A number of schools in Herefordshire are closed following flash floods due to heavy rainfall.
Residents were forced to stay inside their homes with schools shutting across the county on Wednesday 16 as flood waters blocked key roads.
The confirmed school closures are:
Eardisley CE Primary School – partially closed, parents can collect their children from 1.15pm with a number of after school clubs cancelled.
Peterchurch Primary School – closed between Wednesday 16 – Friday 18 October
Westfield School – partially closed, parents have been contacted to let them know they can collect their children early should they wish.
Peterchurch Primary School confirmed its closure for the rest of the week after firefighters were called to pump water out of the building.
In a statement to parents, the school said: “It is not currently safe for the children or staff to attend or enter the building.”
Similarly, Clifford Primary School’s head teacher, Paula Shuman, said yesterday that staff could not get to their grounds and meals for lunchtime were not delivered.
A yellow weather warning for rain was issued by the Met Office on Tuesday to Wednesday evening, warning that some places could see 50-80mm (2-3in) of rain in six hours.
The landlord of the Temple Bar Inn in Hereford, Gino Fulgoni, told the BBC yesterday that he ensured his staff could get home after a river bank near the business burst.
“They tried walking through and [the water] is up to their waist,” he said.
“We saw the river burst its bank around half nine and it was just a little trickle but within 15 minutes it was coming in strongly and it built from there.”
Hereford leisure centre told members that activities will not resume for two days following the flooding of its sports hall. Gymnastics classed were cancelled yesterday and people are being reimbursed for any cards charged for the classes cancelled.
The flash flooding also caused chaos in the neighbouring county of Shropshire as trains were cancelled, roads closed and businesses were forced to shut.
