:00:00. > :00:00.News at Six so it's goodbye from me, News at Six so it's goodbye from me,
:00:00. > :00:00.Hello, welcome to Midlands Today, coming to you from the city centre
:00:00. > :00:09.of Worcester, facing its worst floods for years. The headlines
:00:10. > :00:13.tonight: The river level is equal to the
:00:14. > :00:21.floods of 2007. It's expected to go higher tomorrow. I am worried about
:00:22. > :00:23.later in the week because it is going to come back again with the
:00:24. > :00:27.river already feel. We'll be finding out just how well
:00:28. > :00:29.the flood barriers have been working all along the Severn. Also this
:00:30. > :00:31.evening: Just downstream homes have been
:00:32. > :00:39.flooded, though. Why residents of this village say they've been
:00:40. > :00:42.abandoned. Obviously a bigger village or town has to come first
:00:43. > :00:43.but we are still people and still suffering.
:00:44. > :00:49.Busy times for the emergency services rescuing people by boat
:00:50. > :00:53.from the rising flood waters. Sadly there is very little comfort
:00:54. > :00:56.in the forecast with further complications to come. I have to say
:00:57. > :00:58.that rain is only part of the problem. Join me shortly for the
:00:59. > :01:14.very latest. Good evening from the centre of
:01:15. > :01:17.Worcester. Just behind me, the main bridge across the Severn was shut by
:01:18. > :01:22.floodwater earlier today, cutting the city in two. It's open again now
:01:23. > :01:27.but for how long? The river's already reached the level of the
:01:28. > :01:34.devastating floods of 2007. Since then, flood barriers have
:01:35. > :01:39.successfully protected homes. But all the signs are that the waters
:01:40. > :01:43.will get even higher tomorrow. Cath Mackie has spent the day in a city
:01:44. > :01:46.learning to live once more with the floods.
:01:47. > :01:50.First light in Worcester and the sun rises revealing a city under
:01:51. > :01:54.water... And a city almost cut in two. The historic bridge, a major
:01:55. > :01:57.arterial route, was closed to traffic.
:01:58. > :02:01.In the rush hour, the city centre roads were eerily quiet. But on the
:02:02. > :02:05.outskirts, thousands of commuters were forced to find another way in.
:02:06. > :02:10.The swans too were forced off course as the river and road merged into
:02:11. > :02:14.one by Gheluvelt park. People living nearby waded home. But at least
:02:15. > :02:20.their flood barriers were stopping the water from getting inside. The
:02:21. > :02:26.river has been up and down constantly. I am worried about later
:02:27. > :02:30.in the week because it is going to come back with the river already
:02:31. > :02:33.fooled. Other than that, we are dry as a bone. The central bus station
:02:34. > :02:36.is currently closed and buses diverted. Road works too have been
:02:37. > :02:42.suspended. But by lunchtime, some good news ` the bridge was partially
:02:43. > :02:46.opened to traffic. There are people working around the clock. The bridge
:02:47. > :02:51.is open again however given the forecast and the amount of rain that
:02:52. > :02:54.is coming down, or might, we cannot rule out the possibility of having
:02:55. > :02:58.to close it again. With more rain expected, the river levels will be
:02:59. > :03:01.going up and down all week so we can expect more road closures and more
:03:02. > :03:06.disruption. And that'll impact on the local economy. Businesses are
:03:07. > :03:10.worried. If they cannot get people into shop or eight or whatever it
:03:11. > :03:14.may be. We got the bridge open as soon as we could and we will keep
:03:15. > :03:16.managing it to make sure we get the best resilience out of the network.
:03:17. > :03:21.Local businesses are hoping the message gets through. A job for
:03:22. > :03:23.anybody to get through to deliver anybody to others have not been able
:03:24. > :03:30.to this morning. No customers, obviously, because it has frightened
:03:31. > :03:33.everybody away. Since we saw the impact of the flooding, I knew it
:03:34. > :03:38.would be a quiet day today and hopefully it only lasts for maybe
:03:39. > :03:41.today, maybe tomorrow and then we can get back to business. Since the
:03:42. > :03:44.big flood of 2007, millions have been spent on flood defences along
:03:45. > :03:51.the Severn and today they held. But Worcester's floodwaters remain a
:03:52. > :03:54.wonder to behold. I have come from Manchester. It rains a lot but
:03:55. > :03:58.nothing like this. What do you think? Let's have a look at the
:03:59. > :04:01.weather terrible, absolutely terrible. Unbelievable. The city may
:04:02. > :04:05.have witnessd scenes like this before but it doesn't make it any
:04:06. > :04:07.easier. Cath Mackie, BBC Midlands Today, Worcester.
