Bewdley floods: Failed barriers will not be used again

Beales Corner in Bewdley was flooded in the early hours of Saturday

Flooded residents have been told temporary barriers which failed to stop a river rushing in "like a tsunami" will not be used again.

Homes at Beales Corner in Bewdley, Worcestershire, flooded on Saturday for a second time in 12 months when the barriers were breached once more.

An Environment Agency (EA) letter says unless it is confident the defences are safe, they will go unused.

It follows complaints that lessons were not learned from the flooding of 2020.

Beales Corner residents will only be protected by sand bags and water pumps, should the weather take a turn again. Overnight rain has already seen flood warnings put in place for the county.

On the opposite side of the River Severn, permanent flood defences protected homes at the weekend.

Barriers did not manage to keep out the River Severn

The EA correspondence, sent to residents and seen by the BBC, states: "Initial observations into the likely cause of the breach indicate that the barrier moved at a low point, opposite Ricketts Place, putting strain on the adjacent sections of barrier and eventually breaching the defence. 

"An independent engineer has been engaged to review the initial findings.

"Unfortunately, we are currently unable to erect the temporary flood barriers should river levels rise again. 

"This is because we need to carry out more ground investigation and evaluation of the site which will include a better understanding of conditions below ground."

The EA said it needed to have "full confidence" that putting up the barriers again "will not compromise public safety".

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Linda Withey, who lives in the town, told BBC Hereford and Worcester: "There's no hard statistics in [the report] about why they did or did not use the big barriers.

"The residents have once again been hung out to dry... we're going round and round in circles."

Prime Minister Boris Johnson met Environment Agency workers in 2020 to discuss efforts to tackle flooding in the town

A spokesperson for the EA said: "We will not be erecting the temporary barrier system should river levels rise again.

"If flooding occurs in the short term, Environment Agency staff will be on site to help support the residents with their individual property level flood measures, while following coronavirus guidelines.

"This will include helping them with sandbags and pumping should they wish."

Earlier this week, a resident who owns multiple rental homes in town said the Severn approached "like a tsunami", adding she was confused as to why bigger barriers once used at Beales Corner were no longer in situ.

In response, the EA said on Tuesday that because of ground conditions, they offered no greater protection than the ones that failed at the weekend.

It added it was working to find a solution.