FLOOD barriers have been extended at Beales Corner in Bewdley as levels in the River Severn continue to rise as a result of Storm Christoph.

The river at Bewdley is now expected to peak above 5m on Saturday (January 23) - higher than previously predicted.

Bewdley Bridge has been closed to vehicle traffic and the flood alert for Bewdley has now been upgraded to a flood warning, meaning the Environment Agency predicts that flooding is predicted.

Kidderminster Shuttle: The flood barriers in Bewdley have been extended as a result of rising river levels. Photo by @DaveThroupEAThe flood barriers in Bewdley have been extended as a result of rising river levels. Photo by @DaveThroupEA

There are now 31 flood warnings in place across Worcestershire and 15 flood alerts.

At 8.30am, the River Severn at Bewdley recorded a level of 4.44m. It's predicted to reach highs of 5.47m by Saturday late afternoon.

The highest level ever recorded in the town was 5.56m in November 2000. Levels neared this in February last year when temporary barriers were overtopped at Beales Corner.

An Environment Agency spokesman said this morning: "River levels have risen at the Bewdley river gauge as a result of persistent heavy rainfall.

"Consequently, flooding of property, roads and farmland is possible from 10am today.

"We expect flooding to affect Riverside North.

"Further light rainfall is forecast over the next 24 hours. We expect river levels to remain high until the weekend.

"We are closely monitoring the situation. Our incident response staff are checking defences.

"Please plan driving routes to avoid low lying roads near rivers, which may be flooded."

Wyre Forest District Council has sandbags available for residents to collect from Gardners Meadow car park in Bewdley, Vale Road car park in Stourport and the Depot in Green Street, Kidderminster.

Councillor Simon Geraghty, leader of Worcestershire County Council, said: “We have seen some heavy rainfall in parts of the county over the last 24-48 hours in additional as well as considerable rainfall in parts of Wales, which will have an impact on river levels over the coming days.

Kidderminster Shuttle: The flood barriers in Bewdley have been extended as a result of rising river levels. Photo by @DaveThroupEAThe flood barriers in Bewdley have been extended as a result of rising river levels. Photo by @DaveThroupEA

“With the expected rise in river levels, this could have an impact on some homes and businesses.

“The start to the year has already been a difficult one for many with the national COVID restrictions tightening and we know that some areas of the county will be seeing flooding for the second time in two months.

“Please be assured that our teams are ready and we’re working closely with partners to ensure we have things in place to reduce the impact of flooding on residents and local businesses.”

There are road closures in place in areas across Worcestershire due to flooding and flood barrier deployment. Read our full story on road closures here.