WORCESTER came within inches of flood chaos today.

As water moved down the river Severn and into Worcester, the city braced itself for problems. Thankfully, disruption was kept to a minimum - with only one main road closure - even though the river peaked at 9.15am at 5.39 metres (16ft) above normal.

Worcestershire County Council, Environment Agency and West Mercia Constabulary took the joint decision at 1pm to shut a section of Hylton Road, St John's, Worcester, as a precautionary measure.

It was, however, reopened at 5.50pm.

The move was in response to the "significant volume" of water that had built up behind the flood barriers, which was seeping underneath and on to the road, combined with water gushing up through drains and children playing in what could be contaminated water.

David Throup, environment manager for the Environment Agency (EA) said the Hylton Road barriers had done their job. He said: "People in the area may have noticed a small amount of water seeping through the barriers and the EA is on site with pumps making sure this water does not cause any flooding problems."

Reminding people of all ages to stay out of the flood water, he said: "It's dirty and dangerous. We are particularly concerned that children in the Hylton Road area are riding bikes through the flood water.

"It is important to remember that although flood water may appear shallow, it could be much deeper than it seems."

Andy Churchill, whose Hylton Road home flooded in 2000 and in July, has been keeping a close eye on the water level.

He said: "We're not that worried because we trust the barriers. Unlike last time when they seemed to have no idea what they were doing with them, it seems organised. Saying that, there was a lot of conflicting information about when the water was going to peak."

Hylton Road, closed to through traffic between the Henwick Road and Tybridge Street junctions, for the afternoon.

Last night, rising levels forced authorities to close Grandstand Road and Severn Terrace, leading to Pitchcroft and Sabrina Bridge, there were fears that Hylton Road, Tybridge Street and North Quay would all have to be closed. Fortunately, that was not necessary.

However, staff from Worcester Racecourse on Pitchcroft were forced to stay at home as their route to work was completely submerged by the floodwater.

"Some staff have managed to reach the Grandstand with 4x4s but the rest of the office staff had to work from home," said hospitality manager Jenny Cheshire.

"Thankfully the water hasn't got inside the Grandstand although we did put sandbags out as a precaution."

She said that they hoped to be back on the site tomorrow.

While the river Severn in Bewdley peaked at 4.91 metres (15ft) last night, the water in Worcester peaked this morning and is now expected to steadily recede.

Waters in Upton-upon-Severn are expected to reach their peak tomorrow morning.