Residents in Bewdley are waiting anxiously as river levels continue to rise and threaten to flood homes.
The River Severn is set to reach its peak water levels this afternoon as the aftermath of Storm Babet is still being felt across Worcestershire.
Despite flood barriers going up on Severn Side North in Bewdley, shielding businesses, residents on Beales Corner have been left without protection due to ongoing work for permanent barriers.
Olivia Brennan, aged 26, from the family-run Riverside Café, said: “People over on Beales Corner and that side of the river are just waiting. There’s a really ominous feeling amongst residents.
“We’ve been lucky as although the flood barriers didn’t go up in time on Friday, the water stayed about a foot away from our steps, so we didn’t have any damage inside.
“We’ve just reopened today thanks to the brilliant support from the community, But I do feel terrible for those on Beales Corner, especially as having the flood barriers up on this side just pushes the flood water back over to them.”
On Friday (October 20), the flood barriers did not go up in time due to a problem with the equipment which forced businesses along the river to close.
The water level is currently at 4.45m in Bewdley but is set to reach highs of 4.71m over the next few hours.
One resident said: “I feel awful for those over on Beales Corner and I really can’t wait for us to have a permanent solution to all this flooding.
“I have a friend who lives on Beales Corner and from 2020 to 2021, her house was flooded three times. I just can’t imagine what she is going through.”
Another added: “I’m really relieved that my house is thankfully fine after Friday. We were told the water could reach five feet, so I left for the weekend and expected to come home to find the place submerged.
“Luckily everything was fine, but the flood barriers should have gone up in time. I know there was an equipment failure, but they knew for at least a week about the weather warning, so I just can’t believe that it was left to the last minute.”
For other Bewdley residents, it’s business as usual today as they try to get back to normal following the storm on Friday.
Bar manager at the Mug House, Jessica Hewitt, said: “We had to close on Friday and cancel all our bookings which was quite disappointing, but we’re open today and hopefully everything is going to be okay on this side of the river.
“The flood barriers seem to be working, but it’s just a shame that they didn’t go up in time on Friday as they are usually really on it when it comes to flood warnings.
“Like the other businesses, the water only got up to our steps so other than a bit of mud, we were okay. It could have been a lot worse for us.”
Bewdley bridge is still open for vehicles but there is no pedestrian access to Beales Corner from Stourport Road.
One resident added: “I’m devastated for those on Beales Corner just waiting anxiously. I can’t believe it’s happened again and the sooner the permanent barriers go up the better.”
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