Downpour: Weather latest (From Malvern Gazette)

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LOCAL ROUND-UP: Torrential rain caused chaos across Worcestershire, closing four schools and causing the cancellation of events and train services.

Castlemorton CE Primary School, Crowle CE First School, Feckenham CE First School, near Redditch, and Pendock CE Primary School, near Ledbury, were closed today as rain battered the county.

London Midland and First Great Western train services were cancelled between Great Malvern and Hereford due to flooding at Ledbury.

A spokesman for Network Rail said yesterday: “The line between Ledbury and Great Malvern was closed earlier today due to flooding at Ledbury tunnel but has since been reopened. London Midland services were running via Stourbridge to Great Malvern while the line was closed. It is now open again.”

The line at Spetchley (between Birmingham New Street and Cheltenham) closed for a time today after there was a track circuit failure due to flooding but reopened in the afternoon.

All CrossCountry services were suspended south of Birmingham because of problems in the Bristol/Gloucester area.

Roads did not escape unscathed with the A44 near Church Lane, Broadwas, closed as it was deemed impassable.

A fatal crash on the A449 at 1.20pm closed the road between Worcester and Malvern, causing further problems on the roads with Worcestershire County Council saying the road was not expected to reopen until midnight.

In other places large puddles of surface water gathered, making driving hard going.

The 423 Alfrick/Suckley to Worcester bus service was only operating between Alfrick and Worcester until further notice because of flooding on roads around Longley Green, Suckley and Knightwick.

Flood alerts were in place on Barbourne Brook, Bow and Piddle Brook and rivers in south Worcestershire at Sedgeberrow and Hinton, at the river Salwarpe at Harford Hill and the river Avon where a peak of between 2.3 and 2.8 metres  was expected for yesterday  evening, putting low levels of farmland and caravan parks between Evesham and Tewkesbury at risk of flooding.

Floodwater was reported on the M5 between junctions 12 and 13 after water closed a lane, although normal conditions resumed in the afternoon.

Evesham Rowing Club was forced to cancel its much-anticipated Head of River event on Saturday due to heavy rain.

The year has been a washout for the club, forced to cancel its third event so far.

Club chairman John Lomas said everyone was very disappointed to cancel the event, which sees professionally timed rowing racing over a 2.5-mile course on the river Avon.

He said: “We cannot compromise people’s safety. It means we have lost about £10,000 in profit this year, so we will not be able to replace old equipment.”

Officials at Hereford have been forced to abandon tomorrow's National Hunt fixture due to a waterlogged track.

6:34pm

National round-up: Residents and motorists in the West Midlands can expect a further 24 hours of flooding misery after experts predicted another night of heavy rainfall.

Homes were flooded and roads underwater today as downpours caused widespread disruption across Britain. Vehicles were abandoned and there were reports of entire villages being cut off as floodwater surged through lanes and streets and into homes.

The south west of England bore the brunt of the weather, with two inches of rain falling during 12 hours last night.

The Environment Agency told communities in the West Country to brace themselves for further problems.

It is possible that up to 60mm (5in) of rain will fall on already saturated ground, leading to river flooding during the next 24 hours.

Strong winds could yet worsen conditions, particularly surface water flooding, as leaves and debris block drains and channels.

There were major problems on the roads on Wednesday, with the AA being called to hundreds of weather-related breakdowns. By 4pm, the AA had attended more than 8,000 breakdowns nationally - 37% busier than normal - including 499 floodwater-related callouts.

A spokesman said flood-related work was concentrated around the M5 corridor but was also affecting Worcestershire and south Birmingham, with many roads reportedly impassable.

The Environment Agency put more than 200 flood warnings and alerts in place on Wednesday, mostly in the south-west of England and the Midlands.

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Worcester News: A MAN has died following a crash between a car and a lorry in Malvern which closed the A449. Full story here

5:10pm

Worcester News: Road under M5 bridge at Bredon, near Tewkesbury, flooded. 

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Worcester News: Tweet your flood pictures to @worcesternews, or email photo@worcesternews.co.uk

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OVERFLOWING: Laugherne Brook has burst its banks at Hallow, Worcester. Picture by reader Rose Chamberlain.

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Your essential guide to getting home tonight

Flood warnings 

Travel for Worcester

Train cancellations

Road closures

Worcestershire bus timetables

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3:39pm

Annette Faulkner Was Dyer [via www.facebook.com/theworcesternews]: Tibberton area awful - stay clear
 

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Worcester News: A449 Worcester Road both ways closed, heavy traffic due to accident near Monksfield Lane. Police directing traffic. Accident investigation will be required later this afternoon, between Malvern and Worcester.

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GEYSER: Quite pretty in a strange sort of way. Water bubbles from a drain cover at Mill Bank, Fladbury, near Evesham.

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WARNING: Driving through floodwaters on the A44 at Chadbury, near Evesham.

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AWFUL: Terrible driving conditions on the A44 at Wood Norton, Evesham.

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SPLASH: Tough going along the A44 at Spetchley, near Worcester.

