Menace from Dennis subsides with river levels returning to normal in Atherstone and district

Villagers around Atherstone and district are breathing more easily today as the worst effects of devastating Storm Dennis have subsided.

While parts of the Midlands are braced for a month's worth of rain in the next 24 hours bringing more heartache, the overflowing Rivers Anker and Sence are returning to normal.

Nub News visited two hot spots from earlier in the week – Spon Lane in Grendon and Riverside in Witherley – to find the roads were once more passable.

Our pictures show the contrast between the weekend and now.

Images from Warwickshire Fire & Rescue's firefighters at Polesworth illustrate vividly the the chaos Mother Nature can cause.

And our own pictures from the impact on Witherley, which brought road closures across the district, is clear to see.

Storm Dennis may have blown out but further agony is in store for beleaguered communities across flood-hit Britain.

The Environment Agency warned there is a "heightened flood risk" across the Midlands, while six severe flood warnings – meaning a danger to life – out of a total of 106 remain in place.

The EA reported England has already received nearly one-and-a-half times its average February rainfall so far this month courtesy of Dennis.

Fortunately our own two rivers – the Anker and Sence – are not among the nine (Colne, Ribble, Calder, Aire, Trent, Severn, Wye, Lugg, and Derwent) where record levels have been set in recent days.

Click on the red button at the bottom of this story to see devastation caused by Storm Dennis at the weekend.

To view more images, click on the arrows either side of the main picture above the story and follow the white dots.