ENGINEERS put up temporary flood barriers along the River Wye in Hereford.

But there was no cause for alarm as Environment Agency officials were merely testing out the new flood defence system close to the Old Bridge.

The exercise was carried out in bright sunshine and with river levels at their lowest for months, but it was vital preparation for agency staff charged with providing an emergency flood response.

“The idea of this exercise is so teams understand what the defence system involves and what they have to do,” said Stephen Oates, Environment Agency operations delivery manager.

“We don’t want people coming onto the site in the rain and dark for the first time. It involves straightforward, simple technology which is well proven.”

About six people will be in a team deployed to install the temporary panels if flooding is expected. Mr Oates said they aimed to complete the process in about two hours, based on a one or two-day advance flood notice.

The system involves a series of panels, brought in from the Eign depot two miles away, which slot into the 110-metre long defence wall stretching along the banks of the Wye close to Bishop’s Meadow.

The 1.7-metre high wall means almost 200 properties will be protected.