:04:08. > :04:11.So far this city is coping well with the floods. Money spent on flood
:04:12. > :04:14.barriers means we've seen nothing like the devastation and misery from
:04:15. > :04:17.floods in the past. But south of Tewkesbury, the village of Chaceley
:04:18. > :04:21.isn't protected. Homes have been flooded and families say they feel
:04:22. > :04:29.abandoned, as Steve Knibbs has been finding out.
:04:30. > :04:32.The population of this village is around 100 and flooding is a regular
:04:33. > :04:37.occurrence. Roads and lanes are covered in several metres of water.
:04:38. > :04:41.The only transport for the landlord of the local pub is by boat. We are
:04:42. > :04:49.just busy getting everything out of the water. It is just going up and
:04:50. > :04:53.up. This water arrived on Christmas Eve and has not gone away. What is
:04:54. > :04:57.frustrating for the residents, and incredible when you think about it,
:04:58. > :05:02.is that we are one mile away from the river. Unlike places like
:05:03. > :05:06.Somerset, there are no pumps. Well rehearsed plans to protect homes
:05:07. > :05:11.have been put in place when again. It is part of village life but does
:05:12. > :05:14.not get any easier. Many here feared their plight is being ignored. We
:05:15. > :05:18.are only a small village and there is only a few others. Obviously a
:05:19. > :05:22.bigger village or town has to come first but we are still people and we
:05:23. > :05:28.are still suffering, all of us along here in the village. I think we need
:05:29. > :05:34.to have something done here also. The flooding is a 20th`century
:05:35. > :05:39.problem. It is blamed on large`scale development on the flood plains and
:05:40. > :05:44.pumps put in a further the river. As a result, it gets to Gloucester and
:05:45. > :05:47.there is a massive constriction of the river in Gloucester, huge
:05:48. > :05:51.development has taken place and we have on step. What happens is the
:05:52. > :05:56.river reaches a pinch point, you cannot go through, it backs up and
:05:57. > :06:00.comes over here. Villagers want a storm drain built by the Environment
:06:01. > :06:07.Agency admits that current spending rules, requiring a good return on
:06:08. > :06:11.investment, make it unlikely. In the meantime, people here are coping
:06:12. > :06:16.stop but with the water still here after several weeks and nothing
:06:17. > :06:20.being done, patience is thin. So what are the prospects of more
:06:21. > :06:23.rain over the next few days making a critical situation even worse.
:06:24. > :06:30.Shefali is back in the studio. Houses looking? Not really. We will
:06:31. > :06:34.have quite a spell of weather this week but certainly, the emphasis is
:06:35. > :06:38.still very much on ring. Not only that, it is going to be colder in
:06:39. > :06:41.recent weeks. This is the air mass that we are currently buried under,
:06:42. > :06:46.the expanse of blue. It is originating from the North. Rain and
:06:47. > :06:50.cold is never a good combination of the best of times and this will lead
:06:51. > :06:58.to snow on life. It is not to be taken lightly because there are
:06:59. > :07:02.warnings for all three, and that will apply to a lot of places.
:07:03. > :07:05.Dear oh dear. Downstream from here, flood barriers
:07:06. > :07:08.have been protecting most homes in Upton on Severn. But there's still
:07:09. > :07:11.been serious disruption to many people's lives, with bridges closed
:07:12. > :07:21.and roads impassable. Ben Sidwell reports on the struggle to cope with
:07:22. > :07:26.life by the rising waters. Being pulled to safety, yet another
:07:27. > :07:31.victim of this winter's floods. Despite defensive around her
:07:32. > :07:34.property, overnight this woman's home eventually succumbed to the
:07:35. > :07:40.rising water. The water is coming in, yes. Everything has been lifted
:07:41. > :07:45.or taken upstairs that we can. You know? Sheila is not alone. One of
:07:46. > :07:50.her neighbours, who also had to be rescued, only moved into his house
:07:51. > :07:54.in October. It has been three or four times since Christmas and it
:07:55. > :07:57.has not come in the houses but there is so much that it has found a way
:07:58. > :08:03.in and we cannot stop it. Out on the river itself, the rescue team can
:08:04. > :08:08.get a good look at those still in potential danger. To give you some
:08:09. > :08:12.idea of just how bad the river is, take a look behind me. That area
:08:13. > :08:17.there, where a few things sticking out of the water, is the caravan
:08:18. > :08:20.park. From the board, it is easy to see the extent of the flooding all
:08:21. > :08:26.around the time. The water is coming up so quickly. It is really getting
:08:27. > :08:31.people to a safe position as possible. The river here in Upton is
:08:32. > :08:36.currently 5.4 metres above its normal level. As you can see on the
:08:37. > :08:45.post behind me, in fact some way to go to match the level in 2007. There
:08:46. > :08:48.is some good news in Upton. The majority of flood defences are
:08:49. > :08:53.working and holding back the river. While the town may be dry, the water
:08:54. > :09:00.has to go somewhere. Today, that somewhere included this man's home.
