PARTS of Bewdley have been described as "a ghost town" as flood victims prepared this week for a bleak Christmas.

Adding to a sense of gloom in Bewdley over the Christmas and New Year period, Wyre Forest District Council announced it would keep sandbags in place in case of further flooding.

As a massive cleaning operation got underway after the winter's second bout of floods, chairman of Bewdley residents' flood committee Peter Barnett, said there was a need for a co-ordinated response to setting the town to rights.

And he predicted cleaning up after the latest four days of high water would be a much longer and more difficult task than in November because of the greater amount of silt and dirt that had been deposited in the streets and in homes.

A meeting of the committee early in January is expected to include as a priority discussion of the need for more help in managing the repair of the nearly 80 home and businesses at risk of flooding in the town.

Mr Barnett said: "Most of the houses are listed and we want to ensure people have the professional advice they need when they carry out repairs."

He said the committee was also anxious to see accelerated research by the Environment Agency into how such homes can be protected as individual units.

"Sandbags are First World War technology.

"We need to see something much better which should take into account that many homes that flood are in conservation areas of towns."

Meanwhile the council Cultural, Leisure and Commercial Services department said sandbags blocking doorways would be moved and washed down and district council staff would be available to put them back in place if necessary.

Stores of sandbags would be maintained at Load Street car park, at the Green Street depot in Kidderminster and at Martin's Way in Stourport.