News from our partners: Ironbridge evacuation UPDATE 3pm Tues 18 Feb

News from our partners West Mercia Police

Residents in Ironbridge are advised to evacuate their homes as a severe flood warning remains in place.

Earlier emergency response partners visited around 30 properties in and around Wharfage in Ironbridge to advise residents to evacuate their homes.

Some residents have decided not to leave their properties.

Chief Superintendent Tom Harding said:

“We know residents want to stay in their homes and understand it is an inconvenience for them to leave, but it really is in their best interests to do so.

“The barrier is in place: however, there are concerns levels could exceed the barrier, and due to the volume of water there is concern around the integrity of the riverbank and road that supports the barrier. We will be revisiting affected properties to highlight that while it may look OK at the moment, this could happen quickly and put people at significant risk, so as a precaution we would really ask residents to find alternative arrangements.

“We anticipate levels could remain high for the next few days, so anyone who does decide to stay put could find themselves cut off for a considerable amount of time.”