THE River Severn has not yet reached its peak in Worcester and Upton-upon-Severn according to the Environment Agency.

Although it was predicted to peak this afternoon it may now do so on Friday.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: "Something like this can be quite unpredictable. There is also more rain expected over the next two days and the weekend.

"Being dry today means that levels in the tributaries should start to drop which would give us more space. We are not expecting any major problems over the next few days but we are monitoring it very carefully."

Worcester City Council chief executive David Wareing has refuted reports that rest centres are being set up around the city for people forced out of their homes due to flooding, even though no homes had yet been affected.

Mr Wareing said the authority just has plans in place should any major events occur.

"It's not just flooding," he said. "If there's a major train crash or a bomb goes off we have to think about what the effects of that might be."

Mr Wareing said the authority is better prepared to deal with flooding after learning from the events of last summer, but added they were still trying to identify how best to deal with any other "unforseen circumstances".

Meanwhile, Drivers have been warned not to endanger themselves and others by trying to photograph floods from moving cars.

Police issued the warning after traffic management advisor Mike Digger spotted a driver leaning out of his car to take a picture with his mobile phone camera.

Mr Digger said: "I could not believe my eyes when I saw a man with his arm stretched out taking pictures as he was driving along the elevated section of the A4440 Temeside Way. I was stunned by the man's stupidity and lack of appreciation of others on the road at the time. He was clearly breaking the law, both in terms of using a hand-held mobile phone while in charge of a vehicle and not paying attention to what he was doing."

Motorists are being advised to check weather reports and be sensible on the roads.

In Hereford, motorists are being told to avoid unnecessary journeys because of flooding and hazardous driving conditions. The St Martin's Street and Edgar Street car parks are affected by floodwater.

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