Residents and businesses urged to take heed of weather warning

With strong gusts of winds forecast, residents across the county are being asked to take care and keep an eye on the Met Office website for further updates.

Storm Francis is expected to hit the region this afternoon, bringing a risk of some surface water flooding in and around the area.

Winds are gradually increasing though, and will become quite strong and gusty through the afternoon and evening before beginning to ease down gradually after midnight.  Wind speeds are likely to be gusting to around 50mph in many places, although we could see some gusts as strong as 60-65mph during the late afternoon and throughout this evening as well.

Sherry Woolgrove, Shropshire Council’s emergency planning officer, said:

“Following the Met Office warning, whilst we’re not certain at this time that we will see these dramatic weather conditions today, we want to make residents aware of potential impacts.

“With gusts of winds like this, we expect to see instances of branches and trees being brought down later today. As a result, we will see some temporary road closures as well as some disruption to rail networks. The gusty nature of the winds will make for difficult driving conditions and there is also a strong possibility that there could be damage to some buildings and structures.

“We are urging all everyone to take care and follow the latest weather updates.”

Follow the Met Office website for the latest updates.