:09:01. > :09:03.Have the flood defences worked against you? The water was so loud,
:09:04. > :09:08.it was almost impossible to hear him. Harry said it was definitely
:09:09. > :09:13.being pushed towards his eyes and he was now facing a constant battle
:09:14. > :09:19.around the clock to save his own. `` towards his house. As another person
:09:20. > :09:21.is risky, the worry is that they may not have seen the worst of the
:09:22. > :09:25.flooding here. Well, a lot of attention has been
:09:26. > :09:28.focused here in Worcester. But up and down the swollen River Severn,
:09:29. > :09:31.people and communities have been having to cope with what nature has
:09:32. > :09:39.thrown at them. There are 46 flood warnings across the region tonight
:09:40. > :09:44.and 25 flood alerts. Ben Godfrey begins his report further upstream
:09:45. > :09:48.along the Severn in Shrewsbury. The speed of the rising River Severn
:09:49. > :09:58.is uncompromising at this car park near English Bridge in Shrewsbury.
:09:59. > :10:01.Vehicles are being written off. There were about 24 cars here this
:10:02. > :10:07.morning. Three quarters of those have been removed by the council or
:10:08. > :10:09.owners. There are still six trapped in the water.
:10:10. > :10:13.The Environment Agency says the Severn will peak in the town at
:10:14. > :10:20.close to 4.5 metres, a level not seen for around a decade.
:10:21. > :10:24.It is about four inches at the front of the garage and is just going to
:10:25. > :10:27.get a deeper. Graeme MacLeod is rescuing his
:10:28. > :10:33.belongings. Floodwater has seeped into his apartment near Wyle Cop. I
:10:34. > :10:37.have only got two days left in this property. I have just signed the
:10:38. > :10:41.lease for my new place so I am going to have to shift all the boxes. I
:10:42. > :10:43.have already got boxes of year. It is unfortunate timing. Elsewhere,
:10:44. > :10:46.the floodwaters have become something of a public spectacle on
:10:47. > :10:50.the River Wye in Hereford. But a dangerous one. A motorist had to be
:10:51. > :10:53.rescued by fire crews yesterday. The Avon burst its banks in Stratford.
:10:54. > :10:58.In Bridgnorth, the Severn was swallowing everything in its path.
:10:59. > :11:03.And as if the rain hadn't brought enough chaos, there was heavy snow
:11:04. > :11:12.in Oswestry this morning. Standing water has made driving conditions
:11:13. > :11:15.treacherous. Is there any driving technique that you can employ to
:11:16. > :11:20.make your life easier? Nice and slow and steady like I say. Use a care if
:11:21. > :11:26.you have got that or some sort of gauge. Not too fast. The unfortunate
:11:27. > :11:30.thing is that you have got no control over people coming towards
:11:31. > :11:32.you doing the same thing, you can double the depth of the water. In
:11:33. > :11:35.Bredon, near Tewkesbury, pub regulars were determined to keep the
:11:36. > :11:38.landlords out of deep water, proving community spirit is undiminished.
:11:39. > :11:44.Despite the encroaching River Avon, this business is staying open. Some
:11:45. > :11:49.of the customers that came in this morning drove up as near as they
:11:50. > :11:53.could, came in, grabbed a there and fetched me sandbags and it is great.
