Could Tenbury Wells be the first UK town centre abandoned over climate change?
In the aftermath of its latest flood, the town centre of Tenbury Wells was a scene of chaos. The main street was caked with a layer of mud, shop windows were smashed and piles of sodden furniture and wares, all ruined, were heaped in the street.
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In the past four years, Tenbury has been flooded seven times by the River Teme, and business owners said they had only just got back on their feet from a flood on 17 October when the latest deluge hit.
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Lesley Bruton, an independent district councillor for Tenbury, said: "Businesses can't afford to continue. They can't afford to replace the stock, and while we haven't got defences, businesses won't want to come to the town. And residents are finding they can't sell their homes."
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"It will kill the town if it keeps coming up, because people won't want their business here, and those that already have their business here are, quite frankly, weary of it. We need help really quickly - it's like we're marooned on an island, and everyone has forgotten about us."