Flood defences have gone on test in Bewdley on the river Severn, in Worcestershire.
The £3m barriers are being piloted in a two-day experiment to simulate a flood that threatened the town two years ago.
The Environment Agency said the barriers were built to a specification that would have prevented the floods that damaged the towns properties at least 50 times in the past 100 years.
Financial Times 14/11/02 page 6
The Guardian 14/11/02 page 10