:11:54. > :11:57.It is a lovely little community pub and... You know, just hoping the
:11:58. > :12:00.water does not finish me off. Tonight, though, it's back in
:12:01. > :12:04.Shrewsbury where property may be at greatest risk after days of heavy
:12:05. > :12:08.rain in North Shropshire and Powys. Barriers are up at Coleham Head and
:12:09. > :12:11.the pumps are primed for action. Ben Godfrey, BBC Midlands Today,
:12:12. > :12:14.Shrewsbury. Our environment correspondent David
:12:15. > :12:19.Gregory Kumar has been assessing the situation for us. What's the overall
:12:20. > :12:28.picture and why do these floods seem to have hit so hard, David? This is
:12:29. > :12:31.the latest information. to have hit so hard, David? This is
:12:32. > :12:36.the Over 30 flood warnings, clustered along the length of the
:12:37. > :12:41.river from above Shrewsbury down to Gloucester. We also have flood
:12:42. > :12:44.warnings in Hereford. That means people affected should be moving
:12:45. > :12:49.their families, pets and valuables to a safe location and put any flood
:12:50. > :12:52.protection equipment in place. Bridges in Worcester City Centre,
:12:53. > :12:55.Bewdley and Upton upon Severn were closed during the day and roads in
:12:56. > :12:59.and around Lemptster and Hereford are also affected by floodwater. And
:13:00. > :13:02.why has all this happened? Well, the Environment Agency say in January
:13:03. > :13:08.the Midlands saw 224% of average rainfall, making it the wettest
:13:09. > :13:11.January on record in the Midlands. River flows across the region are
:13:12. > :13:16.considerably higher than normal and our soils are saturated. So there's
:13:17. > :13:20.a lot of water out there, more is coming, the ground is too wet to
:13:21. > :13:23.soak it up, so we get flooding. So that's now, but how does this
:13:24. > :13:27.compare to floods in the past and what's changed in how we cope with
:13:28. > :13:32.them? Well, these are our most recent large flood events in the
:13:33. > :13:35.Midlands. It's actually really hard to compare them because they can be
:13:36. > :13:40.so different in terms of area affected and volume and duration of
:13:41. > :13:45.rainfall. But in terms of properties flooded, things got progressively
:13:46. > :13:48.worse from 1998 to 2007. But since 2007 here in the Midlands, there's
:13:49. > :13:52.been massive investment in flood defences. The Environment Agency
:13:53. > :13:55.have spent around ?20m pounds and all this investment means around
:13:56. > :14:01.1,300 homes in the Severn catchment are now protected from flooding. And
:14:02. > :14:06.around 2,000 homes across the midlands in total. Those are
:14:07. > :14:11.properties that are dry today that would have been flooded in the past.
:14:12. > :14:14.The River Severn is now at its highest level in Worcester since the
:14:15. > :14:19.summer of 2007, our last major flood. Of course we won't know
:14:20. > :14:22.exactly how this flood compares to others because this one isn't over
:14:23. > :14:27.yet. Shefali will have the forecast later on.
:14:28. > :14:31.Joining me now is Dave Throup from the Environment Agency. Good
:14:32. > :14:40.evening. What's the situation tonight? It is fairly stable. The
:14:41. > :14:42.Severn peaked earlier on but we are expecting it to peak again tomorrow
:14:43. > :14:47.as the water comes down the catchment from Wales. Labels are
:14:48. > :14:50.going to start to rise again. Worcestershire County Council said
:14:51. > :14:55.that they reckon that great parts of the county could be closed for a
:14:56. > :14:59.week. There is certainly a chance. These are the highest we have seen
:15:00. > :15:03.since 2007 and particularly the rural and remote communities on the
:15:04. > :15:06.larger areas of the flood plain, they are under water and will stay
:15:07. > :15:09.that way for a while. Some people have contacted us because they're
:15:10. > :15:12.worried debris is being swept against bridges blocking the flow
:15:13. > :15:16.and that could create a dam effect. Is there anything you are able to do
:15:17. > :15:19.about that? Not in the short`term. Not while the water levels are like
:15:20. > :15:22.this. We have to wait for them to drop before we can safely get them
:15:23. > :15:26.away. As soon as they do drop then we will tackle that. They do not
:15:27. > :15:29.present an immediate dangers so we will tackle them when it is safe. Do
:15:30. > :15:35.you expect the flood defences to hold in general? They're working
:15:36. > :15:41.very well. We have got 1300 homes that are dry but would be wit. They
:15:42. > :15:47.do not maintain ourselves and our guys are working 24/7 to make sure
:15:48. > :15:51.that they are keeping people drive. If the levels are going to go up,
:15:52. > :15:56.we'll still be enough? We are confident they will still be
:15:57. > :15:59.protected. We are not expecting 2007 levels here. These are very high
:16:00. > :16:03.levels but at the moment, they are manageable. It depends what really
:16:04. > :16:06.get in the future. They much a layman 's question, if you have got
:16:07. > :16:10.the defence is doing all these good jobs and protecting homes, but as
:16:11. > :16:15.the water go? It pushes it further downstream. The displacement from a
:16:16. > :16:19.flood defence is timely, in the scheme of things. Imagine the size
:16:20. > :16:23.of the flood plain further down, it makes a very tiny difference. We
:16:24. > :16:28.think of all that before we build any scheme. Thank you very much.
