Residents of a Shropshire town have been warned to "stay away" after flood barriers on the River Severn came close to collapse.
West Mercia Police has launched an "immediate evacuation" of Ironbridge today over concerns that the defences will "buckle" under rising flood waters.
The town is the latest town to be affected by flooding caused by recent heavy rain which overwhelmed barriers in nearby Bewdley last night.
Video footage from Bewdley shows how flood water spilled out from the Severn as it approached record-breaking levels of 5.56m recorded in November 2000.
The level has risen more than two metres in the past 72 hours, jumping from 3.36 metres at 9.15am on Sunday.
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Councillor Shaun Davies, the leader of Telford and Wrekin Council, said: "The barriers are buckling, overwhelmed by the pure volume of water in the River Severn and the prolonged pressure they have been under."
He added: "This is a developing situation but it has significantly developed and increased in terms of its dangerousness with regards to the barriers collapsing."
West Mercia Police chief superintendent Tom Harding, in a video on his Twitter account, said officers were visiting residents of the Wharfage, on the banks of the River Severn in Ironbridge, to tell them to evacuate.
He said: "Potentially, we've got water that has started to come underneath the flood barriers and in areas it appears that it is buckling.
"We want to be open and transparent with the public and residents here so they make that informed decision to come with us.
He added: “This is an emerging situation, and we won’t know how many residents are affected until the evacuation is complete. Our priority is protecting people’s lives and properties.
Barriers were also erected in side streets to ensure that people did not approach the river.
Temporary flood defences along Wharfage had been pushed back towards a pub and other businesses, sparking fears that the defences could be fully breached.
Some residents declined to leave their properties, including one occupant who also opted not to move a car parked within yards of the riverside.
Speaking at Ironbridge on Wednesday morning, Marc Lidderth, EA environment manager, said water levels had dropped by about 0.3in (1cm).
But he added: "The severe flood warning that we have issued here at Ironbridge is still in force, which means there is a significant risk to life, so we need people to remain vigilant and to listen to the advice that's coming from the emergency services."
He said that although the barriers had moved, they were still holding water and the over-topping the EA had feared had not happened.
There appears to be no let-up in sight for flood-hit communities in Shropshire and Worcestershire after heavy rain overnight caused further flooding misery.
More wet weather is forecast in some of the worst-affected areas, with parts of Wales and the North West of England predicted to see another 0.8in to 1.6in (2cm to 4cm) of rain, according to the Met Office.
Met Office forecasters have warned homeowners in affected areas to expect more flooding as they confirmed England has seen more than 200% of its average February rainfall.
In PMQs today Jeremy Corbyn branded Boris Johnson a "part-time Prime Minister" over his failure to visit flood-hit communities.
He accused the Tory leader of only "pretending to care" because there is not an election - unlike in November, when Mr Johnson posed with a mop during flooding in Derbyshire.
