Five-star Severn Bore draws crowds in Gloucestershire

The largest River Severn bore in eight years has been surging through Gloucestershire.

Hundreds of people from across the UK lined the river banks to witness the spectacle.

The surge wave is caused by the incoming tide being funnelled up the narrowing Severn Estuary.

Scores of surfers tried to ride the five-star bore, which was caused by a tidal range of 5.4m (17.7ft) or more, as it headed upstream.

The Severn bore was expected to reach 2m (6.5ft) in height. The tidal range is the difference between low and high tide.

The Severn Estuary experiences the second highest tide anywhere in the world and the bore's average speed is 10mph.

Bores can range between one star, caused by a tidal range of 4.5m (14.8ft) to 4.6m (15ft), and five-star, caused by a tidal range of 5.4m (17.7ft) and above.

An Environment Agency spokeswoman said the last five-star Severn bore on record was in March 2002.

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