A WATER-rescue expert has issued a warning about the dangers of fast-flowing flood water after a woman died when her car was swept away.

Suzanne Smith, of Hawkbatch, near Bewdley, was at the wheel of a four-wheel drive vehicle when she tried to cross a ford over the River Rea, near the Worcestershire-Shropshire border.

Her vehicle, containing her body, was recovered a quarter-of-a mile downstream by a specialist swift water rescue team from the Upton-upon-Severn unit of the Severn Area Rescue Association.

"All vehicles, no matter what their size, will float when they meet fast-flowing water, as film of the flood at Boscastle, in Devon, demonstrated very clearly," said unit leader Dave Walker.

"Drivers need to be aware of the dangers when crossing fords at this time of year, or any sections of road that become fords when brooks overflow.

"What you see in your headlights might be a flat stretch of water, but you can't see the turbulence upstream."

Heavy rain predicted for the coming week could soon make some roads impassable, he said.