WATER has flowed down the River Monnow for millennia, but today it's at a standstill owing to the Wye's floodwater holding it back.

The mouth of the Monnow is just 500m downstream of the historic Monnow Bridge at the bottom of Monmouth's high street, although the lower section was canalised some 200 years ago to divert the river from crossing what is now the sports Ground and Chippenham fields.

Whenever the Wye is in spate, the Monnow has to stop, causing the risk of more flooding on the smaller river as the water fails to get away.