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Freelance photographer Gail Lewis Braznell took this picture of the canal at Hanbury Road, near Wychbold.

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Freelance photographer Gail Lewis Braznell took this picture of Hanbury Road, near Wychbold.

12:58pm

WEATHER GIRLS: Staff at Wicked Hair salon in the High Street, Worcester, see the lighter side of a gloomy day.

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Donna Fessey [via www.facebook.com/theworcesternews]: I just come back from callow end old hills and not nice lots of water on the roads.

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CHAOS: Tailbacks on the A44 at Cotheridge, west of Worcester.

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Gloucestershire Police [via email]: Inspector for Roads Policing Jason Keates says: "Don’t forget that braking distances can more than double on wet road surfaces. So keep your speed steady and slow and keep plenty of space between you and the car in front.

“I’d also suggest that in poor weather you allow extra time to complete your journey. Trying to reach a destination within a tight time-scale, especially in poor weather conditions, increases stress and the potential for a collision."

Drivers are also urged to prepare their vehicle and make sure it is in good condition before setting out on a journey.

Other tips suggested are:

• Use your brakes cautiously. Abrupt braking can cause brake lock-up and cause you to lose steering control.
• To make Antilock Brakes work correctly, apply constant, firm pressure to the pedal. During an emergency stop, push the brake pedal all the way to the floor, if necessary, even in wet conditions.
• Don’t make sudden changes in steering as this increases the potential for loss of control.

11:11am

WRONG COURSE: Road or river? Highways contractor lorries on the A44 at Cotheridge, west of Worcester.

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Jo Radburn: Roads badly affected around Upton Snodsbury, Crowle areas :( [via www.facebook.com/theworcesternews]

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Malvern Hills: Police receiving lots of reports of flooded roads across the Malvern Hills District area.

Areas include Cowleigh Road and Pickersleigh Road in Malvern, the A4103 Bransford to Leigh Sinton road, both the Stourport and Worcester Roads out of Great Witley (the latter being reported as impassible to all but lorries and 4x4s a short while ago).

The A44 at Broadwas has now been closed.

Drivers are asked to be mindful of the road conditions and take appropriate precautions.
 

11:00am

RISKY: Mmm, perhaps someone forgot to place a 'Road Closed' sign at the other end of this lake on the A44 at Cotheridge, west of Worcester...

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Rivers in South Worcestershire:

At 9.10am today, the level at the Sedgeberrow Gauge was 1.71 metres and rising.

A peak level of between 2.3 and 2.5 metres is expected to occur this afternoon.

The level at the Hinton Gauge was 1.42 metres and rising.

A peak level of between 2.7 and 2.8 metres is expected to occur this afternoon.

Low lying areas of farmland between Sedgeberrow and Hinton on the Green could be affected .
 

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EASY RIDER: Now you know why all those people do the school run in great big four-wheel drives. This one is in Lightwood Lane, Cotheridge, on the A44 west of Worcester.

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Barbourne Brook: The Perdiswell guage at 8.45 am today was 2.41 metres and rising.

A peak level of between 2.5 and 2.6 metres is expected to occur this morning.
 

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Bow and Biddle Brook:  At 7:30 am today, the Environment Agency recorded the level at the Besford Bridge Gauge was 1.43 metres and rising.

A peak level of between 2.4 and 2.6 metres is expected to occur overnight.
 

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Worcestershire County Council has urged residents to be aware of possible flooding due to heavy rainfall across Worcestershire and to take extra care on the county's roads.

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Schools closure latest: Castlemorton CE Primary School has closed today because of the severe weather.

10:40am

Train service: Replacement bus service running on First Great Western between Great Malvern and Hereford due to flooding at Ledbury.

Also affecting London Midland services, journey times will be extended by up to 45 minutes.

There is no current estimate for when a normal service will resume.

10:37am

Trains: Due to flooding at Ledbury, London Midland services between Great Malvern and Hereford are currently being replaced by bus replacement services

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School closures: Crowle CE First School and Feckenham CE First School are closed today due to the severe weather.

Feckenham CE First School said it took the decision as roads around the school are flooding quickly.
 

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Bus service between Alfrick/ Suckley and Worcester has been affected by downpours.

423 Alfrick/Suckley to Worcester will only operate between Alfrick and Worcester until further notice, turning around in Alfrick.

This is due to flooding on the roads around Longley Green, Suckley and Knightwick.

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SLOW GOING: Cars plough through floodwater at Lower Broadheath, Worcester.

10:22am

Three flood warnings in place across Worcestershire at Barbourne Brook, Bow and Piddle Brook and Rivers in South Worcestershire at Sedgeberrow and Hinton.

10:18am

THE A44 at Broadwas has been closed due to very high flood water.

Rrivers are being diverted after the road near Church Lane has been deemed unpassable following heavy rain.

One vehicle has broken down.

There are currently no flood warnings on the River Severn or the River Teme.

Last night, the Environment Agency warned that heavy and slow moving rain in the coming days could cause flooding.

People have been urged to keep up to date with the latest flood warnings.