Police may close the M50 and A38 to all but local traffic Flood-hit areas face further rain

The Met office has predicted three to four hours of heavy downpours over Saturday evening and through the night.

The Environment Agency has also issued severe flooding warnings for the Severn and Avon regions.

Police said motorways and other major roads could be shut to prevent a repeat of motorists being stranded overnight.

Last Friday saw thousands stuck on the M5 due to the floods.

Flood defences

Flood defences are being drafted in to the Mythe treatment plant, near Tewkesbury, where engineers are battling to restore the water supply to 130,000 homes.

The site was only cleared of flood water a few days ago, but heavy rain could further hamper efforts to get the facility working again.

As many defences are being transported to the plant, police may close the A38 between Tewkesbury and the M50 to all but local traffic.

Additional pumps and emergency equipment are also being made available to Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service, while police will provide additional patrols.

We're grateful that the vast majority of people have shown great community spirit and been very supportive of us during this difficult time. Supt Alex Drummond

Further defences are also being erected at the Walham power station, near Gloucester, which came within a few inches of flooding, and would have caused a blackout in 500,0000 homes.

Experts said the Castle Mead sub-station in the city would be safe but civil engineers and flood defence experts are visiting all three sites to examine the defence measures.

Supt Alex Drummond, of Gloucestershire Police, said he wanted to reassure the public who would "be concerned" about the forecast of further rain that everyone involved in the operation were doing everything "humanly possible" to stabilise the situation.

He said: "We're grateful that the vast majority of people have shown great community spirit and been very supportive of us during this difficult time.

"We're now appealing for people to help us this weekend by avoiding non-essential journeys and staying at home where possible.

"We don't want to have to divert resources away from defending the county's infrastructure to rescuing people stuck on the roads.

He said police had already reached agreement with the county council and the Highways Agency that motorways in the region would be closed if necessary.

Power cut

Richard Gough, of electricity firm Central Networks, said power supply could be temporarily affected by the severe weather.

"We're not anticipating any major problems and every feasible design solution has been put in place at Castle Mead in order to prevent a similar loss to that which we experienced a few days ago.

"We can't rule out local supplies of electricity being lost due to the heavy rainfall but we're geared up and ready with resources waiting should this happen."

Motorists wishing to travel on Saturday evening are warned to contact the Highways Agency before departing.

The Highways Agency: 08457 50 40 30

The Environment Agency: 0845 988 11 88