Storm Henk: Flooding forces Shrewsbury residents out of homes

Water pumps have been installed in the basement of the block of flats to tackle the flooding

Some residents in Shropshire's largest block of flats say they have had to temporarily move out due to flooding.

Water pumps have been set up at Shrewsbury's Coton Manor Flats following a bout of heavy rainfall.

At the Welsh Bridge stretch of the River Severn, levels were expected to peak at 4.7m (15.4ft) to 5m (16.4ft) on Thursday.

The Environment Agency said river levels would remain high for several days.

Tia Williamson has lived at Coton Manor for two years and experienced a similar occurrence in 2022 when she had to relocate for nine months due to floodwater damage.

• Latest flooding updates from the West Midlands

Tia Williamson has decided to move out of her flat for two days due to the flooding

She told BBC Radio Shropshire: "I lost all of my furniture and a lot of sentimental items so it's quite a stressful time for me at the moment thinking that it could potentially happen again."

She has now taken the decision to move out into a hotel for two days.

She added: "I'm scared and disappointed that it has happened again.

"However, I'm feeling a little bit more hopeful because now we do have all the flood defences that we did not have before."

The Environment Agency has said River Severn water levels are expected to remain high

Landlord Peter Hilditch, who has lived in the block of flats for nine years and lived through many floods, has decided to stay.

He said: "We have external and internal barriers as well fitted to every individual ground floor flat. The main concern we have is the underground pumping system, we flood through the floor before we flood through the front door.

"We are our own little village here, we're a 68-apartment complex, the largest of flats in Shropshire, and about 100 of us live here, we all get on really well."

Heavy rainfall caused a number of road closures in Shropshire

A number of car parks have been closed in Shrewsbury as a result of the flooding.

Shropshire Council has warned of further road closures due to flooding, which may affect the road between Atcham and Berwick Wharf as well as the B4380 between Shrewsbury and Atcham.