Roads and pathways swallowed by water as flooding caused by heavy rain left Britain's longest river bursting its banks

Roads and pathways have been swallowed by water as flooding caused by heavy rain left rivers bursting their banks. A total of 22 flood warnings have been issued over the South West of England and areas of the Midlands as the height of the River Severn continues to rise. Flooding warnings were issued for areas of Bristol and Gloucestershire, with Shrewsbury to Ironbridge in Shropshire seeing Britain's longest river become engorged by the heavy rain. Some roads and car parks have been left submerged while footbridges are also blocked. At Ironbridge, temporary barriers were put in place in a bid to hold back the bulging Severn. Heavy rain has caused a risk of flooding in parts of South West England, the North of England and the West Midlands yesterday (Sat), with other parts of England expected to also be affected tomorrow. A further 25 flooding alerts have been issued by the Environment Agency for small rivers around the Severn. Videos of Shrewsbury showed roads and pathways completely submerged by water and sign posts immersed in the river. Several roads have been closed and temporary flood barriers remain in place at Frankwell in Shrewsbury and Ironbridge as heavy rain continues to fall. Pictures of Shrewsbury showed playgrounds flooded, pipes overflowing and building underwater. At 7.30pm last night, the level on the River Severn at Welsh Bridge in Shrewsbury was 4.5m and the Met Office Yellow warning for rainfall across the region remains in place until midday today (Sun).