RISING water levels in areas near to the River Severn are causing concern as the aftermath of Storm Christoph is reaching its peak.
The heavy rain in the middle of the week has led to some roads in south Worcestershire remaining closed, including Hanley Road in Upton-upon-Severn, along with Hylton Road in Worcester. Diversions are in place.
Other closed roads include Dunns Lane, Waterside and New Street in Upton New Mill Bridge, Shelsley Beauchamp and lanes one and two of the A449 on the Malvern side of the Powick Roundabout, opposite Griffiths site.
Tybridge Street and New Road in Worcester have a contraflow system in place with traffic management in the St John’s area being revised to support the flow of traffic.
The council is also monitoring the A38 at Severn Stoke and will deploy traffic management if needed, depending on how river levels react.
Tomorrow (Saturday) river levels are now expected to be similar to those of the February 2020 floods and are expected to peak in Worcester and Upton and peak during the afternoon and evening. They are, however, expected to recede pretty quickly.
Coun Simon Geraghty, said: “We recognise the impact that Storm Christoph and the subsequent flooding has had, and will continue to have, on residents, businesses and local communities across the county.
“The recent rainfall that we’ve seen, has led to some areas of the county being flooded in a matter of weeks.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our front-line staff and the emergency services teams who are working tirelessly to keep the residents of Worcestershire as safe as possible.
“This has been made even more difficult given the challenging and rapidly developing situation in addition to dealing with an emergency during a pandemic and in national lockdown.”
Worcestershire County Council’s highways control team has been co-ordinating with the flood risk management team and colleagues from the Environment Agency and the emergency services to ensure that the situation is being constantly monitored. This work will throughout the weekend as the situation develops.
The council has also been closely liaising with district councils and the emergency services to ensure a co-ordinated response to the situation and to deal with highways issues and provide support to other services where required.
For further information, please go to www.worcestershire.gov.uk/floodadvice and follow the Council’s Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn channels and our dedicated Travel Twitter @WorcsTravel.
