RIVER levels have peaked but heavy rain is on the way over the weekend.

Yesterday canoeists took advantage of Worcester Racecourse being flooded while residents in low-lying regions kept a close eye on the weather forecast.

The Met Office has predicted light showers over the county today, followed by heavy rain tomorrow.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency, who confirmed that river levels in Worcester city peaked for the week yesterday morning, said: “It’s a bit early to know what’s going to happen but we’re monitoring river levels 24 hours a day.”

In Diglis the river peaked at 3.96 metres at 8am and had fallen by two centimetres by the afternoon. The usual winter level is less than a metre.

The flood warning remains in place for the Severn in Worcester and Tewkesbury, along with a flood watch on the rest of the river.

The barriers in Upton-upon-Severn, which went up on Sunday, November 22, are still in place.

Elsewhere in Worcestershire, staff at the Holt Fleet pub and restaurant, which sits on the riverbank in Holt Heath, have been watching the waters steadily rise all week. “It’s come up to the garden and the water it now lapping at the cellar door,” said Sue Law, whose husband runs the eaterie.

“We’re keeping a very close eye on it.”

For further advice and up-to-date information on flooding, call the Environment Agency Floodline on 0845 9881188 or visit environ ment-agency.gov.uk.