ONE man has died after treacherous black ice caused chaos on Worcestershire's roads this morning, with eight seperate crashes occuring in just two hours.

And with water levels still extremely high around the county after yesterday's heavy rainfall, two men and two dogs had to be rescued by boat after their 4x4 was stranded at a ford in Droitwich.

A spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said crews had been called out eight times to road traffic collisions between 7am and 9am this morning.

A man was killed after a head-on collision on Habberley Road at Bewdley shortly before 9am. A man and woman travelling in the other vehicle escaped without injury.

Another incident saw a woman resuced from her upturned car after she crashed into a ditch in Defford.

The Bromsgrove Highway, which runs between Droitwich and Bromsgrove, had to be closed for emergency gritting after four seperate accidents on a single stretch of road.

Meanwhile in Drotiwich, fire crews had to use a boat from its base in Worcester to rescue two men and their pet dogs who were stranded in deep water in a 4x4 while trying to cross a ford at Ford Lane.

The ambulance service spokesman from said: "The roads in the county are very treacherous this morning. It is nice and sunny now and they just look wet - but it is actually black ice.

"We have had a very, very busy morning on the roads today, and are urging motorists to take care as the cold weather is likely to continue."

Flood barriers remain in place along the River Severn in Worcester and at Upton-upon-Severn following yesterday's torrential downpour, though the Environment Agency said water levels were now falling after peaking this morning at around 4m.

The Met Office said the weather should remain dry for the next few hours, but that more rain is expected tonight and over the next few days.

The Environment Agency has asked Worcestershire residents to keep vigilant while water levels remain high.