Flood-hit communities in Shropshire and Worcestershire were struggling to to recover this week after heavy rain caused the River Severn to breach emergency defences. Barriers were erected in side streets and police could be seen knocking on doors along the riverside to ensure that residents had left their homes. West Mercia Police Chief Superintendent Tom Harding said in a video posted on Twitter: "Potentially, we've got water that has started to come underneath the flood barriers and in areas it appears that it is buckling." The annual cost of river and tidal flooding in the UK is as high as £1.3bn, according to official estimates. Large storms can cause vast amounts of damage, with Storm Desmond in 2015 estimated to have cost £1.6bn.