A DOCUMENTARY showing the devastation of a Worcestershire town by the epic floods of 2000 is set to be screened this week.

BBC Two's Waiting for the Rains tells the story of Bewdley residents and traders who lost their homes and livelihoods in the disaster just over a year ago.

Heartbroken John and Jenny Hanson were forced to abandon their dreams of early retirement in France when torrential rains hit, days after putting their house up for sale.

The pair had to continue working, despite John's deteriorating health following a heart attack, to cope with having to take their property off the market.

Neighbour and voice of the Bewdley Residents' Flood Committee, Peter Barnett, is shown describing the "Dunkirk spirit" which fizzled away in the aftermath of the disaster - considered the worst in the region since the Great Flood of 1947.

"During the floods, people pulled together and overcame immediate problems," he said.

"But once they had gone and the clearing started, people became quite dispirited."

The floods, which ravaged the county, drove hundreds from their homes, submerged thousands of acres of countryside, affected people's health and led to firms losing business.

'Absolute disaster'

One trader featured, Jerry Akathiotis of Bewdley's Merchant House Fish Bar, lost more than £100,000.

"It was an absolute disaster," he said.

"We lost everything and had to replace most of the machinery."

Farmer Howard Dawes describes how he flooded his own riverside meadow to provide habitat for nesting birds and allow rivers to store excess water until the rains abated.

He raised water levels on his farm by 12 inches, attracting more wildlife, including more than 100 lapwings, a species of bird whose numbers have declined in recent years.

Angry John Busutill, who runs a marina, criticises the authorities for not doing enough to help protect the area while Russell Burton, regional flood warning officer, shows how warning procedures are not always "fool proof".

"When we offer the automatic voice messaging service free of charge to a new area, only 30 to 40 per cent of people take it up," he said.

"It means they're not taking the first basic step to helping themselves against the prospect of flooding."

Waiting for the Rains can be seen on this Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC 2.