HEREFORDSHIRE has had to deal with the effects of rain, wind and snow over the past week as Storm Bella battered the county.
The Met Office is now predicting a cold snap lasting into the new year after days of wintry showers across Herefordshire.
Flurries of snow on Monday and Tuesday morning created some treacherous driving conditions in the county, with the M50 at Ledbury badly affected on Bank Holiday Monday.
As well as Ledbury, Bromyard and hills in rural north Herefordshire also woke on Monday to a dusting of snow, with police across the border in Worcestershire urging people to travel only if necessary.
With snow still on the ground, there were more wintry showers on Tuesday morning and into the afternoon, leaving roads near Bromyard in a treacherous way.
Downpours in the days before Christmas forced the Environment Agency to set up flood barriers along the river Wye in Hereford, where water rose to 4.35 metres on Monday (December 28), flooding Bishops Meadow.
As the stormy weather swept the county last week roads were flooded and cars left submerged days before Christmas.
Heavy rain throughout the day on Wednesday (December 23) led to firefighters being called to rescue people from stranded cars across Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
Several roads were closed by floods on Wednesday evening, including the A449 at Much Marcle and the A465 at Wormbridge.
Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said it was “deluged” with calls from 3pm on Wednesday, and rescued 44 people from stranded vehicles.
Drivers were stuck for several hours on a stretch of the M50 motorway near Ledbury, posting images taken from their car seats showing running water flooding the carriageway.
Flood plains along the rivers Wye and Lugg were among the areas submerged, with Environment Agency alerts in force across the county for almost a week after the deluge.
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