:16:29. > :16:31.And of course this is a rapidly changing situation. So for all the
:16:32. > :16:33.best local, up to date information, do tune into your BBC local radio
:16:34. > :16:37.station. A round up of some other news.
:16:38. > :16:41.Police are continuing to investigate a fire at a house in Dudley in which
:16:42. > :16:44.a man died. Officers believe it was started deliberately. A 42`year`old
:16:45. > :16:48.woman and two boys, aged nine and 15, got out of the house seconds
:16:49. > :16:51.before the fire took hold at the property in the Holly Hall area on
:16:52. > :16:55.Saturday. Police say they're not looking for anyone else in
:16:56. > :16:59.connection with the fire. A kayaker found dead in a flooded
:17:00. > :17:03.river in Wales has been named as Gareth Lockyer, from Warwick. The
:17:04. > :17:07.34`year`old got into difficulty whilst on the River Usk in Powys
:17:08. > :17:13.yesterday afternoon. His family have described him as a kind, caring and
:17:14. > :17:15.gentle person. Covering 50 acres of a celebrated
:17:16. > :17:23.landscape with polytunnels would be environmental vandalism, say
:17:24. > :17:27.villagers in Gloucestershire. Plans by a farmer would allow him to grow
:17:28. > :17:30.asparagus all year round. But protesters say it would destroy
:17:31. > :17:39.views revered by some of our greatest poets. Bob Hockenhull
:17:40. > :17:42.reports. The fields around this village in
:17:43. > :17:48.Gloucestershire have been admired for decades. Some of our most famous
:17:49. > :17:51.writers next year. They included World War I poets Edward Thomas and
:17:52. > :17:57.Rupert Brooke, inspired by the countryside. This is one of the most
:17:58. > :18:02.important literary landscapes in England. This is only part with the
:18:03. > :18:08.Lake District, where Wordsworth wrote poetry. Why should this be any
:18:09. > :18:11.different? Admirers of the poets are horrified modern farming practices
:18:12. > :18:16.are intruding on the area. Poly tunnels have already been put up on
:18:17. > :18:21.neighbouring fields. Tomorrow, plans to fill this is the valley with many
:18:22. > :18:26.more will be discussed by planners. The traditional outdoor asparagus
:18:27. > :18:31.season is 12 weeks. Henry has the `` says the pouring tunnels will allow
:18:32. > :18:35.him to grow asparagus all year to meet a growing market. He says it
:18:36. > :18:38.will prevent so much of the crop having to be imported from Peru,
:18:39. > :18:43.cutting down on carbon dioxide emissions. Clearly our history is
:18:44. > :18:46.important that we also have to look to the future. Yes, there will be
:18:47. > :18:53.some visual impact from certain areas but I do not think it is
:18:54. > :18:56.changing the landscape that drastically or permanently. The poly
:18:57. > :19:01.tunnel proposals mean a footpath created in memory of the poets will
:19:02. > :19:05.have to be changed. At the moment, the footpath follows the hedge at
:19:06. > :19:11.the edge of the field. If the plans go ahead, instead, people will be
:19:12. > :19:17.walking along this ridge. The difference of 120 metres. The
:19:18. > :19:21.friends of the poets have created this small exhibition along the
:19:22. > :19:24.trail. If I should die, think only this of me, that there is some
:19:25. > :19:30.corner of a foreign field that is forever England. There shall be in
:19:31. > :19:34.that rich earth, a richer dust concealed. For them, the words of
:19:35. > :19:41.their heroes will be forever tainted if this much loved countryside is
:19:42. > :19:43.covered with a sea of polythene. Poignant words they are too.
