with repeatedly flooded home

Thank you for following

With river levels starting to fall in most parts of the West Midlands, that's where we'll leave our live updates for now.

Thanks for sending in your photos and letting us know about the situation near you.

You can follow BBC coverage of the impact of floods across the UK here.

Herefordshire roads update

Although some more minor roads remain closed in Herefordshire, the A roads that were affected by flooding have now reopened, according to the council.

You can find the updated list of closures here.

River levels to remain high in next few days

Upton upon Severn river levels to stay high for several days

Floods have peaked in Upton upon Severn, but the Environment Agency has warned that levels will remain high for several days.

Photographer Phil Harrison's drone footage showed the town almost surrounded by flood waters on Friday.

Three flood warnings remain in place covering Upton.

National Trust park faces flooding issues

Attingham Park near Shrewsbury has said part of its grounds are currently inaccessible to visitors, and overflow car parks are closed.

The National Trust attraction said its Deer Park was still affected by high river levels, and the overflow car parks were waterlogged.

Although parking was still available on site, on busy days it would be limited, it warned on a post on X

Ice warning following the flooding

Worcestershire County Council

Drivers are being warned to take extra care tonight, with lots of water around, and the risk of icy patches as the temperature falls.

Road temperatures will dip to -0.5C, the highways team at Worcestershire County Council has warned, so gritters will be out from 22:00 GMT.

All "priority routes" are being gritted by Herefordshire Council from midnight.

Shropshire Council has said it is sending out gritters from 01:00 GMT as a result of the predicted low road temperature.

The Met Office has said temperatures could drop to -6C on Sunday night in rural areas along the Welsh border in Shropshire and north Herefordshire.

Shrewsbury: road reopening update

Another road in Shrewsbury that had been closed due to flooding has reopened, Shropshire Council has announced.

The reopening of Longden Coleham follows confirmation earlier that Chester Street and Coton Hill were also open again.

Smithfield Road also reopened, but with a lane closure.

Homeowner spends £60,000 on flood protection

BBC

David Hegerty lives in Beales Corner in Bewdley, Worcestershire.

He has spent about £60,000 making changes to his home to try and reduce the impact of flooding from the River Severn.

Those flood-resilience measures include moving the kitchen to a higher level, using special porcelain flooring throughout the house, and raising the height of the plug sockets.

He also told Tom Edwards from BBC Hereford and Worcester that he protects his furniture by suspending it from the ceiling on hooks.

Having to go through this process was not a "pleasant experience," he said, but it allowed him to get back to "normality as soon as possible" if water does get in.

Mr Hegerty said he was "counting the days" until work on permanent flood defences in Bewdley are complete.

BBC

BBC

Watch: River Severn spills into Beales Corner

Bewdley braced for second flood peak

As we told you earlier, Beales Corner in Bewdley, Worcestershire, is one area which has become synonymous with flooding whenever heavy rainfall raises the River Severn significantly.

You can see from this video taken by BBC Hereford and Worcester reporter Tom Edwards, the river has burst its banks.

What to do if your house has been flooded

BBC

We've been hearing from people across the West Midlands about the impact the flooding had had on their homes, with many saying their contents have been destroyed.

But what are the advised steps to take if this has happened to you? We've put some together for you:

1. Call your insurance provider as soon as possible. They should be able to advise on any necessary emergency accommodation.

2. An initial assessment of the damage is super important and a "loss adjuster" will be appointed to evaluate your claim from your insurer.

3. Then cleaning and stripping out will be organised by your loss adjuster. This work should start within four weeks of being in contact with them.

4. You will then need to ensure you disinfect and dry your home. A drying company should be appointed by your insurer. This can take from a few weeks to several months.

5. Then the repair and reconstruction should begin after you get a drying certificate from your drying company. Your loss adjuster will appoint a builder to do the repair and reconstruction work.

6. The one you'll be most glad to hear, moving back into your home. Your insurer or loss adjuster will discuss with you when you can return home, for some this can be weeks, for others it can take months.

• Read more on your rights after a flood
• The Association of British Insurers is sending out advice today to hundreds of insurance providers - you can read more here

Environment Agency pumps Worcester road

Mobile pumps have been brought in on Hylton Road, Worcester to clear surface water, the Environment Agency has said.

In a post on X, Barry Killner from the agency said one pump was in place, and another on the way.

Herefordshire roads update

Twenty five roads remain closed across Herefordshire as a result of flooding, the council has said.

Routes still affected include:

• A438 Letton
• A4110 Leintwardine
• B4355 Roddhurst

The full list of closures is here.

Three Shrewsbury roads reopen

Three key routes in Shrewsbury are open again following flooding, Shropshire Council has announced.

