"Weird feeling of being under siege"

By Avril Ormsby

GLOUCESTER (Reuters) - People living in Gloucester stayed awake into the early hours of Tuesday morning, anxiously waiting to see if the swollen River Severn would burst its banks and send a torrent of water through the town and hundreds of riverside homes.

Retired showman Abie Morris had already evacuated his wife Lily May from their home on Almey Island after the water level rose ominously outside the front door.

But the 66-year-old said he was staying put to protect his property, despite the stress.

"I've stored the furniture off the floor, but it is the smell and the dirt and whatever else the river brings up -- that is the problem," he said.

Between 1,000 and 2,000 homes have been affected by the flooding, the worst to hit the area in 60 years.

Thousands of people who can no longer stay in their homes have found refuge with relatives or friends or found space in two local sports centres.

Authorities tried to evacuate six streets early Tuesday morning after a nearby sub-station was closed for a few hours and sewage began to build up, but only 50 people took up the offer of alternative accommodation.

Pete Bungard, chief executive of Gloucestershire County Council, said it was not yet clear whether the water had become contaminated.