:19:44. > :19:46.Police investigating the disappearance of Nicola Payne have
:19:47. > :19:49.started to search a nature reserve in Coventry. Nicola went missing in
:19:50. > :19:53.December 1991 and has never been found. Today, West Midlands Police
:19:54. > :19:57.began searching in a small area of land in Binley.
:19:58. > :20:00.Police say an investigation into allegations that the Midlands MEP
:20:01. > :20:06.Nikki Sinclaire conspired to defraud the European Parliament is proving
:20:07. > :20:09.to be long and complex. She was arrested in February 2012, with
:20:10. > :20:14.three other people, as part of an inquiry into allowance and expenses
:20:15. > :20:17.claims dating from 2010. Ms Sinclaire denies all the allegations
:20:18. > :20:22.and is currently on bail until the end of May.
:20:23. > :20:24.For the first time in nearly four years, West Midlands Police are
:20:25. > :20:28.recruiting new officers. They'll be taking on 450 new constables over
:20:29. > :20:33.the next two years, from April onwards. You can register your
:20:34. > :20:36.interest by logging on at the force's website from today.
:20:37. > :20:40.In football, West Bromwich Albion have slipped into the bottom three
:20:41. > :20:44.of the Premier League for the first time this season. After four games
:20:45. > :20:48.in charge, Head Coach Pepe Mel is still without a win. And a clash
:20:49. > :20:51.with league leaders Chelsea tomorrow is just one of a string of tough
:20:52. > :21:00.fixtures ahead, as Ian Winter reports.
:21:01. > :21:05.The rain in Spain is nothing compared to England so he is going
:21:06. > :21:08.home, not because he is sick of full weather or because Albion have
:21:09. > :21:13.slumped into the bottom three, oh, no, he is flying his team of four
:21:14. > :21:18.weeks training in warm sunshine. First, they face the daunting task
:21:19. > :21:27.of Chelsea. It is difficult because Jose Mourinho, Madrid, inter`Milan,
:21:28. > :21:33.it is difficult. Albion's problems began long before he arrived in the
:21:34. > :21:37.Premier League. On Saturday, they were 2`0 down inside the first half
:21:38. > :21:40.hour at Crystal Palace, and the alarm bells were ringing. Within 36
:21:41. > :21:44.seconds of coming on, their French loan signing Thievy scored on his
:21:45. > :21:49.debut to make it 2`1. Then a Palace penalty sealed their fate. Albion
:21:50. > :21:52.have now won just one of the last 15 Premier League games, not exactly
:21:53. > :21:55.inspiring confidence before Chelsea, Fulham, and Manchester United all
:21:56. > :22:05.visit the Hawthorns in the next three weeks. For the next season, it
:22:06. > :22:09.is my work. The players think it is possible to win tomorrow. Against
:22:10. > :22:12.the meanest defence in the Premier League? We will see. Villa's woeful
:22:13. > :22:15.home form shows little sign of improvement. A couple of goals
:22:16. > :22:19.inside three minutes just after half time allowed Kevin Nolan to claim a
:22:20. > :22:22.2`0 victory for West Ham. Marc Albrighton was unlucky not to score.
:22:23. > :22:27.But this result leaves Villa on 27 points, just six more than tomorrow
:22:28. > :22:32.night's opponents, Cardiff City. And Stoke City are also one of 11 teams
:22:33. > :22:35.fighting for survival. Twice they levelled the score to earn a 2`2
:22:36. > :22:38.draw away to Southampton. And they'll now be hoping to go one
:22:39. > :22:49.better at home to Swansea on Wednesday.
:22:50. > :22:57.Good luck to Albion tomorrow night. Chelsea are on fire. Now, all
:22:58. > :23:02.important weather forecast. Thank you very much, Nick. Wherever
:23:03. > :23:06.you look, brain is not far away. What makes matters worse is the way
:23:07. > :23:09.it feels. Unlike previous weeks, were temperatures have been above
:23:10. > :23:15.average for a time of year, this week it is going to be much colder.
