Flooding is possible – be prepared

River levels are rising slowly at Diglis, Kempsey Yacht Club & Saxons Lode river gauges due to heavy rainfall. Flooding of roads and farmland is expected to continue. We expect flooding to affect low lying land & roads next to the river from Highley to Tewkesbury. Stourport, Holt Fleet, Worcester, Kempsey, Severn Stoke, Upton upon Severn, South Quay, Diglis Parade & Hylton Road towpath may be affected. Flooded drains may affect Worcester racecourse & County cricket ground. New street Gate, Upton upon Severn is closed. New Street Upton may be affected by flooding. Predicted peaks- Diglis 2.9-3.0 m & Kempsey Yacht Club 5.3-5.5m Thursday evening 17/12/20, Saxons Lode 3.6-3.8 m on Thursday afternoon. Further rainfall is forecast over the next 3 days, which may cause river levels to rise further. We are closely monitoring the situation & our staff are checking defences. Avoid contact with flood water.

This information was last updated at 7:46am Thursday 17 December 2020

Today, the Government announced Worcestershire will go into Tier Two category of restrictions, once the current lockdown finishes on December 2nd.

Worcestershire has worked very hard during the lockdown to reduce the number of cases of Covid-19 in the county.

We have seen some good progress, which has resulted in the county avoiding tier 3 restrictions. We now need to continue the good work and bring the number of

Covid-19 cases down further.

From Wednesday 2nd December, everyone in Worcestershire will need to observe Tier Two restrictions.

Tier Two restrictions include:
• you must not socialise with anyone you do not live with or who is not in your support bubble in any indoor setting, whether at home or in a public place.
• you must not socialise in a group of more than 6 people outside, including in a garden or a public space – this is called the ‘rule of 6’.
• businesses and venues can continue to operate, in a COVID-Secure manner, other than those which remain closed by law, such as nightclubs.
• pubs and bars must close, unless operating as restaurants. Hospitality venues can only serve alcohol with substantial meals.

The full list of restrictions are available on the dedicated restrictions pages of the Government’s website.

These restrictions are considered necessary because the infection rate remains too high. The virus doesn’t stay in a single area but spreads where people are mixing. It is very important that we all now follow these new rules, to reduce the number of Covid-19 cases and stop the virus spreading further.

Dr Kathryn Cobain, Director for Public Health for Worcestershire said: 
“I would like to thank you all for your continued hard work in helping to stop the spread of Covid-19. During these recent restrictions, we have seen some positive signs that Covid-19 cases are starting to stabilise in the county.
The tier we will be in from December 2nd, will be reviewed every two weeks so it is important that we keep these figures heading in the right direction. Therefore, we need to continue to follow the measures in place to protect us all. We need to keep following the rules and keep building on the hard work we have done so far.
This is a real opportunity, to take control of the virus, get our figures down and reduce the risk of transmission, especially with Christmas around the corner.
It is up to us all now to keep going with the good work, by social distancing, by wearing a face covering, by washing our hands regularly and limiting our contacts.”

Councillor John Smith, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing and Chairman of the Health and Wellbeing Board added: “These new measures represent a renewed opportunity to get our numbers down even more. If we keep working together to follow the rules, we will keep the people of Worcestershire safe and reduce the transmission of the virus.”

WE HAVE DONE IT.

More than 130% has been pledged, meaning that 85 premises will receive full fibre network in approximately 12 months.

Due to the fact that 130% has been pledged, Openreach requires no contract to be signed (they use the extra 30% as their risk mitigation).

The only requirement now will be to upgrade to a full fibre package when the network goes live – in approx.. 12 months.

I only have 6 contacts in your community, but 39 people pledged vouchers – so please could you share the good news with the rest of the community.

What happens next:

Your project will move into delivery and it will take Openreach approx.. 6 months to design and survey the infrastructure, and the build will likely start shortly after, with completion before Christmas 21.

Thank you for all your help!