Pumps

The doorbell rang with a ,'Sorry for getting you up so early!' No probs I had actually been up hours and had already taken some photographs not really intended for blipping but they were in the end! This was our new Scottish exnational rugby playing neighbour who had woken up this morning and trotted downstairs to find 6 inches of water in his house!!

Shouldering pipes and a pump, buckets and mop we went round to help; he had not been moved in very long but hadn't been told of the water scenario. Si had to go off shooting after setting up the pump so I was left masterminding the drying out which, with that house, I had seen a few times before. A few hours later the water, which was fairly clean, had been pumped out and it was looking a lot better and at least there was no carpet or too much furniture in those rooms to spoil. Dehumidifier, and job will be done.

So appropriately the blip for the day is 'Pumps' - these pumping water up for irrigation by Birlingham near Pershore, as opposed to pumping out of a dining room/kitchen into a ditch. The river Avon is in the foreground spilling over onto the surrounding fields, the lock is underwater and a vehicle just left abandoned. The water levels are rising rapidly with water coming down from Wales and many roads round Tewkesbury, which is on the confluence of the Avon and Severn, now have diversions and/or fords. I think many people must now be quite concerned. Just hope there is no rain tonight!