IN PICTURES: Flood defence barriers go up as residents brace themselves for Storm Eva
Flood defence barriers were going up in Bewdley today as residents brace themselves for stormy weather over the holidays.
This comes as Storm Eva is set to batter Britain with rain and winds up to 70mph over the Christmas period.
Water levels of the river Severn are due to rise in that time and peak on Christmas day, prompting Environment Agency workers to action.
Meanwhile weather forecasters have warned people to expect heavy rain and strong winds.
Environmental Agency spokesman Nina Finch said: "There is currently five Flood Alerts in force across parts of Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire.
"Further rain is expected across North Wales and is likely to raise the River Wye and Severn levels through this week.
"We are closely monitoring the weather and its likely impacts on rivers in this area as the ground is saturated and river levels are seasonally high.
"We deployed the barriers in Bewdley today at Severn Side North, inspected and cleared debris at the Kidderminster flood storage area and other key watercourses to ensure water can flow.
"Our teams will be continuing to monitor river levels and take action to reduce flood risk through the Christmas and New Year period."
The height of the River Severn was recorded at 8.5 feet at lunchtime today.
More than 20 flood warnings are currently in place across Wales and the North-West and North-East, with flood threats unlikely to reduce in the near future.
Eva is the latest storm to hit Britain, where areas in Cumbria, Northern England, have been severely flooded in recent weeks.
Storm Desmond brought record amounts of rainfall to Cumbria on the weekend of December 5.
And Storm Clodagh, the third storm of this season, knocked out power supplies and caused traffic mayhem.
