More than anywhere else in Britain of a similar size, Worcester is a city of sport. We have a top-flight rugby team, a first-class country cricket club and a nationally important racecourse, not to mention ambitious City and basketball aces Worcester Wolves.

But now two of those sports could well be under threat.

Worcestershire Country Cricket Club and Worcester racecourse are paying the price for their scenic locations on opposite banks of the river Severn.

No sooner is the clean-up over after the summer's disastrous floods than the winter rains are upon us.

And once again, both Pitchcroft and New Road resemble large lakes more than major sporting venues.

At this time of year, the problem is less acute than it was last summer. Pitchcroft doesn't hold its first meeting until April, and the cricket season has, of course, not yet begun.

But there will surely be damage, which will no doubt cost money to put right and could well delay preparations for the start of the venues' respective seasons.

And the sad fact is that, the way things are going, this is unlikely to be the last time this year that the Severn shows Worcester who's boss and inundates these two iconic sporting locations.

No one wants to see racing or cricket come to an end on the banks of the Severn, but it must be asked how often things can go on like this.

Unless Pitchcroft and New Road can be protected in the same way as Hylton Road, which has been lined with flood barriers since Friday, Worcester's sporting landmarks may face challenging futures.