HEAVY rain and high winds returned to the county last night – and more is expected this weekend.
Emergency services and county leaders yesterday appealed for motorists to only make essential trips with warnings of heavy rain tomorrow and Sunday.
Civil engineers built a temporary dam on Thursday after an estimated 750,000 gallons of floodwater topped the existing dam and flooded a section of the Stroudwater Canal currently being dug out.
A new 330 metre stretch of the Stroudwater Canal is under 1.5 metres of water – but it should be empty.
Engineers installed a temporary dam to keep back the water that they were pumping out of the section near Doctor Newton's Way in Stroud.
With flood warnings on the Rivers Severn, Wye and Frome in force, Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service were last night co-ordinating the emergency response for seven fire and rescue services in the midlands and south west, from Strensham Services on the M5.
That included police, Severn Area Rescue Association, and other specialists in mountain, cavern and water rescues.
Drivers this morning are urged to drive carefully after last night's heavy rain and high winds, which caused a tree to fall on a car on the A48 and closed the road at Minsterworth, and others to be felled at Cotteswold Road, Gloucester and at The Stanleys, Selsley as well as in the Cotswolds.
And around 1,000 homes around Newent and Hartpury were last night without power, Western Power confirmed.
Heavy rain and high winds are again predicted on Saturday and Sunday with flooding likely to occur because the ground will be saturated, said Met Office forecasters.
Superintendent Neil Mantle said asked drivers not to phone the 101 police number to find out about road closures, only to report incidents.
Police shut Lobleys Drive between Cooper's Edge and Abbeymead after Wednesday's torrential rain and it remained shut last night.
But some motorists were ignoring it and driving through around three to four inches of floodwater.
Stroud District Council postponed last night's meeting due to the weather conditions, on safety grounds.