FLOOD barriers have been put up in Worcester and Upton-upon-Severn as the river Severn continues to rise.

Hylton Road in Worcester has been closed off to traffic after the Environment Agency put the temporary barriers up in the middle of the night.

Barriers have also gone up in Upton and an agency spokeswoman said another set could be erected later today as the river Severn between Worcester and Tewkesbury has benn put on flood warning.

The spokeswoman said: "This is very much a precautionary measure but the rivers in some places are still rising."

The river Severn has burst its banks at South Quay, Worcester, and a number of roads across the two counties have been closed due to flooding including the A443 at Eardiston around Mill Lane and the A465 at Stoke Lacy.

Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service experienced a busy 12 hours across the two counties helping to rescue more than 20 people from cars trapped in floodwater.

Spokesman Alec Mackie said Tenbury Wells was one of the worst hit areas and we reported on this website last night how three people were rescued from cars in and around the town yesterday afternoon while a family of five managed to escape from the vehicle they were in after it became trapped in at least three foot of water in Rhyse Lane, Lower Rochford, near Newnham Bridge.

Mr Mackie said: "We were mainly based in the Tenbury Wells, Newnham Bridge, Bromyard and north Herefordshire area for the first part of last night and then we went down in the south of Herefordshire in the early hours of this morning.

"The majority of problems we have been dealing with are rescuing people trapped in their cars."

Mr Mackie said firefighters had to rescue two people and a baby trapped in a car at Astwood Bank, Redditch, about 6pm last night, while the service was on standby at Linton Park caravan site, Bromyard.

"We were there for a couple of hours last night," said Mr Mackie. "There are about 20 residential caravans that were in danger of being flooded.

"Two residents were trapped and we got them out and we also helped three other people get to dry land.

"The rest of the residents decided to stay where they were.

"Of course that caravan park was devastated during last summer's July floods but it is not as bad as it was 12 months ago."

Mr Mackie said firefighters were also called to Ford Lane near Droitwich Golf and Country Club, Elmbridge, Droitwich, about 8.40pm.

"There was about three foot of water there and the driver was sat on the roof waiting to be rescued," said Mr Mackie.

The basement of the Beauchamp Arms, Worcester Road, Malvern, was also said to have had a foot of water in it about midnight.

Mr Mackie said while the service here has been relatively busy, the operators in fire control have been helping their colleague across the border in the south of Wales.

"They have been very busy so our fire control have been taking quite a few of their calls helping them to mobilise fire and rescue services," he said.

"This is the sort of colaborative co-operation we do to hekp out when one a particular service is very busy."

Mr Mackie said firefighters have now been asked to help residents and businesses in Tenbury Wells to clear up the mess in the town centre.

"We have been asked to go back to Tenbury and help wash away some of the debris and we will be doing that this morning," he said.

"We have done what we can do to help across the two counties again with the floods, certainly in Tenbury Wells."

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