Residents have been forced to flee their homes as they brace themselves for the worst flooding misery in two decades after the River Severn burst its banks.

Locals in Ironbridge, Shrops., and Bewdley, Worcs., are facing "danger to life" conditions amid fears that flood defences could fail today (Tue).

Dramatic footage shows buildings submerged in flood water after the rampant storms of Dudley, Eunice and Franklin in the past week caused water levels to rise.

The River Severn at Shrewsbury was earlier recorded at 5.14m (16.8ft) - making it the fourth biggest flood ever recorded in the area and the worst since 2000.

Water levels were this afternoon at 4.98m (16.3ft) in Bewdley and 6.5m (21ft) in Ironbridge and are expected to peak at 7m (22ft) this evening.

Local authorities have been identifying high-risk no-go zones for cars and pedestrians while advising residents to abandon their homes and get to safer ground.

Flood water is currently being pumped out of water-breached homes in both the picturesque Worcestershire town and the historical village in Shropshire.

Lindsay Wilson, the founder of the Bewdley Flood Defence Committee, owns a 300-year-old rental property on Beales Corner.

She said: “I currently have a tenant there and I’ve heard from my neighbour that our houses are flooding – there’s water inside.

“We used to have water pumps that would take the water from the ground level and protect to a certain point.

“But because they were engulfed last time they’ve decided to take them away and hence the reason there’s water at the other side of the barrier.

“And when the barrier’s breach, which is later today, it will be worse. It’s going to be the worst in quite a few decades.

“We’re getting the water down from Ironbridge, Bridgenorth and it’s bad. We just have to sit and watch it happen.”

David Whiting, another Bewdley resident and a climate change activist, said: “It’s a tragedy yet again for local residents. It’s happening all the time.

“This is something in some ways tragically we’re going to have to get used to unless we do far more to deal with climate change for one thing.

“This is with us potentially forever now and is only going to get worse.”

In Ironbridge, Telford and Wrekin Council have locked down The Wharfage to cars and pedestrians, advising any locals in the area to leave.

Local resident Jim Gray, 66, added: "This is the worst I've seen it in a long time and I can only see it getting worse.

"I've seen people leaving with as much as they can carry but some are staying put. We don't enough support, some homes are not protected by barriers.

"We were told when it happened before it was a one in a century occurrence yet here we are again and still we aren't been looked after.

"We're just told to run away and then come back later to deal with the devastation."

In a post on Facebook, the local authority said: “The river level has now reached 6.2 metres in the area around The Wharfage at Ironbridge.

“This means that it’s no longer safe to go behind the flood barriers and the Wharfage is closed to vehicles and pedestrians.

“Please stay away from the area. We will be in contact again today with all residents who are at risk of flooding across the Gorge to ensure they are safe and well and help where we are able to.”

Environment Agency Area Duty Manager for Shropshire Jim Kitchen said: “We are facing a significant flood risk in Ironbridge and urging people to remain vigilant and take extreme care.

“Heavy rain, affecting already wet areas, is likely to cause significant river flooding along the River Severn for several days.

“We have teams out on the ground taking preventative action and we are working with other agencies to support people who need to evacuate their homes.

“We advise people to stay away from swollen rivers and not to drive through floodwater as just 30 centimetres of flowing water is enough to move your car.”

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesperson said: "We have specially trained Hazardous Area Response Team paramedics at Ironbridge and Bewdley today, monitoring the rising water levels, ensuring they are ready to respond as and when needed and feeding back to our command and control team."