RELENTLESS rainfall brought misery to homes and businesses as parts of Worcestershire were engulfed by floods once again.

Firefighters rescued 45 people from flooded properties and cars as they responded to about 250 incidents over the course of the weekend. Fire control operators received calls for help every two seconds at one point on Saturday.

Yesterday, with flood warnings still in place on the river Severn and river Teme, weather experts predicted more rain to fall tomorrow and later in the week.

A number of roads were closed across the county over the weekend and events were cancelled including Worcester City Football Club’s match against Fisher Athletic at St George’s Lane due to a waterlogged pitch and a fun day at Worcester Racecourse.

Worcestershire County Cricket Club was under nine feet of water yesterday which means Graeme Hick will have to bring an end to his career at Kidderminster – the place where he started playing cricket in England 25 years ago.

Chief executive Mark Newton said he believed this flood will cost tens of thousands of pounds.

“It highlights the fact that we have to get the development of the ground sorted,” he said.

“We need to work harder as a business and that means getting the development through, that way we can stay an all-year-round business.”

Meanwhile, the Fox Inn at Bransford, which was badly affected during last summer’s floods, succumbed to flash flooding on Saturday afternoon.

Landlord David Swinburn said there was still a foot of water in the pub yesterday.

“It’s not as bad as last time – it was over the bar then – and it was only in for a few hours rather than days so hopefully the walls won’t have had the chance to absorb too much water,” he said.

“We haven’t slept for two days because we have just been keeping an eye on it. After last year it just stays in your mind and you can smell it before it comes in.”

Mr Swinburn said he hoped the pub would be open by the weekend.

Staff at Brown’s, South Quay, Worcester, managed to prevent water creeping into their restaurant as they hosted a golden wedding party for about 65 people at 12.30pm yesterday.

Chairman Don Everton said: “The water is lapping up against the door but we have sandbagged it and built a ramp so they can get the wheelchairs in.”

Flood barriers were hastily put up along Hylton Road, Worcester; Upton- upon-Severn and Bewdley on Friday night while homes and businesses in Tenbury Wells experienced flash flooding that afternoon.

We previously reported how three people were rescued from cars in and around the town while a family of five managed to escape from the vehicle they were in after it became trapped in at least three feet of water in Rhyse Lane, Lower Rochford, near Newnham Bridge.

Shops and businesses in Market Street and Teme Street were affected after Kyre Brook burst its banks. A rest centre was set up in the town but police said that was stood down after only two people used it.

At least three properties in Malvern Walk, Lower Broadheath, near Worcester, experienced flash flooding at about 4pm on Saturday.

Anita Houlson said she had only moved back into the property at the end of March following last summer’s floods.

“I’ve still got stuff in my front room that I haven’t managed to unpack from the last time,” she said. “It’s not the flood, you can cope with that, it’s the stress that follows it when you’re trying to put everything back together.”

Mrs Houlson, whose husband Ken bought a £200 pump to get rid of the water, said new guttering and soakaways recently installed in the garden by Elgar Housing Association were not working.

“Either the pipes are blocked or they are not good enough because we are just back to square one,” she said. “It needs someone to get their head around it and sort it out.”

Neighbour Shane Jinks said his mum Heather was on holiday in Minehead, Somerset, when the privately-owned property flooded from a sewage drain in the back garden.

“My mum’s going mad about it,” he said. “She’s just had new carpet put down. It’s getting to the point now where insurance companies are getting a bit funny because it has happened so many times.”

Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service spokesman Alec Mackie said firefighters rescued two people and helped three others to dry land at Linton Park caravan site, Bromyard, late on Friday.

Mr Mackie said firefighters helped pump a foot of water out of the basement of the Beauchamp Arms, Worcester Road, Malvern, at about midnight.

Mr Mackie said the incidents which took up the majority of firefighters’ time and effort involved people who had driven their cars into floodwater.

“One person called Saturday night saying he was trapped in his car near Droitwich,” said Mr Mackie. “This was at the same time we were dealing with a potentially life-threatening situation in Belbroughton and this person had driven into flooded water and then expected us to get them and their vehicle out.

“The operator asked whether they could get themselves out of the car and they said, and I quote, ‘Yes I can, but I shall get wet’.

“We do what we can but when we have got all sorts of stuff coming in we have to assess it.

“Our fire control operators are very experienced with these sorts of incidents and they can tell whether a person’s life is in danger or not.”

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