A FLOOD helpline which gives vital information about rising river levels is not being updated quickly enough says a flood-hit homeowner.

David Higgins of Waterworks Road, Barbourne, Worcester, said it was a ‘scandal’ that Floodline, the Environment Agency phone line, was not being kept up-to-date as river levels continue to rise in Worcestershire.

Mr Higgins suffered thousands of pounds of damage to his home in July 2007 when the river Severn burst its banks.

He has since spent thousands on flood defences and says he relies on the phone line to react swiftly.

Mr Higgins noticed a problem with the service on Monday when it did not provide an update as promised at 2pm. The message was updated at 8pm.

The service also did not provide the scheduled update at 8am yesterday.

Mr Higgins said he is sick of making up to 15 calls a day to receive the same out-of-date information and has complained to the EA and Worcester MP Mike Foster.

He said: “If there is a surge in the river, the EA knows about it and we have to rely on their forecasts.

"You cannot leave people wondering what’s going on. It is absolutely infuriating.

“Just because Hylton Road has it’s flood defences does not mean everyone else should be forgotten.

"There is only one word for this – scandalous.”

Mike Foster said: “It has to be updated information. I hope the EA addresses David’s concerns.”

An EA spokesman said: “We apologise for the delay in updating the quickdial flood information for Worcester.

"The current standard for flood watch is to update every 24 hours but we try to update more frequently when the river is rising and to indicate when the next update can be expected.

"However, we need to make sure the information we give people is accurate and meaningful. The quickdial information should be updated shortly, if it hasn’t already.”

Flood watches were in place across the two counties as your Worcester News went to press. These included the river Severn between Worcester and Tewkesbury, in north and south Worcester and north of the county at Stourport-on-Severn.

One was also in place on the lower Teme between Ludlow and Bransford Bridge, between Bransford Bridge and Powick and between Hereford and Ross-on-Wye.

• For the latest flood warnings from the Environment Agency, click here.