They are Chester Street and Coton Hill, while Smithfield Road is also open, but with a lane closure.

Levels to remain high

Although river levels have peaked in many places, some will remain high in the coming days. The River Severn level in Worcester has barely changed since peaking on Wednesday, but waters upstream in Shrewsbury have dropped by about 60cm (2ft) since Thursday's peak there. There have also been falls in Hereford.

Environment Agency

Across the Midlands, flood warnings remain in place along the Severn, Wye and Trent, although most affecting the Avon in Warwickshire have now been downgraded.

At 14:30 GMT on Friday:

• Worcestershire has 27 flood warnings
• Shropshire has 17
• Herefordshire has 7

The lesser-reported impacts of flooding

Faith Page

Reporter, BBC Shropshire

Theresa Cole's house near the River Severn in Hampton Loade, Shropshire, has not flooded this year, like it did when she first moved in in 2000.

But it has still affected her.

While the flood water did not reach her home, she said "it still floods our land and the land has now sunk in places".

She said she cannot get grants or any assistance with that and it was a bad feeling when the water went away and she got to see the damage done.

BBC

Ms Cole's property had been flooded more frequently since 2020 and she said she had become cautious about the accuracy of Environment Agency flood predictions.

She also worried flood defences further upstream would push flood water down to Hampton Loade.

There were also what she said were "incidental things" like river levels affecting the water in their system and their toilets - or the boiler struggling because of blocked pipes.

The tale of the Worcester swan rescuer

BBC

This is Steve Goodall who, as we told you earlier, came to the aid of an injured swan on Worcester Bridge this morning.

He was part of a Worcestershire County Council highways team managing the contraflow in the city centre due to flooding when the low-flying bird struck a sign and traffic lights.

The swan fell about seven feet (2.1m), hit the road with a "bit of a thump" and was bleeding from its bill, said Mr Goodall.

"We rescued him, put a coat over him and kept him safe until a local swan sanctuary arrived."

Mr Goodall said he loved animals and nature and "anybody else" would have done the same thing.

"It's nice, it's not that I want publicity from it but I think everybody would do the same thing," he said.

Work underway to reopen streets in Shrewsbury

Work is underway to clear Smithfield in Shrewsbury and prepare it for reopening.

Shropshire Council also reported the Raven Meadows car park had reopened, after it closed earlier today due to a power cut.

Shropshire Council

Workers have also been clearing gulleys in Longden Coleham and washing away what remained of the flood water.

Shropshire Council

In photos: Flooded corner of Bewdley

One of the areas always prone to flooding in previous years has been Beales Corner in Bewdley, Worcestershire.

This year proved no exception as these photos from SAB Photography show:

SAB Photography

SAB Photography

SAB Photography

PM urged to visit flood-hit Midlands

The prime minister has been urged to come and see flood-affected parts of the Midlands by opposition MPs.

Pat McFadden, the Labour MP for Wolverhampton South East, accused Rishi Sunak of being "asleep at the wheel" and said the Conservatives had "brushed over the risk of flooding for too long".

The Liberal Democrat housing and communities spokesperson Helen Morgan, who represents North Shropshire, said: "If Rishi Sunak actually met with people impacted by this annual carnage, then he might do something about it."

PA Media

Labour called for a Cobra-style flood resilience taskforce to help protect vulnerable areas and Mr McFadden, along with shadow environment secretary Steve Reed, said flooding cash needed to be better spent.

A recent report from the National Audit Office found that a reduction in flood defence projects would leave 136,000 more homes at risk of flooding since Environment Agency (EA) protection plans were drawn up in 2020, The EA blamed the cuts in protection on inflation.

But Mr Sunak said people should be reassured by the response to flooding in badly hit areas.

"The Environment Agency have people on the ground everywhere, and absolutely recognise the urgency of what is happening and they are responding appropriately and with all due haste," he added.

Otter spotted in flood water in Worcester

People may be waiting anxiously for the waters of the River Severn to recede in Worcester but some of the local wildlife are otter-ly loving it.

This otter was spied by staff at Worcester Bridge this morning, the county council said.

Worcestershire County Council

Worcestershire County Council

Vehicles stranded near Worcestershire pub

Farson Digital Watercams

Vehicles are becoming stranded in floods on a stretch of the A443 in Worcestershire, despite flood waters receding, a FarsonDigitalWaterCams.com webcam shows.

Worcestershire County Council has urged motorists to avoid standing water.

The B4196 between Shrawley and Holt Heath remains flooded by the Lenchford Inn, said the council highways team.

There are stranded vehicles and the verges of the road have also been damaged, they added.