THE Environment Agency has defended its decision not to put up the flood barriers in Hylton Road in Worcester saying they just couldn't predict what was going to happen.

The river Severn burst its banks on Tuesday night, closing off the road to all traffic but not flooding any homes or businesses.

John Adams, area manager for the Environment Agency, said the barriers were not put up because they had predicted the river would peak at a lower level than the barriers are required for.

"It was on that basis, and whether properties were going to be affected, that we made our decision," he said.

He said that the cost of putting the barriers had "absolutely nothing" to do with it.

"If the barriers need to go up, they go up," he said."

The flood, which has now started to recede, was caused by an influx of water from the river Teme.

"The situation on the river Teme has been totally unprecedented - it is at its highest for 47 years," said an agency spokesman.

"This has caused the water to back up extremely quickly at spots we've never monitored."

Stalwart flood campaigner and Worcester resident Mary Dhonau said: "Global warming is with us.

"We're going to have more of this and that's why we've got to get Government to give us more money for flooding defences."

The Worcester News put a series of questions to the Environment Agency. Here are its responses: What are the criteria required before the barriers go up?

"We monitor the level of the river at gauging stations. If the level gets high enough, and if our model river system shows it will get higher, then we will put the barriers up."

When was the decision taken not to put the barriers up on Tuesday?

"We monitored the river level up to 8pm."

At what time did the Severn burst on to Hylton Road - had the situation been monitored up until this point?

"The sudden rise in river levels at Worcester was caused by an influx of water from the river Teme.

"The situation on the river Teme in this area is totally unprecedented with levels being higher than they have been for 47 years. This has had the effect of causing water in the river Severn, at its confluence with the Teme just upstream of Worcester, to back up very quickly."

The agency did not give a specific time.

Why weren't the barriers put up?

"We took the decision not to erect them because the river was predicted to peak at a lower level at which the barriers were required.

"Our priority is to protect people and property from flooding and not highways.

"We realise that this has caused disruption to the city, but we have to make decisions about resources and priorities during a flood event."

How much does it cost to put the barriers up? Was this a consideration?

The agency said it could not answer this because there were so many variables to the cost, such as what time the barriers go up, and whether it is a weekend.

How high is the river compared with the regional norm?

"The latest reading shows the river Severn is now 4.7 metres higher than normal for this time of year."

What lessons have you learnt from this?

"This has been an exceptional situation and we will now look at it in the cold light of day.

"Every flood is different and every rainfall is different. This is another flood that will add to our general knowledge of how the river reacts."

How is the situation being monitored over the next couple of days, with more rain predicted?

"We' re still monitoring the situation closely and our people are on standby, ready to act to protect property if the situation changes, but we believe that water levels in Worcester will now start to fall."