:23:16. > :23:18.We are under this expanse of blue, a cold air mass originating from the
:23:19. > :23:22.North. Temperatures will start to plummet. There are warnings a plenty
:23:23. > :23:26.but the one I wanted to highlight as this amber warning, for wind. That
:23:27. > :23:30.is for Wednesday and applies to Worcestershire, Herefordshire and
:23:31. > :23:35.Shropshire with gusts of around 60 bells per hour. Because it is amber,
:23:36. > :23:42.it is more serious and means it is a greater likelihood of cladding. For
:23:43. > :23:45.other aspects of the weather, we have yellow warnings. It is going to
:23:46. > :23:50.be unsettled throughout the week, more rain on the way. It will also
:23:51. > :23:53.turn colder. Rain and cold means we can see problems of ice and snow.
:23:54. > :23:56.Some of those yellow warnings apply to the rain arriving later on
:23:57. > :24:07.tonight. To begin with, a few showers. Montreal with a howl tops
:24:08. > :24:11.to the north. These will clear and then `` wintry on the hilltops to
:24:12. > :24:15.the North. There could be ice. Later in the night, we see this rain, the
:24:16. > :24:23.next band of rain, coming in from the West. This will turn heavier
:24:24. > :24:26.from the early hours of tomorrow. There could be 20 millimetres of
:24:27. > :24:33.rain in places. Moving rapidly, spurred on by the winds, it could
:24:34. > :24:36.cost up to 50 mph. It will be followed by drier conditions and
:24:37. > :24:40.just a sprinkling of showers across the north of the region. Again, they
:24:41. > :24:45.will turn wintry over the hilltops but otherwise, plenty of sunshine
:24:46. > :24:49.elsewhere. Now, we are looking at more snow tomorrow night, into the
:24:50. > :24:53.early hours of Wednesday morning. We have got quite a few areas of white
:24:54. > :24:57.showing up later in the night. This could lead to between 2`5
:24:58. > :25:00.centimetres of snow. Thank you very much.
:25:01. > :25:04.Our main headline tonight is, of course, about the floods both here
:25:05. > :25:08.and in other parts of the country. In fact, flooding dominates the
:25:09. > :25:11.news. The Thames has burst its banks, flooding hundreds of homes.
:25:12. > :25:14.Here the River Severn is causing most concern, with the waters
:25:15. > :25:21.expected to peak above the levels of the devastating floods of 2007.
:25:22. > :25:23.Joining me live now is floods expert Mary Dhonau. Mary Dhonau, you know
:25:24. > :25:27.all about flooding, you've experienced it yourself. I call you
:25:28. > :25:32.an expert because you have been through it. How do you think it has
:25:33. > :25:38.been handled? Tremendously well. If we cast our mind back to 2000 and
:25:39. > :25:42.seven, so many communities along the river, including me, all flooded.
:25:43. > :25:46.Because of the hard work the Environment Agency has done, many
:25:47. > :25:52.communities along the Severn just have not flooded this time. I always
:25:53. > :25:55.have to put a caveat because a flood defence always reduces your risk. It
:25:56. > :26:02.does not take it away. My word to everybody is to Steve vigilant and
:26:03. > :26:06.be prepared. How do you think people are coping generally? Generally
:26:07. > :26:09.speaking, very well. Good old British stoicism. There is nothing
:26:10. > :26:17.worse than being flooded and I have to say, a huge tribute is due to the
:26:18. > :26:22.vibrant agency for the sterling work they have done. They have come in
:26:23. > :26:26.for criticism. I would like to make Eric Pickles into a sandbag equals
:26:27. > :26:30.he has said things that have been so out of order and morality has to be
:26:31. > :26:35.kept up because they're working so hard. Tell me this, as somebody who
:26:36. > :26:39.has been through the experience of having your own flooded, I should
:26:40. > :26:43.imagine it is devastating question marks it is appalling. There are no
:26:44. > :26:46.words to describe it. When I went downstairs in the morning and for
:26:47. > :26:50.the flood water waist deep in my house and when the flood water is
:26:51. > :26:56.gone there is filth left behind, sewage, stench, you lose everything.
:26:57. > :27:01.I lost drawings, photographs, my home was lobbed into a skip. Then
:27:02. > :27:07.you have to become a building for man. You just literally, your life
:27:08. > :27:09.is torn apart. Thank you very much. Let's hope not too many people go
:27:10. > :27:13.through that this time. That was the Midlands Today. I'll be
:27:14. > :27:17.back at 10pm with the very latest on the flooding situation. And we'll be
:27:18. > :27:20.broadcasting live on this story of course for just as long as the
:27:21. > :27:22.waters continue to threaten homes and livelihoods. For tonight, stay
:27:23. > :27:28.dry and stay safe. Goodbye.